Seeing her sister struggle against Jihoon, Viper joined the fight. Jihoon struggled to adjust to fighting both of them at once, taking multiple hits. He jumped back to catch his breath, and the two sisters did the same.
Logan, Seyeon, and Sera watched in awe. The aura Jihoon carried had transformed into something more sinister, and they weren't the only ones feeling its effects. Viper and the little girl sensed it too, their expressions darkening.
"This fight feels... familiar," Viper whispered.
"It's like when I spar with Big Sister," the little girl answered. "I always run out of breath because of her aura."
"You're right!" Viper nodded. "If that's the case, I don't think we can beat him."
As his opponents whispered among themselves, Jihoon wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand.
"I can't keep this up much longer. I have to end this fight quickly."
He tilted his neck from side to side, each motion followed by a sharp snap. Then, taking a deep breath, he launched himself at his opponents.
Viper wasn't prepared—Jihoon's kick sent her flying several meters away. A piercing scream escaped her throat, sending a chill through the room. For a moment, it sounded like she was about to die.
In the next second, Jihoon twisted in the air and swung his foot at the little girl. She barely managed to avoid the attack by leaping backward, but the sheer force knocked her to the ground. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she trembled.
Logan's hands shook. "That was Mr. Seo's move..."
Jihoon stepped toward the little girl, watching her crawl away.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Miran..." she whispered, fear in her eyes.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," Jihoon said, crouching to her level.
Logan's eyes widened further. "That line... That's Mr. Seo's line!"
"I—I..." Miran stammered, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Jihoon's frown deepened. She looked just like an ordinary kid when she cried.
"How old are you?"
"Twelve..."
Jihoon sighed. "Someone your age should be in school, not working as an assassin for the Order."
At that moment, a fist came flying toward him from behind. Without even turning around, Jihoon evaded it with ease, then unleashed a barrage of kicks at the attacker.
The unfamiliar figure blocked most of his strikes—but not all of them.
"Who taught you how to fight like that?" the woman asked. From her voice, Jihoon could tell she was the oldest among the sisters, and though it seemed strange, he knew exactly who she was.
"Yerin?" Jihoon muttered to himself, but the woman heard it anyway.
She gazed at him, her eyes squinting behind her mask. "You know me?"
"No, I don't," Jihoon replied, shaking his head.
"But you just called my name," she said.
Jihoon looked away for a moment. "My dad wrote about you in his journal."
"Really?" she asked, doubting his words for some reason, but she didn't press further.
"Why are you here?" Jihoon asked.
"We've been ordered to abort the mission. The Lee family will be spared—temporarily," she answered.
"What? Why?"
"Mr. Kang will fill you in on the details. For now, we're leaving," she said, glancing at each of her sisters before turning to leave.
Viper walked over, grabbed her unconscious sister, and followed their leader, Yerin, out of the building. Miran sat where she was, still trembling in fear.
"Aren't you going to follow them?" Jihoon asked.
"Y-Yes," she mumbled, scurrying out of the crumbling house like a child would.
Jihoon turned around, only for his eyes to meet the nozzle of a gun. The one holding it was Logan, his gaze fixated on Jihoon.
"Who exactly are you?" Logan asked. "Those moves you pulled during the fight resembled those of our Captain, Seo Jisan!"
"Well, he's my father, so it makes sense that I know his fighting techniques," Jihoon replied.
"Your father died when you were just a kid—there is absolutely no way he could have taught you those moves. And he never practiced at home, only at the company! He never brought you to the company either, and I've looked through his journals—he never wrote any of those moves down! So you better tell me who you are right now before I put a bullet in your skull!"
"Put down the gun, Logan," Seyeon's voice rang out.
"I won't," Logan stood his ground.
At that moment, blood began flowing from Jihoon's nose, startling everyone present. His vision blurred as he collapsed to the ground. He could hear the fading voices around him and the sound of his heartbeat—like a countdown to his demise.
"Jihoon! Seo Jihoon!" Seyeon shouted, appearing in front of him just before everything turned pitch black.
---
"What?" The man in the black trench coat slammed on the brakes after hearing that the Black Crown had decided to spare the Lee family. "Why did he do it? We were so close to destroying them!"
A woman's voice responded from the phone. "We all had to consider what Tae-shin—and not just Tae-shin, but what the whole Lee family—had done for the Black Crown."
"How does that matter?" the man shouted. "The Black Crown never takes back its decision! When we want something done, it gets done! When we want someone dead, they die! Since when did you all become so pathetic?"
"Jun," the woman replied in a calm voice, "have you forgotten who I am? How dare you raise your voice at me? Do you want to die?"
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Jun apologized immediately, realizing he had gone too far.
"Anyway, his freedom is only temporary. He has been summoned to the Black Crown, and he must come with the drive," the woman said.
Hearing this, a smile formed on Jun's face. "If he comes without the drive, he dies, doesn't he?"
"That would most likely be the case," the woman affirmed.
"Thanks for telling me this," the man replied.
"No need. You deserve it. I heard you took care of the BSS Elite Squads? The company just suffered a major loss."
"Thank you, ma'am," Jun then ended the call with a smile on his face.
"You seem happy?" said Hwasung. "If Tae-gun does manage to find the drive and joins the Order, it would be harder to claim his position has the rightful heir of the Lee family."
"This is actually better in some way," Jun smiled mischievously. "And forget about the drive, I'll make sure he never finds it!"
---
Six beautiful women rode the clouds with happy looks on their faces, but when they saw Jihoon staring at them, they attacked him ferociously. Jihoon dodged all their attacks and even managed to kill all but two of them.
One was a little girl, while the other was the leader of the group of women.
"Yerin," he called out, tears filling his eyes. "I'm sorry for leaving you. I should have stayed."
"Who did you truly love? Me or that bitch?" Yerin asked in vexation.
"You, of course. It was always you!" Jihoon answered, turning to look at thelittle girl. "Miran?"
..
His eyes suddenly opened, and he found himself tied to a bed. He struggled to break free but failed repeatedly. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten here.
"Hello? Is anybody here?" Jihoon called out.
At that moment, the door opened, making Jihoon panic a bit, but when he saw that it was Sera, he calmed down slightly.
"What's going on?" Jihoon asked her. "Why am I tied to this bed?"
"Logan suggested that we tie you up because he thinks you're some kind of spy, and I don't blame him for that," Sera replied.
"Why? I'm not a spy, I promise," Jihoon shook his head.
"Then why were you talking with that woman wearing a mask? It seemed like you two knew each other," Sera said.
Seyeon entered the room soon after, frowning at Jihoon before showing him a video on her tablet. In the video, Jihoon could be seen kissing the assassin disguised as a nurse.
"Why did you kiss her?"
"What?" Jihoon's eyes widened. "I don't remember kissing her!"
"What is happening? Where am I? How did I get here?" Jihoon still struggled against the straps around his wrists and ankles.
"Well, long story short, the Lee family house collapsed completely. Luckily, we left in time and moved to their other house. It's smaller than the first but still comfortable," Sera narrated. "You've been unconscious for about three hours."
Jihoon exhaled deeply. "Barely two days at the Lee family house, and so much has happened."
Hearing his words, Sera and Seyeon glanced at each other. He was right—so much had happened in such a short span of time.
"Why did you kiss her, though?" Seyeon asked with a frown.
Sera realized how awkward it would be if she stayed, so she left the two of them alone.
"Why do you care?" Jihoon asked, turning away from her. "You don't even remember me."
"You're right, I don't. But my body still remembers. I don't know why, but whenever I see you, I get these emotions I've never felt in my whole life—or at least, I don't remember feeling them," Seyeon replied.
Jihoon studied her face, then said, "She must have done something to me. There's no way I'd kiss a random nurse."
"Do you remember what happened yesterday?" Seyeon asked.
"You mean the fight at the house? I do, but it's blurry."
"Who taught you how to fight like that?" Seyeon questioned. She didn't want it to feel like an interrogation, but it still did.
"I don't know how I moved like that. Like I told you back then, it didn't feel quite right," Jihoon answered. He pondered how he was able to fight that way but couldn't come up with an explanation.
"It's okay," Seyeon said, then proceeded to remove the straps, setting him free.
"Why are you suddenly letting me go?" Jihoon asked as he rose to his feet.
"Father needs your help."