# Chapter 12
Hae-Li tossed her phone onto the bed, breathing hard. She hurried over to her desk and grabbed the crossbody bag she'd used on the night of Go Hera's engagement party. She rummaged through the small inner pocket.
Sure enough. That obnoxious man hadn't been lying. An elegantly designed business card was tucked neatly inside. His name was clearly engraved on it.
Moon Bin.
“Moon Bin?” Hae-Li muttered sarcastically. Without a second thought, she cut the business card into tiny pieces with a pair of scissors, then threw them in the trash.
After showering and getting ready, Hae-Li went downstairs to the dining room to join her family. However, among the neatly arranged chairs, she found no sign of Angel.
“Good morning,” Hae-Li said softly as she pulled out one of the chairs at the dining table.
Mrs. Cho gave her a warm smile. “Morning, sweetheart. Come eat. Mom already fixed your plate.” Her stepmother carefully transferred rice and side dishes onto Hae-Li's plate, then poured her a glass of warm water.
Hae-Li devoured her breakfast quickly. Angel had already left for the office before dawn. Her sister's demanding work schedule meant they rarely got to sit down and have breakfast together at the same table.
After finishing her food and saying goodbye to her parents, Hae-Li hurried to check the contents of her bag again. All her important belongings were safe. Her recent streak of carelessness had forced her to be extra vigilant so she wouldn't lose anything else.
The moment Hae-Li stepped outside and closed the gate to the house, her feet suddenly froze. A black sport motorcycle was parked directly in front of her home.
When the rider removed his helmet and Hae-Li realized he was Rocky, her entire body instinctively rejected him. Pretending not to see him, Hae-Li turned her face away and quickened her pace toward the main road.
Realizing what she was doing, Rocky immediately got off his motorcycle and ran after her. He caught up and grabbed Hae-Li by the wrist to stop her.
Hae-Li jerked her arm sharply, shaking off his grip.
“What are you doing here?!” Hae-Li snapped, her face twisted with extreme annoyance. “Did you follow me all the way to my house? What do you want from me, Rocky?”
“Come with me for a little while,” he pleaded, looking at Hae-Li imploringly.
“No!” Hae-Li refused firmly.
“Hae-Li, please. We really need to talk. Just this once,” Rocky pleaded, his voice sounding utterly desperate.
“There’s nothing to talk about! How many times do I have to tell you to stop interfering in my life?” Hae-Li turned around and started walking away again.
“You have to hear my explanation first! If you keep acting like this, we’ll never settle things between us!” Rocky still refused to give up, taking long strides to catch up with Hae-Li.
Hae-Li stopped abruptly. She turned all the way around and fixed Rocky with a sharp, piercing stare. “I don’t need any explanation from you. We’re over. Our relationship is over!”
“Hae-Li!” Rocky grabbed the girl’s hand again, this time speaking in a much louder, more demanding tone.
“Let go!” Hae-Li twisted her wrist hard, trying to free herself from Rocky’s tightly clenched fingers.
“Hae-Li, please.”
Suddenly, a large, sinewy hand thrust between them, swiftly forcing Rocky’s hand away from Hae-Li’s arm.
“Excuse me, sir. You shouldn’t be rough with a woman,” a deep, cold voice cut in.
Hae-Li and Rocky turned toward him at the same time. The man standing between them was none other than Moon Bin—the new neighbor who always appeared and vanished like a mysterious silhouette.
The moment Rocky and Moon Bin’s eyes met, the air around them suddenly turned ice-cold. Their gazes locked, suggesting that some tightly buried secret or shared past lay between them.
“You?” Rocky muttered, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Moon Bin looked at Rocky with disdain. “You should leave.”
“You have no right to interfere in my business!” Rocky gritted out, his teeth clenched.