chapter 02
Have You Started Wondering About Men?
...
The distance between them was suffocatingly close.
The gaze that had been fixed on her as if it could bore through her skin disappeared just as quickly.
Then—
the man straightened and stepped away.
A body honed by years of training.
Nahee couldn't tear her eyes away until his broad, solid back vanished beyond the door.
...
Twenty years.
A man who had been nothing more than a friend for twenty whole years.
In all that time, she couldn't remember him ever saying anything like that.
So why now...?
Her chest felt unsettled.
Beyond the closed door,
the sound of his footsteps gradually faded away.
"Where are you?"
—Almost there. If you see an insanely handsome guy in black sweatpants, that's me.
Nahee had learned long ago that nonsense wasn't worth responding to.
The moment she hung up, Yoo Sunok called back.
—Sorry, that was stupid. Where are you?
"Inside the club. Should I go out to the road?"
—No. Stay there.
"Okay."
—Just stay where you are.
"Okay."
—I'm almost there. Don't move.
"I'm not moving, so you can stop saying it now."
—And don't go collapsing under some bridge over the Han River again. Stay right th—
"I got it. Hang up."
—Don't hang up and just st—
Click.
The second she disconnected the call from Yoo Sunok, who apparently had developed early-onset dementia despite still being young enough to repeat the same thing over and over, she immediately started walking.
If she was going to wait, she might as well wait near the entrance.
And her ears hurt.
Club Mercury.
She had only stopped by because her friends dragged her along, but the blaring music was torture.
She had already decided to head home early.
Fortunately, sneaking away from her friends, who had scattered throughout the club, wasn't difficult.
"Why is it so loud?"
Covering her ears, she quickened her pace.
Whenever it was time to go home, she always had to call either Yoo Sunok or Go Taegang.
There wasn't really a reason for Sunok's overprotectiveness. Having grown up together in the orphanage, he simply cherished her like family. Even after being adopted, he still treated her like his precious little sister.
Nahee was grateful for that.
She was passing through a densely packed crowd when—
"Did you come alone?"
Someone grabbed her wrist.
It was her first time at a club.
The unfamiliar hand wrapping around her arm sent another shiver of discomfort down her spine.
"I came with my boyfriend."
Was this normal in places like this?
Pulling her hand free, she hurried toward the exit.
"You're alone? Who'd you come with?"
"...My boyfriend."
What was this, some nationwide gathering?
She brushed past another stranger approaching her and looked around.
No matter how many times she saw it, she couldn't get used to people drunkenly tangled together in the darkness.
People really belonged where they fit.
She decided she would never come here again.
The open doors were just ahead.
She had barely stepped off the dance floor when—
"Wow, damn. How old are you, sweetheart?"
A rough hand grabbed her again.
A greasy voice.
The moment she met the bald man's eyes—
someone's hand shot out from behind her and swiftly pulled her free.
The person behind her didn't stop there.
He lifted her entire body.
Before she knew it, she was slung over a broad shoulder.
"Move aside, grandma pants."
For a moment, Nahee almost screamed.
Instead—
her eyes closed.
Relief washed over her at the familiar scent.
Cool cologne.
A scent she had known for years.
"What? Grandma pants? D-Did you just call my pants grandma pants?"
The bald man exploded at Go Taegang's provocation.
"You calling these baggy pants grandma pants?! Say that again!"
"Grandma pants."
"Y-You little... Say that one more ti—"
"Grandma."
"Pant."
"..."
Carrying Nahee over his shoulder, Go Taegang calmly walked through the crowd.
"H-Hey! Where are you going?! Get back here!"
The man's voice trembled with rage as he chased after them.
"Hey! These baggy pants cost me a hundred eighty thousand won in Gangnam, damn it!"
Apparently, Go Taegang had somehow managed to deeply offend both the man and his precious pants.
Honestly, if people stopped picking fights with strangers, these things wouldn't happen.
Being polite really wasn't that hard.
But Go Taegang had never been the type to smooth things over. His sharp personality made him stand out wherever he went.
"You! Stop right there!"
By the time they reached the entrance, Grandma Pants had already pulled out his phone.
"Hey, Seolyong! Something came up! Bring some of the boys and get over here! What? You can't? You're going to the valley the day after tomorrow? What does that have to do with coming here tonight? What? You just don't want to come? You little—"
After failing to summon reinforcements, Grandma Pants transformed into a human koala at the club entrance.
"Y-You just wait right there!"
He latched onto Taegang's arm and dangled from it.
It looked like a fight might break out.
Yet—
Nahee wasn't worried.
Only relieved.
Ever since she'd seen Go Taegang.
He was a professional.
Whatever happened, he would handle it.
She didn't know how it was possible, but that was simply who Go Taegang was.
She'd heard there wasn't a man alive who could overpower him.
As expected, after several dull thuds, Grandma Pants ended up sprawled on the ground.
A distant cry of "Aigoo, I'm dying!" disappeared beneath the music.
"Did you come alone?"
Taegang asked.
It was a question she'd heard endlessly while wandering through the club.
But this time her answer was different.
"Who comes to a club alone? Are you stupid?"
Though admittedly, she looked even stupider hanging over his shoulder.
"Did Sunok send you?"
"No."
"Then why are you here?"
"Who'd you come with?"
Instead of answering, he fired back another question.
"My college friends."
"Names."
"Even if I tell you, you won't know them."
"Names."
"You seriously won't know them."
"Names."
His voice was as cold and commanding as ever.
Eventually she gave up.
"Sooryeong, Soomi, and Soobin."
"Who are they?"
"See? I told you you wouldn't know."
"..."
"They're friends from another department. We just ended up coming together."
"Don't come again."
His tone sharpened.
But Nahee merely shrugged.
This was normal for Go Taegang.
One moment relaxed, the next impossibly rigid.
"Why? If I need to come, I'll come."
Before her weak rebellion could finish, the world suddenly spun.
Her feet touched the ground.
She lost her balance instantly.
Taegang grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him.
Her body collided against his chest.
Warmth seeped through her.
Her entire body stiffened.
Her eyes trembled with surprise.
"A chick that can't even stand properly thinks she belongs in a club?"
His low voice settled over her forehead.
Warm breath brushed through her hair.
Slowly...
Her body grew hotter.
His warmth surrounded her.
Her heart started pounding.
Their bodies pressed together.
Every muscle in her froze.
"...Let go."
She cautiously lifted her head.
But the words died there.
Because the sight of him was simply—
too overwhelming.
"You haven't been listening lately."
That face looked as though it had been sculpted by hand.
"One warning isn't enough for you anymore, huh?"
Not a single flaw.
His dark eyes stared directly at her.
He looked down at her for a long moment.
Then—
he let her go.
The arm around her waist loosened.
Instead, his large hand moved to the top of her head.
Holding her head in one palm, he pushed her toward the opposite side of the club.
"Go home."
...
With a sigh, Nahee slapped his hand away.
"I was already on my way out. Sunok said he'd come pick me up."
"When?"
"I don't know."
"Call him."
"Him? You mean my brother? You do know he's two years older than you, right?"
Taegang smirked.
Then looked directly at her.
"What did Yoo Sunok just call me?"
"..."
A zipper seemed to seal her mouth shut.
She had slipped into informal speech again.
"...At least I mix formal and informal speech."
Ignoring her excuse, Taegang pulled out his phone.
Apparently intending to call Sunok himself.
"Forget it. I'll text him."
Nahee hurriedly stopped him and took out her own phone.
"He's driving. I should message him instead."
Taegang pocketed his phone and lit a cigarette.
"Why'd you come to the club?"
A faint frown appeared between his brows as he ignited the lighter.
The flame briefly illuminated his face.
Sharp features.
A perfectly straight nose.
A prominent Adam's apple.
...
Suddenly, Nahee didn't know where to look.
"So."
He exhaled smoke.
"Have you started wondering about men?"
Pretending she hadn't been staring, Nahee quietly turned her head away.
"Men? What are you talking about? I just told my friends I'd never been to a club before, and they felt sorry for me and dragged me here."
"Why hadn't you been?"
"How could I? Yoo Sunok loses his mind whenever I step outside at night."
Nodding, Taegang released another stream of smoke.
"Go wait outside."
He nudged her back with a finger.
"Ugh, why again? You're so annoying."
"Tell me you don't see them."
He crushed the cigarette beneath his shoe and gestured around them.
"Those idiots drooling while staring at your legs. Looking at creeps like that, you still want to stay here?"
...
He wasn't wrong.
A group of twisted-looking men were openly sneaking glances her way.
"And."
Suddenly—
"If you need a man, just say so."
He stepped closer.
"You've got one right in front of you."
...
"Why look elsewhere when you're already keeping the best one around?"
A grin spread across his lips.
The directness of his gaze—
made her breath catch in her throat.
