The airport terminal in Country A was packed when Kang Ji-won stepped off the plane.
Noises of a thousand different conversations mingled with the rattle of luggage wheels against the tiled floors as passengers rushed past one another in every direction.
Sliding her sunglasses down her nose, Ji-won checked her reflection in a glass pillar.
Oversized shades, dark hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders, subtle makeup, and a long coat over her dress.
She looked every bit like a stylish twenty-four-year-old on a weekend trip rather than a high schooler sneaking out of the country.
Step one: Arrive in Country A without getting caught…
Done.
Stepping out into the humid evening air, she flagged down a yellow cab at the curb.
Slipping into the back seat, she offered the driver a polite, mature smile.
“HK Hotel, please.”
” Ok.”
By the time the cab dropped her off, the hotel lobby was mostly quiet.
Dragging her suitcase over the polished floor toward the counter, Ji-won noticed another group entering through the main entrance.
“Come on, Boss,” Kim Tae-hyun with a tactical bag complained, rolling his shoulders as he looked around the modest space.
“A three-star hotel?”
Lee Jun-ho didn’t even turn his head.
He stepped up to the front desk with a calm, heavy presence that made the air around him feel tight.
“Excuse me,” he said, placing a card on the counter.
“Reservation under Lee.”
Ji-won froze mid-step.
That deep voice.
She turned her head slightly—and her heart instantly dropped into her stomach.
Standing less than five feet away was the exact same dangerous-looking man she had seen at the warehouse back home.
Behind him stood five built guys, all scanning the lobby with sharp, military precision.
Oh, come on.
Out of all the hotels in this city?!
Panic spiking, Ji-won instantly bent forward, letting her hair fall like a curtain over her face.
“Miss? Are you alright?” the receptionist asked, leaning over the counter in concern.
“I’m fine,” Ji-won muttered, desperately trying to drop her voice an octave lower so it wouldn’t sound like her normal tone.
The result came out like a gravelly, broken rasp.
Lee Jun-ho paused.
His dark eyes shifted slowly toward her, locking onto the woman practically doubled over in front of the desk.
It’s her.
The woman from the airport.
Hmm what a coincidence.
His eyebrows furrowed.
Don’t look over here, Ji-won begged mentally, keeping her face hidden beneath her hair.
Just get your room key and walk away.
The receptionist quickly handed her a keycard.
Ji-won snatched it out of her hand, rasped a quick, unnatural “Thanks,” and hurried toward the elevators as fast as her heels would let her.
Lee Jun-ho watched her go, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Something about the way she moved—the quick, balanced steps, the controlled posture—felt unnaturally familiar.
He took a step forward.
“Why does she remind so much about that girl called Kang Ji-won?”
DING.
The elevator doors closed right in front of his face.
Kim Tae-hyun from behind him blinked.
“Boss? You know her?”
Lee Jun-ho stared at the closed metal doors for a second longer before turning back.
“No. Thought I recognized someone.”
An hour later, Ji-won was standing under the warm glow of a streetlamp near a quiet alley, holding a greasy paper bag filled with chicken skewers and a cold bottle of plum soda.
Taking a bite, her eyes lit up.
“Okay… Country A food is actually incredible.”
She took a long sip of soda, enjoying the quiet night air. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
As she turned back toward the main street, a man in a dark jacket hurried past, ducking into the side alley.
Ji-won narrowed her eyes, watching his back.
What’s up with that guy?.
Why does he seem familiar.
She tiptoed into the alley, trying to get a better look—only for the man to step under a light, revealing a completely unfamiliar face.
“Ah. Just a guy who walks like him,” she muttered, turning on her heel.
“My mistake.”
Before she could walk away, a bright blue screen snapped open in the air right in front of her.
[SYSTEM MISSION ACTIVATED]
[Objective: Clear the syndicate outpost ahead.]
[Penalty: 24-Hour Physical Stamina Depletion.]
Ji-won stared at the floating text, then looked down at her bag of skewers.
“Are you serious right now? I literally just ate.”
The screen gave a brief, unbothered flicker before vanishing.
Sighing heavily, Ji-won held her soda bottle in one hand, grabbed her bag of food in the other, and walked toward the end of the alley where a large, unmarked brick building stood.
The heavy iron door was propped open a few inches.
From inside, the sharp, deafening echo of automatic gunfire tore through the air.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Ji-won peeked through the gap—and realized she had walked straight into a full-blown combat zone.
Several armed men in tactical gear were firing heavily toward a row of wooden crates near the center of the building.
Behind those crates were Lee Jun-ho and his five teammates, returning fire in steady, controlled bursts.
“Who the hell is at the door?!” one of the gunmen shouted in a local dialect.
Dozens of heads snapped toward the entrance.
There stood Ji-won: wearing an immaculate coat, shades pushed up on her head, holding a paper bag of food and a half-empty bottle of plum soda.
“Uh…” she offered, freezing under their collective gaze.
“Hi?”
Behind the wooden crates, Kim Tae-hyun had his jaw practically hitting the floor.
“Boss? Isn’t that… isn’t that the lady from the lobby?”
Lee Jun-ho leaned out from cover, his suppressed pistol raised—and stopped dead in his tracks.
His dark eyes widened as they landed on her.
“You?”
” What are you doing here?”
“That is a great question!” Ji-won yelled back over the deafening noise.
“What am I doing here?!”
“GET DOWN!” Baek Min-jae yelled as bullets chewed up the brickwork above her head.
Ji-won didn’t hesitate.
Dropping her soda bottle onto a soft pile of sandbags, she ducked behind a steel pillar with fluid grace.
A mercenary fell nearby, his pistol skittering across the dust to her feet.
She scooped up the gun, her fingers closing around the grip as she stared at the weapon in mild panic.
Okay, System…
how do I work this?
Where’s the safety—
A massive gunman rounded the pillar, raising a shotgun straight at her.
Ji-won squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
BANG!
A sudden wave of raw muscle memory slammed into her nerves.
Her wrists locked instinctively, absorbing the recoil.
The gunman collapsed backward onto the concrete.
Ji-won opened her eyes, blinking at the smoking barrel, then at the body.
“Wait… that actually worked?”
Her reflexes took over before she could even think.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Three quick shots.
The shooter dropped before he could even squeeze his trigger.
Spinning around, Ji-won ducked behind a stack of barrels and fired two precise shots at a sniper hiding on the upper catwalk, knocking him flat on his back.
Across the room, Ryu Do-hyun stared out from behind his crate in utter shock.
“WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD AT THIS?!” he screamed over the noise.
“I DON’T KNOW!” Ji-won shouted back, pivoting to shoot another guard in the shoulder armor.
“I JUST WANTED SOME PLUM SODA!”
“DID YOU FOLLOW US HERE?!”
“I FOLLOWED A GUY WHO WALKED LIKE SOMEONE I KNEW, AND NOW I’M STUCK IN THIS!”
Seo Ji-han reloaded behind him, shaking his head in total disbelief.
“She’s insane.”
Ji-won blew a strand of hair out of her face.
“Thank you!”
“THAT WASN’T A COMPLIMENT!”
Within minutes, the remaining gunfire dwindled into dead silence.
Smoke drifted through the high rafters of the warehouse.
Dozens of syndicate guards lay motionless across the floor.
Lee Jun-ho and the rest slowly moved out from cover, their weapons lowered as they gathered near the center of the room.
Ji-won stood near the entrance, slipping the borrowed gun into her coat pocket, brushing off her sleeves, and picking her soda bottle back up from the sandbag.
Kim Tae-hyun walked over, staring at her outfit and heels like he couldn’t process what he was seeing.
“Are you… are you some kind of undercover agent?”
Ji-won took a sip of her soda.
“No. I’m on vacation.”
“Vacations don’t involve wiping out an armed cartel outpost in four-inch heels!” He gestured wildly at the floor around them.
“You fired three rapid-center shots without blinking!”
“You guys ask way too many questions,” Ji-won muttered, adjusting her coat.
Lee Jun-ho stepped through the fading smoke, his tall frame cutting through the dim light.
He finished speaking into a satellite phone before slipping it back into his tactical vest.
His dark, intense gaze locked onto her face, studying her features with heavy scrutiny.
She has to be Kang Ji-won.
But if so, why the disguise?
“The local team will be here in a few minutes,” he said, his deep voice carrying easily across the silent room.
He took a slow step toward her.
“You have impressive reaction time.”
Ji-won kept her face calm, though inside she was internally rolling her eyes at the system.
If only you knew I was forced into this.
“Risking your life in an active combat zone…” he continued, his tone cold and controlled, yet laced with unmistakable curiosity.
“Why?”
Ji-won stayed silent, offering nothing.
Jun-ho’s posture relaxed slightly, and he extended his hand toward her.
“Regardless of your reasons… you held our rear flank. Thank you.”
Ji-won looked at his hand for a second, then reached out and gave it a brief, firm shake.
His grip was warm, solid, and calloused.
Before she could pull her hand back, Jun-ho reached into his pocket with his free hand, pulled out a phone, unlocked it, and held it out toward her.
“Give me your number.”
The entire warehouse went dead quiet.
Kim Tae-hyun’s mouth fell wide open.
The rest of Jun-ho’s teammates exchanged looks of complete, unfiltered shock, staring at their leader like he had just grown a second head.
Since when does he ask anyone for their number?!
Kim Tae-hyun screamed mentally, clutching his vest..
This chapter is a fun change of pace because Ji-won goes from trying desperately to avoid the mysterious man at the hotel to somehow ending up in the exact same combat situation as him.