Capítulo 36: Scenting blood

"There was a complaint about harassment, miss. Were you the one who called the police?" The officer was a middle-aged man sporting a beer belly. His expression changed comically when he saw the faces of Sun Young-mi and Blue.

"Officer, there was a misunderstanding. The person harassing her has left-"

"He's the ones harassing me!" Ji-ho pointed to Blue. "Get this man out of my apartment."

The officer looked uncertain about what was going on. He had read the tabloids and knew about Sun Young-mi's easy reputation. To add to that, the man she was accusing was a celebrity himself. Why would he need to harass Sun Young-mi when he was such a famous and desired male celebrity?

"Officer, my girlfriend has had a few drinks," Blue said with a laugh like he was joking with a friend. "You know how these young girls can get when they're drunk and jealous."

Flattered by the famous celeb's friendliness, the officer chuckled with him. "Don't worry. Women are like that. You should just buy her some gifts and all will be forgiven."

"You're right," Blue said with a smile as he looked at Ji-ho who was still seated and holding her knife. "I'll buy her everything her heart desires."

Ji-ho hadn't expected the police to fail her this miserably yet again. So, this was what it felt like to be oppressed by the wealthy and powerful, she thought. The law was flexible when a rich person wanted it to dance for them.

"Anyway, thank you for showing up, officer," Blue said to the cop with deep appreciation in his tone. "It's good to know that us citizens can rely on our protectors in times of need."

The policeman beamed under the blatant flattery. They exchanged a few more words before Ji-ho was once again left alone with Blue.

When the man said his goodbye to the officer and closed the door, Ji-ho stood up without a sound. The moment he turned around to face her, he saw Young-mi pressing a few switches.

"Are you serious?" He said with a laugh when the lights went out. "Young-mi, what are you planning to do? Ambush me?"

The man was so arrogant in his strength that he wasn't even bothering to hide his presence. Ji-ho could hear him make his way to the light switch.

"Baby, stop playing games with me." And that's when Blue felt a sharp pain in his thigh. The man screamed in pain and blindly clutched his leg where it was throbbing with the agony of having been stabbed.

Ji-ho took the chance to madly scramble out of the kitchen. She heard Blue coming after her as she legged it out of the living room and straight into another person who had just opened her apartment door.

The young woman screamed in surprise when the newcomer gripped the sides of her arms.

"Shhh- It's me, Seung-ho."

Ji-ho gaped at the actor wondering what the hell he was doing here.

"I was right then," Blue's contempt filled voice sounded from behind her. "You're fucking him, aren't you? Whore. They were right about you."

"Did you stab him?" Seung ho asked after taking a delicate sniff of the air. The lights were still off and whatever illumination came from the hallway did not reach Blue's figure.

"She's a feisty one. Stabbed me and ran," Blue snarled. "I'm taking this to the police, Sun Young-mi. I hope you're prepared for a looo-ong prison time."

"The only criminal going to prison is you!" She snapped at him. "I wish I stabbed you somewhere else so you wouldn't get the chance to procreate!"

"Bitch, just try it. I'm going to nail you after I've taken you to court," he lashed out with fresh anger. "Not even your boyfriend can save you. You hear me?!"

When Ji-ho was about to respond with more fire, she felt Seung-ho place a hand on her shoulder.

"Young-mi, please step outside for a moment," the actor told her. By now his tone had taken on a level of such low-pitched menace that it managed to be even more sinister in contrast to the raucous volume of Blue. And glancing over at his face, Ji-ho couldn't suppress a shudder of foreboding because the expression on it was nothing short of chilling.

Wordlessly, she stepped out of the darkness and into the hallway. Ji-ho licked her lips nervously as she saw Seung-ho close the door gently without even turning around.

_______

Of course, it had to happen on Sun Young-mi's birthday. Midnight had started out great, but look what it had turned into? Her apartment had been broken into by her psycho ex and then she'd stabbed him. Ji-ho had blood on her sleeves which she hurriedly tucked into her pockets.

Sitting outside in the hallway, she wondered what was going on inside her apartment. Seung-ho was so sure of himself but he wasn't a psychopath like Blue. What if the asshole stabbed him? What if he was killed because of Ji-ho? A surge of panic gripped her. Right as she stood up, the door opened and Seung-ho came out.

"You..." Ji-ho stared at the blood on his shirt. "Is that yours?"

Seung-ho glanced down at the bloodstains on his shirt.

"No," he responded with a frown. "Probably his."

Probably.

Ji-ho nodded woodenly. "You didn't.. Kill him, did you?" She asked in a whisper.

Seung-ho glanced at her with an inscrutable expression. "He gets to live another day. I've called a private-" he paused searching for the right word, "-ambulance to take care of the mess."

Ji-ho opened her mouth and closed it like she wasn't sure what to say. The young woman was overwhelmed by everything that had happened. In the dim light of the hallway, the actor closed the gap between them so he was standing just near enough to comfort her but not so close that she would be discomfited by it.

"Come home with me," Seung-ho murmured to her. He lifted a hand to gently caress her cheek, watching a smear of blood mark her creamy white skin. "There's no need to fear anything, Young-mi. Nobody will know what happened inside there."

Ji-ho unconsciously leaned into his touch and lowered her lashes because the alternative was looking into his beautiful intense amber eyes. Seung-ho was a sturdy foundation of trust and strength - never failing her when she asked for it. She gripped the front of his shirt and nodded.

"Take me away from here."