It was a morning just like any other, except Mina was still half-asleep in Duyen's naked, warm arms—entwined, tangled, inseparable like shadow and flame. The entire room was thick with the lingering scent of flowers, and clothes were scattered across the floor. The intoxicating memories of their sweet, feverish night together still clung to Mina's mind, leaving her breathless and craving more.
Maybe she had been awake for a while already, but Mina couldn't bring herself to move. She wanted to stay like this—wrapped in the embrace of the woman she loved, feeling safe, seen, even in her most vulnerable, bare state.
When she was with Duyen, Mina didn't want to think about anything else. She let herself drown in bliss and let love protect her from all the things she wished she could forget.
Ironic, really—how the two of them ended up making love so wildly in the very same bedroom that used to belong to Valko and Mina back when they were still married…
Mina kept her eyes closed, listening to the soft rhythm of Duyen's breathing against her chest. And then—something moved. Something wicked slipped into the room through the window.
Flaming red hair. Sapphire eyes. A woman—covered in blood. She walked straight to their bed. Leaned down. Stole a kiss from Duyen—Mina's Duyen. Caressed her. Right in front of Mina.
Fury exploded inside her. Rage, jealousy, a violent storm that swallowed her whole. Mina tried to scream:
"STOP! DON'T TOUCH HER! I FORBID YOU!"
But Shana acted as though she couldn't hear a single thing. Her hands slid around Duyen's delicate, pale body. She lifted her up effortlessly and headed back toward the window.
Mina's heart cracked. She pushed herself off the bed, her movements slow, clumsy, desperate. She clenched her teeth so hard her jaw hurt, forcing herself to run after them—
But Shana simply wrapped a hand around Mina's throat. Pain shot through her. Her body gave out. She couldn't breathe, couldn't fight. Shana tossed her aside like she was nothing more than a useless plush toy, then walked away with Duyen in her arms.
Mina clawed at the floor, writhing in agony, her voice burned away, her hand stretching weakly toward the fading light.
"Duyen…"
Mina jolted awake, ripped out of the nightmare. Her breath trembled. She blinked at the sterile white of a luxury VIP hospital room. Cold walls. Beeping monitors. An IV line taped to her arm.
She tried to move her fingertips—they barely responded. She turned to her left, hoping the person she loved might still be there.
But there was only emptiness.
Her throat tightened with panic. She tried calling out Duyen's name, but her voice wouldn't come—blocked, strangled, broken.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Du… yen… D… uyen…"
Just then, Hiroshi burst into the room, nearly dropping the newspaper in his hand when he saw her awake.
"Mina!? Mina, you're awake! Doctor! Doctor, she's awake!"
A few hours later—after the doctors and nurses had finished checking her vitals—Mina could finally sit up. A nurse gently fed her a small cup of thin, diluted porridge, since her throat was too damaged to handle solid food. Hiroshi sat beside her, worry etched all over his face.
Despite all the careful attention, Mina looked anything but pleased. Her brows were drawn tight with irritation, her eyes cold and sharp enough to make both Hiroshi and the nurse shiver. No one knew what they had done to offend her, but it felt like walking on a knife's edge.
Trying to break the tension, Hiroshi cleared his throat.
"Your condition is no longer critical. Honestly, it's a miracle you made it. The doctor said you lost a dangerous amount of blood. It was life-threatening. But now you're safe, Mina."
Mina didn't react. Didn't soften. Instead, she frowned harder and pushed out a hoarse whisper, her voice nearly dead:
"D… uyen…where…?"
Hiroshi froze. He leaned closer, thinking he misheard.
"Huh? Duyen? Who?"
That was the wrong answer. Mina's hand clenched. Her icy glare pinned him in place so hard his spine went rigid. What did he say wrong this time?
The nurse quickly intervened, her voice trembling:
"Sir, please—her throat hasn't fully recovered yet. It's best to limit her talking."
"N… o… I'm… fine…" Mina rasped out, lifting her hand to silence her.
Then she looked down at her fingers. And then back at Hiroshi—with an expression that made his blood run cold.
Confused, he followed her gaze… and immediately jolted upright.
"Oh—oh! Right! Sorry! Just a second!"
Hiroshi scrambled to grab a wooden, intricately carved box. He opened it, revealing a long ring inlaid with three gemstones—green, red, and violet—each carved with the same strange, eerie precision as the metalwork around them.
He approached Mina cautiously, almost reverently, taking her slender hand in his trembling fingers. He slid the ring gently onto her middle finger, terrified of upsetting her any further.
As soon as the ring was back on her hand, Mina's expression eased—if only slightly.
But just when Hiroshi thought the danger had passed, Mina suddenly swung her legs off the bed. Both he and the nurse panicked.
"Mina!? What are you doing!?" Hiroshi blurted out.
Mina braced her weight on the IV stand and pushed herself to her feet, every movement fueled by cold determination.
"…Discharge me. Now…"
Hiroshi looked horrified. He genuinely couldn't understand why she was in such a rush. The nurse flailed her arms nervously:
"That's impossible, Miss Kamakiri! You're nowhere near fully recovered!"
But Mina's dead-cold stare cut straight into her, shutting her up immediately. Mina's eyes burned with a feral, dangerous fury.
"Shut your mouth… or I'll kill you right here."
The nurse went pale as paper, her knees giving out as she collapsed to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. Hiroshi jolted when Mina turned her gaze to him next.
"…What are you waiting for?"
Terrified, Hiroshi hurried to support her, helping her out of the room and down the hallway.
Inside the private dressing room of the hospital, Mina slipped into a sleek, form-fitting outfit that hugged her figure and restored some of her usual intimidating elegance.
She stood before the mirror, adjusting the black turtleneck. With slow fingers, she tugged the collar down—revealing the brutal imprint of a hand wrapped around her throat. The skin was bruised, dark, violently stained in purple and blue. The doctor had said it would take a long time before it faded.
It looked like a brand of humiliation—an undeniable reminder that compared to that monster Shana, Mina had been powerless. And that she had failed to protect Duyen.
She clenched her teeth so hard it echoed in her skull. Her reflection glared back at her with equal bitterness.
Her throat still burned too much to speak properly, but she forced out a rasp, barely more than breath:
"That filthy bitch… I'll find you… And I'll make sure you die the worst death imaginable…"
I have to get her back. No matter what.
Mina yanked the collar back up to hide the ugly bruise and walked out of the room with icy resolve. She didn't wait for anyone. She didn't ask permission. A moment later, she was already in her car—speeding out of the hospital parking lot.
Coincidentally, almost right after Mina left, Dao arrived—driving her Porsche straight into the hospital. The elegant young heiress of the Wang family, dressed in a luxurious fur coat, her short platinum hair swaying as she rushed inside.
She hurried toward the VIP ward where Mina had stayed and slid off her sunglasses. Stepping inside, she found the room completely empty—except for a nurse in a pink uniform quietly cleaning.
Confused, Dao scanned the room and then turned to the door again.
"Huh? No, this was the room…" She tapped the nurse's shoulder. "Excuse me, is this Kamakiri Mina's room?"
The nurse jolted violently—like she had just seen a ghost. But when she realized it was Dao and not Mina, she let out a shaky sigh of relief. Her voice trembled uncontrollably.
"S-she… she… She already—"
Dao frowned, her patience thin.
"What about her? Why is everyone talking in riddles today? Just say it properly!"
Her tone made the poor nurse flinch again. Overwhelmed, the woman suddenly burst into tears, completely breaking down. Dao froze, startled.
"Hey—hey, why are you crying? I didn't even yell at you!"
The nurse sobbed harder.
"M-Miss Kamakiri Mina… already discharged… just a little while ago…"
Dao blinked, surprised.
"She left already? That fast? Why the rush? How long ago did she go?"
The nurse shook her head frantically, tears pouring down her cheeks.
"She just… walked out on her own…"
That made Dao pause. Think.
"If she walked out herself… she must've driven that car again."
If Dao didn't track her down fast, she'd lose Mina's trail entirely. But who could she rely on right now?
And then—she suddenly remembered the Indian taxi driver…
Dao spun around to leave, but paused when she saw the nurse still crying helplessly on the floor. For a moment, annoyance and sympathy mixed on her face.
"…Poor thing. This job must be hell."
---
Mina's car pulled up to one of the Jou family's hidden bases, concealed in the shadow of an international bank that shared its name. From the moment she stepped inside, even Yu's guards had no choice but to part ways as Mina stormed toward the back of the building.
The interior was drenched in gaudy Hong Kong–style red, with a crimson carpet leading all the way to the giant serpent emblem in the grand hall. And there, sitting on a throne carved entirely from jade into a writhing cluster of snake heads, was the doll-like beauty in a jet-black lace dress, her hands wrapped around her stomach. Her blank, porcelain-like face slowly tilted upward as she sensed Mina approaching.
Yu's dull gray eyes flickered—orange-red, then gray again—before settling back into that fiery hue.
Mina marched forward, furious, and threw the bouquet straight into Yu's face.
"Consider that my get-well gift, you bitch."
Yu blinked, genuinely stunned for a second at Mina's rudeness before letting out a dry laugh.
"I did say sorry, didn't I?"
"Sorry?"
Mina's voice was hoarse and shaking with anger. "You remember our deal, right? You promised to make Shigonami Shana disappear, and in return I'd get my Duyen back. And what happened? You tell me you lost to her—pathetically, might I add!—and now she's not only destroyed my mansion, stolen my Duyen, but also left me with this damn thing!"
Mina yanked down the collar of her sweater, revealing a dark, hand-shaped bruise wrapping violently around her neck. The injury was so vicious that even Yu winced in grudging admiration. Shana really hadn't pulled her punches—truly a shame, considering Mina was undeniably a stunning beauty.
"Wow… that's brutal. Poor you."
But Mina was far too angry to entertain pity. She stormed up to Yu and yanked the strap of her dress violently.
"Talk is cheap! Fix this!"
"Hey now…" Yu laughed awkwardly as she pulled her dress back into place and smoothed the fabric.
"You're too hot-headed. Calm down first, okay? Then we can think of a solution. Sound good?"
Without waiting for a reply, Yu bent down and picked up a porcelain vial. She untied the red silk ribbon and shook out a small, hand-rolled pill, offering it to Mina.
Mina frowned at it. "What's this supposed to be?"
"For your neck. Just take it. Better than nothing."
Mina shot her a suspicious look, but time was short and anger was eating her alive. She snatched the pill, tossed it into her mouth, took the glass Yu handed her, and swallowed it down—feeling a sharp burn tear through her throat as the water passed.
Miraculously, though the bruise remained, the pain faded… then vanished entirely. Even Mina looked stunned as she touched her neck.
"What the—? How does it work that fast?"
Yu shrugged. "Shana gave it to me."
Mina froze. Her eyes widened in horror, and she immediately tried to gag herself to throw the pill up, but Yu quickly stopped her.
"Hey—HEY! Don't puke on the floor! I literally just cleaned!"
Mina's face flushed red with rage. "How dare you make me swallow something SHE gave you!?"
"Well it worked, didn't it? I wouldn't have given it to you if it was poisoned. Relax. I ran all the tests. She didn't slip anything weird in there."
Mina wiped her mouth with a curse. "Son of a—!"
The pill was unnervingly effective—her throat didn't hurt at all anymore—but the victory felt hollow, even disgusting. She regretted swallowing it, but it was too late now.
"So tell me!" she snapped. "How the hell do I find her? I swear—if I get my hands on her, I'll flay her skin, I will—"
Yu raised both hands calmly. "Easy. We had a deal, remember? Relax, I already know where she is. You'll get the girl you want… and I'll get the nine-tailed fox."
Mina scoffed.
"Cut the cheap deal talk. And what then? You gonna lose to her again?"
Yu cleared her throat—clearly annoyed.
"That's… hitting below the belt, you know. I only lost because of circumstances. But you're right about one thing—the last fight taught me something important. Facing her head-on is a terrible idea."
Mina crossed her arms impatiently. "Then what? What's your brilliant plan?"
Yu nodded knowingly, her eyes glinting.
"What else? We bring her out." She paused. "Kim Nayeon."
Mina's eyes widened.
"Kim Nayeon?"