(Please read vol 0 first if you haven't read it.)
## Eighteen Years Later
Car horns blared from every direction, sharp and impatient, echoing between concrete buildings like trapped anger. Engines roared. Tires screeched. Voices overlapped—drivers shouting into open windows, pedestrians cursing under their breath as they wove between stalled cars.
Selena exhaled slowly, fingers tightening around the steering wheel.
"Oh my gosh—why is there so much traffic?" she muttered, tapping the dashboard. "Ugh."
The city moved like a wounded animal—slow, irritated, refusing to cooperate. Red lights stretched endlessly ahead of her, mocking her sense of urgency. She checked the time again. Late. Of course she was late.
Thirty minutes later—thirty long, suffocating minutes—the jam finally loosened. Cars crawled forward. Selena slipped through an opening, turned off the main road, and pulled over near a quiet curb.
She rested her forehead briefly against the wheel.
"Oh my…" she breathed. "I'm exhausted."
Her reflection stared back at her from the windshield. Calm eyes. Controlled expression. No cracks visible. That was the face the world knew.
A voice cut through the moment.
"Miss Selena."
Her hand moved instinctively toward the side mirror before she turned.
A woman stood a few steps away, posture straight, presence unmistakable. She wore a tailored coat, dark and elegant, and her expression was composed—too composed for a stranger approaching alone.
Selena stepped out of the car, shutting the door behind her.
"Oh—hello, ma'am," she said politely, schooling her tone. "You must be the new CEO, right?"
The woman smiled faintly. "Yes. I'm Ruby."
The name settled uncomfortably in Selena's chest, though she didn't know why.
"Oh—so how can I help you?" Selena asked.
Ruby didn't answer immediately. Her eyes scanned the street, the passing people, the city that pretended nothing was wrong.
Well…" she began carefully. "There have been several murders lately. Kidnappings too. We assigned only one skilled detective to the case, but…"
Her voice trailed off.
Selena tilted her head slightly. "Let me guess," she said dryly. "He died?"
Ruby nodded once. Slow. Heavy. "Yes."
Silence stretched between them.
"And I want to give you this case," Ruby continued. "I'll promote you to a higher rank as well. Please… help us. Just this once, Detective Nam."
Nam.
The word landed like a distant echo.
That was the name the world knew now.
Detective Nam Selena.
After Christmas Eve in Russia, Selena had vanished. Borders crossed in silence. Records erased with precision. A past buried so deeply even she sometimes pretended it belonged to someone else.
Russia. Blood. Snow.
She pushed the memories down.
"I hate this," she murmured, barely audible.
Then she straightened and looked Ruby in the eye.
"Fine," she said. "Give me the details. But this will be the last serial killer case I take."
Relief washed over Ruby's face. She bowed deeply. "I'm so grateful to you, Detective Nam!"
"M-ma'am—please don't bow!" Selena said quickly, stepping back, embarrassed. "That's not necessary."
Ruby smiled. "You'll understand soon."
That answer unsettled her more than any threat.
Later that day, Selena found herself inside Ruby's office.
It was spacious, minimalist, with large windows overlooking the city. Everything about the room was neat—too neat. Like someone who hated chaos had designed it.
Ruby laid several thick files across the table.
"November twenty-eighth," she began.
Selena's gaze sharpened.
"Moscow, Russia. 18:39:01 PM. Soldier Myung-Dae—murdered."
Selena didn't react. Her face remained unreadable.
"Saint Petersburg, Russia. 19:20:01 PM. Detective Kwang—murdered."
Her jaw tightened, just a fraction.
"Oslo, Norway. 23:05:50 PM. Officer Ethan—murdered."
That name struck harder than the rest.
Selena's fingers curled slightly at her side.
Ruby continued, unaware—or pretending to be.
"November twenty-ninth.
Tokyo, Japan. 06:30:00 AM. Spy Helena—murdered.
Shibuya, Japan. 10:40:59 AM. Journalist Lia—murdered."
Ruby closed the file slowly.
"All of them fought against organized crime," she said quietly. "Every death was identical. Bodies split in half. Heads severed and taken. No fingerprints. No traces. They vanish like ghosts."
Selena scoffed internally.
Then how did you get all this information?
Outwardly, her voice was calm. "Ma'am," she said flatly, "how did you gather this much detail?"
Ruby nodded once. "Soldier Myung-Dae and Spy Helena had hidden cameras in their glasses. Their footage confirmed the same killer."
Selena's eyes darkened.
"May I see the video?" she asked.
Ruby hesitated only a second before handing her a tablet.
Selena took it.
The moment the screen lit up—
She froze.
The footage was shaky. Night-vision tinted everything green. Heavy breathing filled the audio. A shadow moved too fast to track. A gloved hand. A flash of steel.
And then—
A symbol.
Brief. Almost missed.
But Selena saw it.
Her heart skipped.
The room felt suddenly too small.
Her breath caught in her throat, but she forced herself to remain still. No reaction. No weakness.
Ruby watched her closely. "Do you recognize it?"
Selena slowly lowered the tablet.
"No," she lied.
But something deep inside her stirred—old, violent, unfinished.