Place: Air China / Mid-Air to Beijing
Time: Early Morning
High above the clouds, the plane moved quietly through the dark, cutting through the thick Beijing fog just before dawn. Inside the dim cabin, Siwon was completely still—a rare sight for someone who usually never stopped.
Exhausted from the messy, chaotic rush out of Paris, she was fast asleep in her first-class suite. Her body was resting, but her mind was already slipping away from business and boardrooms, drifting back into that same old memory. It was a dream she had lived through a thousand times.
The cold white office walls in her head faded out, replaced by the warm, golden light of a sunny afternoon from years ago.
A little girl with messy curls and bright eyes was skipping down a cobblestone path. Her tiny hand was wrapped tightly around her mother's fingers, pulling with everything she had.
"No, Mamma!" the little girl protested, sticking out her lower lip. She stopped and began tugging hard at her mother to get her attention. "I want a sister! Everyone at school has a sister. Some have brothers too... but I don't want a brother. I just want a sister! Please, Mamma, I want one right now!"
The mother let out a soft laugh and knelt down. She gently tucked a stray hair behind the girl's ear, looking at her stubborn little face. There was a silent sadness in her eyes—something the little girl was still too young to understand.
"But baby," she said softly, her voice weak but tender. "You're more than enough for us. Why do you want another baby? And... you know Mumma is sick, right? A second baby can't come."
But the little girl didn't care. She stomped her foot, tears blurring her eyes. "You have to bring her fast, Mumma! Quickly!"
"No! I don't care!" she sobbed, saying it over and over. "I just want a sister, Mumma! Please, bring her home right now!"
She let go of her mother's hand and ran down the path, her tiny shoulders shaking as she cried, completely blind to the heartbreak she was leaving behind.
"SIWON!"
"NO! MOM!"
Siwon sat up fast, her eyes snapping open in the dark. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, and she was breaking out in a cold sweat. The echo of her own childhood scream still felt stuck in her throat, ruining the quiet hum of the plane.
She gripped the armrests tight, squeezing until her knuckles turned white, trying to force herself to breathe normally.
But before she could even wipe her forehead, a panicked, muffled voice from behind the first-class curtain caught her attention.
The business class section was mostly empty. The few passengers were dead to the world in the dark rows. Because it was so quiet and dim, nobody else noticed the struggle near the back galley. It was happening completely out of sight, unnoticed by anyone except the flight attendants on duty.
"No... No, sir, please! I can't stay here! I have to get back to work!" a girl's voice pleaded, sounding terrified.
"Why are you lying?" a man's voice snapped back. He sounded drunk, aggressive, and used to getting his way. "Everyone else is asleep. What work do you suddenly have? Just stay here for a bit..."
"Sir, let go of my hand! Let go!"
Siwon's eyes narrowed. The scared little girl from her nightmare was instantly gone, replaced by her usual cold, hard corporate mask. She unbuckled her seatbelt, stood up without a sound, and parted the curtain.
She stepped into the aisle and saw them immediately. A middle-aged businessman was leaning out of his seat, his hand clamped tightly around the wrist of a young flight attendant.
The moment Siwon looked at him, the man flinched. He must have felt the sheer anger radiating from her because he panicked. Trying to cover his tracks, he grabbed a glass of red wine from the attendant's tray and poured it right down his own expensive shirt.
Before anyone could even blink, he stood up violently.
Smack!
He slapped her across the face.
The sharp sound cut through the quiet cabin. The girl stumbled back, holding her red, stinging cheek as tears filled her eyes.
Siwon's face went completely blank. Her voice dropped to a low, quiet whisper. "Why?"
The businessman tried to hide his panic behind a fake, arrogant shrug. He pointed a shaking finger at the crying girl. "Miss, you don't know her. She's completely useless! She just spilled wine all over me!"
He looked at Siwon's expensive designer clothes and immediately changed his tone, trying to sound polite. "If you need anything, I can get someone else. This one is incompetent."
Without waiting for her to answer, he turned back to the girl, glaring. "What are you standing there staring at me for? Get back to work, you fool!" he shouted.
Siwon took in the whole scene in a second. She knew exactly what this guy had done. But her face didn't show a thing.
Without saying a word, she turned around, completely calm, and walked back toward the galley.
Thinking he had scared her off, the businessman smirked. He picked up a fresh bottle of wine from his seat, stood up, and followed her down the aisle.
"Ma'am, let me pour you a glass," he said, trying to sound smooth and charming.
Siwon stopped and looked at him, a small smile appearing on her face. "Why not?"
As he leaned in with the bottle, she lightly stepped past him. "Wait a minute," she said softly. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom first."
She walked down the dim aisle, her shoes clicking softly against the heavy hum of the plane's engines.
Behind her, she heard his quiet footsteps. He was taking the bait, following her straight into the shadows. Siwon didn't look back. Her smile turned cold and sharp.
She reached the restroom, stepped inside, and grabbed the heavy door to close it.
Suddenly, a thick hand jammed into the opening, stopping the door halfway.
The businessman stood there, blocking her exit, looking down at her with an arrogant grin.
Siwon didn't even blink. She looked down at his hand on the metal frame, then looked straight into his eyes. Her smile grew wider.
Before he could even sense the danger, Siwon's hand shot out.
She grabbed his wrist in a tight, iron grip, pulling him forward while twisting his arm back.
It was fast and practiced. She twisted him so hard that only his arm was trapped inside the restroom, pinning the rest of his body awkwardly against the outside of the door.
With a completely blank expression, Siwon slammed the heavy door right onto his trapped arm, catching his shoulder and the side of his head in the crush.
Thud!
"Oh! Oh! Oucch!" the man screamed, his eyes wide with terror. "My arm! Someone help me! Save me from this witch!"
Siwon didn't stop.
She pulled the door back and slammed it onto his arm again. And again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
She kept hitting him with the heavy door, ruthlessly crushing his arm against the metal frame. Dark blood began to smear across the white panels, dripping down the door.
When the man finally went limp, his eyes rolling back as he passed out, Siwon opened the door all the way. She grabbed the collar of his expensive suit and dragged his bleeding body onto the restroom floor.
Stepping over him, she turned on the faucet. She washed her hands under the cold water, rinsing away every trace of the fight, and dried them with a paper towel.
Siwon stepped out into the quiet galley.
The flight attendant was standing a few feet away, her mouth open and her eyes wide with shock, staring at the restroom door.
Siwon stopped in front of her. She slowly raised a finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet. With a quick, sharp wink and a slight smirk, she walked back to the front.
Sliding back into her first-class seat, Siwon looked around the quiet cabin. A small, amused laugh escaped her lips.
"Wow..." she muttered to herself, shaking her head. "It's been a while since things were actually interesting."
She looked across at her personal secretary, who was slumped over, fast asleep with his mouth wide open. Right next to him, her main bodyguard was completely passed out, snoring softly.
The frantic rush from Paris had wrecked the team; they hadn't slept for days. In fact, they were only sleeping because Siwon had ordered them to. Knowing how brutal the Beijing mission would be, she had told them to rest during the flight, no matter what.
They had followed her orders perfectly—so perfectly that they missed their boss handling an entire assault by herself.
Siwon picked up her phone. The screen lit up: 05:33 AM, China Standard Time.
A small smile played on her lips. "A few more minutes."
Thirty minutes later, the intercom crackled to life. The attendant's polite voice echoed through the cabin: "Ladies and gentlemen, as we prepare for landing, please ensure your seatbelts are fastened securely. Welcome to our destination. Thank you for flying with us, and have a wonderful journey ahead."
The heavy plane tilted downward, cutting through the thick morning fog and aligning with the runway. Within minutes, the tires touched down on the restricted tarmac of Beijing Capital International Airport with a smooth, quiet landing.
The second the seatbelt sign turned off, chaos broke out in the back.
"Oh my god! Someone call medical help right now!" a panicked shout came from the galley.
A crew member had opened the restroom door and found the bloody, unconscious businessman on the floor. Within seconds, the staff panicked. Voices grew louder, footsteps scrambled down the aisle, and the cabin turned into an uproar.
Sitting peacefully in her suite, Siwon didn't even turn around. She stood up, straightening her long designer coat.
Beside her, Secretary Nam jolted awake, blinking rapidly and wiping his mouth. Confused by the noise, he shot a panicked look at Richard, his eyebrows furrowing as if to ask, Did we miss something?
Richard caught the look but just gave a slow, quiet shake of his head, nodding toward their boss. Realizing what happened, both men turned their wide eyes back to Siwon. They knew exactly who was responsible for the bloody mess a few yards away. Their focus was locked entirely on her.
The moment the cabin doors opened, the passengers didn't just walk out—they scrambled to escape. Everyone rushed down the aisles, desperate to get off the plane before the police showed up for an investigation.
Amidst the rush, Siwon put on her dark glasses and stepped out onto the boarding stairs, completely ignoring the chaos behind her.
Secretary Nam hurried to catch up with her, stepping into the cool Beijing air. He looked back at the plane, then at her, coughing nervously.
"Did... did something go wrong, Ma'am?" he asked in a low, panicked whisper.
Siwon paused on the steps. She didn't look back at him.
A small, cold smile touched her lips as she clicked her tongue.
"Nothing, Mr. Nam," she said softly, her voice smooth and chilling. "Just karma hitting back."