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“Hey there, Ra-on.”
The casual way Do-kyung addressed her made Chang-woo, who had been about to greet Ra-on, widen his eyes in surprise.
Ignoring Chang-woo’s gaze with practiced ease, Ra-on gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Meeting her questioning look—What are you doing here?—Do-kyung smiled.
“You never gave me your number.”
“…Ah.”
Ra-on sighed belatedly and reflexively rubbed the phone in her pocket.
So he hadn’t forgotten.
Licking her lips with faint regret, Ra-on turned to Chang-woo and said:
“If you’d left your number with the boss, I would’ve contacted you.”
“Huh? And when was I supposed to know that?”
At his response, Ra-on hesitated for a moment, blinking awkwardly at him before extending her hand. Better to just get this over with quickly rather than drag it out any longer.
“Hand me your phone. I’ll enter my number for you.”
Surprised by her calm demeanor, Do-kyung squinted slightly and tilted his chin as if amused. He had expected her to panic when he suddenly showed up to hold her to their earlier agreement, but her expressionless face remained as indifferent as ever.
But what did it matter? Shrugging, Do-kyung handed over his phone.
Opening the phone—which didn’t even have a passcode lock—Ra-on entered her number and said:
“I did say I’d make one for you whenever you wanted, but as you can see, I’ve quit the pub.”
Handing the phone back to him, she added:
“I’m attending school in the morning because of the winter session, and as you can see, I work at this café from now until 10 p.m.”
The rapid-fire list of conditions made Do-kyung pause mid-reach for his phone, blinking in disbelief.
It was essentially a roundabout way of saying that even if he contacted her, he wouldn’t be able to get what he wanted.
Do-kyung soon grinned mischievously, narrowing his eyes.
“So, putting it all together, the only available time is after 10 p.m., when your café shift ends?”
“…”
Not missing the subtle tremor in Ra-on’s pupils, Do-kyung continued:
“Alright then. I’ll come pick you up at 10.”
“…What do you mean—”
“That’s the only time slot available, so what can we do? I’ve already compromised a lot, so you should compromise too. Don’t you agree?”
Do-kyung winked.
After picking up an Americano to-go, he returned to the café right at 10 p.m., just as her shift ended.
“…”
Ra-on, stepping out of the shop, stared blankly at the luxury car parked outside with its windows down.
…Surely he didn’t intend to drive around like that in this weather?
Tonight’s evening temperature had dropped below freezing. Even with the heater blasting, driving around with all the windows open in this kind of cold would obviously be a death sentence.
But then again, that wasn’t the main issue right now.
Closing her mouth, which had fallen slightly agape, Ra-on muttered dryly:
“…You really came.”
Do-kyung tilted his head as if confused by her words.
“Didn’t I say I’d come pick you up?”
Then, as if her flustered expression amused him greatly, Do-kyung smirked.
“What? Did you really think I wouldn’t show up?”
“…”
“I’m not one to make empty promises.”
With that, Do-kyung opened the passenger-side door.
“Get in.”
It felt like the gates of hell had just swung open. Knowing his profession, even the simple act of opening the car door seemed far from ordinary to Ra-on.
“I’m not going to eat you, so hurry up and get in. If you dawdle here, it’ll get late before you get home. Is that okay with you?”
At his thinly veiled threat, Ra-on reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat.
“There we go.”
Looking at her as if she’d done something commendable, Do-kyung hummed lightly and closed the door.
Ra-on stared blankly as he walked around to the driver’s side, then lowered her gaze.
Once inside, Do-kyung immediately started closing the sunroof and windows he’d left open after starting the engine. Ra-on watched his long, straight fingers as he turned on the heater.
Though she had gotten into the car thinking she could get home early, now that she was seated and buckled in, doubts began creeping in. What exactly was she doing? Why was she riding in Do-kyung’s car at this hour with a man she barely knew? A sense of injustice welled up within her.
“…”
Ra-on’s brow furrowed faintly as she stared out the window, her mind uneasy.
But even so, all these thoughts couldn’t fully capture the complexity of her current emotions.
The biggest issue was that despite Do-kyung sitting right next to her, she didn’t feel afraid.
Even after witnessing what she had seen the night before, the fatigue weighing down her body felt heavier than any fear of him.
Perhaps it was because she hadn’t had a moment to breathe these past few days. Maybe fear itself was a luxury only available to those with the mental space to feel it.
…Surely she hadn’t already grown accustomed to such violence after seeing it twice.
Well, compared to the usual brawls that occasionally broke out at the pub, last night’s incident had been only slightly more serious. And compared to the first time she met Do-kyung, it had been relatively mild.
“Hmm.”
Ra-on let out a troubled sigh as she mulled over these thoughts.
Whatever the reason, one conclusion stood clear: Do-kyung wasn’t as terrifying as he had been at first. And despite getting into his car, she didn’t feel particularly worried.
…Of course, there was no denying that Do-kyung was still a dangerous man. Yet, strangely, she harbored an unfounded belief that he wouldn’t harm her.
As she reflected on Do-kyung’s actions over the past few days, a hypothesis she had pushed aside suddenly resurfaced. Could it be that he was showing interest in her romantically?
Glancing briefly at Do-kyung’s profile reflected in the car window, Ra-on quickly dismissed the thought.
That couldn’t be it.
There was no way she could mistake Do-kyung’s interest in her. But it wasn’t romantic interest. His gaze held nothing but amusement and curiosity—pure entertainment, devoid of any trace of romantic feelings.
That was all there was to the way he looked at her.
“Besides, it doesn’t make sense for an Alpha to take interest in a Beta anyway.”
As she absentmindedly rubbed her fingertips—a habit she had developed—Do-kyung’s voice broke through her thoughts.
“Anything else you’re good at besides Faust?”
Ra-on immediately answered with the first thing that came to mind.
“Martini.”
“Ahh, that’s a famous one.”
Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirred.
At Do-kyung’s trailing comment, Ra-on turned her gaze toward the window and replied:
“It’s also famous as the cocktail Hemingway loved to drink. Everyone thinks of that movie quote when they hear ‘martini,’ though.”
Thanks to that, most people who came to the pub would order martinis while quoting lines from the movie.
Remembering the sentence that had now become synonymous with martinis, Ra-on leaned her head lightly against the car window with a soft thud.
Even though it was 10 p.m., the view outside the window was still dazzling. The car, having long left the university district behind, was now entering the bustling city streets—about five subway stops away.
Where are we going?
Ra-on was lost in thought when Do-kyung suddenly asked:
“Did that bother you?”
“Huh?”
Glancing at her while driving, Do-kyung tapped his own eyebrows lightly.
“Your brows look a little downcast.”
Unconsciously mimicking him, Ra-on rubbed her own eyebrows but then shook her head firmly.
“It’s not that I’m upset. Sometimes people ask about other origins of the martini beyond what’s shown in movies, so it’s just something I say out of habit.”
It was true. It wasn’t because she was particularly fond of Hemingway’s novels. As a bartender who served martinis, she simply wanted to share that there was more to the drink than its cinematic fame.
This time, Ra-on asked:
“Where are we going?”
“Wow.”
Do-kyung let out a soulless exclamation.
“You’re asking this after being in the car for ten minutes?”
“…”
“I knew Ra-on was gullible, but I didn’t realize you’d be this fearless.”
Ra-on stared at Do-kyung, dumbfounded. Sensing her gaze from the side, Do-kyung chuckled softly while keeping his eyes on the road.
“Where did you think I was taking you when you got into the car so obediently, Ra-on?”
“Well, obviously to a place where I can make cocktails…”
“And where did you think such a place would be?”
“…”
Was he playing twenty questions with her? Do-kyung teased her in a light tone.
But as much as it seemed like harmless teasing, the content of their conversation was far from normal—and the fact that it was Do-kyung made it all the more concerning.
…Had she misjudged him? Just as Ra-on began reflecting on her 23 years of life, her expression stiffening, Do-kyung noticed her tense gaze and smirked faintly.
Then, as if trying to ease her tension, he spoke in a gentle, reassuring tone:
“There’s a place I frequent around here. You can make the cocktail there. I’ve already arranged a spot for you.”
“…A spot?”
“Yeah. You’ll work there as my personal bartender. How does that sound? I’ll pay you regularly.”
“Are you seriously telling me to work there after 10 p.m.?”
“The only time you’re available is after 10, right?”
At Do-kyung’s puzzled look, Ra-on pressed her hand to her forehead in exasperation.
“I quit my previous job because working late hours was exhausting.”
“Ahh, don’t worry, don’t worry.”
Do-kyung waved his hand dismissively, as if it were no big deal.
“I’m not planning to keep you for long. You just need to make one cocktail for me each day—that’s all.”
“…”
“The pay will be ten… per cocktail. How’s that sound?”
“…?!”
At Ra-on’s wide-eyed astonishment, Do-kyung smirked with satisfaction.
“Ten per cocktail…?”
“Is that not enough?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Not enough? It was more than generous—excessive, even.
As Ra-on stood there dumbfounded, mumbling under her breath, Do-kyung tilted his head curiously.
“Were you planning to do this for free out of goodwill?”
“Well, I did make a promise…”
As Ra-on trailed off, Do-kyung raised an eyebrow teasingly.
“After thinking about it, I realized something: it’s pretty annoying that you’re wasting your concern on some guy who thinks with his lower half.”
“…”
“So I’ve decided—I’ll buy it from you personally. It’ll be entirely mine.”
Do-kyung added with an “Ah!”
“But don’t worry—I’m not planning to drag that guy back and torture him or anything.”
“It’s not like I was worried about that.”
It wasn’t her problem anymore, and she certainly didn’t have the energy to care about that man’s life.
“Ah, really?”
Do-kyung sounded faintly regretful.
“Maybe I should’ve left one for myself then.”
At his words, Ra-on shot him a wary glance.
…Left one what?
Ignoring her trembling gaze, he continued:
“I’ll come pick you up every day after your shift ends, so just wait for me outside the shop. I’ll escort you here like today—”
The car, which had been speeding along smoothly, came to a stop as he hit the brakes.
They were in front of a large building in a bustling part of the city.
“And once I’m done with my business, I’ll take you back home.”
Do-kyung grinned mischievously.
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