What the hell... what the hell is going on?

Her fingertips felt like they were freezing, but she barely managed to gather her senses.

If he was someone who followed the Deputy Director around, then he was probably with the NIS. That thought alone made her laugh bitterly. It wasn’t just shock—it was filthy.

If there had been anyone in the training camp she’d ever paid attention to, even slightly—it was the very man now standing before her: Dong Jiwoo.

“...Ha.”

Her arm tightened instinctively around Ju Seolheon’s neck. Dong Jiwoo, his expression tense, looked between her and the Deputy Director, then drew a knife and took a combat stance with practiced ease. His eyes now held the cold alertness of someone facing an enemy.

“Was that one of your plants too?”

She motioned at Dong Jiwoo with a jut of her chin and asked the Deputy Director. There was no clear answer, but the way Jiwoo’s gaze kept flicking toward Ju Seolheon gave her everything she needed to know.

“You really went all in trying to screw me over, didn’t you.” 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Something inside her chest snapped loose—emptiness hollowed her out. At the same time, a rage so sharp it made her lower lip tremble surged through her.

Not just Dong Jiwoo. All those quiet, insidious forces that had wormed their way into her life over time.

Who the hell do you think you are? Who the hell are all of you—putting these damn puppets all around my life like this?

Just then, Dong Jiwoo began approaching with his knife raised, step by step. Seoryeong watched him close the distance, then shoved Ju Seolheon hard down the stairs and lunged at him.

“――!”

She swung her steel-reinforced baton at his thumb with all her strength. Somewhere behind her, the Deputy Director tumbled down the steps with loud, sickening thuds—but her face remained as cold as ice.

Seoryeong focused her attacks on one area only—his hand. She struck his thumb, the back of his hand, and his fingers in rapid succession. Her baton was meant to shatter bricks, crack skulls. She had to wield it like a blade.

Sure enough, his wrist and fingers swelled grotesquely—clearly broken. But even with his hand shaking violently, Jiwoo didn’t drop the knife and tried to force his way back in.

Their forearms collided. He kicked at her legs. She ducked and swayed, but they tangled again and again.

He was nothing like the slow, clueless boy he used to seem. That warmth and awkward charm—was it all just an act?

Gritting her teeth, she avoided his knife and hammered the back of his knee. Fuck. Again and again. Then she struck his jaw—thwack!—a loud, dull crack.

His chin twisted, his mouth warped, and several teeth scattered like chips of ivory. Blood streamed uncontrollably from his now grotesquely swollen jaw.

Her stomach twisted strangely, but she bit her tongue and emptied out the emotion. It was her job to push people like him back beyond the boundary.

She kicked him in the ribs, toppling him to the ground, and spat out her warning:

“Dong Jiwoo. Don’t get in my way.”

“Ghh...!”

He groaned, his ruined face gasping. But she felt no pity. Brow furrowed, throat tight, she fought back the burning ache inside.

Does it hurt? Well, she couldn’t leave witnesses. Then—what should she do about this? Her eyes bore down coldly at the sprawled figure on the floor.

She knelt beside him, making direct eye contact.

“What was your mission?”

“Kh... agh...!”

“Were you acting close to me just to monitor everything I did?”

His gaze wavered. Seoryeong stared at him for a moment, then stood up wordlessly. She snatched off his watch, the fountain pen in his flannel shirt, and his smartphone—and stomped all of it to pieces.

Then she ran a hand through her disheveled hair and looked away with not a trace of regret.

So this is how it ends—so simple, so easy.

“...Haa.”

When she turned back, Ju Seolheon’s high heel was lying there like discarded trash. In the mess of scuff marks and chaos—she was gone.

Rrring, rrring—

Ju Seolheon, now limping, was trying to call Lee Wooshin using her emergency number. Blood from the gash on her forehead clung heavily to her false eyelashes.

She staggered down the stairs, gripping her phone so tightly it looked like she might crush it in rage as the call went unanswered. Her face twitched with fury.

That bastard...!

He’s been glued to the Owl all this time, and he didn’t even share this intel?! What the hell is he even doing?

She had suspected something ever since Wooshin first started muttering about “a potential terrorist.” But if he wasn’t going to give her a heads-up at a time like this—what was the point of embedding himself in her life?

Ju Seolheon ground her teeth at the thought.

Their goals were the same, after all. The moment she saw the Owl’s face, she’d instinctively known—it was time to hand over Kim Hyeon.

If only Wooshin had shared his info, she would’ve played her part. Did it really have to go live like this?

“You fucking bastard...!”

The more she thought about it, the more she resented Wooshin’s silence. Stumbling, she pressed a hand to her bleeding forehead. Her ankle was red and swollen—probably a torn ligament.

The girl had thrown her down the stairs without a second thought, endangered civilians, and yet—those eyes had shown not a flicker of hesitation.

Ju Seolheon, now alert again, tried to call once more and glanced upward toward the thuds still echoing above.

Even though she was supposed to be the one in control of this “Owl,” her spine tingled with instinctive dread.

“Driver Park—where are you? Get to the second basement now!”

Her voice was tight with forced calm. Then, calling her division chief, she activated a prearranged emergency protocol.

“These bastards... all of them...”

She passed the tight stairwell and finally spotted the exit door ahead like a tiny beacon. Her shoulders, locked tight with tension, finally slackened.

Even if she wanted Kim Hyeon, she wasn’t going to be dragged away like this. She smirked bitterly and shoved the door open.

The underground parking garage smelled damp, the air thick. She glanced around—there it was, her sedan with its blinker on.

Just as she stepped out—

The driver’s eyes suddenly widened. Before Park could even shout, his neck snapped backward with a crack.

“――!”

Wh-What...!?

She flailed, but a firm grip yanked her by the hair and dragged her back toward the stairwell. SLAM—! The door shut. The handle locked. It all happened in an instant.

Her face drained white. Her heart pounded like it would burst. Ju Seolheon thrashed and gasped—but her strength was useless.

Dragged into the corner, she looked up and saw the Owl’s jaw clench, muscles taut with purpose.

“Just take a nap for now. We’ll have our deep talk after.”

“You...! Ngh...!”

A sharp prick pierced her skin. Something milky and pale surged into her vein—her vision blurred and faded. Bam, bam! Park was pounding on the door from outside, but she couldn’t respond.

“Ma’am! Ma’am—! Are you alright?!”

The doorknob rattled desperately. A voice called in panic. But Seoryeong didn’t flinch. She simply slung the Deputy Director over her shoulder.

Just then—rrriiiing!

The parking garage emergency alarm began blaring. She swore under her breath.

The damn driver must’ve triggered it...

That button would bring hotel security swarming. Seoryeong grimaced and sighed, now effectively trapped.

She bit her lip and looked between the door and the stairs. Things never go perfectly to plan... But there’s always a second route.

Adjusting the limp body on her back, she mentally traced the hotel layout.

Her instructor’s old words came back to her: “If you can walk and walk and keep walking, you’ll always have a way to escape.”

With that, Seoryeong turned and began climbing the stairs again.

“...Hoo...”

Her destination: the 7th floor—guest rooms. Her thighs shook. Her back went numb. At one point, she even considered calling Wooshin. But this—this she had to do herself.

If it was about Kim Hyeon, she wanted to do it with at least this much integrity.

Linen chute... linen chute...

Sweating, panting, she finally reached the guest level and yanked open the STAFF ONLY pantry door.

Inside was a large duct built like a restaurant exhaust system.

The linen chute—a vertical tunnel that sent laundry and towels straight down to the basement laundry room. A long slide chute.

Without a second thought, she shoved the Deputy Director inside.

“――!”

Thunk, thunk. Her body slammed against the aluminum walls. Seoryeong stared down into the black pit with a cold, emotionless gaze.

***

Lee Wooshin received yet another message indicating that the plan had changed. Without hesitation, he turned on his heel and headed straight for the linen chute on the basement level.

Wearing a facilities team vest, a cap, and a face mask, he pulled along a large linen cart.

Something had clearly gone wrong—but as always, she never sent an SOS. The thought made him bite down hard on his lower lip, irritation simmering.

Still, it wasn’t surprising. This wasn’t a wife who needed every little thing handled for her. This was Han Seoryeong—the one who could roll through mud without ever once whining. Somehow, the corners of his mouth itched to twitch upward.

Just then, a red light blinked in his earpiece.

—Team Leader, it’s Wonchang. Can you talk?

“I’m busy. Make it short.”

He was just about to cut off the line entirely when—

—You dumped a whole terabyte of files on me. The least you could do is listen!

“...What?”

—The Owl re-investigation—just finished compiling everything. Do you have any idea how hard it was to analyze, collate, and summarize it all? I swear I’ve lost at least 0.8 points of vision over this... but this much I’m certain of!