CHAPTER 03

THE FIRST BLOOD...

Hyun-soo's first suspicion fell on Min-ho. He had copied Chairman Kang's files onto a flash drive, but only one person had ever received a copy—Min-ho.

Finding a quiet corner where no one could overhear him, Hyun-soo pulled out his burner phone and dialed the familiar number. The call connected after two rings.

"Min-ho," Hyun-soo said in a low voice. "Did you release the files?"

A brief silence followed.

"No."

Hyun-soo frowned.

"You were the only one who had a copy."

"I know," Min-ho replied calmly. "But I didn't leak them. Someone else made the first move."

Hyun-soo's grip tightened around the phone.

"Then who is it?"

"I don't know," Min-ho admitted. "But be careful. If another enemy is targeting Chairman Kang, they're playing a dangerous game."

The call ended, leaving Hyun-soo with even more questions than before. He barely had time to think.

A sudden commotion spread through the mansion. One of Chairman Kang's men rushed inside.

"Master! We've caught the person responsible for leaking the documents!"

Hyun-soo's eyes widened.

*They caught him...?*

He immediately followed the guards toward Chairman Kang's private office. The study was filled with tension. Chairman Kang stood at the center of the room, his expression colder than ice. Min-jae stood silently beside him. Several members of the Kang family had also gathered, their faces grim.

In the middle of the room, a man knelt on the floor with his hands tied behind his back. When the relatives recognized him, gasps filled the room.

"It... it can't be..."

"He's one of the Kang family..."

Even Hyun-soo was surprised. The traitor wasn't an outsider. He was one of Chairman Kang's own relatives. Chairman Kang looked down at the man without a trace of emotion.

"You betrayed your own blood."

The captive let out a bitter laugh despite the bruises covering his face.

"I betrayed criminals... not family."

He slowly raised his head, staring directly at Chairman Kang.

"You've destroyed countless innocent lives through your illegal businesses."

His voice echoed through the silent room.

"You ruined families... murdered anyone who stood in your way..."

A fearless smile appeared on his bloodied face.

"Your empire is collapsing." He laughed again.

"And this is only the beginning."

"You've reached the end of your road, Chairman Kang."

Before he could say another word—

BANG!

A single gunshot shattered the silence. The bullet pierced the man's forehead. His body collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.For a moment... No one moved.

Hyun-soo instinctively turned toward Chairman Kang, convinced he had pulled the trigger. But Chairman Kang's hands were empty. His eyes widened.Slowly...

Hyun-soo shifted his gaze to the side. Standing there was Min-jae. A pistol rested calmly in his hand, with a thin trail of smoke still rising from the barrel. His expression was completely unreadable.

Hyun-soo froze.

*Min-jae... pulled the trigger?*

Late that night, the mansion was silent. Hyun-soo found Min-jae standing alone on the balcony, gazing into the darkness beyond the estate. A cool breeze stirred his hair, but his expression remained unreadable. Hyun-soo walked over quietly. He wanted answers. Before he could say a single word, Min-jae spoke first.

"I know what you're going to ask." His voice was calm, almost emotionless.

"You want to know why I pulled the trigger." Hyun-soo remained silent.

Min-jae rested both hands on the balcony railing, staring into the night.

"I hate my father's business." A bitter smile crossed his lips.

"I've hated it ever since I was a child." He let out a slow breath.

"Every day, all I heard was blood... money... guns."

"There was never a normal family dinner. Never a peaceful home." His eyes lowered.

"My father never knew how to love me."

A long silence followed.

"But..."

A faint sadness appeared on his face.

"I still love him."

Hyun-soo looked at him in surprise.

"He may be a terrible father... but he's still my father."

Min-jae's voice grew firmer.

"If anyone tries to harm him..." His jaw tightened.

"I can't forgive them."

Hyun-soo hesitated before asking the question that had been lingering in his mind.

"Do you think someone else is behind the leak?"

Min-jae slowly turned toward him.

"There has to be." His eyes burned with cold determination.

"The man who died today wasn't acting alone." He clenched his fists.

"Someone is hiding in the shadows." His voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.

"And when I find every single person behind this..." He paused.

"I'll kill them."

The words hung heavily in the cold night air. Hyun-soo's heart skipped a beat. He said nothing. Standing beside Min-jae, he stared into the darkness in silence. For the first time, he realized something terrifying.

The man he was beginning to care about... Was unknowingly hunting him.

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A CONFESSION IN THE DARK...

Once a late night, Hyun-soo stepped onto the quiet balcony outside his room and dialed Min-ho's number. The call connected almost instantly.

"We're running out of time," Min-ho said firmly. "We have to execute the plan as soon as possible."

Hyun-soo frowned.

"No."

His voice remained calm.

"We need to wait a little longer. Everyone inside the mansion is on high alert after the leak. If we make a move now, we'll only expose ourselves."

Silence lingered on the other end.

"They'll tighten security every day we wait," Min-ho argued.

"I know," Hyun-soo replied. "But rushing now is more dangerous than waiting. We only get one chance."

After a long pause, Min-ho sighed.

"...Fine. We'll wait."

"Stay ready."

The call ended.

Hyun-soo slipped the burner phone back into his pocket and turned around—

Only to find Min-jae standing a few steps away.

For a split second, Hyun-soo's heart skipped a beat.

*Did he hear anything?*

But Min-jae didn't ask about the phone call.

Instead, he slowly walked closer, his usual confidence replaced by an unfamiliar nervousness.

"Hyun-soo..."

His voice was unusually soft.

"I didn't come here to question you."

He stopped directly in front of him.

"I came because... I can't keep this to myself anymore."

Hyun-soo remained silent.

Min-jae looked into his eyes.

"I love you."

The words hung between them.

"I've tried to ignore these feelings... I've tried to convince myself they'll disappear." A faint, helpless smile crossed his lips.

"They never did."

"No matter how cold you are..."

"No matter how many times you push me away..."

"I still love you."

Hyun-soo's chest tightened. His own heart screamed to answer. But revenge chained his tongue. He stood motionless, hiding every emotion behind the expressionless face Blackwood Academy had taught him to wear.

Seeing no response, disappointment flickered across Min-jae's face.

"So... that's your answer."

He gave a small, bitter laugh.

"I guess I already knew."

Min-jae turned to leave.

Then he suddenly stopped.

Without another word, he stepped back toward Hyun-soo, gently cupped his face, and pressed his lips against his.

Hyun-soo's eyes widened in complete surprise.

He had expected nothing more than a brief touch before Min-jae walked away.

Instead...

His own body betrayed him. Almost instinctively, Hyun-soo closed the distance and kissed him back. The kiss deepened for a fleeting moment, filled with every feeling they had tried to bury for months.

The following morning, pale sunlight slipped through the curtains of Hyun-soo's room. He quietly got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Leaning against the sink, he turned on the cold water and splashed it across his face. Droplets rolled down as he stared silently at his reflection in the mirror.

Fragments of the previous night replayed relentlessly in his mind. Min-jae's trembling confession.

*"I love you."*

The unexpected kiss. The quiet hours they had spent together with his passionate kiss, touch and warm and forgetting the world outside.

Hyun-soo slowly lowered his head. A wave of guilt crashed over him.

*What am I doing?* he thought bitterly.

*I came here to avenge my family...*

*For nineteen years, I lived for only one purpose.*

His fists clenched against the edge of the sink.

*And now... I'm allowing my heart to betray them.*

The faces of his parents, his sister, and the relatives he had lost flashed through his mind. The warmth he had felt only hours earlier vanished beneath the crushing weight of his oath.

Hyun-soo closed his eyes.

*No...* he whispered.

*I cannot forget why I came here.*

*Chairman Kang must die.*

When he opened his eyes again, the warmth in them had disappeared. Only cold determination remained.

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A SHATTERING REUNION...

A few days later, Min-jae left on an important business trip. As always, Hyun-soo accompanied him as his personal bodyguard. Throughout the trip, Hyun-soo repeatedly tried to contact Min-ho using his burner phone. No answer. He called again.

A feeling of unease settled deep in his chest.

Something's wrong...

The moment they returned to the Kang estate, Hyun-soo sensed the atmosphere had changed. Guards stood in unusually large numbers around the main hall. He followed Min-jae inside.

The sight before him froze him where he stood. Min-ho was kneeling in the center of the room, his clothes soaked with blood. His face was bruised beyond recognition, and fresh wounds covered his body. Two guards forced him to remain on his knees.

Hyun-soo's heart pounded violently. Every instinct screamed at him to run forward. To save him. But he couldn't. He forced himself to stand perfectly still, hiding every emotion behind the expressionless mask Blackwood Academy had carved into him.

Chairman Kang slowly approached the battered man.

"So..." he said coldly.

"After all these years... fate has brought us together again."

Min-ho slowly lifted his swollen face. Chairman Kang gave a cruel smile.

"You were once one of my most trusted men."

His voice carried through the silent hall.

"But because of a single misunderstanding, you believed I ordered your death."

"You escaped..."

He paused before continuing.

"And because I couldn't allow betrayal to go unpunished, your entire family paid the price."

His smile widened.

"I erased every last one of them."

The room fell silent. Hyun-soo clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. Now he finally understood. This wasn't just his revenge. It was Min-ho's as well.

For years, Min-ho had carried the same hatred in his heart after losing his family to Chairman Kang's brutality. Chairman Kang looked down at him with utter contempt.

"You spent all these years chasing revenge."

"What a pathetic waste of a life."

Min-ho slowly laughed despite the blood running down his face.

"You'll understand... when your empire burns."

A guard struck him hard across the face, knocking him back onto his knees. Hyun-soo remained motionless. Every second felt like torture. But he remembered Min-ho's words.

*"No matter what happens... survive."*

Swallowing his anger, Hyun-soo lowered his gaze and stood in absolute silence. His time had not come yet. But he silently vowed that when it did... Chairman Kang would pay for every drop of blood he had spilled.

Chairman Kang slowly drew his pistol and aimed it at Min-ho's head.

"You should have stayed dead years ago," he said coldly.

Min-ho met his eyes without fear.

"I may die... but your empire will fall with me."

A gunshot echoed through the mansion. Min-ho collapsed to the floor, lifeless.

Hyun-soo stood frozen, burying his grief beneath a mask of obedience, while vengeance burned hotter than ever inside him.

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THE CRACKS IN THE MASK...

Min-ho's death shattered something deep inside Hyun-soo.

For nineteen years, Min-ho had been more than an ally. After Hyun-soo lost his family, he became the only person who stood beside him, guided him, and gave his life a purpose. Watching him die without being able to save him was a pain far greater than Hyun-soo had ever imagined. Yet he buried every ounce of grief beneath the cold mask Blackwood Academy had taught him to wear.

Outwardly, nothing had changed.

But the smallest cracks began to show. He spoke less. His eyes seemed distant. The calm precision that had always defined him now carried an unusual heaviness. Min-jae noticed immediately.

One evening, he found Hyun-soo standing alone in the garden.

"You've been different ever since we returned,"

Min-jae said quietly. Hyun-soo remained silent.

Min-jae stepped closer.

"Did something happen?"

"...No, sir."

"Don't lie to me."

Hyun-soo finally looked at him.

"I said nothing happened."

Min-jae studied his face for a long moment before speaking softly.

"Your eyes are telling me a different story."

For a brief second, Hyun-soo almost broke. But he swallowed the grief, lowered his gaze, and answered in the same emotionless voice.

"I'm simply tired."

Min-jae wasn't convinced. Still, he chose not to press any further. As he walked away, one thought lingered in his mind.

*Something had happened... and whatever it was, Hyun-soo was carrying it alone*

A few days later, Min-jae sat in his executive office, reviewing the latest financial reports. His expression darkened as he noticed his company's market value had dropped sharply.

He looked up at his personal assistant.

"What's causing this?"

The assistant immediately replied,

"Sir, one of our largest overseas clients has shifted their contracts to another company. Since we lost that deal, our market value has declined significantly."

Min-jae's jaw tightened. This was a major setback. If he didn't act quickly, the damage would spread even further.

"Prepare the jet," he ordered without hesitation. "I'm leaving for overseas tonight."

Within hours, everything was arranged. Before departing, Min-jae found Hyun-soo.

"I'll be away for a few days," he said. "Stay with my father while I'm gone. Someone is targeting him, and I can't afford to leave him unprotected."

Hyun-soo gave a respectful nod.

"As you wish, Young Master."

Min-jae looked at him for a moment, as if he wanted to say something more. Instead, he simply turned and walked away.

He had no idea... The person he trusted most was the very one hunting his father.As Min-jae's plane disappeared into the night sky, Hyun-soo watched from the mansion courtyard. His eyes turned cold.

This was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

With Min-jae out of the country, nothing stood between him and Chairman Kang.

*The time for revenge had finally arrived*

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THE FINAL VENGEANCE...

The mansion was unusually quiet. With Min-jae overseas, Chairman Kang had lowered his guard, believing the recent chaos had finally settled. He sat alone in his private study, reviewing documents as rain battered the windows.

The door slowly opened.Hyun-soo stepped inside. Chairman Kang looked up briefly.

"What is it?"

Hyun-soo didn't answer. Instead, he quietly locked the door behind him. A heavy silence filled the room.

Chairman Kang frowned.

"What are you doing?"

Hyun-soo slowly drew the pistol hidden beneath his jacket. For the first time since entering the mansion, he no longer hid the hatred burning in his eyes.

Chairman Kang immediately reached for his own weapon, but Hyun-soo was faster. A single shot struck Kang's shoulder, forcing him back into his chair.He stared at Hyun-soo in disbelief.

"You..."

His voice trembled with anger.

"Who are you?"

Hyun-soo stepped closer, his grip on the pistol unwavering. For nineteen years, he had waited for this moment.

"My name..."

He paused, his eyes filled with pain and fury.

"...is Jung Hyun-soo."

Chairman Kang frowned, unable to recognize it. Hyun-soo continued.

"I am the last survivor of the Jung family."

Recognition slowly spread across Kang's face.

"The wedding..." he whispered.

Hyun-soo's expression hardened.

"You murdered my parents."

"You slaughtered my family."

"You took everything from me."

"For nineteen years..."

"I lived for this moment."

Chairman Kang let out a bitter laugh despite the blood staining his clothes.

"So... the little boy survived."

Hyun-soo raised the gun.

"You should have finished the job."

Chairman Kang's smile disappeared. A loud gunshot echoed through the mansion.

Then another. Chairman Kang collapsed onto the floor, lifeless. Hyun-soo stood over the body in silence.

The revenge he had carried for nineteen years was finally complete. Yet instead of relief... All he felt was emptiness.

The news spread across the country within minutes. Chairman Kang was dead. The moment Min-jae received the call overseas, the color drained from his face.

"What...?"

Without wasting another second, he boarded the first available flight home. Hours later, he rushed into the mansion. The once-powerful estate had become a scene of chaos. Guards flooded the halls while investigators searched every corner.

Min-jae's eyes fell upon his father's lifeless body. He slowly knelt beside him, his hands trembling.

"...Father."

Silence answered him. A guard stepped forward.

"Young Master... we've identified the killer."

Min-jae slowly raised his head.

"...Who?"

The guard hesitated.

"...Hyun-soo."

For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

"No..."

Min-jae whispered.

"That's impossible."

"He confessed his identity before killing Chairman Kang and escaped before we could stop him."

The words struck Min-jae like a bullet.

*The man he had trusted... The man he had loved...*

*Had come to the mansion only for revenge"

His grief quickly transformed into fury.

"Find him."

His voice was cold enough to freeze the room.

"I don't care where he is."

"Search every city... every border... every safe house."

"I want Jung Hyun-soo brought to me."

"Alive."

The entire Kang organization launched a relentless manhunt. But Hyun-soo had vanished without leaving a single trace.

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THE FINAL CONFRONTATION...

Late that night, Min-jae's phone vibrated. An unknown number. He answered immediately.

"...Hyun-soo."

There was a brief silence.

Then Hyun-soo's calm voice came through the line.

"You've been looking for me."

Min-jae's jaw tightened.

"Where are you?"

"I'm waiting."

"At the top of Haneul Cliff."

"If you want answers..."

"If you want revenge..."

"Come alone."

The call ended.

Min-jae stared silently at the dark screen. Without hesitation, he grabbed his car keys. Only one destination. The cliff where everything would finally come to an end.

The cold wind howled across the mountain peak as Min-jae arrived alone. Hyun-soo stood near the edge of the cliff, his back facing him.

"You came," Hyun-soo said quietly.

"You asked me to," Min-jae replied, his voice heavy with grief. "Now tell me... was everything between us a lie?"

Hyun-soo remained silent.

"You killed my father."

"I killed the man who murdered my family."

Min-jae's fists trembled.

"He was still my father!"

"And my parents were innocent!" Hyun-soo shouted, years of pain finally erupting.

The silence between them shattered. Without another word, Min-jae lunged forward. Hyun-soo met him head-on.

The two fought with everything they had. Punches echoed through the mountains. Neither man was willing to surrender. After a brutal struggle, Min-jae stumbled and fell to one knee near the edge of the cliff. Breathing heavily, he looked up at Hyun-soo.

"Go on..."

His voice was broken.

"Kill me too."

"It'll be easier than living with this."

Hyun-soo raised his gun. His finger rested on the trigger... But he couldn't do it.

Despite everything, he couldn't bring himself to kill the man he loved. Slowly, he lowered the weapon. Seeing the hesitation, Min-jae's eyes hardened.

"If you won't kill me... then I'll kill you."

He quickly reached for the pistol lying beside him. A gunshot echoed across the mountains. Hyun-soo had fired first. The bullet tore through Min-jae's shoulder. He cried out in pain as the force sent him stumbling backward. His foot slipped on the loose gravel. For a brief second, their eyes met.

Then...

Min-jae fell over the edge of the cliff. Hyun-soo rushed forward.

"MIN-JAE!!!"

His voice disappeared into the endless valley below.

The dark lake swallowed Min-jae without leaving a trace. Hyun-soo stood frozen at the cliff's edge, staring into the silence. For nineteen years, revenge had been the only reason he lived.

Now...

It had cost him everything. As darkness closed around him, Min-jae's fading consciousness held onto a single thought.

*If there is even a single breath left in me... I will find you, Hyun-soo.*

THE END...

"Revenge may end a life, but it never heals the heart that carried it."

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