Seo Tae-joon surfaced from a long dream, but the moment he opened his eyes, its details dissolved like smoke. A frown of annoyance creased his brow, then vanished as he registered the warmth in his arms.
“Ji-woo…”
She was curled against him, her face buried in the crook of his arm. He gently checked the hem of her sleeve and found it damp with tears, just like the last time. A familiar self-loathing coiled in his gut. He was sick of these nightmares, sick of the pathetic spectacle he became when she found him weeping in his sleep.
“Ji-woo…”
He had no idea how much time had passed. He meant to wake her, to ask how long he’d been unconscious, but when he shifted, she only snuggled closer. A faint smile touched his lips. She was always so skittish, so on edge around him, yet here she was, sleeping peacefully against his chest. The urge to wake her faded.
He studied her face. Her eyelids twitched, her brow furrowed slightly. Was she having a bad dream of her own? He propped his chin on his hand, content to simply watch her. Just then, her lashes fluttered open. Her eyes, hazy with sleep, widened in recognition as they focused on him. A soothing satisfaction filled the hollowness inside him.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice a low rasp.
“Ah!” A small, startled cry escaped her.
It happened every time, yet she never seemed to get used to it. The shock of finding Seo Tae-joon, who could sleep like the dead for days on end, suddenly awake and greeting her was always unsettling. The corners of his mouth lifted in a genuine smile.
“H-hi,” Ji-woo stammered, still mired in grogginess.
“How long was I asleep?” he asked.
“Um… today is the eighth day.”
“Hmm… why did you wake me so early? I deserved a longer punishment.” He reached out, his fingers gently peeling back the bandage on her neck. The skin beneath was still a mottled red where he had bitten her. His expression darkened. “It’s still bruised.”
Tears instantly welled in Ji-woo’s eyes. She bit her lip, trying to hold them back, but it was no use. The veins on Seo Tae-joon’s neck pulsed. “What’s wrong, Ji-woo?” he asked, his voice softening. He sat up, his hand moving to stroke her cheek. It was only then that he truly saw her: the deep, dark circles under her eyes, the new hollows in her cheeks. She had lost weight.
Seo Tae-joon took her hands, his own enveloping hers. “Tell me what happened,” he commanded, his gaze unwavering. “I’m not leaving you alone again. And I’m not letting you sleep alone, either. If you don’t tell me, I’ll drag you out of your room myself.”
After a long pause, Ji-woo’s voice emerged, thin and strained. “A few things have… bothered me. I tried to solve them on my own, but… things aren’t going the way I expected, and it’s driving me crazy, so… I…”
He stroked her hands in silence, feeling the frantic pulse beneath her skin. She was just rambling now, her thoughts scattering.
“Ji-woo… calm down.”
He held her gaze, trying to will his own stillness into her. Slowly, her ragged breathing began to even out. He reached up and gently wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Do you remember Hwang Jo-yoon?” she finally asked.
Seo Tae-joon’s face turned to stone. “What about that bastard?” he asked, his voice a low growl.
“He’s been stalking me. He stands in the yard, right in front of the main door. Always.”
Ji-woo suspected Hwang Jo-yoon wasn’t there for her, not really. He was likely trying to catch a glimpse of Seo Tae-joon, to prove she had lied about her marriage. The fact that her husband was never seen must have made him bolder, more shameless.
She had managed to take a picture of him, her hands trembling so badly the image was nearly blurred. Hwang Jo-yoon had just smiled brazenly at the camera, a picture of absolute impunity. Ji-woo had called the police immediately, but no one ever came. Even with the curtains drawn, she could feel his creepy eyes on her, and her blood ran cold. In the end, there was only one place left to run.
Seo Tae-joon wasn’t a switch she could flip on and off. To wake him for her own needs felt fundamentally unfair to him as a person. But she had made her decision. She would ask for his help one last time, swallowing the guilt she felt for using him when it was convenient and wishing him asleep the rest of the time.
Despite everything, she knew this man could end her suffering. He would be more effective than a legion of corrupt and indifferent police. What she needed right now wasn’t a lazy public servant, but a ferocious wolf.
She refused to be scared anymore. She refused to take any more of Hwang Jo-yoon’s shit. Ji-woo met Seo Tae-joon’s gaze, her own now filled with grim determination, and told him everything.
“You must have had a hard time,” Seo Tae-joon said calmly when she finished.
He was restraining himself, biting back the curses that rose in his throat. Rage boiled beneath his skin, and he clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles went white.
“I’ll take care of it.” He scowled at the thought of Hwang Jo-yoon’s name but pulled Ji-woo into a warm, protective embrace. “Leave it to your husband, Ji-woo. You just get some rest, alright?”
“Ah… I…”
“Just sleep well and eat well. Everything will be fine.” He hugged her tighter, trying to impart his strength to her.
“W-wait. N-no!” Ji-woo suddenly shoved him away. Her eyes were filled with a strange mixture of doubt and hesitation. She avoided his gaze, her fingers scratching nervously at a spot on her cheek.
“I already caught that bug,” she said, her voice wavering.
Hwang Jo-yoon was the kind of person who didn’t know how to give up. It was the trait that had allowed him to snag first place throughout his school years. He carried that same obsessive mentality into college and then into his career. In that respect, he had never grown up at all. He applied the same logic to relationships.
His core belief was simple: there was nothing you couldn’t achieve if you just kept at it long enough. Unfortunately, he applied this theory to people, with no regard for their own wants or desires.
I put five years of effort and time into you…!
I always walked behind you at night, to make sure you weren’t afraid. I even guided you away from your toxic city friends, putting you on the right path.
On rainy nights, I stayed up in front of your house like a bodyguard, just in case you had trouble sleeping. And you always treated my pure love like garbage.
One day, Hwang Jo-yoon discovered that Ji-woo had moved to an island and opened a small clinic. He also heard it was failing. This didn’t surprise him in the least; he was well aware of Han Ji-woo’s rebellious personality and the consequences it inevitably brought.
So Hwang Jo-yoon bought the house directly across from Ji-woo’s clinic, using it as a “studio.” It was all for her.
But marriage?! How could you marry someone other than me?!
Han Ji-woo had never gotten along with people. Anyone who spent more than a little time with her knew that. In her twenties, she was even less social than she was now, with no time for anything but her plants and trees. Her coworkers and so-called ‘friends’ had insulted her, calling her crazy and suggesting she see a psychiatrist for her obsession and her avoidance of people. She had never let it get to her.
As he’d expected, Ji-woo hadn’t changed much at all.