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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San straightened up, the playful banter dropping from his face as he moved toward the desk. His hands pressed firmly against the polished wood, his fingers splayed as though holding his world together with sheer will. His gaze met mine, intense and unwavering, the way it always was when he had something serious to say. Yet, there was something deeper in his expression tonight—something that made the air between us feel heavier.
"All joking aside," he began, his voice dropping to a low, controlled tone that sent a shiver down my spine. He leaned toward me slightly, the distance between us shrinking. "There are critical movements happening in the city, and we need to address them."
I stood frozen for a moment, absorbing the shift in energy. Gone was the teasing, the suggestive glances—what replaced it was the cold, calculated mafia boss San was known to be. He wasn't just playing a game anymore; this was real, and the stakes were high. I pulled my gaze away from his as I crossed the room, the soft rustle of my clothes the only sound in the heavy silence. I found a chair opposite his desk and pulled it closer, sitting with my back straight, ready to focus on whatever storm was brewing.
San's eyes didn't leave me as I sat down, though he briefly glanced at a stack of papers on the desk. The light from his lamp caught the gold in his whiskey as he swirled it absentmindedly. "Viper and Blaze are making moves. Dangerous moves," he said, the deep cadence of his voice commanding my full attention. "They're not just after a piece of our territory. They want it all."
I blinked, my mind racing to catch up. This wasn't just the usual territorial scuffle; it was something bigger, something more dangerous. "What do you mean? What's changed?" I asked, trying to keep the edge of concern out of my voice.
"They've started reaching out to external factions—people I thought we'd kept out of our city's politics." San's fingers tightened around the glass in his hand. His jaw clenched slightly, though he kept his calm, an unsettling composure only someone like him could maintain in such a moment. "They want a complete takeover, destabilizing everything we've built. Everything that keeps this place from falling into chaos."
I felt the weight of his words pressing down on my chest. This was more than I'd anticipated. It wasn't just a matter of protecting territory anymore—this was about survival.
San watched me closely, his dark eyes narrowing as he noticed my shift in mood. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the situation settling on my shoulders. "Viper and Blaze definitely have more people," I muttered, keeping my gaze down. "When I went to the meeting, they made Midnight Reapers a nightmare. I'm not surprised they're trying to take over this side—that's bold."
San leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable, but I could sense the tension in the room thickening. Just as I was about to elaborate, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I frowned, pulling it out and seeing the name flash across the screen.
Blaze.
San's eyes never left me as I quickly unlocked the phone. I held my breath as the message opened.
