The room was dim, lit only by the flickering glow of a single lamp in the far corner. Outside, the city breathed its usual rhythm—cars groaned, neon signs blinked lazily, and lives went on unaware of the war simmering in the underworld.
But in this small apartment, time had stopped.
Ra-hee sat on the edge of the bed, fingers still stained from cleaning the blood that had soaked into Tae-hyun's shirt hours earlier. She hadn't slept. Not a second. How could she? Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the way he'd shielded her with his body in that hospital hallway. Every time she blinked, she remembered the cold words from his enemies: You're both targets now.
This wasn't just infatuation anymore.
It wasn't even just love.
It was war, and she was in it.
Healed Wounds, New Scars
Tae-hyun stirred on the couch, his wound bandaged tight, his shoulder bruised but stable. His eyes fluttered open to find Ra-hee staring at him—eyes glassy, hair a mess, exhaustion coating her face like a mask.
"You're still here," he rasped.
She gave a breathless laugh. "Of course I'm still here. Did you think I'd disappear the second things got hard?"
He shifted, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. "I've learned not to expect loyalty from anyone."
She leaned forward and gently touched his cheek. "Then let me be the one to prove you wrong."
Their eyes met—his haunted by years of bloodshed, hers fierce with the innocence she still carried. There, in that quiet moment, something shifted. It wasn't just about protection anymore.
It was about trust.
About surviving together.
Plans in the Darkness
"Tae-hyun," she whispered, "tell me who's coming for us."
He hesitated. "There's no simple answer. My empire… it was built with blood. And in blood, it's now crumbling."
"Then tell me where we start."
He sat up slowly. "There's one man left I trust. Seok-jin. He used to be one of mine—quiet, brilliant. The kind of man who hides in the shadows. He may have answers."
Ra-hee didn't miss the tension in his voice.
"Is he really someone we can trust?"
"I don't know," Tae-hyun admitted. "But we have no choice."
The Meeting
At midnight, they moved.
Tae-hyun wore black, his injured arm in a sling, a gun hidden under his coat. Ra-hee walked beside him, clad in simple clothes and a calmness that shocked even herself.
They met Seok-jin in an alley beneath a broken streetlamp.
The man was tall, older, his sharp features worn by time and regret. His eyes flicked to Ra-hee with cold interest.
"You've changed, Hyung," he said.
"You haven't," Tae-hyun replied, voice low. "Still lurking in shadows."
Seok-jin smirked. "That's how I survive."
Tae-hyun stepped forward. "I need to know who betrayed me. Who's trying to finish what my enemies started."
There was silence.
Then Seok-jin said, "You're already finished. You just don't know it yet."
The Betrayal
The sound of clicking echoed from behind.
Ra-hee spun—two men had emerged from the shadows, guns aimed at Tae-hyun's back.
Tae-hyun didn't flinch.
"You sold me out."
"I waited," Seok-jin said, voice flat. "You were the king once. But you've grown weak. Soft."
Ra-hee stepped in front of Tae-hyun. "You'll have to go through me."
Seok-jin sneered. "You think he loves you? He's using you. He always uses women—until they break."
Ra-hee's hand trembled… then stilled.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out Tae-hyun's backup gun.
Without warning, she aimed.
And fired.
The Firefight
Everything exploded into chaos.
Bullets lit up the night. Tae-hyun shielded her again, spinning to cover her as they ducked behind a rusted dumpster. One of Seok-jin's men collapsed, bleeding from Ra-hee's shot.
Tae-hyun returned fire with his good hand, aiming with deadly precision. Another enemy fell.
But Seok-jin vanished.
Coward.
They didn't chase. Not tonight.
The Retreat
Tae-hyun was pale as they limped into a new safehouse—a warehouse loft with boarded windows and emergency supplies.
He collapsed on the floor, panting.
"You… you shot someone," he said, staring at her.
Ra-hee knelt beside him, breathing hard. "I saved your life. That's all I know."
Tae-hyun stared at her for a long moment, then laughed—softly, painfully.
"You're dangerous, Dr. Ra-hee."
"You made me dangerous," she replied, brushing hair from his brow.
The Pact
Later that night, as thunder rolled above and moonlight spilled through a crack in the roof, Ra-hee lay beside him on an old mattress.
Tae-hyun traced the outline of her fingers with his own.
"No more lies," she whispered.
"No more running," he added.
She turned to him, eyes deep with emotion. "If we die, we die together."
Tae-hyun leaned in, their foreheads touching.
"Then tonight, under this blood moon… I swear to protect you. With all that I am."
Ra-hee smiled. "And I swear to fight beside you. Even in the dark."
The city still burned.
Enemies still lurked.
But tonight, two souls forged a pact not even death could break.
To Be Continued...