Place: Capital International Airport, Beijing
Time: Evening
"Didn't you guys take way too much time back there just eating and drinking?" Siwon asked, her voice calm but demanding as she sat back comfortably in the car seat.
Mr. Nam smiled apologetically from the front, clearing his throat. "Well, Ma'am... the journey was quite long, so the team managed to get a little rest at the hotel. That is why it took some time."
Siwon looked out the window, her expression softening just a fraction. "True, the travel has been incredibly long." She turned her sharp gaze back to him. "That's why, Mr. Nam, tell the guards in the back that they are to head straight back to Italy now. They should take a direct flight from the airport. There is really no need to drag the entire team along with me. Tell Richard to handle their travel arrangements properly and give them all a well-deserved vacation. They have been away from their families for far too long. Let them rest."
Mr. Nam's eyes widened in sudden realization as he turned around, a look of sheer confusion crossing his face. "Uhh... what, Ma'am? But the boss explicitly stated that this entire team was assigned for your absolute protection. And now you are dismissing them?"
"Yes, I know what the boss said," Siwon replied smoothly, her voice completely unbothered. "But we are heading to South Korea. I don't have any threats waiting for me there. Koreans generally mind their own business, and their involvement with people from other countries is quite limited anyway. There is no reason to parade a massive security detail in Seoul."
Mr. Nam paused, a flicker of deep hesitation and subtle anxiety passing through his eyes. He knew the underlying dangers of their world, but before he could voice his concerns, Siwon glanced directly at his seat.
"And really, Mr. Nam... who can possibly understand that better than you? Am I correct?" she asked, her tone laced with a knowing, sharp intelligence.
A wave of tense understanding washed over the secretary. He swallowed hard and bowed his head. "Yes, Ma'am. Understood," he replied, nodding in deep respect but keeping his lingering tension well hidden as the black Mercedes-Maybach finally pulled up.
Because that obnoxious passenger was a highly influential businessman within his own country, his political connections worked fast. He managed to get a formal warrant issued in record time, meaning the police did not even wait for Siwon to reach the private terminal. Instead, they intercepted her team the exact moment they stepped into the airport's main entrance hall.
But she didn't even make it past the main entrance gates.
Stomp! stomp! stomp!
The heavy, synchronized rhythm of combat boots clicking against concrete echoed through the busy terminal entry. Before Siwon's personal security detail could even form a protective wall, a squad of armed airport police officers swarmed the area, effectively blocking every single exit.
Knowing the strict security protocols of a government airport, Siwon't bodyguards did not reach for any weapons. Instead, they instantly shifted into high-alert tactical formations, putting their physical bodies between the cops and the Valkyrie chairwoman. They raised their hands, flashing sharp defensive hand signals to keep the advancing officers back at a safe distance.
The lead police officer stepped forward to speak to Siwon, but before he could utter a single word, Siwon calmly raised her palm toward her own men, signaling her bodyguards to stand down and halt.
"Give me two minutes," Siwon said, her voice dropping to a cool, flat tone that left absolutely no room for argument.
She turned her back to the police detail and faced her security team. "Your flights are scheduled around this time, aren't they?"
Richard, the head bodyguard, stepped half a step forward and nodded respectfully. "Yes, Chairwoman. The timing is up. They just need to head inside for check-in."
"Then leave. All of you, go now," Siwon ordered smoothly.
One of the bodyguards from the team hesitated, a look of deep concern crossing his face. "But Ma'am... the Boss specifically prepared us to stay by your side and protect you for the upcoming operations in Korea—"
"This is my order," Siwon interrupted, her voice cutting through his words like a sharp blade. "I will handle the boss myself. You all need to leave right now."
Recognizing the absolute authority in her voice, the security team bowed deeply and began to file out toward the international terminal, leaving only Richard behind, who stood firmly by her side, ready to accompany her to Korea.
The lead police officer watched the team depart, clearing his throat as he stepped closer. He held up a digital tablet displaying an official warrant, his expression rigid and professional.
"Now that you are finished, Ma'am, I have an official matter to inform you about," the officer announced, his voice booming across the entrance. "We are looking for you. A formal criminal complaint was filed against you just an hour ago. The allegation states that you severely harassed and physically threatened an airline passenger during your inbound flight to Beijing."
A tense, suffocating silence fell over the terminal.
Behind her dark glasses, Siwon't eyes narrowed into twin slivers of ice. She didn't flinch. She doesn't look panicked. In fact, a cold, dangerously sharp smile threatened to play on the edge of her lips.
So, that pathetic trash from the flight actually had the guts to play the victim card, she thought, her mind instantly connecting the dots.
"Harassment?" her secretary stammered out from behind her, his face turning pale as he stepped forward. "Do you even know who this is? This is utterly ridiculous! The passenger on that flight is the one who—"
"Quiet," Siwon cuts him off smoothly, her icy tone instantly freezing the secretary in his place.
She took a slow, deliberate step toward the lead officer, the sheer aura of her power forcing the front line of cops to subtly adjust their stance. She reached up and slowly slid her sunglasses down her nose, locking her sharp, piercing eyes directly onto the officer's gaze.
"A complaint?" she repeated, her voice deadpan, deadly, and entirely unbothered. "Tell me, Officer... who exactly is brave enough to file a complaint against me?"
Before the officer could answer, a loud, whiny voice echoed from behind the police line.
"Yes! That's her! She's the one!"
Pushing through the crowd came the obnoxious man from the flight. He looked completely pathetic, his right arm bound tightly in a thick, white medical plaster cast and held up by a sling. He pointed his left hand dramatically at Siwon, his face twisted in a mixture of anger and smug triumph.
"This woman ruthlessly harassed me on the plane and literally broke my arm! Look what you did to me, you monster!" he shrieked, gesturing wildly toward his plastered arm so the officers could see. "Arrest her right now!"
Siwon, however, remained completely unbothered. She didn't blink, her posture remaining as elegant and rigid as a statue. Maintaining absolute, terrifying serenity, she tilted her head slightly.
"An interesting story," Siwon said, her voice smooth and chillingly calm. "But what proof do you have that I am the one who did this?"
Enraged by her cold indifference, the man lost his temper completely. He took a predatory step forward, lunging right into Siwon't personal space. He thrust a trembling, threatening finger directly into her face, mere inches from her nose.
"Proof?! My broken arm is the proof!" he roared, spit flying from his mouth. "I don't care who you think you are; I will never spare you! You are going to rot in a cell!"
Siwon didn't flinch. Instead, a razor-sharp, clever smile played on her lips. With lightning-fast, effortless grace, she reached up, caught his pointing finger between her two fingers, and firmly twisted it back toward the opposite side of the terminal.
"You shouldn't point fingers," Siwon murmured softly. "Look over there instead."
"Argh!" the man winced from the slight twist, but his eyes, along with the eyes of every police officer in the room, instinctively followed the direction of his own twisted finger.
Walking through the sliding glass doors of the terminal was the police chief commissioner himself. Walking right beside him, looking completely safe and composed, was the young flight attendant whom the man had terrorized on the plane.
The lead officer's jaw dropped, and the entire squad instantly stood at absolute attention, saluting sharply.
The Chief Commissioner didn't even look at Siwon. He kept his eyes locked dead on the arrogant passenger. He stepped forward, his uniform gleaming under the terminal lights, and nodded to his men.
"Mister," the Commissioner announced in a booming, authoritative voice, "you are under arrest for the assault and harassment of an airline flight attendant, as well as physically striking a crew member in mid-air."
The man's smug smile instantly shattered. His face drained of all color, turning as white as his plaster cast. "What?! What are you talking about?! This is a mistake! Where is the proof? She is the one who attacked me! You can't do this without proof!"
The Commissioner let out a cold, unimpressed grunt, stepping aside to let the trembling but relieved flight attendant pass.
"Mister, you seem to forget something crucial," the Commissioner replied, a mocking edge to his voice. "The passenger galley inside that commercial aircraft contained high-definition CCTV security cameras. We already have the footage of you slapping this young lady. So please... come with us quietly."
The man stood frozen, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, as the very police officers he had called to arrest Siwon stepped forward and slapped iron handcuffs onto his one good wrist.
"Wait! She assaulted me too!" the man shrieks, his voice cracking in sheer desperation. "Check the CCTV footage! Check it right now!"
The Police Commissioner stepped forward, a cold, mocking smile playing on his lips. "I personally reviewed all the footage from the flight, sir. But perhaps you forgot that cameras are never installed inside the restrooms. There is absolutely no record of her touching you."
Infuriated, the man aggressively tried to push back against the officers holding him, but his frantic struggle failed instantly. They gripped his shoulders harder, pinning him in place.
"Then what about my case?!" the man roars, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "Are you just going to let her go?!"
The Commissioner looked at him with utter disdain. "Oh, we will definitely find the culprit who broke your hand, sir. But first, you need to serve your own sentence for what you did on that plane."
Turning away from the screaming man, the Police Commissioner faced Siwon. The stern, authoritative look on his face instantly melted into a deeply respectful, subtle bow. He kept his voice low, ensuring no nearby regular passengers could overhear their conversation.
"We apologize for the brief delay, Chairwoman Park. The airline management already flagged his passport, and he will face full legal charges for his actions on board."
Siwon calmly adjusted the lapels of her dark trench coat, her clever, unbothered smile remaining entirely intact. "Thank you, Commissioner. You handled this efficiently."
"It is my duty, Ma'am. Have a safe flight to Seoul," the Commissioner replied, bowing once more before leading his remaining officers away to process the arrest.
The secretary let out a massive sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He looked at Siwon with absolute awe, an involuntary smile tugging at his lips as he admired her sheer efficiency.
Noticing his gaze, Siwon didn't even turn her head. "Stop looking at me like that, Mr. Nam," she said flatly. "This is not some grand achievement. It is merely a waste of time that had to be dealt with."
"In our world, you never wait for an enemy to make the first move," Siwon added coldly, sliding her dark sunglasses back up the bridge of her nose. Her vulnerable, soft demeanor from the temple was entirely gone; she was back to being the untouchable Valkyrie.
Secretary Nam's smile softened. Even though he was just her subordinate in the corporate world, he always loved and protected her like his own daughter. Seeing her handle things with such strength made his heart swell with pride, but he quickly put his professional mask back on.
"Understood, Ma'am," he replied softly.