The hospital hallways were chaotic—rushing nurses, echoing footsteps, the sharp smell of antiseptic cutting through the air.
Judge Choi arrived, breathless, still in his robe from an abruptly adjourned court session. Dojoon met him halfway, pale and shaken.
"Father… he's inside the OR now. Dahlia is upstairs in the waiting area outside the OR."
"Who's in the OR?" Judge Choi demanded, barely catching his breath.
Dojoon swallowed.
"Seo Jaemin."
Judge Choi froze.
His face went blank—shock, disbelief, then a slow collapse of composure.
"…Jaemin? He's… alive? He's been alive all these years?"
Dojoon nodded.
"He was the unseen bodyguard we discussed last week, Dahlia's protector. He became one of those hired killers who call themselves Shadow Assassins."
Judge Choi shut his eyes tightly, almost staggering. His voice broke, trembling with guilt.
"All this time… I thought he drowned. I thought—" He covered his mouth, swallowing a painful lump. "He saved her again?"
Dojoon nodded. "Yes. And he almost died doing it."
Judge Choi pressed his palm to the wall for support.
"Call for a security lockdown. No outsiders. No media. Keep his identity confidential at all costs."
"Yes, Father."
Dojoon moved quickly, issuing commands. Within minutes, guards surrounded the OR wing, and blinds were lowered to block visibility from outside.
Only one person was allowed in besides family—
Coach Han Insung.
Per Dahlia's request.
When Insung reached the hospital, he was trembling so much he nearly dropped his keys. He rushed inside, breath ragged, eyes searching.
"Where is he?" he demanded.
Dojoon placed a hand on his shoulder. "In the operating room. He fought for Dahlia… and almost didn't make it."
Insung clenched his jaw, eyes reddening.
"That boy… I searched for him for years… I never believed he died. Never."
Judge Choi bowed his head, voice heavy.
"I owe you an apology, Insung-ssi."
Insung shook his head.
"Not now. We just… pray he gets through this."
Later at the OR waiting room...
At last, the red light above the surgical room turned off. The doors swung open, and the lead surgeon stepped out—mask lowered, sweat on his brow.
Everyone stood.
"How is he?" Judge Choi and Insung asked simultaneously.
The doctor removed his gloves.
"The patient surpassed the critical stage. The stab wound was deep—millimeters from the heart. But… we were able to stop the bleeding and repair the damage."
Insung sucked in a sharp breath of relief.
"The operation was successful," the doctor continued. "But he lost a lot of blood and suffered severe trauma. He may not wake up for several days."
Dahlia covered her mouth, tears spilling.
"Thank you… thank you, Doctor…"
But the moment relief washed over her, the exhaustion she'd been forcing down took its toll.
Her vision blurred. Her knees buckled.
"Dahlia!" Dojoon shouted, grabbing her before she hit the floor.
Judge Choi alarmed. "Doctor!"
Another medical team rushed over.
"She's burning!" Dojoon said, panic in his voice. "High fever!"
Dahlia's shaking hand reached weakly toward the OR door.
"Jae… min…"
Her voice broke, and she went limp.
They rushed her toward the emergency ward.
Judge Choi rubbed his forehead, overwhelmed.
"My daughter… that boy… How did everything turn into this? What more danger is coming?"
Inside the Hospital's Private Lounge
Dojoon spoke to his father quietly, voice strained with urgency.
"Father… now that Jaemin's identity is clear, we have another issue."
Judge Choi looked drained. "What issue?"
"Seo Gwan." Dojoon's eyes hardened. "His connection to Black Viper. It's stronger than we thought."
Judge Choi straightened, fury burning in his gaze.
"Speak."
"Jaemin was missing at sixteen and turned into a Shadow Assassin. That means Seo Gwan handed him over. And if he's tied to the syndicate… we can use Jaemin's survival as evidence in the 2010 missing-children cases."
Judge Choi exhaled sharply.
"If we can break Seo Gwan… we break one of Black Viper's doors."
"Yes. But we need to move fast," Dojoon warned. "The syndicate is already restless. Jaemin's betrayal—saving Dahlia—angered them."
Judge Choi's eyes sharpened in fear.
"Transfer Seo Gwan to a secure facility at once. No mistakes."
"Yes, Father."
Five hours later, a convoy of two armored police vans rolled down the nighttime highway. Inside the first van sat Seo Gwan, handcuffed, sweating nervously.
The officers surrounding him were alert, weapons ready.
"Where are you taking me?" Seo Gwan demanded.
"To a more secure facility," the lieutenant replied coldly.
Seo Gwan smirked.
"You think I don't know why? Because the boy survived, didn't he? Heh… that brat never dies easily."
The officers stiffened in disgust.
Outside, the moon hid behind slow-moving clouds.
Then—
A low rumbling.
A second.
The driver squinted. "What the—?"
BANG!
An explosion ripped through the road ahead. The first van swerved violently.
Then—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunshots rained from the treeline.
"AMBUSH! TAKE COVER!"
Screams filled the van as bullets shattered the windows.
Masked men in black rushed from the darkness, firing heavy rounds with precision only trained assassins possessed.
Black Viper.
They came for one person.
"DON'T LET THEM TAKE HIM!" the lieutenant roared.
Two officers shielded the prisoner with their bodies.
One was hit immediately—the other fired desperately out the broken window.
Seo Gwan cackled. "They came for me… like I knew they would."
But he miscalculated.
The assassins didn't come to save him.
They came to erase him.
A shadowed figure moved toward the rear of the van—silent, deadly, blade in hand.
"No… wait—WAIT!" Seo Gwan screamed.
SHHK!
The blade plunged cleanly into his throat—swift and merciless.
Blood splattered the steel walls.
The remaining officers fought back, but the attackers vanished as fast as they came, leaving bodies, gunpowder, and the burning wreck of the convoy.
The few survivors struggled to crawl out, bleeding and dazed.
One whispered into the radio with shaking hands:
"Ambush… Black Viper… the prisoner… dead…"
Back at the Hospital
Dojoon's phone rang.
His face turned ashen as he listened.
Judge Choi watched him.
"What happened?"
Dojoon lowered the phone slowly, trembling in anger and dread.
"…Seo Gwan is dead. Murdered during transfer."
Judge Choi's eyes widened.
"So the syndicate has moved," he muttered.
"Yes," Dojoon whispered.
"And they won't stop."
He looked toward Dahlia's room… toward Jaemin fighting for his life in the ICU…
The storm was no longer coming. It was already here.