Two days later, a convoy of black SUVs poured into the quiet suburban district on the outskirts of Shooting Star City. Dao had accidentally learned that Yu were hiding out here—and worse, Nayeon might be with them.
Each vehicle carried about ten armed operatives, all geared up with communications equipment and signal interceptors. Nobody rushed in. Instead, they spread out, forming a silent perimeter while the reconnaissance team crept toward the mansion.
Most of the forces belonged to the Wang family. Dao, the overly-protected daughter of the patriarch—once a top military commander and now the head of a massive private defense empire—was practically royalty. The Wang clan had more than four thousand fully armed, rigorously trained members ready to move at any moment.
Because of that power, almost everyone in the family lived quiet, invisible lives.
Except Dao. Her father adored her too much to ever stop her from doing anything—whether it was modeling, acting, or being in the public eye.
Dao rarely ever called in her family's forces. But this time… she couldn't pretend it was simple. Mina might have gotten tangled up with an organized crime group—maybe willingly, maybe not. And Dao still couldn't fathom why Kim Nayeon was involved.
Her loyalty to her friend and her own conscience were pulling her apart. Mina now was not the Mina she knew.
Which was exactly why Dao didn't want a full-blown operation. She just wanted to save Nayeon—and for that, she needed the best of the best the Wang family had.
Duyen, Shana, and Dao sat inside a specialized surveillance vehicle packed with Wang operatives. Screens flickered as the team monitored live feeds from body cams and drones closing in on the mansion.
Shana looked almost bored, leaning back against the wall like she was waiting for a haircut. Meanwhile, Dao and Duyen were tense—Dao especially, gripping her knees as if reality might slip out of her hands.
She whispered, almost to herself,
"This can't be real… Kidnapping? Mina would never… She must have a reason."
Duyen watched her, and she got it. She truly did. She herself no longer understood Mina—why she made such extreme, reckless decisions.
Did Duyen ever really understand her?
Was Mina ever truly who she claimed to be?
The memory of that night—wild, intense, passionate—hit her again. Mina had been determined, almost desperate. But… desperate for what? For her?
Duyen sank down and rubbed her face.
Shana glanced over, clicked her tongue, then shifted her attention to Dao.
"She's your best friend, right? If you don't know what she's capable of, how the hell would we? You never noticed the crazy hiding under that perfect little mask?"
Dao shot Shana a look sharp enough to cut steel. She never liked Shana. Shana was only here because she refused to leave Duyen's side.
"Mina's not fake," Dao snapped. "She just… acts impulsively when things get too hard."
Shana laughed under her breath and sat beside Duyen.
"Right. Impulsive. First she marries a man she doesn't love—when she could've walked away anytime. Now she's having a meltdown, kidnaps Kim Nayeon, and drags her husband straight into danger. Totally normal."
Dao slammed her hand on the table.
"Valko did that to himself! Stop acting like Mina tried to kill him!"
Shana fired back immediately.
"I heard it myself! She—"
"Enough."
Duyen's voice was low but firm. Both women went silent. She looked tired—tired in a way that made even Shana shut up.
"Whatever caused all this… I want to hear the truth from Mina herself."
Silence. No more arguments. Just the weight of everything they didn't know.
Duyen took a long, shaky breath.
"Are those mafia guys… the same Taiwanese group that took Nayeon?"
Dao froze. Panic flickered in her eyes.
"Taiwan? Valko's people? No… Mina hated Valko. Why would she ever work with him?"
Shana let out a cynical laugh.
"Their marriage was political—Kamakiri family and the Jou clan. Valko's family isn't small fries. Even with all his scandals, cutting ties would be too wasteful. And Mina…"
She paced slowly, tapping her chin.
"She might be trying to keep that alliance alive behind the scenes. That would secure her position as the next Kamakiri heir. And she wouldn't need the marriage anymore. One shot, two birds. Clever girl."
Dao and Duyen exchanged wide-eyed looks. It made too much sense—and Mina's earlier conversation with Yu now replayed in Dao minds.
But was Mina really that calculating?
Duyen hesitated.
"Isn't she… too young to inherit a whole family?"
Shana's tone softened a little.
"That's what she thinks. But the current Kamakiri matriarch doesn't have much time left."
Dao frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Shana smirked.
"Let's just say the Kamakiri clan has been using a certain… method ritual to gain power. But it sucks away their lifespan. The matriarch is seventy-eight, looks younger than she should—but she's only got a few months left."
Dao stared at her like Shana had just spoken in alien language.
"What kind of creepy horror-movie crap are you talking about!? I don't get any of this!"
Duyen, however, went pale.
"So Mina… knows? About all of this?"
Shana laughed.
"Maybe not everything. But she knows enough. And once she becomes the official heir, she'll learn the rest. The real question is—will she follow the same path? Because if she does… she's not staying human."
"No…"
Duyen's voice shook as she covered her mouth. Dao looked from one to the other, completely lost.
"What the hell are you two talking about!? Rituals? What's going to happen to Mina!?"
Before either could answer, one of the operatives monitoring the screens called out:
"Lady—the scouts have surrounded the mansion."
Dao and Duyen rushed over.
"Report!"
The man swallowed hard.
"The problem is… inside and outside the mansion… there's no one. Not a single person."
Dao and Duyen shouted together:
"WHAT!?"
Shana just clicked her tongue.
"Unbelievable. What a waste of time."
---
Beneath the enormous Kamakiri estate lay a spotless white complex of underground rooms—the place they called the Basement Prison. It was where the Kamakiri family punished those who had crossed them. Though rarely used in recent years, the entire area was cleaned daily, making it even more pristine than a five-star hotel.
That was where Valko was being held.
He paced inside a transparent glass cell, furnished surprisingly well. A bed, a toilet, a shower, a TV, even a few books—everything except a phone and internet access. He had no way of knowing what was happening outside. And outside, the only person there was a guard in a blue yukata, calmly sipping tea.
Valko, however, was running out of patience. He yelled from inside the cell:
"Hey, you dog! I'm starving! Can't you get me something better to eat?!"
The guard lowered his newspaper and glared at him. Valko, once elegant and charming, now looked miserable. His beard had grown in patches, unshaven for days. Though he was still fed three meals a day, he looked rough.
The guard smirked.
"What's wrong, Young Master Valko? Not satisfied? A whole-grain sandwich with veggies, meat, eggs—full nutrition. And you still complain?"
"You bastard…" Valko muttered under his breath. "I'm still the Kamakiri family's son-in-law! I demand to see Haruna!"
The guard burst out laughing.
"You're the Kamakiri son-in-law because you married Lady Mina. Shouldn't you ask her to come, not Haruna?"
"I…" Valko froze, unable to respond. All he could do was silently curse the guard and swear that once he got out of here, the man wouldn't leave in one piece.
The guard went back to reading—until he heard the elevator descending. He turned, just in time to see a tall, broad-shouldered man—easily two meters—step out, wearing a long overcoat. His face was harsh and cold, marked by two or three scars running across his left eye. His hair was a mix of silver and gray.
The guard stiffened instantly. He stood up and bowed.
"Good evening, Sir Satoru—"
He didn't even finish the sentence. Satoru swung a wooden baton straight down on his skull.
The guard collapsed instantly, unmoving, a pool of blood spreading beneath him.
Even Valko stumbled backward in shock. The stranger's murderous, icy stare swept toward him, and despite the thick reinforced glass and alarm system between them, Valko felt as if he might wet himself.
"Valko…" Satoru's deep voice rumbled, making the air feel colder. "I think it's about time you got out of here."
Valko trembled violently. He didn't dare meet Satoru's eyes. He looked at the bloody baton, the unmoving body on the ground, swallowing hard.
"W-Who… who are you?"
Satoru gave a thin smile.
"I'm only here to do you a favor. Staying locked under the Kamakiri estate forever doesn't sound very pleasant, does it?"
Valko glanced around his "cell." True, he was imprisoned, but the family hadn't tortured him or harmed him. They still valued him—as their son-in-law. Meanwhile this stranger was violent, unpredictable, and had no clear motives. How could he trust him?
He narrowed his eyes.
"Why? Why would you break me out? What's in it for you?"
Satoru chuckled, casually twirling the baton as he walked a slow circle.
"I don't think you understand your situation. You caused a massive scandal for SCJ, insulted their reputation, and now everyone in the Kamakiri household knows you're a worthless live-in son-in-law who cheated. Tell me—do you really think they still want to keep you around?"
As harsh as the words were, Valko couldn't deny they were true. He had no face left to show anymore. But surely the Kamakiri wouldn't get rid of him… right?
"They forbid divorce," Valko whispered, clearly shaken. "I'm still Mina's legal husband…"
"And that," Satoru said softly, crouching to pick up the guard's keycard, "is exactly the problem."
He drew a finger across his throat.
"There are always ways to get around the rules. You understand me, don't you?"
Valko's face went pale.
"No… No way. You mean—they want to kill me?"
Satoru laughed outright. He swiped the card, and the glass door slid open. Yet Valko hesitated, unwilling to step out. He stared at Satoru suspiciously.
"You see, Valko," Satoru said gently, "only fools stay put. If you don't save yourself now, no one else will. Put on the guard's yukata and get out of here."
Valko looked at the guard's body, then back at Satoru.
"But… why help me?"
Satoru took something from his pocket and held it up. A ring—coiled with the image of a serpent.
Valko's face instantly lit up with recognition.
"…I knew it."
Satoru smiled strangely.
Valko quickly changed into the guard's clothes. When he was done, he asked naturally—as though he now trusted Satoru completely.
"What about the cameras around the estate?"
Satoru smirked.
"Already disabled. Oh—and these belong to you."
He handed over Valko's phone, wallet, and a black credit card. Valko accepted everything without hesitation.
"You should leave the country as soon as possible," Satoru added.
Valko said nothing. He sprinted straight for the elevator and went up, leaving Satoru alone in the pristine white hallway. Satoru glanced at the body.
"All right. Get up."
The guard—who Valko thought was dead—opened his eyes and stood up as if nothing had happened.
"You remember what you need to report, don't you?" Satoru asked coldly.
The guard bowed.
Satoru checked his phone, tracking Valko's location effortlessly.
"Run fast, dear Valko… because if you don't…"
A twisted, monstrous smile spread across his face.