𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑛 / 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑔

S3 ch 74

The office was heavy with silence. Shadows flickered across the walls, thrown by the dying fire in the hearth. A storm brewed outside, thunder rolling low as if mirroring the tension inside. Rafayel stood tall, dressed in all black, eyes sharp beneath his dark hair.

Leon Kirovsky, his father, sat behind the heavy desk like a king on his throne, fingers steepled, face unreadable. Two guards flanked the room, armed and alert, but as soon as Rafayel opened his mouth, they subtly raised their rifles, aimed directly at him.

Leon: (low and cold)
"It’s time. I’ve made my decision. The family needs a leader—and you're the only one left to wear the crown."

Rafayel: (voice steady)
"I’m not doing it."

A flicker of surprise crossed Leon’s face.

Leon:
"What?"

Rafayel: (stepping forward slowly, ignoring the guns aimed at him)
"I don’t want this life. I’m done. I want to walk away."

Leon: (voice sharp)
"You don’t walk away from this bloodline. You're a Kirovsky."

Rafayel:
"Then I renounce it."

Leon: (slamming his fist on the desk)
"Over what?! That boy? That little whore you keep running off with?!"

Rafayel’s entire body went rigid. His fists curled tight.

Rafayel:
"You don’t get to talk about Jiwon like that. Not anymore. He gave me something you never could—peace. Love. A reason to live."

Leon: (standing up, yelling)
"You’re weak because of him! You’re pathetic. And if he's in the way of your destiny, then I’ll—"

Rafayel: (snaps)
"You touch him, and I swear to God, I’ll kill you myself."

In an instant, the guards stepped forward, rifles raised higher, safeties off. Rafayel turned his head slowly, seeing his own blood family pointing weapons at him.

Leon:
"If you won’t be my heir, you’re just a liability. The Kirovsky don’t need sentimentality. We need power. You’ve made your choice."

The door creaked open. Rafayel’s younger brother, Aaron, stepped into the room. His expression was unreadable—calm, almost too calm.

Aaron: (quietly)
"If he won’t be one of us... then he’s against us."

Rafayel: (voice dark and cold)
"So even you?"

Aaron: (shrugs)
"Blood means nothing when you betray the family."

Rafayel stared at all of them. His father. His brother. The guards. This was it.

He turned, walked out without another word.

But as he reached the garage, his mind was already made.

---

Rain was falling hard now. Rafayel crouched beneath his father’s armored sedan, soaked and silent. He placed the first explosive beneath the chassis, fingers moving with surgical precision. He placed the second bomb under the secondary car—his father's backup ride. Both would be used. He was sure of it.

He stood slowly, staring at the two cars.

Rafayel: (under his breath)
"You made me choose... and now you’ll live with it."

He walked over to the far end of the garage where a sleek black BMW waited—untouched, never driven. His "freedom" car. The one he'd bought months ago, quietly, for the day he’d finally leave all of this behind.

He climbed in. The engine roared to life.

He didn’t look back.

The rain still pounded outside. The large shared house was warm inside, filled with the familiar sounds of life: laughter from the kitchen, a movie playing in the living room, the smell of late-night ramen.

Jiwon, sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket, looked up the moment the front door burst open.

Rafayel stood in the doorway—soaked, fists tight, rage radiating from his very presence.

Jiwon:
"Rafayel? What happened—"

Jisung: (from the kitchen)
"Whoa, man, you okay?"

Bangchan: (stepping out)
"You look like you just walked out of hell."

Rafayel: (low, bitter)
"I did."

He walked in, dripping wet, eyes stormy. Everyone gathered—Minho, Hyunjin, Felix, Seungmin, Changbin, Jeongin—forming a semi-circle of concern and confusion.

Before anyone could speak again, the TV cut to breaking news.

TV Anchor:
"This just in—an explosion occurred outside the Kirovsky estate. The head of the Kirovsky crime family, Leon Kirovsky, has been confirmed dead after a bomb detonated under his armored vehicle. A second explosion killed several guards. The only survivor is believed to be Aaron Kirovsky, the youngest son. Investigators are searching for a third vehicle seen leaving the scene—a black BMW."

The screen showed blurry surveillance footage... and a brief glimpse of Rafayel’s car.

Gasps filled the room. All eyes slowly turned toward him.

Changbin:
"Tell me that’s not what I think it is."

Hyunjin: (quietly)
"You… you did it."

Jiwon: (stepping forward, voice shaking)
"Rafayel... did you kill them?"

Rafayel: (looking only at Jiwon)
"They threatened you. They pointed guns at me. My own brother wanted me dead. My father spat in your name."

Felix: (in shock)
"So you blew up your family."

Rafayel:
"I ended a war before they could start one. I told them what mattered to me. They didn't listen."

Seungmin:
"You just made yourself target number one."

Jiwon: (soft, stepping closer)
"And now?"

Rafayel finally softened, just a little, when his eyes met Jiwon’s.

Rafayel:
"Now... I protect what’s mine."

Jiwon reached for his hand. Rafayel took it without hesitation.

Jisung: (quietly, to Bangchan)
"This is bad, isn't it?"

Bangchan:
"Yeah. Aaron’s alive. And the only thing more dangerous than a Kirovsky... is a Kirovsky with something to prove."

The storm outside raged on.

To be continued....

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