???'s POV

  The familiar chime of the door rang, signaling a new customer.

  I barely looked up from where I was restocking a shelf near the counter—until I felt their presence.

  I turned my head slightly, and my breath caught in my throat.

  Two people had entered the convenience store.

  And they weren’t just any customers.

  They were foreigners.

  But not the usual kind—not tourists, not exchange students.

  These two looked like they had just stepped out of a luxury fashion catalog.

  The girl in the lead had long blonde hair and striking gray eyes, her features delicate and refined, like a doll made of porcein. She wore a simple but expensive-looking outfit, something that screamed wealth without needing to try.

  The man beside her—taller, sharper, more intimidating—had blond hair as well, but his was slightly messy, as if he didn’t care about keeping it neat. His piercing green eyes scanned the store like he was mentally judging everything inside it.

  I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very, very small.

  'What were people like them doing in a pce like this?'

  I unconsciously hunched my shoulders, suddenly hyper-aware of my uniform, my messy hair, my still-bruised face.

  I didn’t even have time to think before the girl approached the counter, pcing her items down with delicate movements.

  A strawberry chocote bar, a bottle of strawberry milk, a dark chocote bar, and chocote milk.

  "I would like to buy these," she said, her voice smooth, confident—and in perfect Korean.

  I blinked in surprise.

  'She speaks Korean?'

  I quickly nodded and grabbed the scanner, trying not to let my hands shake.

  As I rang up the items, I could feel her gaze on me.

  My stomach twisted.

  I kept my head down, too nervous to meet her eyes. I’d already been beaten up by Zack earlier today—I didn’t need to attract trouble again.

  Then, she said something else—but this time, it wasn’t in Korean.

  The nguage was fluid, elegant—completely unfamiliar.

  I had no idea what she had just said, but it sent a small shiver down my spine. The man also said something in that nguage.

  'When are they leaving?'

  A moment ter, she turned and walked back to the shelves, leaving me standing there, still slightly stiff.

  I let out a slow breath of relief—only to make the mistake of looking at the blond man beside her.

  And in that moment, I knew I had messed up.

  Our gazes met, and for a second, neither of us moved.

  Then, his green eyes narrowed.

  I felt my breath catch in my throat.

  'Was he mad? Did I do something wrong?'

  His expression didn’t change, but he adjusted his suit, straightening it like my mere gaze had somehow tainted his expensive existence (Alexei: No stranger shall see my disheveled appearance! It is a disgrace to my family!)

  Then—as if to make things worse—he raised a single, perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me.

  I froze.

  'Was that a challenge? Was I supposed to look away? Apologize? Bow?!'

  "Как он получил эти синяки?" (How did he get those bruises?) he muttered under his breath, his deep voice sharp and foreign.

  I stiffened. Was he talking about me?

  His gaze flickered over my face, lingering on the dark bruises around my eye and the cut on my lip.

  Then, in Korean, he asked, "How did you get those bruises?"

  I opened my mouth—

  And then closed it again.

  'What was I supposed to say? Oh, I got beaten up by Zack because I exist?'

  I was still scrambling for an answer when the girl returned, holding a bottle of Betadine and a pack of cotton pads.

  "I would like to buy these too," she said, pcing them on the counter.

  I quickly nodded and rang up her total, my mind still reeling from everything that was happening.

  She handed me the cash without hesitation—like it was nothing to her.

  I handed her the change, expecting her to take it and leave, but—

  Then she did something that completely shocked me.

  She smiled and said, "Thank you."

  I froze.

  No one… no one ever thanked me.

  Most customers just grabbed their stuff and left. Some ignored me completely. Others, like Zack, made my life miserable.

  But she—

  She actually thanked me.

  I quickly looked away, pretending to check the receipt, my fingers tightly gripping the counter.

  Then, I noticed something.

  She wasn’t leaving.

  Instead, she rummaged through the bag I had just packed.

  Before I could ask what she was doing, she pulled out the Betadine and cotton and pced them on the counter again.

  I blinked.

  "This is for you," she said simply.

  I just… stared at her.

  "For me?" I asked, dumbly.

  She nodded, her expression soft. "I’d help you put it on, but my brother and I have to go."

  I looked down at the antiseptic and cotton pads, my mind struggling to process what had just happened.

  'She… bought these for me?'

  Why?

  No one had ever done something like this before.

  I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even speak.

  This was—

  This was the nicest thing a stranger had ever done for me.

  Before I could even find the words to thank her properly, she was already turning away.

  The blond man followed, looking relieved to finally be leaving this "filthy commoner establishment."

  I watched as they stepped outside—

  And entered a luxurious bck car.

  One that looked so out of pce in this part of town that it might as well have been a UFO.

  Right before the door closed, the girl waved at me.

  I hesitated—

  Then, slowly—

  I lifted my hand in response.

  And then they were gone.

  For a long time, I just stood there, staring at the automatic doors as they slid shut.

  Then—

  Slowly—

  A small, genuine smile crept onto my face.