026 — Son Chaeyoung

For seven years, Chaeyoung had dedicated her life to a single case.

Violet.

The FBI's youngest and most elusive fugitive.

According to every file she'd ever read, Violet had committed her first murder at seventeen. Since then, she'd vanished into the shadows, leaving behind carefully planned crime scenes, anonymous tips that always arrived too late, and just enough evidence to prove she'd been there—never enough to catch her.

To everyone else in the bureau, Violet was simply a criminal.

To Chaeyoung... She was an obsession.

Every lead ended the same way. Another abandoned apartment. Another empty warehouse. Another trail that went cold just minutes before she arrived. It was almost as if Violet always knew she was being followed. Tonight, however, felt different. An anonymous tip led Chaeyoung to an abandoned textile factory on the outskirts of the city. Intelligence claimed Violet had entered less than an hour earlier.

She came alone.

Her flashlight cut through the darkness as she stepped over shattered glass and rusted machinery. The old building groaned with every gust of wind, while water dripped steadily somewhere in the distance.

One hand rested on her holstered pistol. Every instinct told her she wasn't alone. "...Come on," she muttered. "Show yourself."

Silence. She continued deeper into the factory, her flashlight sweeping across broken windows, graffiti-covered walls, and endless corridors.

Nothing. Then...

A metallic clang echoed behind her. Chaeyoung spun around, drawing her weapon in one swift motion. "FBI!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the empty building.

No response. Her grip tightened.

"I know you're here."

Another creak. Closer this time.

Chaeyoung slowly aimed her flashlight toward the darkness. "Who's there?"

Silence answered once again. But somehow...

She couldn't shake the feeling that Violet had been watching her since the moment she stepped inside.