The wind outside the Grand Hyatt was like a physical wall of ice.

  Do-Hyun stepped into the alleyway, the heavy steel door slamming shut behind them, muffling the screams from the banquet hall. The silence out here was heavy, broken only by the howl of the blizzard and the distant wail of sirens that sounded like mourning cries.

  "My heels," Isabella gasped, stumbling on the slick, snow-covered pavement. She clutched the thermal blanket tighter, "I can't... I can't run in these."

  Do-Hyun didn't stop, keeping a steady, rhythmic pace as his breath puffed out in white clouds. "Then take them off. Or crawl. The Frost Hounds hunt by sound and vibration—if you fall, you die."

  [System Notification: Wow, Host. Truly the epitome of chivalry. 'Crawl or die'? You're going to make her fall in love with you at this rate—out of sheer Stockholm Syndrome.]

  [Alert: Female Lead's body temperature is dropping. If she passes out, you have to drag her. Do you really want to drag a body through the snow? It's very undignified.]

  Do-Hyun stopped, eyes closing for a brief second as he swallowed a groan of annoyance.

  When he turned, Isabella was shivering violently. Her lips had gone pale violet, and the crimson dress she'd worn so proudly was ruined, the hem frozen stiff against her legs.

  She stared at him with wide, terrified eyes, already expecting abandonment.

  In her world—the cutthroat world of chaebol politics—liabilities were discarded without hesitation. And right now, she was one.

  Do-Hyun walked back anyway.

  "What are you—"

  She didn't get to finish before he bent down and lifted her into his arms, the motion effortless despite the system's mocking weak status. His muscles obeyed with perfect control, aura reinforcing every movement until she felt almost weightless.

  Isabella gasped, instinctively looping her arms around his neck as the sudden closeness overwhelmed her.

  She could smell him—clean soap, sharp ozone, and beneath it, the faint metallic tang of blood.

  But the most shocking part was his temperature.

  He wasn't warm, not really—cool, almost like marble… yet against the biting wind, it still felt like being held by a furnace.

  "Don't get the wrong idea," Do-Hyun said, staring straight ahead as he began walking again. "You were walking too slow. I want to go home."

  Isabella buried her face in the crook of his neck, shielding herself from the wind. Her heart was hammering against his chest.

  "You killed it," she whispered, her voice muffled by his coat. "That monster. You killed it like it was nothing."

  "It was a scout," Do-Hyun replied indifferent. "It was weak."

  "Weak?" Isabella let out a shaky, hysterical laugh. "It tore a security guard in half, Do-Hyun. And you... you're supposed to be the sick one. The 'Trash' of Shin-Hwa."

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Do-Hyun didn't respond. He just kept moving, pulling her with him, staying close to the walls.

  Ahead of them, the main street was chaos. Cars sat gridlocked with horns screaming into the storm, people abandoning their vehicles and running toward the subway entrances like rats fleeing a flood. Snow was falling so violently that stalled cars were already being swallowed into white mounds.

  [System Quest: 'The Ride Home'.]

  [Objective: Secure a vehicle. Preferably one with heated seats. I know you hate public transit.]

  [Target: 12 o'clock. Black SUV. Engine running. Owner is currently busy looting a convenience store.]

  Do-Hyun's gaze shifted. A black Range Rover idled by the curb, driver's door still open. Its owner had sprinted into a GS25, apparently deciding bottled water was more urgent than basic survival instincts

  "Hold on," Do-Hyun murmured.

  Before Isabella could protest, he moved, quick and decisive, guiding her into the passenger seat.

  "What are you doing?" she hissed, glancing around nervously. "This isn't ours.

  "It is now," Do-Hyun said, sliding behind the wheel and locking the doors.

  The engine purred as he threw it into gear.

  A man burst out of the store, waving a bat like a lunatic. "HEY! That's my car!"

  Do-Hyun didn't even look. He floored the accelerator. The heavy SUV surged forward, leaving the man's screams behind, swallowed by the blizzard.

  Isabella stared at him, horrified. "You just stole a car."

  "He left it running in an apocalypse," Do-Hyun replied, turning the heater up until hot air blasted through the vents. "He was begging for it."

  [Heart Filling: 0.05% — Feeling: Petty Amusement.]

  [System Note: Grand Theft Auto looks good on you, Host.]

  As the warmth of the car began to thaw their frozen limbs, the adrenaline started to fade, replaced by a heavy, awkward silence.

  Isabella loosened the blanket around her shoulders, stealing glances at his profile. Streetlights flickered past, carving shadows across his sharp features. He drove with one hand on the wheel, calm, almost bored—like this was just another errand, not an escape from slaughter.

  "Why?" Isabella asked softly.

  Do-Hyun glanced at her. "Why what?"

  "Why did you save me?" She turned more fully, voice tight. "You could've left me. You'd be faster alone. We aren't friends, Do-Hyun. Our families are rivals. You didn't even like me before tonight.

  The wipers swished back and forth, clearing the relentless snow.

  Why had he saved her?

  Because the System demanded it? Partially.

  Because she was beautiful? He'd seen better.

  Do-Hyun kept his gaze on the road.

  "Because you were the only one who didn't scream," he said at last.

  Isabella blinked. "What?"

  "In that room," Do-Hyun continued, voice low, almost distant. "Everyone else was crying, begging, breaking. But you…" His eyes sharpened. "You grabbed a knife.

  Her breath caught.

  "You were terrified," he said, "but you were ready to bite back."

  The car rolled to a red light—force of habit, even though the world was already falling apart.

  Do-Hyun turned his head, looking at her fully now. Violet eyes, ancient and heavy, pinned her in place.

  "I hate boring things, Han Isabella," he murmured.

  Then, the faintest hint of amusement touched his mouth.

  "And a woman who brings a steak knife to a monster fight…"

  His gaze lingered.

  "…is interesting."

  The air in the car felt heavier with him in it. Isabella's chest tightened, as if his gaze could see through every polished mask she'd ever worn, straight to the hunger beneath.

  Her body reacted before her mind could, heart racing and stomach tightening, drawn to him in spite of the terror

  She glanced down at his hands on the steering wheel—slender, pale fingers that had just driven a blade through a beast's skull.

  "My life," Isabella breathed. "Keep it," Do-Hyun said, glancing at her. "Just don't make me regret it."

  [System Notification: Romance Flag Planted.]

  [Relationship Status Update: 'Intrigued & Terrified'.]

  [Note: Good line, Host. A bit edgy, but she seems into it. Now, drive her home before her father declares war on your family for kidnapping his daughter.]

  Do-Hyun kept the SUV moving through the white night. Outside, the city was chaos—burning streets, abandoned cars, snow piling high—but inside, the space between him and Isabella felt… strange. Quiet. Warm.

  She sat close, wrapped in the blanket, her breath still shaky. The way she looked at him, half terrified, half curious… it was unsettling.

  For the first time in eons, the emptiness in Do-Hyun's chest seemed to shrink.