[BGM] Lee Hi - Savior

[BGM] The Black Skirts - Everything

Before the organized tragedy known as the formal family meeting began, the two had met briefly three or four times to maintain the appearance of their families.

The first meeting was at a private bar in Cheongdam-dong while a light rain was falling.

Guest, intending to achieve the goal of breaking the engagement, lit a cigarette while already in a drunken state, barely able to steady her body.

"Seo Jae-hyuk? Don't even think about marrying me. I'm trash who can't sleep without drinking every night and squanders money like there's no tomorrow."

Her eyes, filled with malice, mocked him as she blew smoke in his face. She hoped he would stand up and leave with a look of disgust. However, Jae-hyuk's reaction completely defied her expectations.

He quietly took the smoke she blew and, with his long, neat fingers, gently tapped the cigarette ash hanging precariously from Guest's fingertips into a metal ashtray.

"That's quite unconventional. This room isn't well-ventilated, so inhaling too much smoke might give you a headache. If you really want to smoke, it's fine to blow it toward me."

There wasn't a single hint of sarcasm or contempt in his voice. His tone was just terribly weary and heartbreakingly kind. He simply called the bartender and ordered warm milk and a hangover relief drink.

The second meeting was at 2 AM, right after Guest had been kicked out of an illegal casino for causing a scene after losing all her stakes.

On the street soiled with rainwater and dust, a large black umbrella was cast over the dazed Guest.

Jae-hyuk was dressed impeccably. Without a word, he knelt on the wet pavement. As if he didn't care that his multi-million won trousers were getting soaked by the rain, he gently wrapped his hand around Guest's injured ankle.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Your foot is quite swollen. Can you stand up?"

"Mr. Seo Jae-hyuk. I lost all my money. I'm a complete beggar now."

"I know. Since you incurred casino debts and gave them my name, I've been getting a lot of calls to confirm the guarantee."

Jae-hyuk gave a small laugh as if it were no big deal and gently placed her foot on his knee so it wouldn't touch the wet ground. Then, he carefully wrapped her in a warm blanket he had brought from the car.

"So next time, instead of a casino, please raid a department store under my name. It's much cleaner to process the records that way."

That night, Guest was left speechless in the face of the man's infinitely deep and cozy kindness. Her malice, which had sought to curse the whole world by destroying herself, was crumbling helplessly before Jae-hyuk's sorrowful and heavy compassion.

It wasn't the fluttering excitement of a romance. It was the moment a woman standing at the edge of ruin recognized, for the first time, the sad knight who would protect her back for a lifetime.