Scene 1. [Test]
The first day passed.
Lee Kang hung there.
Eyes closed. Breath steady. The iron chain around his wrists sagged heavily. Blood had stopped flowing. It had dried. Scabs had formed. Flesh was knitting back together.
The drug.
The yellow liquid. The fire that had driven his heart into madness. It was still in his blood. Still working. Mending bone. Filling flesh. Rejoining vessels.
He could feel it.
The sensation of flesh rising beneath the skin. Itching, crawling, wrong. Like insects moving inside the muscle. Like thousands of ants drilling between fibers. He wanted to scratch. Wanted to tear. He held still.
Three days.
He repeated that number.
Three days is all I have to survive.
Hinges groaned.
The door opened.
Footsteps entered.
Not military boots. Straw sandals. A dragging shuffle. A lazy walk. Metal clanking behind it. A tin tray. Bowls knocking together.
A guard.
Lee Kang did not open his eyes.
The footsteps drew closer. Stopped. In front of Lee Kang.
"Hey."
Korean. A rough, low voice. Middle-aged.
"Food."
He didn't answer.
A toe nudged his shin. Lightly. Testing.
"You dead?"
Lee Kang's ear shifted.
Eyes still closed. But listening. The guard's breathing. The guard's heartbeat. The distance from foot to floor. The position of the hands holding the tray. The weight of the keys at the hip. He was taking in everything.
Calculating.
The guard stepped closer.
A hand reached out. Reaching for Lee Kang's jaw.
Before it landed.
Lee Kang's eyes opened.
Amber light detonated.
The left arm moved.
The arm that had been necrotic. The arm that had stiffened and fused to bone. It pulled the chain taut and swung. The chain end wrapped around the guard's throat. One loop. Two. He put force into the arm. Pulled.
The guard lurched forward.
The tray hit the floor. The bowl shattered. A scream tried to come out. It didn't. The throat was closed. Choked by the chain. By the arm everyone thought was dead.
"Kr — ugh——"
The guard's hands clawed at the chain. Fingernails scraping iron. Feet kicking at nothing.
Lee Kang did not release.
The face came closer. The guard's face. Eyes bulging. Veins burst. Foam running from the mouth. Tongue pushing through.
Lee Kang opened his mouth.
"Keys."
Low.
"Where are they."
A growl.
The guard's shaking hand pointed to his hip.
Lee Kang's foot moved. His toe searched the guard's hip. Found cold metal. He pinched it between his toes. Pulled. A ring of keys clattered to the floor.
"Good."
He tightened the chain.
The guard's eyes rolled back.
"One more thing."
"Yeo — Yeo——"
Saliva and foam spilled from the guard's mouth. No words. The airway was sealed.
Lee Kang eased the chain a fraction.
One thread of air went in.
"Yeon-hwa."
Lee Kang said.
"The woman in the annex. Where did they move her."
The guard coughed. Bloody spittle sprayed.
"Didn't — didn't move her——"
Gasping.
"Still — still in the annex——"
"Guards."
"F — four——"
"The Count."
"F — four days, the wedding——"
Lee Kang's eyes narrowed.
Four days.
Not ten.
It had been moved up.
The chain went taut.
Bone ground in the guard's throat. The airway sealed. Breathing stopped. Hands went slack. Feet went still. The body went limp.
Lee Kang did not release the chain.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Confirmed.
He released.
The body dropped to the floor. Thud. Flat and heavy. It did not move. It did not breathe.
Lee Kang looked down at it.
No expression.
His toe dragged the key ring toward him. He brought it up to his knee. Twisted at the waist. The shoulder protested. He didn't care. It reached his hand. His fingers closed around the keys.
He fitted a key into the wrist chain.
Turned it.
CLICK.
It opened.
One hand free.
Then the other.
Both arms came down.
The shoulders rang. Joints grinding. Blood moving again. Pins and needles. Pain. He didn't care.
Lee Kang set his feet on the floor.
He stood.
He raised the left arm.
Squeezed. Opened. Squeezed. Opened. Muscle moved. Bone moved. The arm that had been necrotic. The arm that had been dead. It was alive. It moved. Force ran through it.
Good.
The corner of his mouth rose.
Four days.
Down from ten to four.
He couldn't wait three days.
Tonight.
Amber light burned in Lee Kang's eyes.
He looked down at the guard's body.
He needed clothes.
Scene 2. [Signal]
The guard's clothes smelled of blood.
Sweat too. Alcohol. The stale sourness of something that hadn't been washed in a long time. Lee Kang didn't care. He stripped them off. Put them on. The straw sandals too. He clipped the key ring to his hip.
No mirror.
Didn't matter. He didn't want to see anyway. What his face looked like right now.
He dragged the body.
To the corner. To the darkest part of the dark. He propped it against the wall. The head tipped forward and dropped. It didn't look like sleep. The chain marks on the throat were a livid blue-black. Still — it would buy time. Anyone just opening the door and glancing in wouldn't catch it.
How long it would hold, he didn't know.
An hour. Two. Half a day.
Enough.
It had to be.
He went to the wall.
The spot near the floor. The place where a brick had come loose. He knelt. His fingers traced the gap between bricks. Cold. Damp. Covered in moss.
He knocked.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
He waited.
Silence.
A silence that stretched.
Lee Kang's fingers rested on the brick. He held his breath. Ears open. His own heartbeat was audible. Steady — not fast, not slow. A predator's heart. A beast's heart before the hunt.
Scratch.
A sound came.
From beyond the wall. Fingernails on stone.
Scratch. Scratch. Pause.
An answer.
The brick moved.
Pushed inward. The gap opened. Not paper this time. A voice came through. Very low. Very small. A breath seeping through a crack in a wall.
"You're alive."
A woman's voice.
Lee Kang's eyes narrowed.
Not Dr. Jang. Not Young-sik. A voice he didn't know. Young. Clear. And somehow faintly familiar.
"Who are you."
He asked. Low. Guarded.
"No time."
The reply came instead of an answer.
"Listen."
Lee Kang closed his mouth.
He chose to listen.
"The wedding was moved up. It's not four days."
The voice said.
"Two days."
Lee Kang's heart beat one beat faster.
Four days to two.
Moved up again.
"Why."
He asked.
"The Count is rushing."
The voice said.
"Because of you."
Silence.
From beyond the wall, breathing. A woman's breathing. Unsteady. Trembling. She was afraid. And still, she was speaking. Risking herself.
"Yeon-hwa is looking for you."
The voice said.
"She cries every night. Calling your name."
Lee Kang's fingers closed around the gap in the brick.
His nails drove into the stone. Blood seeped out. He couldn't feel it.
Yeon-hwa.
Calling my name.
Crying.
"The annex guards have been reduced."
The voice continued.
"They pulled people for wedding preparations. Only two now."
"Where do I get in."
"The kitchen window. I'll leave it open at midnight."
Lee Kang's eyes flashed.
"Who are you."
He asked again.
Silence.
A long silence.
"Yeon-hwa's maidservant."
The voice said.
"My name is Boksun."
A short pause.
"Someone who wants the young lady to be happy."
The brick slid back into place.
The voice was gone.
Lee Kang alone remained.
He was on his knees, facing the wall.
Blood ran from his fingers. From under the nails. From the skin torn against the brick. Drip. Drip. Drip. Falling to the floor.
Yeon-hwa is crying.
Calling my name.
She told me to go. Told me please go. With eyes that saw a monster. Eyes sick with fear. And she's crying. Calling my name.
Lee Kang's lips moved.
No sound came out.
Instead, his hand moved.
He pressed it to his chest. Over his heart. It was beating. Fast. Rough. Not a beast's heart. A human heart. The weak human heart that went wild at the sound of Yeon-hwa's name.
He closed his eyes.
JINGLE.
A hallucination reached him.
The sound of a silver bell. The bracelet on Yeon-hwa's wrist. That small, clear resonance rang inside his skull.
He opened his eyes.
Midnight.
Not two days.
Tonight.
Lee Kang stood.
He walked toward the door.
Scene 3. [Visitor]
He stopped at the door.
He listened. The sounds beyond the corridor. No footsteps. No breathing. No heartbeats. No one there.
His hand found the door handle.
Cold iron. Rust on it. He pressed it down slowly. The hinge groaned. He held his breath — keep the sound from leaking out. He peered through the gap into the corridor.
Dark.
One torch planted in the wall far down the hall. That was all. Stone doors lined both sides. A prison. Whether other prisoners were inside, he didn't know. It didn't matter.
He stepped forward.
Then.
Footsteps.
Tok.
Tok.
Tok.
Shoe heels.
Not military boots. Not straw sandals. Light, sharp, rhythmic. A woman's shoes.
Lee Kang's body pulled back inside the door.
Back against the wall. He killed his breath. Dissolved into the dark. He extinguished the amber light in his eyes. Closed them. Nothing. A corpse.
The footsteps drew closer.
Stopped at the door.
The hinge groaned.
The door opened.
Light poured in. Yellow lantern light. Someone was holding a lantern. The beam swept the cell. Passed over the guard's body slumped in the corner. Didn't stop. Passed over the empty chain. Stopped.
"Empty."
A woman's voice.
Low. Cold. Familiar.
Lee Kang's eyes opened.
He was standing behind the door. The door panel hid his body. He looked through the gap. A hand holding a lantern. White wrists. Black sleeve. And——
A face.
A woman.
Late twenties. Hair swept up long. A sharp jawline. Red lips. Cold, damp eyes. A serpent's eyes. Eyes that resembled Count Yi's.
Lee Kang's heart stopped.
A memory grazed him. An old memory. A buried memory. Sealed away with the smell of blood and screaming.
Sister.
Lee Kang's half-sister.
Count Yi's firstborn daughter.
Lee Soyeon.
"Come out."
Soyeon said.
She raised the lantern. Light washed over the back of the door. Spilled onto Lee Kang's face.
"I know you're there."
Lee Kang did not move.
Soyeon's eyes narrowed.
"That guard's uniform doesn't suit you."
The corner of her mouth lifted. Not a smile. A blade.
"Little brother."
Lee Kang stepped out of the dark.
Slowly. One step. Then another. Into the lantern light. In front of Soyeon.
They faced each other.
Silence fell.
The lantern flame wavered. The air between them was frozen. Cold and sharp and on the edge of breaking.
Soyeon looked him over. The guard's uniform on his body. The dried blood on his hands. The bruises and wounds covering his face. And burning inside all of it — amber eyes.
"You've grown."
She said.
Not sentiment. Confirmation.
"When did I last see you."
A finger tapped her chin. Feigning memory.
"At Mother's funeral, wasn't it."
Lee Kang's jaw locked.
Molars ground together. Muscles jumped. Fingers curled closed. Fingernails drove into his palm.
Mother.
The word rang through his skull.
Mother's funeral. Mother's body. The hand that had gone cold. The eyes that had been closed. And standing beside it — Father. Count Yi. The man who had not shed a single tear.
"Why are you here."
Lee Kang asked.
Low. Cracked. The vocal cords not fully healed yet.
Soyeon tilted her head.
"Visiting my brother."
"A lie."
"You're right. A lie."
The smile spread.
"Father's errand."
Lee Kang's eyes narrowed.
Soyeon stepped closer. The lantern swayed between them.
"The wedding was moved up. You know that already?"
He knew.
"Two days from now. But Father is nervous."
"About what."
"You."
A finger pointed at Lee Kang's chest.
"That you'll escape."
He didn't answer.
Soyeon's eyes gleamed. Catching the lantern light, shining like a serpent's scales.
"So we're moving you."
"Where."
"Under the main house. Directly below Father's study."
Her lips moved.
"Deeper. Darker. More solid."
Lee Kang's heart beat faster.
Moving him.
He had to get out of here right now.
Boksun was going to open the window at midnight.
Yeon-hwa was waiting.
"When."
He asked.
Soyeon glanced at her wristwatch.
"Now."
Military boots sounded from outside the door.
Not one. Not two. Three. Four. Five. Closing in down the corridor.
Soyeon stepped back.
Out through the door. Into the corridor. Lantern in hand.
"Goodbye, little brother."
She smiled.
"I'll pass your regards to Yeon-hwa."
In Lee Kang's eyes, amber light detonated.
Scene 4. [Decision]
His body moved before his mind.
Faster than thought. Faster than judgment. His legs drove off the floor. His shoulder slammed the door. The sound of wood splitting. Hinges flying loose. The door launched into the corridor.
Soyeon's face.
Not surprised. Smiling. As if she'd been waiting for exactly this.
He didn't care.
His hand reached.
Toward Soyeon's throat.
It didn't land.
Something came from the side.
A black shape. Fast, sharp, silent. It struck Lee Kang's arm. His wrist bent. His body was shoved sideways. He hit the wall. Stone struck his back.
Breath gone.
The shape stood in front of him.
Black clothes. A mask. Only the eyes showing. Cold, still, empty of feeling. He had seen those eyes before. In Yeon-hwa's room. The shadow that had come in through the window.
"You again."
Lee Kang said.
Rough and cracked, a beast's snarl.
The shadow didn't answer.
The boots came flooding in.
Soldiers packed the corridor. Five. Six. Seven. Barrels aimed at Lee Kang. Bayonets gleaming.
"Don't move!"
The shout rang out.
Lee Kang stood against the wall. His breathing was rough. His ribs throbbed again. The bones that had just knit were cracking. He didn't care.
His eyes searched for Soyeon.
Soyeon was behind the soldiers.
Holding her lantern. Smiling. Watching.
"What a shame."
She said.
"Just a little more patience would have done it."
She shook her head.
"A beast is a beast after all."
Lee Kang's teeth showed.
"If you touch Yeon-hwa."
He said.
"So much as lay a hand on her."
He breathed in. His lungs ground. Blood came up. He didn't swallow it. He spat it. At Soyeon's feet.
"I kill you first."
Soyeon's smile went stiff.
One beat.
Two.
It spread again. Deeper. Colder.
"I look forward to it."
She turned.
"Take him."
The shadow moved.
Something struck the back of Lee Kang's head. Hard and cold. A rifle stock or a club — impossible to tell. Weight behind it.
His vision went white.
His knees buckled.
The floor rushed up.
Just before he hit it.
Soyeon's shoe heels. Visible. Receding. Down the corridor. With the yellow lantern light.
And beyond them.
A window.
At the far end of the corridor. Outside was visible. Sky was visible. A dark blue sky. Stars out. The moon out. A half moon. A tilted crescent.
Midnight was close.
The time Boksun would open the window.
The annex where Yeon-hwa was.
Yeon-hwa.
His fingers moved.
Scraping the floor. Clawing at the stone gaps. Fingernails snapped. Blood flew. He didn't care.
I have to get up.
Now.
Here.
"...hwa."
His lips moved.
"Yeon...hwa..."
A boot hit his ribs.
His body rolled. It hit the wall. The sound of ribs breaking. No scream. None could come. Consciousness was cutting out. Darkness was flooding in.
Still.
His eyes stayed open.
The amber light was flickering.
It didn't go out.
He didn't let it go out.
His hand moved.
Into his pocket. The paper was there. The crumpled paper. The words written in blood. Three days. Wait. He closed his fist around it.
Three days is too long.
Two days is too long.
Tonight.
Now.
Consciousness cut out.
Darkness poured in.
But his hand did not release the paper.