The night didn't bring peace. It brought fire.
Ra-hee sat silently on the velvet sofa in the underground suite of Jae-hyun's estate, wrapped in one of his black silk shirts. She hadn't changed out of her blood-streaked scrubs. Her hands were still trembling slightly from what had happened at the hospital—gunshots, chaos, and a dead man with a snake tattoo. Her mind had been racing ever since.
Jae-hyun sat across from her, shirtless, bruises blooming across his chest from the impact of the fight. A fresh cut ran across his cheekbone, but he hadn't even blinked when the doctor from his syndicate stitched it up. His dark eyes hadn't left her face since they returned.
"You're not safe anymore," he said finally, voice low and rough.
"I was never safe with you," she replied, her eyes sharp. "But I stayed."
He looked down, jaw tightening. "I didn't think they'd touch you. You weren't supposed to get involved like this."
"But I am involved." Her voice cracked. "The moment I pulled a bullet out of your body. The moment I saw the way you looked at me when you thought you were dying. You can't ask me to back away now."
A silence fell between them. Heavy. Charged.
Jae-hyun stood, crossed the room, and knelt in front of her. He took her hand in his. "This isn't just blood and shadows, Ha-eun. My world is a warzone, and they'll use you as leverage. I need to know—are you willing to stand in the crossfire? Because if you are… there's no going back."
She stared at him. Her fingers tightened around his.
"I'm not afraid of blood anymore," she whispered. "Not yours. Not mine."
He leaned forward slowly, letting their foreheads touch. For the first time since everything exploded, he let himself breathe.
But the moment was short-lived.
Bang!
Gunfire echoed from the main entrance of the estate. Jae-hyun sprang to his feet in one motion, grabbing the gun hidden beneath the side table.
"Stay here," he ordered. "Don't come out until I say."
But Ra-hee had already grabbed the surgical scalpel from her medical bag.
"I said stay—"
"Don't waste your breath, Jae-hyun. I'm not fragile."
He hesitated just long enough to want to argue, but there was no time. The door to the underground suite burst open, and one of his men stumbled in, blood staining his white shirt.
"They found us," the guard gasped. "It's the Black Mask faction—they've come for you."
The air snapped tight with tension.
Jae-hyun grabbed Ra-hee's wrist. "Run. Through the back tunnel. Now."
But the walls shook again from another explosion—this time closer. Dust rained from the ceiling. Ra -hee's pulse thundered in her ears.
She had spent her whole life avoiding the spotlight, hiding in labs and hospital wards. And now, fate had pushed her into the heart of a bloody empire.
She didn't run.
Instead, she pressed her back to the wall, weapon clenched tight. Jae-hyun gave her a long, unreadable look. Then he nodded.
"Stay behind me."
The fight exploded as soon as they left the suite.
Gunshots blazed through the hall. Jae-hyun moved like a shadow, swift and deadly. Ha-eun stayed behind him, ducking as bullets tore through marble columns. She saw one of the attackers—a tall man with a snake tattoo like the one she'd seen at the hospital. His eyes met hers and widened.
"The doctor's here!" he shouted.
That was all it took.
Suddenly, she was the target.
A man lunged at her with a knife. She dodged on instinct, cutting across his arm with the scalpel. Blood sprayed across her face, but she didn't flinch. Her heart raced with something wild—fear, yes, but also adrenaline. Fire.
Jae-hyun grabbed the attacker and slammed him against the wall, snapping his neck cleanly. Then he turned to her, eyes wide. "Are you hurt?!"
She shook her head, panting. "No. Keep going."
Together, they fought their way to the central chamber. Dead bodies littered the floor—enemies and allies alike. The room was filled with smoke, fire spreading from a bomb that had gone off near the side wall.
Jae-hyun's second-in-command rushed in. "Boss! We've secured the eastern gate. But they've planted explosives around the west exit. We need to evacuate now!"
Jae-hyun grabbed Ra-hee's hand and started running.
The smoke was thick. The heat unbearable. But they ran, hand in hand, through the heart of chaos. Through the sounds of a war not meant for people like her.
When they finally burst out into the cold air of the mountainside, Ra-hee collapsed on the gravel road, coughing, chest heaving.
Jae-hyun dropped beside her, wrapping her in his arms. "You're safe. You're okay. I've got you."
She looked up at him, blood on his face, hair wild, eyes burning with something feral and protective.
"I think," she gasped, half-laughing, half-crying, "I just officially joined the mafia."
He stared at her. Then his lips curved into the smallest, most dangerous smile.
"Welcome to the family, Doctor Ra-hee."
To Be Continued...