Eugene’s phone buzzed unexpectedly, displaying a number he didn’t recognize. Hesitant, he answered.
“Hello?” he said cautiously.
A distorted voice replied, calm but edged with urgency. “Eugene. I need to meet you. Somewhere private. Somewhere no one can see or hear us.”
Eugene furrowed his brows, a mixture of curiosity and unease stirring inside him. “Who is this? Why me?”
There was a brief pause before the voice responded, low and deliberate. “You’ll know when we meet. Trust me—this can’t be said over the phone.”
After a moment of silence, Eugene swallowed, tension coiling in his chest. “Fine. Where?”
The voice gave him a location, a secluded spot far from prying eyes, and ended the call without another word. Eugene stared at his phone for a long moment, the unease settling deeper. Whatever awaited him there, he knew this meeting wasn’t ordinary.
Once Eugene arrived at the dark, dimly lit room, his eyes adjusted to the shadows—and his heart sank. Seated at a long table, partially hidden by the low light, were Si-woo and the others. The atmosphere was thick with quiet menace, the kind that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Eugene stepped cautiously forward, his voice steady but wary. “So… this is who wanted to meet me.”
Si-woo looked up, a faint, controlled smile playing on his lips. “Eugene. I’m glad you came. Please, have a seat.” His tone was polite, almost too polite, and every word carried an unspoken warning.
Eugene hesitated, scanning the room, noticing the subtle gestures and guarded expressions of the others. “What is this about?” he asked, keeping his tone neutral.
Si-woo leaned back, steepling his fingers. “We have a proposition for you. A way to protect certain… interests. But it requires your cooperation.”
Eugene’s jaw tightened, a chill running through him. “Cooperation? Or… compliance?”
The room fell silent for a moment, the weight of their power pressing down on him. In that dim light, surrounded by men who had already shown their willingness to manipulate and control, Eugene realized that this meeting was far from ordinary—and the choice before him could change everything.
The room was heavy with silence as Si-woo leaned forward, his gaze sharp and unyielding. “Eugene,” he began, his tone smooth but cold, “you have a choice to make. One wrong move, and everything you’ve worked for—your career, your reputation, even your safety—could be destroyed.”
Eugene’s stomach tightened. “What do you want from me?” he asked cautiously, already suspecting the answer.
Si-woo exchanged a glance with the other CEOs before continuing. “It’s simple. We want you to marry Valerie. An arranged marriage. Nothing more, nothing less. Do this, and certain… complications can be avoided.”
Eugene’s jaw clenched. “You’re blackmailing me.”
Another CEO’s voice, calm but menacing, cut in. “Call it what you will. The truth is, this is for the benefit of everyone involved. Keep her safe, and you protect more than just yourself. Fail, and the consequences will be… severe.”
Eugene’s mind raced. He realized the full weight of the situation: this wasn’t just about marriage—it was about control, leverage, and survival.
Si-woo’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Decide carefully, Eugene. The choice may seem yours, but make no mistake… we hold the power here.”
Eugene nodded slowly, his face carefully composed, though his thoughts churned with unease. The game had just shifted, and he was now a pawn in a plan far bigger than himself.
Si-woo leaned back in his chair, folding his hands with a cold precision. “The reason for this arrangement is simple,” he explained. “If you marry Valerie, the Narrow Squad will have no reason to target us anymore. They’ll see this as… a resolution.”
Eugene’s eyes widened, a mix of frustration and disbelief crossing his face. “You mean you’re using me and Valerie as a shield? As some kind of bargaining chip?”
Another CEO, voice clipped and businesslike, added, “Exactly. Your union isn’t about love. It’s about control—stability for our companies, and security for ourselves. The Narrow Squad has been a persistent problem, and this… will stop them.”
Eugene ran a hand through his hair, anger and resignation battling within him. “So, you’re willing to manipulate our lives just to protect your business interests?”
Si-woo’s gaze was unwavering. “It’s not manipulation. It's a strategy. You comply, and we all avoid further conflict. You refuse… and the consequences are yours alone to bear.”
The room fell silent, the weight of the ultimatum pressing down on Eugene. He realized then that this forced marriage wasn’t just a personal matter—it was a tactical move to neutralize the Narrow Squad and secure the CEOs’ control, no matter the cost to the lives caught in the middle.
Eugene shook his head, a chuckle escaping despite the weight of the situation. He clicked his tongue, the sound sharp in the otherwise silent room.
“You’re quite oblivious,” he said, his tone equal parts disbelief and frustration. “Do you really think it’s that simple? That arranging a marriage between me and Valerie will stop the Narrow Squad? You’re underestimating them… and underestimating me.”
Si-woo’s expression remained calm, but a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. “Care to explain?” he asked, his voice smooth, controlled.
Eugene leaned back slightly, letting the tension hang in the air. “They’re not just some group you can manipulate or pacify with schemes. They’re smart, relentless… and they won’t just let something like this slide. If you think marriage alone will silence them, you’re dangerously mistaken.”
The room fell into an uneasy silence as the weight of his words settled over the CEOs. For the first time, Eugene’s defiance pierced the carefully constructed control they had thought they wielded so effortlessly.
One of the CEOs leaned forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous calm. “Let us be clear, Eugene. If the Narrow Squad continues to interfere—if they attack us again or try to pull other idols away from our companies—we will respond.”
Si-woo’s gaze hardened. “We won’t negotiate a second time,” he added coldly. “We will hunt them down. Every last one. And we’ll make sure they never interfere again.”
Eugene’s expression darkened. “You’re talking about killing them,” he said flatly.
Another executive nodded without hesitation. “For good. We have the resources, the reach, and the means to erase them quietly. No witnesses. No stories. No heroes.”
Si-woo folded his hands, as if discussing routine business. “Marriage is the warning. The final chance for peace. If the Narrow Squad ignores it, their fate is on them.”
The room fell silent, the threat hanging heavy in the air. Eugene finally understood the true nature of their plan—not just blackmail, not just control, but total annihilation of anyone who dared challenge their power. The arranged marriage wasn’t a compromise. It was a line drawn in blood.
After a long, suffocating silence, Eugene finally spoke. His shoulders stiffened as he met Si-woo’s gaze head-on.
“Fine,” Eugene said quietly. “I’ll do it. I’ll agree to the marriage—but Valerie stays out of this. No surveillance. No threats. No harm. She’s off-limits.”
The CEOs exchanged glances. For a moment, the room was unreadable.
Si-woo nodded slowly. “Agreed,” he said. “As long as you keep your end of the arrangement, Valerie will be left alone.”
Another executive added, “You have our word. She won’t be touched.”
Eugene exhaled, the tension in his chest loosening just slightly. He stood, adjusting his jacket, believing—perhaps needing to believe—that this sacrifice would be enough. By agreeing, he had bought Valerie safety.
“Then we’re done here,” Eugene said, turning toward the door.
As he left the dim room, none of them stopped him. None of them corrected him.
And that was when the truth lingered unspoken in the shadows.
They had agreed to his terms. At least, that’s what Eugene thought.
On the other hand, the Narrow Squad had wasted no time. Their first action was clear: disrupt the system that exploited young idols before more of them could be trapped.
Kain crouched behind a stack of crates outside one of the training studios, scanning the area. “They’re practicing routines right now,” he said quietly, pointing to the windows where the idols moved in perfect formation. “If we hit now, we can make them think twice about signing contracts they don’t fully understand.”
Luke nodded, his expression grim. “This isn’t about chaos. It’s about giving them a choice. If they continue training blindly, the companies take control before the idols even realize it.”
Jason added, checking his equipment, “We’ll block the entrances, pause their rehearsals, and hand them the truth. Make sure the staff knows this isn’t a random attack—this is about exposing the corruption.”
The squad moved swiftly, coordinated, their presence barely noticed at first. As alarms rang and staff scrambled in confusion, the Narrow Squad reached the idols, their message clear: you have a right to choose your own path, and no company should force you into silence or contracts you don’t fully consent to.
“It’s only the beginning,” Kain muttered, eyes sharp. “Once they see the truth, we’ll have to protect them and be ready for the fallout. These companies won’t let this slide.”
The operation sent a ripple through the industry. For the first time, the idols glimpsed the power structures that controlled their lives, while the Narrow Squad reminded the world that some lines, even in a glittering world of fame, should never be crossed.
Valerie sat alone in her apartment, the quiet pressing in around her like a weight. Her eyes drifted across the room until something caught her attention, a book lying on the table, its cover worn and familiar.
It was the only book she had kept all her life, a small piece of herself she had carried through every hardship, every betrayal, and every lonely night. She picked it up slowly, running her fingers over the edges, memories flooding back.
And then it hit her—the realization that had been quietly building. He had been with her the whole time. Not in loud declarations or grand gestures, but in subtle ways, in the small details that she had overlooked amidst the suffering. The book, untouched, preserved, waiting for her, was a silent testament to that presence.
Valerie’s chest tightened, a mix of sorrow and warmth swelling inside her. She had endured so much pain, so much isolation, yet even in her darkest moments, she had never been entirely alone.
Her lips parted, a whisper barely audible in the stillness of the room. “Even through all of this… you were here.”
The apartment felt different suddenly—not empty, but filled with the quiet reassurance of someone who had stayed through it all, unseen yet unwavering. And for the first time in a long while, Valerie allowed herself to feel a flicker of hope.
As Valerie held the book in her hands, another truth slowly settled into her heart—one she had resisted for a long time. She began to understand that the music industry she once dreamed of was not what it appeared to be. To her, it felt corrupted by darkness—by manipulation, obsession with power, and practices that strayed far from what she believed was right.
She exhaled softly, her thoughts steady now. There was a reason, she realized. A reason why doors had closed. A reason why success had always seemed just out of reach.
It wasn’t because she lacked talent.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGCND2JMf3
It wasn’t because she wasn’t strong enough.
It was because she had held onto her faith—quietly, stubbornly, even when everything else fell apart.
Valerie lowered her gaze to the book, her grip firm. She understood now that the path she was kept from was one that would have demanded pieces of her she was never meant to give away. Whatever forces ruled that world—greed, control, deception—she had been spared from them, even if the cost had been suffering.
“They couldn’t take this from me,” she whispered. “They never could.”
Her faith had been with her all along—not as a reward, not as protection from pain, but as something unbreakable. And now she knew, with certainty, that she would never lose it. No matter how dark the world became, no matter how much she endured, this was the one thing that would remain untouched.
For the first time, Valerie didn’t see her past as a failure.
She saw it as preservation.
Valerie walked to the nearest beach, her thoughts swirling in confusion and disbelief. She felt lost, dumbfounded, unsure of what to hold onto. But as she let her gaze wander across the sand, something small caught the sunlight—a familiar glint.
She knelt and uncovered her necklace, buried beneath the grains of sand. Warmth spread through her chest, a quiet realization settling in. The world around her seemed to pause, the crashing waves echoing the release building within.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt a glimmer of peace. The necklace pressed against her heart was a reminder that she could let go, that she could forgive herself, and that she could carry forward without the weight of the past dragging her down.
“Change me. I don’t want to take revenge. I no longer want to be a part of it. I surrender everything to you…”
The waves continued their gentle crash, the sky above slowly lightening, as Valerie stood, still holding the necklace, feeling a quiet strength bloom inside her—an unshakable resolve to live free of the darkness that had once consumed her.
The necklace against her chest was a reminder that she could let go, that she could forgive herself, and that she could carry forward with her heart lighter, her spirit warmer, and her faith unbroken.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcP9wnUq3zN
and then Add to home screen.