"STOP!"
A desperate yell came from behind them.
Shan Wolf and Mei Yoo Jun's ex-boyfriend both turned their heads toward the voice. The ex-boyfriend's face immediately changed, his eyes widening as he recognized the person who had finally arrived.
It was none other than Mei Yoo Jun herself.
She stood several meters away, panting heavily. Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to catch her breath, one hand pressed against her chest while the other rested on her knee. She had rushed all the way to the location, terrified that something terrible might happen if she arrived too late.
The surrounding onlookers turned their attention toward her. Several people had already taken out their phones to record the commotion, while others whispered among themselves, trying to piece together what had happened.
"Oi, isn't that the girl from the post?" a stranger asked, lowering his phone slightly.
"Must be a quarrel between two lovers," another person replied.
"Looks like that guy is in trouble."
Mei Yoo Jun heard the whispers, but she paid them no attention. Her eyes immediately focused on Shan Wolf, who was standing in front of her ex-boyfriend with a cold, unyielding expression.
She hurried forward.
"He's not a bad guy! There's a misunderstanding in all this!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling.
Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked at the commotion. She knew Shan Wolf had come here because of her. She also knew how far things could go if he continued confronting her ex-boyfriend.
However, Shan Wolf wasn't fazed by her words.
His grip on the ex-boyfriend's collar remained firm. He turned his head slightly toward Mei Yoo Jun, his expression still calm, almost as though the situation in front of him was nothing more than an inconvenience.
"No. This guy is full of shit."
With a sharp movement, Shan Wolf tossed the chair aside.
CLANG!
The chair struck the ground a short distance away, scraping against the pavement. Several onlookers flinched and stepped backward, while Mei Yoo Jun's ex-boyfriend instinctively tried to retreat.
He didn't get the chance.
Shan Wolf reached forward and grabbed him by the collar again, pulling him closer. The man's body jerked forward, and his hands immediately rose to Shan's wrist in an attempt to loosen his grip.
"Listen here, you punk. You're the one who cheated first. I know that because I know how to get the information I need in my own way."
Shan's voice was low and controlled. He didn't need to shout. The sheer certainty in his words was enough to make the ex-boyfriend's expression stiffen.
Mei Yoo Jun stared at him, her lips parting slightly.
She knew Shan Wolf wasn't an ordinary man, but there were still many things about him she didn't understand.
And this was one of them.
Of course, Shan Wolf wasn't making an empty accusation.
A few months earlier, when Mei Yoo Jun had left his penthouse, he had contacted Jennifer, a former colleague from his time as a child mercenary. Using a non-traceable phone, he had asked her to gather every piece of information she could find about Mei Yoo Jun's boyfriend, including details about the new woman he had been seeing.
Jennifer had eventually delivered the information.
After receiving it, Shan Wolf went to meet the woman himself. She turned out to be a prostitute, and he paid her for a night.
She had assumed it would be a simple one-night encounter.
The reality was different.
Shan Wolf had paid extra to obtain information about Mei Yoo Jun's ex-boyfriend, including his relationship with the woman and their current circumstances. He had no interest in exposing his connections to the child mercenary world, so he had kept that part of his investigation hidden.
Now, standing in front of the man himself, Shan Wolf explained what he had discovered, leaving out his connections and the methods he had used to obtain the information.
The ex-boyfriend's face gradually lost its color.
"You! You...!"
He stammered, unable to form a proper sentence. His eyes darted between Shan Wolf and Mei Yoo Jun, as though desperately searching for a way out of the situation.
Shan Wolf narrowed his eyes.
"I knew there was something fishy about you. Who knew you were such a trashy asshole?"
His grip tightened.
Then, without warning, Shan Wolf lifted him off the ground with one hand, his right hand gripping the man's neck.
The ex-boyfriend's shoes left the pavement.
"Ghk!"
A strangled sound escaped his throat as he grabbed Shan's wrist with both hands. His legs kicked helplessly in the air, while his face contorted with fear and discomfort.
The surrounding crowd fell silent.
A few people gasped. Others took several steps back, suddenly realizing that the situation was far more serious than a simple argument.
Mei Yoo Jun's eyes widened.
"Shan!"
Her voice trembled as she took a step forward.
Shan Wolf didn't look at her immediately. His attention remained fixed on the man in his grasp, his dark eyes cold and unwavering.
"Listen carefully."
His voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.
"Next time you touch her, or even try to do anything to her anywhere, I will make sure you won't get to see the sunlight tomorrow."
The ex-boyfriend's eyes widened in terror.
He tried to speak, but his throat tightened under Shan's grip. His hands continued clawing at Shan's wrist, his earlier arrogance completely gone.
Shan Wolf held him there for another moment.
Then he tossed him aside.
The ex-boyfriend hit the ground heavily, rolling onto his side as he coughed and gasped for air. His hands immediately moved to his neck, his body trembling from the encounter.
Shan Wolf didn't spare him another glance.
Instead, he turned toward Mei Yoo Jun and reached for her wrist.
His fingers wrapped around it firmly but not painfully.
"Let's go, Yoo Jun. We've got work to do back at HQ."
Mei Yoo Jun looked up at him.
His expression had already returned to its usual calm state, as though the confrontation had never happened. There was no visible anger on his face now, only the same composed demeanor he carried wherever he went.
She stared at him for a moment.
Despite everything that had just happened, a strange warmth began spreading through her chest.
Shan Wolf had come for her.
He had defended her.
And even now, he was treating her as though she had nothing to fear.
Her eyes softened, and the tears that had gathered earlier finally slipped down her cheeks. This time, however, they weren't tears of sadness.
She smiled faintly.
"Yeah, let's go."
The two of them began walking away.
Mei Yoo Jun followed beside Shan Wolf, her wrist still in his hand. She occasionally glanced at him, her heart feeling strangely lighter than it had in a long time.
Behind them, the crowd remained gathered around the fallen ex-boyfriend.
Then, suddenly, everyone's phones began buzzing.
BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!
One after another, the onlookers pulled out their phones and looked down at their screens.
A new article had appeared online.
The first person to read it widened his eyes.
"Holy shit, this is legit!"
"What? Let me see!"
"All this time, we were blaming the wrong person!"
"Look at this! He must be the one!"
The murmurs quickly grew louder.
Several people began scrolling through the article, their expressions changing as they read the details. What had initially seemed like a private relationship dispute was now turning into something much larger.
An angry mob began forming around the ex-boyfriend.
Some people moved closer, while others pointed their phones toward him. Their voices grew increasingly hostile as they read about his actions.
The ex-boyfriend, still on the ground, looked up in confusion.
"What...?"
His eyes caught sight of a nearby phone screen.
He reached for his own phone with trembling hands and unlocked it.
Then he saw the article.
His face turned pale.
Everything was there.
His wrongdoings.
The money he had borrowed from Mei Yoo Jun but never returned.
The lies he had told her.
The details surrounding his relationship with the other woman.
And the fact that he had failed his civil servant examination for the third consecutive time.
All of it had become public.
The ex-boyfriend stared at the screen, his fingers trembling as he scrolled through the article. His breathing grew heavier, and his eyes darted from one paragraph to the next.
"No... no, this can't be..."
He looked around.
The people who had previously been watching him with curiosity were now glaring at him with disgust. Some were whispering about his actions, while others openly criticized him.
"That bastard borrowed money from her and never paid it back?"
"He's been cheating on her this whole time?"
"What a piece of trash!"
"She was the one being blamed? How shameless!"
The ex-boyfriend's heart began pounding.
He tried to stand, but his legs felt weak. He stumbled backward, nearly losing his balance as the angry crowd continued closing in around him.
"Wait! Hold on! You people don't understand!"
His voice cracked as he raised both hands.
"It's not like that! There's a misunderstanding!"
But no one seemed willing to listen.
The article had already spread.
And the truth he had tried so desperately to hide was now being exposed in front of everyone.
Later that evening...
Inside a cozy bar, Shan Wolf sat across from Ingrid Mikage. The warm lighting cast a gentle glow over the tables, while the soft chatter of customers filled the background.
Ingrid lifted her glass of ice-cold whiskey and glanced at Shan with an irritated expression.
"There are few things I hate more than people talking behind other people's backs," she said.
She took a shot of whiskey, swallowing it in one smooth motion before placing the glass on the table.
"One is a self-proclaimed messenger. The other is cheap, outright disgusting behavior."
Shan Wolf rested his elbow on the table, watching her with a calm expression.
Ingrid pulled out her smartphone and turned the screen toward him.
"However, what I really wanted to show you is this."
She swiped through her social media feed, revealing a video that had gone viral. The same footage of Shan Wolf confronting Mei Yoo Jun's ex-boyfriend had spread across the internet, accompanied by a trending tag.
#NextUndertaker
Ingrid tilted her phone slightly, allowing Shan to see the comments.
"Because of this, you're really fucking popular."
Shan glanced at the screen.
The video had attracted countless reactions. Some people praised him for exposing the ex-boyfriend, while others focused on his intimidating behavior and the rumors surrounding his relationship with Mei Yoo Jun.
Ingrid swiped to another post, but the same video appeared again.
She narrowed her eyes.
"If you're really going to become the next head of the Investor Relations Department, the least you can do is act like a role model for the employees."
Shan straightened slightly.
"I... I apologize, ma'am."
"Hmph."
Ingrid crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks like a frustrated woman who had been forced to lecture someone she cared about.
"You seem to have forgotten your time as a beta-male coward."
Shan raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Don't interrupt me."
She leaned closer, her violet eyes narrowing.
"Not only that, you're becoming incredibly popular with the ladies nowadays. First Rae Yoorin, then Mei Yoo Jun, and now my friend, who happens to be a shareholder of Won Group."
Shan remained silent.
Ingrid's expression gradually changed. Her earlier irritation gave way to something more vulnerable.
She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Shan's.
"I thought I was dating you in the eyes of Mei Yoo Jun and everyone within the department."
Her voice softened.
"Have you grown tired of me...?"
She pulled back slightly, looking away.
"Of course... I suppose it's guaranteed. I'm getting older. Who would want to be with a thirty-six-year-old ha—"
Before she could finish, Shan Wolf reached forward and pulled her into a passionate kiss.
Ingrid's eyes widened in surprise.
For a moment, she froze. Then her eyelids slowly lowered as she responded to him, her hand gripping the front of his shirt.
The kiss lingered, their emotions overcoming the conversation they had been having only moments earlier.
Eventually, they parted to catch their breath.
"Pant... pant..."
"Pant... pant..."
Ingrid stared at Shan Wolf, her cheeks flushed. Her earlier frustration had been replaced by a mixture of surprise and flustered amusement.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What changed the atmosphere so suddenly?" she asked.
Shan smirked.
"Because I promised you something."
He reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"And I will never abandon you, Ingrid."
Ingrid's violet eyes widened.
For once, she seemed to have no immediate response.
"B... Bastard," she muttered, her voice slightly shaky. "Saying something like that in a bar..."
Shan let out a quiet chuckle.
Ingrid looked away, her lips pressed together as she tried to hide the smile threatening to appear.
The two remained silent for a while, the surrounding sounds of the bar filling the space between them.
Then Ingrid suddenly stood up.
Without saying a word, she reached down and took Shan Wolf by the wrist.
"Come with me."
Shan glanced at her.
"Where?"
"Just come."
She pulled him away from the table and led him toward the restroom corridor.
A few moments later, they entered the men's restroom. Ingrid checked the surroundings before locking the door behind them.
She turned toward Shan Wolf, her expression shifting into a playful, almost challenging smile.
Then she stepped closer and pulled him into another kiss.
Shan placed his hands around her waist, drawing her closer as she rested her arms around his neck. The kiss grew more intense, carrying all the longing and frustration that had built up between them.
Eventually, Ingrid pulled away, her breathing slightly uneven.
She adjusted her dress and looked up at him with a teasing expression.
"Would you care to soothe your ex-girlfriend's feelings, bastard?"
Shan Wolf smirked.
"Ex-girlfriend?"
He stepped closer, his hand resting firmly against her back.
"Don't test me, woman."
His voice became low and confident.
"You're mine. And there isn't a power in the universe that can keep you and me away from each other."
Ingrid's teasing expression softened.
For a moment, she simply stared at him.
Then she let out a quiet, almost embarrassed laugh.
"Gosh... it's been a long time," she muttered.
Shan tilted his head.
"What's been a long time?"
Ingrid's eyes narrowed playfully.
"You really want me to say it?"
Before he could respond, she pulled him into another kiss.
Their lips met again, neither of them seeming willing to let the moment end.
When they finally separated, Ingrid rested her forehead against his chest.
"To win someone else's lover and have him in my arms, bastard..."
Shan Wolf smiled.
The two remained together in the quiet restroom, their earlier argument forgotten as the night continued.
---
Chapter 85 — End