Chapter 6

He kept staring at me with those intense, terrifying eyes.

"Minji," he said in a low, chilling voice.

I didn't reply. I just stared back at him, frozen. His presence was heavy, suffocating.

"I am Joonseo," he said again, as if I didn't know.

Kim Joonseo—the wealthy, untouchable man of South City. Everyone admired him or feared him. But me? I wasn't scared. Not yet, at least.

"I see," I said calmly. "But Mr. Kim, can I please go to sleep now? I'm really tired."

His expression darkened. "If I ever see or hear of another guy near you again… you won't even know what will happen to them."

I didn't respond. I couldn't. I just kept looking at him, silently begging him to leave with my eyes.

"Can I go now?" I finally asked, standing slowly.

I shouldn't have stayed here this long.

He didn't say a word. He just gave me a look—as if typing out the command with his eyes: Go.

I nodded slightly, walked to the bedroom, and collapsed into bed without even changing clothes. Sleep swallowed me whole.

----------------

The next morning

Everything was already off. The second I opened my eyes, I realized I had fallen off the bed sometime during the night. My body ached, and my phone was completely dead.

Joonseo was gone. As usual.

I groaned, plugged in my phone, and flopped back onto the mattress.

A few minutes later, my phone lit up and started ringing. Nakyung. Twenty-two missed calls.

I picked up, still half-asleep."Hello?" I mumbled.

"Girl, what is your problem?!" she yelled.

"Today," I snapped. "Today is my problem!"

"Yo, chill! What happened?" she asked, sounding way too amused.

"This morning, my phone was dead. Then when I woke up, I literally fell off the bed and hit the floor!" I said, pacing the room now. "Everything is just driving me crazy!"

She burst into laughter. I could hear her trying to catch her breath through the phone.

"I feel bad for you, I really do," she said between giggles. "But listen—there's a company party tonight. In like, an hour. At a five-star hotel. Everyone's going."

"What?! Another disaster waiting to happen!" I shouted. "Why are you telling me now?"

"Because your phone was dead, duh. Look at your missed calls. Bet it's over twenty."

I checked. "Twenty-two, actually."

"Told ya," she said smugly. "Anyway, just find a dress and come to the location I'm sending now."

"Okay, okay," I muttered. "See you."

"See you!" she said and hung up.

I tossed my phone onto the bed and rushed into the dressing room. I searched through old clothes until I spotted it—a red dress my mom gave me last year. It still fit perfectly. I curled my hair into soft waves, slipped on my heels, and called a taxi.

The hotel address Nakyung sent me turned out to be insanely luxurious. Crystal chandeliers, velvet carpets, glass elevators… it looked like something out of a dream.

I walked through the marble lobby, asking staff where the party room was. When I finally got to the entrance, I took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Every head turned.

I froze for a second under their stares. My red dress shimmered under the lights, and my curled hair framed my face just right. I had never looked—or felt—so confident.

But then my eyes caught someone in the far corner of the room.

Joonseo.

What is he doing here?!

I quickly turned away before he saw me and spotted Nakyung at a nearby table, waving frantically. I hurried over and sat beside her.

She was wearing a deep blue dress—elegant, classy. I couldn't see all of it since she was seated, but even from what I saw, she looked stunning.

I sat beside her and smiled."You look good too," I said.

She grinned and leaned in slightly. "Look," she whispered, pointing across the room toward the table beside Joonseo.

"Who is that?" I asked, squinting at the guy beside him. He was just as handsome as Joonseo—but something about him felt… lighter. He didn't have that intimidating aura.

"That's Mr. Seungwoo," she said with a little smirk.

Just as I was about to ask more, the party doors swung open. A soft, golden light spilled in from behind, casting a glow around the woman who walked in.

She wore a short white dress that sparkled under the chandeliers. Her skin glowed, and her long legs carried her with the grace of a model. She was tall, elegant… almost unreal.

"She is…" I began, turning to Nakyung—only to find her frozen in shock.

"That's… Yuna," she whispered.

And just like that, I felt my heart drop. My breath caught in my throat. It can't be her.

It felt like the beginning of my end.

Yuna strutted through the room like it belonged to her and stopped beside Joonseo. He was staring at her—completely locked in.

Then, she hugged him.

"Surprise," she said sweetly.

But the real surprise was mine. My stomach twisted as I watched him hug her back.

They started chatting like nothing had ever happened between us. I stared at them, jealousy burning in my chest. But before I could spiral too far, I noticed Seungwoo's eyes on me.

He was watching me.

I quickly forced a small, polite smile. Just enough to seem normal. I didn't need him to figure out I was the girl with a complicated, cheating husband.

"Girl—Mr. Seungwoo is staring at you," Nakyung whispered, elbowing me.

That's when I realized… she was insane.

Because before I could stop her—she waved at him and called out,"Mr. Seungwoo!"

"What are you doing?!" I hissed under my breath, panic rising.

I remembered Joonseo's warning from last night… but then I looked at him, with Yuna glued to his side.

He's with her. Why shouldn't I talk to someone else?

Seungwoo made his way toward us."May I sit here?" he asked politely.

"Sure," Nakyung said without hesitation.

He sat down and turned to me, his voice gentle but confident. "Can I know your name?"

Before I could respond, still caught between looking at him and Joonseo, Nakyung jumped in like she was my PR agent."I'm Nakyung, and this is Minji—my bestie!"

He smiled. "Nice to meet you, Minji. Would it be okay if I added you on WeChat?"

I blinked, unsure how to respond, but Nakyung was already snatching my phone."She'd love to," she said, handing it to him.

He scanned the code and handed it back."Added," he said with a charming grin.

I managed a smile in return, trying to ignore the heat crawling up my neck.

That's when I felt it—that heavy, cold stare.

I looked up slowly… and there he was.

Joonseo.

His eyes were locked on me, blazing with a silent warning. The kind of look that said, Try me, and I'll make you regret it.