"Lie to yourself all you want, but you'll always belong to me."
"But you hate me, don't you?"
"Hate doesn't change a thing, Kim Taehyung. You're still fucking mine, no matter how much I want to destroy you."
~~~~~
A twisted game of Love and Power...
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They say the words spoken by those who matter hurt the most, and Taehyung was feeling every bit of it. He couldn't shake Jeongguk's words from his mind; they echoed, relentless, tearing at him. Why did he deserve to die? What had he ever done to Jeongguk to deserve such hatred? He knew something terrible had changed Jeongguk—but why was he the target? Taehyung had never hurt him, and he couldn't even imagine wanting to.
Taehyung felt isolated, left with nothing but the wreckage of his family and his heart. His father was in prison, his mother slipping deeper into depression, and the one person he loved was bent on seeing him dead.
When he woke that morning, it was with the weight of exhaustion pressing on him. He'd barely slept after returning home. The first thing he did was call Namjoon, who assured him that everything from the previous night was under control—but he also mentioned that the Lee family had called a meeting. They wanted answers about the attack, and every significant figure in the mafia world who had been present at the party was expected to attend.
Every gang there was now a suspect, and to prevent tensions from escalating into an all-out war, they all needed to be present to clear things up.
Taehyung knew he had to go, even if every part of him resisted. His wants didn't seem to matter lately anyway. So he threw on a brown leather jacket over a white T-shirt and blue pants, grabbed his car keys, and left his penthouse. ___
Taehyung arrived at the Lees' mansion, gripping the steering wheel for a lingering moment before stepping out. The guards at the entrance barely acknowledged him as they led him through the lavish hallways toward the office. With each step, Taehyung's mind raced, but he forced himself to keep his expression blank, masking the swirl of emotions beneath the surface.
As he entered the office, he took in the room in a single sweeping glance. Nearly everyone was seated already, their gazes shifting toward him briefly before focusing back on their own thoughts and conversations. He caught a glimpse of Jeongguk in his peripheral vision, sitting with his usual stoic expression. The pull to look at him, to study his face, was strong, but Taehyung resisted. Bitterness settled in his chest—he wasn't ready to face the person who'd hurt him.
Instead, he moved quietly to Namjoon's side and sat down, his posture tense but calm. It was obvious they'd all been waiting on him, judging by the way the room stilled the moment he settled in.
Lee, seated at the head of the table, cleared his throat and addressed the group. "So now that we're all here," he said, his voice cutting through the quiet murmur of the room, "let's start."
"Here we are—trying to figure out what went down last night. Because an attack like that doesn't just happen by accident. Someone called the shots, and I have a feeling someone here knows exactly who." Lee sang-ho paused, letting his gaze sweep the room before it landed on Kim Ha Joon, his lips curving into a thin smirk. "Perhaps the Kims have an explanation?" His voice dripped with mockery.
