And yet…
As she looked at him now, something she had buried deep within her chest stirred dangerously close to the surface.
The way he stood amid armed men without flinching.
The unspoken authority that radiated from him.
The cold composure that made everyone else seem smaller by comparison.
Her admiration, long suppressed and forcibly denied, surged like a tide threatening to break its dam, reminding her again why he had always been impossible to forget.
Bryce's expression did not change. If anything, he looked entertained, as though the gun aimed at his forehead were nothing more than an interesting accessory to the evening.
"Who made you angry?" he asked lightly. "Or did you finally realize that the woman you threw away is the one you actually like, and now you're upset that she's mine?"
Behind the door, Calin's heart lurched. Her breath turned shallow.
She did not know whether to remain hidden or rush forward before something irreversible happened.
If she stayed silent and blood was spilled, she would never forgive herself. She squeezed her eyes shut, forced courage into her trembling limbs, and ran out.
She stopped just behind Bryce, her face pale, fingers gripping the back of his sleeve.
"Brother Bryce, Brother Shin," she said, her voice tight but steady enough. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but maybe you can talk it out. There's no need to be so hostile."
Bryce did not glance back at her. "Are you afraid I'll harm him?"
Calin shook her head, though her pleading gaze had already shifted past Bryce and locked onto Shin yet he didn't return her gaze.
"If that's the case," Bryce continued in a playful tone, "then go back inside and finish your dinner."
Calin bit her lip, torn and visibly distressed.
"If there's a misunderstanding, it would be better to discuss it first," she insisted softly. "Considering you were once… siblings. Right?"
"Siblings?" Bryce repeated.
He suddenly doubled over with laughter. The sound rang sharp and jarring against the tense silence of the night.
After a moment, he straightened, still smiling, but his eyes had turned dark as ink, staring directly at Shin, "I wonder if you think the same."
Shin's voice came out cold and flat.
"Done showing off? I don't care if you come after me. But you shouldn't have dragged my fiancée into this just because you're a coward who prefers lurking in the dark."
The word fiancée hit Calin harder than any insult.
For a brief, foolish second earlier, she had wondered if Bryce's taunt carried some truth.
Now that fragile spark of hope was extinguished completely.
"Instigating someone who just lost her son and husband," Shin continued evenly, "creative, but unimpressive."
Bryce's smile faded by a fraction.
So Shin had found out about Madam Nafplion.
After that old hag was convicted and sent to a psychiatric ward for life, Bryce had inquired of her current situation.
She had already lost her mind entirely, muttering endlessly about a zombie apocalypse, about her dead husband and son clawing their way back to devour her.
Even under heavy medication, she shrieked at shadows and screamed for people to stop howling, claiming vengeful souls would crawl out from the gates of hell.
Pathetic.
Couldn't even complete a simple task like ruining Yeri Zhi.
Moreover, he had used mercenaries, and as for his people, even if they were caught, they would not speak.
At least, that was what he had believed.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Bryce said calmly. "If some grieving lunatic decided to act on her own madness, is that my responsibility now?"
Shin's patience snapped without warning.
Before Bryce could finish his mocking smile, Shin drove his foot forward, sending him flying backward, straight into Calin.
She screamed as his full weight crashed into her. It felt as if a boulder had slammed into her fragile frame.
They both hit the ground hard, but Calin's ankle twisted at an unnatural angle beneath her.
That single kick shattered the fragile restraint holding both sides together.
No one knew who fired first. Perhaps a nervous finger or a deliberate shot. But once the first gunshot cracked through the air, the rest followed in a violent chorus.
Carnage descended.
Shin moved swiftly, ducking behind one of the black cars as bullets tore through the air.
Sparks flew from metal. Glass shattered. Men shouted over the thunder of gunfire.
"All this for a woman?" he called out toward Shin's direction. "You've really changed!"
Bryce's men rushed forward, dragging him up while pulling Calin away from the open yard.
Inside the villa, the doors were slammed shut as gunfire echoed outside like distant explosions.
Calin sat on the floor near the entrance, trembling violently. Her elegant composure had completely fallen apart.
"Bryce… I think I hurt my ankle," she sobbed, clutching it.
Bryce barely glanced at her.
"Take her upstairs," he ordered one of his men.
"Police! We should call the police!" she shouted, panic overtaking reason.
But the thought struck her just as quickly.
If the authorities came, Shin would be implicated.
She shut her mouth and continued crying instead, torn between fear and something far more complicated.
Bryce, meanwhile, strode calmly toward his study.
Police?
They could all drop dead and the police were spectators at best.
His assistant hurried beside him. "I've already called for backup," he reported. "Should we also ask for assistance from the Songs?"
Bryce let out a short chuckle as he opened a briefcase inside his study and retrieved a gun.
"My younger brother just came to play," he said lightly. "Don't take it too seriously."
If Shin had truly intended to kill him outright, he would have done it the moment he pointed that gun at his forehead.
And calling the Song family over a clash like this would send the wrong message. It would make him appear incapable, a burden rather than an equal ally.
The assistant nodded quickly. "Understood. My apologies."
The study door clicked shut.
From the darker corner near the bookshelf, a shadow shifted.
Bryce's eyes narrowed instantly. His grip tightened on the gun. His gaze flicked toward the balcony door but it was closed.
Shin stepped forward from the dim corner, calm as ever.
Bryce slowly raised both hands in exaggerated surrender, a mocking smile forming.
"You've got talent in burglary," he remarked. "I'm honestly impressed. What exactly do you want?"
Shin did not answer and Bryce understood.
The next second, the study erupted into violence.
The sharp thud of fists against flesh echoed through the room.
Outside, Rig crouched behind a car, calmly checking his gun magazine.
"Where's the boss?" Pablo asked over the gunfire.
Rig shook his head. "Inside."
Their job was simple: distract the others.
From the far corner of the villa grounds, a scream pierced through the noise.
Rig and Pablo turned just in time to see Loki.
He looked less like a man and more like a starving wolf unleashed.
He often preferred fists over bullets, grabbing one person and slamming him against the wall before striking again and again, relentless and savage.
---
Bryce had spent most of his life overseas, moving through the underworld with ease.
He had fought, negotiated, bribed, and built alliances with men who had no morals and fewer limits.
Though he was no longer a Keir, the steady stream of money he received had allowed him to establish his own organization.
Yet as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and leaned against the cracked wall, breathing hard, disbelief flickered in his eyes.
Shin Keir, in his mind, had lived comfortably as a CEO, protected and respected, seated behind polished desks rather than crawling through darkness.
Why is he losing?
Bryce coughed lightly and smirked through the pain. "Vented enough?"
Shin stood a few steps away, one side of his face swallowed by shadow.
Of course, he could have killed Bryce easily.
As a demon, it would take him less than a second.
But why should he grant a mere mortal the honor of such a death?
"You were the one behind Hadi, and that stray dog, Rogue." His voice was steady, untouched by fatigue. "Come to think of it, it wasn't fair for Hadi to be beaten alone."
Bryce's pupils tightened slightly.
Hadi… that idiot. Had he talked?
But Rogue was different. Rogue was dead and the deal between them should have been buried with his corpse.
Shin noticed the flicker of confusion that Bryce failed to hide.
A faint, almost cruel curve touched Shin's lips.
"Do you believe I can talk to the dead?" he asked quietly.
Bryce "..."
A rapid knock pounded against the study door. Someone outside clearly realized something was wrong.
Before Bryce could even gather himself to speak, Shin delivered another round of beating.
After all, he had no need for money or any other form of compensation.
Yeri had endured a vicious beating from Madam Nafplion and nearly died at Rogue's hands.
Naturally, Shin had to return that suffering to Bryce and make him understand that his return to the country posed no threat.
He knew someone like Bryce most likely believed the world revolved around him, that his plans were flawless, that he always held the upper hand.
A man like that already carried himself with the mindset of a sovereign.
Even now, Bryce had probably never imagined losing to him in a fight.
Beating Bryce might seem like crude and even primitive, but Shin understood it was never about the physical pain.
What lingers is the realization.
Nothing is more tormenting than realizing that years of experienced and careful plotting, years of resentment, years spent believing himself superior are still not enough and that he, Shin Keir, remains untouchable.