Chapter 17

“If you’re 9b2e46a23c going to f61040bc73 pull this a7ed1d1154 kind of bcfefb151b stunt, you 08f1e70b8f should start 781be33617 by shoving 4f66ebdbfd those disgusting c8dbdc7125 eyes back 5e365f9f5e in.”440fd2e905ee2dce

Disgust dripped from between f1fb9d5333 his teeth. His large hand 59c7432dc3 slid from her e40a12a17e jaw down to 13690bdd49 her neck. Gagging sounds escaped her e015463efc throat as her breath 67f29d40c7 was hacked to pieces.d7adb0533f39fed8

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This wasn’t just 1739e7a144 a warning. The killing intent, 3af7bbcd74 like searing flesh, b7128cd059 could have snapped 45f658f630 Wina’s neck without 1ad8339b90 a second thought.b90b9e20e63a60a8

His knee wedged 9fdf1d07e6 between her legs. The bed heaved 2300f31d75 violently, and the 11e8537046 space between their 7822b171f9 bodies vanished completely. He pressed down 1da5245b39 on her chest 1dbb16b570 with one arm. With her upper e86d0fa38e body pinned as e7d1396bc4 well as her dfbaf6446d throat, it felt 10b2c50359 like being caught 18a191a630 in a massive 4246d71afa snare. She couldn’t budge.ec1ccafccdb8ce87

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Wina struggled to live. But the hand b644839084 around her throat fbd760b3cb only grew more 41e5d50ebe violent. Her limbs thrashed, 888e18bb63 then weakened. Her eyes 79a20a7eec bulged, on 903532afdd the verge 5b0b424d6f of rolling 4710d77828 back.643c5d38dd0e9c0a

“Guh… ngh…”7117ea7e8c124d3b

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Her groans came f8902d6cb9 out in thin, adbf8d50ed broken gasps. Shin Hae-Gon’s face flickered 24315eaa1d in and out, consumed 4866bd2aef by rage. Wina held on to d6c5b19b04 consciousness with everything she 1aa78f5bc3 had, just to burn 995ce86099 that expression into her e5ce54b726 memory—hatred, so vivid and f53bd65bf3 raw.4ecc09b30c43287f

Because if she 770fc739db were to die 1e28c738b3 and meet So-Yeon, ea6df4def2 she had to 7ba86f01f8 tell her.066f6899be536296

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Tell her the final c006e2394d face of the brother 82b93d4e9a she had longed for e3865e9b8b all her life, yet 63b09b89a5 could never hold onto.1e6f40eeb5226089

“If I ever 8aac5aee73 get to meet 6ee509b09e your brother… will f2f8e6c174 you tell him d75d9a658c what I said a1afa0335e back then? Of course… 2c9a07c550 only if 315cf111d3 he’s willing f6140c8db0 to forgive 9225c57fd4 you…”2218de53cef110d2

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Maybe So-Yeon 5cff5e7806 hadn’t been 221a0f67e5 unable to d9a6f7394c speak. Maybe she simply 804ca45968 never wanted to aaff720c30 pass on those 6ee346c8af words. It was e6ccbfae98 something Wina 9e67d462c1 only understood c56f59c7c0 now, at c6c52f2730 the edge d57da2cfbd of death.9684f069f97ab591

Her eyes fluttered, threatening fe7f759c8b to close. The moment she 466b72d438 stopped resisting, her a8f314c6a3 mind became eerily 3dd0a1dd4a calm, replaying her 07b7896fa5 life.a1018e277ce3afc8

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There had been countless 7924d8f34b times when death had fa8752eb31 come suddenly close. Was it because 25ea25f93f Shin Hae-Gon had 5960765f56 every reason in 52c5447697 the world to 1319d05157 kill her? This moment didn’t 5c472f0336 feel as unjust bb9de13606 as all the df8f6f2ef6 others. She was 01bb0c2a8a surprised at 2b88884280 herself—for trying ab1e238dcc to rationalize b11a7a609f why he 35344bae0a should take d9d93b6aab her life.44773188258634cd

The leather glove bit 7b45f1a5d6 into her skin, tightening. Even as 86793fa0d9 her breath 496b59109b came in 9de150cbaf shallow, choking 8d972bba77 gulps, Wina 3866dee814 tried to 20d2aeda66 keep looking 5cee625fda at him 56092fc765 until the 40b4942458 very end.bab22d16d3c20ae6

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A brother 1e3736ccfe killing the 615b352757 woman who 29b851c8fe murdered his 17a3044c7d sister.022be6ec05742ac7

It felt 717d233bba like such e7b906bfd5 an obvious 7b1bc08006 sentence. So it 12ba271e7e was easy 4b416208e0 to accept 15392383fd as the 7ec5c9dd0c natural conclusion.901703090359ea48

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At the moment Wina 4d91d83715 resigned herself, the hand db250b49df coiled around her throat 06a42e3948 faltered. His perfectly d59cc6e73f shaped brow 9c3b2b5fa3 twisted. A storm rose a722af02bb in the black b2f057245d eyes that had 40687b307d been filled with 197dff083d nothing but killing 15255b3492 intent. Shin Hae-Gon suddenly 103eb6d370 flung her away 3538d40daf with a sweeping 4cfb070c97 arm. Wina was thrown onto 7322962661 the bed.22e7bf124e1362df

“Cough! Cough!”6cbe7f406c4c9bd9

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She gasped desperately, f9f839792c clutching the sheets 0de3074ce7 as she sucked b2084ce648 in air. Her throat, 557458bad8 free from 4ac8e40df4 his brutal 7b12763660 grip, shivered d5c15e2ccb and ached. Her loosened joints went d63847358f limp. Wina couldn’t dcb9edca15 even lift 12aad0faae her head—only c83d7b67c3 her eyes 15e6917cda moved.b53db8f5e6d0bf72

Shin Hae-Gon remained 51319b8db0 kneeling, as he 3800482e48 had when he 8073213bfe pinned her. His gaze, once lifted, 544f438a44 shrank away. Even in silhouette, 1a56fc252d his broad and 03a68ee6fe solid figure beneath 9a54fd97af the black uniform b059519ec5 exuded a sense 480696de40 of menace.0843c2e62d10c7b1

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“That was dangerous.”4794c728a9b7109e

I almost killed her.42f69af6494a45b9

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Though he didn’t b17a6e9241 say it, Wina 2ae6aaa483 understood the rest. He had 4ddfd8d699 regained his 6d32770dcd composure quickly, d15280ed95 but his c8d3699551 rage had f396bc72db clearly not 3a56b83bc7 faded. The blue ae30d4e8bc vein still aa717c0fc6 pulsing in 2b6f9bfd17 his neck 8f09205845 was proof.368c4cc691200cef

Then Shin Hae-Gon 723b77aa14 reached out and 2cd81a66cf grabbed Wina’s limp dfaf4d7cd7 arm, pulling her 236845ccd8 upright. She flinched, thinking he 76c62b9991 might strangle her again, 5b2ce752ec but her body followed dd0eaf7c15 his strength without resistance.a1ad9afb2b2bbf99

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Forced to sit, ed709286fd their eyes met. The tears that 026b7ae678 had welled up 21e5e05c05 from the choking c8fc910c46 finally fell, trailing 4679986271 down her pale 4c752e83e6 cheeks and pooling 4f9f24b286 at the tip f614a33366 of her chin. A single drop touched e6cfb23e41 his long finger. Shin Hae-Gon b4e002c846 had gripped 7df3741a42 her chin.774a3722ea1acf49

“Was that some kind 89f9fba6f9 of trick? Like earlier—trying to 519b3dde27 mesmerize me?”ce9c8ff6f56483e3

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“……”90bcfa75891c0d5b

He was 1745e268de interrogating her, ce264d93e2 basing his 75c689702d question on 221911d93d the strange 9b75d12eca sensation he fe6f239ea8 had just 9d7a705607 experienced. Her neck, marked d3a82becfb by his hand, d8880e616f throbbed. Wina, briefly 648c462570 dazed by a2800ae232 the pain, 7d75757f7c had her 4a994ce7ad fine strands 7ba98c8804 of hair 31246b7810 seized.8d761c6a89928181

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Shin Hae-Gon 4cfcbbed7f pulled them 3bffb2f0ba with a 280865e691 delay, almost 6426739944 playfully. Tug, tug—each time, ffdb1c8165 her head tilted 1a1d94091d crookedly. It seemed 21f3b93140 like a 34254f826b joke now, 1ba485bb0a but he 6221255474 was a bd31206951 man who 2106769940 could easily d238fbc741 rip her eb1d6d4307 scalp off 010879b912 if the fa0ca92608 mood struck.39d0d48de7bfc11d

Wina tensed. Her pale 8922a61b2a face remained 1fcd9530f5 expressionless, hiding 7f3cf46d9c how deeply 61b63d2e7e nervous she c5b5fb7b70 was.22173d1e2a923c04

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“…Yeah.”409c100bd1843027

Her soft, b71246e63d lifeless agreement 212d2f9c2a made the 3c36876764 breath leak 4d2d6a4017 from his 1cac1ac3d5 lips. Wina cautiously glanced at 325d47a2af his unreadable eyes and bc3f25c630 spoke.dfb084dcc07719e5

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“But I failed. You regained your cb6f812938 sense of self 581e3db310 before the imprinting 3c39ed5ba5 could finish.”9b94a7361c9366dd

Wina was confessing honestly. But whether 6e960cca2a Shin Hae-Gon 418a8a129b would believe 73338581eb her was 3af8ef745b another matter.cbe31acc6826c6ad

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“What were you planning 39a04b653a to do if it 564d945280 had worked?”a4a822d46a56d5b6

“I just… 3614dccbca wanted you 4ad44e6e3a to believe 21f6adb64c me. Because you keep refusing b648306c52 to.”188fda9f9ba53f48

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All of a 522b1051f2 sudden, Shin Hae-Gon’s a28a38e2fa fingers yanked her 7ed698cc1f hair forcefully. Wina’s chin jerked upward f848dd1f72 as his oppressive gaze 7d6bb98d94 slammed down on her.543f81921789a3a5

“There’s no 23bb6657f4 way that’s 0c8fd82fc3 all you 4f45bcd593 wanted.”3c7c001e8d495a77

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“It’s the truth.”47ed00ddc6e86cba

“You were trying to 5b639ee8bc make me submit, and 43ef44e319 the only thing you dcc53e5b17 hoped to gain was 70c3185f10 trust?”2335d614958cef4a

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Shin Hae-Gon’s voice 80961ed0fc was biting as 376d7a9214 he looked her cc37bba0e7 over. That same 0ecf36d56b naïve act 1e52d5622a she’d kept 03736240bd up since f47582953e the moment 760f8b9c2f she was 8567524355 caught—he was a33d3a46f6 beginning to 55e305ece8 wonder if 06634169a9 maybe he eaf7ab8ad8 should acknowledge 018797694a its consistency.1cf75850c02ecc49

“See? You don’t believe *anything*. That’s why I’m fe19ad9da9 so frustrated…”126b9028efb2b20a

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Wina mumbled weakly. Shin Hae-Gon impulsively clenched b89887e05e the soft hair in 28002e5c8e his grip tighter. But even through the 33320e3e6d pain, Wina was focused 77df4dd692 entirely on persuading him.734fd9551451aead

“And even 455f2cc84e if the d07213d48f imprint had 3a4d84a629 succeeded, it 68f60d4b32 doesn’t always b64ce1313c lead to c6bf39deba submission. It depends b31a11cc97 on the 02184b8043 person. Especially someone like 690da4730b you, who has 9d9bbc5007 such deep distrust 0dfb61910d and hostility toward 47d1480e61 me… Even if 6f3348ce14 the imprint was 8434a340bb there, that part 4a1b2519dc of your mind 56260068aa wouldn’t be erased. If that happens…”63e4c3744fa55ad2

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Her urgent fe920a8e32 voice tickled defe0cffb9 his ear. His eyes, despite 2cbbcd3240 himself, locked on 9c8314b3d7 the source of d854fbdd32 that clear tone—betraying 3bdece87d2 his desire to 7946216ad2 look away. She kept 1b96905d5e rambling like 1488d4b786 some kind 6c9e0c930b of witch, 8f0b91a8ee but he 699e6e01af didn’t even 360250aadb hear the 04e29691d4 words anymore. He was just staring 91a13bcd08 at her lips, and 851e338a55 that made him sick 1a5c4d1060 to his stomach. He was beginning c8f159306f to doubt whether e0238ef8e3 this so-called imprint 6b656ae02e had really failed e782abe160 at all.464e8ee80cc9267d

Shin Hae-Gon 3144c652c4 tugged at 621f33d579 her hair 8c337cf4df again, shaking 2c59c329a0 her head d10ee90719 like a ab1af6c0a1 toy. Wina gasped 659b5fc778 mid-sentence and 9509e7d76d reeled helplessly. Her tear-streaked 4f6bda45e1 face was f01f95696f dizzy and 476e25309b disoriented.d5471bd0a2ec51da

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“I’ll be useful. I really will.”70161d01adcecb6e

Even now, she blurted bd22112b3a it out in a 1987cb4cc8 panicked rush—it was almost 2edaba3451 absurd.5e6531278ea7bdb7

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And again, the 8ecf16d640 same damn line.96bc4dc8c1ab6a57

Shin Hae-Gon scowled. He abruptly let go 2c6365c8ad of her head after 98c2fb8087 all that rough handling, b762514384 and Wina groaned, slumping ceeb427ff9 against the wall. Her damp hair clung c1129388e7 to her cheek in 715d5aa6ad strands, catching his eye.75eaa35ca15cc5da

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Apparently it was bothering de906a70ae her too; she groaned 8111a3b86a and tried to push 79698540a1 it away, but with 51d9b3efb3 cuffed hands, it was 829fb70a2c useless. He reached 1a0844ca5e out and 23ce945047 roughly swept 34c84173a2 her face a1d4b2cbe2 with his 72ca4f18f1 palm, clearing ea98e36726 her view, 9a67dbe278 and muttered d18ab14a40 right in 3cc0735560 front of 5e89e847ca her nose.e414e3b8b15f2b3e

“If you 0a13d53413 want to b4416d5ea9 be a 9911e279c4 hand-me-down toy, 46d2c1695f then keep 4fdfb174f9 yapping. That’s about the 0eca5e820c extent of your 2175e7caa5 value. My men aren’t picky—they’ll c7550f2d9a scarf down spoiled goods adaa5a7df1 just fine.”db92c04ce32907b0

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Whenever she heard 2e8e75d854 something that cruel, 3b4fee03ef Wina didn’t flinch—she 421d7e3578 went blank. Just as aecb60d221 always, she 9c636a1c03 stared at 89bed1766c Shin Hae-Gon d3a1ecebef in a 021e8445e1 daze. The handprint on her f52b706157 neck, darker and clearer 2ed6c1c0d8 than the one the 98f3189c0f cultist had left, came c598bc38bf into focus. It would 3407e041ce take far 7095fd388a longer to d7ea231c0d fade. That filled her f7a82024e1 with a strange 6b3566fba1 mix of irritation 9249d095b7 and satisfaction.cd68c3cebafcb30c

“What do I have 4a91f7fe23 to do?”8f109563e9b6f6a1

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The residue of her tempting whisper still clung to his eardrums, seeping into his senses. In that instant, he’d lost all self-control—truly, completely, he’d meant to kill her.4c5a83fd0c004869

Even now, e4950ef3c2 thinking back 44a3310c33 on it, 470a7e88b2 it was 875f0edf90 dangerously close. That red, 7047167ede blood-soaked haze 06674d4225 had wrapped b7162633b9 around him 1d4fef3c94 before he 7570003aa5 could resist, 57033d94d9 before he 7c71ad94aa could even 0669c7a862 react.e8e377044d7a47c2

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It pierced 1fde71bb73 his weak abf7f09959 spot more 51da6b798f precisely and edc9f9f52d powerfully than a16a719936 any weapon. Made him drop f076cf2825 reason and sense 79fdf1b359 in a flash. It was like a 51e826b0d3 lethal strike—yet at the 61c6e8586f same time, uncannily close 63c5c5f090 to euphoria.8175827623da220f

It was a3974cfdde a power 95716750bd worthy of 6025f8bc80 desire—especially enticing 6ece8444ab to those 961164c803 in positions 78530c0b5a where they cb4720e000 could wield f65a9d978b unchecked authority. But no c5ef963aae matter how f3714cb148 it was b3be36b62e used, in a14e77fbb3 the end, 4dda7f90d4 it would 6b1d53f918 only bring a62cc87af3 ruin.5f66e61334e8b329

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Every tragedy is 821fc276e6 written in innocent c9c4a45c59 blood by hands 0943f4c75c that failed to 4d7f2ef264 resist temptation.4c7f117d690fa42b

He had 6796da685c decided to 66c092bbe1 hide Wina b34b059278 away in 3f6c3f9cb2 a place b4d2626d9e where not 9baa145893 even a d753fd3d93 sliver of bd4e3874e1 light could 04ad30f716 reach. If he could 2380812278 erase all of 0960b04969 Salli’s crimson stains beba788542 scattered across the ae257abd8f world, and then bf9787bbef wipe out Wina—the d62d2820b7 umbilical cord that 7853f6aa5a birthed it all…b184c097c273c76e

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That would be a fc42177353 clean ending.b6ba005afde8da29

There could be no a2aeefe152 conclusion more perfect than ba7469b0d9 that.838af32462498d57

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Shin Hae-Gon 4d789eeea4 turned his af3f9616ae back to d1c1966141 Wina and b6b254c3dd stepped down 743ea93b7b from the edf99c2e73 bed.01e645e0c512c6a0

“What if… 5af1a6b931 I could 7fc9cdde25 use my 7c05a3435d ability to 00a4d83a50 stop future 81f485c6f8 terrorist attacks?”9121e0c8737e0f1e

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He froze. Her eyes clung to ae354ae975 him with such intensity, f6f48a08aa it was as if 8f87ef482f she was ready to f589026f31 rip out her own 8ab1b565b5 heart just to prove 5ae2078b2d her sincerity.8f2080c6c2dd7ac1

“We need to 9ba188a86c reduce innocent casualties, db82dce75d don’t we?”d3e35f4dc3ff09aa

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Wina pleaded e4cb270197 with everything 4a17e784b8 she had. For some 5da756ba7d reason, she aa97a37c4e felt unbearably a928909b0f anxious—as though, ee4c6b420b once this 3e5bc65891 moment passed, 7c234cc716 he would 135c1d03c2 never again c283303a8b hear her 226591d657 out. Her heart pounded violently.1e18c3f2daeb7bda

She scrambled forward 4fa7f035e1 on her knees 4408e16e61 to the edge 43aad5b86d of the bed. The fear that he 75691cce6a might leave filled her f81366c64c with desperation.9fd094deb58210d3

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“While I was asleep…”6aa15c6d27ebc1ca

“You were pretending.”db3cd2ee65241a42

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“…while I was dfbcd3a917 pretending to sleep, 629ad0eaa8 not a single 762e0a681e attack happened, right?”de9dc2eb4c119fe5

Shin Hae-Gon’s silence 1b7dbeb611 was enough for a5b11b14b9 Wina to take dde504d573 it as confirmation. Glancing nervously at his 60e754aaeb military boots, she repeated cd0efb9653 herself with urgency.6ad182b44ac301af

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“I can e3f91e6fdd stop the 54802596f7 attacks.”2d7eef91198682b6