POV: Male Lead ( Min-jae)
Min-jae's fists clenched as he took a step toward Tae-sung.
"You were working for my father this whole time?" His voice was low, dangerous.
Tae-sung tilted his head, his smirk never faltering. "You make it sound so dramatic. I prefer the term… looking out for my own interests."
Ha-neul's eyes burned with betrayal. "I trusted you, Tae-sung. I thought you were my friend."
Tae-sung sighed, shaking his head. "That's the thing about trust, Ha-neul. It's so easy to give… and even easier to break."
Min-jae had heard enough.
"Why?" he demanded. "What did he promise you?"
Tae-sung's smirk faded.
For the first time, there was something else in his eyes. Pain.
He exhaled. "It's not about money or power, Min-jae. It's about family."
Min-jae frowned. "What?"
Tae-sung ran a hand through his hair. "You're not the only one with a complicated past. My mother… she needed an expensive surgery years ago. Your father paid for it. But in return, I owed him."
Ha-neul's breath caught.
Min-jae understood immediately.
His father never did anything out of kindness. He bought people. He owned them.
Tae-sung's voice was tight. "I thought if I did what he wanted, I could finally be free. But that's not how it works, is it?"
Min-jae's jaw tightened. "No. It's not."
Tae-sung let out a bitter laugh. "And now, I'm in too deep."
Ha-neul took a cautious step forward. "You can still walk away, Tae-sung. You don't have to do this."
He looked at her, something unreadable in his expression.
Then he exhaled.
"It's too late for that."
And before Min-jae could react, Tae-sung pulled a gun from his coat—
And aimed it directly at Ha-neul.
---
POV: Female Lead (Ha-neul)
Everything slowed down.
Tae-sung's hand was steady. His face was unreadable.
Ha-neul's heart pounded.
She had trusted him.
And now, he was standing in front of her, finger on the trigger.
Min-jae moved before she could react, stepping between her and the gun.
"Put it down," Min-jae said, his voice calm but firm.
Tae-sung didn't move.
His hand didn't shake.
"You don't understand," Tae-sung said quietly. "If I don't do this… he'll destroy everything."
Min-jae's eyes darkened. "Who? My father?"
Tae-sung hesitated.
Then, in a low voice, he said:
"Not just him. Someone worse."
A chill ran down Ha-neul's spine.
Someone worse than Min-jae's father?
Min-jae's jaw tightened. "Who is it, Tae-sung?"
Tae-sung's expression was torn. "I can't say. But trust me, Min-jae, you don't want to go down this path."
Ha-neul took a deep breath. "Then help us."
Tae-sung let out a bitter laugh. "You think it's that simple?"
Min-jae didn't hesitate. "Yes."
For the first time, Tae-sung wavered.
His grip on the gun loosened.
For a second, Ha-neul thought he might actually lower it—
But then, a loud bang echoed through the room.
A gunshot.
Ha-neul gasped.
Min-jae's body jerked slightly—
And Tae-sung collapsed to the ground, clutching his side.
Blood pooled beneath him.
Ha-neul's head snapped toward the doorway—
Where a man stood, holding a smoking gun.
Min-jae froze. His entire body went rigid.
Because he recognized the man.
His father.
Kang Dae-hyun smiled coldly.
"Enough playing games, son. It's time to end this."
---