Chapter 12: The Hunter and the Prey 🌑🗡️
The mist around the fishing village acted like a shroud, but it wasn't enough to hide the scent of blood. While Yeonjun drifted in and out of a feverish haze, Jisong sat by the door, cleaning the submachine gun Secretary Kim had given him. He wasn't a soldier, but survival is a fast teacher.
The Shadow Approaches 👣🕶️
A low hum of a drone echoed over the cabin. Jisong looked out the window and saw a red light blinking through the fog. The Chairman's "Cleaners" had arrived. These weren't regular police; they were mercenaries hired to bury secrets—and anyone who knew them.
Secretary Kim (Whispering over the radio): "Jisong-shi, they've tracked the boat's GPS. You have five minutes. I'm pinned down at the docks. You have to move the Master now!"
Jisong looked at Yeonjun. He was still too weak to walk, his forehead matted with sweat.
Jisong: "Wake up, Yeonjun! If you want to die for your sins, do it on your feet, not in a bed!" 🗯️💥
Yeonjun's eyes snapped open. He grasped the situation instantly. With a groan of agony, he rolled out of bed, leaning his entire weight on Jisong.
The Narrow Escape 🔫🌫️
They slipped out the back door just as a thermal grenade shattered the front window, turning the cabin into a furnace. The blast threw them forward. Jisong felt the heat—that familiar, terrifying heat from his childhood—and for a second, he froze.
Yeonjun: "Jisong! Look at me! Don't look at the fire. Look at me!" 🤚🔥
Yeonjun's voice pulled him back. Jisong gripped his gun and fired into the mist, suppressing the mercenaries' advance as they scrambled toward a rusted jeep parked behind the shed.
The Confrontation 🏔️🐺
As Jisong struggled to hotwire the jeep, a tall figure emerged from the shadows. It was the Chairman's lead assassin—a man known only as 'The Vulture.' He leveled a sniper rifle directly at Jisong's head.
The Vulture: "Step away from the boy, kid. The Chairman only wants his son back in a box. You, he wants to suffer."
Before the assassin could pull the trigger, a shot rang out from an unexpected direction. Yeonjun, leaning against the jeep's tire, had fired his handgun with shaking hands. The bullet grazed the assassin's shoulder, throwing his aim off.
Yeonjun: "I told you... I won't let him fall into your hands." 🩸⚔️
A Debt of Blood 🤝🚗
The jeep roared to life. Jisong slammed it into gear, dragging Yeonjun into the passenger seat as bullets peppered the metal frame. They sped off into the mountain trails, leaving the burning village behind.
The silence in the car was heavy. Jisong's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel.
Jisong: "You almost died back there. Why? You could have just let him take me. It would have ended your guilt."
Yeonjun (Breathing heavily): "Because... my father killed your past. I won't let him kill your future too. Even if I'm not in it." 🥀🌅
The Safe Haven? 🗝️🏔️
They reached an old, abandoned monastery high in the mountains by dawn. As Jisong helped Yeonjun out of the car, he noticed something in the glove box—a small, encrypted USB drive with Secretary Kim's initials on it.
Jisong: "What is this?"
Yeonjun: "The ultimate kill-switch. It contains the bank records of every politician my father ever bribed. It's the only thing that can bring his empire down... but it requires a biometric scan from both of us to open."
Jisong: "Both of us? Why me?"
Yeonjun: "Because... he used your family's land to build his first factory. Legally, the foundation of his company belongs to you." 🤯📜
The Final Choice 🌑⚖️
Jisong looked at the USB, then at the man who was both his savior and the son of his greatest enemy. The power to destroy the Chairman was finally in his hands, but it meant he was now permanently tied to Yeonjun.
Jisong: "The world thinks we're criminals. The police are hunting us, and your father wants us dead. If we open this, there's no turning back."
Yeonjun: "Then let's burn it all down together."