The Classic Heroine Rescue
The heroine event. Saving the heroine and making her fall for you is the ultimate royal road cliché, whether in a love comedy or a straight romance. It's painfully generic, but it's an indispensable element because it can skyrocket the heroine's affection in a short amount of time.
"Hey, you fucker! You call this food? I'm not paying shit!"
And right before my eyes, that very cliché was unfolding.
A high-end restaurant with a full glass front. A man dressed in filthy clothes that clashed horribly with the venue was rampaging inside.
It's obvious he's causing a scene because he ate everything and has no money to pay.
Crash. Beyond the shattered glass, tables were being flipped, dishes were breaking, and the place was in total chaos. Several people had been struck by the utensils the man hurled and were bleeding on the floor.
That's going way too far.
The restaurant interior was in such a wretched state that it was impossible to imagine it happening in the middle of a 21st-century street.
Still, this is exactly how the situation is created for the heroine to fall for him.
This incident had been arranged as an event for the protagonist, Kang Suho.
I wonder what those two are up to?
I scanned the interior from outside. I coldly looked away from anyone who seemed injured.
Other people getting hurt was never my problem to begin with.
I only needed to confirm that Cha Yeri was safe.
There she is.
Her eyes were wide as she looked around, calmly assessing the situation. While everyone else was screaming in panic, she alone remained composed, soothing the people around her and guiding them to safety. Kang Suho was following her lead and helping too.
Sigh. She's way too nice. Instead of running away, she's stuck here trying to save people.
Well, that's what makes the event work, but I didn't want her getting hurt. If my onahole got scratched, who the hell would take responsibility?
I'd have to step in the moment Cha Yeri got caught up in the mess.
Then I spotted a woman near the crazy beggar who was causing the rampage. She was calling the police.
"The fuck is that phone, bitch?"
"Huh? Ah… um, well…"
"You dare call the cops?! Get over here, you cunt!"
"Kyaaaak!"
The beggar grabbed the woman by her hair, pulled out a sharp knife from his pocket, and pressed it against her throat. The sight of the blade sent the crowd into a frenzy of screams. The genre had suddenly flipped from love comedy to crime thriller.
"Don't come any closer! I'll slit her throat before you can blink."
"P-please spare me! I don't want to die… sob."
The people inside the restaurant were too afraid to move, terrified that any sudden action might trigger a stabbing. The situation was on a knife's edge.
"Let that person go right now!"
Even as everyone else cowered in fear, Cha Yeri stepped forward boldly and spoke to the man. It was incredible courage to face a knife without flinching. The surrounding people looked at her with admiration.
But I, watching her from a slight distance, caught the subtle signs. Her tightly clenched hands trembled faintly the moment she stepped in front of the man. And beneath that gaze full of determined will, flickers of fear and terror were visible.
"Who the hell are you? What do I care if this bitch dies?"
"Kyaaaak! P-please spare me…"
"If this is about the cost of the food, I'll pay it for you. I'll cover the damages to the restaurant as well."
"What?!"
"So please release the woman you're holding. She only came here to enjoy a good meal. She hasn't done anything wrong. No matter how broke you are, threatening someone's life is unacceptable."
The crowd was completely captivated by the charisma in Cha Yeri's voice as she commanded their attention. But to my ears, objectively analyzing the situation, her tone was laced with desperation. She was terrified that the hostage might get hurt because of her.
Unfortunately, the opponent was a man deranged enough to pull a knife and take a hostage in the middle of the street. There was no way he'd calmly listen to her.
"Hey. You got money?"
"That's… why do you ask?"
I watched as the man subtly shifted his footing, bracing himself like he was about to charge. The moment he flung the hostage aside and rushed at Cha Yeri with the knife raised—
"Chairm—"
"You fucking piece of shit!"
Kang Suho's voice came from behind her as he tried to jump out, but my roar drowned him out completely. I moved faster than Suho, smashing through the broken glass window and throwing my body between Cha Yeri and the attacker.
"K-Kang Ijin…?"
She called my name in shock at my sudden, out-of-nowhere appearance.
Thud.
With perfect timing, the knife sank into my abdomen instead of hers. Everyone around us, including Cha Yeri, looked utterly horrified.
The strange part was that the man who had just stabbed me looked shocked too. No wonder—the blade had only torn my t-shirt. It hadn't pierced my skin at all.
Before he could pull the knife back and stab again, I took advantage of his confusion and slammed my fist into his face with every ounce of strength I possessed. Hard enough to shatter bone.
I had to land a clean hit here, or I'd be the one who was fucked.
Crack—!
The sound of something breaking. I couldn't tell if it was his bones or my knuckles.
"Gurghk…"
The man collapsed, his mouth full of blood. White fragments were scattered around him. His teeth had been knocked out.
I pushed through the crowd, approached the fallen man, and rained punches down on his face.
"You fucking bastard. How dare you swing a knife at my woman!"
Thud! Thud!
I beat him like a man who had lost his mind to rage. In truth, I wasn't that angry at the guy. But stories like this needed the right narrative. Even if you beat someone half to death, if there's an emotional story behind it, it becomes a tragic romance.
He was the villain. And I was the man driven mad with fury after nearly losing his woman.
"Stop it, Kang Ijin!"
"Uwaaaaagh!"
Cha Yeri called out as she tried to stop me. I pretended not to hear her over my towering rage and kept kicking the man with brutal force.
Slap.
A sharp smack rang out as my head snapped to the side. Cha Yeri had slapped me to bring me back to my senses.
"Chairman…?"
"Are you calm now?"
I stared blankly at my bloodied fist, then at the man, then at Cha Yeri. To anyone watching, I looked like a man who had lost control for a single moment.
Tears began rolling down my cheeks. Cha Yeri's eyes widened in panic.
"Kang Ijin, you're… crying right now…"
I pulled her into my arms. Her petite body fit perfectly against me, and her warmth was comforting. She flinched at my sudden action, startled.
She reflexively tried to push me away.
"Why are you suddenly—"
"Hic… Chairman… I thought you were going to get stabbed… sob… The thought of losing you was so terrifying… I'm so glad… I'm really so glad… hic."
"Ah…"
Hearing my choked sobs, Cha Yeri stopped resisting. She finally seemed to understand why I was hugging her. The hand that had tried to push me away slowly moved to my back and patted me awkwardly, as if to comfort me.
"I-I'm fine… Kang Ijin… I'm right here… W-why is he acting like this all of a sudden… Don't cry… Stop it!"
I gradually stopped crying. Even so, I didn't let go of her for a long time.
Tsk… I really want to grab her ass right now.
The soft sensation of her body against my arms was intoxicating. She smelled so good. This was supposed to be an incredibly touching scene, but my dick kept trying to get hard. I wanted to lift her up right there and thrust inside her, but I suppressed my desires and finally released her.
"Are you calm now?"
"Yes… I showed you an embarrassing side of me. I'm sorry."
"No, that's not—"
Cha Yeri looked around. The restaurant looked like a tornado had torn through it. All eyes were focused on us. Fortunately, they weren't looks of fear, but of people witnessing something deeply moving. Proof that my acting had worked perfectly.
"Let's move somewhere else first. It's hard to talk properly here."
"What? Leaving the scene like this seems a bit…"
I had taken the knife first, and while it was self-defense to subdue the man, the beating had been excessive. It wasn't at a level where I could rely on my old juvenile protection status to get off easily anymore.
Logically, I should stay at the scene, but—
"It's fine. I'll take care of it. Let's go."
"But…"
"Junior Kang Suho. I'm truly sorry, but we'll have to end our appointment here for today. I'll contact you to reschedule."
"Ah… yes… I suppose it can't be helped. Hyung… are you okay?"
"Yeah… I'm fine."
Kang Suho seemed to realize it would be unreasonable to insist on the appointment in this situation. He backed off obediently, looking worried about me.
Poor bastard. I stole the event that was supposed to be yours.
Still, you should thank me. It's a good thing I prepared in advance and took the stab. If you had jumped in, you'd be on your way to the hospital right now. If you think about it, I saved you too. As a bonus while saving Cha Yeri.
Cha Yeri wrote her phone number on a memo and handed it to a restaurant employee.
"If the police come looking for this man, please give them this contact information."
"Ah, yes. Understood. Um… you two were both so cool. You really make a perfect couple."
"What? Ah… we're not a couple…"
Cha Yeri quickly denied it, startled by the employee's words. But her reaction wasn't one of disgust—it was embarrassment. A good sign. Her affection had definitely gone up.
"Oh, my mistake… You two just looked so perfect together that I assumed. Sorry."
Nice assist, employee.
"Thank you for the compliment… Kang Ijin, follow me."
Cha Yeri grabbed my wrist and began pulling me through the crowd toward somewhere else. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, visible between strands of her hair. I could tell the plan had succeeded.
I held back the smirk threatening to break across my face and followed her obediently, pretending to be embarrassed.