From the outside, the building looked ordinary—just another old property dealing office that nobody cared to notice. But Shin Hye and Tae Hyun knew what was really inside.
They entered quietly. Shin Hye walked toward the basement, her steps steady, Tae Hyun following close behind. At the far end of the silent hall, she stopped, knelt, and pressed her thumb against a hidden scanner. With a faint mechanical click, a floor panel slid open. A narrow staircase appeared, leading them down into the hidden part of the building.
The air grew heavier as they descended. Below, the basement opened into a large storage hall. Dozens of workers moved without a sound, sealing packages, stacking crates, and marking shipments. On one side, firearms were wrapped in layers and boxed. On the other, tightly sealed bags of drugs were being prepared for transport. This was no ordinary basement—it was a warehouse, a transit point for goods that could never exist above ground.
But this wasn't just storage. At the back, separated by a tinted glass wall, was Shin Hye's office. Inside, everything was clean, organized, and sharply functional. This was where she operated—the place where she took orders and gave instructions. Unlike the chaos outside, her office was quiet, lit only by the screens in front of her.
Her network was simple but effective. Orders came through an encrypted dark web portal, one only her old customers could access. From there, her team shipped the goods across borders, mostly to Japan and China. No outsiders, no random buyers—only trusted connections built over years.
And Tae Hyun understood one thing clearly. Shin Hye wasn't born into this world. She wasn't supposed to be here.
The reason she could build and run all of this was because of her deceased boss—the one who taught her everything.
Shin Hye sat back in her chair, fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard as the glow of multiple monitors lit her sharp features. One screen replayed old CCTV footage: Alex, face hidden behind a mask, slipping into the building at dawn. With him were a handful of masked guards, carrying out several shipments under the cover of silence.
Her eyes lingered on the screen, but her mind seemed far away, locked in deeper thoughts.
Tae Hyun, who had been quietly watching her from the side, broke the silence."Shin… what are you thinking about?"
She leaned back, tapping her finger against the armrest, then spoke slowly, her tone carrying the weight of experience."Humans…" she paused, almost smirking. "All humans have weaknesses. And once you know those weaknesses, you can control them. Push the right buttons, infuriate them, and they'll break on their own."
Her gaze sharpened on Alex's blurred figure in the footage."And Alex?" she added, her voice turning cold. "Alone, he can't do anything."
Shin Hye's eyes stayed fixed on the screen as she spoke again, her voice steady, almost too calm.
"Alex only took a few shipment boxes… but tell me, Tae Hyun—how did he already know those were the rarest drugs we've received in months? How did he know that, in the morning, our men would be too busy receiving new weapons to notice him? And how did he walk into our warehouse so easily?"
Her words were less like questions and more like a slow dissection, each one cutting deeper.
"He wasn't alone," she concluded, her tone dropping lower. "He's working with someone else."
Tae Hyun's brows furrowed. "What about our old employees who left us?"
Shin Hye gave a small, cold smile, the kind that didn't reach her eyes."No. This smells different. Someone old is tied to this… someone who used Alex to break in. This wasn't theft. It was a warning."
The room fell silent for a moment before she leaned forward, her voice carrying a quiet finality."First, we'll find Alex. Tae—search everything. His relatives, his past, the places he's lived before. Dig until there's nothing left to dig."
"Yes. I'll need two days," Tae Hyun replied firmly.
Shin Hye didn't answer right away. Instead, she pulled out her phone, pressed a single number, and when one of her guards entered, she spoke without looking at him.
"Deliver new boxes to Jang Dae-sik."
Her tone was soft but carried a hidden blade, the kind of voice that made the room colder. The guard bowed his head instantly. "Yes, boss."
Tae Hyun was already halfway to the door when Shin Hye's voice cut through the silence—low, deliberate.
"Make sure you find where he's hiding his old mother."
Tae Hyun froze mid-step. Slowly, he tilted his head, his eyes narrowing at her."…How do you know he even has an old mother with him?"
Shin Hye leaned back in her chair, her gaze fixed on the glowing monitor. Her lips curved into a faint, unsettling smile."I already told you, Tae. Everyone has weaknesses. Bring me his mother…"—her voice dipped, almost a whisper—"…and the child will crawl back on his own."
The words hung in the air like smoke, heavy and suffocating. Tae Hyun didn't say anything further. He just nodded once, sharply, before leaving the office, fully aware of how far his boss was willing to go.
…[Scene changes to Tae Hyun]
Tae Hyun stood in front of the bathroom mirror, water droplets sliding down his face, clinging to his jaw before falling into the sink. His reflection stared back at him, blank, heavy-eyed, expressionless.
"Why, Shin…?" His voice was low, almost swallowed by the dripping faucet. "How did you become so cold?"
He paused, tightening his grip on the porcelain. His lips pressed into a thin line before he corrected himself, whispering bitterly, "No… she was always this cold. Why am I shocked, Tae?"
Silence. Only the steady sound of water.
Memories flickered—her stepping between him and his uncle, shielding him when no one else had. Her hand resting on his head that first night in the mansion, telling him not to be afraid.
His throat tightened, but he forced the thought down. "Never mind…" he muttered, straightening his tie with steady hands. "Orders are orders."
He squared his shoulders, letting the mask of composure settle back into place. No matter what she had become—or what she had always been—he would follow her. Because that's what he had always done.
And that's what he would always do.
Because Tae Hyun's only weakness… was the help she had given him in the past, and now his loyalty was the only way he could repay it.