The air inside the police station felt heavy and sterile, as if even breathing too loudly might attract trouble.
Behind the front desk, a senior officer held a phone to his ear, nodding stiffly.
"Yes, sir… I understand. We'll release them immediately."
He placed the receiver down with a sharp click and looked toward the group waiting in the lobby.
Seongjii. Araya. Rika. Zoe. Hyunwoo. Minho. Satoshi.
His eyes stopped on one of them.
"Which one of you is Rika?"
Rika stepped forward cautiously. "That's me."
The officer slid the phone across the desk.
"Your father wants to speak with you."
Rika picked up the receiver.
"Hello, Papa?"
Her voice softened instantly.
"Rika," Mr. Han's calm voice echoed through the line, though there was an unmistakable weight behind it. "What is this I'm hearing? Street fights during a tour?"
"But Papa, it wasn't our fault! They started it!"
A brief pause followed.
"It's fine. Just be careful. I've already spoken with the authorities. They will release you all immediately."
Rika exhaled in relief.
"Enjoy the rest of your trip. And if anything happens again… call me immediately."
"Yes, Papa. Thank you."
She hung up and turned toward the others with a relieved smile.
"We're free."
⸻
Outside the Station
The group stepped out into the cool night air, the neon lights of Shibuya reflecting across the wet pavement.
But Seongjii walked several steps behind them.
Quiet. Distracted.
Araya slowed her pace until she was beside him.
"Mortal," she asked softly, "is something wrong?"
Seongjii didn't answer immediately.
His eyes were distant.
"Something about that incident… felt wrong."
Araya tilted her head.
"What part? Hyunwoo's dramatic flying kick?"
Before Seongjii could respond, Rika jogged over.
"Alright everyone, we're officially free!"
Satoshi wiped his forehead dramatically.
"Man… I thought we were doomed."
"Thank Rika's dad," Minho said. "Without Mr. Han we'd still be inside."
Rika immediately turned toward Satoshi.
"Yes. Because thanks to this donkey, we almost got arrested!"
"Hey! It was an accident!" Satoshi protested. "My ice cream slipped!"
Hyunwoo rolled his eyes.
"You didn't just hit a random guy. Those were Yakuza members."
Araya blinked.
"Yakuza?"
Minho nodded grimly.
"The largest crime syndicate in Japan."
"People you never want to mess with."
Araya's eyes widened… before a mischievous grin appeared.
"Wait… you're telling me Seongjii and Hyunwoo beat up the Yakuza?"
Zoe laughed.
"Yeah. Honestly, if those two weren't there, we'd be finished."
Satoshi puffed his chest proudly.
"What do you mean? I was there too!"
Rika burst out laughing.
"You? Your face looked like you were about to cry!"
"WHAT?!" Satoshi shouted.
"I saw it!" Araya added. "You were definitely panicking."
The group exploded into laughter.
Rika wiped a tear from her eye before turning to Hyunwoo.
"Still… that flying kick earlier was insane."
Hyunwoo scratched the back of his neck.
"I've been training Taekwondo for eight months."
Minho nodded.
"Yeah, we already knew."
"But Seongjii's kick was even crazier," Hyunwoo added.
"That 540-degree kick was brutal."
They all turned.
"Right, Seongjii?"
But Seongjii wasn't listening.
He was staring at the ground.
Lost in thought.
Minho frowned.
"Hey… what's wrong?"
Seongjii slowly looked up.
His voice dropped into a quiet whisper.
"Did any of you notice the documents?"
The group fell silent.
"I managed to read a few lines before the Yakuza grabbed them back," Seongjii continued.
"And what I saw… chilled me to the bone."
"What was it?" Satoshi asked nervously.
Seongjii clenched his fists.
"That man isn't just running drugs."
A long pause followed.
"He's running a human trafficking empire."
The words landed like a bomb.
"Children… women… innocent people," Seongjii said quietly.
"Seventy-five percent of his entire fortune comes from that."
Rika covered her mouth.
"That's… horrifying."
"Is there no humanity left?" she whispered.
Araya looked uneasy.
"If they find out we know this…"
Seongjii shook his head.
"They won't. We don't have the documents."
Minho frowned.
"Then why didn't you tell the police?"
Seongjii sighed.
"I thought about that."
"But if the Yakuza suspected us… you'd all become targets."
"And I wasn't even sure if those documents were real."
Suddenly—
Rika's eyes narrowed.
She was staring at Satoshi.
He stood there with an awkward smile.
"Satoshi."
He jumped.
"Y-Yes?"
"You're hiding something."
"N-No I'm not!"
Everyone slowly surrounded him.
"Satoshi," Seongjii said coldly, "tell us the truth."
Satoshi trembled.
Then he cracked.
"O-Okay! Don't get mad!"
He pulled something from his pocket.
A folded paper.
"I… may have taken one page from their folder."
The group froze.
"You WHAT?!" Seongjii exploded.
"I wanted revenge!" Satoshi cried. "I thought it might be important!"
"You absolute idiot!" Seongjii shouted.
"You just painted targets on our backs!"
Satoshi's voice trembled.
"Are… are we in danger?"
"Yes," Rika said.
"Those monsters will come for us."
Hyunwoo stepped forward.
"Everyone calm down."
But even his voice carried tension.
"As soon as they realize a page is missing… they'll start looking for it."
"And when they do," Minho muttered, "they'll come straight for us."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Because deep down…
They all knew the same thing.
They had just stepped into the lion's den.
⸻
⸻
Airport Parking Lot — Later That Night
Cold wind swept across the empty parking lot.
A sleek black car stood beneath a dim streetlight, its shadow stretching across the pavement.
Alastor stood beside it, silent and motionless.
A Yakuza executive approached nervously and handed him a folder.
"Sir… the documents."
Alastor didn't even look at him.
"Manager."
Manager Kang stepped forward and opened the folder.
His eyes scanned through the pages one by one.
Then suddenly—
They narrowed.
"A page is missing."
Silence swallowed the parking lot.
The executive's face turned pale.
Alastor slowly stepped forward.
Then—
SLAP
The sound echoed through the empty lot like a gunshot.
The executive collapsed onto the pavement.
"You idiot," Alastor said quietly.
"Do you understand how important that page is?"
His voice dropped into a cold whisper.
"If that page reaches the public…"
"I will erase your entire Yakuza clan."
He gestured once.
Manager Kang calmly removed his blazer.
Loosened his tie.
Rolled up his sleeves.
The executive's bodyguards rushed him.
Three seconds later—
Both of them were lying unconscious on the ground.
Manager Kang pinned the executive down and grabbed his collar.
"What happened while you were retrieving the documents?" he growled.
"Speak."
The man broke instantly.
He told them everything.
The fight.
The teenagers.
The missing page.
Manager Kang slowly looked up.
"They have it."
Alastor stepped closer.
For the first time, the moonlight revealed his eyes.
Cold.
Dead.
Terrifying.
The executive accidentally glanced at his face.
Alastor leaned closer.
"Why are you looking at my face?"
His voice sounded almost amused.
Then it turned deadly.
"You have 24 hours."
"Bring me the missing page."
"Or you already know the consequences."
⸻
To Be Continued…
⸻