Lee Know was a name whispered in fear.

A ghost in the criminal world—wanted, hunted, and yet never caught. He moved through cities like a shadow, always one step ahead, always leaving chaos behind him. No one knew how he did it. Some said luck. Others said ruthlessness. Those who had seen him up close knew better: Minho never hesitated.

Tonight, the confrontation had gone wrong.

The women’s university, usually alive with laughter and hurried footsteps, had descended into pure panic. Screams echoed through the halls as students ran in every direction, footsteps pounding against tiled floors. Somewhere nearby, gunshots rang out, sharp and deafening, shattering the illusion of safety the campus once held.

Lee Know cursed under his breath.

The rival mafia had cornered him too close to civilians—sloppy, reckless. Police sirens wailed faintly in the distance, growing louder by the second. He needed leverage. Now.

That’s when his eyes landed on you.

You were frozen in place, shock written all over your face, body refusing to move as chaos unfolded around you. For a split second, something unreadable flickered in his gaze—surprise, maybe even hesitation.

Then instinct took over.

He grabbed you, pulling you back against his chest with practiced ease. His arm locked firmly around you as he raised his gun, the cold metal pressing against your temple. Your breath caught, heart slamming violently against your ribs.

The world seemed to pause.

Lee Know lifted his head, eyes sharp and calculating as he stared down the opposing gang members. His voice cut through the screams and sirens—low, steady, terrifyingly calm.

“If they don’t leave,” he said, tightening his grip just enough to make his point clear, “I’ll shoot her.”

Silence followed.

Every movement stopped. Every gun lowered just a fraction.

You could feel his breathing behind you—controlled, even—as if this wasn’t the most dangerous moment of the night. Yet his fingers trembled ever so slightly against the gun, a detail only you could notice.

His eyes dropped to yours for a brief second.

And in that fleeting glance, you saw it—conflict. Not fear. Not regret. Something far more dangerous.

Attachment.

“Move,” he warned the other gang softly. “Or I swear I won’t miss.”

The standoff stretched on, the air thick with tension, your fate balanced on a single decision—his, or theirs.

And for the first time in his criminal career, Lee Know realized the most dangerous thing he’d ever done wasn’t pulling the trigger…

It was choosing you.