“Let us welcome one of this country’s biggest movers, and the Grandfather of our Groom-to-be, Chairman Ahn Tae Ho!”

The emcee led the applause, and all of the guests stood up from their seats to welcome the patriarch of the Ahn family. As he started speaking and the guests sat down again, Kim Soo Hyun's eyes skimmed through the tables. This party was full of dignitaries and bigwigs in the business world. It still amazes him how Korea’s elite one percent lives. Dressed to the nines, they carried themselves like royalty. They were treated no less than royalty, too. He was told that the food for each person amounted to almost a million won – and there were more than one hundred people in attendance. How one meal can be that expensive was a mystery to him.

Sensing nothing was wrong, he approached Hyung Sik who was standing by the trees. The young man was holding a pen and a notepad with the list of guests.

“I still don’t understand why we were pulled out of the office for this,” Soo Hyun muttered as soon as he was beside him. He looked around and saw the dozens of private guards on patrol. “I don’t think we’re even needed,” he added.

Hyung Sik looked up from the papers he was holding and sighed. “I heard the Chief and Chairman Ahn go way back. So when Chairman Ahn requested that the police force be here, the Chief was quick to oblige.”

“Why do I feel like this is some kind of punishment?” Soo Hyun expressed with distaste. There were many teams to choose from, but the Chief had chosen his team instead. And the way the Chief had relayed his instructions emphasized that they were the best team to go since there was still no progress in the Shin Chun Dong case, so he assumed they’d be the least busy. He knew what the Chief really meant was : 'No assassin yet? then I'm going to give you a useless assignment.'

“I mean, don’t these people get death threats on a daily basis? I’ve worked with several chaebols before, but most death threats come from disgruntled employees who can’t even afford a gun, much less use one,” Soo Hyun continued, shaking his head. He was called to the Chief’s office after a phone call with Chairman Ahn, citing that the LG main office received a threat targeting one of the guests at his grandson’s upcoming engagement party. The threat didn’t specify who, and Chairman Ahn just wanted extra security just to be sure.

Hyung Sik shrugged. “If they’re so worried something’s going to happen, they should have just cancelled the event.”

“I don’t even think Chairman Ahn is taking the threat that seriously. He didn’t want the guests to be informed about this,” Soo Hyun replied. “He’s just throwing his weight around. Even chaebols can make use of government agencies after just one phone call. It's sickening.”

Hyung Sik just nodded and proceeded to check the guest list again, making sure all the guests were accounted for. Even though he didn’t like being there, he still had a job to do.

When he got to the last table, the young guy in the gray suit caught his eye again. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to Chairman Ahn’s speech. The man caught Hyung Sik's attention during dinner. While everyone was eating and chatting happily, he just kept looking down at his phone. Hyung Sik didn't really think much of it, but when he glanced at him again, it was as if he was talking to himself.

As Hyung Sik curiously stared at him, the guy looked up from his phone and seemingly scanned the area. He accidentally caught Hyung Sik’s gaze and looked bewildered for a second. In an instant, he looked away and turned his attention back to his phone, like he was avoiding his eyes. Thinking it was weird, Hyung Sik furrowed his brows and looked down at the guest list instead. He wondered who the guy was.

“Suh Shi Yoon,” he read once he saw his picture on the guest list. “Director of Sales, European division. Innisfree by Amore Pacific. Must be a busy guy if he’s on his phone all night,” he muttered to himself.

Soo Hyun turned to him. “You said something?”

Hyung Sik smiled. “Ani, just double-checking the guests,” he replied curtly before glancing at the man again and closing the notepad. He let out a tired sigh and folded his arms. “Hopefully this party wraps up right away. I need to get back to my computer.”

“Did you get anything from the cyber team yet?” Soo Hyun asked. He hated that this assignment was interfering with more pressing matters – like capturing the assassin and his partner.

“Not yet,” Hyung Sik frowned. “Whoever we’re dealing with is a pro. The cyber team told me he used a software that automatically changes IP address hosts every thirty seconds. And the addresses are thousands of miles apart. After a set time period, the software self destructs. They’ve never seen anything like it before. Even the brilliant hackers we’ve captured and asked help from were impressed.”

“Do any of them recognize his work? With that kind of skill, he must be known among the underground hackers.”

“That’s the thing, they don’t know him. They’ve never come across that technology before. They told me there’s a legendary hacker with a similar style, but he’s American – and his target is usually the CIA and the White House. So that can’t be our guy. And unfortunately, they can’t study the software since it’s already destroyed. But the cyber team is trying their best. They told me the program is like burnt paper. They might be able to get scraps and find a way to put it together.”

Soo Hyun let out a dejected sigh and patted Hyung Sik’s shoulder. “As soon as we’re out of here, we’ll give the cyber team all the support they need.”

Hyung Sik smiled and turned to Chairman Ahn who was now raising his glass and giving a toast. The rest of the guests did the same.

Just then, Kim Soo Hyun’s phone rang. He looked at the caller, and it was an unidentified number.

“Yobuseyo?”

“Detective Kim,” a voice said. Kim Soo Hyun felt a chill running down his spine. The sound was machine-distorted to hide the caller’s real voice. Most kidnappers use that when they're making demands.

Soo Hyun frowned, his detective senses tingling. “Who is this?”

“I heard you’re looking for a murderer,” the voice said. “Look up and keep your eyes open.”

After that, the caller hung up.

“Yobuseyo?” Soo Hyun raised his voice. “YOBUSEYO!” But the caller was gone.

“What’s wrong, sir?” Hyung Sik asked when he saw Soo Hyun’s perplexed expression.

Soo Hyun ignored him and looked up. At first he looked around, but saw nothing. And then the Ahn mansion caught his eye. Look up? He was a long way from the mansion, so he sprinted to the direction of the house, leaving Hyung Sik wondering what was going on. The party guests weren’t paying any attention to him since they were so busy with the toast. He stopped a few feet away from the stage, and scanned the house with his eyes. That’s when he saw it. A third floor window. The tip of a barrel.

On instinct, he took out the gun from his holster. Before he could yell a warning, a shot was fired. As the sound echoed throughout the area, Soo Hyun held his breath. There were screams from the guests, and almost everyone ducked. The bodyguards immediately made their way to the families they protect. Soo Hyun witnessed the whole area erupt in chaos, his heart thudding against his chest. OH NO, OH NO, OH NO!

Car alarms started blaring from outside the estate, adding to the commotion. Soo Hyun cursed out loud.

“GET THEM! PARK HYUNG SIK, KIM DAE HYUN, SECURE THE GUESTS!” He yelled instructions at his team members through the radio. “The rest of you! Third floor! I repeat, shooter is on the third floor! Squad leader Kwak, call for back up!” He ordered the ahjussi who jogged beside him.

Just then, he heard another gunshot from inside the mansion.

“DAMMIT!” Soo Hyun muttered under his breath as he ran as fast as he could to the house.

As he was entering the mansion, he heard Park Hyung Sik yell from behind, “MAN DOWN! MAN DOWN!”

 “Omo!” “He’s been shot!” “Is he dead?” “Young master!” Several more guests screamed out. But Soo Hyun was too preoccupied to care. His main goal is to catch the shooter. ‘I heard you’re looking for a murderer’… the phone call replayed in his head. Could it be the assassin?

[7 minutes ago]

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

“There’s another sniper!” Shin Hye pulled her arm inside and stood up. She kicked the guitar case, sending it sliding under the bed. She quickly grabbed her duffel bag and reached for something inside. Her 9-millimeter gun. “Grab Lee Min Ho! NOW!”

“What do you mean there’s another sniper? What? What’s going on, Shin Hye?!”

Shin Hye could hear the panic in Shi Yoon’s voice. She, herself, was flustered.

“I mean someone is in the other room with a gun, and it isn’t me!” Shin Hye explained brusquely, already making her way out of the room. She stood by the door where the other sniper was, wondering why she was doing this and not getting the hell out of there instead.

But she felt it. Her instincts were telling her that something else was going on here, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. “The sniper’s target is Lee Min Ho," she told Shi Yoon. "GRAB HIM BEFORE HE GETS SHOT!”

“I’m getting mixed signals here! Aren’t we supposed to kill the guy?”

“JUST DO AS I SAY.” She whispered through gritted teeth. She slowly turned the doorknob and let herself in. She knew snipers – and this man was deep in concentration that he’d fail to hear small sounds. She took advantage of this and tiptoed her way to the window where he was currently positioned.

She extended her arm and pressed the tip of her gun to the back of the sniper’s head. She felt the man stiffen at the contact. “Pull that trigger and I’ll blow your brain to pieces,” she told him. The sniper let go of the rifle and raised his hands. The rifle stayed in place, secured by a stand. “Step away from the gun.” Shin Hye continued.

The sniper took one step back before facing Shin Hye. The lower half of his face was covered with a mask.

“Who are you?” Shin Hye asked.

“Shin Hye, how do I get to him?” Shi Yoon’s voice filled her ear, oblivious to what was happening.

At her momentary distraction, the sniper kicked Shin Hye's stomach, sending her staggering back. Shin Hye let out a grunt and tried to steady herself, lowering the gun in the process. Shi Yoon heard the noise and started asking questions at the other end, but Shin Hye didn’t have the time to answer. The sniper punched her in the face and grabbed her hands, wrestling for the gun that she still clutched tightly. Shin Hye felt the impact of his punch, tasting blood in . She twisted to her side and bent down, pushing the sniper with her shoulder. He collided with a bookshelf, letting out a low growl. But he was too strong and