I'm Jessie, a senior high school student.

At first, I wasn't an active student. I preferred keeping to myself rather than joining clubs or participating in school activities.

One day, the coach of the track and field team approached me.

"Are you interested in joining our team?" he asked.

I didn't understand why he wanted me. I wasn't athletic, I wasn't popular, and I never volunteered for anything.

I politely refused.

The coach simply smiled.

"It's okay. No one's forcing you. Just run out there on the field, give it your best, and most importantly... enjoy it."

Those words stayed with me.

For the first time in my life, I felt free.

My parents had always been strict, controlling almost every part of my life. But when I ran... it felt like all of those expectations disappeared.

"Runners!"

"On your marks..."

"Set..."

Bang!

"Go!"

The race had begun.

...Or at least, it should have.

For some reason, I was the only one left standing on the starting line.

Something felt wrong.

Yes, the race always started with a gunshot...

But this one sounded different.

It sounded like a real gun.

A few moments later, one of the officials shouted,

"We're restarting the race! Everyone back to the starting line!"

I snapped out of my thoughts.

How embarrassing...

I had completely frozen for no reason.

Thankfully, the second start went smoothly, and I managed to finish in second place.

Coach congratulated me after the competition and treated the whole team to a meal.

Just as we were about to enter the restaurant, several luxurious black cars pulled up and blocked the entrance.

Tall bodyguards wearing black suits stepped out.

"Move aside. Don't block the way."

It wasn't fair.

We had arrived first.

But what could we do?

They were rich.

We couldn't even see the person they were protecting.

Who knows... maybe it's just some fragile little rich kid, I thought.

I was about to argue with them when my coach grabbed my arm.

"Jessie, don't."

But I ignored him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I shouted. "Blocking the entrance just because you're some rich jerks?"

The bodyguards glared at me with terrifying expressions.

For a moment, I thought they were actually going to attack me.

Then, a tall, handsome man stepped out of one of the cars.

He casually placed a hand on one of the bodyguards' shoulders.

"Don't mind them," he said calmly.

"It's a waste of time."

"Let's go."

The moment our eyes met...

I couldn't move.

His presence alone was overwhelming.

Just looking at how large his hands were made me think he could snap my neck without any effort.

I was lucky I didn't faint right there.

That would've been even more embarrassing.

Coach quickly pulled me away before I could make things worse.

He scolded me all the way to the restaurant.

Only then did I finally come back to my senses.

After what happened, I couldn't bring myself to eat.

"Coach," I said quietly, "I don't think I'll be joining everyone. My stomach doesn't feel well."

He looked worried, but he nodded and let me leave.

Back at my dorm, I collapsed onto my bed.

My mind was completely blank.

I didn't know what to think anymore.

Before I realized it...

I had already fallen asleep.

I wonder what tomorrow has in store for me after today's mess.

I just hope...

I never run into that man again.

...Or so I thought.

€§[zephyr]§€

Sigh... Haaa..."

I slowly opened my eyes as the alarm echoed through my room. It was early in the morning, but I had no choice—there was a scheduled training session today.

I went through my usual routine. I washed my face, fixed my bed, took a shower, and cooked breakfast. I kept myself busy, trying to push yesterday's events out of my mind. I had too many responsibilities to let something like that distract me. My studies and training came first.

As I stepped out of my room, I froze.

A man was standing right outside my dorm door.

For a second, I thought he was the man from yesterday. Thankfully, he wasn't. Why would that man even be here?

The stranger smiled and introduced himself.

"Hi! I'm Josh, your roommate. I just arrived today. I wasn't able to attend classes because I had something important to take care of. Nice to meet you."

"Umm... hi. I'm Jessie. Nice to meet you too."

He was incredibly talkative. I had a feeling we wouldn't get along very well. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep up with someone who talked this much.

"Your name sounds like a girl's name, don't you think?"

His comment annoyed me a little.

He wasn't wrong, though.

"It's actually my father's name," I replied. "I was named after him."

"Oh, that's pretty cool."

Despite how much he talked, he seemed like a nice person. It was surprising how friendly he was to someone he had just met.

"I have to head out," I said. "I need to get to the field."

The moment I mentioned the field, his expression lit up with excitement.

I wanted to ask why, but before I could say anything, he practically shouted,

"Wait... are you an athlete too? Do you run? Are you a sprinter?"

I stared at him for a moment.

He's so talkative... it's honestly annoying.

...Yet somehow, I was already getting used to it.

"Can you wait for me?" he asked. "We're going to the same place anyway."

I nodded.

"Sure."

For some reason, I had a feeling we'd be seeing a lot of each other from now on.

A few minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.

I couldn't help but notice the large wolf tattoo on his chest.

It was detailed and surprisingly beautiful.

"Is that... real?" I asked.

"Oh, you mean this?" he said, pointing at his chest.

"Yeah. It looks really cool. My parents would never let me get a tattoo."

He chuckled.

"Well, it's pretty normal in my family."

Then he leaned closer with a grin.

"Want to hear a secret?"

"What?"

"My family's full of bad guys."

I blinked.

"My parents do... illegal things."

"Heh... funny."

"Hey, I'm serious."

His smile didn't disappear.

"But don't worry. As my friend, you'll be safe. I promise. As long as you stick with me."

"We're getting late," I said, grabbing my bag. "Stop talking nonsense and get dressed."

"Okay, okay."

Although I laughed it off, I knew he wasn't joking.

The way he said it...

He meant every word.

I could only hope he was lying.

Because I wanted nothing to do with people like that ever again.

Not again.

On the way to the training ground, the girls couldn't stop staring at us—though, if I was being honest, they were mostly staring at him. Looking at him more closely, I couldn't blame them. He really did look like an angel.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice him walking closer until he suddenly grabbed my shoulders.

"So, girls," he said with a grin, "don't we look good together?"

Startled, I quickly slapped his hands away.

"Dude, that hurt!"

"Sorry... I just don't like being touched."

I knew I had overreacted, but I couldn't help it. Every time someone touched me unexpectedly, I was reminded of my trauma as a kid.

Luckily, our coach called everyone over and announced that training was about to begin.

I thought he'd leave me alone for the rest of the day, but I was wrong. He stayed just as talkative as ever. Within minutes, he had already made friends with almost everyone on the team.

Before, in situations like this, I was always the one left out. But thanks to him, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere.

Later that day, he invited me out for a drink. Even though I had never touched alcohol in my life, I accepted.

While I was waiting for him, a young woman approached me.

"Are you close with Josh?" she asked.

"We're friends," I replied.

She handed me a sealed letter.

"Can you give this to him for me?"

"Sure. No problem."

Just then, Josh arrived. The woman immediately ran off before he could notice her.

I handed him the letter.

The moment he opened it, his expression changed completely. Whatever was written inside, it clearly caught his attention

A few minutes later, he turned to me.

"Hey, Jess. Why don't you head to the club first? I'll catch up later. I just have to deal with something. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," I replied. "I'll wait for you there."

He called his driver and asked him to take me to the club.

Before I got into the car, he smiled and said, "Go have fun while I'm not there."

When I arrived, I immediately realized I had no idea what people even did in a club. Since it was my first time, I simply sat at the counter and waited.

Thirty minutes passed, but Josh still hadn't arrived.

I heard footsteps approaching and smiled, thinking it was him.

It wasn't.

"Waiting for someone?" the stranger asked.

"Yeah. I'm waiting for a friend."

"Then have a drink while you wait. It's on me."

I didn't know how to refuse politely, so I accepted.

The moment the alcohol touched my lips, I started coughing.

A few minutes later, my head felt light. The room slowly spun around me. The man kept talking, but his words became harder and harder to understand.

Then, without warning, he grabbed me.

His hand moved where it shouldn't have, and he smirked.

"Looks like you're drunk. Don't worry... I'll take you home."

"I-I'm not going with you..."

I tried to pull away, but my body wouldn't listen. All I could do was shout for help.

People around us stared, but no one stepped in.

Then I noticed someone making his way through the crowd.

It was the man I had met before.

He stopped in front of us and looked at me.

"Do you know this guy?"

"N-No," I answered quickly. "I don't even know him."

Without another word, he pulled me away from the stranger.

"Stay away from him," he said coldly.

The man's confidence disappeared instantly. He stumbled backward, looking terrified. Even the people watching had gone completely silent.

I thanked him, thinking he would simply let me go.

I was wrong.

He turned around, crouched slightly, and lifted me onto his back.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. "You still owe me for saving you."

Because of the alcohol, my thoughts were hazy, and I couldn't even argue.

Before I realized it, my eyes slowly closed.

The last thing I remembered was falling asleep on his shoulder.