Berserk Tiger

i. inception

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap tap.

Tap tap tap.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

The quick tempo of his footsteps sped up even more as she glanced behind her. He was gaining on her quickly. Practically running, she ducked around the corner, coming face-to-face with a man in black.

Gasping out a quick apology, she made the executive decision to ignore the stranger danger signs blaring in her mind. She was in enough danger from non-strangers as it was–besides, most crimes, especially violent ones against women, were committed by people the victim knew and were close to. Statistically, she was safer with this random guy she'd found all in black in a dark alley where no one else was around...wow, she wasn't safe anywhere, was she?

Ignoring everything but the fact that so far Random Guy hadn't pulled a knife on her, she cleared her throat and widened her eyes pleadingly, begging him to play along.

"Babe, I was waiting ages for you! What took you so long to come get me?" she exclaimed, taking his hand in hers, unwilling though he was.

He stepped out of the alley into the street and saw who she was running from. His gaze flicked down to her, then back at him.

His grip tightened on her hand.

A black car came gliding to a stop at the curb in front of them, and a man in a black suit climbed out of the driver's seat to open the rear passenger door.

Random Guy handed her in with the grace of one born into a chaebol family, then closed the door and turned to face her pursuer.

She glanced through the smoked glass to see what was going on, surprised that she could barely hear any noise through the car.

The driver flashed a bright smile at her through the glass, blocking her view. Wow, he was really pretty.

The smile disappeared and he opened the door, letting Random Guy get in. She scooched over, tugging the hem of her dress down, aware she didn't look her best at the moment. The interior light showed his gelled hair, soft features, onyx-sharp eyes, and a faded scar running down the right side of his face.

He studied her silently in return, making her uncomfortably aware of her wind-blown hair falling out of her braid, the perspiration beading on her body, and her rumpled clothes.

Putting a bright smile on her lips regardless, she extended her hand to him. "I appreciate your helping me get away from him. I sincerely thank you."

He shook her hand, his large one dwarfing hers, his long fingers cool and clean. "You're welcome. What is your name?"

"Oh, right. Kim Seo-ah."

"Min Yoongi," said the man just as his driver got in at the wheel. He threw him a startled look, glancing between her and her rescuer with an unreadable expression on his face.

The car started with a barely-there hum, and Min Yoongi turned to her again.

"Could you tell me what was happening back there?"

She glanced down, smoothing her hem more carefully than it called for. "He's my little sister's ex-boyfriend, Lee Geum. He created debts in her name and decided that we needed to placate him; he thinks he's some hotshot yakuza or something, like he's playing at being Agust D or something," she laughed shortly. "He's been following me home from the pawnshop where I work for the past few weeks, trying to intimidate me into giving him our money and following me to see our new living arrangements. I've managed to lose him so far, but today he started getting closer and closer and I saw him with a knife in his pocket. It was a blessing that you were there."