Coded Life - Jeonglix

Chapter 4: The Rules of the Game

The air in the underground workshop felt heavier now, oppressive with the weight of what Zeria was about to reveal. Jeongin sat at one of the long metal tables, arms folded, eyes fixed on his aunt. He was still reeling from everything he'd learned about his mother's secret life. Now, he was supposed to understand how this whole operation worked, what the hell it meant to be "Code Purple," and what his place was in this world.

Zeria paced in front of him, her boots clicking sharply against the polished concrete floor, her expression unreadable. Felix stood off to the side, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, watching Jeongin with an unreadable gaze. The rest of the crew—Chan, Minho, Changbin, Hyunjin, Jisung, and Seungmin—had scattered throughout the workshop, each attending to their own tasks but keeping close enough to listen.

"Let's get one thing straight, Innie," Zeria began, her tone cold and businesslike. "Your mother built this empire. It's not just a small group of mercenaries or a few contracts. This is bigger than you could ever imagine."

Jeongin's eyes flickered toward the weapons on the wall, then back to his aunt. He still couldn't believe his mother had been running something this... huge, this dangerous.

"What the hell did she even do?" Jeongin muttered, feeling like his voice was barely holding back the frustration simmering underneath. "How is this even real?"

Zeria stopped pacing and turned to face him fully, her gaze sharp and unyielding. "Your mother was one of the most powerful figures in the underground. She had her hands in everything—security, arms dealing, assassinations, intel gathering. She controlled a network that spanned across countries, pulling in favors and resources from places most people didn't even know existed."

Jeongin felt the urge to laugh, but it came out as a hollow chuckle. "So, what? She was some kind of... crime boss?"

"Not exactly," Zeria said, eyes narrowing. "She wasn't in it for the power or the money, though she had plenty of both. She was in it for control. To make sure her family—us—was protected. Everything she did was to secure her legacy, and now that legacy falls on you."

Jeongin's stomach twisted. He still couldn't wrap his head around the idea of being responsible for all this. "I don't fucking want it."

Zeria's expression didn't change. "Doesn't matter what you want. It's yours now. And you need to learn how to navigate this world, or it'll eat you alive."

She pulled a map from one of the tables and spread it out in front of him. It was filled with color-coded markers, red lines connecting cities and regions, names scrawled in tight handwriting. Jeongin stared at it, trying to make sense of the organized chaos.

"This is the network," Zeria explained, pointing to various locations on the map. "We have operatives everywhere. Code Whites—like me and Chan—are the assassins. We take out threats, handle protection jobs, and make sure nobody fucks with our people. Then you've got the Code Blues—Minho and Jisung—spies. They deal with information. They're the ones who gather intel, infiltrate, and get the dirt on our enemies. Without them, we're flying blind."

Minho gave a brief nod, a knowing smirk on his face as he leaned back against the table. Jisung was busy tinkering with some gadget on another table, but his sharp eyes kept flicking over to the conversation, clearly paying attention.

"And Code Blacks?" Jeongin asked, his voice quieter now, trying to process.

"Cleanup crew," Zeria said, without a hint of hesitation. "Changbin and Seungmin handle... the aftermath. Disposal of bodies, cleaning up crime scenes, making sure there's no trace left behind. They're the reason we've stayed under the radar for so long."