The rain turned vicious, no longer a drizzle but a downpour that erased the garden into a smear of grey. Andrea's hair clung damp against her skin, and the sudden shift in weather pulled a frown from her lips.
"I hate to get wet," she said flatly, her voice edged with annoyance.
Eunwoo's lips curved at the corner, faint but unmistakable. "Yeah, I know. Cats hate water."
Her head snapped toward him, eyes narrowing. The jab of her fist landed against his shoulder, more reflex than thought. He didn't block, didn't budge, only accepted it with infuriating calm.
"Ow," he said, utterly unconvincing.
"You deserved that," she muttered.
His chuckle rumbled low, nearly lost under the drumming rain. "Isn't it true, though?"
She didn't bother answering. Boots splashed as she spun on her heel, storming toward the glass doors. He followed easily, his strides long and unhurried, his voice carrying after her.
"Go get changed. And…" He paused, as if weighing the risk of finishing the thought. "There's something important I want to tell you. It's about… you."
Andrea slowed, just briefly. Glancing back, she caught the weight behind his words—something he wasn't ready to lay bare yet. She nodded once and continued, letting the villa's warm glow swallow her as she ascended the stairs.
When she returned, the atmosphere downstairs was heavier. Not rain this time, but something sharper, more dangerous. A tablet's low hum filled the silence, its cold blue glow cutting across a display of firearms neatly spread on the oak coffee table.
Eunwoo, Minjoon, and Layla were bent over the screen, but their heads lifted the moment Andrea stepped into the room.
"You're not feeling sick, are you?" Layla asked, concern flickering across her features. "Or just cold?"
"A bit cold," Andrea admitted, rubbing her arms. "Can I have tea?"
"Of course." Layla rose at once, leaving the tablet behind.
Andrea drifted closer to the table. Schematics sprawled across the display caught her attention, lines and grids sharp against the glow. She frowned. "What's this?"
"Blueprints," Minjoon answered, lowering his voice. "Of this villa… and the base beneath it. Only three people know it exists." His gaze held hers, steady and deliberate. "Now you're the fourth."
Her eyes sharpened. "Why are you showing me this?"
"Shut the machine down," Eunwoo said from across the table. His tone left no room for argument.
Minjoon complied, pushing the tablet aside. Eunwoo circled toward her, something concealed in his hand. He stopped in front of her and held out a small, velvet box.
Andrea blinked. "What is this?"
His thumb brushed against his eyebrow in a rare flicker of unease, but the smirk tugging at his mouth betrayed him. "An engagement ring."
Minjoon leaned back slightly, unsurprised. "So that's where it went. Isn't that the one from the young master? Kai?"
Andrea tilted her head. "Baby Kai?"
Eunwoo scoffed softly. "Baby? That Chinese boy is a CEO now."
Her fingers hesitated before lifting the lid. The ring inside caught the light like fire trapped in stone—platinum band, delicate engravings, a diamond that demanded attention. Her breath hitched before she could stop it.
Layla returned then, carrying a steaming mug. She set it down in front of Andrea, then froze, her gaze falling to the box. "Is that your engagement ring, boss?"
Andrea didn't look up. "Yeah. Fake one."
Eunwoo's chuckle was gentler this time, almost amused. "The real ones are expensive, Miss Yıldız."
Andrea's head snapped up, catching the gleam in his eyes. He was teasing her—and not just about the ring.
Minjoon, unmoved, tapped the table. "Anyway, let's check the security feed. After the boss and I leave tomorrow, you two ladies should make sure you don't—"
Andrea's eyebrow arched, sharp and deliberate. "Work without us?"
Layla dropped into the armchair beside her, crossing her legs with ease. "Yeah. Without us."
Andrea's lips curved faintly, a subtle smirk that lingered like a secret.
And Eunwoo—he didn't miss it. He never did.
The rain hammered against the villa's glass walls, steady and relentless, filling the silence that had stretched too long. Layla drank her coffee like this was entertainment, her eyes flicking between Andrea and Eunwoo as though she'd seen the scene play out before. Minjoon barely looked up, muttering about perimeters and dead zones, his focus tethered to the blueprint.
Eunwoo wasn't watching them. His gaze never left Andrea.
"You're not keeping it," he said suddenly.
Andrea's fingers paused on the tea cup. Her eyes lifted. "The ring?"
"Yes."
Her mouth curved into a faint smirk. "You think I'd wear this?"
"I think you should." His voice carried no joke this time. Calm. Certain.
She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes, weighing him. "Why?"
"Because it's yours."
The air shifted. She leaned back slowly in her chair, arms folding across her chest, one brow arching in challenge. "Yours to give?"
He didn't answer. His gaze slid instead to the windows, where the storm was beginning to ease into drizzle. Then, softly:
"Come with me."
Andrea blinked. "Where?"
"Upstairs."
Layla's voice floated over, teasing. "Careful, boss. Sounds like you're planning something."
Eunwoo ignored her. He was already moving, his long stride pulling him toward the staircase without a backward glance.
Andrea hesitated, the weight of the ring box still cool in her palm, before pushing her chair back and following. Curiosity overrode suspicion—for now.
The upper hallway was dim, sconces casting a warm glow across polished wood. Eunwoo stopped halfway down, in front of a closed door Andrea hadn't opened before.
"What is this?" she asked.
"Somewhere you should see."
He opened it.
The room was smaller than she expected. Four walls lined with shelves, each crammed with binders, hard drives, stacks of files. The air smelled faintly of paper, and something colder—metallic.
Andrea stepped inside slowly, scanning the shelves.
"What is this?" Her voice came out softer this time.
"Everything I know about you."
Her eyes snapped to him.
"I've been piecing it together for years," he said, steady as stone. "Not the official reports. Those are lies. What I've found… is different."
Her hand lifted almost against her will, fingertips brushing the spine of a binder. The leather was cold beneath her touch. "You've been investigating me?"
"Yes."
A sharp laugh broke from her throat, humorless. "And you didn't think to ask me first?"
"I did. Last night. You walked away."
The rain outside softened into a whisper, like static in the distance. Silence stretched between them until Andrea lowered her gaze to the binder again.
"What's in here?"
Eunwoo took a step closer. His voice dropped low. "Answers. Or the pieces of them. I can't make you open it. But if you do, you'll understand why I asked you before—" His eyes caught hers. "Are you even human?"
The words froze her in place. Her pulse hammered hard in her throat.
"I don't want to," she said finally.
"I know."
She turned for the door. He didn't stop her. But his voice followed, low, unwavering.
"One day, Andrea… you'll want to know. And when you do, I'll be here."
Her hand tightened on the doorknob. She didn't look back.
╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮🎀╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮
The rain hammered against the villa's glass walls, steady and relentless, filling the silence that had stretched too long. Layla drank her coffee like this was entertainment, her eyes flicking between Andrea and Eunwoo as though she'd seen the scene play out before. Minjoon barely looked up, muttering about perimeters and dead zones, his focus tethered to the blueprint.
Eunwoo wasn't watching them. His gaze never left Andrea.
"You're not keeping it," he said suddenly.
Andrea's fingers paused on the tea cup. Her eyes lifted. "The ring?"
"Yes."
Her mouth curved into a faint smirk. "You think I'd wear this?"
"I think you should." His voice carried no joke this time. Calm. Certain.
She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes, weighing him. "Why?"
"Because it's yours."
The air shifted. She leaned back slowly in her chair, arms folding across her chest, one brow arching in challenge. "Yours to give?"
He didn't answer. His gaze slid instead to the windows, where the storm was beginning to ease into drizzle. Then, softly:
"Come with me."
Andrea blinked. "Where?"
"Upstairs."
Layla's voice floated over, teasing. "Careful, boss. Sounds like you're planning something."
Eunwoo ignored her. He was already moving, his long stride pulling him toward the staircase without a backward glance.
Andrea hesitated, the weight of the ring box still cool in her palm, before pushing her chair back and following. Curiosity overrode suspicion—for now.
The upper hallway was dim, sconces casting a warm glow across polished wood. Eunwoo stopped halfway down, in front of a closed door Andrea hadn't opened before.
"What is this?" she asked.
"Somewhere you should see."
He opened it.
The room was smaller than she expected. Four walls lined with shelves, each crammed with binders, hard drives, stacks of files. The air smelled faintly of paper, and something colder—metallic.
Andrea stepped inside slowly, scanning the shelves.
"What is this?" Her voice came out softer this time.
"Everything I know about you."
Her eyes snapped to him.
"I've been piecing it together for years," he said, steady as stone. "Not the official reports. Those are lies. What I've found… is different."
Her hand lifted almost against her will, fingertips brushing the spine of a binder. The leather was cold beneath her touch. "You've been investigating me?"
"Yes."
A sharp laugh broke from her throat, humorless. "And you didn't think to ask me first?"
"I did. Last night. You walked away."
The rain outside softened into a whisper, like static in the distance. Silence stretched between them until Andrea lowered her gaze to the binder again.
"What's in here?"
Eunwoo took a step closer. His voice dropped low. "Answers. Or the pieces of them. I can't make you open it. But if you do, you'll understand why I asked you before—" His eyes caught hers. "Are you even human?"
The words froze her in place. Her pulse hammered hard in her throat.
"I don't want to," she said finally.
"I know."
She turned for the door. He didn't stop her. But his voice followed, low, unwavering.
"One day, Andrea… you'll want to know. And when you do, I'll be here."
Her hand tightened on the doorknob. She didn't look back.
⋘═════•◦ ❈ ◦•═════⋙⋘═════•◦ ❈ ◦•═════⋙
The dining hall of the mountain villa glowed warm beneath its chandeliers, a pocket of gold carved against the black silence of the forest outside. Mist clung to the tall windows where the rain had only just given up its assault.
Andrea sat at one end of the long table, her fork dragging circles through her food rather than eating. At the far end, Eunwoo mirrored her stillness—face unreadable, though his eyes strayed to her one time too many for it to be coincidence.
Layla and Minjoon carried the conversation, their voices trading reports about patrol rotations, supplies, weather patterns. The tension beneath it all was like glass stretched thin—clear, brittle, ready to shatter.
By the time the plates were cleared, exhaustion and stubborn silence won out. One by one, they excused themselves, their footsteps fading into the villa's endless hallways.
Andrea's own room felt too quiet when she shut the door behind her. She leaned back against the wood, letting a long breath escape. The air was cool, tinged with the faint scent of wet earth drifting through the open window. She crossed to close it, paused, and let her eyes settle on the dark treeline below.
That was when it hit her.
Not a sound. Not a memory. A flicker.
Eunwoo's voice replayed in her head, low, insistent: "I want to understand what happened. Last night—I saw you shift."
Heat rose in her face before she could stop it. Her chest tightened.
"What the hell…" she muttered, pressing her fingertips to her temple. "Why am I even—?"
It wasn't just the words. It was the way he'd looked at her. Not like a commander. Not like a fiancé. Something sharper. Something dangerous.
She shook her head. "No. Not thinking about this."
Her hand closed on the closet door, tugging it open for a clean shirt—
And froze.
A shadow slid across the far wall.
Every instinct in her body screamed. She stepped back, muscle memory kicking in, her hand snapping toward the knife beneath the bedside table.
The shadow moved again—stepping into the strip of moonlight. Not a shadow. A man. Matte-black tactical gear, mask hiding his face.
Andrea didn't waste breath on words. She moved.
The knife caught the faint light as it came up. He lunged, hand outstretched for her throat. She slipped sideways, blade slashing across his arm. Fabric tore. Blood welled, hot and fast.
He didn't stop.
The door down the hall banged open.
"ANDREA—!" Eunwoo's voice cracked like a whip through the air.
Two more figures slipped through her window, landing soundlessly on the floorboards.
Her body was already in combat mode—sharp, instinctive. She caught the first by the wrist, twisted until the joint gave under her grip, and sent him crashing into the desk with a kick to the chest.
The third attacker came from her blind side—
A shot roared, deafening in the enclosed space. The man jerked, staggered, clutched at his side before dropping hard onto the floor.
Eunwoo stood at the doorway, gun still raised, Minjoon a step behind with his own weapon drawn.
"Three inside," Andrea said, breath coming quick but steady. Her knife was still in her hand, her knuckles tight around it. "There'll be more on the grounds."
Layla's voice crackled through the comm in Andrea's ear. "Perimeter sensors tripped. Six—no, seven heat signatures in the forest."
For half a second, Eunwoo's eyes locked on hers. Sharp. Unreadable. Then his command cut clean through the room:
"Gear up. Now."
┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓
The dining hall had gone silent, its warmth fading into memory as the others retreated to their rooms. Outside, the rain had stopped, but mist clung to the trees like something alive, curling thick around the villa's windows.
Upstairs, Andrea's footsteps were soft on the wooden floorboards, her hair still carrying the faint scent of ginger tea. She closed her door with a quiet click, leaning against it for a breath before moving toward the open terrace window. Cool mountain air slipped in, damp with pine and rain.
She should have closed it.She didn't.
Instead, she lingered there, staring into the dark outline of the forest. Her mind betrayed her—pulling back to Eunwoo. The weight in his voice when he'd said her name. The way he'd stayed in the rain, motionless, until she broke the silence. Heat flushed her cheeks before she could stop it.
"Why am I even… thinking about this?" she muttered, annoyed at herself.
A floorboard creaked behind her.
Andrea's body reacted before thought. Her hand snapped to the knife tucked beneath the bedside table. She dropped into a low stance.
The shadows peeled apart. A man in matte-black tactical gear stepped forward, mask concealing his face. No hesitation. He lunged.
Her knife flashed—steel cutting fabric, then flesh. He grunted but didn't falter. She pivoted hard, slamming him into the dresser with his own momentum.
Movement at the window. Two more figures slid inside, silent, fast, weapons ready.
From the hall came Eunwoo's voice—sharp, commanding, meant to be obeyed:"Andrea—stay down!"
"Not happening!" she shot back, already moving.
The second intruder came at her throat. She ducked under his arm, drove her knife into his ribs, and shoved him into the desk. The third rushed in from her blind side—
A gunshot split the air, deafening in the enclosed space. The man collapsed.
Eunwoo stood in the doorway, gun still raised, eyes cold and calculating as they swept the room. Minjoon was right behind him, another weapon trained, stepping over the first body without hesitation.
Andrea straightened, breath sharp but steady. "Three inside," she said. "More out there."
Eunwoo's gaze locked with hers for half a heartbeat. "How many?"
Before she could answer, Layla's voice burst through the comms in her ear: "Perimeter sensors tripped—seven heat signatures in the forest. Moving fast."
Eunwoo didn't flinch. His order cut through the static like a blade. "Gear up. Now."
Andrea wiped her blade on a dead man's sleeve, tossing it aside. "You better not slow me down."
A faint smirk ghosted across his mouth. "Try to keep up."
They moved in sync, passing each other in the doorway, striding down the hall toward the armory.
Outside, the mist thickened, swallowing the villa's walls. Somewhere in that darkness, more shadows were already closing in.