Soo Hyuk stared into Haesoo's eyes, his heart beating quicker as a smile unconsciously curved on his lips.
How could she look so beautiful in a situation like this?
"Hey! Do you have a death wish?!" Haesoo yelled and pushed Soo Hyuk off her.
Soo Hyuk glanced around, jolting back to his senses as Haesoo's scream echoed in his ears.
How could he forget he was being chased by some damn crazy thugs?!
He quickly hid behind Haesoo, peeking over her shoulder as he heard the heavy thumping of approaching footsteps.
"I'm sorry," Haesoo stuttered in fear, still glancing over her shoulder.
She turned to look at him, confused by his panic.
Then she saw them.
The two crazy thugs from the market appeared before her.
She burst into hysterical laughter.
Wow. Could her day get any better?
She had been looking for a way to vent her anger, and the heavens had kindly delivered a package to her doorstep.
She rolled up her sleeves.
The two thugs froze in fear, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets as they stood rooted to the ground, their minds refusing to cooperate.
Beads of sweat formed on their foreheads.
Haesoo took a slow step forward, her movements calm and deliberate.
At last, the two—
The two thugs scrambled to their feet and ran without looking back even once.
Haesoo bit her lip in frustration, her legs refusing to chase after the so-called thugs. She slowly turned to face Soo Hyuk, her murderous and intimidating aura nearly scaring the life out of him.
Soo Hyuk gulped, his eyes widening as he stood frozen in place, trembling.
Haesoo clicked her tongue and picked up her hanbok from the ground. There was no fun in beating someone who was as weak as a puppy and couldn't even fight back. She exhaled sharply and walked away, leaving behind a completely perplexed Soo Hyuk.
After recovering from her glare, he hurried after her.
"Wait!" he called, glancing nervously toward the dark woods nearby.
Haesoo noticed him chasing after her. Gritting her teeth, she suddenly broke into a run, unwilling to walk beside him.
Why is she running?
Is she afraid of being eaten by wolves now that the sun is almost setting?
Or… has she been charmed by my handsomeness?
Woah. Well, I am good-looking, so that's not impossible.
Soo Hyuk chuckled lightly at his own silliness.
Haesoo finally stopped to catch her breath, panting heavily.
"Hey!" she yelled, fuming with anger, her teeth clenched tightly.
She halted abruptly, causing Soo Hyuk to nearly collide with her again.
"What? Why? Why do you keep running after me?"
Soo Hyuk stared at her, startled.
What does she mean by that? Tsk. She's the one who made him chase after her.
"What? Aren't you the one running?" Soo Hyuk asked, pouting.
Soo Hyuk moved closer to her, grinning widely at Haesoo.
Haesoo stared at him and twitched her lips in disgust.
"What?" she asked flatly.
"Hey, Haesoo… are you charmed by my looks?" he asked, gently stroking his smooth, handsome face.
Haesoo's eyes widened before she burst into hysterical laughter.
"What? Hey! Do you have a death wish?" she shot back, her lips twitching.
Soo Hyuk looked at her, clearly hurt.
"Hey, why are you getting all formal with me?" she asked, glaring at him from head to toe.
She obviously looked older than him—but could she really say that after he had just told her his offer?
A once-in-a-lifetime offer.
He cleared his throat.
"Miss, the Crown Prince requests your presence to perform at the Second Prince's banquet."
"Really?" Haesoo exclaimed, pretending to be surprised.