Yuna:
The world felt distant.
Heavy.
Yuna's head hung slightly forward, her breathing slow and uneven. The ropes around her wrists had already bruised her skin, her body weak from fear, exhaustion, and the pain she had tried so hard to ignore.
For a moment—
There was nothing.
Just silence.
Then—
A blast.
A loud, violent explosion shook the ground.
The entire garage trembled.
Yuna's body jerked slightly, her eyes fluttering open in shock.
"What…?"
Her vision was blurry.
Her ears rang from the sudden sound.
Another echo followed—metal crashing, something collapsing outside.
Her heart started pounding again.
What was that…?
She tried to lift her head.
Slowly.
Weakly.
Through the broken gaps in the wall, she saw it—
A car outside.
Engulfed in flames.
Fire rising into the dark sky, smoke spreading thick into the air.
Her vision flickered.
Everything felt unreal.
And then—
Footsteps.
Not calm.
Not slow.
Heavy.
Fast.
Coming closer.
Yuna's breath caught.
Her eyes struggled to focus toward the entrance.
A shadow appeared first.
Then—
A figure walked through the fire-lit entrance.
Tall.
Dark.
Covered in the glow of flames behind him.
For a second—
Yuna thought she was imagining it.
"…Ethan…?"
Her voice came out as a whisper.
The figure stepped further into the light.
And her heart stopped.
It was him.
Ethan.
His expression was nothing like before.
Not calm.
Not controlled.
Something darker.
Colder.
His eyes scanned the room—
Until they found her.
Tied.
Hurt.
Crying.
Something inside him broke—
And hardened at the same time.
Yuna's lips trembled.
"You came…"
Her voice cracked.
Relief flooded her chest so suddenly it almost hurt.
Tears filled her eyes again.
But before she could say anything else—
Voices shouted from behind.
"Boss—!"
Adrian's men.
Armed.
Rushing toward Ethan.
"Kill him!"
The first shot rang out.
Gunfire echoed through the garage.
Yuna flinched, her heart racing violently.
"Ethan—!"
But he didn't hesitate.
Didn't step back.
Didn't even blink.
He moved.
Fast.
Precise.
Like a storm breaking loose.
The first man lunged forward—
Ethan disarmed him in seconds, the gun falling to the ground before the man even realized what happened.
Another came from the side—
A sharp movement—
A strike—
He dropped.
One by one—
They came.
And one by one—
They fell.
The sound of chaos filled the space—shouts, footsteps, metal hitting the floor.
But Ethan—
Was silent.
Deadly.
Focused.
Yuna watched through blurred vision, her heart pounding.
He didn't look like the man she knew.
He looked like—
War.
Within moments—
Six.
Seven men.
All down.
The garage fell silent again.
Only the faint crackling of fire outside remained.
Yuna's breathing was uneven.
Her eyes locked onto him.
"…Ethan…"
He turned toward her.
And for a brief second—
Something softened in his expression.
But it disappeared just as quickly.
Because—
Another voice echoed.
"Well… that was impressive."
Yuna's heart dropped.
Adrian.
He stepped out from the shadows, clapping slowly.
"I knew you'd come."
Ethan's eyes turned cold again.
"Let her go."
His voice was low.
Dangerous.
Adrian smiled.
"You really do care about her."
Ethan didn't respond.
"Interesting," Adrian continued. "I always wondered if someone like you could actually feel something."
Yuna shook her head weakly.
"Ethan… don't…"
But Ethan didn't take his eyes off Adrian.
"I said—let her go."
The air grew tense.
Heavy.
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
"And if I don't?"
A pause.
Then—
Ethan took a step forward.
"You die."
Simple.
Clear.
Absolute.
Adrian laughed softly.
"You came alone… just like I asked."
Yuna's eyes widened.
"No…"
But Ethan didn't confirm or deny it.
He just stood there.
Calm.
Still.
Deadly.
Adrian's smile faded slightly.
Because something felt… off.
Too calm.
Too controlled.
But before he could react—
Yuna's voice broke through.
"Ethan… please…"
Her eyes filled with tears again.
"Don't do this…"
He finally looked at her again.
And for that one second—
She saw it.
Not just anger.
Not just control.
Something deeper.
Something real.
"I'm taking you home," he said quietly.
Her breath hitched.
Then—
Ethan's gaze snapped back to Adrian.
Final.
Cold.
"Last chance."
The fire outside crackled louder.
Smoke filled the air.
Silence stretched—
Thin.
Sharp.
Like something was about to break.
And in that moment—
Yuna realized—
This wasn't just a rescue.
This was the beginning of something much more dangerous.