Hao Yi stirred and lifted her head up, looking around. The room was still dark, and she breathed a sigh of relief. That meant that her captors weren’t in here, and she wasn’t being hurt.

She didn’t think she could be hurt or broken so much in a matter of 48 hours, and yet, here she was. Bruised and battered beyond recognition.

A door opened, and the room was flooded with light. Hao Yi’s eyes shot to the door, and she saw a silhouette of a large man, looming in the doorway.

“No, no, no! Please, no!” Her eyes widened in fear as she pulled at her restraints, trying anything within her power to get away from the nightmare in front of her.

He stomped over and sneered, pulling her head back by her hair, violently.

“Please, please don’t do this, I’m begging you,” she pleaded, the tears pouring from her eyes, unable to stop. “Please just let me go, I want to go home.”

He threw her aside, and she now lay on her side, still tied to the chair. She wriggled, trying to free herself, but her efforts were fruitless. She laid on the dirty ground, sobbing, waiting for death to come.

Gunshots outside the door startled her, along with the Korean man, and his eyes shot towards her, his anger filling the room, suffocating and smothering.

“What did you do?” He growled, his large, menacing form growing closer and closer.

She heard yelling from outside the room, followed by more gunshots. They were closer now, right outside the door. They heard men screaming in pain, and suddenly the door burst open. Hao Yi gasped as she felt her restraints cut, and her limp body held against her captor’s.

She whimpered when she felt the cold sting of a blade against .

Dozens of cops filed into the room, their weapons poised to kill, aimed at her and the Korean man who held her captive.

“Kim Dong Soo, you’ve been surrounded. Your men are dead. Release the hostage and lower your weapon to the ground, and put your hands behind your head.”

He chuckled as he pulled Hao Yi closer to him, and she could hear his rapid heartbeat.

A figure emerged from the line of police officers, and she saw a man stride forward in regular clothing, a gun strapped onto his waist.

“Kim Dong Soo, I would say nice to finally meet you, but these circumstances are less than fortunate,” the man nodded curtly.

The man who held her, named Kim Dong Soo, growled. “Can’t say the same for you, mister…?”

“Kim Jun Myeon. I’ve been the detective in charge of this case from the very beginning. And I must say, you haven’t been the easiest to catch.”

Dong Soo blinked and laughed aloud, much to the dismay of Hao Yi and the other officers. Exchanging looks, they moved in closer, stopping with a hand signal from Jun Myeon.

“Care to explain to me why you’ve been taking charge of a hate group and murdering Chinese people?”

Hao Yi looked shocked at the detective. “There’s been more than just me and Luhan?”

Dong Soo tightened his grip on her, leaving a bloody mark on her neck where the knife dug in.

Jun Myeon shook his head slightly at her, signaling her to not talk or make any movements. Hao Yi clamped shut, taking a shuddering breath.

“So, Dong Soo? Any answers?” Jun Myeon asked again, cocking an eyebrow, his hand hovering near his gun, ready to draw if things went south.

“I don’t have to answer to you,” he sneered. “Not if you want this girl to see tomorrow.”

Jun Myeon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “Go ahead. Our goal has been to get you from the very beginning, regardless of how many lives were lost. As long as we get you, I don’ think my bosses will care how we get there.”

Hao Yi’s eyes widened as she struggled against Dong Soo’s hold, trying frantically to wiggle out of his hold.

Dong Soo narrowed his eyes, staring at the detective, each of them waiting for the other to admit defeat in their silent war.

Dong Soo grunted and Hao Yi felt the cold blade push deeper into her skin as she felt the blood trickle down her neck, and she felt her breath halt as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

“Please,” she whispered to both men, her eyes full of desperate plea.

With the subtlest of nods from Jun Myeon, the room erupted with movement, as shots rang through the air. Hao Yi felt a blinding pain in her neck, and then her body dropped to the ground with a loud thump. She felt her vision start to go hazy and felt hands on her neck.

She looked over and saw Dong Soo lying next to her on the ground, his eyes open, no signs of life.

She smiled and looked up to the ceiling as she coughed, and felt a light trickle out the side of .

“We need an ambulance here immediately!” Jun Myeon called as he held pressure to the wound in Hao Yi’s neck.

He saw the girl mouthing words and knelt down, placing his ear next to .

“Luhan, we did it. We’re safe.”

Jun Myeon held onto her as she went limp in his arms.