Seri caught movement in the side mirror. Her eyes narrowed. "…What the—" she breathed, the words slipping out before she could stop them.
Junho caught the shift in her expression. "What? What is it? Don't tell me someone's actually following us!" He twisted in his seat, glancing back.
The black car blinked its headlights once. Seri's voice turned sharp. "Seatbelt on. Now."
Junho raised both hands in mock surrender, already strapped in. "I'm buckled, okay? Double-knot secured. You want me to duct-tape it too?" Junho fumbled for it. "This is not the grocery trip I imagined!"
She swerved gently off the main road, maneuvering toward a quieter street. The car still didn't respond like it should. Steering lagged. Brakes useless. Behind them, the black sedan stayed close. Too clean. Too deliberate.
The street narrowed. Less traffic now. Fewer people. Junho gripped the side handle, knuckles white, his eyes flicking between Seri, the mirror, and the road.
Seri didn't blink. She was cold, focused, not panicking, calculating. "If they want a chase," she muttered, "I'll give them one."
She twisted the wheel sharply and veered the car into a side alley, gravel and dust kicking up behind them.
The sedan followed. Tires screeched in the silence. The city fell away. Now it was just them. One car running. One hunting.
The tires screamed as Seri took a sharp left into an even narrower alley. The buildings closed in, shadows swallowing them whole. She swerved again, this time to throw off the tail, but the black sedan stayed locked in behind them like a shadow with teeth.
Junho braced himself against the door. "Do you even know where this goes?"
"Somewhere they won't," Seri muttered, shifting gears without missing a beat.
The alley spat them out onto a sloped road, dark and slick with rain. Seri pushed the accelerator. The sedan followed, tires hissing over wet asphalt. Water fanned behind both cars, streetlights flashing in quick, jagged bursts. The slope dropped steeper, the rain thickened, and the chase carved through the shadows toward the city's edge.
Rain-slick streets twisted ahead, the headlights cutting thin paths through the darkness. The sound of tires hissing over wet asphalt filled the tense silence inside the car.
Junho glanced at the side mirror. "They're not backing off."
"I noticed," Seri replied, her eyes never leaving the road.
He closed his mouth. Swallowed. Nodded once. He didn't ask again. A red light blinked in the distance. Seri didn't slow. Junho's eyes widened. "We're not stopping, are we?"
They blew past the red light. Horns screamed. A delivery van screeched to a halt inches behind them. The sedan still followed, undeterred.
Seri made another turn, this one tighter, narrower. The tires bumped over uneven pavement. They were heading into the outskirts of the city now, old roads, less surveillance, fewer witnesses.
Junho gripped the dash. "Who the hell are they?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me," she replied without looking at him.
Junho turned to her, startled. "Me?"
"This started with your car. The tracker. The brakes. Someone knew where you'd be."
His throat dried. "You think someone… wants me dead?"
"Maybe," she said. "Or maybe they just want to scare you."
"That's not comforting."
The sedan sped up. It began to swerve, inching closer. Trying to corner them. Her eyes scanned the dark road ahead. There. A sharp downward curve leading to a service tunnel. She twisted the wheel hard.
The tires skidded. The car fishtailed. Junho shouted. Seri didn't flinch. The sedan overshot the turn, narrowly missing them. They ducked into the tunnel. Darkness swallowed them. Only the echo of the engine and Junho's heartbeat filled the space.
Seri slowed the car, finally, letting it roll to a near stop in the shadows. She turned the ignition off. Silence.
Junho slumped in his seat, panting. "Tell me this is over." She stared ahead, listening. Nothing. No engine behind them. No tires.
No threat. She looked at him, finally. "For now."
The engine hummed low as Seri drove, her focus fixed and calm, but her grip on the wheel was tighter now. Something in the way the car responded told her something was off.
The first car that had been chasing them vanished into the shadows behind. Just as Kang Junho let out a breath of relief, headlights flashed in the rearview mirror. A second car emerged, tailing them with aggressive speed.
Inside, Seri's hands gripped the steering wheel with trained precision. Her posture stayed relaxed, but her gaze locked on the wet, winding road ahead, body leaning naturally into each swerve.
Junho braced himself against the door, glancing at her warily. The tires screeched as Seri took a hard turn. The car barely stabilized before she regained full control.
Her voice was calm, almost casual. "I'm sorry in advance. You might want to send your car to intensive care after this."
Junho's eyes went wide. "The car? I think I need to be sent there after this."
"Hold on," she said simply.
Without warning, she veered the car sharply up a gravel incline. The wheels crunched against the loose stones, slowing naturally until the vehicle came to a shaky stop. For a moment, the only sound was their breathing and the rain.
Seri kicked her door open and stepped out, her expression steady and unbothered.
Junho's voice came from inside, tight with disbelief. "Wait—what are you doing?!"
She rolled her shoulders, eyes narrowing on the slick road ahead. "Rain makes it interesting."
He climbed out slowly, muttering under his breath. "You're unbelievable…" His gaze dropped to the car and froze. His sleek black jaguar, once immaculate, was lightly smoking. Scratches streaked along the side, the bumper slightly crooked. He winced as though looking at an injured child. "She's never going to the valet again," he whispered.
Then his attention snapped forward. Just meters ahead, Seri stood in front of the now-stilled black sedan. Light rain drifted down, beading on her hoodie and glistening across the sleek car's surface. The doors opened one after another with mechanical precision. Four men in black suits stepped out, their movements slow, deliberate, and quietly menacing.
Junho's chest tightened, but something in the way Seri's stance never shifted told him…she had this under control.
Screeching tires sounded behind them. Another car, the one from earlier, rolled to a stop. The door opened. Three more men got out…two in suits, one in a grey hoodie and cap. They formed a line, silent, watchful.
Seri's smirk curved faintly. Junho swallowed hard. "This is how I die, isn't it?" he murmured.
She folded her arms and eyed them with unshaken calm. "All black suits? Did someone raid a discount stage costume shop?" Her gaze lingered briefly on each face. "Let me guess… secret agents, or just an unusually aggressive reunion group?"
The men stayed quiet. One raised a hand, pointing at Junho. "That man. The one with the glasses."
Another spoke evenly. "He's the one we want. Step aside."
Seri tilted her head. "All this for him?" She glanced over her shoulder, lips twitching. "Mr. Kang… you're more popular than I thought."
Junho muttered just loud enough for her to hear, "Popular with men who look like Bluetooth earpieces… great."
Her focus sharpened on the man in the hoodie. Taking a step forward, she called out, "Yah. Hoodie guy."
He flinched slightly.
"Why do we have the same taste in hoodies?" she asked, feigning curiosity. "You stalking me, or shopping at the same clearance rack?" She clicked her tongue, turning her attention back to the suits. "And next time you plan an ambush, try something less loan shark chic. You all look like a walking tax audit."
Junho coughed into his hand, failing to hide a laugh. One of the men stepped forward, voice low and threatening. "Enough talking. Hand him over, unless you want to see blood spill."
Seri's voice took on an exaggerated tremble. "Oh no… please… not blood." She stepped behind Junho, clutching the back of his jacket like a frightened civilian. "Protect me, Mr. Kang…"
Junho twisted around in disbelief. "What?! Don't hide behind me! Who's protecting who here?"
"Well, technically they want you," she replied lightly. "I'm just scenery."
"This scenery talks too much," he muttered.
"Don't you want to be my armor this time?" she teased, brushing his shoulder.
Junho's smile faded. His gaze hardened, not in coldness but in something deeper. Fierce. Honest. For a second, time seemed to slow. His heart pounded. Could I really be that man for her? The one who stands in front of danger… even if it means. He swallowed hard.
Seri caught the weight of his look and tilted her head slightly, flustered. "Wait… are you really willing to do that for me?" Her voice wavered, uncertain yet searching. Her touch shifted the air between them. Junho's gaze darkened with something real something that made her blink.
"…Yes," he said quietly.
Before she could respond, one of the suits lunged at Junho.
Seri moved in a blur, guiding Junho aside and slicing her leg through the air. Her heel stopped an inch from the man's face.
Her voice was low, razor-sharp. "You touch him, and I promise… I won't be this polite next time."
The man smirked faintly. "You know I'm not alone." He gestured behind him. "All of them are fighters. Our boss just wants him safe."
Seri's eyes narrowed. "And why should I believe that?"
A calm, confident voice spoke from behind the line of suits. "Because we won't harm him."
Everyone turned. The man in the grey hoodie stepped forward, removing his cap and revealing a face that was gentle yet lined with sharp calculation. "We just need his ability. To fix something that's been broken for a long time."
Junho stiffened, his jaw clenching. No. Not now. Don't say it here. He glanced at Seri, silently willing her not to connect the dots.