Rak stood in silence, his face unreadable.
He wasn't ashamed.
Not yet.
Not until he saw Yuri's expression.
She wasn't just angry.
She looked horrified — like he was a stranger.
Like something worse.
That stung more than the slap.
"Yuri, listen—"
"Don't speak to me, traitor!"
Her words hit harder than steel.
"I'm doing this for us, you dumbass!" Rak snapped, his voice cracking.
Yuri's eyes burned with disgust. "For us? You call this betrayal a favor?! You sold us out—our whole team!"
"They won't die. Gun-Sik only wants Mae-Bi!" he shouted, panicked. "Once he's dead, everything goes back to normal!"
"Because he beat you?" she screamed. "Because he embarrassed you at the selection? You're that shallow?!"
Rak staggered.
A sharp pang tore through his chest.
His hand clutched his heart.
"Ugh... this pain again..."
It wasn't physical.
It wasn't the centipede.
It was something deeper. Something he didn't want to name.
He looked at her.
He saw the fear in her eyes — fear of him.
It twisted his gut.
"...Yuri..."
"WHAT?!"
A harsh laugh echoed beside them.
Yo Gun-Sik clapped once, slow and theatrical.
"Okay, okay, enough, you two lovebirds. I don't give a shit about your feelings."
His expression changed. Eyes bulging, voice dropping low.
"But I do care about wasting my time. So I'll ask one more time..."
Veins pulsed at the corner of his eyes like they were alive.
"Where. Is. Mae-Bi?"
"He ran," Yuri snapped. "South, alone."
Yo Gun-Sik's lip twitched.
"I see..."
Then he turned, smiling again — too wide, too calm.
"Then I guess I'll kill everyone else."
"What?!"
Yuri and Rak said it together.
The squad froze. Every face pale.
Yeon-Mi, the smallest of them, already trembling, stood near the back — trying to suppress the shake in her knees.
Gun-Sik's eyes landed on her.
"Ooh... pink hair. That's rare. She's cute."
His smile warped into something darker.
"I wonder what she'll sound like when I break her."
Yeon-Mi's breath hitched. Her lower lip trembled.
"Don't touch her!" Yuri roared, stepping forward despite her injuries.
"Damn it—she's crying already." Gun-Sik licked his lips.
"That makes it better."
Rak's stomach twisted. He felt something snap.
"That wasn't part of the deal," he muttered.
Gun-Sik glanced at him, amused.
"Deal?"
Rak's eyes narrowed. "You promised. You swore—no innocents. Only Mae-Bi."
Gun-Sik barked a laugh.
"This is the Demonic Cult, you naïve brat. You think I follow contracts? You think blood promises mean anything here?"
He leaned in, baring dagger-like teeth.
"They only matter when you have the power to enforce them."
Rak's face went pale.
"Damn... I can't believe Rak really betrayed us."
One of the squad members muttered the words under their breath.
But Rak heard it.
He lowered his head.
And said nothing.
Yo Gun-Sik laughed and shoved Rak aside like a broken toy. The madman strolled toward Yeon-Mi, who was already shaking as two assassins dragged her forward.
They forced her to her knees in the dirt.
She looked up, terrified.
Gun-Sik crouched in front of her, licking his lips.
"Your skin's a little rough... but I'll manage."
He grabbed her by the chin.
"STOP THIS!" Yuri shouted, lunging—
—but was kicked back by one of the assassins, crashing hard onto the roots of a tree.
Rak just stood there. Frozen.
This is all my fault...
Why did I do this?
Why did I even want to kill Mae-Bi in the first place?
He clenched his fists.
He's not even here.
Yeon-Mi suddenly screamed and shoved Gun-Sik's face away.
SMACK!
He backhanded her across the mouth.
"Touch me again, bitch, and I'll mess you up for real."
One of his underlings chuckled darkly.
"Leader, when you're done, can I take a turn? I wanna taste her skin too."
Gun-Sik snorted. "Sure. She's already broken goods."
The man laughed, stepping closer.
"Thanks, leader—!"
THUNK.
A sickening crunch echoed through the clearing.
The man staggered forward — then collapsed, a jagged tree branch impaled clean through his forehead.
Blood gurgled from his mouth as his body twitched once, then went still.
Everyone turned.
"...What the hell?!"
Footsteps.
From the mist beyond the trees.
Mae-Bi walked into view.
Calm. Relaxed. A smirk on his face.
Jin followed behind, cracking his knuckles.
Mae-Bi's eyes scanned the team, then flicked to Rak, then Gun-Sik, then finally to Yeon-Mi — bloodied, bruised, but alive.
"Tsk," he clicked his tongue. "Guess I came back just in time."
"No way..." one of the squad whispered.
"Mae-Bi... you really predicted Rak's betrayal...?"
He smiled.
"Didn't I say it? You owe me a bowl of ramen."
Yuri's knees buckled in relief.
"...Idiot," she whispered — but smiled.
A real, genuine smile.