{the Black monster}
In the middle of the hall...
Tyla was holding Ian's hand so tightly that her fingers had turned cold from nervousness.
Her anxiety was obvious despite her attempts to hide it.
The number of people...
The cameras...
The eyes following her from every direction...
All of it was more than she could handle.
Ian felt the tremble in her hand.
He gently stroked it with his thumb and whispered near her ear, his voice low and warm:
"Don't worry... I'm with you. Just stay by my side."
She slowly raised her eyes toward him...
And nodded silently while trying to calm her shaking breath.
A staff member approached carrying drinks.
Ian took one glass and handed another to Tyla.
Then a celebrity raised his glass with a smile:
"To your relationship."
Everyone smiled and lifted their glasses.
"Cheers!"
The glasses clinked softly as they drank.
But at that same moment...
A voice came through Doo Hwan's earpiece.
"Sir... we've captured two of Gong Nam Min's men in the back corridor."
Doo Hwan's expression changed instantly.
He stood up calmly and walked toward ian through the crowd as if nothing was happening.
Then he whispered near his ear:
"We caught two rats."
No reaction appeared on Ian's face.
He simply took a sip of his drink and said coldly:
"I understand."
But deep inside...
He knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Gong Nam Min doesn't move using only small rats.
He is always nearby himself.
Watching.
Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
After five minutes...
It was time for Ian and Tyla to go up to the main stage.
The lights reflected heavily over them.
And the cameras began snapping wildly.
Tila felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest.
İan held her hand tightly, reassuring her, as they walked up together.
He took the microphone and said calmly:
"Thank you for hosting this wonderful evening."
Suddenly, a reporter shouted:
"The girl with you is the same one who appeared in your photos in the rain... is she really your girlfriend?!"
Silence fell for a moment.
All the cameras turned toward him.
All eyes waited.
As for Tyla...
She felt her breath stop.
Then ian looked directly into her eyes.
His tone became calmer.
And more sincere.
"Yes."
The sound of cameras exploded instantly.
But he continued without taking his eyes off her:
"She's my girlfriend."
Tyla felt her heart beat violently.
But ian didn't stop.
"She's my world... my soul... and everything to me."
Her eyes immediately filled with tears.
The emotions inside her were stronger than her ability to control them.
Tyla felt as if the entire hall had suddenly gone silent.
She could no longer hear the cameras. Nor the reporters.
Nor the music. Only his voice. She looked at him with tear-filled eyes while he returned the same gaze.
For the first time since she met him... she didn'
t see a strong or famous man in his eyes. But a man completely in love. The cameras went crazy.
The reporters shouted questions.
Flashes hit their faces nonstop.
But suddenly...
İan's entire expression changed.
Something had caught his attention.
On the upper floor...
Among the shadows...
A man stood wearing all black.
A black cap pulled low, hiding half his face.
Black gloves.
And he was...
Clapping slowly.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
A cold smile appeared on his lips.
And ian recognized him instantly.
Gong Nam Min.
İan's gaze froze for a split second.
So brief that no one noticed it...
İan only moved two fingers slightly.
But SEO Joon understood immediately.
He pressed his earpiece instantly.
"Emergency. Emergency. Target spotted."
At the same moment, Doo Hwan stood up immediately.
The guards began moving through the crowd with controlled precision.
But Gong Nam Min only smiled wider...
Then slowly turned and disappeared into the upper corridor.
"Shit..."Doo Hwan muttered.
Ian quickly handed the microphone to a staff member and grabbed Tyla's hand.
"Stay behind me."
Tyla froze.
"İan... what's wrong?"
But before he could answer-
All the lights suddenly went out.
Whispers and confusion filled the room.
The electricity was completely cut.
Only the red emergency lights turned on in a terrifying glow... bathing the entire hall in a blood-like atmosphere.
And the crowd began to panic.
"What is happening?!"
"Is this part of the show?!"
Tyla gasped and clung tightly to his arm.
"İan... what's going on?!"
At that moment...
Ian instinctively placed his hand behind his back over the hidden gun under his jacket.
His eyes turned dark and terrifying.
He knew immediately.
This was not an accident.
The war had begun.
A heavy silence lasted for seconds...
Seconds that felt like an eternity.
Then suddenly. A loud sound.
A massive explosion shook the rear section of the hotel violently.
The giant windows shattered into thousands of pieces.
Everyone screamed.
Women.
Reporters.
Celebrities.
Everyone dropped to the ground in panic.
Ian
Pulled Tyla down immediately and covered her completely with his body, acting as a human shield as glass rained down.
Tyla screamed loudly as the explosion echoed near her.
İan's heart was pounding violently.
While tyla's entire body trembled beneath his arms.
Chaos erupted.
Screaming.
Hotel alarms blaring.
Guards shouting orders.
"Evacuate the area!"
"Protect the guests!"
"Get down!"
People began running in all directions.
High heels breaking on marble floors.
Children crying.
Smoke spreading inside the hall.
Then-
The sound of gunfire echoed violently.
Ian lifted his head instantly.
His eyes turned dangerously sharp.
He shouted with a voice that shook the entire place:
"Protect Tyla!!"
He quickly pulled out his gun from behind his back and aimed it into the darkness.
Bullets fired violently.
And the confrontation began.
Ian 's men against Gong Nam Min's men.
People running wildly through bullets and screams.
Some of Ian's men fell while trying to block the back exits.
Others fought Gong Nam Min's men across multiple areas inside the hotel.
It looked like the attack came from everywhere at once.
As if the enemy already knew their positions and movements in advance.
Tyla was shaking completely behind ian.
Holding onto his jacket so tightly her fingers turned white.
Meanwhile...
Some guests and celebrities rushed toward the back exits.
Among them was Tyla's mother.
She was screaming through the chaos, tears in her eyes:
"Tyla!! Where is my daughter?! Tylaaa!"
But people were pushing her as they ran around in panic.
Suddenly-
A crazy laugh echoed through the hotel speakers.
Cold.
Distorted.
Terrifying.
Then Gong Nam Nam finally spoke:
"It's been a long time Ian..."
Tila froze completely, trembling.
She looked at ian in shock and fear.
Ian... what's happening?!"
But ian didn't answer.
He only raised his gun and fired several shots into the upper darkness violently.
Tyla kept staring at him in complete shock.
Who was this man in front of her?!
The way he held the gun...
His fast movements...
His cold eyes...
As if he had been used to this bloody world for years.
As if he was not the same person who had been singing karaoke with her just days ago.
Then...
Gong Nam Min finally appeared.
He slowly walked down from the upper stairs.
Moving through the terrified crowd and between bullets as if nothing was happening.
With terrifying calm.
Until he stood directly in front of Ian.
Then he removed his black cap.
His dark hair had strands of white mixed through it.
And his eyes were full of madness.
He smiled slowly and said:
"Still the same..."
He stepped closer.
"You black monster."
Tyla froze completely.
Black monster...?
What does that mean?!
İan felt as if time had been pulled back years.
The smell of blood.
The sound of gunfire.
The nights he had tried to bury deep inside him.
All returned in a single moment.
As for Tyla... she didn't understand the sudden change in his expression.
But she saw something she had never seen before.
Fear.
Not fear for himself.
But fear for her.
In a single moment, Ian raised his gun directly toward his head-
But suddenly...
A red laser dot appeared on Jungkook's hand.
Seo Joon shouted immediately:
"Sir, watch out-!!"
A sniper bullet pierced ian's hand.
The gun fell from his grip instantly.
Tyla screamed hysterically:
"Ian!!"
Tyla felt as if her heart stopped for a second.
She couldn't understand what just happened.
Just seconds ago, he was standing in front of her.
Protecting her.
Talking to her.
And now... blood covered his hand before her eyes.
Her knees trembled so violently she almost collapsed beside him.
Ian staggered back in pain, blood pouring heavily from his hand.
But seo Joon immediately raised his weapon toward the sniper and fired.
The sniper fell from above instantly.
As for ian...
He dropped to one knee on the ground.
His black hair fell over his eyes while he struggled to breathe.
Tyla rushed toward him immediately, crying uncontrollably.
She grabbed his trembling face between her hands.
He looked at her with tired eyes and said in a low voice:
"Are you okay...?"
She broke down even more.
"You're the one who's injured, not me!!"
And despite his pain...
He smiled at her.
A small, exhausted smile.
Then she whispered in complete panic:
"Ian... don't leave me..."
He pressed his other hand tightly over his wound.
But suddenly-
One of Gong Nam Min's men appeared from behind.
And struck ian hard on the back of his head with a gun.
Tyla screamed in pure panic:
"Noooo!!!"
Ian collapsed onto the ground, nearly unconscious.
At the same moment-
Two men grabbed Tyla violently by her arms.
She began screaming and struggling desperately.
"Let me go!! Ian!! Ian!!"
She hit them with everything she had.
Kicked.
Screamed.
Cried.
Trying to grab onto anything around her.
But she was too weak against two men dragging her away by force.
With every step she was pulled farther away...
She saw ian disappearing deeper into smoke and chaos.
Until his figure became blurry in her tear-filled eyes.
As for Ian...
He looked at her with one half-open eye.
Blood running down the side of his head.
His vision becoming blurred.
But he whispered in a broken voice as he was about to lose consciousness completely:
"T...Tyla..."
He tried to move.
But he couldn't.
"No... Tyla..."
They dragged her away by force while Gong Nam Min's men fired at anyone who approached.
On the other side-
Doo Hwan finally reacted.
"İan!!"
He ran toward him immediately and knelt beside him, trying to wake him.
"Ian! Wake up!"
As for Ian...
He rushed after the men who had kidnapped Tyla.
Ian opened his eyes with difficulty.
His breathing was uneven.
His head spinning violently.
Then he suddenly grabbed Doo Hwan's jacket.
"Tyla... where is tyla?!"
Doo Hwan said quickly:
"Brother, you're bleeding! We need to get out of here!"
But ian screamed violently despite his pain:
"I don't matter!! Tylpa must be protected!!"
He forced himself up, staggering.
Blood staining his black hand.
He picked up his gun from the ground.
Then ran desperately toward the back exit.
Outside the hotel...
Cold air hit his face violently.
But all he saw was a black car speeding away at full speed.
Inside it-
Tyla.
He immediately raised his gun and fired several shots at the car.
But the bullets bounced off.
The car was fully armored.
Even the tires were bulletproof.
Ian s eyes widened in shock and rage.
Then he screamed at the top of his voice...
A sound filled with complete breakdown:
"TYLAAAA!!!"
He collapsed onto his knees.
Completely broken.
His breathing shattered.
Blood dripping from his hand and head.
Behind him stood Doo Hwan and Ian in heavy silence.
Then SEO Joon said angrily:
"Sir... they pulled all their men out. This was their plan from the beginning."
İan clenched his fist so hard it trembled.
SEO Joon continued:
"All this noise... the explosion... the gunfire... was only to distract us and kidnap Tyla."
He gritted his teeth.
"You've been fooled..."
He looked toward the destroyed hotel.
"The men we captured earlier were just bait."
Doo Hwan's eyes widened slightly.
SEO Joon continued:
"They made us think we uncovered their plan."
"And made us focus on the hall."
"While the real extraction team was waiting outside all along."
İan tightened his injured hand.
SEO Joon added angrily:
"Even the sniper wasn't trying to kill you."
"His goal was only to stop you for a few seconds."
"Seconds enough to take Tyla."
Doo Hwan stepped closer quickly:
"Brother, we need to take you to the hospital now!"
But ian suddenly stood up with great difficulty...
Then shoved him violently aside.
He ripped off his black tie, letting it fall to the ground.
His hair was messy over his eyes.
His chest rising and falling heavily.
And his eyes...
Were terrifying.
Dark beyond recognition.
Then he said in a low, chilling voice:
"He will regret..."
He lifted his eyes toward the road where the car disappeared.
"...touching her."
Silence fell for seconds.
Even Doo Hwan felt a chill run through his body.
Because he recognized that look.
Very well.
It was the same look that preceded the worst nights in his enemies' lives.
As for seo Joon...
He simply lowered his head in silence.
Because he understood one thing clearly.
Gong Nam Min had not kidnapped the wrong girl...
He had declared war on the wrong man.