The fight was a blur of high-fashion and low-altitude violence. Min-jun didn't use a gun. He used the environment. He grabbed a heavy silver serving tray and spun it, parrying the lead operative's knife with a shower of sparks.
Clang! Clang! Zip!
"Master! A little help?" Min-jun shouted, ducking under a roundhouse kick that shattered a marble pillar.
"I'm retired!" Kang yelled back, though he was currently using a silk tablecloth to hog-tie two operatives at once. "Besides, you missed a spot on that tray! Use your elbows!"
Min-jun centered his gravity. He remembered the "Rinse Cycle" training—the repetitive, grinding motion of the industrial washers. He caught the leader's arm, pivoted his hips, and threw her over his shoulder with enough force to crack the floorboards.
Elena watched, breathless. The man she had once mocked for being "pathetic" was now a whirlwind of lethal elegance.
"Min-jun, watch out!" she screamed.
A third operative had circled behind him, drawing a suppressed submachine gun. Elena didn't think. She grabbed a heavy glass award for "Corporate Excellence" and hurled it. It didn't hit the man, but it shattered at his feet, making him slip just as he pulled the trigger.
The bullets chewed into the ceiling.
Min-jun used the opening. He closed the distance in three strides, delivering a "High-Pressure Steam" palm strike to the man's chest. The operative flew backward, crashing into the CEO's podium.
Silence returned to the Diamond Hall, broken only by the sound of the foam still hissing on Choi.
Min-jun turned to Elena. His tuxedo was slightly dusty, but his tie was still perfectly straight. He reached out a hand.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Elena looked at his hand, then up at his eyes. The "Ice Queen" was gone. "Why did you save me? I was part of the plan to ruin you."
"I told you," Min-jun said, a small, sad smile touching his lips. "I'm an errand boy. It's my job to take out the trash. But you... you were just a stain I couldn't quite rub out."
"That is the least romantic thing anyone has ever said to me," Elena whispered, her eyes tearing up.
"Wait until Chapter 500," Min-jun joked, pulling her close as the distant sirens of the police finally reached the hall. "It gets much worse."