The night air was cold, thick with the scent of burning metal and smoke from the collapsed bridge. Seojin stood at the edge, staring down into the abyss where Choi's SUV had disappeared.
Minji walked up beside her, gun still in hand. "Do you think he's dead?"
Seojin exhaled, gripping her injured shoulder. "If he is, then we just lost our best shot at getting inside the Council."
Kade stepped closer, his face unreadable. "And if he's not?"
Seojin's jaw clenched. "Then we'll be seeing him again."
She turned away from the bridge, walking back to the van. There was no time to celebrate, no time to waste. They had the Council's dirtiest secret in their hands—the mass compliance protocol.
But now, they had an even bigger problem.
Minji crossed her arms. "We need to talk about what happens next."
Seojin leaned against the van, exhaustion settling in her bones. "We find a way to expose the Council."
Kade exhaled. "Then we have to talk about your father."
Seojin's stomach twisted. She knew this moment was coming, but that didn't make it any easier.
Minji frowned. "Are we really trusting him?"
Seojin didn't have an answer.
Her father—the man who had once been her protector—was one of the nine people pulling the strings behind the world's corruption. He had built his empire on manipulation, on control.
But now, he might be the only way to destroy it.
Kade leaned against the van, arms crossed. "We need access to the Council's network. Your father has that access. If we don't use him, we'll never get close enough."
Seojin's mind was a battlefield. Trusting her father was dangerous. But going in blind was even worse.
After a long silence, she sighed. "We set up a meeting."
Minji looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn't. Instead, she nodded grimly. "Fine. But the moment he tries anything—"
"I know," Seojin interrupted. "I'll end him myself."
The next day, Seojin sat alone in the dimly lit lounge of a luxury hotel. The chandeliers above her cast a golden glow over the marble floors, the air thick with the scent of expensive cigars and old money.
Her father had chosen the place. Of course, he had.
A waiter placed a glass of whiskey in front of her, but she ignored it. Her fingers drummed against the table as she waited.
And then—
The chair across from her slid back.
Her father sat down, adjusting the cufflinks on his impeccably tailored suit. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held something close to amusement.
"You've grown colder, Seojin," he said smoothly. "I suppose that's my fault."
Seojin didn't react. "I'm not here to talk about us."
Her father smiled, taking a slow sip of his drink. "No, I imagine not. You want something."
Seojin's hands curled into fists under the table. "You know what I have."
Her father's expression didn't change, but she saw the flicker in his eyes. He knew.
"The mass compliance protocol," he murmured, swirling his whiskey. "So, you finally understand what we've been working toward."
Seojin's stomach turned. "Working toward? You mean enslaving people."
Her father sighed, setting his glass down. "It's not slavery. It's control. It's peace."
Seojin forced down her anger. "I don't care about your justifications. I have proof. If this goes public, the Council falls."
Her father tilted his head, studying her. "And you think I'm going to help you?"
Seojin met his gaze head-on. "If you don't, you go down with them."
Silence stretched between them.
Then—her father chuckled. "You remind me of your mother."
Seojin stiffened. "Don't."
His amusement faded. "Fine. I'll give you what you need. But on one condition."
Seojin narrowed her eyes. "Which is?"
His voice was soft, almost gentle.
"When the Council falls… you disappear."
Seojin's heart pounded.
"You're asking me to walk away?"
Her father nodded. "Once this is over, you leave. No revenge. No justice. You take your life back and let the world move on."
Minji's words echoed in her mind. You can't trust him.
And yet, this was the best deal she was going to get.
Seojin exhaled slowly.
"Fine."
Her father smiled, but she didn't believe it for a second.
This wasn't a deal.
This was a trap.
End of Chapter 76