At some point, she snapped out of her daze to find a familiar neighborhood outside the car window. A blanket was laid across her lap, and the time reflecting off the clock display had long passed anything she’d expected.

What—when did I fall asleep?

Seoryeong’s face went pale with guilt at the thought of having been a burden.

“You could’ve just woken me up, Instructor...!”

Wooshin swept a hand through his hair and looked at her with a slightly reproachful glare.

Then you should’ve woken me if you were going to look at me like that!

Seoryeong hurried to unfasten her seatbelt and open the car door. The cold wind that hit her face after leaving the warm interior sobered her up immediately.

As she grabbed the door, about to say goodbye and meet his gaze, Wooshin abruptly shifted gears and reversed. Startled, she instinctively shut the door again.

Without even waiting, he changed direction and drove away from the alley.

“...Thanks for the ride.”

Her belated words echoed pointlessly into the air.

Seoryeong stood watching the alley where he’d disappeared, scratching the back of her head. Then she turned, swaying a little, and made her way home.

Maybe it was the relief of being back in her own territory. Her body suddenly felt sluggish. She forced her fingers to press the door lock digits.

And just as the door opened—

“――!”

The moment she saw inside, she slammed it shut with a bang.

What... what was that?

Her heart raced like mad. Shaking her spinning head, she instinctively stepped back.

The moment the door had opened, a wave of unfamiliar scent had hit her. And the darkened interior... it had given her a jarring sense of wrongness.

Still frozen, she double-checked the apartment number on the door—only for it to swing open again and slam her forehead.

“Ugh...!”

It was a blow so sharp, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ she nearly blacked out. As she staggered, a black-gloved hand shot out from inside and grabbed her by the hair. With brute force, she was dragged inside.

The attacker tried to slam her into the door again. A strong hand clamped onto her nape.

But once was enough.

Seoryeong caught the man’s pinky finger, twisted it hard in one swift spin—

“Fuck...!”

He screamed as his pinky bent grotesquely.

“You’re wide open.”

“Gah...!”

“Your jaw’s exposed. Left side.”

Before she’d even finished speaking, her roundhouse kick slammed into his jaw.

He collapsed, whites of his eyes showing, and Seoryeong stomped on his temple to finish the job.

The sudden burst of movement turned her stomach, and nausea hit her throat.

She rushed to the front door and threw it open. There was no way she could stay here.

But just before escaping, her eyes lingered on the still-silent interior.

How many more intruders are in there? Who the hell are they?

As she tried to gauge the situation—

A slow smile curled her lips.

She gently closed the half-open door again.

“......”

Looks like someone took the bait.

In that case, it was only right that she let herself be caught. Seoryeong rose onto the balls of her feet and headed for the kitchen.

I should be the one to get caught.

Suppressing her excitement, she pulled out two kitchen knives.

And the moment she turned—

A dark figure lunged at her from behind.

Seoryeong slashed straight across the second assailant’s forearm without hesitation.

There was more than one masked intruder. One, two, plus the one already down—three in total.

She lashed out with the blades like thorns, slashing again and again at every reaching arm. There wasn’t a second to relax.

Then—

A kick came from her blind spot, slamming into her gut and sending her crashing into a display cabinet.

The clatter of falling dishes broke the quiet of the night.

“Ugh...!”

Her body was sluggish and heavy—slower than usual. Still, she grit her teeth and rolled, dodging fists and knife-hand strikes flying like cannon fire.

To make up for the height difference, she kept her body low and aimed only for vital points.

If her blade was blocked, she used the blunt edge to bash. If she took a punch or a kick, she returned it.

And then—

A strong black hand clamped around her slender neck.

“Kuh...!”

Her body lifted into the air. She dropped the knife with a clatter. The attackers didn’t miss the chance—shoving her down onto the sofa.

Even with one cheek pressed against the cushion, drool leaking out, Seoryeong couldn’t stop smiling.

“You guys from the NIS?”

“......!”

The hands tying her arms stopped momentarily. But the hand pressing the back of her head kept grinding downward, making her teeth clench.

“You could’ve approached nicely, you know. What is this? Wrecking all my shit...”

“.......”

“Could’ve at least waited a day. I just had a company dinner. I’m gonna throw up.”

They bound her to a dining chair with cable ties.

Sweat beaded on the masked men’s brows. One knelt beside the man collapsed near the entrance, shaking him: “Sunbae, come on!” Another bent over, panting, visibly rattled by how badly this had gone.

Seoryeong, lips pressed together, suddenly doubled over and began retching.

“Ghh— Ghh!”

Sour vomit splattered across the floor. Her throat, her nose—everything ached and stung. Stony eyes glared at her in silence.

“――!”

Beep-beep, beep-beep.

A bland ringtone shattered the quiet.

The man whose shoes had just been doused in puke took out an old smartphone.

Straightening his spine like he was speaking to someone far above his pay grade, he answered the call with stiff formality.

“Yes, yes.”

Then, he glanced at Seoryeong.

“...The target has been secured.”

At that brief report, her pulse quickened. A call at this timing?

Could it be that deputy director from the interrogation room?

Eyes sparkling, she spat on the floor. Her mouth was still bitter—so she just kept spitting.

The man stood straight and switched the phone to speaker.

—Ms. Han Seoryeong, feeling scared yet?

The unfamiliar voice echoed through the room.

At the same time, her bloodied lips curled into a grin.

The masked man grimaced at the sight.

It was a woman’s voice—middle-aged.

—Don’t make this worse than it has to be. Tell us where the money is, and we’ll withdraw the team.

“Hello there.”

Her soft greeting made the room go still for a moment.

“You seem to already know my name. Mind telling me yours?”

—......

“So I guess trying to defect didn’t do it, but poking the president’s family? That finally worked.”

When she chuckled, the voice grew lower—almost warning.

—Let’s not get messy. Just end this quickly.

“I asked who I’m speaking to.”

—Where’s the 50 billion?

“Shouldn’t we exchange names before we talk about money?”

—You there? Give her a few good hits.

The man holding the phone clenched his leather-gloved fist.

A split-second later—crack! Her head snapped to the side.

Another slap came from the opposite direction.

He alternated punches and open palms, bursting both sides of her face.

Lights flashed in Seoryeong’s eyes. Blood spattered from her mouth—but this didn’t surprise her.

After all, wasn’t it Wooshin who once pinned a man to the ceiling like a skewered pig?

“Is this really how you treat someone you’re trying to make a deal with?”

—Deal? What deal?

The woman scoffed.

Seoryeong couldn’t help but feel a thrill. This proved they were rattled. She had their attention now.

“You want the 50 billion. I want Kim Hyeon.”

—......!

“If you wanted the money back cleanly, you should’ve reported me. If you wanted it stolen back, you should’ve brought Kim Hyeon. But you can’t do either, can you?”

—......

“Because NIS used me.”

A chilling frost laced her words.

“Blinded me for some reason, sent Kim Hyeon in, made us marry—whatever it was, the truth must never come out. That’s why there hasn’t been a single news report about the missing 50 billion. Why else sneak in here like petty thieves to beat me down instead of filing charges?”

A dry laugh came from the other end.

—Han Seoryeong, let me give you a real piece of advice: don’t try to fuck with the NIS. What do you think you can even do? You won’t be the one who dies—it’ll be your little errand rats.

“.......”

—You think hiding Heo Channa means you’ve won?

Seoryeong’s eyes turned razor sharp.

—You’re not the only one getting beaten like a dog right now.

“...!”

—Who do you think you are, pulling this half-assed stunt to threaten the NIS?

That imperious voice—solid pride, wrapped in command.

—You want to lose those eyes again?

The moment the woman sneered—

Seoryeong’s foot lashed out, slamming into the man’s groin.

With a grunt, he doubled over—and she smashed the chair she was tied to straight into his head.

“Guh—!”

They crashed together. She snatched a fallen knife and cut the cable ties.

The chair leg crushed one man’s crotch.

The knife she flung found its mark, slashing another across the cheekbone.

She picked up the fallen phone without even blinking.

“Well, yeah. Only the lackeys are dying. Let’s change the terms, shall we?”

The smile vanished.

She now knew this wasn’t enough to reach Kim Hyeon.

But she didn’t feel defeated.

—I want to talk to my husband.

Voice for fifty billion—that’s a fair trade, isn’t it?