In a mysterious palace, the room was dimly lit, with shadows dancing across the walls from the flickering candles. The air was heavy with the scent of incense and the undercurrent of danger. A young woman sat on an ornate sofa, eyeing the knife in her hands as if it's the ultimate treasure.
A man stood before her, his posture the very picture of defeat. His head was bowed. His eyes, wide with dread, were fixed on the ground, unable to meet her piercing gaze, his body trembled like a leaf in a storm, drenched in the palpable fear that filled the room.
"Ma'am!" he stuttered, terror clear in his voice, "we... we lost her."
Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes narrowed, her gaze becoming as sharp as the knife she held. She glared at him with a fury that could rival the fiercest storms. "Then you too should disappear from this earth," she hissed, her voice a deadly whisper.
With a swift motion, she hurled the knife at him. The man, paralyzed by fear, can't move a muscle. He doesn't stand a chance to dodge; the knife sliced his throat, cutting off his final scream. He collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
In the aftermath, the clanking of metal echoed through the room. She turned, her silk gown whispering against the marble floor, and approached the source.
A man sat bound on another sofa, his hands cuffed behind him. The handcuffs clinked as he strained against them, a futile effort to break free.
"Oh... I almost forgot you were here," she remarked, her tone dripping with feigned surprise. She strode over and seated herself on his lap, gazing into his eyes, cradling his face in her hands. "You can't even imagine how badly I crave to hear my name from your lips," she whispered, against his ears.
Soon her eyes grew cold and hard, "I will have her head for this," she vowed, her voice a venomous snarl. "For ruining my life, for stealing your voice, for taking everything from us." Her eyes blazed with a hatred that burns hotter than the sun.
But the man's eyes blazed with nothing but rage, fighting against his restraints. She looked him over with mock sympathy. "Oh, Kerry, don't worry! I'll avenge you. We will both see her getting miserable, together. I'm not going to cut her tongue like she did to you!"
Her eyes narrowed at nothing in particular as if she were already imagining things. "I'm going to hear her painful scream."
However, her imagination was interrupted by the sound of clanking handcuffs echoing in her ear as Kerry wanted her to open them. She took his face in her hands, with a look of pity that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, Kerry,"
She cooed mockingly, "Once, you were a formidable mafia boss-intimidating, ruthless, devilishly handsome. Now look at you, you're nothing but a shadow, your once formidable presence reduced to this... a mute, disfigured puppet."
She cupped his face again, this time with feigned concern, disregarding his attempts to escape. "Don't fret, I, your Selene, will exact you revenge. My father still reigns as a powerful mafia lord."
Her eyes gleamed with fierce resolve. "This time, she won't be able to stand agains me." A chilling smirk played on her lips, sending shivers down Kerry's spine.
With that, Selene ascended the grand staircase, her figure disappearing into the shadows, leaving Kerry alone with his thoughts and the echo of his thwarted struggles.
---
In the next day...
The morning light filtered through the blinds, casting a soft glow in Dr. Lee's office where RM and Jungkook sat waiting. The room was quiet, the tension almost tangible.
Jungkook's fingers drummed a nervous rhythm on the armrest, while RM's furrowed brow betrayed his inner turmoil, trying to make sense of the doctor's words.
"I'm lost," RM admitted, massaging his temples. "I still don't understand what you're saying. Is she battling blood cancer or not? Please, Dr. Lee, be clear." his voice laced with a blend of exasperation and concern.
Dr. Lee rose from his chair, a silhouette against the window, the light casting long shadows across the floor. "I'm as puzzled as you are. How am I supposed to clarify it when I'm not clear about it myself? I've never encountered such a case in my career. It's beyond any medical textbook. I need time to consult with a hematologist."
He admitted, his tone tinged with a rare uncertainty. "I'll consult my father. after all, he is the best doctor with great experience. He might help us with it"
Jungkook interjected, his voice steady yet tinged with urgency, "You mentioned three things you wanted to talk about. What are the other two?"
Dr. Lee paused, turning towards the glowing screen of his computer. "Here's something astonishing," he began, displaying two digital images side by side.
"These are radiographs of her leg. The first from yesterday shows a clear fracture, and the second from today indicates rapid calcification-signs of accelerated healing. It's unprecedented-what usually takes weeks is happening in hours! If this trend continues, I predict complete recovery in 5 to 7 days, whereas normally it would take six weeks!"
RM and Jungkook exchanged a glance, a silent communion of disbelief. Their mouths were open in shock, as they were still trying to process what Dr. Lee had just said. They both didn't know how to react.
Dr. Lee, noting their astonishment, sighed and returned to his chair. "I know It's extraordinary and defies medical explanation. That's why we need to conduct further tests to understand this phenomenon."
"And the third thing?" RM inquired, his curiosity piqued.
Leaning back, the doctor's gaze turned pensive. "Her identity. If we can locate her family, they might provide insight into her unique condition. Have you found any leads?"
RM leaned in, his hands clasping the polished surface of the desk. "Her identity is as much a mystery as her condition," he confessed. "Jungkook, you witnessed her presence at the concert, right?" Jungkook's nodded solemnly.
"But our manager and guards checked everything. she is a ghost in our records, absent from the legion of ARMY, and she's not on any camera footage except one in the basement, which we had to erase."
"What??" A gasp escaped Jungkook, his eyes wide with the dawning realization of the gravity of their predicament.
"Wait, we need her identity!" Dr. Lee interrupted them both. his voice a crescendo of urgency. "Look RM, I know how critical the situation is for you, but you have to understand me as well. You know how paperwork is done in every hospital, and how important it is. I took a risk doing the surgery without proper paperwork"
"Calm down, Dr. Lee," RM tried to calm him, but he interrupted.
"No, RM. My father won't take the case before the paperwork is done. Look, I have an idea! Why not create a temporary identity for her until we find her family? That way, we can keep treating her, and you can keep looking."
"We can do that," Jungkook agreed, looking at RM for confirmation.
RM nodded. "I'll have our manager work on a temporary identity for her."
"And yeah," Dr. Lee took out something from the drawer of his table, "Take this," he said, extending a small object towards jungkook. "It was found with the patient."
Jungkook's fingers closed around the item. It was a pendant, a delicate amalgamation of the BTS initials, lay in Jungkook's palm. Upon closer inspection, the intricately engraved names of each member shimmered with an understated elegance.
It was crafted so beautifully that Jungkook couldn't help but admire it. "Look at this, hyung. It's so beautiful and elegant."
RM leaned in, his eyes scanning the pendant with a mix of curiosity and admiration. "This has got to be worth a fortune!" he blurted out, his eyebrows arching upwards as he turned the pendant over in his hands.
Then, his expression shifted to one of sheer astonishment. "This is GLANCE 'A' brand!!!"
GLANCE, a titan in the industry birthed merely a few years prior, now dominated the entire business realm. To date, it had unveiled five illustrious brands: BCD, EK, LR, SW, and XYZ-each a symbol of status and opulence.
The affluent and elite deemed it a matter of prestige possess products from the GLANCE 'EK' line. The 'BCD' brand, known for its scarcity, commanded astronomical prices, soaring to the stratosphere.
Every item bore a price tag in the millions, if not billions. Merely months ago, the 'BCD' brand had released a diamond ring that fetched a staggering $97.3 million at auction-a testament to its sky-high demand! Yet, an 'A' brand had never graced the market.
Jungkook let out a disbelieving chuckle, shaking his head. "Hyung, that can't be right. A GLANCE creation, and an 'A' brand at that? Such a thing doesn't exist anywhere on this earth!"
Dr. Lee, who had been observing quietly, finally spoke up with a tone of certainty. "RM speaks the truth, Jungkook. This pendant is, without a doubt, a GLANCE 'A' brand treasure."
The smile that had been playing on Jungkook's lips vanished as he met Dr. Lee's earnest gaze. Rising from his seat, he reclaimed the pendant from RM, his own eyes ballooning with shock and a dawning realization as he scrutinized the piece.
"Heavens! It truly is an 'A' brand pendant! How can she afford something like this?"
RM, still caught in his initial shock, continued to stare at the pendant now back in Jungkook's grasp. "Might it be a counterfeit?" he pondered aloud, his voice a whisper of doubt.
Dr. Lee, with a confident nod, reassured them. "It's authentic. I've checked." He paused, taking a sip of water before continuing, "Now, the enigma remains-if GLANCE has indeed unveiled its 'A' brand, why has it escaped the media's gaze, And how did she come to have it?"
Jungkook slumped back into his chair, his mind racing with questions. "This just keeps getting more and more intricate."
RM pondered the implications. "If her family is that wealthy, could they possibly overlook the accident?" His eyes sought answers from the two men before him.
Dr. Lee's response was tinged with uncertainty. "I'm not so sure about that."
After a moment of silence, Jungkook spoke up with a suggestion. "Maybe we should apologize to her first, before reaching out to her family."
RM and Dr. Lee exchanged glances and then nodded in agreement, the weight of the decision settling in the room.