Place: Air China / Mid-Air to Beijing
Time: Early Morning
High above the clouds, the aircraft glided silently through the pre-dawn sky, cutting through the heavy morning fog of Beijing. Inside the dim, quiet cabin, the normally unstoppable corporate titan was finally still.
Exhausted from the chaotic rush out of Paris, Siwon lay fast asleep in her private first-class suite. But while her body rested, her mind drifted away from the cold reality of boardroom politics, slipping deep into a memory—a dream she had already relived a thousand times.
The clean white walls of her corporate empire melted away, replaced by the warm, golden light of a sunny afternoon from years ago.
A little girl, breathtakingly beautiful with bright, innocent eyes and soft, tangled curls, was skipping down a cobblestone path. Her tiny hand was wrapped tightly around her mother's fingers, pulling with all the strength a child could muster.
"No, Mumma!" the little girl pouted, her lower lip trembling into a stubborn frown. She stopped walking entirely, tugging at her mother's hand to force her to listen. "I want a sister! All of my friends at school have sisters, and some even have brothers... but I don't want a brother. I only want a sister! Please, Mumma, I want a sister right now!"
The mother let out a soft, gentle laugh, kneeling down to look into her daughter's fiercely demanding face. She gently brushed a stray hair behind the girl's ear, her eyes filled with a deep, quiet sadness that the child was too young to understand.
"But baby," the mother said softly, her voice tender but weak. "You are more than enough for us. Why do you want another baby? And... you know Mumma is sick, right? A second baby can't come."
The little girl didn't want to understand. She stomped her small foot, her eyes sparkling with pure defiance as tears began to well up. "You have to bring her fast, Mumma! Quickly!"
"No! I don't care!" she sobbed, repeating her stubborn demand over and over. "I just want a sister, Mumma! Please, bring her home right now!"
Letting go of her mother's hand, the child turned and ran away down the path, her small shoulders shaking as she cried, completely oblivious to the heartbreak she was leaving behind.
"SIWON!"
"NO! MOM!"
Siwon sat up with a violent jerk, her eyes snapping open in the dark cabin. Her chest heaved rapidly, and cold sweat lined her forehead. The echo of her own childhood scream still vibrated in her throat, shattering the peaceful hum of the flight.
She gripped the leather armrests tightly, her knuckles turning white as she forced her racing heart to slow down.
But before she could even wipe the sweat from her face, a frantic, muffled commotion from just beyond the first-class curtain cut through the quiet.
The business class section was nearly empty tonight. The few passengers scattered across the rows were deeply asleep in the shadows. Because of the heavy silence and the dim lighting, nobody else noticed the trembling distress unfolding near the rear galley. The nightmare taking place was hidden from view—noticed only by the working flight attendants.
"No... No, sir, please! I can't stay here! I need to go back to my station!" a female voice pleaded.
"Why are you lying?" a man's voice snapped back, laced with aggressive, drunken authority. "All the other passengers are asleep. Why do you suddenly have so much work? Just stay here for a little longer..."
"Sir, leave my hand! Let go of me!"
Siwon's eyes narrowed instantly. The vulnerable child from her nightmare vanished, and the cold corporate mask snapped right back into place. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she stood up silently and stepped through the curtain to investigate.
Stepping into the aisle, her eyes locked onto the scene. A middle-aged businessman was leaning out of his aisle seat, his grip locked tightly around the wrist of a terrified young flight attendant.
The moment Siwon's freezing glance fell upon them, the businessman flinches. Sensing the raw power radiating from this stranger, he panicked. In a desperate blur to cover his tracks, the man grabbed a glass of red wine from the flight attendant's tray and deliberately poured it all over his own expensive shirt.
Before anyone could react, he violently stood up.
Smack!
He delivered a sharp, resounding slap right across the flight attendant's face.
The force of the blow echoed through the cabin. The poor woman stumbled backward, clutching her burning, reddening cheek as tears welled in her eyes.
Siwon's expression turned dangerously dark. Her voice dropped to a deadly, quiet whisper. "Why?"
The businessman, trying to mask his guilt with pathetic arrogance, pointed a shaking finger at the crying woman. "Miss, you don't know her! She is a piece of trash—a completely worthless worker! She just spilled wine all over me!"
Glancing at Siwon's flawless designer attire, the man immediately tried to smooth things over, changing his tone to sound accommodating. "If you need anything, I can call another flight attendant. This one is incompetent."
Without waiting for her reply, he whipped around and glared viciously at the crying worker. "What are you still standing there gaping at me for? Get back to work, you incompetent fool!" he yelled.
Siwon analyzed the situation in a single second. She knew exactly what this disgusting man had done. But her face remained a flawless, unreadable mask of stone.
Without saying a single word, she turned around, completely calm, and walked right back toward the rear of the cabin.
Seeing her quiet retreat, the businessman assumed he had intimidated her. Smirking, he picked up a fresh bottle of wine from his console, stood up, and boldly followed her into the dim aisle.
"Ma'am, if you don't mind, can I pour some wine into your glass?" he asked, his voice dripping with sleazy, predatory charm.
Siwon paused and looked up, a smooth, effortless smile spreading across her lips. "Why not?"
As he leaned forward, lifting the bottle, Siwon lightly stepped past him toward the very back of the cabin. "Wait a minute," she murmured softly. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom first."
She walked down the dimly lit corridor, the soft clicking of her shoes perfectly synchronized with the heavy drone of the engines.
Behind her, she could hear the faint, creeping footsteps of the businessman. He was taking the bait, blindly following her into the shadows of the rear galley. Siwon didn't turn around; she just smiled—a cold, sharp, dangerous smile.
Reaching the restroom, Siwon stepped inside and held the edge of the heavy door, preparing to close it.
Suddenly, a thick, fleshy hand jammed into the doorway, forcefully stopping the door midway.
The businessman stood in the opening, blocking her in, looking down at Siwon with a predatory, arrogant smirk.
Siwon didn't even flinch. She slowly lowered her gaze to his hand resting on the metal doorframe, then raised her eyes to glance directly into his face. Her smile widens.
Before the man could even register the sudden danger in her eyes, Siwon's hand shot out like a striking viper.
She grabbed his wrist with a terrifying, iron grip, violently pulling his hand forward while simultaneously twisting his arm backward.
With brutal, practiced execution, she manipulated his posture so that only his arm was trapped inside the restroom, leaving the rest of his struggling body pinned awkwardly outside the heavy door.
With a cold, emotionless expression, Siwon slammed the solid restroom door right onto the businessman's trapped arm, catching a part of his head and shoulder in the brutal crush.
Thud!
"Oh! Oh! Oucch!" the man shrieked, his eyes widening in pure horror. "Oh, my arm! Anyone, help me! Save me from this witch!"
Siwon didn't stop.
She brought the door back and slammed it down onto his limb again. And again. And again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
She rained the heavy door down ruthlessly, over and over, crushing his arm against the frame until the violent vibrations rattled his spine.
Crimson blood began to ooze and splatter across the white paneling, dripping down from the blunt-force trauma.
When the man finally went completely limp, his eyes rolling back in a daze, Siwon calmly opened the door all the way. Reaching out, she grabbed the collar of his expensive suit and carelessly threw his bleeding, semi-conscious body onto the restroom floor.
Stepping over him, she turned on the faucet, completely unbothered. She washed her hands under the cold, running water, thoroughly rinsing away any traces of the altercation, and dried them with a paper towel.
Siwon opened the door and stepped out into the quiet galley.
The flight attendant was standing a few feet away, her jaw dropped and her eyes wide with absolute shock and confusion as she stared at the closed restroom door.
Siwon paused in front of her. Slowly, she raised a single, manicured finger to her lips, signaling her to be silent. With a subtle, playful glint in her eyes, Siwon gave the stunned woman a wicked wink, let out a small smirk, and effortlessly walked back to the front.
Returning to her row, Siwon slid back into her luxury seat and looked around the quiet cabin. A soft, amused chuckle escaped her lips.
"Wow..." she murmured to herself, shaking her head. "After a long time, things actually get interesting."
She looked directly across at her personal secretary, who was currently slumped over in his seat, deep in a heavy sleep with his mouth wide open. Right beside him, her primary bodyguard was also completely passed out, snoring softly from absolute exhaustion.
The frantic rush from Paris had taken a massive toll on the team; they had been running on zero sleep for days. In fact, their deep sleep was a direct result of Siwon's own orders. Knowing how brutal the upcoming mission in Beijing would be, she had commanded them to rest during the flight, no matter what.
They had followed her orders to perfection—so much so that they had completely missed their boss handling an entire assault in the back galley by herself.
Siwon picked up her sleek phone from the side console. The screen lit up, displaying the local time: 05:33 AM, China Standard Time.
A small, knowing smile played on her lips. "So... we will finally reach our destination in a few minutes."
Thirty minutes later, the intercom crackles to life as the flight attendant's polite voice echoes through the cabin: "Ladies and gentlemen, as we prepare for landing, please ensure your seatbelts are fastened securely. We have arrived at our destination. Thank you for flying with our airlines, and we hope you have a wonderful day and a pleasant journey ahead."
Right on cue, the heavy aircraft tilted downward, cutting through the dense layer of morning fog as it smoothly aligned with the runway. Within minutes, the aircraft touched down on the restricted tarmac of Beijing Capital International Airport with a flawless, whisper-quiet landing.
The second the seatbelt signs switched off, absolute chaos erupted in the back of the aircraft.
"Oh my god! Someone call medical help immediately!" a panicked shout echoed from the rear galley.
One of the crew members had opened the restroom door and discovered the bloodied, completely unconscious businessman crumpled on the floor. Within seconds, a wave of sheer panic washed through the staff. Voices grew louder, footsteps scrambled frantically back and forth down the aisle, and the cabin instantly turned into an uproar of confusion and fear.
Sitting peacefully in her first-class suite, Siwon didn't even turn her head to look back at the aftermath. She gracefully stood up, straightening her long designer coat with effortless poise.
Beside her, Secretary Nam suddenly jolted awake, blinking rapidly and wiping the corner of his mouth in a daze. Confused by the sudden silence, he shot a sharp, panicked look toward Richard, his eyebrows furrowing as if to ask, 'Did we miss something?'
Richard caught the cue but simply gave a slow, stoic shake of his head in response, nodding toward their boss instead. Realizing the truth, both men instantly turned their wide eyes back toward Siwon; now they understood exactly who was responsible for the bloody scene that had just occurred a few yards away. Their focus was entirely locked onto their terrifyingly calm leader.
The moment the cabin doors swung open, the passengers didn't just walk out—they practically scrambled to escape. Everyone desperately rushed down the aisles, eager to get off the plane as fast as possible, terrified of getting dragged into the messy police investigation of the bloody aftermath.
Amidst the frantic rush, Siwon adjusted her dark glasses, her face locking back into an impenetrable, cold mask. Moving with slow, untouchable elegance, she stepped out onto the boarding stairs, completely detached from the chaos and ready to face the new journey.