THE BURNING HOUSE

CHAPTER 4

The fire spread rapidly across the Sung household.

Smoke filled the air.

Wood cracked loudly as flames consumed the walls.

Jinwoo coughed desperately while searching for his family through the chaos.

“Mom!!”

“Dad!!”

“Mai!!”

Suddenly—

A strong hand grabbed him.

It was Mr Sung.

Blood covered his face.

His breathing had become heavy.

But his eyes still burned with determination.

“Listen to me carefully,” he said.

Jinwoo trembled.

“Dad…”

Mr Sung pushed a small silver necklace into Jinwoo’s hand.

“Take this and run.”

Jinwoo shook his head desperately.

“No! I’m not leaving you!”

Another explosion shook the house violently.

BOOOOM!!!

Part of the ceiling collapsed behind them.

Mr Sung looked toward the flames where Mrs Sung and Mai were trapped between burning wood and assassins.

Pain filled his eyes.

For the first time in his life—

The strongest assassin alive looked helpless.

Mrs Sung screamed from the other side of the fire.

“Take Jinwoo and go!”

Mai cried loudly.

“Daddy!!”

Mr Sung tried to move toward them—

But suddenly—

BANG!

A bullet pierced his shoulder.

He dropped to one knee instantly.

Several assassins emerged from the smoke pointing guns at him.

One of them laughed.

“The ghost is finally dying.”

Jinwoo’s eyes widened in horror.

“DAD!!”

Mr Sung slowly stood again despite the blood pouring from his body.

Even wounded…

He still looked terrifying.

The assassins hesitated fearfully.

Then Shizuka stepped forward from the flames.

Her face remained cold.

But deep inside…

Something felt wrong.

She stared at Jinwoo.

A frightened child crying beside his dying father.

For a brief moment—

She remembered herself as a child.

Alone.

Afraid.

Forgotten.

But the feeling disappeared quickly.

This world had no place for weakness.

Mr Sung suddenly grabbed Jinwoo by the shoulders.

His voice became firm.

“Jinwoo… survive.”

Tears streamed down Jinwoo’s face.

“I don’t want to leave you!”

Mr Sung smiled weakly.

“You are my son.”

Then suddenly—

He pushed Jinwoo toward a broken window.

“RUN!!”

Jinwoo crashed outside into the rain.

“DAD!!!”

He tried to stand—

But another explosion erupted.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The entire house became swallowed by flames.

Jinwoo fell to his knees in the rain screaming helplessly.

“No… no… NOOOO!!”

The fire reflected in his tear-filled eyes.

Everything was gone.

His home.

His mother.

His sister.

His father.

Then through the flames—

He saw someone walking out slowly.

A girl.

Shizuka.

Her face glowed under the burning light.

For a brief second, her eyes met Jinwoo’s.

And somehow—

He would never forget those eyes.

Shizuka stopped walking.

She looked at the crying boy silently.

Then one assassin shouted behind her.

“Leave him! The house is collapsing!”

Shizuka turned away without saying a word.

The assassins disappeared into the darkness.

Leaving Jinwoo alone in the rain.

Broken.

Destroyed.

And deep inside his heart—

Something began to grow.

Hatred.

CHAPTER 5

THE BOY WHO SURVIVED

Rain continued falling through the night.

Jinwoo sat alone on the cold ground staring at the burning remains of his home.

Firefighters and police arrived too late.

The house had already collapsed completely.

People whispered around him.

“Poor child…”

“Did anyone survive?”

“What happened here?”

But Jinwoo heard nothing.

His mind replayed the same images again and again.

His father bleeding.

His mother screaming.

Mai crying.

And the girl walking through the flames.

Those eyes.

He would never forget them.

A police officer approached slowly.

“Kid… do you have any relatives?”

Jinwoo remained silent.

The officer sighed sadly.

Then suddenly—

A black car stopped nearby.

Several men wearing dark suits stepped out.

One of them walked toward Jinwoo calmly.

Tall.

Serious.

Cold eyes.

His name was Yuri.

He crouched in front of Jinwoo quietly.

“So you’re Mr Sung’s son.”

Jinwoo slowly looked up.

The moment Yuri saw his eyes—

He understood immediately.

The boy was broken.

But beneath the pain…

Something dangerous had been born.

Yuri lit a cigarette slowly.

“Your father saved my life once.”

Jinwoo’s fists tightened.

“Can you kill them?”

Yuri looked surprised.

“The people who did this…” Jinwoo whispered.

“Can you kill them?”

Yuri remained silent for a moment.

Then finally—

“No.”

Jinwoo’s eyes lowered.

“But…”

Yuri leaned closer.

“I can help you become strong enough to kill them yourself.”

The rain poured harder.

Jinwoo stared silently at the burning ruins of his home.

Then slowly—

He stood up.

That night…

The boy named Jinwoo Sung disappeared.

And a future assassin was born.

Three Months Later.

Deep underground beneath the city existed a hidden world ordinary people never saw.

Ace Organization.

One of the deadliest assassin groups in the country.

Inside a massive training hall, young fighters trained brutally against each other.

Some punched until their fists bled.

Some practiced with knives.

Others fired guns at moving targets.

And standing quietly in the center—

Was Jinwoo.

His face had completely changed.

The cheerful boy was gone.

Only silence remained.

Yuri walked beside him.

“From today onward,” he said coldly, “your old life is over.”

Jinwoo said nothing.

“You will train.”

“You will fight.”

“You will suffer.”

“And one day…”

Yuri looked directly into his eyes.

“You will become stronger than your father.”

For the first time since the tragedy—

Jinwoo spoke without fear.

“I don’t care about being stronger.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow.

Jinwoo’s eyes darkened.

“I only want revenge.”

Yuri stared at him silently.

Then slowly—

He smiled.

Because those were the exact words the assassin world loved hearing most.

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