Bomi strolled down the street, laughing at the carp-like facial expression Jaemin had. She glanced inside nonchalantly, only for her steps to screech to a halt. Her eyes widened.

70% OFF BEEF TODAY ONLY!

Her head whipped back so fast it almost gave her whiplash.

“Holy—”

She didn’t finish the thought before sprinting inside like a woman possessed.

Chaos greeted her.

The butcher station overflowed with a horde of old ladies brandishing shopping baskets like weapons of war. And nothing was scarier than an eager tidal wave of old ladies at a grocery store special sale.

Bomi narrowed her eyes, cracked her knuckles, then rolled her neck from side to side with the precision of a seasoned street fighter.

“All my training has prepared me for this moment.” She took a deep breath and dove head first into the storming sea of old ladies.

She elbowed. She weaved. She ducked under wildly swinging purses and shoved her way to the front with the agility of a gymnast and the tenacity of a terrier.

“Ahjumma, your purse is digging into my spine! Move over!”

She reached the counter, breathless but triumphant. “Two kilograms of the discounted beef!”

The overwhelmed butcher shoved the meat into her hands without a word, eyes wide in silent horror.

Outside, Dohyun leisurely sucked on the tip of his plastic-wrapped ice cream cone, the melted vanilla drip threatening to reach his fingers. He glanced into the store, shivered at the sight of the carnage inside, and shook his head.

“Who in their right mind would dive into that madness?”

Just then, a figure caught his eye.

There, smack in the middle of the chaos, was Bomi—her eyes blazing with the thrill of victory, both hands clutching beef-filled plastic bags like trophies. She shouted something triumphant that he couldn’t hear, but the grin on her face said it all.

He laughed out loud, nearly choking on his ice cream.

“This girl is insane.”

Before he could step inside, a shadow loomed. His grin vanished.

Three large men in tailored suits marched toward him with the precision of a military strike team.

Dohyun sighed. “Of course.”

He turned on his heel and bolted.

“Don’t lose him!” one of the men barked.

Dohyun shot down the street, ice cream still in hand.

Moments later, Bomi emerged from the grocery store, humming happily as the beef bags swung at her sides. The full moon was shining, the cicadas were singing, and she felt on top of the world. She took a deep, contented breath. As much as Bomi wreaked havoc, she got shit done.

Then she heard the scuffle.

She turned into a small street with a few dark alleys just in time to see three men dragging a hooded figure into the shadows.

Without a second thought, she charged forward, meat groceries in hand. Winding up, she launched one of the meat bags straight at one of the men, knocking him out.

Flying forward, her first kick landed square in the back of the nearest man’s head. He crumpled.

The last man stumbled, loosening his grip on the boy, causing him to fall into the small street.

Bomi sidestepped a wild punch and countered with a hard kick to the gut. The man doubled over, gasping.

The first man who she’d hit with her meat, was rubbing his head and starting to regain his hold of the situation. So, with a quick swing of her second meat bag, Bomi smacked him across the face and he fell to the ground once more.

“Now my meat is nicely tenderized.” Bomi grinned before turning to check on the victim.

The boy had straightened up, and his hood had fallen back.

Her eyes narrowed.

“You!”

It was the guy. The infuriating guy. The kiss thief.

Her mouth opened, a string of furious curses on the tip of her tongue, when the growl of an engine tore through the street.

Her head snapped toward the sound—a car barreling straight toward them.

No time to think.

She lunged.

Her hands hit solid muscle as she tackled him out of the car’s path, their bodies crashing onto the pavement on the other side.

The car zoomed past, tires screeching.

For a moment, all was still.

Bomi groaned, her heart pounding against her ribcage. The weight beneath her shifted, and she realized—

She was on top of him.

He stared up at her, eyes wide with something between amusement and disbelief.

Her eyes narrowed, her cheeks flaming.

“Get your stupid face out of my personal space!”

“You tackled me!”

“You’re welcome!”

They stared at each other, their breath mingling in the charged silence.

“Uh,” he said finally, “are you going to move?”

She scrambled to her feet, brushing off her clothes like she hadn’t just saved his life.

“Don’t think this makes us even,” she snapped.

He smirked, brushing a hand through his hair. “Not even close.”