WHEN TRUST BECOMES A BLADE

Baek Ji-Hoon fell to the ground with a sickening thud, the cold steel of the blade still embedded deep in his back. His body trembled as the poison spread through his veins, but it wasn't the physical pain that crushed him—it was the realization that everything had been a lie. Everything he had worked for, everything he had trusted, was now unraveling before his eyes.

Seohyun, his sister, the one person he thought would never betray him, stood over him. Her hand was still on the hilt of the blade, her expression unreadable. Ji-Hoon's breath hitched as he looked up at her.

"S-Seohyun... why?"

Seohyun didn't respond immediately. Instead, she stepped back, her gaze flicking toward the others. Kwon, the team leader, had been watching the entire scene unfold. He gave her a slight nod, and that was all it took.

Ji-Hoon's vision blurred as the poison ravaged his body, but his mind raced. Why? He had given them everything. He had put his trust in them, in her. The truth hit him like a wave: They had been working together all along. His sister, Kwon, the entire team—they had all turned against him.

Seohyun dropped the sword to the ground with a soft clang, then moved toward Kwon. She collapsed into his arms, the tears flowing freely from her eyes. Ji-Hoon's heart shattered as he watched them, his sister crying on the man who had just condemned him.

"I couldn't let him keep controlling everything, Kwon. He was too dangerous. I couldn't let him ruin everything we worked for,"

Seohyun sobbed, her voice breaking.

Kwon embraced her tightly, whispering something in her ear. Ji-Hoon's vision wavered, but the words were clear enough for him to hear:

"You did the right thing. It's over now."

It's over now.

The words echoed in his mind as the last of his strength ebbed away. His body screamed in agony, but it wasn't just from the poison—it was from the crushing weight of betrayal. All of them had betrayed him. Seohyun had turned her back on him. Kwon had orchestrated it all.

He had manipulated them all, but it wasn't just about power. Kwon had to eliminate Ji-Hoon to protect his own secrets—his illegal activities, his criminal empire. Because Ji-Hoon had known.

But they didn't know. Seohyun didn't know the truth about Kwon. She didn't know that Kwon's illegal dealings were the reason Ji-Hoon had been so cautious. She didn't know that he had kept silent, knowing that exposing Kwon could bring the entire team down.

But that didn't matter now.

As Seohyun sobbed in Kwon's arms, Ji-Hoon's heart filled with a bitter sense of betrayal, the kind that cuts deeper than any blade ever could. His sister. The people he had fought beside. They were all in on it.

His breaths were shallow now, but he managed to speak one last time, barely a whisper.

"Why, Seohyun? Why couldn't you trust me?"

But Seohyun didn't respond. She didn't even look at him. She only continued to cry in Kwon's arms, as he comforted her in a way Ji-Hoon could never have imagined.

In the final moments before his consciousness slipped away, Ji-Hoon realized something even worse than the betrayal. They had planned this from the beginning. Kwon, Seohyun, and the rest of the team had played their part, each of them used him like a pawn in their game, he hadn't even known he was losing.

But he wasn't done yet. Even as the darkness closed in on him, he knew one thing for certain: No matter how far they ran or how deep they buried their lies, the consequences would come. And he would make sure of it.

....

Ji-Hoon's world flickered back to life in an instant. He gasped, his chest heaving as if he had been holding his breath underwater for too long. His surroundings were unfamiliar—blurry at first, then clearer. His body felt lighter, but there was something… wrong.

The cold reality hit him: He was awake. He had died in the game, but the countdown had started. One day. He had to wait one full day before returning to the game. The penalty for dying—his "lifetime" count had halved.

But the worst part wasn't the game anymore. The worst part was that the betrayal he had just experienced wasn't confined to the digital world.

Ji-Hoon reached for his phone, hoping to distract himself from the nausea rising in his stomach, the cold sweat that clung to his skin. His eyes locked onto the screen. A single message from Seohyun.

"Ji-Hoon, give up the game. It's over. You were always working for yourself. You were telling us like you were giving us tactics and you were getting all the reward. You're not even the captain of the team. Kwon oppa has held up well so far."

The words were a dagger. They cut deeper than any betrayal in the game.

He stared at it, trying to process the meaning. Getting all the rewards?

Would I really be in this position if I tried to collect all the rewards?

His fingers trembled as he typed a response.

"Seohyun, please, I didn't steal anything. You have to believe me. Please, just listen to me."

He waited. But there was no reply. Desperation clawed at him, and he dialed her number. The ringing continued on the other end, but just as he hoped she would pick up, it went silent. He tried again. And again. Still, no response.

Finally, Ji-Hoon felt the reality of the situation. She had blocked him.

A knot tightened in his stomach. The betrayal stung even more than before. Not just in the game... but in reality, too.

With nothing left to hold him back, Ji-Hoon shoved his phone into his pocket and grabbed his jacket. He had no choice now. He had to head to the company—the company they had all built together. His company. The one that was, at its core, his creation. His mind raced with questions, but the bitter taste of betrayal made it hard to focus.

As Ji-Hoon stepped out the door, a message from Kwon flashed on his screen.

"We're on the roof. Come, let's settle this once and for all."

The words were chilling.

Settle this? What could possibly be left to settle?

His heart hammered in his chest as he made his way to the building. Every step felt heavier than the last. He reached the rooftop to find the entire team gathered there, standing in a circle, their faces cold, unreadable.

Kwon stepped forward, his eyes locking onto Ji-Hoon's. A grin spread across his face, but there was no warmth in it—only cold calculation.

Ji-Hoon stepped into the circle, his fists clenched at his sides.

"You all have some nerve. Do you really think I didn't know? I carried all of you. All of you. Especially you, Seohyun."

His voice cracked as his anger boiled over.

"Without me, none of this would exist. This company, the success, the power—all of it—was mine to build! And now? You throw me aside for this damn Kwon's dirty money?"

Seohyun's eyes flicked nervously to Kwon, but she said nothing. The others just stood there, not daring to meet his gaze.

Ji-Hoon's fury reached its peak, and he didn't care anymore.

"You think I didn't know? You think I didn't know about Kwon's and unexpectedly your alls little dealings? The illegal business on the side? I knew it all. But I stayed silent. For all of you. For the team. For Seohyun..."

His voice trembled with a mix of anger and heartbreak.

"But now? I can see everything clearly. I was a just puppet, dancing on your string Seohyun..."

At that moment, Kwon stepped forward, his expression turning dark.

"Enough, Ji-Hoon. You've crossed the line."

His voice was sharp, his tone full of venom.

Before Ji-Hoon could respond, Kwon lunged forward. The chaos erupted in an instant. The others rushed in to try and separate the two, but the tension was palpable. In the midst of the struggle, Ji-Hoon found himself backed up against the edge of the rooftop.

And then, in a blink of an eye, the one person Ji-Hoon never thought would hurt him, Seohyun, shoved him.

It happened so quickly. Ji-Hoon couldn't perceive that his sister had accidentally pushed him while trying to separate them.

He stumbled, his arms flailing for balance. For a split second, he felt as though he was weightless.

And then, the world tilted.

The ground rushed toward him, and the cold wind whipped past his face. His body crashed into the concrete below with a sickening thud.

As he plummeted, his mind flashed with a single thought that refused to leave.

"I was always so good to you all... So why? Why did it end up like this? Why, especially you, Seohyun? I should have seen it. I should have known..."

The world around him blurred as the ground grew closer, but his mind clung to that final thought.

"I gave you everything, my trust, my time... and this is how you repay me? A betrayal in the game, a betrayal in real life. I should have lived for myself... I should have never trusted any of you."

And then, as the darkness overcame him, Ji-Hoon's last thought echoed in his mind.

"Unfortunately, I learned too late that light cannot swallow darkness. If I had known before, I would have turned into a darkness that could never be swallowed from the beginning. And I would live for myself first...."