TMYRA Chapter 9

My Temper is Like a Dog’s

 

After passing just two or three blocks, a completely different world unfolded.

 

Luxury foreign cars lined the streets, and women with heavy makeup and large, menacing men appeared frequently. The men resembled the ones Soo-ah had seen at her house, making her realize they weren’t ordinary people.

 

Just as she was about to turn back, convinced she had taken the wrong path, a large black car slowly brushed past her. It was close—close enough to collide.

 

The car’s windows were rolled down, and inside sat a familiar man.

 

Seo Mun-hwon.

 

He was holding a cigarette between his lips, gazing straight ahead, while an actress-like woman clung to him as if embracing him. Upon closer inspection, she seemed to be an actress Soo-ah had seen on television a few times.

 

“This can’t be happening.”

 

As the stunned Soo-ah mumbled to herself, the car stopped right in front of her. At that moment, men rushed out from a nearby club. They quickly lined up in front of the car in perfect formation.

 

One of them opened the car door, and then he appeared.

 

“You’ve arrived, Sir.”

 

She wasn’t mistaken. Confirming it was indeed Seo Mun-hwon, Soo-ah turned the other way and began to run. But soon, the area was filled with men in suits.

 

“Miss Moon Soo-ah.”

 

Jang Ji-cheol emerged from between the men. Soo-ah, flustered, took a step back before stopping.

 

“Did you finish the job well?”

 

As he curled one side of his lips, the scar around his mouth twisted, creating an eerie expression—uncertain whether he was smiling or crying.

 

“I was waiting for you to finish your task.”

 

That meant he had been watching her the whole time. A chill ran down her spine.

 

“It’s time for you to go back now.”

 

Soo-ah clenched her fists.

 

“Miss Moon Soo-ah.”

 

The moment he called her name again, Soo-ah turned and ran blindly. But—

 

Thud.

 

She crashed into a large man’s chest and staggered.

 

“Ah.”

 

She let out a short cry as she lost her balance and was about to fall.

 

At that moment, the man in front of her wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her steady against him.

 

“You came of your own will.”

 

Seo Mun-hwon’s voice clung to her ears like cotton candy, while his body pressed against her skin. The heat and firmness of it felt strange.

 

It was an uncomfortable sensation she had never experienced before. Quickly pulling away, Soo-ah lifted her head to look at him.

 

“Did you finish your task well?”

 

Even though he already knew, he pretended not to.

 

“I saw you switching clothes with your friend, taking a bus here, and eating a hamburger. Where are you planning to go now?”

 

“Enough.”

 

Not wanting to hear more, Soo-ah cut him off.

 

Yet, he continued.

 

“After today, a lot of things will change.”

 

His sharp gaze made her drop her eyes, where she spotted a lipstick stain on his shirt collar.

 

It must have been from the woman in the car with him earlier. Her already bad impression of him worsened. A vulgar man. A man who toyed with women.

 

Soo-ah glared at him with determination.

 

Why was someone like him interfering in her life?

 

Just as she was about to say those words aloud—

 

“Jang Ji-cheol is my right-hand man.”

 

Mun-hwon lightly tapped Ji-cheol’s shoulder before bringing his hand to his throat.

 

“He’s like a little brother to me, but if you keep behaving like this, Miss Moon Soo-ah, I won’t be able to help it.”

 

His large hand wrapped around Ji-cheol’s thick neck in one grip. As he applied pressure, the veins on the back of his hand turned blue, and Ji-cheol’s face grew pale.

 

“My temper is like a dog’s. No matter how much I cherish someone, if they piss me off, I want to slit their throat.”

 

As his fingers dug into Ji-cheol’s skin, Ji-cheol’s lips turned blue.

 

“I-I’m sorry. I will serve Miss M-Moon Soo-ah better from now on…”

 

He struggled to get the words out, gasping for breath.

 

“Miss Moon Soo-ah. What do you think? Should I kill Jang Ji-cheol?”

 

Soo-ah, who had been holding her lips tightly shut, had no choice but to throw away her pride and answer his threat.

 

“Stop it.”

 

Yet, even as she spoke, he didn’t loosen his grip. Soo-ah finally shouted.

 

“I said stop it!”

 

Only then did Mun-hwon let go of Ji-cheol and turn his gaze to Soo-ah.

 

“I’ll take that as a sign that you’ll listen to me.”

 

At his signal, a car pulled up in front of them. He personally opened the back door and said,

 

“Get in.”

 

Soo-ah glared at him before reluctantly getting into the car. As soon as Mun-hwon entered as well, the car started moving. Soo-ah stared straight ahead, refusing to look in his direction. The atmosphere in the car was suffocatingly silent.

 

In the confined space, his presence felt even stronger. Just sitting beside him was overwhelming. His deep scent was hot enough to melt ice, and the mix of cologne and skin was suffocatingly intoxicating.

 

Soo-ah clenched her fists, trying to block out every sensation. No matter how alluring he seemed, to her, he was nothing but an object of hatred.

 

If not for Seo Mun-hwon, she would have successfully escaped from Ihan and Bo-kyung.

 

This man was Ihan’s underling, the one who shackled her. As her hatred for him grew, she realized the car wasn’t heading home. It veered toward Cheongdam-dong and stopped in front of a large building.

 

The driver stepped out and opened the back door.

 

Mun-hwon got out first.

 

When Soo-ah remained seated, just staring at him, he spoke.

 

“Get out.”

 

“Where are we?”

 

“This is where you’ll be staying from now on.”

 

“I’ll be staying here?”

 

As she questioned him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward. Because of his strength, Soo-ah was dragged outside against her will.

 

“I’m going home.”

 

As Soo-ah turned her body, Mun-hwon lifted his phone and held it close to her ear.

 

— Do as says. Move everything—your studio, your living space—to his house. You don’t need to ask your mother. If it’s my word, she’ll take it as law.

 

It was Ihan’s voice.

 

“This is an order from CEO Min Ihan.”

 

“What about my opinion? Why does no one ask or listen to what I think? I said I don’t want to!”

 

Soo-ah shouted, but Mun-hwon ignored her just the same.

 

“Your studio will be relocated here as well.”

 

Behind Mun-hwon, a truck came into view.

 

On the truck were objects that appeared to be Soo-ah’s graduation projects, their size matching her own in both height and width.

 

There was no way Soo-ah wouldn’t recognize something she had made—it was unmistakably her work. Two workers grabbed the packaged piece from either side and carried it into the building.

 

“Don’t tell me… that’s the tapestry I made?”

 

“It is. All the more reason for you to come along. What will you do if your work gets damaged?”

 

He was using the piece Soo-ah had spent a year working on overnight as leverage to threaten her.

 

Soo-ah clenched her fists and glared at him, hesitating. It was a project imbued with her sweat and effort—she couldn’t abandon it.

 

In the end, she had no choice but to accept that this was a battle she couldn’t win.

 

However, she refused to acknowledge his victory.

 

Rather than being dragged, it was better to walk in on her own terms. Soo-ah spun around and entered the building ahead of him.

 

The exterior of the building was extravagant, and the interior was no different. The vast space had towering ceilings that gave off an overwhelming presence. The black marble floor and the steel fixtures of the lighting left no room for warmth.

 

The air conditioning was set so high that the chill made her skin prickle, forcing Soo-ah to hunch her shoulders.

 

“Sir, you’ve arrived.”

 

At that moment, men gathered on either side, forming a line and bowing at a ninety-degree angle.

 

When Soo-ah turned her head, she saw that Seo Mun-hwon had somehow appeared beside her.

 

As the elevator in the center opened, the man standing in front of it stepped aside to let Soo-ah and Mun-hwon enter.

 

Mun-hwon got on the elevator with her, but Soo-ah kept her gaze fixed on the rising numbers, refusing to look his way.

 

When they reached the very top floor, the elevator stopped.

 

The doors opened, revealing an expansive and grand space before them.