Chapter 1 – The Shameless (Part 3)

“Hello.”

As she was leaving the hall, Soo-yeon’s arm was grabbed by a rude man. The insolent voice belonged to someone she knew. In that instant, Soo-yeon felt her fine hair stand on end as she slowly turned her head to face the man who had seized her.

She confirmed. The man, who had lorded over the empty golf course field with his henchmen, now stood at the entrance of the grand hall in a suit.

“It’s been a f*cking long time, right? You missed me, didn’t you?”

Hee-tae asked in a playful voice, but Soo-yeon’s spine chilled at his appearance. Just a few days ago, he was the one pressing Min-jun’s mouth down with a golf club while burying him in the bunker. Back then, she had been so focused on taking Min-jun away that she hadn’t realized how imposing Hee-tae’s physique was. The situation was different now, and Soo-yeon’s body shrank in front of him, who looked at her with eyes gleaming as if chasing down runaway prey.

“How can you run away from a loan shark? You’ve got guts, too.”

On her way home, Soo-yeon changed the phone number she had given to Hee-tae. She wasn’t naive enough not to know why he wanted her number. Moreover, she had given the number reluctantly, with her boyfriend dying in the scorching sand bunker, calling out, “Soo-yeon, please,” as if pushing her back, making her feel even more uneasy.

The man stood a head taller than the people passing by, and his large, muscular build, as if he had mastered all sports, attracted attention. Soo-yeon, trying to moisten her dry mouth, nervously asked,

“Can we move to a different spot to talk?”

The stares around her pierced like needles. Soo-yeon knew she wasn’t in a position to ask for a change of location, but she asked anyway, hoping he might comply if he valued appearances like her father. However, Hee-tae clicked his tongue loudly, as if mocking her lack of fear, and said,

“You really don’t understand the situation. It’s safer to be around people at times like this.”

“You’re going to leave after collecting the money, aren’t you?”

“I’m not working today. I came because I hold a personal grudge against you for dumping me.”

Hee-tae responded leisurely to Soo-yeon, who kept treating him like a loan shark. As the saying goes, “The setting makes the man,” and when he wielded a golf club and buried someone at the golf course, he looked like an unmistakable gangster. But standing under the chandelier, he looked like a well-dressed young master from a noble family. Standing with him like this, Soo-yeon felt they might become the subject of gossip. She glanced around and cautioned,

“We’re drawing attention.”

“Maybe we make a good picture together. I look better than your gigolo, don’t I?”

Hee-tae laughed leisurely and leaned towards her. Soo-yeon recoiled, avoiding his face as he leaned in.

Hee-tae, despite hearing Soo-yeon’s words, leaned towards her with a leisurely smile. Soo-yeon leaned back to avoid Hee-tae’s approaching face. As he leaned closer, a heavy perfume scent wafted over, causing her to frown. It wasn’t an unpleasant smell; in fact, it was a good fragrance, which she found all the more annoying. She was simply uncomfortable with his actions. Hee-tae, noticing Soo-yeon’s frown, looked at her with interest and leaned in closer to whisper in her ear.

“But from what I hear, you’re not in a position to be so relaxed, Soo-yeon.”

At that moment, Soo-yeon’s body froze. Whatever flaw he had heard about her was likely entirely true. The fact that she was dating a boyfriend from a declining family for five years, earning disapproval from her family, and the guilt-ridden months wasted without presenting a single painting because she felt she couldn’t succeed with her ruined boyfriend. Yesterday, on the golf course, she had stood straight and acted confidently in front of him, but in reality, she had no reason to be confident at all.

“You’re going on a blind date.”

Hee-tae had heard about Soo-yeon’s news even faster than she did. His voice was playful when he mentioned the blind date, but his expression was not. He couldn’t describe how awful he felt when he found out about the blind date while looking into Soo-yeon. He was stunned to hear that she had not only dumped him but also changed her number and was now meeting a well-off man from a good family. It meant that she hadn’t dumped him out of loyalty to her boyfriend.

“Did you finally decide to dump that poor bastard and marry an old man with money and a big belly?”

Hee-tae’s words were meant to provoke, and he watched Soo-yeon’s expression closely. Chae Soo-yeon was beautiful. She was indeed pretty, but not to the extent that he would chase after her relentlessly. He just wanted to lick the teardrop mole under her right eye. He wanted to provoke her somehow, to see her eyes glaring at him while crying. It was a primal attraction, like wanting to step on fresh snow or break a glass ornament. Hee-tae felt an urge to gently scratch away at her haughty exterior and expose her raw emotions.

“You changed your phone number to neatly sort out your relationships for your blind date, didn’t you? I kindly understood that.”

“I’m not going on a blind date.”

Soo-yeon glared at him, forcing a calm voice. It was difficult enough to maintain a relationship that was already shaky. This man was the worst among those trying to crush her relationship. Like a child who destroys an ant nest for fun, he was scratching at her insides with an intriguing glint in his eyes. Hee-tae heard Soo-yeon’s words and asked mockingly,

“Do you have a choice?”

“…Are you really not going to take the money?”

Soo-yeon, watching the man mock her about the blind date, changed the subject. If it weren’t for Min-jun’s debt, she wouldn’t have to listen to such things from Hee-tae. She wanted to clear that debt quickly and eliminate the need to face him.

Seeing Soo-yeon still desperate to pay off that idiot’s debt, Hee-tae spoke with a disgusted expression.

“Why are you so desperate about not being able to give me money? Since when was I your gigolo? Are you dying to give money to every man you see?”

“You’re doing this because the debt isn’t settled.”

“To settle the debt, you have to sleep with me.”

Hee-tae bluntly stated to Soo-yeon, who was urging him to leave. TThe moment she felt his desire directed at her, she forgot to breathe. Hee-tae, however, was completely unbothered by openly displaying his desire in such a busy venue. Knowing she had a boyfriend and was planning to meet another man, he still said these things, clearly out of his mind. Unconsciously, Soo-yeon cursed.

“Bastard.”

Despite her gentle face, he had thought she would look good swearing since she had stood up to him with such determination. It turned him on more than he had imagined. Coming to this event, which he usually wouldn’t attend, to see her face like a stalker had been worth it. He spread a mischievous smile and whispered.

“It’s better to be an outright bastard than to pretend to be innocent while being in heat.”

When Hee-tae mentioned heat again, Soo-yeon turned away from him. She didn’t want to stay there even a second longer. Knowing her situation all too well, the man’s vulgarity was overwhelming, and she felt as though his cheap habits might rub off on her. She had no intention of matching his frequent outbursts of lust.