Ziaisko's Love
Jasmin composed herself after her crying spell and her decision not to directly strike Viktor and Alia. She turned to leave the suite. She had little time; she had to continue the drama to draw Ji-Han's attention and keep the conflict between the mafia brothers alive.
Jasmin walked toward the door.
Then Jasmin started to leave.
At that very moment, Ziaisko Volga, who had been submerged in rage, grief, and frustration, said something completely unexpected. Ziaisko quickly moved toward Jasmin.
Then Ziaisko said, "Jasmin, I... I love..." Ziaisko couldn't control himself; his voice held a tragic tone of love and attraction.
Jasmin paused at the door. She turned back to Ziaisko, startled. This man had tried to use his brother's weakness, had mocked her, and now he was...
Ziaisko's face was flushed with emotion, his eyes showing both pain and yearning. He wasn't as insane as Dmitri, but his attraction was also deep.
Jasmin said, "What?"
Jasmin's tone was one of disbelief, sarcasm, and cold questioning. She seemed to ask, where is the place for love in this situation, in this mafia game?
Ziaisko lowered his head and said, "I... I love you, Jasmin. Maria was my weakness, but you are my attraction. You have destroyed everything in my family, but I cannot hate you."
Jasmin smiled. This time her smile was entirely bitter.
"You love me, Ziaisko? Your brother loves me too. Ji-Han also loved me once. You all love me, but none of you saved me," Jasmin said.
She gripped the doorknob. "Your love doesn't touch me, Ziaisko. You all only ever wanted to conquer me. Now, just protect yourself from Viktor and Alia. And your love... take it to your grave."
Jasmin opened the door and walked out of the room, leaving Ziaisko alone with all his feelings and vulnerabilities.
The Last Challenge: Going to the NIS
Jasmin left the hotel suite and went directly to her next destination—the headquarters of the Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS). The news of Maria's disappearance and her modelling madness had sufficiently agitated Ji-Han. Jasmin wanted to strengthen her trap by speaking directly with Ji-Han.
In the secured room of the NIS building, Ji-Han stared fixedly at his desk. Upon hearing of Jasmin's arrival, he quickly composed himself. He knew this woman was dangerous, but he himself had allowed her to come here.
When Jasmin entered the room, she was dressed in high-fashion clothes, as if ready for a catwalk, but her eyes held cold professionalism.
"You came," Ji-Han said calmly.
"I come, I go," Jasmin said, a mysterious smile on her lips. "I am leaving your city, Ji-Han."
Then Jasmin went to the NIS.
Jasmin stood close to Ji-Han, an irresistible attraction in her voice.
She told Ji-Han, "I'm going to Russian [Russia]. Your invitation remains for Russian [Russia]."
Jasmin directly challenged Ji-Han. She wasn't just leaving; she was inviting him to her lair, on Russian soil, at the heart of their mafia empire. This was the ultimate mockery of Ji-Han—as if to say, "If you dare, come to me to find me and uncover my mystery."
Ji-Han's eyes grew cautious and sharp. He knew Jasmin was trying to lure him into her trap, but the lead on Maria's disappearance and the internal conflict within the Volga family would not allow him to ignore this invitation.
"Are you inviting me to meet your husband, Jasmin?" Ji-Han asked with a crooked smile.
"You can think whatever you like," Jasmin replied. "But the secret of Maria's disappearance and the key to Viktor's empire are both in Russia now. I am leaving you clues, Ji-Han. The rest is your job now."
Jasmin did not stay a moment longer. She turned sharply and left the room, leaving the head of the NIS facing the biggest challenge of his life. She knew Ji-Han would come.
Return to Russia: Dmitri's Embrace
Jasmin left the NIS headquarters and headed straight for Seoul International Airport. After throwing down the gauntlet to Ji-Han, she had no more business in Korea. Her real game would now begin at the core of the Russian mafia empire.
Return to Russia
Jasmin's private jet landed at a private airfield near Dmitri's secret fortress on the outskirts of Moscow. A luxurious armored car took her directly to the fortress.
Inside the fortress, Jasmin set down her suitcase and slowly walked toward Dmitri's private apartment. This was her first meeting with Dmitri after Maria's killing. Jasmin knew Dmitri would be consumed by his thirst for revenge, but his primary goal would be to have her close.
Jasmin walked past the living room and went straight to the balcony. When she arrived, she saw the scene that awaited her.
Then Jasmin went to Russian [Russia].
She saw Dmitri standing by the balcony railing. His gaze was fixed on the distant horizon, where the Russian landscape stood with its own coldness.
She saw her husband standing on the balcony.
Dmitri's golden hair was gently blowing in the wind.
His golden hair was flying.
He was wearing a blue shirt. His muscular body and stern face carried the identity of a mafia lord.
He was wearing a blue shirt.
Dmitri was completely still. It was as if he was waiting for Jasmin's arrival, but his eyes held a deep, melancholic stare. His gaze was not focused on any specific point, as if he was only observing the emptiness within himself.
He was staring ahead like a ribbon [meaning his gaze was fixed, straight, and lost in the distance].
Dmitri was unaware of Jasmin's arrival. Jasmin slowly moved behind him. The sound of her shoes did not reach Dmitri's ears, as he was deep in thought.
All of Jasmin's anger, revenge, and past betrayal seemed to vanish in this moment. This man loves her with a crazed intensity. She knows this relationship is dangerous, but this love is the sole reason for her survival in this game.
Jasmin, without a word, without warning, embraced Dmitri from behind.
Then Jasmin hugged him from behind.
Dmitri was startled. His body tensed for a moment. But when he felt the sweet scent of Jasmin's white hair and the familiar warmth of her hands, he understood—who had come.
Dmitri slowly turned his head toward Jasmin. His eyes were still moist with tears, but a smile of relief broke on his lips. To him, it felt as though Jasmin's embrace was the greatest truth of his life, more significant than all his power, empire, and rage.
"Jasmin," Dmitri whispered. "You are back."
Jasmin rested her head on Dmitri's shoulder and said calmly, "Yes. With you. Maria is finished. Now it's your brothers' turn."
The Unfinished Truth: Maria's Real Identity
In Jasmin's embrace, all of Dmitri's resistance broke. She held her husband tightly, as if all the agony of the past three months was released in this hug.
But that cold, calculating smile returned to Jasmin's face. This embrace was just a maneuver to reel Dmitri in.
Jasmin slowly pulled away from Dmitri and looked him in the eye.
"Oh," Jasmin said softly. "I was just joking."
Then Jasmin said, "Oh, no! I was just joking. You don't know..."
Dmitri was stunned. "Joking? Are you joking about Maria's death, Jasmin? I thought you were..."
Jasmin cut him off. There was no smile on her face now; her blue eyes held only deep darkness.
"I know you thought I killed Maria for you. But you don't know who Maria really was," Jasmin said.
Jasmin looked at Dmitri now, her voice heavy with pain, as if she were opening an old, festering wound.
"You don't know, when Maria killed my parents..."
Jasmin's words trailed off. The horrific scene of that moment flashed in her mind, when the light of her childhood had been extinguished forever.
Flashback: The Childhood Curse
Time: Approximately 15 years ago.
Location: A quiet European town, Jasmin's childhood home.
Jasmin was very young then, but that night was still vivid in her memory.
Flashback: Jasmin is sitting in the room.
She was playing on the floor of her small bedroom. It was late at night outside, and rain was drizzling. Suddenly, she heard her parents screaming downstairs. The screams were not of joy, but of terror.
Jasmin was terrified. She quickly pushed open the wooden door of her room a little and peered out.
Light was coming from the corridor, and in that light, she saw her parents struggling with two strangers. One of the people was Maria.
Maria was much younger then, but her eyes were cold and ferocious. Jasmin saw Maria point a sharp object at her father.
The following scenes were of blood, screams, and silence.
Jasmin sat by her door in her small room, clutching it tightly. She didn't cry. She just watched Maria and her companion calmly finish their work and leave the house. As she left, Maria glanced back at the door of Jasmin's room, as if she knew Jasmin was inside.
Jasmin sat there alone and motionless that night. Her parents never returned. From that day on, the seed of revenge was sown in Jasmin's mind.
Present
Jasmin stood on the balcony, taking a deep breath. That old terror and hatred returned to her eyes.
"I didn't do you any favor by killing Maria, Dmitri," Jasmin said. "I punished the murderer of my parents. Now, whether you love me or hate me—it doesn't matter to me."
Dmitri was now speechless. He didn't know his brother, Viktor, had been hiding Maria, knowing her identity as the killer of Jasmin's parents!
"Jasmin..." Dmitri murmured.
"If you want to survive this game, you cannot show any concern about Maria's death," Jasmin said. "Your brother, Viktor, Alia—none of them know who Maria really was. You will only know that Maria's weakness is gone, and your wife is now with you."
Jasmin had caught Dmitri at his moment of extreme vulnerability. She now took control of their relationship.
The Black Ribbon: A Promise of Protection
Jasmin came back to reality, panting. Her face was pale, and tears were still rolling down her eyes.
"I didn't do you any favor by killing Maria, Dmitri," Jasmin said in a choked voice. "I killed a murderer who destroyed my family. Not for your love or your revenge—this was just for me."
Dmitri didn't ask her any questions this time, nor did he offer any mafia-like analysis. His eyes only held a boundless expression of pain. For the first time, he saw his wife's inner wound completely exposed.
Dmitri slowly pulled Jasmin toward him.
Then Dmitry picked her up in his arms.
He lifted Jasmin in his muscular arms, as if he wanted to shield her from all the dangers of the world.
Then Dmitri expressed a deep, personal emotion. His long, golden hair was the symbol of his mafia lord status. He untied the binding of his hair, untied the black ribbon from his hair.