Dahlia woke before the first hint of dawn.
4:07 AM.
Her chest felt tight, her thoughts heavier than the winter fog clinging to Hwayang Valley. She tied her hair into a messy ponytail, slipped into her black tights and cropped tank, then pulled on her purple hoodie. The cold stabbed her skin the moment she stepped out—but it couldn't compare to the cold inside her.
She ran.
Through the silent valley roads.
Past the frost-kissed fences.
Past the still-sleeping houses.
Running until her lungs burned, until her heart pounded louder than the memories in her head.
By the time she slowed, the sky had turned pale gold.
Around 7 AM, she passed the little coffee shop by the main road.
She stopped only long enough to order—hands trembling around the cup.
But halfway through her first sip…
…her heart skipped.
He's here.
Watching.
Silent.
Somewhere.
She threw the cup away, hurried to her car, and drove—
Straight to that coastal mountain.
The place where a sixteen-year-old boy disappeared into the sea.
And where a thirty-one-year-old woman never stopped waiting.
She climbed the trail barefoot after removing her shoes, the cold biting into her soles.
Her purple hoodie came off next, tossed onto a rock.
Jaemin, hidden in the trees several meters away, tensed.
What is she doing…?
He stepped forward instinctively—but stopped.
Watching.
Confused.
Afraid of what she might do next.
Dahlia inhaled sharply, wind whipping her hair across her damp eyes.
Then she screamed at the ocean below:
"YOU SAID YOU'RE NOT THE PERSON I THINK YOU ARE—
THEN PROVE IT!"
Her voice echoed across the cliffside.
Jaemin froze.
Her next move made his blood turn ice.
She stepped back.
Another step.
And—
She jumped.
The sea swallowed her instantly.
Freezing.
Dark.
Merciless.
Her limbs grew numb as she sank deeper… deeper…
He's not coming.
Her vision blurred.
Her chest squeezed.
She tried to swim upward—
But her strength slipped away.
Her world dimmed.
Until—
A shadow cut through the water like a blade.
Hands reached for her.
A chest collided with hers.
His arm locked around her waist.
His mouth pressed against hers—
Sharing air.
Sharing life.
He pulled her upward with everything he had.
He dragged her onto the rocks, collapsing beside her.
"Dahlia—Dahlia!"
He shook her shoulders, coughing water, trembling.
"Why are you doing this…? Wake up! Dahlia, please!"
He pressed against her chest—CPR—desperate, frantic.
At last, water burst from her lips.
She choked, gasped, trembling violently.
Her eyes fluttered open—wet, burning.
And she saw him.
Really saw him.
She reached weakly, fingers brushing his face.
"…See… I knew it…
You'd come…
Jaemin-ah…"
She smiled—
Then fainted into his arms.
His heart shattered silently.
She woke up in her childhood bedroom, sunlight fading behind the curtains.
Her pajamas were dry.
Her skin warm under blankets.
Her head pounding from fever.
She stumbled out of the room, down the stairs—
"Ah—Dahlia-ssi!"
Mrs. Kim almost dropped the tray she carried.
"Slow down! You're burning with fever!"
"Where is he…?" Dahlia whispered. "Who brought me home?"
"Your friend did," Mrs. Kim said gently. "A young man. He said you… went swimming but lost consciousness. Honestly, child—who swims in winter?"
Dahlia pressed her lips shut.
She couldn't explain.
Not yet.
Mrs. Kim went home after leaving medicine and dinner on the table.
Dahlia curled under the blanket, trembling from fever chills, breathing unevenly.
Minutes stretched.
Then—
click
Someone turned the heater up.
Her breath hitched.
A familiar low voice spoke beside her bed:
"Dahlia…
You need to call your brother.
You should be in a hospital."
He sat beside her.
The mattress dipped under his weight.
He gently helped her sit up, his touch cautious yet tender.
"Take this first," he said quietly.
She drank the medicine, her hand brushing his—warm… real.
An electric ache hit her heart.
He stood to leave—
Distance again.
Distance he thought would protect her.
Later.....
He stood at the terrace, scanning the dark outside. Every instinct was sharpened, every breath controlled.
Danger lurked everywhere now.
He could not stay long.
Until—
Arms wrapped around his waist from behind.
He froze.
Dahlia pressed her forehead against his back, her voice trembling.
"…Just stay. Even for a moment."
He closed his eyes.
"Later… you can go. I called Dojoon. He's coming soon."
A small sob escaped her.
"I missed you…
Jaemin-ah."
His entire body shook.
He didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
He had waited fifteen years to hear his name from her lips.
But fate didn't allow him to answer.
Because—
A cold voice sliced through the darkness behind them.
- The presence in the dark .....
"Lee."
A figure stepped out from the shadows of the yard.
Tall.
Cold.
Deadly.
The leader of the Shadow Assassins.
Jin.
"I knew it," Jin hissed.
"I never trusted you. But they didn't believe me."
He stepped forward, eyes burning with betrayal.
"You killed our brother."
His gaze slid to Dahlia—
The one clinging to Lee's back.
"And now… you reveal yourself for her?"
His lips curled into a lethal smile.
"I came for vengeance.
And tonight—
I'll take what you care for most."
Lee stepped in front of Dahlia instantly.
His stance shifted—
deadly, protective, ready.
The storm had finally arrived.