Chapter 16: Calm Before the Storm
The first rays of sun filtered through the curtains, painting golden streaks across the white linen sheets. Yeri stirred, blinking against the soft morning light. Her body still ached in places where old wounds had not yet healed, but for the first time in weeks, her soul felt... still.
Yunjun's arm was draped over her waist, his chest rising and falling in a slow, peaceful rhythm behind her. She turned slightly, just enough to see his face—so calm, so unguarded in sleep. The hardness he carried through his days melted away in these quiet moments, and she felt privileged to see this side of him.
Her hand gently brushed a stray strand of hair from his forehead.
He stirred and opened one eye. "Creeping on me in my sleep, Miss Yeri?"
She smiled, brushing her thumb against his cheek. "Just making sure it's real."
He pulled her closer, burying his face in her neck. "It is. And I'm not letting it go."
It was Soojin who suggested they go out for the day.
"You two look like you've been locked in a war bunker," she said, setting down a tray of fresh fruit at the dining table. "There's a food festival in town. Go. Breathe air. Smile at strangers."
Yunjun raised an eyebrow. "You smile at strangers?"
"I never said I was going," Soojin replied dryly. "But I'm not the one who looks like they forgot what sunshine feels like."
Yeri let out a soft laugh, and for once, Soojin didn't look away.
By noon, Yeri and Yunjun were walking hand-in-hand down cobbled streets lined with stalls bursting with color—fruits, pastries, little handmade trinkets that glittered in the sun. The air smelled of roasted chestnuts and grilled dumplings, and children darted past them with cotton candy in their hands and joy in their eyes.
Yeri's laughter came easily, like it had just been waiting for the right moment to return.
Yunjun bought her a bracelet from a quiet old woman at the corner of the market—a simple piece with a tiny silver charm shaped like a leaf.
"For luck," he said, slipping it gently onto her wrist.
Yeri looked at it, then up at him. "You know… a few months ago, I thought luck was a myth."
He tilted his head. "And now?"
"Now…" she smiled softly. "I think maybe luck wears a black coat and scowls a lot, but he shows up when it matters."
Yunjun chuckled, pulling her into a side hug. "I'll take it."
They sat by the riverbank, watching boats drift lazily across the water, their feet dangling just above the grass. Yeri rested her head on Yunjun's shoulder, fingers intertwined with his.
"This feels normal," she whispered. "Like how things are supposed to be."
He nodded. "You deserve this kind of peace."
She looked up at him. "So do you."
His arm tightened around her. "Let's make a promise."
"What kind?"
"No matter what happens… we fight for this. Not just for survival. But for this kind of quiet. This kind of love."
Yeri's heart swelled. "Deal."
But peace, like a fragile thread, always risks breaking.
It happened fast.
They were walking back to the car—Yunjun laughing as Yeri tried (and failed) to balance a bag of festival goodies in one hand and a melting ice cream in the other—when he noticed the shadow.
A figure across the street.
Still. Watching.
Yunjun's body stiffened.
Yeri noticed immediately. "What is it?"
"Stay close."
He slid an arm around her waist, shielding her as he scanned the street.
The figure was gone.
Just... vanished.
They made it home before sundown. But something had shifted.
Yunjun barely touched his food at dinner. His eyes were distant, fingers tapping rhythmically against the table—an old habit that only came out when something was wrong.
Soojin noticed too. "You're rattling the table like a clock, Joon."
Yeri looked at him. "You saw someone."
He nodded slowly. "I think it was Park Ilho."
Soojin's face darkened. "Jack's fixer?"
"Yeah."
"But he disappeared after the warehouse raid. We assumed he fled the country."
"Apparently, he didn't."
Yeri's appetite vanished. "What does he want?"
Yunjun's jaw tightened. "What's left of Jack's men… they're like snakes. Cut off the head, and the body still writhes for a while."
Soojin leaned back in her chair. "So what's the move?"
"We wait," Yunjun said coldly. "And we don't let our guard down again."
That night, Yeri had trouble sleeping.
Every creak in the house made her flinch. Every shadow felt like eyes watching. Yunjun stayed by her side, arms around her as she buried her face into his chest, trying to will away the storm she felt brewing again.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
He stroked her hair. "I know."
She looked up at him, her voice trembling. "What if we lose this again?"
Yunjun didn't answer right away. Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Then we rebuild. Every damn time. I'll fight for you, Yeri. As many times as I have to."
By morning, a new plan was in motion.
Yunjun gathered the remaining security heads. He showed them surveillance from the street. A flash of a face. A still frame enhanced from a blurry video.
It was Park Ilho.
"He's not alone," Yunjun said. "And he's not finished."
"What do we do?" one of the guards asked.
Yunjun stared at the screen. "We finish it for him."
But while the men prepared for war, Yeri went in search of something else.
Soojin.
She found her in the greenroom, pruning her roses—her expression far too calm for the tension in the air.
"You're not worried?" Yeri asked quietly.
Soojin didn't look up. "Worry won't stop him. But sharp minds and sharper knives might."
Yeri hesitated. "I'm not used to living like this."
Soojin glanced at her. "You're stronger than you think."
"Even strong people get scared."
Soojin snipped a rose and handed it to her. "Then be scared. But don't be stupid. Keep your eyes open. Your heart steady."
Yeri looked down at the rose. "Will you help him? Yunjun?"
Soojin met her gaze. "Always."
That evening, Yunjun asked Yeri to stay in the safe room.
"No," she said firmly. "Not unless you're there too."
"I can't be. Not if I'm out there hunting Ilho."
She stared at him, heart pounding. "Then I'm coming with you."
He grabbed her hands. "Yeri—"
"You said we'd fight for this. Together. Don't make me sit behind a locked door and wonder if you're going to come back."
He didn't argue.
He couldn't.
Because he knew—this woman had survived torture, betrayal, and heartbreak. She was no longer the girl who trembled in shadows. She was fire now. And fire doesn't hide.
The final scene of Chapter 16:
They stood together in the armory room, gearing up. Not for a war they wanted—but one that had found them.
Yunjun handed Yeri a small pistol. "Only if necessary."
Yeri took it with steady hands. "Let's make sure it's not."
They looked at each other, a quiet moment of steel and softness shared between two people who had been shattered and reforged by the world around them.
The door opened.
One of the guards entered, breathless.
"We found him."
Yunjun nodded. "Let's finish this."
To be continued...
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