The plan was clear in her mind. She had studied it for weeks. First, a short service tunnel. Then a metal staircase. After that, the vault entrance with a retinal scan and a pressure-sensitive stand. Inside the main room, the Seal of Al-Rashid rested on a white stone stand behind glass. Motion sensors and laser beams filled the room. Even the floor could detect sound and movement. When Jae Min reached the vault entrance, she slowed her breathing to stay calm.
The first challenge was the retinal scan. She took out a special contact lens with a fake eye pattern copied from an authorized worker. When she wore it, it would trick the scanner long enough to open the door. She slipped the lens into her eye. A light sting. A taste of copper. Then—the scanner turned green. The door opened with a soft sound.
Inside, the vault looked unreal. Bright white lights focused on the glass case in the center of the room, like a stage. And there it was—the Seal of Al-Rashid. The real thing. Seeing it with her own eyes made her feel something tighten in her chest. Everything she trained for had led to this moment.
She set her equipment bag gently on the floor and opened it. She took out a silicone tool that would help her move the seal without changing its weight or position. Even the smallest mistake would raise an alarm. Her hands did not shake. She fed a small mirror under the glass case to check the laser patterns. Then she sent a tiny fiber wire along the seam to test the sound sensors. Nothing reacted. Good. It was safe—for now.
The hardest part was the stand holding the seal. It could detect the smallest change in weight. That meant she needed to replace the real seal with a fake one that weighed exactly the same. No mistakes allowed.
She used a small suction tool to lift the real seal just a little—one inch. Just enough to slide the fake one inside. The fake seal was wrapped in dark velvet. Silently, smoothly, she pushed it into position. Then she checked the weight using her scanner. It was not perfect yet. The number was slightly off. She added two tiny pieces of lead inside the fake seal until the weight matched exactly.
Then it happened—a noise. A sudden sharp sound from the service corridor. A boot hitting the floor. Someone was coming. That was not part of the schedule. Her heartbeat sped up, but she forced herself to stay calm. She dropped to the floor and kept her body flat. She watched the shadow of a guard pass outside the glass room. His radio crackled.
A false alarm had gone off somewhere outside. A worker spilled coffee near some equipment and called for maintenance. Because of that, the guard came to check this area. Bad timing. If he entered the room now, everything would be ruined. He might see the tiny smudge she had not cleaned. Or notice something was off.
She had two choices: run or delay him. Running could get her caught. So she chose to delay. She tapped the small device on her ear and sent a weak electromagnetic pulse into the security system. The room lights flickered. The control screen blinked. The guard stopped and spoke into his radio. The main system paused and started a self-check. She now had a few seconds—maybe twenty—to finish.
She moved fast. She sealed the edge of the glass with a clear strip, covering where her tool had gone in. Then she added a fake fingerprint on the glass—something that looked like it came from an earlier inspection. She placed the silicone piece under the seal again so no vibrations would be detected. Everything now looked exactly the same as before she entered the room. The swap was perfect.
The guard came closer—but then turned away. He told the radio team it was just a small electrical glitch. He left. Jae Min finally let out a quiet breath.
She packed the real seal into her velvet pouch and closed her bag. She held it against her chest for a moment. It felt heavy. Important.
On her way out, she almost ran into someone—a cleaner carrying a tray. The woman stopped and stared at her suspiciously. Jae Min stayed relaxed. She gave a small polite smile and said, "Sorry. Wrong way." The cleaner blinked, smiled back, and let her pass.
Jae Min exited through the same tunnel she used to enter. Outside, the night sky hung over Dubai like a dark ocean of lights. She didn't feel safe until she reached a quiet alley three streets away. She finally stopped and breathed deeply. Her hands were shaking from the adrenaline.
She opened the pouch and looked at the seal for a moment. Real. Cold. Powerful. This was more than stealing—it was changing something. This mission would not be forgotten. Neither would she.
At the safe house, she placed the seal gently on the table and sat in silence. She stared at it. The vault had been so silent, but her heart had been so loud. This was her first mission that truly mattered.
This was not victory. It was the beginning. Proof that she was not just surviving—she was becoming someone dangerous. Someone useful. And usefulness always had a cost.
She wrapped the seal again and reached for her communicator. The next mission would arrive soon. Her life no longer belonged to her.
---
Present
Jae Min opened his eyes. The room was silent, but the memories pressed on him like a weight. The past never left. It lived inside him.
Being found by them was not luck.
It was the beginning of trouble.
He placed his cup down slowly. The sound echoed in the quiet room. He rested his head on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Maybe this is who I have to be to survive.
But everything changed when she met her target.
She had overheard him talking to a friend about her master—terrible things she had never believed.
"That man is evil. He's a monster. He sells children. He sells drugs. He kidnaps kids and tears families apart. He is the devil."
The words shocked her. Confusion shook her mind. She hesitated for the first time.
That moment of hesitation cost her everything.
She was caught. She barely escaped through the servants' quarters. She failed the mission.
Back at the mansion, her master looked at her with cold anger. He did not yell. He did not hit her. He simply leaned close and said:
> "You're lucky I like you. But if you ever fail me again… I'll send you back to the streets. Where I found you."
She wanted to ask if what the man said was true. But when she looked into her master's eyes—she already knew the answer.
She stayed silent.
From that day on, Xin Ling buried her doubts. She obeyed every command.
She stole. She kidnapped. She killed.
Again and again.
And slowly, she became a monster too.
A few weeks after her failed mission, she heard the news. The man she was sent to watch—the one who tried to expose her master—was found dead.
Her master had simply sent someone else.