Tyla quietly slipped back into the guest room where her mother was still asleep,
pausing for a moment at the door.
"Tyla… where did you go?"
her mother asked, her voice half-asleep.
"I… just went to get some water,"
Tyla whispered, trying to sound casual.
She sat on the edge of the bed,
taking a deep breath before beginning to recount what had happened.
"Mom… I saw ian in the kitchen.
He looked sad… not like his usual cold self.
I felt a strange fear,
but curiosity made me ask him what was wrong."
Her mother smiled faintly,
encouraging her to continue.
"I asked him… and he told me that the sasaengs are now following me too,
because they think I'm his girlfriend.
He said they were the ones behind the fire… and the car that followed us earlier.
He promised he would protect us,
and I asked him to promise me that he would protect himself too… and he did."
She hesitated slightly.
"He seemed… heavy.
Not just angry or cold. I've never seen him like that before."
Tyla lowered her voice.
"Mom… I feel like he might be hiding something.
Could sasaengs really do all that to a celebrity?"
Her mother looked at her seriously.
"Yes, my daughter… I'm a celebrity manager.
I know very well that sasaengs can be dangerous.
Maybe he's telling the truth… maybe he isn't lying."
Tyla nodded slowly,
partially convinced by her mother's words.
They lay back down under the blankets,
and soon the house fell silent as they drifted back to sleep.
The morning sunlight spilled softly into the room.
Tyla woke up first and peeked toward the kitchen.
To her surprise,
İan was already there,
cooking breakfast as if he hadn't slept at all.
"You didn't sleep?" her mother asked, surprised.
İan gave a small, slightly awkward smile.
"No… I didn't."
Her mother frowned slightly.
"How are we going to get back home?
And will you tell the police about everything that happened yesterday?"
İan hesitated for a brief moment before answering,
"Yeah… of course.
But for now, there's no need.
I'll handle it myself."
Tyla smiled and pointed to herself.
"Let me help you cook.
I love making breakfast."
The morning quickly turned playful and light.
Tyla was helping Ian prepare breakfast,
moving lightly as she reached for the flour bowl, not paying full attention.
Suddenly, the bowl tipped slightly,
and a white cloud of flour exploded into the air,
covering her face and clothes completely.
She froze in place,
completely stunned.
"Oh my God…" she muttered, bringing her hand up to wipe her face—only making it worse.
Her mother burst out laughing,
unable to hold it in.
Tyla's cheeks burned with embarrassment.
İan looked at her for a moment… then smiled. A real, soft smile.
Without saying anything,
he reached out and lightly dabbed a little more flour onto the tip of her nose.
Tyla frowned slightly.
"Hey—!"
But she couldn't hold it.
She started laughing too,
the embarrassment melting into warmth.
She shook herself gently,
brushing the flour off her clothes and hair,
still smiling.
For the first time… she didn't see ian as cold or distant.
He looked… gentle. Almost normal.
Even a little clumsy.
A while later,
they sat down together to eat breakfast, their laughter still lingering in the air.
Suddenly—
Tyla's phone buzzed.
She picked it up casually… but the moment she opened the message,
her smile disappeared.
A photo.
Her.
From last night.
Standing in the kitchen… talking to ian.
Her hands started shaking.
Then she read the message:
"I told you a long time ago to stay away from him."
Tyla froze.
Her mother leaned closer… and her expression changed instantly.
İan's face darkened, anger flashing in his eyes.
"How did they find this place?" he muttered.
Her mother looked at him seriously.
"Your secret location is no longer safe,
Without another word,
he stood up and immediately made several phone calls,
his tone sharp and cold as he ordered increased security around the mansion.
"When are we going back home?" her mother asked nervously.
"This place isn't safe anymore."
Tyla hesitated.
"I don't know, Mom… maybe we should stay here.
There's a lot of security…"ian stepped out into the garden,
the cool morning air brushing against his face.
The mansion behind him was quiet,
but his mind was anything but.
He pulled out his phone and dialed quickly.
"seo juon."
The line connected almost instantly.
"How did that bastard find my secret place?" ian said coldly,
his jaw tightening.
"Increase the security around the mansion.
I want more guards.
No mistakes."
There was a brief silence before Ian replied, his tone serious.
"You already know who you're
dealing with.
He's dangerous.
Of course he found you quickly."
İan s grip on the phone tightened.
"I don't care. Just fix it."
"We'll increase the guards," Ian continued.
"But you need to be ready too, ian."
A pause.
Then the call ended.
İan lowered the phone slowly, exhaling.
"…Of course," he muttered to himself.
His eyes darkened slightly as he
looked toward the mansion.
"I'll do everything I can… to keep Tyla out of this."
Inside the mansion, Tyla walked slowly through the quiet halls,
lost in her thoughts.
Her mind kept replaying the message… the photo… the words.
They're following me too…?
She wrapped her arms around herself slightly.
"What is this…?" she whispered.
"They're really following me now?"
Her steps slowed.
"What am I supposed to do…?"
She took a shaky breath.
"Mom's words made sense… maybe she's right. Maybe he's not lying."
She hesitated.
"Maybe… it really is just sasaengs.
Maybe there's nothing else… nothing dangerous… nothing hidden."
But something inside her didn't feel convinced.
Still lost in thought, she kept walking deeper into the mansion.
That's when she noticed it.
A strange black door.
She stopped.
Her eyebrows frowned slightly.
"What is this room…?" she murmured. "Is it… a guard room?"
Curiosity crept in.
She stepped closer and tried the
handle.
Locked.
Of course.
She glanced around, then spotted a thin metal decoration piece on a nearby table.
"Okay… maybe this will work…" she muttered.
Carefully, she inserted it into the lock, trying to move it the way she had seen in movies.
"Come on…"
A soft click.
Her eyes widened.
"It… worked?"
Slowly, she pushed the door open.
And froze.
The room was red.
Not just light—
but heavy, dark red… like something dangerous lived inside it.
Her breath caught.
Weapons.
So many weapons.
Guns.
Explosives.
Strange files scattered across a massive desk.
Photos pinned on the walls… faces she didn't recognize… locations marked… lines drawn between them.
Her hands began to shake.
"This… this isn't…"
Her voice faded.
Her heart started pounding violently in her chest.
This wasn't sasaengs.
This wasn't normal.
This was something else entirely.
Something dangerous.
Something… terrifying.
Tyla took a slow step back, her eyes
still locked on the room.
"…What is ian hiding?