The atmosphere inside the safe house was thick with tension. Seojin leaned over the map spread across the wooden table, her eyes scanning the marked locations. The Black Lotus Tower—the Phoenix's impenetrable stronghold—stood at the center.
Infiltrating it was close to suicide.
"We need a solid plan," she muttered.
Dojin scoffed. "A solid plan? More like a miracle."
Minji, still tending to Hyunwoo's wound, shot him a glare. "Not helping."
Hyunwoo, pale but alert, finally spoke. "The Phoenix isn't stupid. They'll expect retaliation after putting a bounty on Seojin. We have to move before they tighten their security."
Seojin frowned. "And yet, you conveniently left out details about the Black Lotus Tower until now."
Hyunwoo met her gaze without flinching. "Would you have believed me before?"
She clenched her jaw. He had a point.
Still, something about his timing felt off.
Before she could press further, Jiwon's voice crackled through the intercom.
"We have a problem."
Everyone turned toward the monitor as Jiwon's image came into focus. His face was tense.
"There's been an attack. Someone hit one of our safe houses."
Seojin's breath hitched. "Who?"
Jiwon's fingers flew over the keyboard, pulling up grainy surveillance footage. The screen flickered, showing a familiar face.
Seojin's stomach twisted.
It was someone from her own task force.
A Traitor Among Them
The room was silent, the weight of betrayal settling over them.
Dojin clenched his fists. "That's Lieutenant Park Jinho."
Minji looked sick. "Why would he betray us?"
Seojin's mind raced. Park Jinho had been one of her most trusted subordinates—a detective who had fought by her side for years.
And yet, the footage showed him inside the burning safe house, speaking to a masked Phoenix operative.
"He's been compromised," Seojin said quietly.
Hyunwoo's expression darkened. "Or he's been with them from the start."
Seojin refused to believe that. Jinho wasn't the kind of man who would betray his own team. But the evidence was damning.
"What now?" Minji asked, voice tight.
Seojin exhaled slowly, pushing her emotions aside.
"We bring him in."
The Confrontation
Night had fallen by the time they tracked Jinho down. He was holed up in a rundown motel on the outskirts of Seoul, far from his usual routine.
Seojin, Dojin, and Hyunwoo approached the door in silence. Minji stayed behind, monitoring from the van.
Seojin knocked.
No response.
She knocked again, sharper this time. "Jinho, it's me."
A long pause. Then the door creaked open.
Jinho stood before them, his face shadowed. His eyes flicked between them, then landed on Seojin.
"You shouldn't be here," he said quietly.
Seojin stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "And yet, here we are."
Jinho ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "You saw the footage."
She nodded. "Explain."
He let out a bitter laugh. "You already think I'm a traitor. What's the point?"
Dojin tensed. "Because if you are, you're not leaving this room alive."
Seojin shot him a warning look before turning back to Jinho. "I need the truth, Jinho. Did you betray us?"
Jinho's jaw tightened. "No."
Seojin studied him. "Then why were you at the safe house?"
Jinho hesitated. "Because I was warned."
Her stomach clenched. "Warned?"
He exhaled sharply. "Someone inside the department tipped me off. They said the Phoenix had eyes on you. That you were their next target."
Seojin's pulse quickened.
Jinho met her gaze. "I went there to destroy evidence linking you to the operation. To buy you time."
Seojin's thoughts spun. If Jinho was telling the truth, then the real traitor was still out there—inside her own department.
And the Phoenix was already moving.
"Who tipped you off?" she asked.
Jinho hesitated. "I don't know. They used an encrypted line."
Dojin cursed. "Great. Another ghost in the shadows."
Seojin took a step closer to Jinho. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Jinho sighed. "Because I knew you wouldn't trust me."
Seojin clenched her fists. He was right.
She glanced at Hyunwoo, who had remained silent.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Hyunwoo's gaze was unreadable. "Either he's telling the truth, or he's feeding us a carefully crafted lie."
Jinho exhaled. "You have to believe me, Seojin. The Phoenix is coming for you. And they won't stop until you're dead."
Seojin stared at him.
Then she made her decision.
End of Chapter 53