Jungkook stood beside a black Range Rover, speaking quietly to a driver. He'd changed since she'd last seen him, now wearing dark jeans and a charcoal blazer over a white shirt, looking more casual than the previous night but no less commanding.

He looked up as she approached, his conversation with the driver pausing as his gaze traveled over her.

"You look appropriate," he said, which Min-ji supposed was a compliment in his language.

"Thank you," she replied neutrally. "Where are we going?"

"To see your sister."

Min-ji's heart leapt. "She's free? She's safe?"

"The extraction was completed at four this morning," Jungkook confirmed. "She's at a secure location now, being prepared for transport out of the country tonight."

"And I can see her?" Min-ji asked, barely daring to hope.

"Briefly," Jungkook replied. "I'm allowing this against my better judgment. Security protocols would typically prohibit such a meeting, but I recognize the... emotional significance."

The concession surprised Min-ji. "Thank you," she said, meaning it.

Jungkook merely nodded, opening the passenger door for her. "We won't have long. The sooner she's out of Korea, the safer she'll be."

Min-ji slid into the seat, her mind racing with questions she wanted to ask about the operation, about her sister's condition, about what would happen to Hae-won now. But she held her tongue as Jungkook took the driver's seat beside her, recognizing that his allowing this meeting at all was a significant deviation from his usual protocols.

They drove in silence through the gates of the estate, two black SUVs falling into formation before and behind their vehicle. Min-ji watched the security measures with newfound understanding after the morning's briefing—these weren't just precautions; they were necessities in Jungkook's world.

"She doesn't know," Jungkook said suddenly as they merged onto a highway headed away from Seoul's center.

"Doesn't know what?" Min-ji asked.

"About our arrangement," he clarified. "She knows only that I intervened on your behalf. Not the terms."

Min-ji turned to stare at him. "You're not going to tell her I married you to save her?"

"That decision is yours," Jungkook replied, his eyes on the road. "Though I advise against it. Your sister has enough to process without adding guilt over your choices to her burden."

It was... surprisingly considerate, in a twisted way. Min-ji studied his profile, trying to reconcile the man who had forced her into marriage with the one who now showed this small kindness.

"You're a contradiction," she said finally.

Jungkook's mouth curved slightly. "Most people are, in one way or another."

"Most people don't kidnap florists and force them into marriage."

"Most people don't have the power or resources to do so," he countered smoothly. "Or the need."

"And what exactly was your need?" Min-ji asked, seizing the opening. "You never fully explained why it had to be me. There must be dozens of women who would willingly marry you for your wealth and power."

Jungkook was silent for so long that Min-ji thought he wouldn't answer. Then, without looking at her, he said, "Untainted."

"What?"

"You're untainted," he repeated. "No connections to rival organizations, no family entanglements beyond your sister, no personal ambitions that might conflict with mine. A blank slate." His voice had taken on a colder quality. "And your sister's situation created the perfect leverage."

"So I was convenient," Min-ji said, fighting to keep the hurt from her voice. Why should it hurt to be seen as a tool? Wasn't that better than the alternative—that he'd selected her for more personal reasons?

"Convenient is reductive," Jungkook replied. "Strategic would be more accurate. Everything I do serves a purpose, Min-ji. Including this marriage."

They lapsed back into silence as the city gave way to more industrial outskirts, then eventually to a landscape of abandoned warehouses and forgotten industrial complexes. Min-ji watched with growing unease as they turned onto progressively smaller roads, finally pulling up to a nondescript building surrounded by chain-link fence.

The security vehicles positioned themselves at the entrance while Jungkook parked near a side door. He turned to Min-ji before exiting.

"Listen carefully," he said, his voice taking on the authoritative tone she was coming to recognize as his non-negotiable one. "We have exactly twenty minutes. Your sister is fragile—physically and mentally. The Hans were not... gentle with her. Prepare yourself for that. When I say it's time to leave, we leave immediately. Is that clear?"

Min-ji nodded, swallowing hard against the lump forming in her throat. "Is she... how badly is she hurt?"

"She'll recover," Jungkook said, which wasn't exactly reassuring. "But she needs medical care and time, which she'll receive in Australia."

Min-ji took a deep breath. "I understand."

Jungkook studied her for a moment longer, then exited the vehicle, coming around to open her door. As they approached the building, a man in tactical gear appeared, speaking quietly to Jungkook before admitting them through a heavy metal door.

Inside, the warehouse had been converted into what looked like a temporary medical facility. A curtained-off area in one corner appeared to be their destination, guarded by two more armed men who nodded respectfully to Jungkook as they approached.

"Wait," Jungkook said, placing a hand on Min-ji's arm before she could rush forward. "Remember what I said. She's fragile."

Min-ji nodded, trying to prepare herself. Nothing could have ready her for the sight that greeted her when Jungkook pulled back the curtain.

Hae-won lay on a hospital bed, hooked to monitoring equipment, her once beautiful face marred by fading bruises. One arm was in a cast, and bandages peeked out from beneath her hospital gown. But it was her eyes that broke Min-ji's heart—vacant, haunted, staring at nothing until she registered their presence.

"Min-ji?" Hae-won's voice was barely a whisper, raw as if from screaming.

"Hae-won," Min-ji breathed, rushing to her sister's side. She reached for her hand, careful of the IV line attached to it. "Oh, what did they do to you?"

Tears filled Hae-won's eyes. "I'm sorry," she rasped. "So sorry. I was stupid... so stupid..."

"Shh," Min-ji soothed, stroking her sister's hair gently. "It doesn't matter now. You're safe. That's all that matters."

Hae-won's gaze shifted to Jungkook, who stood a respectful distance away. Fear flashed across her features.

"It's okay," Min-ji assured her quickly. "He helped get you out. He's... a friend."

Jungkook's expression remained impassive at the lie.

"How?" Hae-won asked, looking back at Min-ji. "How did you... find me? How did you get him to help?"

Min-ji forced a smile. "That's not important right now. What's important is that you're going somewhere safe, where you can heal."

"Australia," Hae-won said, grimacing as she shifted slightly. "They told me. New identity. New life."

"Yes," Min-ji confirmed, fighting back tears. "It's for the best, Hae-won. Just until things cool down here."

Her sister's fingers tightened around hers. "Come with me," she pleaded. "Please, Min-ji. You could start over too. We could be safe together."

Min-ji felt Jungkook tense behind her, though he remained silent.

"I can't," she said gently. "I have... commitments here. But we'll stay in touch. I promise."

"The shop," Hae-won murmured, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Of course. Mom and Dad's legacy."

Min-ji couldn't bring herself to correct her sister's assumption. "Yes. But that doesn't matter now. Tell me what the doctors said. How long until you're fully recovered?"

They spoke for a few more minutes, Min-ji carefully avoiding any mention of her marriage or the true nature of her relationship with Jungkook. All too soon, he stepped forward.

"It's time," he said quietly.

Min-ji wanted to protest, to beg for more time, but she remembered his warning. "I have to go now," she told Hae-won, squeezing her hand. "But you'll be fine. The doctors will take good care of you, and once you're settled in Australia, we'll find a way to communicate safely."

Hae-won's eyes filled with tears again. "I don't want to go alone."

"You won't be alone," Jungkook said, surprising both sisters by speaking directly to Hae-won for the first time. "My people will ensure your safety and comfort. You have my word."

Something in his tone—the absolute authority, perhaps—seemed to reassure Hae-won more than Min-ji's platitudes had.

"Thank you," she whispered, her gaze meeting his directly. "For saving me. For helping my sister."

Jungkook inclined his head slightly. "Rest now. The medical transport arrives in an hour."

Min-ji leaned down to kiss her sister's forehead. "I love you," she said, voice breaking. "Get well. Be safe."

"I love you too," Hae-won replied, tears streaming down her cheeks.

It took everything Min-ji had to turn away, to follow Jungkook out of the makeshift medical bay and back through the warehouse. By the time they reached the car, she was trembling with the effort of containing her emotions.

Once inside, with the doors closed and a semblance of privacy restored, she broke, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.