Thud

The female student dropped the cigarette she had been holding in her mouth at Haru’s eerie voice. A chill ran down her spine.

She was scared. But she couldn't back down now. She subtly turned her head to gauge the reactions of the other female students. In this jungle, showing weakness meant the end.

“You crazy bitch!”

The female student swung her arm wide, aiming to slap Haru.

Haru clenched her fist, raised her thumb, and extended her arm. Rather than swinging her hand to counter, she merely pressed her thumb against the other girl’s arm.

Kwack

“Aagh!”

Haru’s thumb had struck precisely at the inside of the girl’s elbow.

The female student let out a sharp scream and collapsed to the ground, crying as if a hole had been drilled into her arm.

“Aah! Fuck, that hurts like hell!”

At the sight, three other female students stood up and slowly approached Haru.

“This crazy bitch is making a fuss over nothing.”

Among them, a blonde-haired girl pulled a folding knife from her pocket and unfolded the blade right in front of Haru.

Click

“Hey, lady, do you have a death—”

Tak

Before the girl could even finish her sentence, she saw the knife floating in midair.

At some point, Haru had flicked the end of the knife handle with her fingertip. The knife slipped out of the girl’s grip and spun up into the air. Haru lightly snatched it.

Chuk, swish, swish, chak—

The dazzling display of knife movements left the girls speechless. Without realizing it, the cigarettes they had been holding were now sliced right in front of their lips. If Haru had cut just a little closer, their noses and lips would have been slashed.

“Hup.”

“Uh…”

Haru neatly folded the knife and tossed it. It landed perfectly inside a metal recycling bin.

Then, with the same dry expression she had at the start, she spoke.

“The landlord doesn’t like people smoking here. Do it somewhere else.”

With that, she coolly turned and left. The female students remained frozen in place, mouths agape, until her figure disappeared from sight.

“Hey… What the hell did I just see?”

“T-That… Is she one of those hidden assassins you only hear about in rumors?”

“Holy shit, that was badass.”

“You idiots, lower your voices! She might hear us…”

The girls all hunched their shoulders and whispered more quietly.

“Hmm…”

Shin Haesu, who had been watching from behind a utility pole from start to finish, nodded in satisfaction.

“She managed to handle it without using violence… She’ll be able to stand on her own soon.”

Beep-beep-beep-click

Dadadadak—

The moment he opened the door, Haru rushed toward him, holding a wet tissue in one hand.

She was so fast that Haesu instinctively spread his arms, ready to catch her, but she came to an abrupt stop right in front of him and bowed deeply.

“O-Oh! You’re back!”

The charisma she had displayed just moments ago was completely gone. Now, she was flustered like a cat reuniting with its owner after a long trip. Though her features were fox-like.

“Have you been well?”

It had been almost a week. Haru briefly met his eyes before quickly lowering her gaze.

She still wasn’t used to making direct eye contact with Haesu.

“Y-Yes…”

“Hold still.”

Haesu gently lifted her chin with his hand. The dark circles under her eyes were severe, and her face looked dry and haggard.

“You look exhausted.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well…”

Haesu clicked his tongue.

“Even when I’m not around, you need to sleep and wake up on time.”

“Yessir.”

That night, Haru gripped the hem of Haesu’s sleeve and let out a small, long sigh of relief.

She had tried to sleep properly, but without "this"—no, without Haesu—every night had been plagued with nightmares and restlessness. She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Tonight, she would finally be able to sleep in peace.

The next day.

It was a day off. The entire first team had been given a two-day vacation.

Sip, sip.

Haesu and Haru sat at a table outside a convenience store, sipping banana-flavored milk through straws.

Three more unopened banana milks sat on the table.

“Boss Shin! Huh?”

Gu Se-ju, smiling brightly, waved from a distance. As he approached and noticed Haru sitting next to Haesu, his expression turned to one of surprise.

“Y-Your girlfriend…? I thought she was a model! Hello! I’m Gu Se-ju, in charge of managing Boss Shin’s assets.”

“She’s not my girlfriend. It’s a complicated situation.”

Gu Se-ju had an undeniably kind and gentle appearance, but Haru simply nodded slightly, remaining wary.

“Are we waiting for someone else?”

“Yes, one more person should be arriving.”

“Who…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a white sedan pulled up in front of the convenience store. From the back seat, a woman in a black-and-white striped suit stepped out—Ahn Seo-eun.

Gu Se-ju’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ahn Seo-eun, about to take a seat, paused when she noticed Haru. Without asking any questions, she sat down.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Yes, hello.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Gu Se-ju, an asset manager! We briefly met before at Daeseong Hospital!”

“Yes, I remember. It’s nice to see you again. I’m Ahn Seo-eun.”

“Thank you for remembering me!”

Gu Se-ju bowed deeply in gratitude.

Haru, like before, simply bowed her head slightly and sat down, keeping her gaze lowered. Facing so many people at once was still difficult for her.

Haesu handed the banana milk he had prepared to Ahn Seo-eun and Gu Se-ju, then gave Haru a card.

“Haru, go buy some more banana milk. Two plus one.”

“Okay.”

As Haru got up and entered the convenience store, Haesu began his explanation.

“That child was a victim of kidnapping a long time ago. She can’t function in normal society yet, so I’ve been temporarily looking after her. She has no memories of her past, so we haven’t been able to confirm her identity. That’s why I need your help to register her properly.”

The identity registration process is extremely complicated. One must go through various procedures, such as obtaining approval for creating a surname and given name and obtaining a judgment for the creation of a family registry.

Gu Se-ju had finished managing all his other clients and had become solely dedicated to Haesu’s personal asset management. He had told Haesu to use him like a personal secretary, which is why Haesu sought his help with this matter.

“Ah…”

Director Ahn Seo-eun had some business with Haesu first, so he had scheduled the appointment at the same time.

Just as the brief explanation ended, Haru returned with the banana milk.

Ahn Seo-eun, who had been listening quietly, gestured towards Haru with her eyes.

“So, you’re saying… that young lady and Haesu are living together?”

Haesu flinched at the direct remark.

“It’s a temporary shared address arrangement.”

“In other words, cohabitation.”

“…Yes.”

Gu Se-ju clapped his hands brightly.

“Wow, congratulations, Boss!”

“No, that’s not what this is.”

“I see…”

Ahn Seo-eun flashed a playful smile and pulled something out of her handbag, handing it to Haesu.

“This is my business here.”

Opening the luxurious case revealed an even more luxurious wallet inside.

“What is this?”

“Open it.”

Following her words, he opened it and found a black card tucked inside.

“I didn’t expect it either, but I didn’t realize Shin Haesu’s efforts would have such a huge impact on our company’s image. The amount kept growing, and my conscience started pricking me.”

Ahn Seo-eun pointed with her slender index finger at the black card Haesu was holding.

“I’ve converted enough monetary value into that card to ease my conscience. And I plan to keep doing so. You won’t have any issues with transfers either. Will you accept it?”

“Hmm… Sure, I’ll make good use of it.”

Since she was a conglomerate heiress, Haesu assumed she had loaded a few tens of millions of won onto the card. He figured he could just use it for living expenses and casually accepted it.

Ahn Seo-eun smiled faintly and stood up from her seat.

“Well then, I have some work to attend to.”

Seeing this, Chief Kang and Chief Kim hurriedly finished their milk and followed her.

“Take care.”

“Ah.”

Just as she was about to get into the car, she turned around and approached Haru, handing her a business card.

“If you ever need help, contact me. I can even provide a place to stay. Oh, and let’s go shopping together sometime.”

Haru, flustered, glanced at Haesu before accepting the business card.

After Ahn Seo-eun left, Haesu entrusted Haru to Gu Se-ju.

“Chief Gu, I’ll leave her in your care. Call me if anything happens.”

“Yes, sir! Don’t worry about a thing! You know how well-connected I am with the courts. Now then, Haru, shall we go?”

“Y-yes.”

Haru responded so softly that even Gu Se-ju barely heard her, then followed him.

Inside the car, Ahn Seo-eun was staring out the window with a hardened expression, watching Haru. Chief Kang noticed and asked,

“Director, is something wrong?”

“That woman… she’s pretty, isn’t she?”

“Huh? Oh, well, objectively speaking… Her proportions and facial symmetry fit the beauty standard.”

At Chief Kang’s response, Ahn Seo-eun scooted to the middle of the seat and furrowed her delicate brows.

“Prettier than me? Is she prettier than me?”

“What? Oh, no, o-of course, Director, you are far more beauti—”

“Too late. Just keep your eyes on the road.”

She leaned back against the seat, pouting her lips.

Chief Kim, sitting in the passenger seat, slightly turned his body and gave a thumbs-up.

“I’ve always thought the Director is—”

“Shh.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

A messy studio apartment, bedding scattered everywhere, the sticky air still lingering on the bed.

Chaeyeon stared blankly at the ceiling with unfocused eyes before opening her mouth.

“Let’s break up.”

“H-huh??”

Dong Namcheol, who had been massaging Chaeyeon’s leg under the blanket, bolted upright.

Without even looking at him, Chaeyeon continued speaking.

“I thought you were an upgrade, but you were just a downgrade.”

“What, what? What do you mean?”

Talking about upgrades and downgrades—she was referring to men. Dong Namcheol immediately thought of someone unpleasant.

At that moment, Chaeyeon’s gaze drifted down towards Dong Namcheol’s lower half.

“What are you waiting for? Get out.”

Click—Beep.

Dong Namcheol was kicked out of Chaeyeon’s apartment, barely dressed.

“That damn… Shin Haesu. It’s because of that bastard. That bastard is a roadblock just by existing.”

Click—Thud!

As Dong Namcheol was muttering to himself, another apartment door opened, and a woman, seeing him, gasped in shock and quickly shut her door.

Swearing under his breath, he hastily put on his clothes and stomped down the stairs.

Daeseong Department Store, Brand Shop.

Wearing her uniform, Chaeyeon wandered around the store, fiddling with her phone.

‘Shin Haesu did have a manly side. And his looks… Meanwhile, that bastard Dong Namcheol looks like a sea cucumber…’

Chaeyeon opened the KakaoTalk chat with Haesu and hesitated.

‘Should I try texting him? He used to be crazy about me… No, no. I can’t go back to that pathetic relationship. He was over thirty and still paying off loans while living at his girlfriend’s place… Get it together, Chaeyeon. There are plenty of men in the world… Huh?’

At that moment, her eyes caught sight of a broad-shouldered man standing outside the store.

Even from behind, she was sure. That broad, Pacific Ocean-sized back, those long legs that looked good in anything, those striking muscles flexing beneath his clothes.

After seeing nothing but Dong Namcheol’s flabby belly for so long, laying eyes on Haesu felt like a visual cleanse.

She completely forgot what she had just been thinking.

Chaeyeon checked her reflection in the full-length mirror.

Haesu had always liked seeing her in uniform more than any other outfit. And today, she was confident her beauty would make him weak for her again.

With a battle-ready stance, she marched outside.

“Haesu… Oppa?”

At her call, Haesu turned around. Recognizing her, his expression grew troubled.