A light rain began to fall after the company representative's car disappeared through the farm's gate.
Pantawan stood watching the dirt road stretching down from the mountain. The uneasiness still clung to her heart.
That man's words...
"Before it's too late."
It hadn't been an invitation to sell the land. It had sounded more like a warning.
She turned back into the house, hurriedly carried the wooden chest and all three packets of coffee beans into the storage room, and hid them before locking the door securely.
At the same time, the sound of another engine rumbled outside the house.
This time, it was a white pickup truck covered in mud from the mountain road.
A tall young man stepped out. He wore a long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his elbows. His features were sharp and rugged, but his eyes were warm.
When he saw Pantawan, they both froze at the same time.
"Pan..."
The sound of his voice left her speechless.
"Phakin..."
The young man gave her a faint smile.
"It's been years since we saw each other. You've grown so much."
Phakin had once been the son of her grandfather's close friend. He used to spend his school breaks helping look after the coffee farm before going down to the city to study agriculture and coffee business.
No one had expected him to come back.
"Why did you come back?"
Phakin sighed, then pulled a brown document envelope from his bag.
"Uncle Kham called me last night."
"He said someone was trying to buy Mistveil Coffee Farm."
Pantawan's smile slowly faded.
"They've already come here."
Phakin nodded, his expression growing serious.
"That company isn't buying just one farm."
"Over the past two years, nearly all the coffee farms on the mountain have been bought up."
"Those who refused to sell...some of them were pressured until they had no choice but to give in."
Pantawan pressed her lips together.
"What about our farm?"
Phakin met her eyes before speaking slowly.
"I'll help protect it."
"But first, we need to find out...what they really want."
A cool breeze swept through the coffee farm, and the leaves rustled softly.
The two of them looked toward the mountain range shrouded in mist.
Neither of them knew that...
from a hill on the opposite side,
binoculars were capturing their every movement.
And someone was reporting over a radio in a cold voice.
"The target isn't alone anymore..."