Go Hoon instinctively shut his mouth. For a split second, it felt like the clamor around him had been vacuumed out of existence.
The hand gripping his face was strong. Because of it, all of Go Hoon’s attention locked onto the person in front of him. He could feel Bae Jung-yoon’s gleaming eyes slowly tracing over his features.
“When it’s just the two of us, I’d really prefer if we focused only on each other. You’ll do that for me, right, Hoon?”
His voice was polite, yet there was an unmistakable pressure behind it.
“You invited me out here, but you keep zoning out. That’s kind of a mood killer.”
Go Hoon blinked slowly, trying to make sense of the situation.
True, he was the one who had asked Jung-yoon to meet. And yet, he’d been distracted the whole time. Maybe Jung-yoon had every right to be annoyed.
Only then did he begin to understand the irritability behind his tone. With a blank look, Go Hoon gave a small nod. But apparently, that wasn’t enough to satisfy Bae Jung-yoon.
“Say it.”
He stared straight at Go Hoon, as if determined to wring out a verbal confirmation.
“I said I get it. Now let go.”
Go Hoon deliberately kept his tone light as he slipped free from Jung-yoon’s grasp. Jung-yoon let go without protest and gave him a sly grin.
“You should stop drinking. You look drunk.”
“I’m not drunk yet.”
“Really? You look totally out of it.”
That’s because you keep touching me whenever you feel like it. Grumbling silently, Go Hoon rubbed the cheek Jung-yoon had grabbed. As he did, Jung-yoon glanced at his watch and muttered,
“Anyway, those two are taking forever.”
Go Hoon remembered the people he’d momentarily forgotten.
Now that he thought about it, Kim Yeo-jin and Park Ki-cheol still hadn’t come back from the bathroom. Sure, Yeo-jin might take longer, but Ki-cheol had no reason to be gone this long.
A sharp sense of unease jabbed at his gut. Something didn’t feel right. He should probably go check on them himself.
Go Hoon shot up from his seat. Bae Jung-yoon reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Where are you going?”
“The bathroom.”
“I’ll come—”
“No. Bae Jung-yoon, I’ll be right back, so just wait here. I swear I won’t take long.”
He rattled off the words in a hurry, then turned away from Jung-yoon and rushed out of the bar.
As he pushed open the wooden door and stepped outside, a crisp spring breeze brushed past him. Feeling his hair flutter in the wind, Go Hoon quickened his pace. He passed through the dark, quiet parking lot and headed straight for the bathroom.
“Ki-cheol sunbae?”
He called out, but there was no reply. The restroom was dead silent. Go Hoon checked every stall, one by one.
Maybe Ki-cheol had gotten too drunk and passed out somewhere inside. That wouldn’t be ideal, but it was still better than some other possibilities.
But unfortunately, Ki-cheol was nowhere to be found.
“Where the hell did this bastard go?”
Go Hoon muttered under his breath and hurried out of the men’s room. He stopped in front of the entrance to the women’s bathroom right next to it and called out.
“Kim Yeo-jin!”
Please let her be in there. As long as they weren’t together—anything but that.
“Yeo-jin!”
He shouted again, desperate now, but still no answer. A creeping dread began to swell inside him, spreading through his chest like smoke.
“Shit.”
The curse slipped out through clenched teeth. This was bad. Really bad. Go Hoon quickly pulled out his phone and called Yeo-jin. At the same time, he moved past the parking lot and entered the shadowy alley beside the bar.
Brrrr—
The dial tone rang endlessly in his ear. No one picked up. Go Hoon kept calling, again and again, all while scanning the dim surroundings with sharp eyes.
After about a block, tension tight in his chest, he sensed movement in a narrow alleyway.
His eyes flicked toward it instantly. He stepped into the secluded passage.
Behind the bar, a surprisingly wide space opened up—hidden and shadowed, like an afterthought.
And there, beneath a dark wall, he saw the silhouettes of a man and woman pressed together.
Normally, he would’ve looked away, assuming it was just a couple getting intimate. But not this time. A sick feeling twisted in his chest.
Go Hoon narrowed his eyes and stared hard.
As his vision adjusted, the shapes came into focus. A large man was pinning a woman against the wall, forcing a kiss on her.
This didn’t look mutual. Not at all. It looked entirely one-sided—
And the moment that realization struck, Go Hoon slid his phone back into his pocket and strode toward them, steps steady and unwavering.
Three strikes. No warnings, no mercy. A clean, final strikeout.
Go Hoon clenched his jaw and yanked Park Ki-cheol back by the collar with all the strength he had.
“Argh…!”
Ki-cheol, completely unaware anyone had approached, toppled backward without a fight. He crashed to the ground on his ass and exploded with a string of curses.
“Who the fuck—?! What kind of asshole—?!”
Like a slug squirming on its back, Ki-cheol struggled to stand. But his heavy frame and the alcohol dulling his body made even that look like a monumental effort.
Go Hoon stared down at him, eyes cold.
“Kim Yeo-jin. Go back inside and stay with Bae Jung-yoon.”
“Huh… Sunbae…”
Her voice was shaky. Shame and fear flickered in her tearful eyes as she looked at Go Hoon.
“Go. I’ll take care of things here.”
His voice softened, steady and assuring as their eyes met. After a brief pause, Yeo-jin nodded, hastily fixing her clothes and hurrying out of the alley.
Behind her, Park Ki-cheol staggered to his feet, spitting on the ground. His eyes blazed with fury—though there wasn’t a shred of remorse in them.
“Goddammit… Things were just starting to heat up, and you come crashing in like a lunatic!”
Then he said something even filthier, something Go Hoon refused to let slide.
“Heat up? The fuck are you talking about, you sick bastard.”
Go Hoon muttered under his breath, the words bitter in his mouth. Ki-cheol let out a mocking laugh.
“What did you say, you little fuck?”
His voice dropped, low and threatening.
“Did you just call me out? Huh? You don’t see me as your sunbae anymore, is that it? You disrespectful little shit!”
He raged, spitting with every word, his face cycling from red to purple. Go Hoon stared at him with icy composure.
“Sunbae, pull yourself together. This isn’t the time for that bullshit.”
“Pull myself together? I’m perfectly fine, asshole! You’re the one acting crazy—tossing me on the ground like a thug, barging into a gathering you weren’t even invited to, killing the vibe! You think you’re normal tonight?!”
Go Hoon held his gaze, cold and unyielding, watching the man twist reality to justify his actions.
“You clearly don’t get it. What you did to Yeo-jin—she’s seriously hurt.”
“What the hell did I do? It was going fine until you stormed in! That girl only got all skittish because you interrupted, that’s all. Fucking hell.”
There wasn’t even a sliver of logic in anything he said. Go Hoon might’ve responded if there had been, but Ki-cheol was completely out of his mind.
His glazed eyes, the unsteady sway of his body—it was obvious: he was drunk off his ass.
Go Hoon clenched his fists. Part of him wanted to knock the bastard’s teeth in, but that would only escalate things. He let out a long breath, one hand on his hip, then met Ki-cheol’s eyes squarely.
“Let’s end this before it turns into something worse.”
“End what, you little shit?! You think I’m gonna let you off easy?!”
Ki-cheol spat the words like he’d been itching for this moment. Go Hoon ground his teeth.
How could anyone be this delusional? How could he still not understand?
Swallowing his anger, Go Hoon forced his voice to stay calm.
“What you just did to Yeo-jin—that was sexual assault. That’s a crime.”
He said it sharply, on purpose. He wanted the words to land hard, to jolt Ki-cheol into even a flicker of self-awareness.
It wasn’t like he expected much—Ki-cheol wasn’t exactly known for using his brain—but still, he’d held on to a shred of hope.
And just like that, it shattered.
“You little piece of shit! You’ve got some fucking nerve!”
Ki-cheol charged, eyes wild with rage. But Go Hoon was faster. He sidestepped cleanly, dodging the lumbering body with ease.
He wasn’t about to get hit again. Ki-cheol was slow. Sloppy. His movements were practically telegraphed. Avoiding the attack was child’s play.
Thud!
Ki-cheol crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Go Hoon didn’t flinch. He simply stared down at the wheezing man, his breathing steady.
“You motherfucker…!”
Ki-cheol’s face looked like it was going to burst. He must’ve thought he’d land a clean hit. Now, humiliated and enraged, he was completely losing it.
He wasn’t just drunk anymore—he’d gone feral. Eyes darting wildly, Ki-cheol suddenly scrambled to his feet and marched toward a crate full of empty bottles.
Go Hoon’s face tightened.
“Sunbae. That’s not a smart move.”
He tried, once more, to stop him with reason. But Park Ki-cheol had left reason far behind.
“Shut the fuck up, you little prick…!”
He grabbed a green soju bottle and charged.
“Sunbae—!”
Go Hoon caught his arm before the bottle could swing down.
“Die, you bastard!”
But strength mattered. When Ki-cheol threw his weight forward, Go Hoon lost his balance.
They toppled together, limbs tangled. Ki-cheol climbed on top, bottle raised high, but Go Hoon grabbed his wrist just in time. They struggled, limbs straining.
In the end, Go Hoon won the grapple. The bottle slipped free, shattered against the ground with a sharp crack.
But Ki-cheol wasn’t done. He drew back a fist, ready to swing again. Go Hoon read his movement, pushed with his legs, and shoved him off.
Then it happened—so fast he barely registered it.
CLANG—!
A harsh sound split the air. At the same time, drops of blood spattered onto Go Hoon’s face.
His eyes widened.
The sharp tang of iron hit his nose as warm blood streaked down his cheek in blotches, searing and vivid. And with it came a bone-deep chill—his own blood seemed to freeze.
Park Ki-cheol collapsed to the side, limp and silent.
And then a calm voice followed from behind.
“Whoops. Guess I overdid it.”
