The Assassins Squad

Rio stood in the corridor, calmly leaning against one of the walls.

In his hand was a bottle of alcohol, and he held it as though there were nothing unusual about his presence there.

He raised it to his mouth and took a long drink before slowly lowering it.

Jinsu and Ivo stood in front of him.

Silence lingered for a few moments.

Rio looked at the two of them calmly, while Ivo watched him cautiously.

Then Ivo broke the silence.

"Why do I keep running into you everywhere?"

Rio raised his eyes toward him.

A small smile appeared on his face.

"Because it is the will of fate, my friend."

Rio laughed sarcastically.

But Ivo did not laugh.

Rio raised the bottle again and took another drink.

Ivo replied:

"I don't believe in fate."

Rio lowered the bottle as he looked at him.

"It's just a way people use to justify their actions."

Rio continued staring at him.

He did not seem to like the answer.

But before he could say anything, Rio shifted his gaze toward Jinsu.

His eyes remained on him for a few moments.

Then he said:

"But..."

He paused briefly.

"Why are you with Ivo?"

Jinsu did not answer.

Instead, he looked at Ivo.

As if the question had not been directed at him alone.

Ivo was the one who answered.

"What's it to you?"

Rio smiled.

"Nothing."

He raised the bottle.

"Just curious."

He drank again.

But something about his calmness made Jinsu feel that it wasn't merely curiosity.

There was something else.

Something he had yet to understand.

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Then Rio said:

"Anyway..."

He paused.

Then looked at Ivo.

"I heard some news."

Ivo's expression did not change.

But Jinsu noticed that Rio's tone had shifted slightly.

"I heard the Court exiled someone."

Jinsu froze.

Ivo remained silent.

But his eyes changed.

Wait...

Thoughts began racing through Ivo's mind.

How does this bastard know?

News from the Court did not get out easily.

What happened inside the Court stayed inside the Court.

So how had this news reached Rio?

Who had told him?

And why did he know about it in the first place?

Jinsu looked at Ivo.

Ivo was staring at Rio without saying a word.

As for Rio, he seemed to be enjoying the silence.

Then he said:

"I also heard that you were there, Ivo."

He raised the bottle slightly.

"So..."

He looked at Jinsu.

Then back at Ivo.

"Tell me."

He paused.

"Is he the one who was exiled?"

Ivo did not answer immediately.

A heavy silence filled the corridor.

The question itself was simple.

But the answer was not.

Ivo stared at Rio for several seconds.

Then he said coldly:

"That's none of your business."

Rio's smile did not change.

"As you wish."

Ivo turned toward Jinsu.

"Come on. Let's go."

Jinsu followed him.

As they walked away from Rio, Jinsu continued thinking about what he had said.

The question itself was not the problem.

The problem was that Rio knew something he was never supposed to know.

When they reached the end of the corridor, Jinsu heard Rio's voice behind them.

"Goodbye for now."

He paused for a moment.

"But we'll meet again."

Ivo did not turn around.

Jinsu, however, glanced back for a moment.

Rio was still standing where he had been.

And he was looking directly at him.

Then Jinsu turned around and continued walking.

---

After leaving the building, Jinsu walked beside Ivo for some time.

He could no longer hold back his question.

"Why does he keep showing up wherever we go?"

Ivo did not look at him.

"Don't worry about him."

Then he continued:

"What matters now is that we reach headquarters."

Jinsu remained silent.

Then he looked ahead.

The village seemed quiet.

Far too quiet.

After everything he had seen there, he could no longer look at any building in the village as just a building.

Everything here was hiding something.

The two continued walking until they reached a building at the edge of the village.

Jinsu stopped.

He looked at the building.

It was ordinary.

Far too ordinary.

There were no visible guards.

No emblem.

Nothing that suggested this place had anything to do with one of the most dangerous groups in the village.

Jinsu asked:

"Is this the headquarters?"

Ivo laughed.

"Haha... no."

Jinsu looked at him in confusion.

Ivo continued:

"But we've reached it."

Ivo approached one of the walls.

He raised his hand.

Then placed his palm against it.

Everything stopped.

At first, nothing happened.

Then...

The world disappeared.

The building disappeared.

The village disappeared.

The light disappeared.

Everything disappeared.

And in a single moment, Jinsu found himself surrounded by complete darkness.

His eyes widened.

"What...?"

He turned around quickly.

There was nothing.

No building.

No village.

No sky.

Not even Ivo.

Only darkness.

"Wait..."

He held his hand out in front of him.

He couldn't see his fingers.

"Where am I?"

He turned in place.

"Ivo?"

No answer.

"Is anyone there?"

Silence.

It was as if the entire world had disappeared.

This wasn't night.

It was something else.

A darkness so complete that even his eyes could not grow accustomed to it.

Then a voice came from somewhere unknown.

"The worst decision you can make in this situation..."

The voice paused for a moment.

"...is to reveal your location."

Jinsu turned quickly.

At that exact moment, a knife flew out of the darkness toward him.

"Damn it!"

Jinsu ducked.

The knife passed over his head.

He turned and shouted:

"What the hell is this?!"

Then he raised his voice.

"You bastard! Show yourself!"

Her voice came from somewhere else.

"Is shouting all you're good at?"

Jinsu froze.

It was a woman.

But where was she?

He couldn't see her.

He couldn't even determine the direction of her voice.

Then...

Several knives flew out of the darkness.

"Damn it!"

Jinsu moved quickly.

He dodged the first.

Then the second.

He ducked beneath the third.

He turned and avoided the fourth.

The attacks were coming from different directions.

There was nothing he could rely on except his senses.

But one of the knives struck him.

"Argh!"

Jinsu staggered backward.

He placed a hand over the wound.

Then raised his eyes toward the darkness.

Anger burned in his eyes.

"You bastard!"

He shouted:

"Show yourself! Don't hide like rats!"

Silence.

Then her voice came again:

"Fine."

Jinsu froze.

And in the next moment...

She appeared in front of him.

He hadn't seen her move.

He hadn't seen where she came from.

All he felt was a powerful fist crashing into his face.

BOOM!

His eyes widened.

His body staggered backward.

Then he fell.

And everything went black.

---

Jinsu slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a white ceiling.

He stared at it for several moments.

He didn't understand where he was.

Then he tried to get up.

His body felt heavy.

He raised a hand and rubbed his face.

"Argh..."

He remembered the darkness.

The knives.

The voice.

Then the punch.

He placed a hand against his face.

"Where exactly am I?"

A voice came from in front of him.

"Welcome."

Jinsu quickly raised his head.

He turned.

And froze.

There was a group of people standing in front of him.

Ivo was among them.

Jinsu looked at everyone.

He began counting them.

One...

Two...

Three...

Four...

Five...

Six...

Seven...

Eight.

There were eight people, including Ivo.

Jinsu didn't recognize any of them.

But one thing had become clear.

These were not ordinary people.

He had just entered a place he was never supposed to reach so easily.

Then the voice came again:

"You are now in the Assassins' headquarters."

Silence followed.

Then the voice continued:

"And we..."

It paused briefly.

"...are the Assassins Squad."