Nayeon had been waiting the entire day for this very moment—the moment Yu finally left the mansion. Ever since the day she managed to escape by lying that she wanted to attend a cosplay festival outside… which, to be fair, she actually did look forward to. She just never expected to run into Duyen and Shana right then and there. Yu showed up in time, subdued her, and when Nayeon woke up, she was already back in the mansion.
Yu never treated her badly. She didn't lock her up like some wild animal, and even took decent care of her. But Nayeon was certain there was something more behind all this. Why did Yu want her to stay away from Duyên? What exactly did "it's not the right time yet" even mean?
Nayeon couldn't stand staying trapped in this room any longer, and she was in no mood to play any of the silly games Yu had provided. She approached the door and tried the handle. Just as she expected—it was locked. She let out a sigh, then reached into her pocket and pulled out two hairpins.
Back when Nayeon was younger, she had been a mischievous, curious girl. Because of her cute face, the only kids who would hang out with her were boys, and from them, she picked up all kinds of tricks and sneaky skills. Duyen was the first real female friend Nayeon ever had. After she started hanging out with Duyen, the boys' attitudes changed—they didn't like it. That was when Nayeon realized they had never seen her as a friend, just a potential mate. Duyen was the only one who be with her without expecting anything.
Lost in those childhood memories, Nayeon eventually unlocked the door. She quietly stepped into the hallway of the mansion. It was an open space looking down toward the living room below—where eight of Yu's henchmen were lounging on the couch, chatting and watching a movie. All of them were armed. Yu had arranged her people meticulously. If Nayeon wanted to get out, she might as well sprout wings and fly.
Frustrated, she walked down the hallway and noticed a red door at the far end. She remembered Yu strictly forbidding anyone from entering that room for some unknown reason. Most likely locked as well. But driven by boredom and curiosity, Nayeon decided to check it out anyway. Maybe there was a clue in there—something that could help her understand what was really going on.
With a few swift moves, she picked the lock and opened the door.
What she saw made her freeze.
She immediately covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
It was a bizarre room lit by dim red neon lights, casting an eerie atmosphere. Strange objects were scattered everywhere: a Japanese-style altar, a painting of a sun-like symbol, and traditional Japanese ink drawings still fresh on the tatami floor—as if someone had painted them not long ago. Did Yu draw all of this herself? Under the weak lighting, Nayeon couldn't make out the details.
But that wasn't the worst part.
What truly sent chills down her spine were the walls—covered entirely with photos of her. Selfies she remembered… and some photos she had no idea even existed.
"What the hell… How does she even have these…?"
Suddenly, laughter from the men downstairs echoed faintly. Startled, Nayeon quickly closed the door. She needed to calm down before examining this room further.
Once her breathing steadied, she looked again at the photos. She finally noticed—they were all pictures of her from five or six years ago. Back when she was still a cute, bubbly girl in Yelsulin University—flushed cheeks, carefree smile and all. She felt her face heat up. She had to admit, she looked pretty damn good back then.
But why did Yu have these?
Nayeon didn't remember meeting anyone like Yu before. If she had, she would've remembered, right?
Distracted, she accidentally pressed down on a keyboard left on the desk. A screen suddenly lit up, playing a video—making her jump in panic. She rushed to turn down the volume… and then froze completely at the sound of her own voice.
It was her—or more specifically, her from five years ago.
On screen, Nayeon was dressed like a pastel e-girl, hair styled cutely, makeup bright and sweet. She was streaming in a pink-themed bedroom full of plushies. Live chat messages popped up rapidly, and donations were constantly flooding in.
Nayeon was speechless.
Why… why was this here?
Years ago, she used to be a social media gamer girl. It was just for fun at first, though she became quite popular. But later, she deleted her account to focus on study—even though the side job brought in good money.
Being surrounded by her past self like this made Nayeon feel overwhelmingly embarrassed.
Wait… Yu. Could she have been… a stalker fan?
The thought made her skin crawl.
She hurriedly paused the video.
After fumbling around for a bit, she found a notebook on the desk. She remembered Yu had a habit of journaling everything. Maybe this was hers.
As soon as she opened the first page, her excitement died instantly.
[Why does Nayeon act like this? It's so weird. Is that an ADHD symptom or something?]
"That little—" Nayeon muttered under her breath. "She locked me in here for no reason and even writes crap like this?"
Flipping through more pages, she saw another heading: [Guide to talking to confusing people.]
"...Does she think I'm some schizophrenic patient or something!?"
As she grumbled, her foot tangled in a cable on the floor, causing her to fall forward painfully.
"Seriously?! She's this rich and couldn't install proper lighting or organize a damn room!?"
At that moment, her chest lit up—not her chest exactly, but the pendant she wore.
Before she could even react, the pendant lifted itself and floated toward a certain painting on the wall. The light revealed a full image under the sun symbol.
Nayeon gasped. "No way…"
The painting depicted a woman standing atop a stone pedestal with a radiant halo behind her. Below her… was a strange red fox with nine tails, baring its teeth menacingly.
It didn't take Nayeon long to figure out who that fox was meant to represent.
But that woman…
Who was she?
---
Shana stepped out of the garage elevator and made her way up to her penthouse. Walking through the hallway, she was practically glowing as she chatted on the phone with her secretary.
"Secretary Oh, what about those two plane tickets I asked you to book yesterday?" she asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"I've already found flights to Hokkaido, Japan," Secretary Oh replied. "But it'll be really cold around that time of year. Is you planning to travel with Ms. Duyen?"
Shana nodded, unable to hide the happiness lighting up her face at the mention of Duyen.
"A few days ago, I asked her if she had ever seen snow before, and she said no. So I want to surprise her. But she's been a bit sick lately, so there's no rush. Book the tickets for mid-November."
"Yes, President."
Shana ended the call, looking satisfied. But just as she walked cheerfully down the hall, she suddenly caught a strange scent in the air—something that made her frown like her sacred territory had just been violated.
And she wasn't wrong.
Standing right in front of the penthouse door was Mina—dressed head to toe in an elegant black outfit, complete with sunglasses and a designer handbag. Stylish, yes. But her current behavior? Not elegant at all. Mina was just hovering suspiciously near the penthouse entrance, glancing around like she didn't belong there.
Shana let out a cold, mocking laugh. Unbelievable, she thought, stepping forward with a sarcastic drawl in her voice.
"Well, well. Look who it is—the newly appointed CEO of SCJ Corporation. You came all the way here without even letting me know? Sneaking around like this… for a second, I almost thought a thief broke in, and I was about to call the cops."
Hearing Shana's voice, Mina clenched her jaw slightly. Hatred flashed across her eyes, but she kept her posture graceful as she responded.
"So it's the president of OPA Group. What a coincidence."
"Coincidence?" Shana burst into laughter. "Don't assume I don't know you put a GPS tracker on my Duyen. You really think you can say that with a straight face?"
Mina didn't flinch. Being exposed didn't bother her—she had never intended to hide it for long anyway. She casually removed her sunglasses, fixing Shana with an icy glare.
"So you already knew. Then why haven't you moved out?"
Shana shrugged. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous the housing market is right now? Blocking you once doesn't mean I can block you forever. But I'll admit—I'm impressed. Still not giving up, are you?"
Mina's eyes hardened at Shana's taunt. Shana chuckled again, stepping closer, her gaze sultry yet sharp as a blade.
"It's been a while, hasn't it? Since the fire? You've changed a lot. The way you're staring at me is kinda terrifying now~. But tell me something, Mina… Are you sure you've actually changed? Or are you just confident that the moment you show up, Duyen will fall back into your arms like before?"
Mina smirked confidently.
"Isn't it obvious? From beginning to end, the only one Duyen ever truly loved was me. Whether it's you or that other girl—you can't change that."
Shana laughed as if Mina had just told the world's most ridiculous joke.
"Wow! Cocky as always. Oh wait—that is just your nature, isn't it?"
Her face moved dangerously close to Mina's as she spoke in a sweet yet threatening tone.
"Do you know what your lesson should be? The world doesn't revolve around you. Acting however you please without caring about anyone else… no wonder your poor husband ended up like that."
Mina's expression instantly shifted. She glared daggers at Shana.
"Don't you dare mention him here."
Shana smirked, knowing she had hit a nerve.
"Feeling guilty? Still pretending you're not married? Sure, keep doing that. I'll enjoy watching how long you can swim in that oversized ego of yours…"
The air between them crackled like a battlefield—their eyes exchanging a deadly, dangerous signal, as if both were just waiting for the perfect moment to tear each other apart. Each one had enough verbal weapons to cut the other down. Neither was willing to admit they were wrong. Stubborn. Unwavering.
Suddenly, the elevator doors opened nearby.
Duyen stepped out, holding bags full of groceries—vegetables, beef, everything needed for a cozy shabu-shabu dinner on a chilly evening. A mask still covered her mouth and chin—she still wasn't fully recovered from her cold.
Walking toward the penthouse, Duyen nearly dropped her groceries in shock when she spotted the two women.
"Shana? …Mina? Wait—why is Mina here?!"
Both Shana and Mina stiffened at the sound of her voice.
Especially Mina.
Her heart pounded violently, and color flooded her cheeks like a teenage girl seeing her crush—completely opposite of her cold, intimidating aura just moments ago. She turned toward Duyen, her voice slightly trembling.
"Ah… hey, Duyen. Actually, I…"
Before she could finish, her gaze landed on the grocery bags in Duyen's hands. A bold idea sparked instantly in her mind. Her lips curled into a smile.
"Duyen… if you don't mind… can I stay and have dinner with you?"
"Huh?" Duyen blinked, as if she had misheard.
"You mean… eat at my place?"
Mina nodded shyly.
Shana looked from Mina to Duyen, utterly stunned.
"HUH?!?!"
---
Inside a luxurious Hong Kong-style restaurant, the air was filled with the cheerful chatter of families enjoying hotpot and the mesmerizing performances of skilled noodle dancers. Sexy waitresses in tight red qipaos moved gracefully between tables, the decor drenched in classic Hong Kong aesthetics, the sharp scent of chili oil clinging to the atmosphere amid the noisy bustle.
Hidden away from the crowd, the VIP section housed private dining rooms reserved by wealthy clients in advance.
Valko sat alone at a round rotating banquet table, lavishly lined with Hong Kong delicacies and a large hotpot bubbling at the center. No one else was there—just him.
Despite wearing an expensive white suit that practically screamed money, he didn't look amused. His expression was dark, as though he were silently cursing someone.
A few moments later, the door creaked open.
A rather unimpressive-looking man stepped in. His scruffy stubble, cheap dress shirt tucked awkwardly into his pants, and overall ridiculous appearance made him look painfully out of place. He clutched an old briefcase like it was something of great importance.
The moment he saw Valko, he let out a mocking laugh, his eyes scanning the luxurious room.
"Well, well. Pretty extravagant. Looks like SCJ's financial power is no joke, huh? I'm starting to feel hungry already."
Valko only gave him a half-lidded, uninterested stare before casually motioning with his hand.
"Sit."
Minh chuckled and took the seat opposite Valko. He placed the briefcase on the table and tapped it lightly.
"So then, Mr. Valko… shall we talk business?"