The Proposal

In Yeon-woo's eyes, the assailant had clamped a hand over Seo Ji-eun's mouth and was gripping something that glinted silver.

"Who the hell are you!?"

The man froze in panic the instant the stairwell door burst open mid-crime. Seo Ji-eun shoved him with every ounce of strength she had left. Yeon-woo slipped into the opening in a flash and kicked the silver weapon clean out of the attacker's right hand.

"Aaagh!"

Clatter—

The silver scissors flew from his grip the moment Yeon-woo's shoe connected with his hand. The man staggered, eyes wild.

"You son of a bitch—where the hell did you come from!"

Still clutching Seo Ji-eun with one hand, he flailed wildly at Yeon-woo with fists and kicks, thrashing in pure rage. Yeon-woo watched him with cold calm, timed the next kick, slapped the foot aside with his forearm, twisted his body, and drove a fist straight into the man's gut. A strangled scream tore out of him; the hand that had been tangled in Seo Ji-eun's hair finally let go.

"Guh—"

Yeon-woo kicked the back of the man's knees while he was still doubled over, dropping him flat, then mounted him, pinned the nape of his neck under one knee, and wrenched both arms behind his back into a lock.

The entire sequence had taken only a few seconds. Then the electronic lock on the front door chimed.

Beep-beep-beep—

Bang—

The noise outside had already put Seo Ji-eun's parents on edge after the near-disaster last time; they came flying out the moment they heard the commotion.

"Oh my god—my baby!"

"Who the hell is this bastard!"

Seo Ji-eun's legs gave out from the shock; she sank trembling to the floor. Her mother rushed to gather her up. Her father, barefoot, strode straight toward Yeon-woo.

"Let me go, you—!"

"Don't move. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life crippled."

Yeon-woo kept the man pinned and spoke without looking up as Seo Ji-eun's father approached.

"I've subdued the attacker. Please call the police right away."

"Y-yes! Damn it, my phone—"

The father bolted barefoot back inside. Yeon-woo held the thrashing man down until the police arrived minutes later.

The assailant was taken into custody. Once Seo Ji-eun had calmed enough to begin her statement, one of the officers approached Yeon-woo.

"First of all, thank you. Your courage stopped what could have become a much worse crime."

"I know the victim. We're acquaintances."

"I see. Procedure requires us to record your personal details. May I see some identification?"

"I don't have my ID on me right now. One moment."

He pulled out his phone. Three missed calls from Min-su already sat on the screen; the phone rang again almost immediately.

"Yes, Min-su hyung."

—Actor-nim? Where did you go? I stepped away to the restroom for a second—

"Something came up. I'm outside Ji-eun noona's place. Could you bring my wallet from the back seat? Seventh floor."

—What? There are police cars here—what happened? Never mind, I'm coming up right now.

Min-su hung up, grabbed the wallet, and rode the elevator to the seventh floor. While the officers finished recording the victim's details, they finally recognized Seo Ji-eun—both she and Yeon-woo had been wearing caps and masks until now.

"Isn't she the lead in that drama everyone's talking about?"

"…Really? I don't watch much TV."

The elevator doors opened behind the whispering officers and Min-su stepped out.

"Actor-nim, what on earth happened?"

He went straight to Yeon-woo the moment he saw him. After a quick explanation, Min-su said he needed to report to the company and stepped aside to make the call. Yeon-woo handed over his ID.

"…Oh. You're famous too."

Even the officer who claimed not to watch television recognized Yeon-woo from the movies.

Min-su finished his call and returned.

"Actor-nim, I've reported everything to the company. Shall I handle the rest for you?"

"No. Being a celebrity doesn't make me special. If the investigation needs a statement from me as a party to the incident, I'll give it myself."

A brief formal statement followed. The moment Seo Ji-eun saw Yeon-woo again, the tears returned; she clutched both his hands and thanked him over and over through her sobs. Her parents joined in, weeping and gripping his arms with equal gratitude. Yeon-woo spent the next several minutes trying to calm an entire family that had completely fallen apart.

But why scissors? And why attack right in front of the elevator on the seventh floor?

If the goal had been simple intimidation, a knife would have made more sense than scissors. And even without Yeon-woo, people would have been coming and going from that elevator any second.

By the next morning the agency had already moved to keep the finer details from leaking, but the bare fact of the incident ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still made the news. With Yeon-woo already the hottest name in both drama and film, the internet lit up like dry tinder.

Because the case was still under police investigation, real names were withheld. A few scraps of information were all the netizen detective squad needed; they identified the parties within hours as Seo Ji-eun and Ryu Yeon-woo.

"Hmm… well, I suppose it was inevitable."

He had expected it, yet the netizen detective squad still cracked the identities in under a day. At times like this they seemed faster than the NIS itself.

Yeon-woo did not particularly enjoy an actor becoming famous for anything other than acting, but the situation had been beyond his control. Seo Ji-eun's safety mattered far more than whatever gossip the public chose to chew on.

From early morning the calls and messages poured in, all variations on the same theme: pride mixed with worry that he could have been hurt. Family, of course—but also Son Jin-uk, Han So-hyun, Maseok Do, and nearly everyone he had met in this new life. Knowing they genuinely fretted over him warmed something deep in his chest.

In his previous life, dealing with an untrained civilian would have been nothing at all. Still…

"This life really is different in every way."

His phone rang again—Min-su.

"Yes, Min-su hyung."

—Ah, Actor-nim. The investigation results on last night's case just came through to me. Figured you'd want to know. The stalker was a part-timer at the café downstairs. His goal was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to cut off Seo Ji-eun's hair and take it.

According to the police briefing Min-su had received, several recent reports in the area described a man who suddenly attacked young women and sheared off clumps of their hair. The scissors had already raised red flags; a search of the suspect's one-room apartment turned up something far worse. The place was filled with small human-shaped dolls. Investigators now believed the man suffered from a fetish that drove him to decorate the dolls with hair taken from women he targeted, and the probe was continuing.

"…Completely unhinged."

—They're certain there are more victims and are pressing him on additional charges. The police have also requested a psychiatric evaluation.

"I see. Thank you for the update, hyung."

Yeon-woo hung up and began packing lightly for the trip down to Daejeon when the phone rang once more.

"Hmm?"

The number was saved, yet it had never called him first before.

"Yes, CEO-nim."

—Ah, Yeon-woo. Are you free today? There's something I'd like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to discuss. Lunch or dinner, whichever suits you.

They had shared a meal once before, but the unexpected call still made Yeon-woo tilt his head.

"I'm free today. Lunch works perfectly—my schedule's open."

—Excellent. Same restaurant as last time?

"Sounds good. I'll head over now."

—See you shortly, then.

Yeon-woo opened the front door, murmuring to himself.

"Of all days to schedule lunch—right when I'm supposed to head home."

He drove to the restaurant they had used before, handed the car to the valet, and stepped inside. A uniformed staff member greeted him exactly as before.

"Welcome. Please follow me."

Yeon-woo was led deeper into the private rooms than last time.

Knock-knock—

"Your guest has arrived."

The sliding door opened smoothly. Yeon-woo stepped through.

The middle-aged gentleman with the same razor-sharp pomade side-part rose the moment he saw him.

"CEO-nim, good afternoon."

"Both the film and the drama were successes. Congratulations."

Kim Ju-seong offered a warm smile and his hand; Yeon-woo took it.

"Thank you. Neither would have been possible without excellent support."

It was no empty courtesy. Landing a private audition with Director Park Chan-hong as a complete newcomer had been LN Entertainment's doing, and when a historical drama suddenly needed a cameo, the fact that he and Son Jin-uk shared the same agency had smoothed the paperwork considerably—personal friendship or not.

"You always know exactly what to say. Haha. Sit, please."

Kim Ju-seong gestured to the seats; both men settled in.

"I apologize for the controversy yesterday. The situation was urgent—"

"Controversy? You did something admirable. It deserves praise, not apology."

The CEO shook his head with that same gentle smile and continued.

"There are several reasons I asked to see you today. I could have passed everything through Team Leader Jeong, of course, but after watching Master Plan in a real theater and thoroughly enjoying it, I simply wanted to meet our own actor as a fan."

The corner of Kim Ju-seong's mouth lifted. Yeon-woo tilted his head.

"You didn't see it at the premiere? You went to a regular theater?"

"Watching with ordinary audiences is the only way to taste a film's true essence… or so I tell myself. Personal preference."

"I understand exactly what you mean."

Yeon-woo had done the same with his own cameo film, Spring's Lover, buying a ticket and sitting among strangers for the same reason—though this time his schedule had kept him away from theaters.

"The most important item on today's agenda is this."

Kim Ju-seong lifted a beige document envelope from the seat beside him and set it on the table in front of Yeon-woo.

"This is…?"

"Open it. Reading it will be faster than any explanation I could give."

Yeon-woo unsealed the envelope and drew out the papers inside.