The dim-lit war room in Ji-Yeon's penthouse buzzed with tense voices, smoke curling toward the ceiling. Around a long oak table, her most trusted — or what was left of them — gathered, faces drawn, eyes shifting.
A massive whiteboard listed names and affiliations. Red lines crisscrossed between faces, gangs, and territories. Some photos already marked with X's.
Dead.
Missing.
Or soon to be.
Ji-Yeon stood at the head of the table, a cigarette balanced between her fingers, her expression unreadable.
"Talk," she ordered.
Yoon Sang-Ho spoke first. "We've ruled out the Jeong syndicate and the Daemin cartel. They're too gutted to pull something this clean. Whoever's doing this… isn't part of the usual gangs."
Another lieutenant, Baek Do-Jin, leaned in. "Could be an ex-mercenary. Some rogue operator with a grudge. Someone off the books."
Ji-Yeon's sharp gaze moved to him. "I want names."
Do-Jin hesitated. "A few rumors. There's talk about a foreigner seen around the Seoul campuses. Tall. Indian. Name comes up as… Aryan Malhotra."
At that, another man scoffed from the corner.
"Boss, with respect — the guy's a nobody. He's a teaching assistant or some crap. Campus eye-candy for the girls. I've seen him. No way he's tied to this."
A low murmur of agreement.
"Doesn't have the resources," another chimed in. "Doesn't even have a crew. He's soft."
Ji-Yeon let them talk for a while, her expression unmoved.
Then, tapping ash into a tray, she spoke.
"Then forget him."
The room quieted instantly.
"If he was capable of something like this, you'd already be dead for underestimating him."
A few uneasy glances exchanged.
"But fine. Keep an eye on him. If he blinks wrong, I want to know. For now — focus on the real threats. The Daegu remnants. The Busan holdouts. The rats in our own house."
The lieutenants nodded, scribbling notes.
Ji-Yeon stepped away from the table, staring out at the city skyline as rain streaked the windows.
But something gnawed at the edge of her thoughts. A face she couldn't quite place. A name she refused to remember.
She pushed it aside.
She wasn't the type to fear ghosts.
And she wasn't about to start.