The investigation into the mysterious necklace intensified the following morning.
Azure Horizon Hotel turned over every camera feed from their lobby, elevators, loading bay, and surrounding streets. Judge Choi personally requested priority review. Yet after hours of checking footage, one thing became disturbingly clear—
There was no record of anyone delivering the gift box.
No face. No figure. No shadow entering the building.
It was as if the necklace simply appeared in the dressing room on its own.
Dahlia tried to steady her breathing as she listened to the tech team's report.
Impossible… unless the person never used the building's entrances at all.
Dojun, who supervised quietly from the corner, clenched his jaw.
Whoever it was—he was a ghost.
-----------------------
That same night, her apartment unusually quiet as Dahlia prepared for bed. She pushed open the balcony door to let the night breeze in, unaware of the presence, of a shadow from the rooftop above.
Assassin Red.
The assassin mistakenly removed his mask that night, revealing himself to the her.
Cloaked in the dark, he slid down the fire escape like a shadow, gliding toward her balcony with a knife drawn. His movements were precise—silent—predatory.
Inside her apartment, Dahlia stood in the living room, her phone in hand. A strange feeling crawled up her spine.
Someone was here.
She took a single step toward the balcony—
And her foot slipped on a loose piece of paper near the railing.
She staggered.
Her body tipped over the edge of the balcony—
falling—
But something caught her.
A hand.
Strong. Warm. Swift.
And when she opened her eyes—
She saw them.
Those green eyes.
Familiar.
Unexplainably familiar.
Her heart jumped in a way that frightened her.
Time froze.
The wind, the city lights, the world around her—everything felt suspended between the moment she almost fell, and the man holding her with an expression she couldn't read.
Before she could speak—
A dagger sliced through the air.
The man pulled her in and twisted his body, shielding her as the blade struck the wall behind them.
Assassin Red emerged from the shadows, mask pulled tight, movements sharp and lethal.
His voice hissed through the night:
"Lee, move aside why are you protecting her."
The man with the green eyes stepped forward, placing Dahlia behind him without looking back—as if protecting her was instinct.
---
The fight exploded across the balcony in a blur.
Red lunged with a second dagger—
aiming for Lee's neck.
Lee deflected it with his forearm and slammed his elbow into Red's ribs.
Red staggered.
But he was fast—twisting low, sweeping a kick toward the Lee's legs.
Blocked.
Countered.
Their movements were violent but precise.
Trained.
Deadly.
Dahlia could barely follow the motion, only the flashes of moonlight hitting steel and the thundering of her own heartbeat as the two shadows collided in front of her.
Red leaped backward to gain distance—
but Lee was faster.
He grabbed Red by the collar, pulling him back into the balcony rail.
Red struggled, striking wildly—
One hit landed across Lee's cheek, cutting skin.
Blood trickled.
His green eyes snapped open—sharp as ice.
He lifted Red by the chest and slammed him into the railing again—
The metal bent.
One final strike.
Red lost his balance—
and the railing gave way.
Dahlia gasped.
Red fell—
down—
down—
down—
until his body hit the ground eight floors below with a sickening thud.
The fight was over.
---
Sirens wailed moments later.
Dojoon arrived with a team of officers, breathless and pale at the sight of Red's body on the pavement. He immediately pushed through the crowd, demanding access to Dahlia's balcony.
When he reached her, she was sitting on the floor, knees trembling.
The police fanned out, searching the surroundings, but—
The man who saved her was already gone.
Not a trace left.
Not even a footprint on the balcony tiles.
"Dahlia… are you hurt?" Dojokn knelt, voice softer than usual.
She shook her head. "No… someone saved me.
A man. I—I didn't see his face clearly but… his eyes…"
She paused.
The words stuck in her throat.
Green.
The same shade she saw 15 years ago.
But she kept that thought buried.
Dojoon didn't press. He simply covered her shaking hands with his own.
"I'll protect you, noona. I promise."
---
Judge Choi arrived before dawn, face dark with fury and fear.
He immediately hired a private security team consisting of two armed and trained men and one woman, stationed inside her apartment and following her everywhere she went.
"This is non-negotiable," he said firmly. "Someone wants you dead."
Dahlia tried to protest, but one look at her father's eyes silenced her.
Yet even with guards at every corner, she felt a lingering presence near the balcony…
Not hostile.
Not frightening.
But watching.
Not an enemy.
Someone else.
Someone with green eyes.