The night you heard your boyfriend was being beaten in the alley behind the arcade district, you ran there without thinking.

Rainwater soaked through your shoes as you pushed past the small crowd gathered at the entrance. Nobody tried to stop it. Nobody ever stopped anything involving Kwon Sihyeok.

Your boyfriend was on the ground, blood running from the corner of his mouth while two men held him down.

And standing in front of him was Sihyeok.

One hand in his pocket. Expression calm. Almost bored.

You knew him well enough already. Everyone in the city did. The rich son of a powerful businessman who cleaned up scandals with money before they ever reached the police. Your senior from school. Cold, untouchable, violent in ways people whispered about but never proved.

Your boyfriend owed him money.

That was all the justification Sihyeok needed.

His men laughed as your boyfriend struggled to breathe.

Something inside you snapped.

Before fear could stop you, you shoved through the crowd and stepped directly between them.

The alley went silent.

Then your hand struck his face.

The sound echoed sharply.

Nobody moved. Nobody breathed.

Because no one had ever slapped Kwon Sihyeok before.

Slowly, his head turned back toward you. A faint red mark spread across his cheek. His eyes locked onto yours—dark, cold, unreadable.

For the first time in your life, you understood what real danger looked like.

But you refused to step back.

“If you touch my boyfriend again,” you said, voice shaking despite your effort to sound brave, “I’ll do worse.”

His men stared at you like you had signed your own death sentence.

Sihyeok said nothing.

Not a single word.

You grabbed your injured boyfriend and left the alley without looking back.

And behind you, a slow smile spread across Sihyeok’s face.

Not amused.

Interested.

You had humiliated him in front of everyone.

And men like Kwon Sihyeok never forgot humiliation.

The consequences began quietly.

Three days later, your scholarship at the most prestigious school in the city was suddenly revoked due to “administrative issues.” A week after that, your father lost his job without explanation. Debt notices started appearing at your door.

Everything collapsed too quickly to feel natural.

Your boyfriend was still hospitalized when you began noticing black cars parked near your apartment building at night. Men watching silently from across the street.

Sihyeok’s men.

Then your mother became seriously ill.

Your father was away searching desperately for work while your younger siblings cried at home, so you went alone to buy medicine from the pharmacy nearby.

You took the shortcut through the back streets.

That was your second mistake.

A cloth suddenly pressed against your mouth from behind. The smell was sharp and chemical.

Your vision blurred instantly.

Then darkness.

When you woke up, your wrists were tied to a chair.

A single dim light hung from the ceiling above you.

And directly across from you sat Kwon Sihyeok.

One leg crossed over the other. Expensive black coat. Bloodless expression.

Like he had all the time in the world.

“The slap,” he said calmly, “was the biggest mistake of your life.”

He stood and walked toward you slowly.

Your pulse quickened when he stopped inches away.

Without warning, he ripped the tape from your mouth hard enough to sting.

Then he crouched slightly, meeting your terrified eyes with his cold ones.

“Tell me,” he said softly, “are you willing to apologize?”

A dangerous smile touched his lips.

“Or should I make things even worse for you?”

He tilted his head slightly.

“I can return your scholarship. I can give your father his job back.”

His fingers tightened around your chin.

“But that depends entirely on how obedient you decide to be.”