I walked the familiar streets toward home, the city's lights smeared like watercolor through my blurred vision.
My chest ached—not from the confrontation outside Jun-seo's studio,
but from something heavier: the inevitable reckoning I could feel closing in around me.
Every step reminded me of what I had sacrificed—what I had hidden.
Mina's laughter, the smell of fresh pancakes, the warmth of home—it felt fragile, unreal, as if it were made of glass.
And I knew, with every fiber of my being, that someone was coming for it.
By the time I reached my apartment building, the small, nondescript lobby was empty.
Too quiet.
Too sterile.
The faint hum of the elevator was the only sound I could hear.
I pressed the button and waited.
And then—my phone vibrated in my pocket.
A text.
From a number I didn't recognize.
"You can't hide anymore. You never could. I've been watching."
My stomach dropped.
A cold, metallic taste filled my mouth.
Not just anyone could know I'd left Jun-seo, that I had a daughter.
Not just anyone could know where I lived.
Not after all these years.
I glanced around, but the lobby was still empty.
The elevators hummed.
The city's usual noise was muted, like the world had been holding its breath for me.
"Who—"
I typed, then deleted.
I didn't know if asking would make things worse.
A reply came almost immediately:
"Don't pretend, Ajin. You know me. You always have. And soon… you'll have no choice but to see me again."
My heart seized.
I knew that name.
I knew that tone.
I knew that cruelty.
It's him.
The man who had haunted my life since the beginning.
The one I had tried to outrun by leaving Jun-seo, by hiding Mina, by manipulating everyone around me to protect what little I had left.
The one I had sworn to never let back into our lives.
And now… he was back.
My fingers trembled as I opened the door to my apartment.
I rushed in, slammed it shut, and locked every bolt I could find.
Mina's soft giggle drifted from the living room. She was playing with her stuffed animals, oblivious to the storm I knew was coming.
I sank onto the floor, pressing my forehead into my hands.
How did he find me?
How long has he been watching?
What does he want?
And then… a second text arrived.
"Don't think Jun-seo will save you this time. This game is mine, Ajin. And I always win."
I froze.
Cold sweat poured down my back.
My chest tightened so hard I could barely breathe.
The man from my past—the one who had driven me to leave Jun-seo, the one who had manipulated and abused me—was here.
Not metaphorically. Not as a memory.
He was alive.
And he wasn't just threatening me.
He was threatening everything I loved.
I looked at Mina, her little hands gripping a plush bear.
Her eyes sparkled with innocence and trust.
I swallowed a sob, trying to steady my shaking body.
I can't let him touch her.
I can't let him take her from me.
And in that moment, a plan formed.
I would fight.
I would manipulate.
I would do whatever it took.
Because if he thought he could hurt me…
or my daughter…
he didn't know Ajin anymore.
And this time…
I wasn't hiding.
But just as I began to breathe again, another message appeared.
"You can run, Ajin. But you can't hide from him."
And in that instant, I realized—
he wasn't talking about himself.
He was talking about Jun-seo.
---
I couldn't breathe.
The second message burned in my mind like acid:
"You can run, Ajin. But you can't hide from him."
Him.
Not a vague threat. Not a ghost from my past.
Jun-seo.
A cold knot twisted in my stomach.
I had protected Jun-seo all these years—kept Mina's existence a secret, kept myself invisible.
And now… this man knew.
Knew everything.
Knew how to hurt me where it would hurt the most.
I sank into the floor, holding Mina's little hand without looking at her.
Her warmth anchored me to reality, but it also made the weight of fear heavier.
I can't let him touch us.
I won't let him.
I took a deep breath and started thinking.
No panic. No hysteria. Just logic.
First: Mina.
She couldn't leave the apartment.
Not until I knew what I was dealing with.
Second: The network.
I wasn't the same Ajin who manipulated her way through society blindly. I had allies—old friends, people who owed me favors, people who hated him as much as I did.
Third: Jun-seo.
I had to warn him… but carefully.
If he knew too soon, it would compromise us. He was strong, yes, but reckless when it came to me or Mina.
I had to stay one step ahead.
I moved quietly, gathering Mina into my arms and carrying her to the small, hidden room I had prepared years ago in the apartment—a room with reinforced locks, hidden cameras, and emergency exits.
I sat on the floor with her, brushing her hair back, forcing a smile I didn't feel.
"Mommy's going to keep us safe," I whispered.
Her little eyes were wide.
"I promise."
I kissed the top of her head, feeling the familiar ache in my chest—an ache for Jun-seo, for the life we could have had, for the family we were trying to protect from shadows.
Then my phone buzzed again.
"Do you remember the last time you tried to play games, Ajin? I never lost. And this time… the stakes are higher. You. Your daughter. Your boyfriend. Your little life of lies… all gone if you slip."
I froze.
"Boyfriend"?
He knows Jun-seo.
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut.
I could feel the panic rising. My pulse was rapid, thoughts scattering like leaves in a storm.
But then, something dark, determined, hardened in me.
If he thought I would run or beg… he was wrong.
If he thought I would let him hurt Mina… he was dead wrong.
I whispered to myself, shaking but resolute:
"I'll fight him. I'll outsmart him. I'll protect my daughter… even if it kills me."
And as I looked into Mina's trusting eyes, a plan began to form—a dangerous, reckless plan.
I would draw him out.
I would expose him.
I would manipulate the shadows against him this time.
And when Jun-seo inevitably got involved…
He wouldn't just be helping me survive.
He would be stepping into a war he had no idea had been waiting for years.
A war I never wanted him to see.
But I had no choice.
Because the first move had already been made.
And the game… had officially begun.
to the distant hum of the city.
Every noise sounded amplified: the elevator, a car outside, a neighbor's distant laughter. Every sound set my nerves on edge.
But it wasn't just fear that coursed through me.
It was guilt.
Regret.
And, unexpectedly… longing.
I thought of Jun-seo.
Of how calm, how patient he had been that day in the studio.
Of the way he hadn't yelled or forced answers—he just… waited.
Even knowing she was his daughter, even knowing I had disappeared.
A pang hit me in the chest.
I had pushed him away for three years. I had made him believe I didn't trust him… and now he was carrying the weight of us both alone.
I kissed Mina's hair and whispered, "Mommy's going to fix this. I promise."
And yet… a part of me wanted to run to him instead.
To lean on him, to let him fight with me, to feel that calm certainty again.
But I couldn't.
Not now.
Not with the threat looming, with a shadow watching our every move.
I opened my laptop and started reviewing old connections—the people who could help, the allies I had hidden away when I vanished.
Maps. Cameras. Escape routes. Safe houses.
I was making a plan. Every step calculated. Every potential betrayal considered.
And then… my phone buzzed again.
A video this time.
It showed Jun-seo.
Alive.
At the studio.
Smiling—holding a pen over his notebook, writing.
Then… the camera angle shifted.
It showed him looking up. His eyes met the camera.
And for a brief, heart-stopping moment, it felt like he was looking directly at me.
A chill ran down my spine.
Not because he was in danger…
But because the person filming knew exactly how much I cared about him.
The screen went black.
Then a message appeared:
"You love him. You always have. That love… will be your weakness."
I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying not to cry.
Trying not to scream.
It was true.
I loved Jun-seo.
I had loved him through the lies, through the distance, through the manipulation and the hiding.
And now… that love was a weapon.
Mina stirred in my arms.
"Mommy?" she asked, sleepy and innocent.
I hugged her tight.
"You're safe, sweetie. Mommy's here."
But deep down, I knew:
No matter how careful I am, he'll find a way to hurt us through that love.
I pressed my forehead to hers, tears escaping despite myself.
"I'll protect him too… even if it kills me," I whispered.
And in that moment, the first twist settled into my chest like ice:
The villain wasn't just threatening my daughter or me.
He was threatening Jun-seo—knowing that my heart would force me into danger, no matter the cost.
I had a plan.
I had a strategy.
I had allies.
But this time, it wasn't just survival.
It was a war against my own heart.
And I didn't know if I could win.