Chapter 99: Awakening
Darkness.
Heavy. Cold.
A faint ringing in his ears.
Jinwoo's body felt weightless, like he was floating between life and death.
Then—
Pain.
A sharp, searing pain in his side.
His eyes snapped open.
The ceiling above him was unfamiliar.
The smell of antiseptic filled his nose.
He tried to move—
A bolt of agony shot through his ribs, pinning him down.
He wasn't dead.
Not yet.
Footsteps echoed.
A voice followed.
"Awake already?"
Jinwoo turned his head—
And saw an old face from the past.
Detective Kang.
---
1. The Price of Survival
The detective pulled up a chair, his gaze unreadable.
Jinwoo remained silent, watching.
Kang exhaled, rubbing his temples.
"You're a tough bastard to kill."
Jinwoo smirked faintly.
"Guess I have unfinished business."
Kang's expression darkened.
He leaned forward, voice low.
"Do you even know what's happening out there?"
Jinwoo's fingers twitched.
Kang's next words sent ice through his veins.
"Ji-Eun's dead."
Jinwoo's breath caught.
His heart pounded.
For a second, the room tilted.
No.
No, that wasn't possible.
His voice was hoarse.
"Liar."
Kang sighed, sliding a folder onto the table.
Photos.
Grainy surveillance footage.
Ji-Eun.
Lying in a pool of blood.
Gunshot to the chest.
Jinwoo's world stopped.
Something inside him cracked.
His fists clenched.
His nails dug into his palm.
But his face—
His face remained blank.
Kang studied him.
Then, quietly—
"She died protecting you."
---
2. Truth in Shadows
Jinwoo stared at the photos.
Ji-Eun's lifeless eyes stared back.
Something wasn't right.
The wound.
The scene.
It felt… staged.
He clenched his jaw.
"If she's dead, where's the body?"
Kang hesitated.
"That's the problem," he admitted. "There isn't one."
Jinwoo's eyes narrowed.
The detective leaned closer.
"I don't know what game is being played," Kang murmured. "But something tells me this war isn't over."
Jinwoo took a slow breath.
The pain in his ribs faded beneath a stronger sensation.
Rage.
Ji-Eun wasn't dead.
She was being kept somewhere.
And he was going to burn everything down to find her.
---
3. The Last War Begins
Two days later.
Jinwoo stood before a mirror, strapping a knife to his leg.
Bandages covered his torso.
But pain no longer mattered.
Only revenge.
A war was coming.
And this time—
No one would walk away unscathed.
---
End of Chapter 99
(Next Chapter: The Hunt.)