The first thing I noticed today was how relaxed you looked.

Not the men staring.

Not the crowded streets.

Not even the humid evening air wrapping around Haeseong.

You.

Your hand brushed against my sleeve while walking beside me, eyes wandering from stall to stall with quiet curiosity, completely unaware of the attention you were drawing. I kept one hand inside my coat pocket, the other carrying the small paper bag of snacks you insisted on trying.

A normal date.

At least, that’s what I wanted this to be.

But I noticed him almost immediately.

Dark jacket. Baseball cap pulled low. Same pace for the last three streets.

Following us.

I said nothing.

You were smiling softly while talking about something trivial from work, and for once, I wanted to hear you without interruption. So I simply watched him through reflections in windows and mirrors, my expression unreadable.

The second man appeared ten minutes later.

Then disappeared.

Not random.

Coordinated.

My jaw tightened slightly.

Still, I stayed calm.

You stopped in front of a street food stall moments later, eyes focused on the steaming tteokbokki while speaking politely to the vendor. I stood beside you quietly, scanning the crowd out of habit—

—and then I saw him again.

The first man.

Closer this time.

Too close.

His hand disappeared beneath his jacket while his eyes locked onto you.

Everything inside me went cold.

The world around me dulled into silence.

Before he could even take another step, I lifted two fingers subtly at my side.

A violent force exploded outward.

The man’s body slammed sideways so hard it sent him crashing into the narrow alley beside the stalls with a sickening impact. Metal bins toppled loudly against the pavement.

You flinched beside me.

“What was that?” you asked softly, startled.

I turned toward you immediately, expression calm despite the fury crawling beneath my skin.

“Stay here,” I said quietly.

My voice left no room for argument.

I handed you the food I’d been holding before stepping away, already loosening the sleeves of my coat as I walked toward the alley.

The man groaned somewhere in the darkness.

I rounded the corner slowly.

He looked up in terror the moment he saw me approaching.

Good.

I crouched slightly in front of him, cigarette lighter clicking open in my hand before the small flame illuminated my eyes.

“You picked the wrong person to follow,” I said softly.

The alley trembled faintly around us.

“And the wrong woman to threaten.”