Soha's tear-soaked face was buried against Adrik's broad chest. His dark green blazer slowly grew damp from her tears. She lifted her head little by little, yet her hands were still clenched tightly around the red ribbon hanging at his neck.
In a broken whisper, Soha asked,
"Who… who are you really? Ten years ago, you were my Adrik bhaiya. Yesterday, I saw you as a mafia man. And today, you're my professor. What is your true identity? Why are you turning my life upside down like this?"
Adrik froze for a moment. This six-foot-four man—who had just escaped an entire city's police force—suddenly felt helpless in front of the questions in the eyes of a sixteen-year-old girl. He placed a hand on Soha's forehead, trying to calm her.
After scanning their surroundings, Adrik leaned close to her ear and spoke in a very low voice.
"Soha, the truth is terrifying. Yes, I work with the mafia—but not for them. For the past ten years, I've been trapped in a dark world that's almost impossible to escape. I didn't come here for your father. I came here for you. The mafia gangs have learned that ten years ago, I saved a diplomat's daughter. Now they've made you their target—to weaken me."
Soha stared at him in shock.
So… Adrik had pretended to be a mafia member to protect her?
Adrik wiped her tears and continued,
"The man the police are chasing is a criminal. But the man standing in front of you is your old Adrik bhaiya. For now, I am your professor—and that is our shield. Don't let anyone find out about our past connection."
Just then, footsteps echoed outside the classroom. Adrik instantly released Soha and straightened up, walking back to the desk with a stern expression. Soha quickly wiped her tears and fixed her uniform.
When Soha had been searching for absolute safety against Adrik's chest, Adrik gently pushed her away. As she looked up at him through tear-blurred eyes, what she saw next was something she was completely unprepared for.
The warmth from ten years ago was gone. The sadness had vanished.
Instead, a terrifying, devilish smirk curved across Adrik's lips.
There was no love in that smile—only a strange sense of triumph. As if he had been skillfully playing with Soha's emotions all along.
Soha was stunned. The red ribbon slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.
Adrik offered no explanation. No comfort. He simply adjusted his glasses, picked up his books, and walked calmly to the center of the classroom—as if nothing had happened at all.
Soha stood there like stone. It felt as if the man she believed to be her protector might actually be the most dangerous villain in the entire city.
Was Adrik using her to obtain some secret information from her father—the diplomat?
In a deep, composed voice, Adrik addressed the class,
"Everyone, pay attention. Let's begin today's lesson."
The entire class was mesmerized by his lecture.
But not a single word reached Soha's ears.
All she could see was Adrik's broad back and his unnervingly calm demeanor. She finally understood—
the Adrik bhaiya who had saved her ten years ago and the Adrik standing here today were not the same person.
The man before her was far more dangerous. Far more mysterious.
Soha lowered her head onto her desk and closed her eyes again—not to sleep, but to hide her tears and her fear. She knew it clearly now.
She hadn't stepped into safety.
She had walked straight into a vast danger.
Adrik wasn't saving her anymore—
he was trapping her inside a dark, invisible web.1:00 a.m.
An abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Seoul. A light drizzle falls outside, while inside there is an oppressive, suffocating silence. Expensive car parts are scattered all around the floor.
At the very center of the warehouse, a young woman is tied to a chair. Her mouth is sealed with tape, her eyes filled with endless terror. Standing right in front of her is the towering man—six feet four inches tall—Adrik. He is no longer wearing the dark green blazer; instead, he is dressed in a jet-black leather jacket.
Behind Adrik, eight to ten tall bodyguards stand in two straight lines. All of them wear black suits and wireless headsets, motionless like statues, their eyes fixed on their boss.
Adrik pulls out a sharp folding knife from his pocket. The blade glints as the light from a nearby lamp reflects off it. He grips the girl's chin and gives the same devilish smile he had shown Soha at school earlier that day. There is no mercy in his eyes now—only a sadistic pleasure.
No words. No warning.
In a split second, Adrik slashes the girl's throat.
Blood splatters across his cheek. The girl convulses briefly, then goes completely still. Adrik calmly takes out a white handkerchief and slowly wipes the blood off the knife. The smile on his face never changes.
Adrik's chief bodyguard bows his head respectfully and says in a low voice,
"Boss, is everything settled? The diplomat's daughter is watching us closely. What if she finds out about this?"
Adrik tosses the bloodstained handkerchief aside and replies with a relaxed smile,
"Soha? She's just a pawn. I saved her ten years ago for a very specific reason. Using her, I'll reach her father's secret locker. She loves me—and that's her greatest weakness."
Adrik lights a cigarette and exhales smoke as he looks up. His loud laughter echoes throughout the empty warehouse.
What he doesn't know is that beyond a broken window of that same warehouse, sixteen-year-old Soha has witnessed everything.
The red ribbon slips from her trembling hand and falls to the ground. She clamps her hand over her mouth, shaking violently in fear, as tears stream down her face.After witnessing Adrik's horrifying true face, Soha can no longer sleep properly.
An unknown terror now surrounds her entire world.
The next afternoon.
After school, Soha was walking alone along the road. Though Seoul's streets were busy, this particular alley was eerily quiet. Her mind was racing—how would she tell her father the truth about Adrik? She had seen it with her own eyes: Adrik was a murderous mafia.
Suddenly, a girl wearing a traditional Korean dress came running toward her in panic. Her hair was disheveled, her body covered in dust, and her eyes reflected pure terror. She grabbed Soha's hands tightly.
The girl broke down crying and screamed,
"Help me! Please save me! They're going to kill me! Soha, please hide me—they're coming!"
Soha froze.
The girl had called her by name.
Before Soha could ask anything, she saw two of Adrik's bodyguards in black suits approaching from the other end of the alley. Their weapons were hidden, but their intent was obvious.
Trembling, the girl hid behind Soha and whispered,
"Adrik… Adrik isn't human. He's a devil. He's killing all of us!"
The bodyguards were now very close. At that moment, a black jeep stopped beside them. The window slid down—and Adrik appeared inside, wearing that same devilish smile.
In a calm voice, Adrik said,
"Soha, walking alone like this isn't safe. Talking to strangers is bad for your health. Hand her over to us and go home quietly."
Soha's mind went blank.
Should she save this unknown girl, or obey Adrik out of fear for her own life?
The girl clutched Soha's clothes and cried uncontrollably.
Soha's chest felt like a blazing furnace. One second of hesitation meant death.
She made her decision.
Grabbing the girl's hand tightly, Soha shouted,
"Run!"
Before Adrik could react, Soha bolted into the narrow alley with the girl. Adrik's smile vanished instantly. He gestured to his men, and they pulled out their guns and gave chase.
In a low voice, Adrik ordered,
"Catch them. But make sure the diplomat's daughter isn't harmed. I want her alive."
Soha and the girl ran like mad through Seoul's twisting alleys. Her heavy school bag slammed against her back, but she didn't stop. One thought burned in her mind—she had to save this girl and escape Adrik.
They rushed into a crowded shopping mall, but when Soha looked back, the bodyguards were forcing their way through the crowd. Their height and muscular builds made them impossible to miss.
Crying, the girl said,
"Soha, they'll catch us! Adrik won't spare anyone. He slit my sister's throat last night!"
Soha's blood ran cold.
The woman Adrik had murdered—that was her sister.
Horror and hatred surged inside Soha. She pulled the girl toward the emergency exit and ran up the stairs to the rooftop.
But once they reached the top, there was nowhere left to run.
A twenty-story rooftop.
Open sky ahead.
Thousands of car lights below.
Suddenly, the stairway door was kicked open.
Adrik stepped onto the rooftop alone. He carried no weapon—but his towering six-foot-four frame was weapon enough. He walked toward them slowly, that familiar mocking smile on his lips.
"Well done, Ira," he said calmly.
"I never thought the little girl who once fit in my arms would one day run against me like this. Now let the girl go. My patience is wearing thin."
Soha pulled the girl behind her and stepped back toward the edge of the roof. She knew there was no escape.
Her eyes burned with fire. She understood that brute force could never defeat a monster like Adrik. So she gambled her final weapon—her own life.
Holding the girl tightly, Soha stood at the very edge.
Twenty stories below was a deadly abyss.
Adrik took one step forward.
Soha screamed,
"Don't take another step! If you come any closer, I'll jump—with her!"
Adrik froze for a split second. His smile dimmed slightly, but fear never touched his eyes. Calmly, he spread his hands.
"Soha, you can't die," he said.
"I watched you grow for ten years. If you jump, I'll suffer a huge loss."
Tears streaming, Soha shouted,
"A loss because you'll lose your chess piece, right? You're not human, Adrik—you're a blood-drinking monster! You killed her sister in front of my eyes. I won't let her die today!"
Adrik did something strange—he laughed and slowly stepped forward again.
"Go ahead," he taunted.
"Jump. Let's see how brave you really are. If you die, I'll decorate this city with your father's corpse. And if you live—you'll become the queen of my dark empire. The choice is yours, Ira."
Soha knew he was provoking her.
She looked down.
Then at the girl, who clung to her with eyes shut in terror.
Meeting Adrik's gaze one last time, Soha said softly,
"I'd rather die than become your queen. Goodbye, Adrik bhaiya."
She stepped backward into the void.
Adrik's pupils shrank. His massive body lunged forward at lightning speed.
For the first time in his calculated mafia life, panic struck him.
As Soha let go and disappeared into the darkness, his chest trembled violently.
But they didn't hit the ground.
Just below the 15th floor, a massive construction safety net was stretched—hidden from view. Soha and the girl landed hard on it. They were injured, but alive.
On the rooftop, Adrik stood frozen. He peered into the rain-filled darkness, unable to see anything.
He believed Soha had fallen to her death.
The devil's smile vanished forever.
In a hollow whisper, he said,
"Soha… are you really gone? Did my obsession kill you?"
His bodyguards arrived. Enraged, Adrik grabbed one by the collar and shouted,
"Search below! Find her body! I refuse to believe she left me like this!"
But Soha, trapped on the net below, heard everything. She covered the girl's mouth and stayed silent. If Adrik discovered she was alive, he would imprison her again.
She noticed an open window on the 15th floor. Carefully, she guided the girl through it into an abandoned office. Collapsing onto the floor, Soha gasped for breath. Her green school uniform was torn, her hands bleeding.
In her heart, she swore,
"Adrik, believe that I'm dead. But I will return—and I will destroy your monstrous empire."
That night, hundreds of Adrik's men searched Seoul's streets for Soha's body. They found nothing. Everyone assumed her body had been lost in some dark drain or alley.
And Adrik sat alone in his dark room, holding the red ribbon, sipping alcohol.
No tears filled his eyes—
only the birth of a terrifying thirst for revenge.