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Soul Ledger
A Slap to the Face

A Slap to the Face

The cold night air outside the warehouse felt like a slap to the face. Hana stood still for a moment, her breath misting in the chill as she tried to process everything. Kang Hyun, the man who had haunted her for so long, was dead. But instead of relief, there was a strange emptiness gnawing at her insides. It wasn’t supposed to feel like this. She had imagined this moment a thousand times, the victory, the closure, but now that it had come, all she felt was a hollow ache.

Kaito placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hana? You alright?"

His voice pulled her back to reality. She blinked, shaking off the daze, and forced herself to nod. "Yeah... I’m fine."

Kaito frowned, clearly unconvinced. "You don’t look fine. You haven’t said a word since we left the warehouse."

Hana glanced at him, then at Daeyoung, who was standing a few feet away, scanning the surroundings with his usual wary gaze. "I just... I thought it would feel different," she admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"

"Like... I don’t know. I thought I’d feel something. Anything." She crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable. "We’ve been chasing him for so long, and now that it’s over, I just... I don’t know what comes next."

Kaito was silent for a moment, his eyes thoughtful as he considered her words. "It’s never as simple as it seems in your head, Hana. You think taking him down will fix everything, but that’s not how it works."

She looked at him, surprised by the depth of his response. "Then why did we do it? Why chase him all this time if it doesn’t make a difference?"

Kaito’s lips thinned into a grim line. "Because someone had to stop him. You didn’t do this to feel better—you did it because it was the right thing to do."

Hana stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in. He was right. She hadn’t gone after Kang for revenge, at least not entirely. It was about justice, about stopping him from ruining more lives. But now that it was over, the cost of it all was crashing down on her.

Before she could respond, Daeyoung interrupted them, his voice sharp. "We need to keep moving. Standing around out here is a good way to get caught."

Hana and Kaito exchanged a quick glance, and then they followed Daeyoung down the deserted street. The docks were eerily quiet, the only sound the distant lapping of water against the pier. As they walked, Hana’s thoughts swirled with everything that had happened. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t out of danger yet.

Daeyoung kept his pace brisk, his eyes constantly scanning the shadows. "We’ll regroup at my safehouse," he said quietly. "Lay low for a while until we figure out what the next move is."

Kaito shot him a sideways glance. "The next move? You’re kidding, right? Kang’s dead. This is over."

Daeyoung didn’t look at him, but his voice was firm. "Kang was just one piece of the puzzle. Killing him doesn’t mean his entire operation disappears. If anything, it’ll make things worse. His people will be scrambling for control now."

Hana frowned. "So what? We just wait for them to come after us?"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"We stay ahead of them," Daeyoung corrected, his tone clipped. "If we play it smart, we can dismantle the rest of his network before they have a chance to retaliate. But that means we need to be careful. No mistakes."

Kaito scoffed, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "This was supposed to be the end. We’ve been doing this for years, Daeyoung. I’m tired."

Hana stayed silent, listening to their back-and-forth. She understood where Kaito was coming from—she was exhausted too. But Daeyoung had a point. Kang’s death didn’t mean the end of the fight, just the end of one battle.

Daeyoung finally stopped walking, turning to face them both. His expression was hard, but there was something in his eyes—something almost vulnerable. "I get it. You’re tired. But we can’t let our guard down now. Not when we’re this close to finishing what we started."

Hana hesitated, then spoke up. "You said it yourself, Daeyoung. Things are going to get worse before they get better. What makes you think we’ll be able to stop the rest of them?"

Daeyoung’s gaze softened, just a little. "Because we’ve done it before. And because we don’t have a choice."

The silence that followed was heavy. Kaito sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. But we’re going to need more than just the three of us."

Daeyoung nodded. "I’ve got a few contacts we can trust. People who want Kang’s empire gone as much as we do."

"Contacts," Kaito muttered, shaking his head. "I hope for our sake they’re better than the last ones."

Hana managed a small smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. "We’ll figure it out. We always do."

Daeyoung turned and started walking again, leading them toward the outskirts of the docks where his safehouse was hidden. As they approached, Hana’s mind was still racing, turning over everything they’d been through. Despite everything, a part of her couldn’t help but wonder if they were in over their heads. Kang Hyun was dead, but Daeyoung was right—this wasn’t over. Not yet.

The safehouse was a nondescript building tucked away behind an old industrial complex. It looked abandoned from the outside, but Hana knew better. Daeyoung had chosen the location carefully, a place no one would think to look. They entered through a back door, and once inside, Daeyoung locked it behind them, checking the windows to make sure they weren’t followed.

"We should be safe here for now," Daeyoung said, his voice low as he flicked on a single light in the small living area. "I’ll make some calls. You two get some rest."

Hana sat down heavily on the old, worn couch, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on her. She hadn’t realized how exhausted she was until now. Kaito sat next to her, stretching out with a groan.

"I can’t believe this is our life," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "Running from safehouse to safehouse, chasing ghosts."

Hana leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "It’ll be over soon. It has to be."

Kaito glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "Do you really believe that?"

She paused, thinking about everything Daeyoung had said. "I don’t know. But I have to."

The silence between them was thick, filled with unspoken fears and doubts. After a long moment, Kaito spoke again, his voice quieter this time.

"You were brave back there, facing Kang like that."

Hana turned her head to look at him, surprised by the sudden compliment. "I didn’t feel brave. I just... did what I had to do."

"Still," Kaito said, "it was impressive. Not many people would have stood up to him like that."

Hana shrugged, unsure of how to respond. She didn’t feel like a hero. She felt tired, and scared, and uncertain of what the future held. But hearing Kaito’s words gave her a small sense of comfort, even if just for a moment.

Daeyoung reappeared, his phone in hand, his expression serious. "I’ve made contact with someone who can help us. We’ll meet them tomorrow night."

Kaito groaned. "More meetings. Great."

Hana shot him a look. "We need all the help we can get, Kaito."

Daeyoung ignored the banter, crossing his arms as he looked at them both. "This isn’t going to be easy. The people we’re up against—they’re not going to roll over just because Kang’s gone. They’ll be more dangerous than ever."

Hana stood up, feeling a spark of determination ignite in her chest. "Then we’ll fight them. We’ve come this far—we’re not backing down now."

Daeyoung gave her a long, hard look, then nodded. "Alright. Get some rest. We move out at dawn."

As he disappeared into the back room, Hana and Kaito exchanged a glance. The fight wasn’t over, but for the first time in a long time, Hana felt like they were ready for whatever came next.