Her throat throbbed, her arms ached, her mouth tasted like dust. Yoon Hee cracked an eyelid slowly. A forest clearing, barely illuminated by a large fire in the center, came into view. Her arms were stretched above her head, tied to a low hanging tree branch.

"Nice of you to finally wake up," sneered a familiar voice that sent chills down her back.

In Soo stepped into her line of vision and she stiffened. His often cold, calculating eyes were wide and alive, sparkling with some kind of perverse glee. His usual smirk was gone, replaced by a full-fledged fanatical smile. His deep red robes shimmered in the firelight like fresh blood.

She twisted her hands, searching for a weakness in the ropes, but found none. In Soo laughed.

"Don't bother struggling. You won't be going anywhere—" He sidled closer to her, grinning. "Kim. Yoon. Shik."

Yoon Hee's eyes widened in shock. How did he know?

He circled around her, studying her like prey. She felt like a fly caught in a spider's web.

"Now that I know your little secret, I feel that it is my duty as a scholar and a citizen to alert the authorities. I mean, that's the only proper thing to do, isn't it?"

She trembled as a gust of chilly wind cut through her think hanbok. Opening her mouth, she tried to speak but only a hoarse whisper came out. "Where is Jae Shin?"

In Soo came around to face her again. "He's here. Don't worry. The Red Messenger will watch you brought to justice moments before he follows you into a jail cell." He nodded exuberantly. "Sounds so romantic, doesn't it?"

Blinking back tears at the thought of what In Soo had done to Jae Shin, she lifted her chin and stared right at her captor. "Where is he?"

The cocky grin on In Soo's face grew. "If you knew what I had planned for you, you wouldn't be so hasty."

He looked past her. "Bring the criminal out."

Four men dressed in black appeared in her peripheral vision. They each held a taunt rope. Yoon Hee's heart stopped as Jae Shin came into view, heavily bound in rope and being drug across the rocky ground by the men. His hands were tied behind his back and his feet were lashed together. The men kicked him to the center of the clearing, facing her.

She gasped. Bruises were blooming all over his face, his eyes were nearly swollen shut, and blood leaked from his split lip and a cut over his left eye.

Her lover struggled to stand but the men holding his ropes kicked him mercilessly.

"Jae Shin!" She tried to scream past the agony of her damaged throat.

"Enough!" In Soo ordered, holding up an elegant hand. The men backed away from Jae Shin, still grasping their ropes. Jae Shin managed to get to his knees.

"Yoon Shik, run! As soon as you get free, just run. I'll find you. Just run!" Blood dribbled down Jae Shin's chin as he fought in vain against his bindings. Tears coursed down Yoon Hee's face.

In Soo caught her chin in his hand and held in painfully. "I find you quite pretty dressed up as a woman." He let go of her chin and instead trailed his fingers down her cheek, stepping to the side so that Jae Shin could see what he was doing. "She's actually quite beautiful, don't you agree, Crazy Horse?"

"Don't touch her, you bastard! I'll kill you!" Jae Shin roared, struggling against the ropes.

Yoon Hee's blood ran cold when In Soo slowly pulled a long, sharp dagger from his belt. She froze as he drew the tip of the knife across her neck and then down between her breasts. With a sudden jerk, he cut a clean line down the front of her hanbok, ripping the material in two. He jerked the tattered fabric from her body, leaving her in only the underskirt that clung scandalously to her breasts.

"Wow," In Soo cooed in appreciation as he looked his fill of her bare shoulders and barely covered chest. "You really are beautiful."

Jae Shin lunged but was held back by his ropes and beaten mercilessly by the four men.

Yoon Hee looked on in horror as Jae Shin's body was riddled with kicks and punches. But her eyes snapped to In Soo's as he once again held the knife to her breasts. This time, only one layer separated her naked body from the cool night air.

She squeezed her eyes shut as In Soo brought the knife to the edge of her underskirt.

"Hey, you guys!"

In Soo's eyes went wide and he whirled around. Gu Yong Ha stood at the edge of the clearing, cupping his hands to his mouth. "Hey, In Soo! You're a nasty little prick!"

"Get him!" In Soo screamed at the eight other black-clad men that Yoon Hee had heard rustling behind her. They took off with war cries and raised swords. Yong Ha yelped and scampered off into the darkness. The men holding Jae Shin had stopped beating him to watch Yong Ha, leaving Jae Shin sprawled on the ground.

In Soo turned back to her. "Now where was I—"

"Let her go, you coward!" Came a booming, authoritative voice behind her.

Her heart leapt with joy. "Lee Sun Joon!"

A knife went whistling through the night air, embedding itself in the neck of one of Jae Shin's attackers. The man gurgled and fell as blood spouted from his neck. Jae Shin rolled quickly, pulling the knife from the man's neck in one swift movement. Before the other three men could react, he cut the ropes binding his wrists. But with him bound legs, when they yanked on his ropes, he tumbled to the ground.

Yoon Hee tried to watch Jae Shin but Sun Joon circled around in front of her, blocking her view. "Kim Yoon Shik, are you okay?" He asked, holding a sword at ready in front of him.

She nodded and motioned her chin at Jae Shin. "Help him!"

In Soo took their moment of distraction to get behind her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held the knife to her neck. "Back away and I won't slit her throat!"

Sun Joon held up his hands but did not step back. "In Soo, please stop this! You are a scholar—a man of learning. You are better than this petty violence."

The knife wavered only slightly at her throat. In Soo grunted and tightened his hold on her. "I will be more than a scholar when this is over! I will be a hero! I will bring the Red Messenger's body to the authorities and expose Kim Yoon Shik for the fraud that she is."

"In Soo!" Came a bellow behind Sun Joon. Jae Shin had killed the remaining guards around him and was limping towards them, the knife clutched in his bloody hand. He was a gruesome sight-eyes nearly swollen shut, bruises and open wounds covering his body. "Come fight me like a man!"

In Soo looked ready to jump at Jae Shin, but he hesitated since Yoon Shik made an extremely useful shield.

I need to get him away from Yoon Shik! Sun Joon thought, racking his brain for ideas. "Yong Ha is bringing is soldiers here as we speak. You wouldn't want to be discovered cowering behind a woman, now would you?"

"Yeah, In Soo," Jae Shin crowed, leaning heavily to one side and coughing. "You scared?"

That was the push In Soo needed. He lunged at Jae Shin, thinking the wounded man was an easy target. But, despite being severely wounded, Jae Shin had the power of revenge to keep him going. No one touched his woman and lived.

The fight was short lived, with Jae Shin disarming In Soo. With both knives now in his hands, Jae Shin stood over the evil man's body. "Swear on your life that you won't ever harm Kim Yoon Shik—in any way—and I will let you live."

In Soo struggled to a sitting position , looked beyond Jae Shin, and grinned. "Never! You will both die for your crimes!"

Yoon Hee saw a glint of metal and screamed as one of the wounded guards threw a knife at Jae Shin's back.