Episode 1

I met the man for the first time on December 31st, at the end of the year.

That day, I was lying idly, staring at the ceiling in the freezing rooftop room where the cold wind seeped in because there was no heating.

While others were preparing for the new year and letting go of the past, So-hee was desperately hoping that tomorrow wouldn’t come. She swallowed her scattered thoughts down her dry throat.

With partial hearing loss and the severe draft, she didn’t even notice the door opening. She realized someone was in the room because of a foreign scent from outside.

The scent, which didn’t match the shabby room at all, caught So-hee’s attention. She quickly turned her gaze towards the source.

The door was open. Someone was standing at the entrance. Under the faint streetlight from the alley, she saw a figure. He stood there, glowing softly even in the darkness, as if absorbing all the light around him.

The tall man wearing a dark gray, high-quality cashmere coat brushed the snow off his shoulders at the doorway. It was then that So-hee realized it was snowing outside.

Had she left the door open? She was sure she had locked it…

Though her mind knew she should escape, her body, frozen from the cold room, wouldn’t move easily. Struggling, she managed to sit up under her thin blanket.

The only door to escape through was where the man was standing. Where could she possibly run?

A thief? A robber? But why would someone come to this rooftop room in a poor neighborhood for money? Or maybe it was a criminal targeting a woman living alone.

The thought tightened her chest. She was terrified but couldn’t scream. She knew better than anyone that no one would come to her aid, no matter how much she cried for help.

Before she could even try to escape, the man kneeled beside her. A sharp scent of cologne filled her lungs.

“I thought it was a real pain to have to deal with a corpse right at the start of the new year.”

The low voice in her good left ear made So-hee swallow hard and look at him. Despite the dark room with no light, his large figure was clearly visible.

“Aren’t you thankful for not being dead?”

With a click, the lid of a Zippo lighter opened, and a bright flame was held close to her face. Through the hot blaze, she saw his deep, dark eyes staring intently at her.

Even to twenty-year-old So-hee, those eyes held an aura that ordinary people couldn’t possess.

The man with prominent eyebrow bones and sharp eyes, coupled with his imposing physique, made it hard to guess his exact age, but he didn’t seem young. He leisurely examined So-hee from her head to her eyes, nose, and lips. The way his dark eyes moved sharply in the light of the flickering lighter seemed to play in slow motion in So-hee’s vision.

If it weren’t for the biting cold and the man’s scent, she might have thought this was a dream, so surreal was the situation. For a brief moment, the corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk. Soon, a hint of amusement appeared in his previously indifferent eyes.

“Wh-who are you….”

So-hee finally managed to speak, her voice barely a whisper. But her dry lips and the tension in her tongue made her words come out garbled.

“Fuck, you’re really pretty, kid.”

His gaze lingered on her face, so intense it felt almost painful. He continued speaking, addressing someone named Kim Jung-sik with a hint of playful annoyance in his deep voice.

“That bastard Kim Jung-sik. He should’ve told me how pretty you were sooner. I wouldn’t have come so late, you know. I’d have come when the sun was still up.”

Despite the eerie tone of his voice, his casual, almost playful manner made him even more frightening. The man, acting as if they were old acquaintances, scanned the room with the Zippo lighter in hand, seemingly looking for something.

He stood up and felt along the wall with his large hand, bending slightly as his head nearly touched the ceiling. So-hee’s eyes darted around the small room, desperately searching for a way out. The man, without looking her way, moved around the sink area.

Maybe she could still escape. It was a small room; a quick dash and she could be out the door. But the instinctive awareness of the size difference between them froze her in place. She didn’t know his intentions, but she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.

Determined, she decided to at least try to leave. As she quietly stood, the man turned his back to her.

“Stay still before I get mad.”

Though she hadn’t made a sound, it seemed the man heard something she didn’t. Her legs gave way, and she slumped back down.

“Wait. Ah, found it.”

The man found a switch on the wall and tried to turn on the light, but nothing happened. After a few attempts, he gave up and sat comfortably next to So-hee as if it were his own home.

“You’re being obedient. Good choice. You wouldn’t have gotten far anyway.”

His words hinted at what might have happened if she had tried to run, sending a shiver down her spine. She almost hiccuped but quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

“I may not look it, but I’m a really fast runner.”

He noticed a candle next to her blanket and squinted at it, seemingly in disbelief. The sight of a well-dressed man examining a half-burnt, wax-covered white candle was surreal.

“Do you live by candlelight?”

“Yes? Yes…”

Shame washed over her as he seemed to see her pitiful situation. He smiled lightly and lit the darkened wick with his lighter. The candlelight was brighter than the lighter’s flame.

With the door open, the strong wind made the candle flame flicker as if it might go out, revealing more of his face in the process. He was tall and handsome, with a cold and sharp look, his hair neatly swept back. His features were strong and defined, with dark, angled eyebrows, smooth skin, and a long tattoo peeking from his neck under his coat.

So-hee took in all of his details. Despite his rough appearance, his deep voice was gentle, and his tone was kind, creating a stark contrast.

Even though she didn’t know much, the quality of his coat, suit, and the watch on his wrist indicated he wasn’t there to commit a petty crime.

Why, then, had he come? Why wasn’t he spending New Year’s Eve with family, friends, or a lover? Why was he here, in this shabby place, making these ambiguous remarks?

“Has the electricity been cut off?”

So-hee nodded, unable to speak out of fear. His presence sent chills down her spine with every word he uttered.

Her lower jaw trembled, and her teeth chattered loudly in the small room, not from the cold but from his overwhelming presence. She glanced up at him, shaking with her shoulders hunched.

He didn’t hold a knife or any obvious weapon, but his body itself seemed like a weapon. One hit from his large hand could kill her. Even a brush against his shoulder would knock her down, and if he intended to hurt her, she wouldn’t even be able to scream.

His aura and tattoos suggested he wasn’t someone with a normal job. Not knowing why he was there only increased her fear.

Just ten minutes ago, she had wished tomorrow wouldn’t come, but now, all she could think about was the desire to live.

“Why are you trembling, sweetheart? Are you scared of me?”

When So-hee nodded silently, the man laughed heartily.

“Well, you should be scared.”

He lit another candle, making the room brighter, and shadows fell over his face.

“I bought your debt. All of it.”

TL/N: Hii I picked up this series. The ml was pretty so…. This novel is umm gonna be less updated unlike my other translations cu well I am broke to use 1 chap per day on ridi so I’m sorry but if one of you guys can purchase it them Ill max the release