[S]eeing the redness on Lee Ju-hee's cheek and the mess of her dress, Min-ho picked up his pace, a hint of concern on his face as he approached.
"What the heck happened here?" he asked, his eyes shifting between his cousin and the unfolding chaos.
Lee Ju-hee took a deep breath to calm herself and replied casually, "Well, those guys... they kinda tried to, you know..."
Her words caught briefly in her throat, and Min-ho furrowed his brows. He had always assumed she could handle herself in these situations, so this was unexpected.
"Hey, Unnie," Ha-eun called, her voice trembling as she wiped away her tears, "You're okay, right? That guy, like, touched you, didn't he?"
Ha-eun seemed shaken by the whole ordeal. Meanwhile, Jin-ho stood nearby, visibly seething, his jaw clenched, fists balled up at his sides. He glared at the three remaining guys who were desperately trying to revive their unconscious buddies.
"What do you mean, touch?" Min-ho asked, looking puzzled.
Even though Jin-ho hadn't turned his gaze back to her, his ears perked up at the mention of the word 'touch.'
Lee Ju-hee tried to explain, but her voice cracked slightly towards the end, "Well, they... kind of groped me."
Honestly, she was slightly annoyed that she couldn't have taken care of them herself. But Min-ho and Jin-ho misunderstood her reaction, thinking she was on the verge of tears.
As the guy who had groped her began to wake up, Jin-ho swiftly kicked him back into unconsciousness. The other three men attempted to fight back, thinking they had the upper hand in numbers.
"Hey, why'd you guys run off—oh, whoa! What the heck happened here?" Han-sol had just arrived, followed by a slightly tipsy Yoonjae.
Yoonjae, having read the situation well, cracked his knuckles ominously and inquired, "Need a hand dealing with these jokers?"
Seeing the menacing gesture, the trio of conscious men decided to beat a hasty retreat, dragging their unconscious buddy with them.
Jin-ho was about to speak up, but Lee Ju-hee intervened, motioning toward him as she said, "No need! He's already taken care of it!"
"Gosh, what happened to your fancy dress?" Yoonjae remarked, observing the disheveled appearance of the girls.
"I'll be right back!" Min-ho declared out of the blue before darting off.
"Min, wait!" Lee Ju-hee was in the midst of stopping him, but he disappeared from view, leaving the group with puzzled expressions.
Lee Ju-hee let out another sigh, leaning against the wall. She was tired and just wanted to leave this place.
Jin-ho approached her again, gently stroking her face. This time, she didn't flinch or avoid his touch.
'I bet this must've hurt!' His thoughts were.
"Why did you step in like that?" he finally asked, as if the others were invisible.
"What?"
"If something like this ever happens, your first instinct should've been to seek help and get away," he replied calmly. "There was no need for you to put yourself in harm's way like that."
"But I couldn't have done that!"
"Why not?"
"For two simple reasons. First, I'm the older one between us. It's my role to protect Ha-eun. And second..." She paused briefly before continuing, "There's nothing those men could've done to me that I haven't already been through."
"Unnie?" Ha-eun gasped in shock, grasping the hidden implications of her words. Meanwhile, the three men, Jin-ho, Han-sol and Yoonjae wore confused expressions.
"What do you mean?" Jin-ho mustered the courage to ask, only to receive an unexpected response.
"I'm saying you can't break something that's already broken! You can't ruin someone whose life was already ruined," she explained passively.
While Yoonjae and Han-sol were still struggling to understand her cryptic words, Jin-ho had a sudden realization.
And like pieces of a puzzle falling into place, everything began to make sense now. Her aversion to any form of sexual activity, her strong discomfort in crowded areas, her nagging tendencies, and her unusual behaviors—it all clicked.
Jin-ho's intense gaze remained locked onto hers, his fingers gently tracing her bruised cheek once more. A torrent of thoughts flooded through her mind:
'Was she a victim of 'that' too?'
His actions and thoughts remained a mystery, a complex blend of emotions concealed within his deep brown eyes, emotions she struggled to fully comprehend.
With a pensive expression, he whispered softly, "Let's get some ice for that bruise, alright? We were planning to meet up at Han-sol's for a barbecue anyway. Let's head there."
As if on cue, Min-ho returned, holding two coats—one belonging to Lee Ju-hee and the other to himself.
Tearing her eyes away from the enigmatic Jin-ho, Lee Ju-hee began to ask, "Where did you..." Her question trailed off as she noticed what he was holding, and the answer became clear.
Min-ho handed Lee Ju-hee's coat to Ha-eun and then draped his own over Lee Ju-hee's shoulders, saying, "It's probably best if we get going now."
"Wait!" Jin-ho interjected, gripping Ju-hee's wrist firmly. "Let's head to Han-sol's! As I mentioned, we were supposed to meet there for dinner anyway. It's not far from here. The girls can freshen up, change clothes, and grab a bite."
'S-stay close to me... somewhere I can keep you safe,' his persistent thoughts sent a shiver down her spine.
Safe? He wanted to protect her and ensure her safety? The notion felt both absurd and strangely intriguing.
As Min-ho exchanged a skeptical glance with Jin-ho, contemplating his next moves, Lee Ju-hee surprisingly interjected, "Hmm, alright! Sounds like a plan!"
"Ju-hee noona?" Min-ho shot her a puzzled and almost disbelieving look, as if he couldn't quite fathom what he was hearing.
"What?" Lee Ju-hee replied patiently. "Anywhere is better than here!"
With that, Min-ho nodded in reluctant agreement. "Alright then."
***
In the dimly lit VIP section upstairs, a mysterious man with burgundy hair sat on a plush couch, his sharp eyes scanning the bustling club below. He leaned in as one of his lackeys approached, whispering news in hushed tones. A nod from the man signaled the lackey to depart.
"About Vortex," he resumed the conversation that had been interrupted, his voice low and calculating.
Near the expansive, tinted glass pane that offered a clear view of the club, its dancers, and servers below, another man stood. He wore a pristine white suit, and his blond-dyed hair contrasted sharply with the dark ambiance. His gaze was fixed intently on something or someone.
"It wasn't Jin-ho!" the man with burgundy hair, known as Yo-han, deadpanned, extinguishing his cigarette in the nearby ashtray. "Don't make any moves against him unless you want to cross P'il Jung-woo."
"Hmm," Han Si-hyun mumbled absentmindedly, taking another sip of his drink. "I haven't taken any action yet—"
The doors burst open abruptly, interrupting their conversation, and an angry man stormed in.
"Man, you should've seen this chick!" The guy who spoke had dyed dark grey hair with a fade haircut and tattoos peeking out from under his black shirt. "I tried to hit on her, but this dude—"
"Who messed you up like that, huh? Geum Suk!" Yo-han asked, eyeing the blood trickling from a wound on the newcomer's forehead.
"No fucking idea," he hissed, wiping the blood away with a thumb before continuing. "Remember the girl I was interested in earlier?"
"The one you went to charm?" Han Si-hyun asked, displaying a peculiar kind of interest.
"Yeah! That one," the injured man confirmed. Then clicking his tongue disapprovingly, he added after noticing Si-hyun, "Turns out this bastard is still here, huh?"
Han Si-hyun shrugged before reiterating his question, "Was it the woman with white hair?"
"Yeah! And guess what? She wasn't alone. The guy with her fucked me up real bad," he growled, grabbing Yo-han's whiskey glass from the table and gulping it down. "Once I get my hands on them, I'm gonna fuck her up right in front of her man!"
As he listened to the guy's rants, Han Si-hyun couldn't help but smirk, a hint of cunningness dancing in his eyes.
Throughout his conversation with Yo-han, a figure had caught his attention, dancing in the crowd below. It had been none other than the woman he had encountered a week or two ago. But this time, she had changed her appearance, her hair dyed white, and she looked absolutely stunning.
It was thanks to Yo-han's junior that Han Si-hyun had spotted her because he had been eyeing her with a hungry gaze too. As Yo-han's junior had hurried downstairs to make his move on her, his grip on the whiskey glass had tightened, nearly shattering it.
Then, unexpectedly, the last person he had expected had walked up to her, eclipsing Yo-han's junior with his commanding presence -- Yoo Jin-ho, his sworn enemy.
There was no doubt Yo-han's junior would have met a harsh fate; he was no match for Jin-ho.
Han Si-hyun's jaw had clenched as he'd watched Jin-ho dance with her, their bodies moving as if they were a perfect fit. Why was Jin-ho with her when he had seen her first?
A surge of competitiveness welled up in him, a feeling he had long forgotten. He wanted to hunt her, steal her away from Jin-ho just to witness her surrender to him, to see that helpless expression on Jin-ho's face.
When he saw her leave the club with Jin-ho, he felt the same desire as Yo-han's junior—to possess her.
"Anyway, I'm out of here!" Han Si-hyun placed his half-finished glass on the table and headed toward the exit.
"Don't ignore my warning, Han Si-hyun," Yo-han reminded bluntly. "Stay away from Jin-ho if you don't want trouble."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll keep your words in mind," Han Si-hyun replied with a sneer, the flames of greed burning in his cunning eyes. He wanted her, and he was going to stop at nothing to have her.
***
A/N: Officially Introducing Geum Suk: