I. The Descent into Chamonix
The pursuit was a blur of speed and high-altitude risk. Taehyung and Joon, having secured rugged transport, raced through the icy, winding roads leading toward the secluded Blue Crest Chalet near Chamonix. The time was 9:00 PM; they had less than an hour before Seok-jin's scheduled perimeter walk—the window they knew he would likely abort after Professor Shin's warning.
The chalet was located deep within a remote private estate, protected by natural mountain barriers and electronic countermeasures.
"He'll be moving the key evidence now, Chairman," Joon warned, his face illuminated by the glow of the infrared mapping system. "He won't wait for 10 PM. We have to breach the perimeter immediately."
Taehyung, gripping the steering wheel, his eyes sharp and focused, responded with the cold precision of a predator. "He knows we're coming from Geneva. He doesn't know how or who."
Their objective was no longer capture; it was immobilization. They had to reach the chalet and freeze the evidence before Seok-jin could enact his contingency plan—likely a self-destruct sequence for his files and immediate escape via air.
II. Protecting the Shield
Taehyung knew the biggest threat wasn't the guards; it was Seok-jin's calculation. Seok-jin had demonstrated he would use psychological warfare and proxies before direct confrontation.
As they reached the hidden access road, Taehyung gave Joon a strict, uncharacteristic order.
"Joon, my life is secondary. If we encounter heavy armed resistance, your priority is to deploy the EMP pulse on the main structure. I need those servers frozen, not destroyed."
"But, Chairman," Joon protested, "that leaves you exposed. The EMP will take out our comms too."
Taehyung looked at him, the Chairman's coldness replaced by a grim determination. "Seok-jin will try to use me as a shield to escape, knowing that getting the Chairman arrested on foreign soil provides his alibi. But more importantly, he knows the Vow is my weakness. He will try to lure me into a position where he can broadcast something back to Seoul—a final, devastating lie that destroys Ha-eun's sanity and the corporate façade she's holding up."
Taehyung was actively protecting Ha-eun from thousands of miles away by denying Seok-jin the opportunity to use him as a weapon against her. He was shielding her from the final, worst betrayal Seok-jin could inflict.
III. The Frozen Perimeter
They abandoned the vehicle and proceeded on foot, scaling the icy perimeter fence. The silence of the Alps was shattered only by their boots crunching on the snow.
Joon's initial readings were concerning. "The perimeter's been activated, sir. No guards visible, but laser tripwires and motion sensors are live. He's expecting us."
As they neared the main structure, a single, clear sound pierced the night—the whirring of a helicopter engine starting up on the hidden landing pad. Seok-jin was not waiting for an ambush; he was enacting the final stage of his escape.
"He's leaving now," Taehyung hissed. "We have to draw him out. He won't leave the most valuable asset behind."
Taehyung broke the cover, running directly toward the main chalet's heavily reinforced rear door, making himself the obvious target.
Almost instantly, the night exploded. Automated spotlights illuminated the clearing, blinding them, and the sharp, echoing report of high-velocity sniper fire erupted from the ridge above.
Joon reacted instantly, pulling Taehyung down behind the cover of a massive granite boulder. The bullets struck the rock, showering them with icy fragments.
"Sniper! Three hundred meters, north ridge!" Joon yelled, preparing his own non-lethal defense.
Taehyung's focus remained on the main building. He knew Seok-jin was watching this live feed, anticipating the Chairman's every move. Taehyung pulled a small, customized drone from his pack.
"I need five seconds of cover, Joon," Taehyung commanded. "I'm sending a message directly to the chalet window. It's the final bait."
As Joon unleashed a series of blinding, non-lethal flash charges toward the ridge—temporarily distracting the sniper—Taehyung launched the drone. It zipped toward the glass window of the main office.
The small drone transmitted a single, customized image to the window's smart glass: not a police badge or a threat, but the childhood drawing of the two stick figures holding hands—the ultimate proof that the Vow was alive and that Ha-eun was fully awake.
Taehyung knew this would infuriate Seok-jin more than any financial loss, compelling him to postpone his flight for a single, fatal moment of rage.