The Gala of the Damned

The "Lotte World Tower" was usually a symbol of modern Korean achievement, but tonight, the top floor was vibrating with an energy that made Seo-jin’s teeth ache. As she stepped out of the private elevator on Do-hyun’s arm, the air grew thick and cold, smelling of expensive cologne and ancient ozone.

"Remember," Do-hyun murmured, his voice a dark velvet ribbon in her ear, "do not eat anything offered to you by a man with a blue tie. And if you see a woman with eyes in the back of her head, just compliment her hair. Do not scream."

Seo-jin smoothed the silk of her midnight-blue dress, her knuckles white as she gripped her clutch.

"You make it sound so simple. I’m just a girl from a provincial town who barely passed her CSATs. Now I’m supposed to play 'Shadow Queen' among monsters?"

"You have the most dangerous weapon in this room, Seo-jin," Do-hyun said, stopping her just before they entered the ballroom. He looked down at her, his crimson eyes momentarily softening into a deep, burnt amber. "You are human. To them, you are a mystery. A creature of pure, unpredictable emotion. They can calculate a curse, but they cannot calculate a woman

who refuses to be afraid."

The doors swung open.

The gala was a sea of Seoul’s "One Percent." But as Seo-jin looked closer—aided by the ruby necklace pulsing against her collarbone—the glamour peeled back like rotting wallpaper. The CEO of a major tech firm had a shadow that didn't match his movements; it crawled on the floor like an insect. A famous actress sipped champagne, but in the reflection of the glass, her face was a hollow skull.

"Chairman Kang! You actually came!"

A man approached them. This was CEO Choi of Hansung Construction, the target of their mission. He was a portly man with a smile that was too wide, stretching the skin of his face until it looked like it might tear. Behind him, a faint, wispy black vapor trailed from his ears, coiling around his neck like a noose.

"CEO Choi," Do-hyun replied, his voice dripping with artificial politeness. "Meet my fiancée, Han Seo-jin."

Choi’s eyes locked onto Seo-jin. For a second, his pupils dilated until they were entirely black. "A human? Chairman, I didn't know you had a taste for... fragile things. She looks delicious."

Seo-jin felt a surge of cold terror, but then she remembered the way Choi’s firm had cheated her father’s small construction company out of its land years ago. The fear turned into a sharp, jagged spike of anger.

"I’m more of an acquired taste, CEO Choi," Seo-jin said, stepping forward and offering a hand. "I’ve heard so much about your 'appetite' for growth. It’s almost... supernatural."

As Choi took her hand, the ruby necklace flared bright red. A searing heat jumped from her skin to his. Choi hissed, snatching his hand back as if burned. The black vapor behind him shrieked—a sound only Seo-jin and Do-hyun seemed to hear—and retreated into his collar.

"You—!" Choi snarled, his face contorting into something beastly.

"Careful, Choi," Do-hyun stepped in front of Seo-jin, his presence suddenly expanding until he seemed to tower over the entire room. The lights flickered, and the shadows of the pillars stretched toward Choi like spears. "My fiancée is very protective of her personal space. And I am very protective of her."

The tension was broken by the sound of a chime. "Dinner is served," a voice announced.

As they walked toward the dining hall, Do-hyun leaned in. "That was reckless. And brilliant. You forced the spirit to reveal its weakness."

"He hurt my father," Seo-jin whispered, her heart racing. "I didn't think, I just wanted to burn him."

"A vengeful human is more terrifying than any ghost," Do-hyun noted with a smirk. "But the night is young. To exorcise that spirit, we need to get Choi alone. And according to Korean tradition, the best place for a 'private' talk with a corrupt executive is..."

"...the Karaoke room in the VIP lounge," Seo-jin finished, a manic glint in her eye. "If I’m going to save the world from a shadow-eating demon, I’m doing it while singing 90s K-pop."

Do-hyun paused, looking genuinely confused. "What is a... 'Fin.K.L'?"

"Stay close, Chairman," Seo-jin teased, actually feeling a spark of the 'Romantic Comedy' amidst the 'Dark Fantasy.' "I’m about to show you a different kind of hell."

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