Chapter 39: The First Crack
Some moments don't break you.
They warn you.
Softly.
Quietly.
Until you realize—
they weren't warnings.
They were the beginning.
[Morning – Hospital | Anxin POV]
Hospitals don't wait for emotions.
They don't pause for thoughts.
They don't care who you were last night—
or who you woke up next to.
They demand precision.
Control.
Distance.
And Anxin stepped into that world again—
like she always did.
Calm.
Collected.
But not untouched.
Because something had changed.
Not visibly.
But internally.
"Doctor Anxin, Room 18 needs review," a nurse said.
She nodded.
"On my way."
Her steps were steady.
Measured.
But as she entered the room—
she paused for half a second.
The patient wasn't critical.
But the attendant beside the bed—
was watching her.
Too carefully.
Not worried.
Not emotional.
Observing.
That was the difference.
"...you're the doctor?" he asked.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Yes."
She moved closer to the patient anyway.
Professional.
Focused.
But aware.
"...you're new here," he added.
"...temporary."
"Be aware"
"what"
"nothing"
"Be in control I don't like unnecessary things "
She didn't look at him.
Didn't engage further.
But something about him—
stayed.
[Parallel – Hedi's Office | Same Time]
The boardroom was silent.
Too silent.
Because everyone already knew—
today wasn't a normal meeting.
Hedi stood at the head of the table.
Not speaking.
Just... listening.
"...the shipment delay was external," one executive explained.
"...we've handled the situation—"
"Handled?"
That one word—
cut clean through the room.
No raised voice.
No visible anger.
But enough to stop everything.
"...define handled," Hedi said calmly.
The man hesitated.
"...loss minimized—"
"Not prevented."
Silence.
Hedi leaned back slightly.
Eyes colder now.
"...you're reacting."
A pause.
"...I expect anticipation."
No one spoke after that.
Because this—
was the version of him they feared.
Not loud.
But absolute.
[Internal Shift – Hedi POV]
But even in that room—
even in control—
his mind wasn't fully there.
It kept returning—
to something undefined.
A pattern.
The car.
The message.
The feeling.
Unfinished.
"...end the meeting," he said suddenly.
Confusion flickered.
"...sir?"
"...I said end it."
And just like that—
it was over.
That's what Wang Hedi is when it comes to Monami
[Back to Hospital –]
Anxin stepped out of the room.
But the feeling didn't leave.
She turned slightly—
glancing back.
The man was still there.
Still watching.
Not hiding it.
That—
was deliberate.
"Doctor."
She turned.
A different nurse.
"...someone asked for you at reception."
Pause.
"...who?"
"...didn't say."
That was unusual.
Patients didn't request doctors like that—
without reason.
But she walked anyway.
Calm.
Unaware—
she was being watched again.
[C – Unknown Observer POV]
From a distance—
someone noted everything.
Her movements.
Her pauses.
Her reactions.
"...she noticed," a voice said quietly.
"...good."
[Reception – First Direct Contact]
She reached the reception.
Empty.
Too empty.
Then—
a voice.
"...Doctor Anxin."
She turned.
A man stepped forward.
Well-dressed.
Composed.
Not hospital staff.
"...yes?"
He smiled slightly.
"...you don't know me."
"...then this conversation is unnecessary."
Direct.
Clean.
He seemed... amused.
"...you're different from what I expected."
"...and you're wasting my time."
She turned to leave.
But he spoke again.
"...you should be careful."
That made her stop.
Not out of fear.
But because of the tone.
"...of what?" she asked.
A pause.
"...of being important to the wrong person."
Silence.
That landed.
But she didn't show it.
"...I don't entertain vague warnings," she said.
"And I don't care about your opinion "
"And if u don't know let me tell u, that person can burn the world if I am even a bit harmed so think carefully'
this line made the man's face fall it turned pale
And walked away.
But this time—
her steps weren't as unaffected.
[Hedi – Movement Begins]
Meanwhile—
Hedi was already in the car.
Not going home.
Not going to another meeting.
Going to the hospital.
No reason given.
Just instinct.
[Hospital Corridor – Convergence]
Anxin turned into the corridor again—
trying to push the interaction aside.
Focus.
Work.
That's what she did.
But when she turned the corner—
she stopped.
Because he was there.
Wang Hedi.
Standing in the middle of the corridor.
Not supposed to be there.
Not scheduled.
Just... there.
"...you're early," she said.
"...I wasn't supposed to come."
"...then why did you?"
A pause.
"...I wanted to see you."
Simple.
Too simple.
She studied him for a second.
"...that's not the full reason."
"...no."
He stepped closer.
"...something feels off."
That made her still.
Because—
she felt it too.
But didn't say it.
Instead—
she did something different.
She reached for his tie.
Adjusted it slightly.
"...you walked into a hospital looking like a threat," she murmured.
"...I usually am."
"...not here."
A pause.
"...not with me Didi."
That line—
soft.
But it shifted something in him.
Instead of pulling her close—
he did something else.
He lowered his head slightly—
resting his forehead briefly against hers.
Not a kiss.
Not a claim.
Just contact.
Stillness.
"...did something happen?" he asked quietly.
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then—
"..How do u always know..still.someone said something strange."
His expression didn't change.
But his eyes did.
"...what."
"...nothing clear."
"...tell me."
"...later."
That was enough to trigger him.
Outside—
a call came through.
Hedi stepped aside to take it.
"...sir."
"...what."
"...we traced the pattern."
Pause.
"...it's linked to an old network."
Silence.
"...name?"
A beat.
"...Seo Hong."
Everything stopped.
Not visibly.
But internally—
completely.
[Hedi Past Hint – First Crack]
His grip tightened slightly on the phone.
"...impossible," he said quietly.
"...we thought so too."
A pause.
"...he disappeared years ago."
That name—
wasn't new.
It was buried.
Locked.
And now—
back.
[Back to Her – Emotional Pull]
When he returned—
she noticed immediately.
"...what happened?"
"...nothing."
"...lie."
A pause.
Then—
he looked at her.
Not cold.
Not distant.
But intense.
"...stay close."
That wasn't casual.
That wasn't routine.
That was need.
She didn't tease.
Didn't argue.
Just nodded.
"...okay."
[Final Scene – Villain Confirmation]
Elsewhere—
Hong watched a screen.
Hospital footage.
Them.
Standing close.
Too close.
"...so this is what changed you," he murmured.
A faint smile.
Not amused.
Interested.
"...good."
Pause.
"...now I know where to look."