Place: Capital International Airport, Beijing
Time: Evening
"Didn't you guys take way too much time back there just eating and drinking?" Siwon asks, her voice calm but demanding as she sits back comfortably in the car seat.
Mr. Nam smiles apologetically from the front, clearing his throat. "Well, Ma'am... the journey is quite long, so the team manages to get a little rest at the hotel. That is why it takes some time."
Siwon looks out the window, her expression softening just a fraction. "True, the travel has been incredibly long." She turns her sharp gaze back to him. "That's why, Mr. Nam, tell the guards in the back that they are to head straight back to Italy now. They should take a direct flight from the airport. There is really no need to drag the entire team along with me. Tell Richard to handle their travel arrangements properly and give them all a well-deserved vacation. They are away from their families for far too long. Let them rest."
Mr. Nam's eyes widen in sudden realization as he turns around, a look of sheer confusion crossing his face. "Uhh... what, Ma'am? But the boss explicitly states that this entire team is assigned for your absolute protection. And now you are dismissing them?"
"Yes, I know what the boss says," Siwon replies smoothly, her voice completely unbothered. "But we are heading to South Korea. I don't have any threats waiting for me there. Koreans generally mind their own business, and their involvement with people from other countries is quite limited anyway. There is no reason to parade a massive security detail in Seoul."
Mr. Nam pauses, a flicker of deep hesitation and subtle anxiety passing through his eyes. He knows the underlying dangers of their world, but before he can voice his concerns, Siwon glances directly at his seat.
"And really, Mr. Nam... who can possibly understand that better than you? Am I correct?" she asks, her tone laced with a knowing, sharp intelligence.
A wave of tense understanding washes over the secretary. He swallows hard and bows his head. "Yes, Ma'am. Understood," he replies, nodding in deep respect but keeping his lingering tension well hidden as the black Mercedes-Maybach finally pulls up.
Because that obnoxious passenger is a highly influential businessman within his own country, his political connections work fast. He manages to get a formal warrant issued in record time, meaning the police do not even wait for Siwon to reach the private terminal. Instead, they intercept her team the exact moment they step into the airport's main entrance hall.
But she doesn't even make it past the main entrance gates.
Stomp! stomp! stomp!
The heavy, synchronized rhythm of combat boots clicking against concrete echoes through the busy terminal entry. Before Siwon's personal security detail can even form a protective wall, a squad of armed airport police officers swarms the area, effectively blocking every single exit.
Knowing the strict security protocols of a government airport, Siwon's bodyguards do not reach for any weapons. Instead, they instantly shift into high-alert tactical formations, putting their physical bodies between the cops and the Valkyrie chairwoman. They raise their hands, flashing sharp defensive hand signals to keep the advancing officers back at a safe distance.
The lead police officer steps forward to speak to Siwon, but before he can utter a single word, Siwon calmly raises her palm toward her own men, signaling her bodyguards to stand down and halt.
"Give me two minutes," Siwon says, her voice dropping to a cool, flat tone that leaves absolutely no room for argument.
She turns her back to the police detail and faces her security team. "Your flights are scheduled around this time, aren't they?"
Richard, the head bodyguard, steps half a step forward and nods respectfully. "Yes, Chairwoman. The timing is up. They just need to head inside for check-in."
"Then leave. All of you, go now," Siwon orders smoothly.
One of the bodyguards from the team hesitates, a look of deep concern crossing his face. "But Ma'am... the Boss specifically prepares us to stay by your side and protect you for the upcoming operations in Korea—"
"This is my order," Siwon interrupts, her voice cutting through his words like a sharp blade. "I will handle the boss myself. You all need to leave right now."
Recognizing the absolute authority in her voice, the security team bows deeply and begins to file out toward the international terminal, leaving only Richard behind, who stands firmly by her side, ready to accompany her to Korea.
The lead police officer watches the team depart, clearing his throat as he steps closer. He holds up a digital tablet displaying an official warrant, his expression rigid and professional.
"Now that you are finished, Ma'am, I have an official matter to inform you about," the officer announces, his voice booming across the entrance. "We are looking for you. A formal criminal complaint was filed against you just an hour ago. The allegation states that you severely harass and physically threaten an airline passenger during your inbound flight to Beijing."
A tense, suffocating silence falls over the terminal.
Behind her dark glasses, Siwon's eyes narrow into twin slivers of ice. She doesn't flinch. She doesn't look panicked. In fact, a cold, dangerously sharp smile threatens to play on the edge of her lips.
So, that pathetic trash from the flight actually has the guts to play the victim card, she thinks, her mind instantly connecting the dots.
"Harassment?" her secretary stammers out from behind her, his face turning pale as he steps forward. "Do you even know who this is? This is utterly ridiculous! The passenger on that flight is the one who—"
"Quiet," Siwon cuts him off smoothly, her icy tone instantly freezing the secretary in his place.
She takes a slow, deliberate step toward the lead officer, the sheer aura of her power forcing the front line of cops to subtly adjust their stance. She reaches up and slowly slides her sunglasses down her nose, locking her sharp, piercing eyes directly onto the officer's gaze.
"A complaint?" she repeats, her voice deadpan, deadly, and entirely unbothered. "Tell me, Officer... who exactly is brave enough to file a complaint against me?"
Before the officer can answer, a loud, whiny voice echoes from behind the police line.
"Yes! That's her! She's the one!"
Pushing through the crowd comes the obnoxious man from the flight. He looks completely pathetic, his right arm bound tightly in a thick, white medical plaster cast and held up by a sling. He points his left hand dramatically at Siwon, his face twisted in a mixture of anger and smug triumph.
"This woman ruthlessly harasses me on the plane and literally breaks my arm! Look what you do to me, you monster!" he shrieks, gesturing wildly toward his plastered arm so the officers can see. "Arrest her right now!"
Siwon, however, remains completely unbothered. She doesn't blink, her posture remaining as elegant and rigid as a statue. Maintaining absolute, terrifying serenity, she tilts her head slightly.
"An interesting story," Siwon says, her voice smooth and chillingly calm. "But what proof do you have that I am the one who does this?"
Enraged by her cold indifference, the man loses his temper completely. He takes a predatory step forward, lunging right into Siwon's personal space. He thrusts a trembling, threatening finger directly into her face, mere inches from her nose.
"Proof?! My broken arm is the proof!" he roars, spit flying from his mouth. "I don't care who you think you are; I never spare you! You are going to rot in a cell!"
Siwon doesn't flinch. Instead, a razor-sharp, clever smile plays on her lips. With lightning-fast, effortless grace, she reaches up, catches his pointing finger between her two fingers, and firmly twists it back toward the opposite side of the terminal.
"You shouldn't point fingers," Siwon murmurs softly. "Look over there instead."
"Argh!" the man winces from the slight twist, but his eyes, along with the eyes of every police officer in the room, instinctively follow the direction of his own twisted finger.
Walking through the sliding glass doors of the terminal is the police chief commissioner himself. Walking right beside him, looking completely safe and composed, is the young flight attendant whom the man terrorizes on the plane.
The lead officer's jaw drops, and the entire squad instantly stands at absolute attention, saluting sharply.
The Chief Commissioner doesn't even look at Siwon. He keeps his eyes locked dead on the arrogant passenger. He steps forward, his uniform gleaming under the terminal lights, and nods to his men.
"Mister," the Commissioner announces in a booming, authoritative voice, "you are under arrest for the assault and harassment of an airline flight attendant, as well as physically striking a crew member in mid-air."
The man's smug smile instantly shatters. His face drains of all color, turning as white as his plaster cast. "What?! What are you talking about?! This is a mistake! Where is the proof? She is the one who attacks me! You can't do this without proof!"
The Commissioner lets out a cold, unimpressed grunt, stepping aside to let the trembling but relieved flight attendant pass.
"Mister, you seem to forget something crucial," the Commissioner replies, a mocking edge to his voice. "The passenger galley inside that commercial aircraft contains high-definition CCTV security cameras. We already have the footage of you slapping this young lady. So please... come with us quietly."
The man stands frozen, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, as the very police officers he calls to arrest Siwon step forward and slap iron handcuffs onto his one good wrist.
"Wait! She assaults me too!" the man shrieks, his voice cracking in sheer desperation. "Check the CCTV footage! Check it right now!"
The Police Commissioner steps forward, a cold, mocking smile playing on his lips. "I personally review all the footage from the flight, sir. But perhaps you forget that cameras are never installed inside the restrooms. There is absolutely no record of her touching you."
Infuriated, the man aggressively tries to push back against the officers holding him, but his frantic struggle fails instantly. They grip his shoulders harder, pinning him in place.
"Then what about my case?!" the man roars, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "Are you just going to let her go?!"
The Commissioner looks at him with utter disdain. "Oh, we will definitely find the culprit who breaks your hand, sir. But first, you need to serve your own sentence for what you do on that plane."
Turning away from the screaming man, the Police Commissioner faces Siwon. The stern, authoritative look on his face instantly melts into a deeply respectful, subtle bow. He keeps his voice low, ensuring no nearby regular passengers can overhear their conversation.
"We apologize for the brief delay, Chairwoman Park. The airline management already flags his passport, and he will face full legal charges for his actions on board."
Siwon calmly adjusts the lapels of her dark trench coat, her clever, unbothered smile remaining entirely intact. "Thank you, Commissioner. You handle this efficiently."
"It is my duty, Ma'am. Have a safe flight to Seoul," the Commissioner replies, bowing once more before leading his remaining officers away to process the arrest.
The secretary lets out a massive sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He looks at Siwon with absolute awe, an involuntary smile tugging at his lips as he admires her sheer efficiency.
Noticing his gaze, Siwon doesn't even turn her head. "Stop looking at me like that, Mr. Nam," she says flatly. "This is not some grand achievement. It is merely a waste of time that has to be dealt with."
"In our world, you never wait for an enemy to make the first move," Siwon adds coldly, sliding her dark sunglasses back up the bridge of her nose. Her vulnerable, soft demeanor from the temple is entirely gone; she is back to being the untouchable Valkyrie.
Secretary Nam's smile softens. Even though he is just her subordinate in the corporate world, he always loves and protects her like his own daughter. Seeing her handle things with such strength makes his heart swell with pride, but he quickly puts his professional mask back on.
"Understood, Ma'am," he replies softly.