In the soft glow of the small table lamp beside the bed, Kim slowly sat up. He took out a small velvet box from the drawer. As he opened it, a huge Blue Diamond ring inside shimmered brilliantly. Kim gently took Seo-ah's hand in his own.
Kim (in a deeply emotional voice):
"Seo-ah, for the past three years, I've lived only for this moment. I don't want you to ever go away from me again. I want to protect you with everything I have. Will you marry me?"
Seo-ah stared at the ring. The diamond was as beautiful and deep as Kim's blue eyes. But instead of joy, a quiet sadness appeared in her gaze. Slowly, she pulled her hand away from his.
Seo-ah:
"No, Kim. I can't."
The light in Kim's eyes faded instantly. He stared at her in disbelief.
Kim:
"Why, Seo-ah? After what happened last night… after this love of ours… you're still saying no?"
Seo-ah (calmly, getting up from the bed and wrapping her black shirt around herself):
"What happened last night was love, Kim. But marriage is a contract—a social chain. I can't live inside a cage, even if that cage is made of gold. I love you, but I love my freedom more."
She walked toward the window. The rain outside had stopped, though the sky was still clouded.
Seo-ah:
"Marriage means being known by your name. But I want the world to know me by my own. Your 'Kim' surname would feel like a heavy stone on my back. Let us stay like this—without names, without obligations."
Kim sat silently on the bed, holding the velvet box. He understood that loving Seo-ah was easy, but possessing her was impossible. She was an unsolvable mystery—one that no ring could bind.
After a long silence, Kim stood up and gently embraced her from behind.
Kim:
"You're right, Seo-ah. If I trap you in marriage, I'll lose the woman I love. Your freedom is far more precious to me than any surname."
He closed the ring box and placed it on the table.
Kim:
"Alright. I accept your terms. No legal papers, no public marriage. We'll stay in a live-in relationship—as long as you want, however you want. I just want the right to stay by your side."
Seo-ah looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected someone as stubborn and powerful as Kim to accept her independence so easily.
Seo-ah:
"Are you serious, Kim? You won't care about society or your family's pressure?"
Kim (smiling faintly, meeting her eyes):
"My family and society begin with you and end with you. If you want, I'll turn the biggest VIP room in this city into our home. Just promise me one thing—don't disappear again."
Seo-ah smiled. For the first time, there was no sadness in it. She softly kissed Kim's lips.
But inside, Kim was thinking something else. He wouldn't talk about marriage directly anymore—but he would stay so close to Seo-ah that one day, she herself might want to make him permanent in her life. Kim hadn't surrendered; he had only changed his strategy.
Next Phase: The Mission
After deciding to live together, Kim placed a file in front of Seo-ah.
Kim:
"Now that we're together, our first task is to find your parents' killers. I know someone trusted by my father was involved that night. Together, we'll expose them."
That familiar fire returned to Seo-ah's eyes. This time, she wasn't alone. The man with the sapphire eyes was beside her.
They arrived at an old warehouse in the city's most dangerous district. The file revealed that the murder of Seo-ah's parents wasn't just about money—it was part of a major political conspiracy involving Kim's family.
Seo-ah (rolling up her sleeves, holding a small pistol):
"Kim, are you sure you want this? If the truth leads to your father, will you be able to forgive yourself?"
Kim (calm but firm):
"In the search for truth, blood ties don't matter. I promised you—whoever the criminal is, they will be punished."
At that moment, armed men surrounded them. From the darkness emerged Mr. Park, Kim's father's most trusted assistant, wearing a cruel smile.
Mr. Park:
"Master Kim, you've started a war against your own father? Is risking your life for this woman really wise?"
Seo-ah realized they had walked into a trap. Suddenly, a sniper's laser aimed directly at her chest.
Kim:
"No!"
He shoved Seo-ah aside. A gunshot echoed through the warehouse. The bullet missed her—but pierced straight through Kim's arm.
They took cover as gunfire rained down. Blood soaked Kim's black shirt, but his sapphire eyes burned with rage.
Seo-ah:
"Kim! You're bleeding badly!"
Kim (gritting his teeth with a strained smile):
"Don't worry. As long as I'm alive, no one will touch you. Tonight, everything ends."
Smoke and the smell of gunpowder filled the warehouse. Kim was growing pale from blood loss. Then heavy footsteps echoed.
A tall man stepped forward—handsome like Kim, but with eyes devoid of warmth. It was Kim's older brother, Victor Kim.
Victor (mocking):
"My dear little brother… You raised a weapon against your own blood for a mere woman?"
Kim:
"Brother… why did you kill her parents?"
Victor:
"Because they learned the truth. And now, so have you."
They were captured and taken to an underground dungeon. Kim was tied to a chair, bleeding. Seo-ah was chained to the wall in front of him.
Victor (grabbing Seo-ah's chin):
"You're stubborn. Look what your pride did to my brother. Now tell me—where is the file?"
Seo-ah spat in his face.
Seo-ah:
"Kill me if you want. But remember—if Kim lives, he'll burn your empire to ashes."
Kim watched helplessly, tears filling his sapphire eyes.
Victor leaned close and whispered coldly:
Victor:
"Kim loves you, so you think you're a queen? I'll show you real hell."
He dragged Seo-ah away. Kim screamed in fury, struggling against his chains.
The door slammed shut.
Kim was left alone—bleeding, bound, his eyes blazing with primal hatred.Victor gave Kim a devilish smile.
Victor: "Save your own life first, little brother. You've been trapped here so that you can witness with your own eyes what's happening to your beloved."
Victor began dragging Seo-ah toward the room. She struggled desperately, but her weak body couldn't resist. She looked at Kim and cried out, "Kim!"
The door closed with a soft click. Kim was now completely alone in the dark room, bound to the chair. Blood dripped from the wounds on his arm onto the floor. His Sapphire Eyes were no longer calm—they burned with primal rage. The veins in his neck bulged with fury. He knew that if he didn't break free now, he would lose Seo-ah forever.
Victor flung Seo-ah into a nearby lavish but dark bedroom. Before she could even regain her footing, he lunged at her. His eyes glowed with a hatred fiercer than red-hot steel—he wanted to hurt Kim through her.
Victor started unbuttoning his shirt and loosening his belt. Every movement was sinister.
Victor (with a cruel laugh): "Kim thought you were precious, didn't he? Today I'll break you so completely that when Kim finds you, he'll only find a living corpse."
Seo-ah slid backward across the bed, her hand landing on a heavy glass lampshade. Her tomboy façade was gone; all that remained was the desperate will to survive and return to Kim. But she was no one's victim.
Seo-ah (gritting her teeth): "Do you really think you can finish me off like this? I'll die, but I won't let anyone become a beast like you!"
Just as Victor attempted to pounce again, Seo-ah summoned all her strength and swung the lampshade at his head. Victor grabbed her hand and forced her back onto the bed.
Meanwhile, in Kim's room…
Seo-ah's desperate cries from the next room reached Kim's ears. It felt like lightning struck his brain. His Sapphire Eyes blazed bright red. He forgot the pain from his wounded arm.
Kim realized there was no key to unlock his chains. He shouted and pulled his body forward with monstrous strength. His shoulder almost dislocated, but the obsession to save the one he loved gave him superhuman power. There was a loud metallic sound—the chain didn't break, but the hook on the wall holding it loosened.
Kim roared, "Victor! Tonight, death is written for you at my hands!"
The air inside the room seemed heavy with Seo-ah's cries. Victor, using his brutal strength, had completely subdued her. Her fair skin flushed with shame and humiliation, but her tears didn't stop.
Victor wasn't satisfied with merely restraining her. He pulled a cold iron gun from his pocket. Seo-ah shrank in terror as he pressed the barrel against her most vulnerable place. She could no longer make a sound, only weep uncontrollably. She never imagined a human could sink so low.
Victor (whispering into her ear): "Kim pampered you with flowers, and I pamper you with iron. Remember this night forever."
Meanwhile, in Kim's room…
As Kim struggled with all his might to break free, two of Victor's men entered from the doorway. Kim was still roaring in pain, but his body was exhausted.
The men restrained Kim, and one quickly pulled out a toxic injection. Kim tried to resist, but his body was already weak from blood loss.
Kim (faintly): "Seo-ah… no… let her go…"
The moment the drug entered his veins, his world began to darken. His once-vibrant Sapphire Eyes slowly dimmed. The last sound he heard was Seo-ah's heart-wrenching scream from the next room. Even if he wanted to move, he could not—he collapsed, lifeless, to the floor.
Victor shouted from outside the room, laughing: "Take her to the dark cell. And let this girl stay with me all night. The game has only just begun!"
Inside the room, the air seemed to pause with Seo-ah's sobs. Her strength was gone. Victor cruelly pinned her to the bed.
With a devilish smile, he launched his ultimate assault. He penetrated her most sensitive place. Seo-ah's body arched like a bow in pain. No sound escaped her mouth, only streams of tears fell. Her black shirt was now torn and scattered across the bed.
Victor increased his intensity while sitting atop her. To Seo-ah, every second felt like an eternity. She stared at the ceiling, thinking—would Kim come? Would he save her from this hell? But she did not know that in the next room, Kim lay weakened by the injection.
Victor (panting and laughing): "Kim treated you like a goddess, and I'm treating you like an animal. Now see who really comes to save you!"
Seo-ah closed her eyes tightly. She felt as though her body no longer belonged to her. Her mind hardened into stone from humiliation and shame. Yet, in the corner of her mind, a spark of fire still burned—an unyielding thirst for revenge. She silently vowed that if she survived today, she would wash away this humiliation with Victor's blood.
Victor's cruelty intensified further. Seo-ah could no longer withstand her weakened body, but he showed no mercy. Using his brutal strength, he attacked her with even more force.
The room echoed only with her muffled groans and Victor's devilish laughter. Seo-ah's fingernails dug into the bed sheets, her body turning blue from pain. She felt as if her bones were cracking. Victor left her no breathing room, pouncing on her more violently with every attempt.
Victor (veins bulging, shouting): "Cry! Cry louder, Seo-ah! Hearing your tears will make Kim's soul writhe even more!"
Her tears had dried; only the red glow remained in her eyes. Though her body was limp, hatred was growing inside her. She felt the wound from the gun barrel and Victor's brutal assault, trying to separate herself from her own body, as if it weren't hers.
Late at night…
After a long while, Victor finally collapsed on her chest, panting heavily. He was certain Seo-ah was near death, so he saw no need to be cautious.
But he did not know—Seo-ah's hand was slowly inching toward the broken lampshade beside the bed. Her body was limp, but her mind burned with the thirst for revenge.
Seo-ah (barely audible, whispering): "Tonight… tonight is your last night, Victor…"
Her hand trembled. Just as the sharp edge of the glass was about to reach Victor's neck, he stirred. Seo-ah thought she'd been caught, but Victor did not strike her. Instead, he calmed himself and hugged her tightly with both arms.
Amid the sweat and brutality, he planted an extremely gentle kiss on her cheek. To Seo-ah, this sudden "affection" was scarier than the assault itself.
Victor (in a low, deep voice): "You are beautiful, Seo-ah. You know, Kim always wants to keep the best things for himself. But he doesn't know the joy in breaking beautiful things to pieces."
Victor leaned close and whispered in her ear as if speaking to a beloved:
Victor: "From now on, you are no longer Kim's. You are my toy. I won't kill you; instead, I'll slowly destroy you, piece by piece, every day. Your body is now my empire."
Seo-ah froze. The shard of glass slipped from her hand to the floor. Victor's embrace suffocated her. Shame flushed her cheeks where his lips had touched. She realized Victor wanted to enslave her not only physically but mentally as well.
Meanwhile, in Kim's awakening…
The effect of the injection began to wear off. Kim lay on the floor of the dark cell. His limbs were still bound, but his consciousness returned. Seo-ah's last scream still echoed in his ears.
Kim opened his eyes. His Sapphire Eyes were no longer blue—they burned red like fire. He could sense that some catastrophic event was unfolding in the next room. He began gnawing at the chain binding his hands. Blood trickled from his gums, but he did not stop.