Midnight Intruder
Ha Gang-bin watched Eun-geon with his usual warmth and concern, but Eun-geon brushed off his hand like he was irritated by it.
“Mind your own damn business.”
“Damn, you little shit. Acting like there’s nothing wrong.”
Ha Gang-bin grumbled, but Eun-geon stayed stubbornly silent. At that moment, Teo, who had been walking quietly beside them, tossed out one casual remark.
“Looks like he’s got something on his mind. Or maybe just tired.”
Even though Teo hadn’t caught every detail of Eun-geon’s turmoil, he could sense that something was off with him lately.
“On his mind? What the hell would you have to worry about? No money worries, women lined up, just swimming for gold medals, top-tier endorsements, what the hell is there to stress about?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Ha Gang-bin flinched at the sharp words and stayed quiet. Eun-geon seemed a little sorry for snapping, so he let out a long sigh and spoke again.
“It’s nothing big. Just heard something about a guy I know.”
Eun-geon raked a hand through his hair and furrowed his brows.
Both Ha Gang-bin and Teo leaned in. Eun-geon was the type who rarely talked about anything, so of course he wouldn’t open up about his worries to friends. Yet they both noticed the habit of dropping vague comments whenever he felt uneasy.
“...I happened to see a female friend’s phone.”
“Why the hell would you look at a girl’s phone? You crazy?”
Ha Gang-bin jumped in without thinking. He would’ve been way more popular with women if he just toned his mouth down a bit, but he had no idea.
“...Fuck, just let it go. I saw it, and there were tons of pictures in there.”
“Pictures like what?”
“Nude ones, basically.”
Eun-geon couldn’t even bring himself to say the words “leash” or “cuffs.” Just the nude photos were shocking enough.
“What the hell are you shocked about? Nudes aren’t a crime. Everyone’s sent a few, right? Like when she went on vacation with her boyfriend in a bikini, or maybe some bikini shots from a bathhouse.”
“But why are you shocked that your friend looks horrified?”
Teo dug deeper, sharp as ever. As an archer, he had a habit of zeroing in on the real issue.
Eun-geon tensed up at Teo’s words and shrugged his shoulders.
“She’s not even his girlfriend. Just a female friend. Hell, she could’ve sent dirty pics to her boyfriend. Or maybe she took them for herself. It’s her private life.”
Teo’s logic sounded perfectly reasonable, but it grated on Eun-geon’s nerves.
“That’s not the point. If it’s just some mild exposure, fine. But what if she’s doing weird poses and wearing a leash or handcuffs?”
Eun-geon realized he was describing the details without meaning to and felt a wave of embarrassment. Talking to Ha Gang-bin and Teo about Yusom’s secrets already made him uneasy.
But there was no one else he could trust.
“Leash? Handcuffs? Whoa, that’s crossing a line.”
Ha Gang-bin’s eyes widened in surprise. He had seen plenty of guys who bragged about sending girls photos like that.
“You think some crazy guy is making his girlfriend take photos with a leash? That’s not just a preference. That’s straight-up crime. Gaslighting her into it and then something.”
“...Yeah, probably.” Eun-geon muttered.
Teo quietly agreed with Ha Gang-bin.
“Shouldn’t we report it first? God, the world is getting scary these days.”
“Even taking those pictures is dangerous. What if the guy leaks them after you break up? Revenge porn is a thing for a reason.”
Teo laid out the facts one by one with cold logic.
On the other hand, the thought of Yusom facing something like that made Eun-geon’s blood run cold.
“Come on, it’s not that likely. If it was real crime, the girl would’ve already reported it.”
Ha Gang-bin, with his sunny personality, tried to lighten the mood. “Maybe she just likes it. There are people into that kind of play. No point butting in and embarrassing the friend. Just warn her to be careful.”
Eun-geon couldn’t decide which was worse—Yusom creating lewd photos herself out of curiosity or being blackmailed and having them stolen. Either way, it was terrifying.
The real problem was that the situation had him so rattled he couldn’t focus on his next race.
Yusom’s private life was a complete mess. He had to see it with his own eyes and make sure she wasn’t in any danger.
If some bastard was taking advantage of her, he would kill him.
The mix of rage and fierce protective instinct toward Yusom hit Eun-geon hard. He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms.
***
3 a.m. The dead of night.
Yusom pressed the penthouse entrance password in total silence, her tablet clutched in her hand.
This was clearly unauthorized entry. Her heart slammed against her ribs at the thought of getting caught. She had no choice.
Please, let no one be home.
It had been hard to go days without her phone. She could still reach people through SNS and messengers on the tablet, but the secret files stored inside her phone were the real problem.
The nude photos she had taken for her sketch practice. She had locked them tight with a password, but if anyone saw them, her social standing would be ruined.
Click.
The heavy door opened with the sound of the lock. In the pitch-black darkness, she crept inside like a cat.
Yusom dimmed the tablet screen to use the glow as a flashlight and scanned the room.
The living room was empty. Thank God, her brothers were all asleep. She let out a sigh of relief and headed for the table.
And there it was—the pink phone resting alone in the center of the table.
“Found it!”
Yusom let out a small sound before she could stop herself.
She reached for it, ready to rush out of there. Just as she did, the living room suddenly blazed with blinding light.
Yusom reflexively squinted and covered her face with her arms. Her heart dropped to her stomach.
“...”
In front of her stood the one person she never wanted to see—Baek Eun-geon.
She had no idea how long he had been there, but he stood in the kitchen watching her, half-finished whiskey glass on the table reflecting the harsh overhead lights.
“What are you doing right now?”
His low, cold voice sliced through the silence. Yusom froze in place. No excuses came to mind.
Creeping into someone else’s house at 3 a.m. to steal something—even if it was her own phone—made her look exactly like a thief.
“Ah, I-I was just looking for the phone...”
Eun-geon slowly walked toward her.