Standing there...

...was his client.

The man stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind him.

A slow smile spread across his face as his eyes settled on Kang Jun.

Jun instinctively shrank back against the headboard, his body trembling uncontrollably. Tears blurred his vision as he struggled against the ropes, but they refused to loosen.

"Please..." he whispered.

His voice was barely audible.

"Please... let me go."

The man offered no reply.

He simply stood there, watching Jun in silence.

Jun's breathing became uneven.

His heart pounded so violently that it drowned out every other sound in the room.

Meanwhile...

The stranger remained at the abandoned building, checking his watch for what felt like the hundredth time.

It was already noon.

Jun had never shown up.

Sweat gathered on his forehead as uneasiness settled deep inside his chest.

Something was wrong.

Without wasting another second, he rushed through the streets toward the brothel.

Back inside the room, the client stood over Jun.

Jun squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing becoming more frantic.

Then—

**Bang!**

The window suddenly flew open.

A powerful gust of wind rushed into the room, sending the curtains billowing.

Both Jun and the client turned toward the sound.

Standing on the windowsill...

was the stranger.

His expression was cold.

His eyes never left the man standing beside Jun.

Without a moment's hesitation, he leaped through the broken window and landed inside the room.

For a few seconds...

neither of them spoke.

The stranger and the client locked eyes.

The client frowned, about to say something.

Before a single word could leave his mouth...

the stranger calmly reached behind his back.

He slipped a hand beneath his jacket and drew a handgun.

Without the slightest hesitation, he raised it and aimed directly at the client's forehead.

Then—

**Bang.**

The gunshot echoed throughout the building.

Outside, a flock of birds burst into the sky, startled by the deafening sound.

People rushed into the hallway the moment they heard the gunshot.

It was strange.

When Jun cried...

When he begged...

When he pleaded for someone to save him...

When he was beaten...

When he was dragged through the hallway...

When he was left starving...

When he tried to end his own life...

When he suffered day after day...

No one came.

No one cared.

No one even bothered to look his way.

But the moment they heard a sound that wasn't Jun's...

They all gathered outside his door.

The doorknob slowly turned.

The door creaked open.

The people standing in the hallway froze.

A cold wind swept through the broken window, gently stirring their hair and clothes.

Yet none of them moved.

None of them spoke.

Standing inside the room was a complete stranger, a handgun still resting in his hand.

Their eyes slowly shifted downward.

The client who had entered Jun's room moments earlier now lay motionless on the floor.

Blood spread slowly across the wooden floor, creeping toward the doorway until it nearly reached their feet.

Ignoring the stunned crowd, the stranger knelt beside the bed and quickly untied the ropes binding Kang Jun's wrists and ankles.

His entire attention was on Jun.

The moment the ropes fell away, Jun slowly climbed off the bed.

His face was pale.

Red marks and bruises covered his skin.

His legs trembled as he struggled to remain standing.

The next second, he stumbled toward the stranger.

With shaking hands, he clutched the front of the stranger's shirt and buried his face against his chest.

He broke down.

"Hic... thank you..."

"Thank you for coming..."

"Please..."

"Please take me away from here."

"I don't want to live like this anymore."

His breathing became uneven.

Every breath came faster than the last as years of fear and despair poured out in uncontrollable sobs.

Without saying a word, the stranger wrapped his arms around Jun and gently patted his back.

"It's okay," he said softly.

"I'm here now."

"I'll take care of everything."

The moment those words left his mouth...

his voice turned ice cold.

Still holding Jun, he slowly lifted his gaze toward the people gathered at the doorway.

His eyes swept across every face.

The people who had ignored Jun's suffering.

The people who had allowed his pain to continue.

The room fell silent.

Then the stranger looked back at Jun.

"...Jun."

Jun slowly raised his head.

He loosened his grip on the stranger's shirt and stepped back slightly.

The stranger reached up and gently wiped the tears from Jun's face.

Jun stared at him in confusion.

"...How do you know my name?" he asked quietly.