One year later.
It was just another completely ordinary meeting of the high-ranking executives at SCJ Group, as usual, to discuss the investment plan for a massive urban development project in Starfall City, a project led by SCJ.
It would include ultra-modern, bustling villa complexes in the western district of the city—an area known for lying beside the most beautiful and clean artificial river in all of Starfall. If they started now, with the most advanced construction technology available, the project would be completed in exactly eight years.
The project was named Genesis 16 Urban Area.
All the senior executives felt both excited and anxious. This was an enormous and extremely profitable project, especially with the massive funding they had received from the city.
Within just one year, it would push them far beyond other real estate corporations.
A truly formidable leap forward. This was SCJ under the era of its female chairwoman—Kamakiri Mina. But as always—more precisely, as very often—
She was not present.
This chairwoman was famous for being cold and extremely secretive, especially regarding her private life and family matters.
Rumors said that in order to rise to the top of the Kamakiri family and take control of its immense wealth, Mina had ruthlessly eliminated nearly all other family members—including her husband, her older sister, her father, and even her aunt. All of them had died one by one in mysterious and inexplicable ways.
Far too strange to be coincidence.
That only made people more wary of her… and more afraid.
Even her face—what she looked like—was no longer something any media outlet dared to report. But those who had once seen her all said the same thing—
She was beautiful like an ice goddess. Her coldness could both enchant and shatter anyone's heart. A once-in-a-thousand-years beauty—Kamakiri Mina.
But… those were just rumors, right?
Most of the old-generation leadership had already been filtered out and replaced. These people had little to no direct contact with Mina—some had never even seen her face.
And despite knowing her talent and her remarkable achievements, the dismissive clicks of tongues and subtle mockery still happened whenever no Kamakiri family members were around.
"She didn't show up again," a man in an expensive suit said.
"Yeah. I don't even know if she actually cares about SCJ. She leaves everything to Vice Chairman Hiroshi."
Another man quickly nudged him in panic.
"Hey, watch your mouth! Do you even know how ruthless the Kamakiri family is? You better not let them hear that!"
The first man widened his eyes in disbelief.
"What? She's just a woman, isn't she?"
The other man shook his head.
"You don't understand the Kamakiri family at all. The women in that family are not like any women you've ever met. Do you even know what she did to become the head? Forced her husband to death, killed her own sister. As for the former chairman and the vice chairwoman—I don't know why they died, but—!"
He didn't even get to finish his sentence. The meeting room door opened. Everyone froze.
The person who entered was an extremely handsome man, with slightly silver-tinted hair flowing down to his shoulders. He wore a satin blue suit and a custom-made Italian purple tie.
One of his eyes was covered by an eyepatch—for some reason. Rumor had it that after a skiing accident, he had permanently lost his left eye.
That man—Was Hiroshi. One of the last surviving blood members of the Kamakiri family, and the Vice Chairman of SCJ Group.
His presence made everyone stiffen in fear. Ever since he had taken office—one year and four months ago—his demeanor had changed drastically. He had become incredibly domineering. And terrifyingly ruthless.
It was best not to make this man angry.
Hiroshi swept his sharp gaze across the room. Silence fell instantly. It felt like standing beside an executioner.
"I just heard someone talking about something related to Chairwoman Kamakiri, didn't I?"
His voice was cold. Everyone flinched. One man forced a smile, trying to act like nothing had happened, though his legs trembled violently under the table.
"Ah… Hiroshi… we were just chatting a bit. You know, the kind of rumors the lower employees usually spread."
"Oh?"
Hiroshi smiled slightly.
"Rumors from the lower staff… sounds interesting, doesn't it?"
Seeing his unusual, almost relaxed mood, the atmosphere eased slightly. They immediately began to flatter.
"Yes, yes! We were just talking about how talented our chairwoman is in leading the company. Truly impeccable!"
"That's right! A new era awaits SCJ!"
"She's truly an outstanding woman!"
Hiroshi laughed. He even clapped. Everyone followed along enthusiastically, clapping and laughing. The room filled with cheerful laughter—
Completely unaware of the strange look in Hiroshi's eye as he locked onto one specific person.
He walked calmly toward the man. No unnecessary movement. Hiroshi pulled out a silenced handgun—And shot him in the head.
Everyone jolted as the man's head slammed onto the table, blood pooling beneath him. Women screamed.
"Hiroshi!? Are you insane!? Why did you—!?"
But Hiroshi didn't care. He pointed the gun at the corpse—Then slowly swept it across everyone in the room.
"Me? What did I do?"
Facing the barrel of the gun, everyone fell completely silent. Hiroshi's expression remained indifferent. He lowered his hand and casually handed the gun to his secretary, in front of everyone's shock and terror.
The secretary calmly took out a cloth, wiped the grip clean, and placed the gun into the dead man's hand. Her movements were professional. Graceful.
Hiroshi simply shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets.
"All of you saw it, didn't you? He was holding the gun himself."
No one spoke. Hiroshi suddenly shouted:
"I SAID—ALL OF YOU SAW IT, RIGHT!?"
Everyone jumped and nodded frantically. Their minds went blank. Only fear remained. Hiroshi walked slowly around the room, hands still in his pockets.
"So from now on, don't let me hear any of you say anything about Chairwoman Kamakiri Mina… anywhere. Even at home… unless you want to end up like him—holding a gun and shooting yourselves. Understood?"
His cold, merciless words made everyone tremble in extreme fear. Yet under that invisible pressure, no one dared to resist—not even in their thoughts. They had truly witnessed the cruelty of the Kamakiri family. Even if only a fraction of it.
Perhaps the rumors were true…But now, that no longer mattered.
Hiroshi calmly took his seat as Vice Chairman. His eyes drifted briefly toward the empty chairman's chair—And Mina's nameplate.
For a fleeting moment, something quiet passed through his mind. Then he looked back at everyone.
"Alright… now we will begin the meeting. I will go over all directives from the Chairwoman regarding the implementation plan for Genesis 16. Everyone, sit down."
And so—A strange, eerily silent meeting began. They sat there, beside the corpse of their colleague, discussing the future of Genesis 16.
But the question remained—Where exactly… was Chairwoman Kamakiri Mina?
At a cemetery that was both extremely quiet and densely arranged within the city, located atop a hill covered in neatly grown green grass—There stood the figure of a slender woman wearing a stylish leather coat.
Even though she wore sunglasses, it did nothing to diminish her beautiful face. An incomparably stunning beauty, cold as ice, with long, straight black hair as smooth as silk.
Behind the black lenses, her reddish-orange eyes carried a faint trace of sorrow.
She placed a bouquet of white roses onto a cluster of three adjacent graves. On them were inscribed:
[With deepest condolences, members of the Kamakiri family. Kamakiri Tomi, Kamakiri Haruna, Valko Jou.]
Mina set down a bottle of alcohol beside them, then gently poured it onto the grass. She said nothing—only quietly did so. There was no one around to comment on how strange she looked.
Then suddenly, Mina heard footsteps approaching. It was a reflex—but she remained completely calm. Because she knew who it was.
"Oh, it's you?"
The woman had short, neatly cut silver-white hair, and the beautiful face of an Eastern European woman, with her characteristic gray eyes. She wore a pure white sweater, making her look more like an angel than a human.
In her hand was a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums. Even so, her expressionless face showed little emotion.
"Alive as a member of the Kamakiri family, dead as a member of the Kamakiri family…"
The white-haired woman murmured as she looked down at the grave of her older brother—Valko Jou.
"Even though my brother was a bastard, I have to admit… he wouldn't complain about being buried here. After all, he loved you."
Mina heard that, yet her heart did not stir. However, a faint image flickered briefly in her mind as she slowly stood up.
"Loved me, huh…?"
Yes… perhaps he really did.
Mina stood there with her arms crossed, watching Yu gently place the flowers before the three graves.
Since there was no one else around, Mina finally removed her sunglasses, revealing her striking reddish-orange eyes. But under the sunlight, they appeared more like a deep amber-red—still far too vivid for an Asian.
"…In any case, he wasn't buried here," Mina said.
Yu merely shrugged.
"I bought Taiwanese bubble milk tea. Let's go over there and drink it."
Mina glanced at Yu with a slight frown, while Yu looked somewhat confused despite her naturally expressionless face.
"…You don't like sweet things?"
But Mina shook her head.
"It's fine. Let's go. Staying here too long makes me think too much."
They walked together toward a vending area. It was a cool, quiet Friday afternoon.
Only a few people passed by, coming and going. Two beautiful women—one leaning against the wall, the other sitting on a bench.
Mina took a sip of the milk tea. It tasted good—but overwhelmingly sweet. For someone like Mina, who already disliked sweet things, it made her dislike it even more.
And yet—A certain figure appeared faintly in her mind.
Duyen.
Smiling. Unconsciously, Mina found herself smiling too. Yu quickly noticed.
"What's wrong? Do you like the taste now?"
Mina shook her head, still wearing that dreamy smile, as if she were intoxicated by something.
"No… I just suddenly thought of someone. If she were to try this, she'd probably like it…"
Yu nodded. She didn't even need to guess. There was only one person who could make Mina's icy face bloom like spring.
"You mean Duyen? I haven't seen her in a while… I heard she just opened a bakery and café."
Hearing that, Mina smiled even brighter, her expression filled with pride—as if she herself had accomplished it.
"Of course. And her baking? There's nothing to even question. Anything Duyen touches will turn out beautifully successful… If anyone dares to criticize her cakes, then…"
A killing intent flashed in Mina's eyes. Yu, though expressionless, seemed to agree.
"…Yes. Someone like that deserves to die."
Mina's gaze shifted instantly into something ruthless at the mention of it.
"Exactly. Especially at the beginning, when Duyen first opened the shop… I don't know who was plotting against my beloved, but they flooded her with one-star ratings before the shop even opened…"
As Mina spoke, her voice grew colder. Her hand slowly transformed—Into a deadly biological blade. It was clear she never joked about killing.
Yu subtly glanced around. Luckily, no one was nearby. So she remained silent, letting Mina do as she pleased.
After a moment, Mina reverted her hand back to normal and let out a sigh.
"… but unfortunately, Duyen is too kind… She doesn't want revenge or trouble for anyone."
Yu gave a small nod and smiled faintly.
"Yes. That's who Duyen is. Perhaps she has never changed, no matter how much has happened."
Mina smiled in agreement. Duyen's image had never once faded from her mind—or her heart. And it seemed that Duyen was Mina's reason to live. The one who made her mind steadier…And gentler.
"Yes… that's my Duyen… and I love her…"
Mina repeated her love without the slightest restraint. Even in situations completely unrelated. Yu silently watched her, then spoke.
"…What about Shana—"
Before she could finish—Mina crushed the cup of milk tea in her hand, a strange smile on her lips.
"…I don't like discussing wildlife here. You understand, right?"
Yu nodded. Though her face showed no emotion, she let out a soft whistle in acknowledgment.
Mina stood up and washed her hands—now covered in milk tea—at a nearby tap. As she did, she asked,
"What about you and Nayeon?"
"Huh?"
Yu seemed slightly surprised. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. She recalled a dinner at a luxurious restaurant with Nayeon a month ago. She had planned to confess that night. But for some reason, she became too shy to say the words.
And then—Nayeon received an urgent call.
"What!? Duyen!? Your shop got hacked!? Okay, wait for me!"
And just like that—Despite wearing an elegant evening gown, Nayeon lifted her skirt and hurriedly borrowed a laptop from the restaurant to help her childhood friend.
Yu could only stand there in silence. The words she wanted to say never came out.
What made it worse—Nayeon had to leave shortly after for a community support mission in Jamaica.
Since then, they hadn't spoken a single word to each other.
After hearing Yu's awkward yet almost comical story, Mina tried to stay serious. But couldn't help letting out a small laugh. She quickly composed herself.
"Yeah… that does sound like something she would do."
Mina glanced at Yu's expression. She felt a bit of sympathy—So she held back any teasing remarks.
"…So how long are you going to stay silent? Aren't you going to text or call her?"
Yu hesitated slightly. But then—A surge of determination rose within her. She clenched her fist.
"She's returning today. So… I've decided. I'm going to confess to her."
Hearing that, Mina couldn't help but feel pleased. She gave a warm smile—one that not many people ever had the chance to see.
"…Then I wish you good luck."
Yu felt encouraged by Mina's words. She pushed herself off the wall and checked the time before turning to Mina.
"It should be about time. I think Nayeon has already landed. Do you want to come with me to pick her up?"
Mina laughed softly, slipping her hands into her coat pockets
"No. I have somewhere else to go."
Yu already knew where Mina was heading. She smiled faintly.
"Alright then. See you and everyone there. By the way… are you sure I'm allowed to attend? I'm not a former student of Yelsulin University."
Mina replied warmly.
"It's fine. You're more like an honored guest. Alright then—see you at Yelsulin?"