POV: Male Lead (Ahn Min-jae)
The gunshot echoed through the empty orphanage grounds, sending a chill through Min-jae's body.
Ha-neul and Seo-jin were on the ground, breathing heavily. The bullet had missed them by inches, but the danger wasn't over yet.
Min-jae turned toward the shadows where Hyun-sik stood, a smirk on his face.
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Min-jae growled, stepping forward.
Hyun-sik cocked his head. "I could say the same to you. Always playing the hero." He raised his gun again, aiming it directly at Seo-jin. "Step aside, cousin. This isn't your fight."
Min-jae clenched his fists. "You mean the fight to kill your own brother?"
Seo-jin's eyes widened in shock. "B-Brother?"
Hyun-sik laughed. "Oh, so no one told you? What a shame. I would've loved to see your reaction earlier."
Min-jae's breath hitched. He had expected Seo-jin to be the missing heir, but this—this changed everything.
"You're lying," Seo-jin whispered.
Hyun-sik shrugged. "Believe what you want. But our father didn't just have one son. He had two."
Seo-jin stumbled back, shaking his head. "No, that's not possible. I grew up an orphan—"
Hyun-sik smirked. "Because our father abandoned you. Left you to die while he built a new empire with me."
Min-jae's hands trembled with rage. "That's enough."
Hyun-sik sighed. "Why are you so worked up, Min-jae? This has nothing to do with you."
Min-jae took another step forward. "You tried to kill him. That makes it my problem."
Hyun-sik's finger twitched on the trigger. "Then maybe I should get rid of you too."
Before he could fire, Ha-neul moved.
In a split second, she lunged at Hyun-sik, kicking the gun out of his hand. The weapon skidded across the ground, and Min-jae wasted no time charging forward.
He tackled Hyun-sik, sending both of them crashing to the ground. Fists flew, years of tension and betrayal fueling every punch.
Seo-jin stood frozen, his mind reeling from the truth.
"Seo-jin!" Ha-neul shouted. "Snap out of it! We need to end this now!"
Seo-jin blinked, his gaze landing on Hyun-sik, who was struggling beneath Min-jae's grip.
He clenched his fists. This wasn't just a fight for survival anymore.
This was a fight for his identity.
His inheritance.
His life.
Hyun-sik snarled. "You think you can take everything from me?!"
Min-jae pinned him down. "No. But you won't take anything from him either."
The sound of approaching sirens filled the air. Tae-sung had called the authorities.
It was over.
Or so they thought.
Hyun-sik's lips curled into a smirk. "This isn't the end."
Min-jae's grip tightened. "It is for you."
Hyun-sik's reign of terror was finally over.
But the battle for the rightful heir had just begun.
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