The bullet barely missed Kang Ji-won’s shoulder by an inch.
A sharp tear appeared across her uniform, and the force of the shot seemed to freeze everything around her.
For a second, Ji-won couldn’t hear the traffic, the voices coming from the restaurant, or even her own breathing.
She slowly looked at the torn fabric.
Was that…
a real bullet?
Her gaze dropped to the man beneath her.
He was still staring up at her in shock, his face pale.
That was when the situation finally registered.
Someone had just tried to kill him.
“Get up quickly! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Ji-won grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the road.
She dragged him toward a narrow corner beside the restaurant, keeping herself between him and the open street until they were safely out of sight.
The man’s lips trembled.
“Wha—what are you doi—ng?”
“Saving your life, obviously!” Ji-won snapped.
“Unless you want to stay there and wait for another bullet?”
He immediately stopped arguing.
Ji-won pressed herself against the wall and carefully peeked around the corner.
Her eyes met a pair of eyes behind a dark mask several meters away.
The sniper.
Her expression hardened.
For a few seconds, they simply stared at each other.
The sniper seemed to realize that the situation had changed.
His target was no longer exposed, and now the person who had ruined his shot had seen him.
He lowered his weapon.
His gaze lingered on Ji-won for a moment longer, as if trying to memorize every detail of her face.
Then he quickly packed up his equipment and disappeared.
Ji-won waited.
One second.
Two.
She cautiously peeked out again.
“Phew… He’s gone.”
Only then did she release the breath she had been holding.
She turned back to the man and let go of his arm.
He slowly straightened himself, still looking at her as though he couldn’t understand what had just happened.
“Thank you.”
Ji-won rubbed the back of her neck with an awkward laugh.
“Err… whatever.”
She brushed the dust from her hands and turned away.
“I need to head home now.”
The man’s eyes widened.
“Now?”
Isn’t she going to ask for a reward?
Most people would have at least asked who he was or demanded something after saving them from a situation like this.
But she didn’t seem interested.
Ji-won glanced back at him.
“Yes. My mom would be worried.”
Before he could respond, she turned and walked away.
Ji-won stopped.
She looked back over her shoulder.
“Sir?”
“What’s your name, young girl?”
She hesitated.
Giving her name to a complete stranger probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do.
You can’t just give your name to someone you don’t know, right?
Especially in a book this unpredictable.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she considered it.
Then she finally made her decision.
“Kang Ji-won.”
With that, she turned around and continued walking.
The man watched the innocent-looking girl disappear down the street and slowly shook his head.
Even now, his heart was still beating faster than usual.
He had nearly been shot.
Yet the girl who had thrown herself in front of him was already walking away as if she’d simply helped someone cross the road.
He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
“Hello, Oh Min-jae. Check the surveillance cameras around XX Restaurant. I want the footage from outside the restaurant, the nearby streets, and the entrance.”
He paused.
“And find out where that girl came from and where she went after leaving.”
“Yes, Boss.”
The call ended.
He lowered the phone and stared in the direction Ji-won had disappeared.
There was something unusual about her.
She had appeared out of nowhere, reacted quickly enough to save his life, noticed the sniper, and then left without asking for money, gratitude, or even his name.
Who exactly was Kang Ji-won?
He took a slow breath, pushed the thought aside for the moment, and walked into the restaurant.
Kang Ji-won quietly tiptoed into the house.
One step.
Then another.
She glanced toward the living room before continuing.
Please don’t let Mum see me.
The tear in her uniform was already bad enough.
She planned to sneak upstairs, fix it herself, and forget the whole thing.
“Kang Ji-won?”
Her feet stopped immediately.
She slowly turned around with an innocent smile.
“Err… nothing. I just thought you were taking a nap.”
Kang Ha-rin raised an eyebrow.
“A nap?”
Her gaze moved down to Ji-won’s uniform.
The moment she noticed the torn shoulder, her expression changed.
“Ji-won! What happened to your uniform?”
Ha-rin quickly walked over and examined the tear.
Ji-won swallowed.
“I-I nearly slipped at school, but luckily, someone helped me.”
“You nearly slipped?”
“Yeah.”
Then she sighed.
“Alright. Bring the uniform downstairs when you’re done. I’ll fix it properly.”
“Okay.”
Ha-rin gently patted her shoulder before walking away.
Ji-won waited until she was gone before releasing the breath she’d been holding.
That was close.
Meanwhile, at XX Restaurant…
The man had already reached the upper floor.
Unlike the noisy dining area downstairs, the hallway was quiet.
His footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor as he approached a private room guarded by two men.
The moment they saw him, they straightened.
“Good evening, Sir.”
He gave them a brief nod before opening the door.
The conversation inside immediately stopped.
Several men were seated around a large table, with documents and folders spread across the polished surface.
The moment they saw who had entered, every one of them stood.
“Mayor.”
The man calmly walked toward the head of the table.
Only after he took his seat did the others sit down again.
For a moment, he said nothing.
The room remained completely silent.
Then he slowly lifted his gaze.
“Let’s begin.”
The Next Morning
Kang Ji-won put on her newly repaired uniform and headed to school.
But the moment she reached the school gate, she noticed something strange.
Students were whispering.
A few glanced at her before quickly looking away.
Others openly stared, their expressions ranging from curiosity to excitement.
Ji-won slowed down.
What’s going on?
Then she spotted Shen Huiling standing near the entrance.
Her friend looked anxious, excited, and worried all at once.
The moment Huiling saw Ji-won, she hurried over and grabbed her arm.
“What’s wrong, Shen Huiling?”
Huiling looked around before lowering her voice.
“Did you beat up a group of boys yesterday?”
Ji-won’s eyebrows lifted.
“How did you find out about that?”
“Someone recorded the whole thing and posted it on the school forum.”
Ji-won’s eyes widened.
They recorded it?
Huiling shook her head in disbelief.
“Ji-won, everyone has seen it!”
Ji-won really can’t seem to have a normal day, can she?
First, she beats up a group of boys, then she accidentally saves a stranger from a sniper, and now that incident has somehow become the talk of the entire school.
And now that stranger?
He’s turning out to be someone we least expected.
What do you think will happen when Ji-won finds out who he really is?