The city was alive below her , a river of headlights, sirens, and neon flowing across the capital.
On the rooftop of the concert hall, Dahlia Choi stood alone, a cigarette trembling between her fingers. In one hour, she would walk onto the stage as one of the most celebrated violinists of her generation.
But right now?
She just needed to breathe.
The wind brushed her hair as she exhaled a cloud of smoke, staring at the glittering skyline.
Then...
a sound.
A sharp, metallic clatter from the far end of the rooftop.
Dahlia froze.
No one else was supposed to be up here.
She stepped closer, cautious... and that was when she saw it:
A man , the governor , lying lifeless on the ground.
And surrounding him,
Three figures dressed entirely in black, faces hidden behind masks that only revealed their eyes.
Her heart pounded. She backed away-
but then one of them made a mistake.
He removed his mask.
Dahlia saw his face.
Clearly.
Fully.
Before she could stop herself, she gasped.
A small metal pipe beside her foot slipped and rolled, hitting the floor with a loud clang.
All three assassins snapped their heads up.
Culprit 1,
"Idiot! Someone's here, she must've seen your face!"
Culprit 2 yanked his mask back down.
"Shit. Go. Get. Her."
They split up, sprinting across the rooftop.
Dahlia ran,
her breath breaking, her footsteps echoing, her mind screaming.
She ducked behind a concrete pillar, trying not to sob.
But Culprit 3 found her.
He cornered her, blade raised,
and then their eyes met.
He stopped.
Completely.
Her eyes widened... trembling... pleading.
"I....I didn't see anything... please...
don't kill me..."
Culprit 1's voice echoed from a distance:
"Lee! Did you find her?!"
A beat.
Culprit 3 , Lee, didn't look away from her terrified face.
His grip on the knife shook.
Then, loud enough for the others to hear
Lee,
"...Nothing. She's not here."
He lowered his hand.
Turned his back.
And walked away.
Footsteps approached , the governor's bodyguards rushing up the stairs.
The assassins exchanged quick signals, then hurried to the edge of the rooftop and disappeared into the night, rappelling down the building walls.
Leaving Dahlia alone,
shaking, alive only because one assassin chose to spare her.