Chapter 34: The World Deeply Misunderstands Me

The three Berber boys in the alleyway looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old—the age of reckless, impulsive youth. Under normal circumstances, even someone like Cha Ryun-hoo would hesitate to provoke such little punks.

Today, however, the accumulation of psychological stress and the decline in emotional regulation caused by the sweltering heat had taken their toll. More importantly, without the phone in that bag, the coming days would be incredibly inconvenient. He was filled with resentment toward the brats who had set him up, and perhaps there was even a lingering desire to prove himself in front of the actress.

Suzy’s handbag had been opened and set aside, and as the group rummaged through her money and valuables, Cha Ryun-hoo’s rage boiled over. He hadn’t even managed to score any gold coins from his beautiful employer, and this was simply more than he could bear.

With a roar, he lunged forward. His telescopic baton rained down like a storm. Caught off guard, the three thieves shrieked in agony as the veteran bodyguard ambushed them. When they finally regained their senses and tried to rely on their numbers to fight back, they were no match for a man who had military training and combat experience. Though he took a few hits, Cha Ryun-hoo quickly sent the three petty thieves scrambling for cover with his steel baton. The humiliation of having his career as a bodyguard derailed fueled his fury; he had no intention of going easy on them.

Cha Ryun-hoo was quick-witted and agile. He grabbed the brat who had snatched the bag and pinned him against the wall, pressing the tip of his baton against the boy’s forehead. Robbery was one thing, but they had also caused his beautiful employer to injure her foot, forcing him to carry her over a hundred pounds for such a long distance. He felt that beating them a few more times was the only way to soothe his resentment.

He bellowed at them not to move, threatening to drive the baton through the boy’s head from his eye to the back of his skull. His sudden ferocity stunned the other two accomplices; after all, they were just petty street urchins, and they couldn’t fathom why this man was more ruthless than the police.

"Ryun-hoo! Be careful! If we can’t get the things back, just forget it!"

Hearing the concerned voice from behind him, Cha Ryun-hoo’s head throbbed. He had already gained the upper hand by taking one down and suppressing the other two, but her intervention left him feeling constrained.

Still, seeing her limp toward him in anxiety, he couldn't bring himself to scold her. This was not the time to assign blame, anyway. He put on a menacing front, furiously demanding they return their belongings, or he would smash the teeth out of the brat in his grip one by one.

The two thieves trying to flank him to reach Suzy were quickly checked by Cha Ryun-hoo, who shouted in Korean for her to hide behind him. He tightened his grip, causing the suffocating boy to beg for mercy.

The young gang, clearly nothing more than small-time thieves, realized that Cha Ryun-hoo was genuinely prepared to pry open his captive’s mouth and subject him to "traditional interrogation techniques"—a skill he had instinctively mastered without ever having been a torturer. They signaled their willingness to settle the matter.

Suzy, sensing the danger, realized she had perhaps acted unnecessarily. Seeing one of the boys with his hands behind his back, she felt a wave of terror, her usual wit deserting her.

Fortunately, after a disjointed exchange, a shaky agreement was reached. They reluctantly kicked the two phones over, though they had no intention of returning the cash or other valuables. They had realized that the presence of the "dead weight" made the madman hesitate, but Cha Ryun-hoo dared not push his luck further; he had to know when to quit, as the woman behind him made it impossible to go all out.

Once Suzy picked up the phones, Cha Ryun-hoo slowly released the boy. The moment he let go, he roared and lunged with his iron rod, frightening the three thieves into fleeing in terror, fearing he might go back on his word.

"Ryun-hoo, are you alright? Why were you so reckless? What does a bit of property matter? If the phones are gone, I can buy you new ones. What if you had gotten hurt?"

After retrieving the phones, Suzy didn't check for missed calls or contact her manager. Instead, she expressed her dissatisfaction with Cha Ryun-hoo’s rash behavior, despite him usually being such a steady person.

"It was just three petty thieves! Why did you suddenly run over? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? How could I look after you while I was fighting them?"

Cha Ryun-hoo’s lingering anger spilled out, his voice raised and his expression stern. Suzy understood his concern and wasn't truly angry; their time together had taught her how to take the initiative in their interactions. She retorted immediately.

"You have the nerve to lecture me? You left your employer alone to go do something dangerous. What if something had happened to me?"

The actress left him speechless. As the anxiety of losing the phones faded, he felt a lingering fear over his own recklessness, so he simply turned his head away, refusing to engage.

"Let me see... you’re hurt on your head! Why are you looking at me so fiercely? Are you planning to hit me too?"

Cleverly diffusing his stubborn temper, Suzy took the retrieved bag and gazed at the bloodstain on his forehead. Truth be told, the man had been quite heroic.

"Ah! This!"

Feeling a sudden, cool dampness on his forehead followed by the rich scent of perfume, he realized she was cleaning the wound with her tongue. The mix of itching and pain reminded him of his childhood, when Se-jeong had done the same.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, he refused to show weakness before this beautiful employer who still refused to admit her own faults. If he showed weakness, he would be at her mercy—and he had never been this passive, not even after all his time in nightclubs.

"I’m out of tissues, so this will have to do. Alright! Let’s go to the town police station. My manager is waiting and probably going crazy. I just managed to tell her we’re safe."

"I’ll help you walk. The police station is quite far, we should..."

As Cha Ryun-hoo looked for a way to step down, he suddenly spotted the old motorcycle the three thieves had left behind, the keys still in the ignition. He caught Suzy’s eye, and they shared a silent understanding.

The ride through town was slow. Suzy wrapped her arms around the man’s waist, pressing her cheek against his back. Looking at the azure streetscape, her emotions were complex; it felt as though her dependence on this man had deepened over the afternoon, a hormonal reaction that felt like an illusion.

Yet, in an instant, her gaze hardened. She was already branded with this scandal, and whether it was true or not, in everyone else's eyes, it was reality.

When they reunited with the manager, the two of them felt like their souls had been drained. Cha Ryun-hoo, in particular, felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him from his heels to the top of his head; even an iron-willed man would struggle after carrying Suzy down from the mountains.

As the manager handed them water and watched them sit on the stone steps, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a faint lipstick mark on Cha Ryun-hoo’s neck. She felt certain that some untold story had unfolded that afternoon. But the priority was checking on Suzy’s injury.

In the car on the way back, the "iron-willed man" pretended to be fast asleep to avoid the awkwardness. But once he closed his eyes, his exhaustion overcame him, and he didn't even wake up when his head slipped onto the woman’s lap.

"You, you were just scolding me, you really deserve a beating!"

Suzy smiled, pretending to slap the man, but ended up gently patting his head. Although she had been injured and lost her valuables, she felt an unexpected sense of contentment.

In the rearview mirror, the manager witnessed a scene that set her imagination running wild. The actress was cradling her bodyguard’s head in her lap, and it was hard to tell if it was just the angle, but their faces seemed almost pressed together.

Cha Ryun-hoo wasn't actually fast asleep; he could feel the woman’s intimate gestures. He was familiar with this blurring of boundaries—it had happened with Sica—but this "rabbit" was clearly much smarter than her. Could a shared brush with danger and the resulting tension really forge such a strong emotional connection?

In reality, Suzy felt that the outside world misunderstood her deeply, painting her as a calculating woman driven by self-interest. They had no idea that once she had made up her mind, her feelings could be so intense and sincere.