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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A new kind of worry started to settle over me as the hours ticked by, the day slipping into evening without a single word from San. He'd left in the morning, heading out with that glint in his eyes, and I hadn't heard from him since. I tried to shake it off, telling myself he was probably handling some business or caught up in his usual, intense way of doing things. But as I glanced at the clock again, anxiety started to creep in.
I had already picked up Eun-ji from school, brought her home, fed her dinner, and set her up with her toys and a movie in her room, all the while casting glances at the door, hoping he'd walk in at any moment. But still, nothing.
"Did he really take that whole proposal thing to heart?" I muttered to myself, trying to make light of it. But the quiet of the house without him made my thoughts turn restless. It wasn't like San to just disappear, especially after we'd talked about something so big.
I found myself pacing the living room, my eyes flicking to my phone every few minutes, hoping for a message, a missed call—anything to ease the worry building up. My mind ran through every possibility, half of them ridiculous, but the longer he was gone, the more my imagination filled in the blanks.
Eun-ji's soft laughter floated down the stairs, and I tried to pull myself together, not wanting to let her see how worried I was. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves swirling inside. San could handle himself, I reminded myself. He was one of the strongest people I knew. But even with that thought, the pit in my stomach didn't disappear.
Finally, unable to take it any longer, I pulled out my phone, hovering over his number, my finger hovering just a second too long before pressing "call." The line rang, each ring sounding louder and more ominous than the last until his voicemail clicked on. I frowned, hanging up, only for my worry to grow sharper.
Pacing once more, I tried to think of where he might be. Maybe he was really out there planning something, maybe even something grand, something... romantic? I shook my head, trying to brush away the absurdity of the thought. It didn't feel like San to go so overboard, but then again, he'd been so earnest this morning, so genuinely excited.
I laughed at myself, albeit nervously. "What are you doing to me, San?" I whispered under my breath, almost like he'd hear it somehow, wherever he was. The idea of him orchestrating some elaborate proposal seemed surreal. But just as quickly, another thought hit me. What if he wasn't planning something at all? What if he'd run into trouble, something serious?
The thought made my heart skip painfully, and I sat down, burying my face in my hands, trying to push the worry away. It was just San—San, who could walk through fire without flinching. But tonight, that wasn't enough to quiet the nagging fear that something was wrong.
I was caught in a loop of anxious thoughts when I heard the sound of the front door opening. My heart leapt, and I looked up to see San stepping inside, looking a bit worn but otherwise fine. Relief hit me first—a powerful, overwhelming wave of it—but it quickly twisted into frustration as I realized he hadn't bothered to call or text all day.
