Chapter 11: A Life of Unbridled Freedom

"Oppa! You finally came! They were insisting on treating me to drinks, and when I refused, they started getting handsy."

Seeing Cha Lun-hoo arrive, Somi quickly hugged his arm and hid behind him, acting like a frightened turtle. She rambled on about what had happened, though her slurred speech suggested she had already had quite a bit to drink.

"Damn it! What are you saying, you crazy woman! We were just trying to offer you a drink. Look, you used a bottle to beat my brother up like this! Are you her family? You better start thinking about how you're going to pay for this!"

A square-jawed man opposite them, who appeared to be the leader of the three, looked like nothing more than a college student. He shouted aggressively, demanding compensation. However, as a veteran of the nightlife scene, Cha had seen plenty of punks like this causing trouble in clubs; he was hardly intimidated by such bluster.

With the keen observation of a former soldier, he scrutinized the items on the table. The three guys looked incredibly green, clearly just college students trying to act tough to pull off something devious. Their feigned bravado was impossible to hide. Cha picked up a liquor bottle and gave it a shake; the sudden tension on their faces only confirmed his suspicions.

"Why are you here drinking alone? Have you lost your mind? Don't you know who you are?"

If it weren't for his relationship with Se-jeong, he wouldn't care if this girl lived or died. Her level of recklessness was beyond that of a typical trainee. He wondered how JYP managed its artists and why they didn't crack down harder. After all, she was a key member of a debut group and a former center of I.O.I—it made him wonder if the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Cha’s voice was low, but Somi, under the influence of alcohol, flashed a goofy grin, which only served to irritate him more. If he hadn't shown up tonight, there was no telling what might have happened, yet she was still able to laugh. Compared to her boss, she was not cute at all.

"I wasn't alone! I was with my classmates from the arts high school! They all seemed to have run away just now. Never mind that, Oppa, go help me negotiate the compensation! I'll transfer the money to you tomorrow. You know, I'm a celebrity; if my identity gets exposed, I'm finished."

Great. Now the brat knew how to be afraid. Why wasn't she afraid when she was smashing bottles over people's heads? The young man opposite them, seeing the two whispering, grew even more incensed, and his crude insults made Cha frown.

"Are you two really siblings? Your sister doesn't look very pure-bred, does she? Haha!"

The punk's words made Cha, who had been planning to just pay them off and leave, narrow his eyes. He calmly placed two glasses in front of them, grabbed the bottle they had brought, and poured a drink with practiced ease, sliding one glass over.

"They say a smile can wash away old grudges. Let's settle this with a drink and pretend nothing happened. I apologize on my sister's behalf."

The man's expression shifted instantly. He knew better than to drink the alcohol, and Cha, holding his own glass without any intention of drinking, realized his ruse had been spotted. The punk flew into a rage, ready to start cursing.

"Damn it! Just pay up, who wants to drink with—"

Cha moved with sudden, explosive force, catching the man by the throat and forcing the entire glass down his gullet. The sound of glass clinking against teeth was bone-chilling; it was unclear whether the glass had shattered or the man’s teeth had broken.

His sudden action shocked everyone. The second lackey, who had been quiet until now, rushed forward, only to meet Cha's fist directly in his jaw. He dropped like a stone, collapsing onto his bloodied companion. Knowing he shouldn't linger, Cha grabbed Somi’s arm and bolted toward the exit.

Clutching his bleeding mouth, the leader looked back at his brother, who was struggling to wake up and call out to the unconscious second lackey. Gritting his teeth, he stumbled after them, but at the entrance, he only saw the two speeding away on a motorcycle. He jumped up and down in a rage, screaming curses, but the effects of the hallucinogenic drugs kicked in; his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. The final image burned into his mind was the girl on the back of the bike, brazenly flipping him off.

"Haha... today was so much fun! Oppa, you were so cool. It’s no wonder Se-jeong unnie..."

Somi stopped herself just in time. Although the two were close, having someone else point it out felt different. She decided to stay quiet, letting the rushing summer night wind weave through her hair.

Even without a helmet, Cha didn't ride slowly. The girl, feeling a bit scared, wrapped her arms around his waist. Every time he braked, he could feel the pressure of her body against his back, and he couldn't help but sigh that those with foreign bloodlines really did develop early.

"Oppa! This is so comfortable! You're going too slow, go faster! Are you even any good at riding? If not, let me drive!"

The brat kept shouting nonsense, making it hard for him to focus on the road. It would be fine if nothing happened at the club, but if they ended up in the hospital on the way home, the media would have a field day.

Speeding through the dim streetlights against the cool night air, the young girl’s laughter echoed along the road. To his surprise, Cha felt a sense of genuine pleasure, as if the frustration of the past few days had been washed away.

Somi chose to go home instead of back to the dorms, clearly aware that she couldn't be seen in such a drunken state. Still, he considered her a walking disaster and hoped this would never happen again.

"You brat, if it weren't for me tonight, you would've been dragged off after drinking that. You might have even ended up in some compromising photos. You'd be ruined, and JYP would definitely fire you. So much for your debut."

But his threats seemed to have no effect. As she hopped off the back of the bike, spreading her legs without a hint of lady-like grace to work out her numb muscles—a habit he suspected she picked up from Se-jeong—she just shrugged.

"Fire me? I'd fire them first! I've been wanting to quit that crappy company for a long time! By the way, Oppa, you saved me a huge amount in compensation tonight. How should I thank you?"

She looked completely unfazed; she clearly wasn't the "obedient" type. Thank goodness Se-jeong wasn't like this, or the world would be a very bleak place.

"Why didn't you call your father to come get you? Why think of me? If I were a heartless person, you would've missed your window for rescue."

Somi shook her head, explaining that Se-jeong unnie was a warm-hearted person, so her Oppa couldn't possibly be cold-hearted either. Besides, telling her father would just lead to a lecture. Her strange logic left him speechless—perhaps he was just too old to keep up with her rhythm.

"Se-jeong unnie's Oppa is my Oppa too! It's settled!"

Seeing him ready to leave, Somi patted her chest and promised to treat him to a grand meal to repay him. Cha just shook his head with a bitter smile, politely declining. He adjusted his helmet, thinking about the long ride back to his own apartment. He wondered if he’d been caught on camera for not wearing a helmet, which would mean another fine to pay.

*Smooch!*

With a hint of alcohol on her breath, a cool sensation brushed across his cheek. The girl's outrageous action nearly made him drop his helmet. He knew she was uninhibited, and back when he worked in the nightlife industry, he’d had plenty of sudden advances from fans, but this was an idol about to debut, a student at Hanlim.

"That's a thank you from a beautiful girl tonight! Sweet dreams, Oppa!"

Ignoring her nonsense, he decided that retreat was the better part of valor. He had gotten her home, but the keen instincts honed during his military service suddenly picked up a sense of danger.

A tall, sturdy white man stood silently by Somi’s side, staring him down. Dressed in military-style shorts and a T-shirt that clung to his bulging muscles, he looked like a retired special forces soldier—the kind who wouldn't look out of place on an expedition with Bear Grylls.

His face was set in a scowl that looked like trouble. Cha sized him up; the man was even bigger than he was, clearly a trained fighter. While he knew that youth and speed had their advantages, this guy looked like a serial killer from an American movie, and he wasn't sure he’d come out on top in a real fight.

"Dad! This is Se-jeong unnie's Oppa! We were drinking with Unnie tonight, and she asked him to bring me home!"

Before Cha could react, Somi threw her arms around the middle-aged man’s arm and began to pout, spilling a string of lies.

The man, who looked like a tough customer, stared intensely at the faint red lipstick mark on Cha’s handsome face, then looked at his daughter with a complex expression, as if to say, "How could you kiss Se-jeong unnie's Oppa?"

Cha, still straddling his scooter, felt a sudden pang of guilt. Even though it wasn't his fault, he had no idea how much of the scene this tough-guy father had witnessed.