Death
South Korean Military Base — Interrogation Room
The metal door slammed open.
Every soldier inside immediately stood at attention, their backs straightening as their hands snapped into salutes.
"General Kang!"
Kang Do-Hyun walked into the interrogation room without acknowledging them.
At thirty-five, he was the youngest general in South Korea.
He had survived countless battles and earned a name that even enemy soldiers whispered with fear.
The Reaper.
His footsteps stopped in front of the table.
A young woman sat restrained against a steel chair, her hands bound tightly behind her back.
Min Jun.
Twenty-four years old.
Two years in the military had given her discipline and training, but none of it could hide the fear beginning to appear in her eyes.
Yet she was smiling.
Do-Hyun pulled out the chair and sat across from her.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
"So you're General Kang."
He looked at her.
"I expected someone older."
No response.
Her smile widened.
"I don't think this interrogation is going to end the way you expect."
Do-Hyun turned his head toward one of the soldiers.
"Bring me the box under my desk."
"Yes, General."
The soldier hurried out.
The room became silent again.
Min Jun's smile remained, but her fingers slowly tightened against the restraints.
A few moments later, the soldier returned carrying a heavy metal box with both hands.
He placed it on the table.
Do-Hyun opened the lid.
Inside was a pair of industrial pliers.
Her smile disappeared.
"What are those for?"
He picked them up.
"You sold classified military information to North Korea."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't?"
"No."
He stood.
"I see."
He walked around the table.
Min Jun's breathing became faster.
"General Kang, listen to me."
He stopped beside her.
"I can explain."
His hand closed around hers.
"Wait—"
The pliers closed around her fingernail.
Her eyes widened.
"Please don't—"
He pulled.
Her scream tore through the room.
Blood splattered across the floor.
Several soldiers instinctively looked away.
Do-Hyun didn't.
He moved to the next finger.
"Please!"
Another scream followed.
Then another.
The confidence she had walked into the room with was gone.
Tears streamed down her face as her body shook against the restraints.
"Why?"
He stopped.
She looked at him through tear-filled eyes.
"Why did you betray your country?"
"I needed money!"
"For what?"
She said nothing.
His expression hardened.
"You thought you could sell military secrets and walk away?"
"I didn't know—"
"You knew exactly what you were doing."
He raised the pliers again.
She flinched.
"Wait!"
He stopped.
"Do you want to know something?"
She stared at him.
"The information you sold…"
He leaned closer.
"…was fake."
Her expression froze.
"What?"
"That information was bait."
The words seemed to drain the strength from her body.
"You never stole anything important."
He straightened.
"We gave you the information."
Silence filled the room.
"You were never hunting us."
His eyes became cold.
"We were hunting you."
Min Jun stared at him.
The money, the meetings, the information she had sold—everything had been part of a trap.
She finally understood.
Do-Hyun placed the pliers against her finger again.
She began shaking.
"Please…"
He ignored her.
Then—
Thump.
His hand stopped.
His expression changed.
One hand went to his chest.
Thump. Thump.
A violent pain tore through his heart.
The pliers slipped from his fingers and crashed onto the floor.
"General?"
He took a step backward.
His vision blurred.
"General Kang!"
Someone rushed toward him.
"Call the medic!"
His knees gave way.
He hit the floor.
The soldiers surrounded him, shouting orders, but their voices sounded distant.
His chest felt as though something had crushed it from the inside.
He tried to breathe.
Nothing.
His fingers dug into the cold floor.
So this is how I die?
His vision darkened.
After everything he had survived, after every battlefield and every enemy, this was how his life would end.
A heart attack.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
He wanted to laugh.
He couldn't.
The ceiling slowly disappeared from his sight.
The last thing he saw was Min Jun staring at him.
The woman who had been screaming moments ago now looked more frightened than ever.
Not because of the pliers.
Because she was watching the Reaper die.
Then darkness swallowed him.
Kang Do-Hyun was dead.