2:00 PM. St. Luke's Medical Center. Taguig.
Jae-min parked the GT-R in the basement. Killed the engine.
The hospital smell hit him the second he stepped out. Antiseptic. Floor cleaner. The faint metallic tang of blood.
He found her in the emergency department. Clipboard in hand. Stethoscope around her neck. Indigo hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Blue eyes focused on a chart.
"Dr. Santos."
Alessia looked up. "Jae-min. What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk."
"I'm working."
"This can't wait."
"Fine. Five minutes. Break room."
She led him down a side corridor. Closed the door. Small room. Fridge. Microwave. Empty.
"Talk."
Jae-min reached into his jacket. Pulled out a printout. Handed it to her.
"Interesting visit, Mr. Del Rosario. The doctor is quite beautiful. It would be a shame if something happened to her. - N"
Alessia read it. Her face went still.
"Someone is threatening me."
"Yes."
"Who?"
"I don't know their real name. I call them Naraka. They're an organization. Intelligence. Black ops. They've been watching me since I woke up."
Alessia looked up. "Why?"
"Because of the money. The loans. The bunker construction. They think I'm building something dangerous. And now they know I came to see you last night."
Alessia set the paper down. Her hands were steady. Doctor's hands.
"What do they want?"
"To watch. To decide if I'm a threat."
"And if they decide I am?"
"Then they'll hurt you to get to me."
Alessia leaned against the counter. Blue eyes unreadable.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Move into Unit 1418. Today."
Alessia's eyebrow raised. "Move in with you."
"Move into the bunker. Reinforced walls. Steel door. Independent power. It's the only place in this city that's truly secure."
"Jae-min, I have a job. Patients—"
"Your patients will be dead in three weeks."
The words hung in the air. Cruel. Cold.
"That's a horrible thing to say."
"It's the truth. You know it is."
Alessia stared at him. Long. Hard.
"What if I say no?"
"Then I'll guard you myself. Twenty-four seven."
"You'd sit outside my door like a guard dog?"
"If that's what it takes."
Alessia looked away. Out the small window. The afternoon sun. Normal life.
"I've been thinking," she said quietly. "Since last night. About what you told me. The apocalypse. The way I died."
Jae-min waited.
"I've been a doctor for ten years. I've seen people die. But the way you described it... it wasn't clinical. It was personal. You were there."
"I was."
"And now you're here. Begging me to move into your bunker. Not because you love me. But because you're terrified of losing me again."
"Both."
Alessia turned back to him. The fake clinical mask was gone. Just a woman looking at a broken man.
"Okay."
Jae-min blinked. "What?"
"I said okay. I'll move in."
"You will?"
"On one condition."
"Anything."
Alessia walked toward him. Stopped inches away. Looked up at him. Blue eyes close. Too close.
"When this is over. When we survive. You take me on a real date. Not an apocalypse confession at midnight."
Jae-min stared at her.
"Deal."
"Good." Alessia stepped back. Professional mask returning. "I'll pack a bag. Tell my supervisor I'm taking a leave of absence. Family emergency."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." Alessia picked up the printout. Folded it. Slipped it into her pocket. "I still think you might be crazy."
"Maybe I am."
"But you're not a liar." She paused at the door. "I'll see you tonight."
She left.
Jae-min stood in the empty break room.
Alive.
He pulled out his phone. Typed a message to Ji-Yoo.
"She's in. Be ready tonight. We're moving her things after dark."
The reply came instantly.
"Got it. I'll clear the second guest room."
Jae-min put the phone away. Walked out of the break room. Down the corridor. Past the nurses' station.
He pushed through the exit doors. The afternoon heat hit him like a wall.
He stopped.
Across the parking lot. Under a tree. A man in a gray jacket sat on a bench. Newspaper in hand.
Smiling.
Jae-min met his eyes. Didn't flinch.
The man lowered the newspaper. Tilted his head.
Then he raised one finger. Slowly. Deliberately.
One day.
Jae-min turned. Walked to the GT-R. Got in. Started the engine.
As he pulled out of the parking lot, his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror.
The man was still watching.
But he wasn't smiling anymore.