THUD.

Lee Yun’s body collapsed onto the classroom floor.

For a moment, the entire room froze in shock.

“W-What happened?!”

“Hey!”

Some students immediately stood up in panic while others only stared nervously.

Han Tae’s eyes widened slightly as he looked down at Lee Yun lying unconscious beside him.

Without saying a word, Han Tae suddenly stood up from his seat.

The classroom instantly became silent again.

Before anyone could react, Han Tae bent down, lifted Lee Yun onto his back effortlessly, and started walking toward the door.

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

Because Han Tae didn’t look like the type to help anyone.

Especially not like this.

Even Lee Yun’s weak breathing against his shoulder felt strangely unfamiliar to him.

One of the girls whispered quietly,

“Han Tae is carrying him…?”

Another student looked completely shocked.

“Since when does he care about people?”

But Han Tae ignored everyone and walked straight toward the medical room.

After reaching the medical room, Han Tae quietly placed Lee Yun onto the bed.

The collage nurse quickly rushed over to check his condition.

“He probably collapsed because of stress and fever,” she said while checking Lee Yun’s temperature.

Han Tae listened silently for a second.

Then, without another word—

He turned around and left immediately.

A few minutes later, Han Tae returned to the classroom as if nothing had happened.

But the moment he entered inside, everyone stared at him awkwardly.

Han Tae lazily sat back down in his seat.

One of his friends finally broke the silence.

“…Do you know that guy?”

Han Tae looked uninterested.

“No. I don’t.”

His friend looked even more confused.

“Then why did you carry him to the medical room?”

Another student added,

“You literally gave him a piggyback ride.”

Han Tae clicked his tongue softly in annoyance before replying,

“Because he collapsed beside me.”

A short pause.

“I had no choice.”

Even after hearing his explanation, the classroom still felt awkwardly silent.

Because somehow—

Nobody believed Han Tae would help someone just because he “had no choice.”

After classes ended, Han Tae’s phone suddenly rang.

The moment he saw the caller ID, his expression darkened slightly.

Without saying much, he stood up from his seat.

“I need to take care of something,” he said coldly before leaving Hanguk University.

An hour later—

Black cars slowly stopped in front of an abandoned shed hidden far from the city streets.

The area was silent except for the distant sound of dripping water.

The car door opened.

Han Tae stepped out first.

Cold wind brushed against his brown hair tied into a messy bun as he fixed his sleeves calmly.

Behind him—

Several men followed immediately in silence.

The moment Han Tae started walking toward the shed, all of them naturally walked behind him like shadows.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody dared to.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed against the wet ground while the dim warehouse lights flickered weakly in the darkness.

Han Tae walked at the front with one hand inside his pocket, his expression cold and unreadable.

The closer they got to the shed—

The heavier the atmosphere became.

One of the younger men quietly lowered his head nervously.

Because everyone knew—

Whenever Han Tae personally came to handle something himself…

Things never ended peacefully.

Kim Joo(right hand) opened the rusted shed door for him carefully.

The moment Han Tae stepped inside—

The place smelled of rust, cigarettes, and dried blood.

The tied-up man sat trembling on the floor in fear. 

His hands were tightly restrained behind his back while blood and dirt stained his clothes.

The moment their eyes met—

The man’s entire body visibly trembled.

Kim Joo, Han Tae’s right-hand man, quickly walked toward him.

“That bastard borrowed 300 million from your father,” Kim Joo explained carefully. “He hasn’t even paid back 1 million yet.”

Han Tae stayed silent.

“And now he came asking for another 100 million.”

A dangerous silence filled the shed.

Kim Joo glanced toward the man tied on the floor before continuing,

“When your father refused, he started blackmailing us.”

Han Tae slowly lifted his eyes.

“He threatened to expose you.”

The atmosphere instantly became colder.

“He said he’ll tell everyone at Hanguk University that  you are a gangstar.”

For a few seconds—

Nobody spoke.

The tied-up man suddenly laughed nervously despite the fear visible on his face.

“So what if your classmates find out?” he spat arrogantly. “What are you gonna do?”

Han Tae slowly walked forward before sitting down on the chair directly in front of him.

His posture looked relaxed.

But somehow—

That calmness felt more terrifying than anger.

“Pay back the 300 million within three weeks ,” Han Tae said coldly.

The man scoffed.

“And if I don’t?”

A smirk appeared on his bloody face.

“I’ll expose everything.”

Silence.

Then—

Han Tae quietly turned his head.

“Kim Joo.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Get me a rod.”

The atmosphere inside the shed instantly became tense.

Kim Joo silently handed him the metal rod.

Han Tae slowly stood up from his chair.

Then—

CRACK.

The horrifying sound echoed through the shed.

The man screamed loudly as Han Tae beat him mercilessly.

Again.

And again.

Blood splattered across the dirty floor while the other men silently lowered their heads.

Nobody dared to interfere.

Han Tae’s expression never changed.

Cold.

Emotionless.

As if beating someone half to death meant nothing to him.

After a while, Han Tae grabbed the man’s collar and leaned closer.

“Three fingers,” he said quietly.

The man trembled violently.

“For the 300 million.”

Han Tae’s light green eyes slowly darkened.

Then—

One of his men froze.

Because Han Tae’s eyes looked like they were glowing inside the darkness of the shed.

Terrifying.

Dangerous.

Even Kim Joo felt chills run down his spine.

Han Tae’s grip tightened.

“And one toe…”

His deep voice sounded almost monstrous now.

“For blackmailing me.”

The man cried and begged desperately, but Han Tae looked completely unmoved.

Afterward, Han Tae slowly stood up again while wiping blood from his hand.

Then he looked directly at the trembling man beneath him.

“If you fail to pay the 300 million within three weeks…”

A chilling silence filled the shed.

“And if you blackmail me again…”

Han Tae’s glowing green eyes stared down at him coldly.

“I’ll cut your dick into pieces and feed it to dogs.”

Even the men working under Han Tae became visibly disturbed hearing those words.

Because for the first time in a long while—

Han Tae truly looked terrifying.

A few minutes later—

Han Tae calmly removed his blood-soaked shirt and changed into a plain black one.

As if nothing had happened.

Without another word, he walked out of the shed.

Cold night air brushed against his face.

Han Tae checked his pocket for cigarettes.

Empty.

Annoyed, he clicked his tongue softly.

“…Tch.”

Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking toward a nearby convenience store to buy cigarettes after brutal violence.

Cold night air brushed against Han Tae’s face as he walked toward the nearby convenience store.

The bright fluorescent lights inside the store glowed against the dark streets.

Han Tae pushed the glass door open.

Ding—!

The moment he stepped inside—

He stopped.

Behind the counter stood Lee Yun wearing a convenience store uniform.

His pale face looked exhausted beneath the white lights, and dark circles rested beneath his tired eyes.

For a few seconds, Han Tae simply stared at him silently.

Then Lee Yun noticed him too.

Their eyes met briefly.

But unlike Han Tae—

Lee Yun quietly looked away first and continued scanning items like nothing happened.

Han Tae’s expression instantly darkened.

Earlier that day—

Lee Yun had collapsed right in front of him.

And before leaving the medical room, Han Tae had left a short note beside the bed.

“Go to the hospital after waking up.”

Yet instead of resting—

This idiot was standing here working.

Han Tae suddenly walked toward the counter.

His footsteps echoed heavily across the quiet store.

Lee Yun slowly looked up again.

Then suddenly—

“Are you fucking crazy?!”

Lee Yun froze.

Han Tae slammed his hand against the counter loudly.

“You collapsed this morning!”

His voice echoed throughout the store.

“You had a fucking fever!”

Several customers turned to look nervously.

“I told you to go to the hospital!” Han Tae shouted angrily.

“Then why the fuck are you working right now?!”

Lee Yun quietly lowered his eyes.

“…I’m fine.”

Han Tae let out a short irritated laugh.

“Fine?”

“You looked half dead this morning.”

Before Lee Yun could answer again, another coworker quickly walked out from the back room after hearing the shouting.

She looked confused seeing the tense atmosphere.

“What happened?”

Han Tae pointed toward Lee Yun immediately.

“He has a fever,” he snapped. “And he collapsed earlier.”

The coworker’s eyes widened.

“What?!”

She immediately looked toward Lee Yun.

“Lee Yun, you should’ve gone home!”

Lee Yun stayed silent.

The coworker sighed tiredly.

“I told him to rest earlier too, but he refused.”

Han Tae clicked his tongue in annoyance before suddenly grabbing Lee Yun’s wrist.

“Hey—”

“You’re going to the hospital.”

“I said I’m fi—”

“No the fuck you’re not.”

Without listening anymore, Han Tae dragged Lee Yun outside the convenience store.

Cold wind immediately hit their faces.

A black car was parked nearby.

Han Tae opened the passenger door roughly.

“Get in.”

Lee Yun quietly sat inside without arguing anymore.

A few seconds later, Han Tae entered from the driver’s side.

As Lee Yun reached for the seatbelt himself—

Han Tae suddenly leaned closer first to grab it.

Lee Yun immediately froze.

Han Tae’s face was suddenly too close.

Close enough for Lee Yun to feel his body heat.

For a second, Lee Yun’s breathing slightly stopped.

Han Tae calmly pulled the seatbelt across him and clicked it into place.

Then he pulled away like nothing happened and started the car.

The inside of the car became completely silent.

Only the quiet sound of the engine filled the atmosphere.

Streetlights passed across their faces one by one as the car moved through the dark roads.

After several minutes of silence, Lee Yun finally spoke quietly.

“…Why are you doing this?”

Han Tae kept his eyes on the road.

“We’re not even close.”

Another silence filled the car.

Then Han Tae suddenly spoke in an annoyed voice,

“Because I’m irritated.”

Lee Yun looked at him quietly.

Han Tae gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“You collapsed in front of me.”

His voice sounded rough with frustration.

“Then I fucking left you a note telling you to go to the hospital.”

His brows furrowed slightly.

“But instead of resting, you ignored it and went to work at a convenience store looking like you were about to die again.”

Silence.

Han Tae clicked his tongue softly.

“…It’s fucking annoying.”

A few minutes later, the car finally stopped in front of the hospital.

Han Tae immediately got out first before looking toward Lee Yun.

“Come out.”

Lee Yun quietly stepped out of the car without arguing.

The bright hospital lights reflected against Han Tae’s cold expression as he walked inside with Lee Yun following beside him silently.

After a short while, the doctor finally finished checking Lee Yun’s condition.

“He has a high fever,” the doctor explained calmly while looking through the reports.

Han Tae stood beside the bed silently listening.

The doctor continued,

“And honestly… his body condition isn’t good.”

Han Tae’s brows slowly furrowed.

“He’s suffering from malnutrition, stress, and lack of sleep.”

The doctor sighed softly.

“If he continues living like this, he’ll collapse again sooner or later.”

Lee Yun quietly lowered his eyes hearing those words.

Meanwhile, Han Tae’s expression slowly darkened more and more.

The doctor glanced toward Han Tae again.

“Make sure he eats properly, rests enough, and avoids overworking himself for a while.”

Han Tae stayed silent for a few seconds after hearing everything.

Then slowly—

He turned his head toward Lee Yun.

His expression looked visibly irritated now.

“You’re fucking nineteen,” Han Tae snapped suddenly.

Lee Yun slightly looked up in surprise.

“Then why the fuck do you have malnutrition?”

His voice became rougher with anger.

“Do you not eat properly?”

Lee Yun stayed silent.

Han Tae looked even more frustrated seeing that reaction.

“Don’t you have anyone to take care of you?”

The moment those words left his mouth—

The room suddenly became quiet.

For a few seconds, he kept his head lowered without saying anything.

Han Tae clicked his tongue softly in irritation.

“Don’t you have anyone to take care of you?” he asked again, his voice rougher this time.

Silence.

Then slowly—

Lee Yun lifted his head.

His tired eyes met Han Tae’s directly for the first time since entering the hospital room.

There was no anger in them.

No sadness.

Just exhaustion.

And loneliness that had existed for far too long.

Then Lee Yun quietly answered,

“No.”

A small pause followed before he spoke again.

“I don’t.”