“Babe, it’s going to be cold but don’t worry we can warm you up later.”

“Don’t touch me! Let me go, bastard!” She snarled at him when his hands roamed over her petite body. The others whistled in triumph when the punches that she threw on his chest caused no effect at all. For the last effort, she hurled out a punch right at his nose with all her might and the guy finally staggered away. She used the chance to escape.

Still, her attempt failed as his gang blocked both of the openings of the alley. Her body started to shake, whether it was due to her soaked clothes or the fear in her heart, she didn’t know. She shouted hysterically when the leader, who was the man that she hit just now, grabbed her waist and pushed her inside the darkness. His eyes bulged out in furious and she nearly faint when he raised his hand to beat her back. Her heart raced and all she wanted to do was curling up into a ball and waited for someone to save her. But no one would, no one was there.

“Hey, what are you doing to her?! Leave her alone!”

Joo Mi’s breath hitched when a voice unexpectedly boomed along the alley. “Please help me!” She wheezed out before whirling towards the voice. She saw nothing except a male figure in about 6 feet luminated by a bright light. But she figured it out slowly from the husky voice that the figure was a man.

“What the hell? Just keep going on your way.” One of them snapped in annoyance for being interrupted.

“I said leave her alone.”

The leader puckered his lips, signalling his gang to do something when the figure didn’t bulge from his spot even a little. “Hey, take care of him.” And the group charged at him immediately.

The unknown man toppled down onto the wet tar right away as one of them lunged at him. She gasped in worry but the man let out a gurgle.

The gang’s leader released Joo Mi and she slipped down to the cold ground at once. He then strode to the man with an amused frown. He ordered to attack again when the man rose up. But then, the man dodged away that time and countered back with a jab. He soon got the upper hand and begun to knock the attackers down, one by one. Twirling away from one swing, he spun to send a sharp shot to the other’s head. He then levels another off by his knee before dropping a side-kick badly in the leader’s stomach. The last member shuddered and scrambled away before he could even touch him.

Joo Mi slowly lifted her head and saw the mysterious guy swiftly headed to her. Her heart wanted to cry in relief but she held it back. She clawed at the wall behind her to stand up but her legs were too numb, making her to stumble on her face. However, the guy was fast enough to catch her from falling.

“Are you okay, miss? Did you hurt anywhere?”

She shook her head weakly before glanced up at him. Yet, she instinctively pulled herself away from his arms that wrapped around her waist and enforced herself to stand up properly. “T-Thank you.” She stuttered and trudged away in hurry.

The guy, her saviour, stood still in shock when she walked away as if nothing happened. He picked up his bag pack and jogged over to her. “Miss.” He called her out as he tried to reach her pace. Though, he wasn’t acknowledged at all. His eyes squinted in confusion at her weird reaction. He eventually halted his steps with a sigh and made his own way under the rain. But then again, he glanced over his shoulder when he heard a yelp. He spun around and saw the girl had tripped over her own feet.

He rushed over her and kneeled down. “Are you really okay?” He was surprised once more when she balked out of his hold. “Hey, I’m not going to do anything to you. Calm down.” He stared upon her and that was the time he noticed that she was only wearing house slippers, wide leg pant and a white sweater which already became a see through shirt. He took off his jacket and placed over her.

Joo Mi stared up at him in the end and was quite stunned at the look in his eyes. There was apprehension, tenderness and mixed of confusion. She timidly asked. “Are you really not going to do anything to me?”

“Seriously, what’s exactly are you thinking?”

***

The doorbell of Seo’s resident was pressed. Mdm. Seo jolted up and rushed over the door when her maid opened it.

“Dear, where have you been? It’s been one hour. You left your phone behind and it’s raining heavily outside-” She gasped in horror at the sight of her daughter and unfamiliar face.

With her wet hair sticking to her cheeks and a drenched jacket placed on her head, Joo Mi called out her mother timorously from on the back of her saviour. Meanwhile, the guy plastered a small on his face and greeted the people inside the house.

“Oh my goodness! Come in. Hurry.” Mdm. Seo urged them to step inside and asked her maid to bring towels and hot water. “What happened to you?” She towered over her daughter as soon as the guy placed her down.

The maid ran into the living room again and handed them the towels together with two cups of hot drink.

Joo Mi didn’t forget to thank the maid before staring up at her mother. “Nothing, I just twisted my ankle when I ran in the rain just now.” She told a white lie and then hung her head low. “And I’m so sorry for what I did before. Please forgive me, omma.”

Mdm. Seo swiftly pulled Joo Mi into her warm embrace without worrying that her clothes would get wet too. She kissed and caressed her daughter’s head gently. “It’s okay as long as you’re fine. I was scared to death and my heart almost stopped when the thought of something happened to you came into my mind. Joo Mi-a, let’s just live here. I’m okay with staying anywhere, just promise me that you’ll leave me again.”

Joo Mi lastly burst into tears at her mother’s words. She kept crying over and all over again while muttering an apology for upsetting her mother. She swore to not repeat the mistake again and it took her almost an hour to calm down. In the meantime, her saviour just watched the lovely couple with an overwhelming heart. In some way, he felt glad too for the stranger who he just founded in an alley.

Thirty minutes later, after taking bath, Joo Mi went to put her mother on sleep. She gave her mother a goodnight kiss, switched off the lamp and tiptoed out of the room with a soft smile. She then came across to the guest room when she was about to