Chapter 3

The following day was a blur of calculated distraction. Seo Jun forced himself through meetings, reviewed financial reports, and dictated emails, but a part of his mind remained stubbornly fixed on Kaito's chilling invitation. The jade ring, now resting in a velvet-lined box in his office safe, felt like a silent, demanding presence. He'd tried to dismiss Kaito’s words as a mere power play, a psychological tactic from a notorious thief. Yet, the way Kaito had spoken of the ring, of its "true value," resonated deeply with the inexplicable pull Jun felt toward it.

As dusk settled over Seoul, painting the city in hues of orange and violet, Jun found himself pacing his penthouse. Mina had delivered a surprisingly thin file on Kaito Nakamura. "He's a ghost, Mr. Seo," she'd admitted, a rare note of frustration in her usually unflappable voice. "Born in Kyoto, raised in Seoul. Orphaned young. A few petty theft charges as a teenager, then nothing. No known address, no bank accounts, no social media. His name only appears in whispers among collectors and, occasionally, in Interpol's cold cases." A true enigma, just as Jun had suspected.

He glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner. 9:15 PM. The old observatory on Namsan. It was a well-known landmark, but at 10 PM, it would be deserted. A perfect stage for Kaito.

Every instinct screamed at him to stay home. To dismiss Kaito as a lunatic, the ring as a mere trinket. But the thought of not going, of letting Kaito's challenge go unanswered, ignited a flicker of something Jun rarely felt: genuine excitement. For years, his life had been a meticulously planned trajectory of success, devoid of true spontaneity or risk. Now, with Kaito, he felt a dangerous current pulling him into uncharted waters.

He retrieved the jade ring from the safe. As he slipped it onto his finger, a peculiar warmth spread, not just from the jade itself, but from deep within his chest. It felt like a decision had been made, not by him, but by something ancient and compelling.

The ascent up Namsan was quiet, the city lights twinkling below like a scattered jewel box. Jun parked his car a discreet distance from the observatory and walked the rest of the way, the night air cool against his face. The old observatory stood silhouetted against the night sky, a domed sentinel.

As he approached, a figure detached itself from the shadows near the entrance. Kaito. He was leaning against the stone wall, dressed in a dark, fitted jacket and trousers, blending seamlessly with the night. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets, and a faint smile played on his lips as Jun drew closer.

"Right on time, Seo Jun," Kaito said, his voice a low murmur that sent a shiver down Jun's spine. His eyes, even in the dim light, seemed to glint with an unnerving knowingness. "I knew you'd come."

Jun stopped a few feet away, the jade ring a weight on his finger. "What is this, Kaito? What do you want?"

Kaito pushed off the wall, stepping into the faint light cast by a distant streetlamp. "I told you. A night. And a conversation about our shared destiny." He gestured vaguely towards the observatory's dark interior. "Shall we?" His smile widened, an invitation and a challenge all at once.

Jun's pulse quickened. He knew, with absolute certainty, that stepping into that observatory with Kaito Nakamura would change everything. But the pull of the jade, the undeniable allure of Kaito's dangerous charm, left him with no choice. He walked past Kaito and pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the observatory, stepping into the echoing darkness.

What do you think Kaito means by "shared destiny"?

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