Chapter 10: A New Enemy
1. A Debt with No Escape
Jinwoo sat in the back of the SUV, watching the doctor work on Kyung-ho. The smell of antiseptic mixed with the metallic scent of blood, but his mind was elsewhere.
Yoo Min-jae.
A man who never helped for free.
Min-jae's voice cut through the tense silence.
"You've been running around Seoul like a mad dog, Jinwoo. Burning everything in your path." He lit a cigarette, smirking as he exhaled the smoke. "I respect it."
Jinwoo didn't respond.
Min-jae was powerful, one of the few people in Seoul who could rival Choi's influence. But he wasn't a man to be trusted.
Min-jae flicked his cigarette. "I have a job for you."
Jinwoo kept his expression blank. "And if I refuse?"
Min-jae chuckled. "You won't."
Jinwoo sighed. "Who's the target?"
Min-jae's smirk widened. He pulled out a folder and tossed it into Jinwoo's lap.
Jinwoo flipped it open—
And his blood ran cold.
Inside was a photo of Kim Hye-jin.
Jinwoo's ex-girlfriend. The woman he once loved.
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2. The Woman Who Vanished
Five years ago.
Jinwoo remembered every detail of the night Hye-jin disappeared.
They had planned to leave Seoul together, escaping the underworld for good.
But the night before they left, she was gone.
No calls. No messages.
Jinwoo searched everywhere, but there was no trace of her.
He thought she had been killed.
But now, she was alive.
And Min-jae wanted her dead.
Jinwoo clenched his jaw. "Why?"
Min-jae leaned back, amused. "She's working for someone… dangerous."
Jinwoo stared at the photo. Hye-jin looked different. Stronger. Colder.
What the hell had happened to her?
Min-jae's voice was soft, but firm.
"You owe me, Jinwoo. Either you kill her—" He tapped the folder. "—or I kill your brother."
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3. The Silent Meeting
Jinwoo didn't return to Min-jae right away.
Instead, he tracked down Hye-jin.
She wasn't hiding.
She wanted to be found.
The old abandoned nightclub in Gangnam was empty, save for one figure standing in the middle of the room.
Hye-jin.
Jinwoo stepped inside, keeping his gun hidden but ready.
Hye-jin turned to face him.
"Jinwoo."
His breath caught. Her voice was the same—but her eyes were different.
Cold. Calculating. Dangerous.
Jinwoo kept his stance firm. "Min-jae wants you dead."
Hye-jin smirked. "Of course he does."
She took a step closer.
"And what about you, Jinwoo?"
Jinwoo didn't answer.
Because for the first time in years, he didn't know.
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4. The Truth She Hid
Hye-jin exhaled. "You think I betrayed you."
Jinwoo's jaw tightened. "Didn't you?"
She laughed, but there was no humor in it.
"Jinwoo, I didn't leave because I wanted to."
Jinwoo stiffened.
Hye-jin locked eyes with him. "I left… because Choi ordered me to kill you."
Jinwoo's heart pounded.
Five years ago. When she vanished. She had been given the order to kill him.
Hye-jin sighed. "I couldn't do it, Jinwoo. So I ran."
Jinwoo's fists clenched. Everything he believed had been a lie.
Hye-jin took another step forward, her voice softer.
"I didn't betray you, Jinwoo."
She reached out, fingertips brushing against his.
"I was saving you."
Jinwoo exhaled sharply.
And in that moment, he knew—
He could never kill her.
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5. War Begins
Jinwoo walked into Min-jae's headquarters the next day.
Min-jae was waiting. "Well?"
Jinwoo's expression was calm, controlled.
"I'm not killing her."
Min-jae's smile vanished.
He sighed, leaning back. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Before Jinwoo could react, guns cocked around him.
Min-jae's men.
Jinwoo didn't flinch.
Min-jae chuckled. "You see, Jinwoo, I knew you wouldn't kill her." He tilted his head. "That's why I already sent someone else."
Jinwoo's blood ran cold.
Hye-jin was in danger.
Min-jae's smirk returned. "Looks like the war just got interesting."
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End of Chapter 10