The sky was painted in blood-red streaks as dusk swallowed the day, casting long shadows across the deserted train yard where Ra-hee now stood. Her breath fogged in the cold air, trembling hands clutched the burner phone Jae-hyun had forced into her palm before shoving her through the back exit.
He hadn't followed.
Her mind raced with images she didn't want: Jae-hyun surrounded, outnumbered, hurt—or worse. She couldn't breathe.
A loud screech cut through the silence. A freight train rattled past on a distant track, the thunder of metal drowning out her rising panic. She spun, eyes scanning the darkness, heart in her throat.
A memory flashed.
His voice, husky, broken, hours ago: "If something happens to me… go to the red warehouse near Han Pier. Wait. Someone I trust will come."
She took off running.
Her shoes slapped against the cold pavement, lungs burning with each step. Her mind screamed at her to go back for him, but her heart knew he wouldn't forgive her if she died for it.
By the time she reached the warehouse, her legs had gone numb.
The place looked abandoned—peeling paint, shattered windows, rusted steel beams like bones jutting into the sky. But a single light burned near the entrance, flickering weakly. A sign.
She stepped in, bracing for anything.
Instead, silence.
Then—"Ra-hee?"
A low, cautious voice. Familiar.
She turned sharply.
A man emerged from the shadows, tall, with a scar down his jaw and cold, calculating eyes. She remembered him vaguely—Jae-hyun had called him Kyung-seok. One of the few lieutenants he still trusted.
"You're safe," Kyung-seok said, eyeing her with both concern and suspicion. "Where's the boss?"
"He… he stayed back. He told me to run." Her voice cracked. "They were already on us. I don't know if he—"
Kyung-seok stepped forward and caught her shoulders. "He's not dead. If he was, we'd have heard it."
Her knees nearly gave out. "We have to go back."
"No," he snapped. "He risked everything to keep you alive. We do nothing until I hear from him. If you care about him, don't make his sacrifice worthless."
Ra-hee's entire body trembled as she lowered herself to the cold floor. She curled her arms around herself, trying to silence the screaming storm inside.
Silence stretched.
Minutes felt like hours.
Then the phone rang.
She lunged for it.
"Ra-hee."
Jae-hyun's voice was barely a whisper. But it was him.
"Jae-hyun!" Her voice cracked with raw relief. "You're alive—where are you?"
"I got out. Barely. I'm bleeding like hell… but I'm alive."
Tears streamed down her face. "Tell me where you are. I'm coming."
"No," he said firmly. "Kyung-seok will take you somewhere safe. I'll come for you when I can walk again."
"No!" Her voice rose. "I'm not leaving you alone out there. You could die!"
He chuckled softly. "I'm hard to kill. You should know that by now."
The call ended.
Ra-hee stared at the dark screen. Her hands were shaking again, but this time, it wasn't fear. It was rage.
She stood.
Kyung-seok raised an eyebrow. "You good?"
"No," she said. "I'm done being protected. I'm not a side character in this story. If he's going to bleed for me, I'll damn well fight for him too."
Kyung-seok gave her a strange look—half-respect, half-warning. "You really don't know what you're stepping into."
Ra-hee looked him in the eye, voice like steel. "I do now."
That night, she sat alone in the corner of the warehouse, staring at the small flame of a lighter flickering in the dark. Her thoughts were a thousand torn pages.
Memories of Jae-hyun's warmth. His trembling hands when he thought she wouldn't forgive him. His broken words. His eyes that held centuries of grief.
How could she let him carry it all alone?
She pressed her palm against her stomach, grounding herself.
She didn't know what the future held. But she knew one thing for sure:
This love was no longer something she could run from.
It had claws. Fangs. Fire.
And she would burn for it—if that's what it took.
To Be Continued...