The steady rhythm of the heart monitor echoed through the silent hospital room.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
Pale moonlight slipped through the curtains, casting a cold silver glow across Eyrx's unconscious body. Tubes and wires surrounded him as he lay motionless on the hospital bed, trapped somewhere between life and darkness.
His grandmother sat quietly on the sofa nearby, her tired eyes fixed on him. The weight of fear and regret rested heavily on her face.
Hazel paced around the room again and again, unable to stay still. Her footsteps tapped nervously against the floor while Darven stood beside the bed in complete silence, his arms crossed tightly.
The tension in the room felt suffocating.
Finally, Hazel stopped walking and looked toward Eyrx.
"He didn't even realize… how much he truly loved her," she whispered softly.
Eyrx's grandmother lowered her gaze.
"That kind of love is wrong," she said in a weak but firm voice. "He needs to forget her."
Hazel frowned immediately.
"Why, Grandma? That's not good for him."
Before the old woman could answer, Darven suddenly spoke. His voice was cold and heavy.
"I pray she's still alive…"
The room fell silent.
"Because if she's not…" Darven slowly clenched his fists, "…then I'll be his first target."
Hazel looked at him nervously.
"Yeah," she muttered. "Pray for her… and for your own life too."
Then—
Knock. Knock.
The sound of the door cut through the tension like a blade.
Hazel turned toward the entrance.
"Come in."
The door slowly opened.
Creeeak…
Two police officers stepped inside the room. Their expressions were serious.
One of them looked directly at Darven.
"Who is Darven?"
Darven narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I am. What happened?"
Without another word, one officer walked forward, pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and locked them around Darven's wrists.
Click.
Hazel's eyes widened in shock.
"What are you doing?!"
The officer stared at Darven coldly.
"You are under arrest for violating government law."
Darven immediately struggled.
"What?! I didn't do anything!"
Hazel stepped forward angrily.
"Leave him alone!"
But the officer didn't even react.
"This is government business," he said firmly. "Not a family matter."
The police dragged Darven out of the hospital room while Hazel watched helplessly.
As they passed through the hospital entrance, a mysterious old man stood silently beside the large glass window, hidden within the shadows.
It was the same old man from the beginning.
A faint smile appeared on his wrinkled face as he pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Your work is done," he said quietly.
The call ended.
Meanwhile…
Inside the dark police station cell—
Darven slammed both hands against the iron bars furiously.
BANG!
"I DIDN'T DO ANY CRIME!" he shouted. "OPEN THIS PRISON!"
But the only answer he received…
…was silence.The cold silence of the prison slowly swallowed the room.
Darven stepped away from the iron bars one slow step at a time before finally sitting down on a broken wooden bench. The rusted chains hanging from the ceiling rattled softly with the wind.
Clink… Clink…
Around him, several prisoners watched like hungry animals staring at fresh prey. Their faces were rough, their eyes filled with madness.
One of them leaned forward from the darkness and smirked.
"So… why'd they arrest you?"
Darven stayed silent.
Another prisoner laughed loudly.
"Doesn't matter. Judging by your face, you're here for a long time."
A third prisoner cracked his knuckles and grinned.
"Good. Looks like we got ourselves a new servant."
The prisoners burst into ugly laughter.
But Darven ignored every word.
His eyes slowly lowered to the floor as memories began crawling back into his mind.
—Flashback—
Warm sunlight entered through the office windows. Papers were scattered across the desk while Grace sat quietly in front of Darven, her expression unusually serious.
Darven crossed his arms.
"This case is dangerous," he said firmly. "I prefer you leave it."
Grace stayed calm.
"It's illegal, Grace. Cases like this aren't allowed in our company anymore."
Darven sighed heavily before leaning closer.
"I reopened this investigation because you're my friend."
For a moment, silence filled the office.
Then Grace smiled faintly.
"I know."
Her voice became quieter.
"Maybe… I'll die because of this case."
Darven's eyes narrowed immediately.
Grace slowly pulled out a sealed envelope from her bag and placed it on the desk.
"If my death is confirmed…" she whispered, "…give this to Eyrx."
Darven frowned.
"What's inside this envelope?"
Grace looked toward the window, avoiding his eyes.
"It contains something important about this case…"
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"…something connected to both him and me."
Darven's expression darkened.
"And if I get arrested," Grace continued calmly, "try to deliver it to him somehow."
She gave a weak smile.
"You'll probably end up in jail for at least three years because of your crimes anyway."
Darven stared at her in disbelief.
"You already figured out I was going to prison?"
Grace chuckled softly.
"We don't know who's spying on us."
Then suddenly—
She leaned back in her chair and smiled strangely.
"If you want to come with him…" she said quietly, "…then come. It'll be an adventure."
Darven looked confused.
"What are you even talking about?"
Grace's eyes slowly turned emotionless.
"One day," she whispered, "you'll understand."
—End Flashback—
Back inside the prison cell, Darven lowered his head slightly.
"That envelope…" he muttered. "What was inside it…?"
"What was she trying to say…?"
A prisoner nearby overheard him.
"Envelope?" the man asked suspiciously.
Another prisoner burst out laughing.
"Maybe this guy sells drugs."
The prisoners laughed again.
Darven still ignored them.
But then—
One large prisoner walked toward him and slammed a hand onto Darven's shoulder.
"Hey."
His voice turned threatening.
"Come massage my legs."
The room suddenly became quiet.
"You're our servant now."
Darven slowly lifted his eyes toward him.
A dangerous silence filled the air.
"…Understand?"
The next second—
GRAB!
Darven's hand instantly wrapped around the prisoner's throat.
The man's eyes widened in horror as Darven lifted him completely off the ground with one hand.
Ghhk—!!
The prisoner desperately clawed at Darven's arm, unable to breathe. His face turned pale within seconds.
The other prisoners backed away in fear.
Darven's expression was cold… almost inhuman.
Then suddenly—
BANG!
The prison cell door burst open.
"STOP!" the guards shouted.
Several officers rushed inside and forcefully pulled Darven away before the prisoner could die.
"Take him to isolation!"
Darven didn't resist.
He simply stared silently at the struggling prisoner on the floor as the guards dragged him away through the dark hallway.
—Scene Shift—
Back at the hospital.
Hazel quickly grabbed her jacket.
"I'm going to the police station."
Eyrx's grandmother looked at her calmly.
"Of course you are. He saved my grandson."
Hazel hesitated.
"But… what am I supposed to tell them?"
The old woman answered immediately.
"Get a lawyer."
Hazel rubbed her forehead nervously.
"You're right… but the police will ask for proof."
The grandmother's expression hardened slightly.
"If you don't want to help him," she said coldly, "then sit there quietly instead of making excuses."
Hazel widened her eyes.
"What? That's not what I meant."
She took a deep breath and nodded firmly.
"Okay. I'll go."
Then she looked toward Eyrx lying unconscious on the bed.
"Take care of him while I'm gone."
The old woman gently adjusted Eyrx's blanket.
"I know how to care for him," she replied softly.
"…Now go."
The dim prison light flickered above Darven's head.
Buzz… Buzz…
Sitting alone inside the isolation cell, Darven lowered his eyes and quietly murmured to himself,
"Grace knew someone was spying on us…"
His fists slowly tightened.
"But who?"
The question echoed endlessly inside his mind.
—Scene Shift—
Rain poured heavily outside the police station as Hazel stood near the front desk with a lawyer beside her. Her expression was exhausted, yet determined.
The lawyer adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly to the officer behind the desk.
"We're here to meet Darven."
The policeman barely looked up from his paperwork.
"Visiting hours are over," he replied coldly. "Come back tomorrow."
Hazel's face hardened slightly, but she didn't argue. She simply turned around and walked out of the station with the lawyer beside her.
Outside, thunder rumbled across the dark sky.
Rumble…
Hazel stopped near the stairs and looked at the lawyer nervously.
"Is there any way to free him?" she asked quietly.
The lawyer sighed heavily before answering.
"The crime he committed is serious. Right now, there's almost no chance he'll be released."
Hazel lowered her gaze.
"He could be sentenced to three years in prison," the lawyer continued. "But we'll try our best during the court hearing."
He paused for a moment.
"If new evidence appears… things may change."
Hazel looked back at him immediately.
"What kind of evidence?"
The lawyer's expression turned serious.
"If Grace is confirmed dead," he said slowly, "then the police investigation will become much larger."
His voice became heavier.
"And if Darven is connected to the case…"
Hazel already understood the rest.
"…then he'll definitely stay in prison."
—Scene Shift—
Deep inside the dark jungle, flashing police lights illuminated the trees. Yellow barriers surrounded the area while officers searched carefully through the muddy ground.
One officer walked toward his captain.
"Sir, we still haven't found the body."
Another officer nearby wiped sweat from his forehead.
"We've been digging for hours, but there's nothing here."
The captain silently examined several deep marks carved into the trees. His eyes narrowed immediately.
"These marks…" he muttered.
He stepped closer and touched the damaged bark.
"It looks like there was a violent fight here."
Then he suddenly pointed toward a nearby area covered with loose dirt.
"Dig there," he ordered. "You might find something."
The workers immediately began digging again.
Clang!
One shovel suddenly got stuck against something beneath the ground.
Everyone froze.
"Wait…" one worker whispered nervously.
The officers quickly rushed forward and helped clear away the dirt.
Little by little…
A human body began to appear beneath the soil.
The workers carefully pulled it out.
It was the body of a woman.
But the moment they saw her face—
Several officers looked away in horror.
Her face was completely destroyed, almost impossible to recognize.
The jungle fell silent.
The captain immediately spoke.
"Take the body to the hospital for identification and examination."
The officers quickly covered the corpse and carried it toward the vehicles.
The mystery had only grown darker.
—Scene Shift—
Hazel stood alone beneath a streetlight, gripping her phone tightly as rain dripped from her hair.
"Tell me everything you know about Grace," she said urgently during the call.
For a few seconds, only static answered her.
Then a cold voice finally spoke from the other side.
"They found a body."
Hazel's eyes widened.
"They've taken it to the hospital for examination."
Her breathing slowly became heavier.
"Is it Grace?" Hazel asked immediately.
The voice remained calm.
"We don't know yet."
A brief silence followed before the caller added one final sentence:
"For now… that's all the information I have."
Call Ended.