Kai and Minseo moved quickly, their footsteps echoing through the abandoned building. The air was thick with dust and tension, but they didn't dare stop. Kai's heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline still coursing through his veins from the fight with Sato. Minseo clung to his arm, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. She was trembling, but they both knew they couldn’t slow down. Not yet.

“Are you okay?” Kai asked, his voice strained but steady.

Minseo nodded weakly, her eyes wide and fearful. “I-I think so. I just want to get out of here, Kai.”

“We will,” he promised, squeezing her hand. “We’re almost there.”

They made their way through the dimly lit hallways, passing shattered windows and crumbling walls. Every creak and groan of the building made Minseo flinch, but Kai remained focused, his mind racing. Sato wasn’t going to stop. Even if he was lying on the floor, bloodied and broken, Kai knew the man’s resolve. He wouldn’t rest until he had the Ledger.

But Kai had another plan in mind.

As they approached the exit, the cool night air creeping through the cracks of the door, Kai suddenly stopped. His grip on Minseo’s hand tightened as he looked back toward the hallway they had just come from. The distant sounds of Sato's groans still reached his ears, faint but undeniable. He could picture Sato, slowly getting back on his feet, fueled by hatred and desperation.

Minseo looked up at him, her brows furrowed in confusion. “Kai, what is it? We need to go.”

Kai’s jaw clenched. “I can’t let him live.”

Minseo’s eyes widened, panic flickering across her face. “What do you mean? We’re out, we’re safe. Let’s just leave him—”

“He won’t stop,” Kai interrupted, his voice dark, final. “He’ll come after us again. He’ll come after you. He’ll come after anyone I care about.” His gaze was steely, unwavering. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

Minseo stared at him, horror dawning in her eyes. “You’re talking about killing him…”

Kai didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a small device—an explosive, one he had been carrying for weeks now, always waiting for the right moment. He had taken it from one of his father’s old friends, a relic from when his father was involved in things Kai barely understood. But now, it had a clear purpose.

Minseo gasped, stepping back. “Kai, no. There has to be another way.”

Kai’s eyes softened for a brief moment as he turned to her. “I wish there was. But this is the only way to make sure it ends here.”

“Kai…” Minseo’s voice was pleading. “You’re not a killer. You don’t have to do this.”

Kai’s face hardened again. “I’m not a killer,” he repeated, though the words felt heavy in his mouth. “But I’m not going to let Sato keep hunting us down. He’s too dangerous. He’ll hurt more people, Minseo. If I don’t stop him, he’ll never stop.”

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She fell silent, tears brimming in her eyes. She didn’t want to believe it, but deep down, she knew Kai was right. Sato wasn’t the type of man to give up easily. The only way to truly escape him was to end him.

Kai gave her a final look, filled with regret but also determination. “Stay here,” he whispered.

Before she could argue, Kai turned and started walking back toward the building. His steps were measured, deliberate, as he pulled out the bomb and armed it. He could feel the weight of his decision pressing down on him, but there was no turning back now. His mind flashed with memories of everything Sato had done—how he had manipulated, tortured, and killed to get his hands on the Ledger. Kai had to make sure the Ledger was never in Sato’s hands again.

He paused at the edge of the door, looking back toward the corridor where he had left Sato. The man’s groans were growing quieter, but Kai knew he was still alive. Just barely. That wouldn’t last much longer.

With a deep breath, Kai tossed the bomb into the building. It clattered against the concrete floor, rolling into the shadows where Sato lay.

For a second, everything was silent.

Kai turned and sprinted back toward Minseo, his breath ragged, his heart pounding in his chest. He grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the door. “Come on, we need to go.”

Minseo didn’t resist, though her eyes were filled with dread. They burst through the door, stumbling into the open night air, the cool breeze hitting their faces. Kai didn’t stop running, dragging Minseo with him as they fled from the building.

Then, behind them, the explosion.

The ground trembled beneath their feet, and a deafening boom echoed through the night as fire and debris erupted from the building. The shockwave sent them both crashing to the ground, Kai instinctively shielding Minseo with his body as pieces of concrete and glass rained down around them.

The air was thick with dust and smoke, the acrid smell of burning metal filling Kai’s lungs. He coughed, struggling to catch his breath as he slowly lifted his head, glancing back at the building.

It was gone. Reduced to a smoldering pile of rubble. The flames danced in the night, casting long shadows across the desolate street. And in that moment, Kai knew that Sato was gone. There was no way he had survived.

Minseo groaned beneath him, stirring as she pushed herself up. Her eyes were wide with shock as she looked at the destruction, her hands shaking. “You… you really did it.”

Kai didn’t respond. He simply sat there, staring at the ruins of the building, his body numb. The weight of what he had done hung heavy on him, the adrenaline fading and leaving only an empty, hollow feeling in its place.

“I had to,” he whispered, more to himself than to Minseo. “I had to.”

Minseo didn’t say anything. She just stared at him, her expression torn between fear and relief. For the first time, she realized just how far Kai was willing to go to protect them—to stop the madness that the Ledger had brought into their lives.

Kai rose to his feet slowly, offering his hand to her. “It’s over now.”

Minseo hesitated for a moment before taking his hand, allowing him to pull her up. She didn’t look at him as they began walking away from the smoldering remains of the building. The silence between them was thick, weighed down by everything that had happened, everything that couldn’t be undone.

Kai’s mind raced as they walked into the night, the fiery glow of the explosion fading behind them. He knew that killing Sato wouldn’t erase the past. It wouldn’t undo the bloodshed, the pain, or the darkness that had enveloped their lives. But at least, for now, they were free.

At least, for now, the Ledger’s curse wouldn’t claim another victim.

But as Kai glanced down at Minseo, who was silently walking beside him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was far from over. The Ledger was still out there, and its power was too great, too dangerous. Someone else would come looking for it. And when they did, Kai would be ready. He had to be.

Because even though Sato was dead, the real fight was just beginning.