Joseph woke up in the morning from his bed, his mind clouded by the events of the previous night… The moment he killed that person was still lingering in his head.
He stared at his hands in long silence, as if the blood was still on them… Then, he lay back down on the bed and asked himself:
"Was he weak? Or have I become this strong? I don't know how I feel right now… I killed someone."
Suddenly, a sharp headache struck his head, and everything around him vanished, sinking him into a heavy black void.
In that darkness… he heard the entity laughing, then it appeared before him in a distorted form.
Joseph spoke sharply to it:
"What do you want now?"
The entity smiled with a cold grin:
"I didn't expect you to do it."
Joseph replied:
"What do you mean?"
The entity laughed mockingly:
"I didn't expect a coward like you… to kill one of your own kind!"
Joseph's eyes narrowed in anger:
"What are you trying to achieve?!"
Suddenly, the man Joseph killed appeared, standing beside the entity, holding a knife.
The entity spoke with wicked delight:
"Why don't you try the experiment again?"
The man rushed toward Joseph.
Joseph fiercely blocked him, threw him to the ground, and snatched the knife away, but another version attacked him from behind, slashing his shoulder.
He screamed in pain, then retaliated with a powerful strike against the second version, pushing it away.
But the first version got up and shoved him violently, while the entity watched, enjoying the scene as if it were a theater.
Joseph grabbed one of the versions and slammed it to the ground, hitting its face mercilessly.
Suddenly… he saw another version holding a phantom version of Mary, his sister, and placing the knife against her throat.
At that moment… Joseph's anger erupted.
His eyes glowed in the darkness, and he moved with lightning speed, ripping the version's head off without hesitation.
For a moment… his heart felt as though it had fallen into a deep pit.
There was not just blood… but betrayal echoing inside him:
"Am I this? Have I become a killing machine?"
But he didn't allow those questions to linger for more than a second… because his anger was faster than his thoughts.
The first version rose and attacked him, but Joseph didn't give it any chance… he killed it immediately.
Seeing their faces made the headache return, even more intense this time.
Joseph screamed:
"Why are you doing this?!"
The entity answered coldly:
"He tried to kill you… don't you want to kill him?"
Dozens of versions appeared all at once.
Joseph felt lost.
The entity spoke in a voice that seemed more like a whisper:
"At this moment… if you want to live, and see your sister… you must forget your feelings and kill them."
Joseph didn't understand the meaning of the words, but seeing his sister there… was enough.
The versions attacked him, and he fought them mercilessly. He was injured, bleeding, but he didn't stop.
His eyes were as if he saw nothing but the goal.
Until he finished with all of them…
Joseph stood among the corpses.
The blood flooded the ground, so much that he could almost hear the sound of his steps sinking into it.
His breath was shallow, as if the air itself was heavy and poisoned.
His body trembled, not from exhaustion, but from the weight of the truth he could not deny:
"I did it… I did this."
He froze in place, then the light in him faded… and he collapsed, unconscious.
…
He suddenly opened his eyes to a familiar sound…
Mary was trying to wake him up repeatedly, until he got up, gasping for air.
She said calmly:
"Aren't you going to the company today? Aren't you supposed to start work?"
After Mary left for school, Joseph stood by the apartment door for a moment, staring into the emptiness…
The remnants of the event he experienced in that darkness still haunted him, but now he had to act as if everything was normal.
He grabbed his jacket and left, heading towards the company building.
He reached the giant company door, pretending to be calm.
Then he walked straight to the receptionist and asked:
"Can I see Mr. Lee Soojin?"
The receptionist replied politely:
"Sorry, Deputy Manager Lee Soojin is currently busy… there's been a murder of a guard working at the company, and he's overseeing the investigation."
Joseph's features froze for a moment.
"Murder?"
Inside him, unanswered questions stirred…
Could it be that this guard was the one sent to kill me? Or is it just a coincidence?
He tried to keep his voice calm and asked:
"Can I know the name of the guard and his rank?"
The receptionist answered:
"His name is Johan Lee… and he held the rank of Pawn, first level."
Pawn, first level?!
Suddenly… Lee Soojin entered through the company gate, his eyes carrying a tired yet sharp expression.
He saw Joseph, then pointed to him:
"Come to my office, I need you."
Joseph walked with him without saying a word, feeling as though his steps were leading him toward something he couldn't clearly see.
They sat in the office, and Joseph began the conversation:
"I thought I was starting work today, but I haven't received any official message."
Lee Soojin smiled lightly:
"You seem eager… and that's good. But today I've been completely busy with the case of one of the guards being murdered."
Joseph felt something strange in his tone… it wasn't sad, but very cold.
He asked hesitantly:
"Have you found the killer?"
Lee Soojin replied in a calm tone:
"The investigations are still ongoing, don't worry about it… we'll handle it."
Then he added, flipping through some papers:
"Tomorrow we'll arrange for you to work with one of our teams."
Joseph asked:
"Can you send me the details of the team I'll be working with?"
Lee Soojin smiled lightly:
"I'll send it later, once I finish some urgent tasks."
Joseph stood up, excusing himself, and left the office… but he wasn't at ease.
As he walked through the quiet hallways of the company, thoughts flooded his mind:
"Was this guard the one sent to kill me?"
"Was my acceptance into the company really just a coincidence… or was it planned?"
He didn't have an answer, but a strange feeling began to creep into his heart…
As if something in this company was hiding more than it showed.
Joseph walked outside with quiet steps, but his mind was in inner turmoil…
Questions crowded his mind, and doubt began to grow like a dark root inside him.
As soon as Joseph disappeared down the hallway, Lee Soojin took out his mobile phone and pressed the call button.
"Ti Jun, can you hear me?"
The voice from the other end replied:
"Yes, what's the matter?"
Lee Soojin responded in a stern tone:
"Tomorrow, I'll assign a mission for Joseph with your team. Your team will take revenge for your lover, but you won't go with them. I need you for something else. Also, I'll be adding a beginner healer girl to their team… her name is Hana Yui. I want your team to take care of her as well."
Ti Jun was silent for a moment, then asked clearly:
"And why the girl? Does she have any significance in this?"
Suddenly, Lee Soojin's tone changed, becoming sharp and firm:
"That's none of your business. These are direct orders from the president."
Ti Jun fell silent for a moment, then responded briefly:
"Alright, I'll take care of it."
Lee Soojin ended the call, set the phone aside, and sat in his chair, staring at a picture on his desk…
An old, faded photo, showing only three children… and a mysterious smile curved on his lips.
Joseph returned to his apartment as evening fell. He opened the door quietly and entered, where his sister greeted him with a bright smile and said:
"Joseph, will you spend some time with me today? I've missed talking to you."
He paused for a moment, glanced at her lightly, then responded in a low voice:
"I'm a bit busy… maybe later."
Without waiting for her reply, he walked straight to his room and closed the door behind him. He threw himself on the bed and took out his phone. Something was gnawing at his curiosity and pressing on his nerves…
He opened the Korean Guard's website and began searching for the details of the murdered guard: Johan Lee.
After a few minutes of searching, the photo appeared…
His body froze.
"It's him… the same man who tried to kill me last night."
Joseph's eyes narrowed, and his pulse quickened.
Was that an assassination attempt?
Could it be that Lee Soojin sent him?
But no, I don't think so. If that were the case, Lee Soojin would have been unsettled when he spoke to me.
He closed his phone and took a deep breath, but his phone suddenly vibrated, announcing a new message. He opened it.
It was from the company management.
"Attached are the details of the team you'll be joining tomorrow, along with the location of the next mission."
He began reading the names… He paused at the first name, then the second… With each name, his eyes widened, and his chest tightened.
"They… they are…"
He slowly raised his head as if the truth had fallen on him like a rock.
"Is this just a coincidence, or is there something behind it?"
He gripped the phone tightly in his hand, and a dark, bitter, and angry expression spread across his face.
He slowly got up from the bed and walked toward the window, staring at the dark city that slept on its secrets.
Then he whispered in a low, deep voice, as if pain and anger were cutting through him:
"It seems… the time for revenge… has come."