. The Hunt Intensifies

[H]e declared the name "Ri Chul-moo!" in an arbitrary manner, accompanied by a smug smirk.

For a moment, she appeared puzzled until he noticed her confusion and took it upon himself to provide clarification.

"The name's Ri Chul-moo! You should at least be acquainted with the name of the person who's gonna take you down, don't you think?"

"Hah?!" She sighed in indignation at being scorned before the real fight had even begun.

Abandoning the tote bag that held her groceries, along with a plush toy she had randomly placed inside during her escape, she prepared herself for the worse.

A moment of silence engulfed them as they locked eyes, confronting each other, carefully evaluating, anticipating and looking for an opening.

The tense atmosphere between them briskly shattered as she swiftly darted forward, launching into an attack.

Anticipating her every move, he skillfully countered with a rapid series of strikes aimed at vulnerable points.

Undeterred by his counterattack, Lee Ju-hee crouched down slightly to narrowly evade his initial punch. She then swiftly engaged in a seamless display of footwork, maintaining perfect balance as she effortlessly evaded his following onslaughts.

The echoing sounds of punches cutting and piercing through the air reverberated in their surroundings.

Sporting a subtle smirk underneath her mask, Lee Ju-hee taunted, "I thought you said you were taking me down!"

Unfazed, he responded in mild amusement, "You won't be dodging my attacks forever!"

As their intense exchange raged on, resonating with the clashing sounds of their strikes filling the air, a critical moment unfolded.

Amidst the flurry of actions, she failed to detect the roundhouse kick cunningly concealed beneath his rapid barrage of blows. Realizing the dire consequences if she didn't react fast, her instincts kicked in.

With a split-second decision, she smoothly executed a backside block, followed by a powerful uppercut. Her fist connected skillfully with his left cheek, causing his head to jerk slightly to the side upon impact. The force of her blow compelled him to take a few staggering steps backward.

Even though her attack didn't completely knock him out, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride welling up inside her.

"Hah? Why's a woman so good at this?" he groaned in frustration, rubbing the sore spot with his thumb.

"Maybe if you'd just let me go, we wouldn't be doing this!"

"Heh! Let you go? No way!" A smug smirk played at the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowing with a hint of darkness.

The aura surrounding him suddenly turned grim, making him as twice as intimidating.

Lee Ju-hee observed his lack of adopting a fighting stance this time, which left her uncertain whether he would go on offense or remain defensive.

Just as she began to calculate her next move, he charged towards her with an astonishing speed, too swift for the eyes to follow. Caught off guard, she had no time to react as his right hand effortlessly landed on the back of her neck, forcefully pulling her forward.

In an instant, the battle ceased, and she found herself enveloped in a one-armed embrace. His nose trailed across her neck, leaving a chilling sensation. As their skin touched, the unsettling touch transmitted his thoughts into her mind:

'Just as I suspected, she's one of us!'

It took her a few moments to grasp the situation before shoving Ri Chul-moo off her. A strange mix of unease and curiosity consumed her. Putting some distance between them both, she fixed him with a piercing glare.

"You? Do you have a boyfriend?" His question seemed completely out of place, leaving her puzzled as she failed to understand its relevance to their present situation.

Flashing her with a wolfish grin, his pitch-black eyes intensely scrutinized her from head to toe. Unexplainably, it felt like his twisted gaze was slowly peeling off her clothes.

"Actually..." he paused, contemplating for a moment before adding in a psychotic tone, "Forget about that! I've decided — I'm going to claim you as mine!"

She felt sick at his words, instinctively taking one more step back.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He confessed roguishly, "…as a matter of fact, I quite like your scent! So I've changed my mind about killing you!"

Wait what?! Was this psycho planning to force her into dating him just cause he liked her body smell?

'Hah! What an unbelievable creep!' She thought to herself.

"I could be ugly as fuck for all you know!"

"Doesn't matter! If I want something, I'll have it!" He took an intimidating step forward, attempting to shorten the distance between them. This time, she refused to beat in retreat.

"Why?" She demanded seriously, scowling at him. "Because I'm similar to your kind?"

Her unexpected question forced him into a halt. A puzzled frown brushed his brows for a brief instant before he smirk at her with interest: "…is that your side-effect?"

"M-my what?"

"Your side-effect? You know that inhuman ability of yours?" Ri Chul-moo clarified patiently for her, even though he wasn't one accustomed to such trivialities.

She stood in stunned silence, her mouth slightly agape beneath her mask.

How on earth did he know about that?

"So, that's it? Your side-effect is mind-reading, isn't it?" he deduced, raising an inquisitive eyebrow towards her. "How does it work, huh? How does it work?"

Lee Ju-hee felt utterly dumbfounded by the surreal turn of events.

Ri Chul-moo seemed really sharp for figuring it all out. He knew more about her powers than anyone else. It was starting to make sense now.

He must've known about her spying on his group because of his own unusual ability. What did he call it again?

A side-effect? But a side-effect of what? And why use that name for it?

"Your nose…" she said instead, the scowl between her brows deepening. "Is that your abi—side-effect?"

He corrected, "Enhanced Olfaction, to be more accurate!"

"I thought I was the only one!"

"Hahh? Sorry to burst your bubble but there's more of us!"

"I see!" She sighed flatly.

Following him into that alleyway earlier hadn't been a complete waste of time after all. He'd provided her with precious intel that might actually proved useful to their cause; to her and Min-ho.

"Well, I have no intention of getting killed by you! Even less being your woman! So lets get this over with, will you?!"

He sneered at her, face warped with ridicule: "...you actually believe you can defeat me? Whether you like it or not, you're coming with me, even if I have to end your life!"

Having spoken those words, a mysterious mist saturated the air, tinged with an eerie crimson hue.

The world around her seemed to tremble beneath her feet, and an overwhelming gravitational force pushed her down. A sensation akin to sharp claws gripping her innards submerged her, causing her legs to give away as her strength waned.

What was that? What was he doing to her? Was this some kind of poison?

Ri Chul-moo approached her with lazy ease, hands buried in his pant pocket. The nearer he drew to her, the more intense it felt.

She couldn't breath. It was like something was slowly squeezing the air out of her lungs. Leaning forward slightly, he gripped her jaw roughly while she was still struggling to force herself off the ground from the kneeling position she was in.

"Getting this over with, you say?" He mocked sordidly before adding, "…feel this?! That's the effect of my bloodlust."

Helplessly, she found herself on the verge of being swallowed by darkness. Just as his disturbing thoughts began to pour through her mind, the sharp echo of a gunshot reverberated in the surroundings.

***

A/N: Officially introducing Ri Chul-moo: