"Ji-hoon? Where are you?"
Eunha's foot slipped in the darkness, and she was about to fall when Ji-hoon caught her by the waist. Eunha's strong body was in Ji-hoon's arms. In another flash of lightning, they looked into each other's eyes.
Ji-hoon saw that the "Rude Ceo"'s eyes no longer held anger, but a strange helplessness. He gently brushed Eunha's dishevelled hair behind her ear. His hand rested on Eunha's cheek.
"Why are you so tough?" Ji-hoon whispered.
Eunha lowered her eyelids for the first time. "Because if I fall soft... I'll be ruined."
Ji-hoon gently placed his lips on her forehead. It was a small, gentle kiss, but for Eunha, it was nothing short of explosive. Her entire "Rude CEO" image vanished. She grabbed Ji-hoon's shirt in her fist, as if she were trying to avoid falling.
The Morning After
Next morning, the rain had stopped. Eunha woke up to find herself on the sofa, Ji-hoon's jacket draped over her. Ji-hoon was holding the old envelope he'd left on the balcony.
Eunha came out. Her face had returned to normal, but the anger in her eyes was gone.
"It's time," Ji-hoon said. Her face was still the same old expression, but her eyes were now saying something else. "Here's your card. But remember... after you read this card, perhaps your world will change. Are you ready?
You had said that you would give it after48 hours, but it hasn't even been 24 hours yet.
But I feel that I should give it to you .Are you ready he said again.
Eunha took the envelope. Her hand trembled slightly. "I'm always prepared."
Eunha opens the letter, but....
The Bloodline of Secrets
The cool mountain breeze played with Eunha's hair, but all she could hear was the pounding of her heart. With trembling hands, she opened the yellow envelope.
Inside the letter was her grandfather's handwriting. Eunha's eyes began to swallow every word.
"My dear Eunha, when you read this, I might not be here. I always told you to be like 'Iron', because our enemy was not someone outside. Our enemy was our own blood... but there was a family that sacrificed everything to save me. Their son will always be your protector. His name is Ji-hoon. Ji-hoon is your protector"
Eun-ha's breath stopped. She read the letter again.
"What is this? Is this some kind of joke?"
The yellow envelope narrowly escaped falling from Eunha's hand. Her grandfather's last words rang in her mind like handcuffs. 'Ji-hoon is your protector.' The Ji-hoon she considered her worst enemy was the crucible of her life.
Eunha slowly raised her head and looked at Ji-hoon. Ji-hoon was still leaning on the balcony railing, gazing at the distant mountains, as if he had just lifted a heavy burden from his shoulders..
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Eunha's voice trembled. That once strong, sculpted girl now looked as helpless as a small child.
Ji-hoon sank. The mischief that always lingered in her eyes was gone today. "If I had told you, Eunha, you wouldn't have believed me. You've hardened yourself so much that you only understand the language of enmity. I had to become your enemy to get close to you."
A single tear slipped from Eunha's eye and landed on her face. It was the first tear she had shed in front of someone in 11 years. Ji-hoon quickly moved closer to her. He gently grasped Eunha's muscular, firm hands.
"You've been through a lot, Eunha. Now stop it," Ji-hoon said with tender love.
Eunha threw away her "Ice Queen" style for the first time and laid her head on Ji-hoon's chest. Her muscular body, always ready for an attack, now lay in Ji-hoon's embrace.
Ji-hoon ran his hand through her hair. "People say you're cold, but I know how much pain you have inside you." You used to wear this suit to protect yourself, but now you don't need it.′
Eunha raised her head and looked into Ji-hoon's eyes. The distance between them vanished. Ji-hoon gently kissed her forehead and then whispered into her ear: 'We're not alone anymore. Your every wound is mine.
That evening, the dining room was quiet, lit only by a few elegant candles. A lavish dinner was spread out before them, but Eunha hardly tasted the food. She sat there in her oversized pink hoodie, staring at the steam rising from her soup.
As she picked up her spoon, a sudden, sharp memory hit her like a physical blow.
Flashback:
Eleven years ago. She was sitting at a similar wooden table, but it was at her grandfather's old house. Her grandfather was laughing, telling her how proud he was of her strength. He had placed an extra piece of meat on her plate, whispering, "Eat well, my little child." That was the last dinner they ever had. An hour later, the silence of the house had been shattered by screams.
In the present, A single, silent tear rolled down her cheek, followed by another. She didn't sob; she didn't make a sound. She just sat there, frozen, as the "Ice Queen" began to crack.
Ji-hoon, who had been watching her silently from across the table, stopped eating. He didn't ask "What's wrong?" or "Are you okay?" He already knew. He had seen the way her eyes had glazed over, lost in a past she couldn't escape.
He stood up slowly and walked around the table. Instead of sitting back down, he pulled his chair right next to hers. Gently, he reached out and took the spoon from her shaking hand, placing it on the table.
Without a word, he pulled Eunha's head toward him, resting it against his chest.
Eunha stiffened for a second, her reflexes telling her to pull away, but the warmth of his body and the steady rhythm of his heart were too comforting to resist. She let her forehead rest against his shirt, her shoulders finally dropping.
"You don't have to be a strong Eunha," Ji-hoon whispered, his hand resting gently on the back of her head.
He leaned down, his voice barely a breath against her ear. "You don't look good when you cry. It ruins the 'Rude CEO' image I've worked so hard to annoy."
A small, broken sob escaped her, but Ji-hoon just held her tighter. "Right now... you're just a girl who misses her grandfather.″
The Real Enemy (The Final Twist)
Suddenly, Eunha's phone buzzed with a high-priority alert. Her underground base's firewall was being torn down. On the screen, a face appeared that made Eunha's blood run cold. It was her Uncle, the man she had trusted to handle the family's legal affair sand was now out to destroy both Ji-hoon and Eunha.
"Do you think you two will survive?" Eunha's uncle's voice boomed through the speakers. Her uncle's laughter was cold, echoing through the mountain cabin. "I never expected your grandfather to be this clever. To think he found a protector for you right under my nose... and I must admit, Eunha, your protector is truly praiseworthy. He played the game well."
The uncle paused, his eyes narrowing on the screen. "But I'm afraid even a masterpiece like Ji-hoon can't save you now. You've walked right into the slaughterhouse. Goodbye, my dear niece."
Eunha angrily hung up the phone. Her muscular body was now throbbing with adrenaline. He raised his head and looked at Ji-hoon. There was no longer the old coldness in his eyes, but a fire—a fire that had united them both.
"Ji-hoon... your 'Mind Games' and my 'Physical Strength'..." Eunha rolled up the sleeves of his jacket, the wounds on his strong arms now making him feel stronger. "Come on, let's show him what happens when a 'Rude CEO' and a 'mastermind' meet."
Ji-hoon smiled and closed his pocket watch. "I've been waiting for this moment."
Both exited the cabin. A convoy of black cars was heading towards them from the door. This was no longer just a battle for survivaln forher, it was the end of her mission.
Ji-hoon took Eunha's hand and whispered into her ear, "If you survive... will you let me end the feud?"
Eunha gave him a sideways glance and smiled—a genuine smile for the first time. "Stay alive first, Mr. Ji-hoon. I'll think about it later."
The main office of Vortex Enterprises was a fortress. Uncle was sitting in the CEO's chair, surrounded by ten heavily armed elite guards. He was pouring a glass of expensive champagne, thinking he had won.
Suddenly, the lights turned red. The building's artificial intelligence, which Ji-hoon had secretly reprogrammed, spoke in a chilling tone: "Access Denied. The True Queen has returned."
The glass doors of the boardroom shattered inward. Through the smoke, Eunha emerged. She wasn't wearing a suit; she was in black tactical gear that clung to her muscular build. Behind her, Ji-hoon walked with his hands in his pockets, twirling his pocket watch.
"Kill them!" Uncle screamed.
The guards rushed forward. Eunha moved like a panther. She didn't use a gun. Using her sheer strength and speed, she grabbed the first guard's wrist, snapping it with a sickening pop, and used his body as a shield against the others. Her strikes were heavy and calculated—every kick and punch landing with enough force to crack bone. She was a whirlwind of muscles and fury.
Meanwhile, Ji-hoon wasn't fighting physically. He was tapping away on a tablet. With every click, the guards' high-tech weapons malfunctioned—their electric tasers shocked them instead of Eunha, and the magnetic locks on the doors trapped them in corners.
"You thought you could defeat my 'Ice Queen'?" Ji-hoon said, his voice calm amidst the chaos. "You only saw her coldness... you never realized she was the fire that keeps this company alive."
The Final Checkmate
Within minutes, the room was silent. Ten guards lay unconscious on the floor. Eunha stood in front of her Uncle, her chest heaving, a drop of sweat rolling down her temple.
"Grandfather trusted you," Eunha said, her voice like grinding stones. "But you ruined everything just for money."
"Money is everything, Eunha!" Uncle pulled a hidden pistol from under the desk
At that moment, every screen in the building began broadcasting a live confession. Ji-hoon had recorded the Uncle's secret meetings weeks ago while pretending to be a "clumsy new employee."
"Checkmate," Ji-hoon said with a lopsided smile. "The police are already downstairs. Your empire, your money, and your pride... all gone."
Uncle's hand shook, but it wasn't from fear—it was rage. As the sound of sirens got closer, his face twisted into tears.
"Eunha, my child... please, I was forced into this!" he sobbed, his voice cracking.
Eunha hesitated for a split second, her heart still heavy from the letter she had read. That second of hesitation was all he needed. In a blur of movement, her Uncle lunged forward, his acting vanishing instantly. He grabbed Eunha by her hair, jerking her back and pressing the cold barrel of the pistol hard against her temple.
"Don't move!" he screamed, his voice echoing like a maniac's.
Ji-hoon froze. The playful mastermind was gone; his eyes were now like ice, fixed on the gun pressed against Eunha's head.
"You thought I was defeated?" Uncle laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "Eunha, do you know why you're still alive? It wasn't love. It was your grandfather's pathetic will. He made sure that if you died before turning 20, every single penny of the Vortex empire would be donated to an orphanage. I've spent years waiting for you to grow up just so I could kill you and take it all!"
He tightened his grip on Eunha's neck, making her wince. Eunha's muscular arms flexed, her body ready to strike, but the gun was too close.
"Ji-hoon!" Uncle roared. "You think you're so smart? If you want her to breathe another minute, you're going to get me out of here safely. And those papers on the desk behind you—the transfer deeds—pick them up and bring them to me. NOW!"
Ji-hoon looked at the desk. There lay the documents that would give away everything Eunha had worked for. He looked at Eunha, whose eyes were fixed on his. She was silently telling him: 'Don't do it.'