Seojin stared at the map spread across the motel room table, her brow furrowed in concentration. The USB drive lay beside it, a stark reminder of the chaos they'd unleashed. Jiwon stood by the window, peering through the blinds at the deserted parking lot.
"We need help," Seojin said, breaking the silence. "Just the two of us won't be enough."
Jiwon turned to her, his face shadowed by doubt. "And you think this retired detective of yours will jump back into the fray? Most people who deal with the syndicate end up dead—or worse."
"Detective Oh is different," Seojin replied firmly. "He's been fighting corruption his entire life. He won't back down."
Jiwon hesitated, then nodded. "If you trust him, I'll follow your lead. But if he turns on us—"
"He won't," Seojin interrupted. "He has as much reason to take down the Lee syndicate as we do."
---
The drive to Detective Oh's cabin took them deep into the countryside, far from the city's prying eyes. The road was rough, winding through dense forests that seemed to close in around them.
"Are you sure about this place?" Jiwon asked, glancing at the overgrown path ahead.
"Positive," Seojin replied. "Oh prefers isolation. After what happened to his family, he—"
She stopped herself, her jaw tightening. Jiwon didn't press further, sensing the weight of her words.
When they arrived, the cabin looked deserted. The wooden structure was weathered and covered in ivy, its windows dark. Seojin knocked on the door, her knuckles echoing in the quiet.
For a moment, there was no response. Then, the door creaked open, revealing a tall, grizzled man with sharp eyes and a shotgun in his hands.
"Seojin," Detective Oh said, his voice rough but not unkind. "It's been a long time."
---
Inside the cabin, Seojin explained everything—her discovery of the syndicate's operations, the stolen evidence, and the attack at the estate. Oh listened in silence, his expression unreadable.
"Fools," he said finally, shaking his head. "You've stirred a hornet's nest. The Lee syndicate isn't just another criminal gang—they have influence everywhere. Police, politicians, judges… They won't rest until you're silenced."
"Which is why we need your help," Seojin said, her tone pleading. "You've fought them before. You know their weaknesses."
Oh snorted. "And look where that got me—retired, alone, and hunted. Why should I risk my neck for you?"
"Because they took everything from you," Seojin said quietly. "Your wife, your daughter… Don't you want justice?"
Oh's hand tightened around his shotgun, his knuckles white. The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken pain.
Finally, he nodded. "Alright. But if we're doing this, we do it my way. No reckless heroics."
---
Unbeknownst to them, the Lee syndicate was already closing in. One of their injured men had managed to track Seojin's car to the countryside, and a team of enforcers was en route.
Oh was the first to notice the approaching vehicles. "We've got company," he said, pulling a set of weapons from a hidden compartment in the floor.
Seojin grabbed a handgun, her adrenaline spiking. "How many?"
"Too many," Oh replied grimly. "But we'll make do."
Jiwon, who had been quiet until now, picked up a rifle and checked its ammunition. "Guess I'm part of this fight now."
The first gunshot shattered the cabin's window, and chaos erupted. Seojin and Oh fired back, their shots precise and calculated. Jiwon provided cover fire, his legal expertise forgotten in the face of raw survival.
The fight was brutal, the air thick with smoke and the smell of gunpowder. Despite their efforts, the syndicate's men pushed closer, their superior numbers threatening to overwhelm the trio.
"We need to fall back," Oh shouted. "There's a trapdoor in the cellar. Go!"
Seojin hesitated, her instincts screaming to stay and fight. But Jiwon grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the cellar door. "We'll be no good to anyone if we're dead!"
Reluctantly, Seojin followed, descending into the dark, narrow tunnel beneath the cabin. Oh stayed behind, covering their escape with a ferocity born of desperation.
---
The tunnel led to a hidden exit in the forest, far from the cabin. Seojin and Jiwon emerged into the cool night air, their breaths ragged.
"We can't keep running like this," Seojin said, her voice shaking with anger and frustration. "We need to strike back—hit them where it hurts."
Jiwon leaned against a tree, his face pale but determined. "First, we need to regroup. If Oh survives, he'll meet us at the rendezvous point. Until then, we lay low."
Seojin nodded, but her mind was already racing. The syndicate had underestimated them, and she intended to make them pay.
---
**End of Chapter 9**