Choi San, a revered and feared mafia boss, reigns over Seoul's underworld with an iron fist, his influence extending seamlessly across both legal and illegal domains. But his empire is shaken to its core when his beloved daughter, Eun-ji, is kidnapp...
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I stepped out of the car, my feet hitting the pavement in a daze, my mind struggling to comprehend what I was seeing. The cold night air hit me, but the chill barely registered. I couldn't look away from the man standing in the middle of the road, illuminated by my headlights—the man who, by all accounts, was supposed to be dead.
Lee Seongjun. Alive.
Every memory of him surged back in a rush—the quiet strength he carried, the guidance he'd offered, the loyalty he'd demanded. He was the foundation upon which I'd once built everything, and his death had shattered it all. But now, here he was, standing before me with that same, familiar air of calm authority. His expression softened as he took me in, and a smile crept onto his face, the same warm, knowing smile that had reassured me more times than I could count.
My heart thundered, every rational thought slipping away. "Lee Seongjun... you're... you're alive?" I choked out, disbelief mixing with relief and a deep, unsettled confusion.
He took a step closer, his gaze steady, compassionate. The years hadn't changed him; if anything, he looked more resolute, like a man who had seen things even I couldn't imagine. "I am, Wooyoung," he said, his voice low and steady, the tone that had once grounded me even in the most chaotic moments. "I never really left. I had to... step back."
A thousand questions swirled in my mind, but all I could manage was, "Why? Why did you disappear? Everything fell apart without you—everything you taught me, everything we built..."
Seongjun reached out, resting a hand on my shoulder, grounding me in his presence. His touch was solid, warm—a stark contrast to the cold, biting night. "I know, Wooyoung. And I'm sorry. There were things I needed to protect, things that had to be handled without putting others in danger. But you—" He looked at me with something close to pride in his eyes. "You stayed loyal. You held onto the ideals we built, even when you thought I was gone. And that's why I'm here now."
He took another step closer, studying me with an intensity that seemed to strip away all the walls I'd put up since he left. "You've lost yourself, Wooyoung," he said softly, his tone gentle but firm. "I can see it in you. You're torn between a world you once swore to leave and a life you've tried to build on your own. It's why I came back—to remind you of who you are, and of the strength that's always been there."
"I didn't lose myself," I muttered, leaning against my car, the exhaustion weighing down my words. "I never even got the chance to lead the Midnight Reapers... everything we valued, it's gone. There's nothing left for me there."
Seongjun's face softened, but I could see the question forming in his eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice steady but curious, as if he were already preparing to take in the mess I was about to lay out.
I let out a frustrated sigh, looking away as I tried to find the words. "Viper and Blaze—they snatched it all out from under my nose. Turned everything we built into chaos. Illegal dealings, power struggles—our side of the city isn't the same. What we once respected, the loyalty we valued, it's all just a game to them now."
