Hana sat alone in the safehouse, the dim light casting shadows across her face. The weight of her decision pressed on her chest like a boulder, suffocating her. In front of her, on the table, lay the Soul Ledger—the cursed book that had become her only means of survival and power. She had opened it so many times before, but this time felt different. This time, the choice wasn’t about enemies or people standing in her way.

This time, it was about the people closest to her.

Her eyes drifted to the page she had opened, her fingers hovering just above the parchment, trembling. Two names were already written there in her mind, though she hadn’t dared to put pen to paper yet. **Kaito** and **Daeyoung**.

She bit her lip, hard enough to taste blood, as her heart pounded in her chest. The Soul Ledger had rules—strict, unforgiving rules—but there was one that lingered in her mind, haunting her thoughts:

**Once a name is written, the soul is claimed. No exceptions. No turning back.**

Hana exhaled slowly, her fingers twitching toward the pen that sat next to the ledger. She didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to kill them, but what choice did she have? They were liabilities now—Daeyoung, with his wavering loyalty and dangerous doubts, and Kaito, who, despite his unwavering support, was too much of a moral anchor. He would try to stop her once he saw what she was willing to do.

No, they had to go. There was no room for hesitation in this war, no space for doubt.

But her heart, traitorous as it was, rebelled against the thought. Kaito had saved her life more times than she could count. Daeyoung had been her partner, her friend. How could she bring herself to do this? How could she erase them from existence as if they were nothing more than obstacles?

Her mind raced back to the conversation with Kaito earlier. His words echoed in her head: *"You’re not a killer. Not like that. We need each other."*

But wasn’t she? Wasn’t that exactly what she had become? A killer who justified every death as a necessary evil? How many names had she written already? How many lives had she taken in her pursuit of survival and justice?

"Justice," she scoffed under her breath, her voice a whisper in the still room. “Is that what this is anymore? Or is it just survival?”

A knock at the door broke her thoughts. She didn’t turn to face it, knowing who it was.

“Hana?” Kaito’s voice called softly. “Can we talk?”

She didn’t respond immediately, her eyes still locked on the blank page of the Soul Ledger. Could she do this? Could she really write his name?

The door creaked open behind her, and Kaito stepped into the room. His face was lined with concern, but he tried to mask it with a calm expression. “You’ve been in here for a while. What’s going on?”

Hana swallowed hard, gripping the edge of the table. “Nothing,” she lied, though her voice trembled slightly. “Just thinking.”

Kaito approached her cautiously, as if sensing the tension in the air. “Thinking about what?” He glanced at the Soul Ledger on the table, and his brow furrowed. “Hana… are you considering—”

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“I have to, Kaito,” she interrupted, her voice sharper than she intended. “You know what Daeyoung almost did. I can’t trust him anymore. And you—you’re not going to understand what I’m about to do. You’ll try to stop me.”

Kaito’s eyes widened, a mix of shock and hurt flashing across his face. “Stop you? What are you talking about? Hana, we’re in this together. We’ve always been in this together. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Hana clenched her fists, her body tense. She could feel the weight of his words, the sincerity behind them, but it didn’t change the fact that he would get in her way. “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t *want* to believe that? But this—this is bigger than us now.”

“Bigger than us?” Kaito’s voice rose, frustration creeping in. “This whole thing—Jin Woo, the FBI, everything we’ve been through—it’s *always* been bigger than us! But we’ve survived because we’ve stuck together. You can’t just decide to throw that away.”

“I don’t have a choice!” Hana snapped, slamming her hand on the table. The sound echoed through the room, and for a moment, they both fell silent.

Kaito took a deep breath, his voice softening. “You do have a choice, Hana. You always have a choice. You can put the Soul Ledger down. We can figure this out, like we always do. We can find a way.”

Hana looked away, her chest tight with emotion. “I’ve been figuring things out for too long, Kaito. I’m tired. Tired of second-guessing every move. Tired of wondering who’s going to betray me next.”

Kaito stepped closer, his hand reaching out to touch her shoulder. “I’m not going to betray you. And neither is Daeyoung. He’s scared, Hana. We all are. But that doesn’t mean we turn on each other.”

Hana shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t risk it. I can’t risk either of you getting in my way.”

Kaito’s eyes widened in realization, and he took a step back, his expression hardening. “What are you saying?”

Hana’s hand trembled as she picked up the pen, holding it above the blank page of the Soul Ledger. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she could feel Kaito’s gaze burning into her, pleading with her to stop.

“Hana… no,” Kaito whispered, his voice laced with fear. “Please. Don’t do this.”

She hesitated, her grip on the pen tightening. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, tears welling in her eyes. “I can’t let you stop me.”

Just then, the door to the room burst open, and Daeyoung stormed in, his face pale and his eyes wide with panic. “What’s going on? I heard—”

His voice trailed off as he saw Hana standing over the Soul Ledger, the pen poised to write. His eyes darted to Kaito, and the realization hit him like a tidal wave.

“No,” Daeyoung breathed, shaking his head. “You’re not serious. You’re not actually going to—”

“I don’t have a choice!” Hana shouted, her voice cracking under the strain. “I’m doing this to protect us! To protect the mission!”

“By killing us?” Daeyoung’s voice was thick with disbelief. “We’ve been with you through everything! And now you’re going to turn on us?”

Kaito stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. “Hana, listen to me. If you do this, there’s no coming back. You kill us, and you’ll be alone. Is that really what you want?”

Hana’s hands shook violently as she gripped the pen. Her mind was screaming at her to stop, but the cold logic that had kept her alive refused to back down. “If I don’t do this, you’ll get in the way. You’ll try to stop me from finishing what we started.”

Daeyoung’s face twisted in anger, his voice rising. “Then let us stop you! This isn’t justice anymore, Hana! This is murder!”

Hana’s breath came in ragged gasps, her vision blurring with tears. She wanted to believe them. She wanted to believe that there was still another way, but deep down, she knew the truth.

She couldn’t trust anyone. Not even them.

With a shaky breath, she lowered the pen to the page and began to write.

Kaito lunged toward her, but it was too late. The name had been written. His body froze mid-step, his eyes widening in horror as he felt the life drain out of him.

“No… Hana…” he whispered, collapsing to the floor.

Daeyoung screamed in rage, rushing toward her with desperation in his eyes. But Hana, numb to the world now, wrote his name just as quickly. He didn’t even make it halfway to her before he, too, crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

The room was silent, save for the sound of Hana’s ragged breathing. She stood there, staring at the two bodies at her feet, her hand still gripping the pen.

She had done it.

She had killed them.

And now, she was alone.