Bang Si Hyuk lay sprawled across the cold marble floor, his body twisting in sharp, agonizing spasms. The air was thick and silent, save for his ragged breaths and the pounding of his own heartbeat echoing in his ears. The heavy scent of iron filled the room, overpowering the once-imposing, rich fragrance of his leather-bound office.

His eyes widened, struggling to focus as he felt a searing pain tear through his chest, his heart lurching with each relentless strike. The cold steel embedded in his chest radiated waves of heat and agony, sharper with each passing second. He tried to speak, to utter a single word—perhaps a curse, or even a plea—but his mouth tasted only the metallic tang of blood, thick and suffocating.

A shadow loomed above him, a figure with no face, no features, nothing he could recognize. They raised their hand again, the blade gleaming as it descended without hesitation, sinking into him once more. His thoughts scattered, desperate and wild—fragments of memories, of deals made and lives broken, of secrets hidden in the dark corners of his empire. For the first time, Bang felt something unfamiliar in his chest, just beneath the pain.

Fear.

Another blow tore through his body, and Bang's mind flickered, fighting to stay conscious, refusing to surrender. He had built himself up to be invincible, a man of untouchable power and wealth, yet here he was, helpless and bleeding out under the shadow of his own mistakes. He couldn't escape the weight pressing down on him, the unshakable truth that this was the end.

As his vision dimmed, he clung to his fading thought: Who would dare?

And then, his blurred vision cleared just enough. He lifted his head slightly, eyes searching—and met another's. In that brief instant, he understood. It was inevitable, he realized, as something dark and unspoken passed between them. A truth he had avoided, or perhaps ignored, all these years. This end had been written long ago.

The room grew colder, his last breath escaping in a shallow, rattling gasp. 

The shadow receded into the darkness, leaving Bang Si Hyuk's body motionless and forgotten, a cold remnant of the legacy he had fought so mercilessly to protect.

Bang Si Hyuk, the man who had built an empire, had met his end with his last answer: a gaze, a face, a truth he could no longer deny.

~•~