Ji-hyun had spent years burying the past, drowning herself in lines of codes and endless data streams. As a data engineer, she believed in logic, in patterns, in things that made sense. But nothing about her twin sister's death did.
Three years had...
With that, he turned and exited the room, leaving Ji-hyun alone with the beeping of the monitors.
She exhaled slowly, closing her eyes.
She had passed the first test.
A soft creak from the door pulled Ji-hyun out of her light sleep. Her body tensed instinctively, heart pounding, before she forced herself to relax. She was in. She had made it past the first step of her plan, but the real danger had only just begun.
A man in a neatly pressed white coat entered the infirmary, pushing a tray with a small stack of medical supplies and a fresh IV bag.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Tall,broad-shouldered, with sharp features and intelligent eyes that missed nothing. He looked too young to carry the weight of experience that lingered in his gaze, but Ji-hyun had met men like him before. Men who saw through lies.
She shifted slightly on the hospital bed, ignoring the sting in her abdomen as she watched him replace her IV drip with practiced ease.
“What happened while I passed out?” she asked, her voice slightly hoarse.
The doctor’s eyes flickered toward her. His gaze was cool, assessing. “We needed to take a blood sample to check for any infections or diseases you might have contracted during captivity.”
Ji-hyun kept her expression neutral, but internally, her mind was already racing. Lies. They weren’t just testing for diseases. They were confirming if she was really Soo-ah.
She swallowed the unease bubbling in her throat and forced herself to nod. “I see.”
The doctor finally turned to face her fully, arms crossing over his chest. His presence was oddly imposing for someone in a white coat. “I’m Dr. Lee Sang-hoon,” he introduced himself. “I’ve been the chief medical officer here for five years.”
Ji-hyun stayed silent, letting him study her.
Then, his next words sent a cold shiver down her spine.
“I know this wound of yours is fresh,” he said casually, but his sharp gaze never wavered. “Like you were stabbed just minutes before you were found.”
Her fingers curled into the blanket, hidden from his view.
A trap. He was testing her.
Ji-hyun didn’t let her face betray her thoughts. She tilted her head slightly, feigning confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
A slow smirk tugged at the corner of Sang-hoon’s lips, as if he had expected her response. “Is that so?” He leaned against the counter, watching her reaction. “See, Lieutenant Kang, I’ve treated enough battlefield wounds to know when one is fresh and when one has aged. Your injury? It’s too clean. Too precise. No signs of healing or infection. Which means you were stabbed very, very recently.”
Her stomach twisted, but she forced herself to meet his gaze with practiced ease. “Are you accusing me of something, Doctor?”
Sang-hoon exhaled, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t accuse, Lieutenant. I observe. And what I observe right now…” His voice lowered, eyes narrowing. “Is a mystery.”
Ji-hyun knew she couldn’t keep up this act forever—not against someone like him.
She needed to twist the narrative.
Letting out a slow, trembling breath, she lowered her gaze, as if gathering herself. “They didn’t hurt me,” she began, her voice soft, almost hesitant. “They thought the military would come for me. That I was valuable enough to trade.”
Sang-hoon’s smirk faded slightly, but he didn’t interrupt.
Ji-hyun clenched her fists in the sheets, as if reliving a painful memory. “But as time passed, they realized no one was coming. They started… playing mind games.” She swallowed thickly, letting moisture build in her eyes. “I held out, but I watched them kill my troop one by one. Right in front of me.”
Silence.
Sang-hoon’s gaze flickered, something unreadable passing through his expression.
Ji-hyun pushed forward. “When I finally saw an opening, I ran. But I knew if I showed up at base unharmed, no one would believe me. So I—” She stopped herself, hesitating just enough to make it believable. “I had to make it look real.”
The doctor’s fingers tapped against the metal tray. “You stabbed yourself.”
Ji-hyun nodded, biting her lip. “I had no choice.” She reached out suddenly, gripping his wrist, her fingers trembling against his skin. “Please. You don’t know what I went through in that camp. They tortured me, but not physically. They wanted me to break.” Her voice cracked. “I couldn’t betray my country.”
Her breath hitched, tears brimming in her eyes as she let herself shake just enough to be convincing.
This was the moment. The gamble.
Sang-hoon looked down at her hand gripping his wrist, his expression unreadable.
Then, gently, he pulled away.
He didn’t say anything at first, just watching her with those sharp eyes. Ji-hyun’s pulse pounded in her ears. Did he believe her? Or was he still suspicious?
Finally, he sighed. “I don’t know whether you’re the best liar I’ve ever met… or the most resilient soldier.”
Ji-hyun swallowed, keeping her gaze fixed on him.
He stepped back, arms crossing again. “Either way, you’re alive. And that means you’ll have to deal with a lot of questions. Not just from me.”
Ji-hyun nodded slowly. She expected that much.
Sang-hoon turned toward the door, but before leaving, he glanced back at her. “Rest for now. You’ll need your strength.”
Then, he was gone.
Ji-hyun released a shaky breath, sinking into the pillow.
