Cherry sat in the car, staring at the road ahead while her mind was elsewhere. The case was getting darker with every step, and yet there was something else nagging her. As they drove toward the location of Nako, the man Matsuha had mentioned, she broke the silence with an unexpected tone.
"Before we start the investigation... let's drink a smoothie," she said, almost as if she needed a break from the storm in her head.
Kail raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. They stopped at a small smoothie shop. The air smelled of fresh fruit, and for a brief moment, things felt almost normal. They sat across from each other, sipping their drinks quietly. But Cherry's thoughts wouldn't let her relax.
Suddenly, she asked, "Why did you call me your girlfriend in X-Bar?"
Kail froze mid-sip. "That's not what I meant, Cherry. I just..."
"Just what?" she pressed.
He struggled to answer, words slipping away. "I just... only... forget it."
Cherry leaned back with a faint smirk. "Let's go."
The moment passed, but it left an awkward silence between them as they got back on the road.
As they approached the outskirts where Nako's house was supposed to be, Cherry's eyes narrowed. She noticed a black car trailing them at a steady distance. Her instincts screamed danger.
"Kail, we're being followed," she said sharply.
He looked in the mirror and clenched his jaw. "What's the plan?"
Cherry's lips curved into a determined grin. "Watch."
She suddenly swerved, taking sharp turns to lose the tail. The car behind matched every move. Cherry then drove straight toward a hotel, pulling into the driveway. She got out quickly and told Kail, "Park the car in the supermarket opposite. Don't come unless I call you."
Kail tried to protest. "You're going in there alone?"
"Trust me," she said, walking toward the hotel without looking back.
Inside, she booked a room for one hour. Her heels clicked against the hallway floor as she entered the room, scanning it carefully. After a quick stop in the bathroom to wash her face, she stepped back into the room-and froze.
Four men stood there, dressed in black. Their movements were precise, their eyes cold. Assassins.
Cherry smirked, despite the danger. "Four men, to kill one woman? You should've brought more. Now... I'll show you my skills."
The first assassin lunged at her. Cherry moved like lightning, flipping and landing a brutal kick to his chest. The second came from the side with a blade, but she dodged, twisting his arm until it snapped. The room erupted into chaos as fists, blades, and furniture flew. She was holding her ground-until one of them managed to grab her from behind, locking her arms. Another rushed forward and stabbed her side with a knife. Pain shot through her body, blood soaking her clothes, but she didn't give up.
The door burst open. Kail stormed in like a raging storm, eyes blazing with fury. He grabbed the assassin holding Cherry and threw him straight out of the window. Glass shattered as the man plummeted into the street below.
The other three froze, terror in their eyes. They tried to run, but Kail blocked the door.
"You think you can run?" His voice was dark, cold.
They attacked together, but Kail was unstoppable. With bone-crushing strength, he broke one's arm, slammed another against the wall, and sent the last one crashing into the floor. Blood and chaos filled the room.
Cherry, weak from blood loss, whispered, "Kail... stop..."
He turned to her, his rage barely under control.
"You're not okay. We're leaving. Now."
The surviving assassins scrambled out while Kail carried Cherry to the car.
"Calm down," she murmured weakly, "I'm fine."
"You're not fine!" he shouted, his voice cracking with emotion.
He rushed her to the hospital. Doctors wheeled her into the emergency room, and the surgery lasted four endless hours. Finally, the doctor came out, removing his gloves.
"She's out of danger," he said.
But peace didn't last long. Police officers stormed in and arrested Kail for attempted murder. "You attacked civilians," they claimed, ignoring the truth.
Two days later, Cherry woke up in the hospital. "Where's Kail?" she asked.
The nurse hesitated. "The police have him in custody."
Cherry's eyes hardened. "Discharge me."
"You need more rest-two more days," the nurse protested.
"I said discharge me. I'm not lying here while he's locked up."
When she was finally discharged, she drove straight to the police station. Marching up to the inspector, she demanded answers. She told him everything-the assassins, the attack, the fight. The inspector only smiled with a cruel, mocking expression.
"We know everything," he said. "But if you continue this case, next time you die. Leave it. Someone far more powerful than you wants this buried. This time, we release your friend. But if you don't stop, next time, neither of you will walk away alive."
Outside the station, Kail was waiting, anger burning in his eyes.
"That bastard thinks he can scare us? Saying we should leave the case? I'm not scared of anyone, Cherry! No matter how powerful they are, I'm not leaving this case."
Cherry met his gaze and nodded. "Neither am I."
He hugged her tightly, whispering with trembling voice, "Thank God you're alive."
That night, Cherry worked late on her bed, files scattered everywhere. Her eyelids grew heavy, and sleep took her.
In her nightmare, a rope suddenly tightened around her neck, choking her. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Then a man walked into the room, holding Kail's severed head. Cherry's eyes widened in terror, and she screamed his name with all her strength-
-and woke up gasping for air, clutching her chest. Sweat drenched her face.
"It was just a nightmare," she whispered. "But this... this case is something else."
Moments later, Kail rushed into her room, breathless. "Cherry! What happened?"
She forced a weak smile. "Nothing... just a nightmare."
But deep inside, fear gripped her heart. For the first time, Cherry felt that the real danger had only just begun.
End of Chapter 3