Chapter 97: The Queen’s Betrayal

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1. A Deal with the Devil

Jinwoo sat motionless.

His fingers tapped against the interrogation table.

Ji-Eun.

Alive.

Betrayal ran deeper than any wound he had suffered.

Detective Kwon watched him closely, flicking the ashes of his cigarette into a tray.

"We can cut a deal."

Jinwoo's lips curled into a dry smirk.

"A deal?"

Kwon leaned forward.

"Give us everything on the syndicate. Names. Locations. Operations. You walk."

Jinwoo let out a quiet chuckle.

He had spent his entire life running from the law, fighting against it.

Now they wanted him to work with them?

"You think I care about walking free?" Jinwoo muttered.

Kwon exhaled. "Then what do you want?"

Jinwoo's eyes met his.

"I want Ji-Eun."

Kwon studied him for a long moment.

Then, with a slow nod, he slid another folder across the table.

Jinwoo opened it.

Inside—

A single address.

His breath hitched.

She was in Busan.

Kwon flicked his cigarette away.

"This is your last chance, Jinwoo."

Jinwoo didn't respond.

Because in his mind, the war had already restarted.

And this time, he wasn't fighting for power.

He was fighting for vengeance.

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2. A City of Shadows

Busan's streets pulsed with neon lights and whispered sins.

Jinwoo pulled his hood lower, blending into the crowd.

The address burned in his mind.

Ji-Eun had been here all along.

Living. Breathing. Betraying.

His fists clenched as he moved through the streets.

He wasn't alone.

Someone was following him.

Jinwoo didn't look back.

Didn't slow down.

Instead, he turned into a narrow alley—

And vanished into the shadows.

The moment his pursuer entered, Jinwoo struck.

A single movement—swift, brutal.

The man gasped, stumbling back, clutching his throat.

Jinwoo grabbed him by the collar, slamming him against the wall.

"Who sent you?"

No response.

Jinwoo twisted his arm—hard.

The man groaned.

"Seo is dead," Jinwoo whispered. "So who the hell do you work for?"

The man finally choked out a name.

"Ji-Eun."

Jinwoo's world froze.

His grip loosened.

And that moment of hesitation—

Was a mistake.

The man drove a knife into Jinwoo's side.

Pain shot through him like fire.

Jinwoo staggered, but he didn't fall.

Instead, he wrenched the knife from his flesh—and buried it in the man's throat.

Blood sprayed.

The man slumped to the ground.

Jinwoo exhaled, pressing a hand to his wound.

Ji-Eun had sent him.

She knew he was coming.

Good.

That meant she was afraid.

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3. The Queen's Gambit

The penthouse was dark.

Ji-Eun sat by the window, staring at the city below.

She knew Jinwoo was coming.

She had known the moment Seo fell.

The moment the war ended.

But Jinwoo didn't know everything.

Not yet.

A soft voice broke the silence.

"You should leave the city."

Ji-Eun turned.

A woman stood in the doorway.

Elegant. Cold. Deadly.

Madame Yoon.

The true power behind the syndicate.

Ji-Eun's lips curled into a bitter smile.

"I'm not running."

Yoon's gaze darkened.

"You can't kill him, Ji-Eun."

Ji-Eun's fingers tightened around the glass in her hand.

"I don't have to."

Yoon studied her.

Then, slowly, she smiled.

"Ah. I see."

Ji-Eun turned back to the window.

Her heart pounded.

Jinwoo was coming.

And when he arrived—

She would be ready.

Because this wasn't his revenge story anymore.

It was hers.

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End of Chapter 97

(Next Chapter: The Final Move.)