The ride back was unusually peaceful.
Minah leaned her head against the window, eyes fluttering shut as the city lights blurred by. For once, she wasn't tense—just quiet. Resting.
Jaewook sat beside her, casually scrolling through stock market articles, one leg crossed like this was just another business commute.
Hyun Soo had his earbuds in, nodding slightly to whatever lo-fi playlist was soundtracking his emotional recovery arc.
Kang Ho drove in silence, sipping water like the responsible one he was.
For a few minutes… all was calm.
Then Kang Ho's eyes narrowed slightly.
Rearview mirror.
Black sedan.
Too close. Too steady.
"Hyun Soo," he said, calm but firm. "Get my handgun."
Hyun Soo blinked and paused his music. "Oh… okay, fun tone shift."
He reached into the glove compartment and retrieved the sleek case, opening it with the familiarity of someone who'd absolutely done this before.
Kang Ho took it without another word.
"A car is tailing us," he said.
That got Jaewook's attention.
He turned slightly in his seat and glanced behind them.
Sure enough—a sleek black sedan, tinted windows, matching every turn they made.
"License plate?" Jaewook asked.
Kang Ho glanced again. "Fake. No registry. Professional."
Jaewook's jaw tensed.
Minah stirred slightly beside him, sensing the tension in the air even with her eyes still closed.
"Do we confront or lose them?" Hyun Soo asked, sliding out one earbud like a gremlin war-activating.
Kang Ho's voice was cool. "Depends how stupid they are."
-----
Kang Ho veered off onto a quieter road, steering into a route with fewer cars, fewer lights. The night wrapped around them like a curtain.
The black sedan stayed close.
Too close.
For twenty minutes, it mirrored every turn. Every signal.
Then—
It sped up.
Without warning, it cut ahead and slammed to a stop—right in the middle of the road.
Kang Ho hit the brakes hard.
The car lurched.
Everything went still.
For a moment, no one breathed.
Kang Ho's hand hovered over his gun. Ready. Focused.
Hyun Soo gripped the seat like his soul had just left his body. "I did not sign up for a horror movie."
In the backseat, Minah jolted fully awake—her eyes wide with fear.
Jaewook immediately pulled her into him, arms protectively shielding her as his voice dropped low:
"I'll protect you.
With my life.
Then—
The black sedan's driver's side door creaked open.
A man stepped out.
Mid-50s. Sunglasses—at night.
Black trench coat. Clean shoes. Movements like he didn't know what fear was.
He walked forward a few steps, calm. Measured.
His voice cut through the night.
"I know you're in there. Come out."
Kang Ho didn't flinch.
He watched. Waited. Read the man's posture like a soldier reading enemy lines.
"He's not here for us," he said quietly. "He's here for Minah."
He glanced at Jaewook. "Look at how he stands. No hesitation. No nerves. He's confident. Too confident."
Jaewook's eyes narrowed. "That means he has backup. Or a plan."
Hyun Soo, still half-hiding, whispered, "He's literally giving final boss energy. Do we run or wreck him?"
------
The man in the trench coat took another step forward.
His expression didn't change.
No fear. No hesitation. Just the cold detachment of someone who had done this before.
Kang Ho gripped his handgun tighter, finger just shy of the trigger.
Hyun Soo sat frozen beside him, eyes darting between the figure outside and the woman in the backseat.
Then—the man spoke.
His voice was low, practiced, almost bored.
"We're not here for the men."
Another step.
"We're here for Park Seo Young."
Minah's breath caught in her throat.
"She's a subject. Asset 047.
She belongs to us.
We need to take her back.
No harm will come to the rest of you…
We only need the girl."
---
Inside the car:
Silence.
Jaewook's hand clenched against Minah's shoulder.
Kang Ho whispered without turning, "He knows her name. Her real name."
Hyun Soo broke the tension just enough to say, "Anyone else feel like 'no harm will come to you' is the biggest lie we've heard all week?"
Minah's hands were shaking.
But her eyes?
Sharp. Alert. Alive.
And Jaewook?
He let go of her—but only so he could open the door.
He stepped out of the car slowly, calm and deadly like a storm dressed in black.
He looked the man in the sunglasses straight in the face.
"You're not taking her."
The man tilted his head. "Do you know what she is?"
Jaewook's voice was cold as steel.
"She's not a 'what.' She's a who. And she's mine."