After a long night of packing for their flight to Hokkaido, Duyen and Shana were still running around the house, stuffing last-minute items into their luggage. Mr. Tuan had woken up at dawn just to make a whole pile of sandwiches, neatly arranged on the table so everyone could grab one when they got up. Airport food was ridiculously expensive, and—according to him—homemade meals were always better and healthier, even though he knew perfectly well that Shana was extremely rich.
That morning, everyone—Mr. Tuan, Mr. Hung, Mr. Jongsuk, and Secretary Oh—gathered in the living room to send Duyen and Shana off to Tu Linh Airport.
Duyen found the atmosphere strangely dramatic. She was just going on a short trip, right? So why was her dad crying? Even Mr. Hung beside him was sniffling like she was leaving for some faraway land and never coming back.
Despite being a grown man, Tuan was the emotional type. He couldn't hold back his tears as he wrapped Duyen in a tight hug, making her feel uneasy herself—her eyes stung a little at the corners.
Still hugging her, he patted her back as he murmured.
"Duyen, I heard Hokkaido is freezing cold all year round. I packed extra coats for you. Don't get careless—make sure you stay warm, alright?"
Shana burst out laughing.
"You make it sound like she's going without me. Don't worry, I'll buy her a whole wardrobe of fur coats if I have to."
Mr. Tuan loosened his grip on Duyen and shot Shana a scolding glare.
"What do you know? My girl isn't used to such cold places!"
Duyen placed a hand on her father's shoulder to calm him down.
"Dad, I'm only gone for a week. Why's everyone acting like this? I'll be fine."
Mr. Tuan wiped his tears and looked at her—like he still had something on his mind, but then he swallowed it back. His strong arms tightened around her forearms. His voice was firm but full of love.
"...Right. I forgot you're grown now. Duyen, even without me around, you can take care of yourself."
Shana wrapped an arm around Duyen's shoulders and smiled gently at him.
"I promise I'll take good care of her."
Seeing how Shana always stood by Duyen's side reassured him—but even so, Duyen couldn't shake off the strange heaviness in the air. Why did this feel like a final goodbye? No way, right? She could only hope she was overthinking.
After sitting through Tuan's long, emotional list of reminders, Duyen turned to look at Mr. Jongsuk—the person she felt the guiltiest toward. Yet he wasn't even remotely angry. In fact, he treated Duyen like a second daughter.
Before she could speak, he gently took her hand.
"Don't worry. Go enjoy your trip. Leave the search for Nayeon to us. You've already done everything you could."
"But I…" Duyen's guilt still weighed heavily on her.
Mr. Hung placed a large hand on her shoulder.
"He's right. You've got us. Don't underestimate adults or the police." He laughed heartily. "Things will be fine. Just go. Keep moving forward—don't look back."
Duyen could feel how much they all cared through their words. It warmed her heart… but at the same time, something about the way they spoke was unnervingly heavy. She still couldn't shake that feeling.
Then Secretary Oh's voice cut in,
"Miss Duyen, Chairwoman—it's almost time. I'll drive you both to the airport."
Shana squeezed Duyen's hand and smiled softly.
"Come on, Duyen. Let's get going."
Still full of unspoken questions but with no time left, Duyen reluctantly said goodbye to her father, Mr. Hung, and Mr. Jongsuk before getting into the car.
As the Mercedes disappeared down the road, Mr. Tuan let out a deep, heavy sigh.
"…I feel like I just lied to my own daughter."
"I thought you were going to say it felt like you were sending her off to get married," Jongsuk joked.
Mr. Tuan blinked.
"Huh. When you put it that way… it does kinda feel like that."
"What a tangled fate… By the way, that girl named Mina—she's really that scary?"
Hung burst into laughter.
"Scary? She's worse than scary. You just haven't met her. When you do, your legs will go numb, and your whole body will feel like it's freezing up. Ask this guy!" He jabbed a thumb at Mr. Tuan.
Mr. Tuan shuddered at the memory. The exaggerated reactions from both men left Jongsuk genuinely confused. Was this Mina girl really more terrifying than a nine-tailed fox spirit?
Then again… she had helped kidnap Nayeon. If they wanted to find Nayeon, they'd have to face Mina first. With all the cruel things she'd done, she clearly wasn't someone easy to take down.
"…So basically," Jongsuk muttered, "you nearly ended up with one hell of a… unique daughter-in-law."
Mr. Tuan didn't find it funny at all. His face scrunched up like a pouting child.
"Hey! Are you out of jokes or what? Having a nine-tailed fox for a daughter-in-law wasn't enough? Add that girl on top and Duyen would probably end up hospitalized!"
The other two burst out laughing, while Mr. Tuan grumbled, "Not my fault, okay? My daughter's too beautiful. She gets it from me. Ahem. I was really handsome back in my day."
They were still chuckling when Hung suddenly froze, remembering something.
"But wait… if that Mina girl finds out Duyen is leaving the country, do you think she'll just sit still?"
The question made goosebumps run down Mr. Tuan's arms. Jongsuk looked confused.
"Huh? How would she even know?"
Hung just shrugged.
"With her? Anything's possible."
His guess was just speculation—but it had weight. And that alone made dread well up inside Mr. Tuan.
He could only mutter a shaky prayer under his breath.
"Please… let Duyen and Shana get on that plane before she finds out…"
---
After nearly an hour in the car, Duyen and Shana finally arrived at Tu Linh International Airport. During the ride, Duyen kept trying to memorize a few basic Japanese phrases, but she kept stumbling over every line. It was so adorable that Shana couldn't help but burst out laughing. Clearly, Duyen was excited about this trip—Shana knew that. There was just one thing Shana hadn't told her yet. She hoped that someday, Duyen would understand why she made that choice.
Tu Linh International Airport was bustling as always—modern, upscale, one of the brightest gems of Southeast Asia. Secretary Oh pulled out a stack of luggage from the car trunk for them. Then she hugged both Shana and Duyen, looking unusually emotional.
"Please be careful, both of you…"
Shana hugged her tight and patted her back, whispering softly enough that only the two of them could hear:
"I'll miss you a lot."
Then she let go of Secretary Oh and held Duyen's hand, leading her into the terminal. The secretary wiped her tears, half laughing, half crying:
"…Well, I guess I won't be bullied anymore…"
"I HEARD THAT!!!" Shana shouted back, startling her so badly she nearly jumped out of her shoes.
Inside, Shana and Duyen checked their tickets, passports, and luggage. Once everything was done, all they had to do was wait for boarding.
While Shana sat on the bench sipping her matcha latte, Duyen suddenly felt the urgent need to use the bathroom—even though she had just gone minutes earlier.
"Wait for me a bit, I need to pee," she said.
Shana chuckled, teasing, "What's wrong? Too nervous?"
Duyen blushed.
"Probably… I haven't drunk a drop of water because I'm scared I won't know how to use the bathroom on the plane…"
Shana's eyes widened, then she burst out laughing.
"Oh my God! Can you not be this cute? The flight from here to Hokkaido is like ten hours. No matter what, you're gonna need the bathroom at some point. But don't worry… when you need to go, I'll go with you and show you how ~"
Duyen's cheeks turned bright red like a tomato. She waved Shana away and rushed off to find a restroom, embarrassed by the teasing—especially in public.
Maybe it was because this was her first time flying. Maybe she was scared of missing the flight. Either way, she sprinted straight toward the nearest bathroom, moving with such frantic determination that passersby turned their heads. A tall, model-like tomboy running like she was acting in a movie scene—it was hard not to stare.
But in reality, she just really needed to pee.
After she relieved herself, Duyen let out a long breath of relief and stepped out of the stall. She prayed she wouldn't have to go again once she got on the plane. Asking Shana for help would be way too embarrassing.
As she washed her hands and touched up her lipstick in front of the mirror, a stall behind her suddenly opened.
A girl stepped out—stunningly beautiful, with long white hair and striking Eastern European features. She was tall. Extremely tall. Taller than Duyen, and Duyen was already 1m74. The girl wore a tight, all-black outfit that looked strange but somehow suited her perfectly. Duyen instantly assumed she must be a professional model.
The girl moved to the sink and washed her hands. Then she suddenly looked at Duyen. Duyen flinched.
"Oh—sorry, I didn't mean to stare. You're just really pretty."
The girl tilted her head. Her expression didn't shift at all. Not even by a millimeter. She looked like a porcelain doll—emotionless, perfect, unreal. She glanced between her own reflection and Duyen's.
Her voice was monotone, mechanical, her Vietnamese strangely accented.
"…Yes. I am very pretty."
Well, she wasn't wrong—but the way she said it made Duyen blink in surprise.
Before Duyen could respond, the girl continued, still staring at her:
"But… you're very pretty too."
"Huh? Me?" Duyen pointed at herself.
The girl nodded. Duyen could only give an awkward, uncomfortable smile. This was her first time being complimented in… a bathroom.
"Um… thank you…"
Suddenly, Duyen remembered the flight. She bowed quickly and turned to leave.
"Wait."
The white-haired girl raised her hand. Something shot out—an ultra-thin thread from a snake-shaped ring on her finger—straight into the back of Duyen's neck.
Too small to see. Too fast to feel.
Duyen only felt a sudden wave of overwhelming drowsiness. Her vision blurred.
"…weird… I thought I…"
She collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
The girl—Yu—knelt down and gently caught her. Her voice was the same calm monotone.
"…Sorry."
Outside, Shana waited anxiously. Minutes passed. The line for boarding kept growing. Someone as shy and careful as Duyen would never stay in the bathroom this long.
Unless…
Something happened.
A sharp panic burst inside Shana's chest.
No. Something's wrong. I have to find her.
She abandoned her luggage and rushed forward—but before she could take more than two steps, a group of people in police uniforms grabbed her wrists.
Shana instantly frowned in irritation, though she held herself back from making a scene.
"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded. As one officer flashed a badge at her.
"We are law enforcement. We are here to arrest you for forging documents related to the transfer of the OPA chairwoman position."
Shana stared at him, stunned. Sure, she hadn't taken the most… conventional path to becoming chairwoman. But Hung signed everything himself! The shareholders approved it!
She scoffed, hands on her hips.
"What nonsense is that? Everything's written and signed properly. I'm the rightful chairwoman of OPA, thank you very much."
"Where is the document?" the officer asked coldly.
"At the office, obviously! Why would I carry it around!?" Shana snapped.
"Then you'll have to come with us."
"There's no way I'm going anywhere!"
She slipped out of their grips with ease.
"Call V.P Hung right now! He'll confirm—I have somewhere to be, so don't—"
Mid-sentence, her hand brushed one of the officers' wrists.
Her senses sharpened instantly.
Something was wrong.
"…These badges…" Her eyes narrowed. "You're not police."
The moment she said that—A loud boom echoed through the airport.
The entire terminal went dark. People screamed.
Shana growled, "What the hell is going on—!?"
The fake officers surrounded her in a triangle formation and began chanting scripture. A barrier rose around her.
The words didn't hurt her—not even a scratch on her toenail. With one swipe of her hand, the barrier shattered like glass. The three men were thrown backward, slamming into the floor.
But they immediately sat up again, continuing their chant—blood dripping from their noses and eyes, overwhelmed by Shana's power yet forcing through the ritual.
Shana was furious—but she still laughed in contempt. She waved her hand again. The barrier broke a second time.
"Just some mortals… and you think you can restrain me?"
A woman's voice replied:
"Then what about me?"
Shana turned toward the sound of heels clicking against the floor.
A beautiful woman with long white hair approached, her eyes glowing a fierce reddish-orange. A confident smile curved her lips.
Shana's expression shifted from surprise to amusement.
"So it was you… I wondered who was behind all this."
Yu smirked.
"I should be strong enough to hold you… right?"
Shana laughed softly.
"We'll see about that… Ama."
But then—Why was she here? Why appear now?
A horrifying realization struck Shana.
Her face drained of color.
"DUYEN!?"