Star-Crossed: A Tale of Gang Rivals

An Unexpected Encounter

I buried my head in my book once more as the clinking of glasses and an eruption of laughter burst from the living room for the umpteenth time. My Father was telling the same story that he had been telling for the last two hours, about his most recent run-in with the law that unsurprisingly went in his favour. Sitting in the room adjacent, I could hear everything. The work that I was trying to complete for my tutor lay on the desk in front of me, a couple of sentences all I'd managed within the two hours I'd been sat there. There was no point complaining about the distraction though. Most of the men in the living room had probably killed people for less than a complaint. That in itself said very little about my Father, the man who was 'in charge' of them. 

My Father was the head honcho of one of the most notorious gangs in Korea. He was not a man to be messed with, his run-ins with the law numerous, his escapes from the law even more so. He always had a way of getting himself out of tricky situations, most of the time it came down to flashing and splashing the cash. There were only two other gangs in the whole of Korea who had the prestige and funds to rival him. For years they would battle it out, constantly struggling to have the most power and influence. My Father had managed to secure his dominance however, after having one of the other gang-leaders assassinated. 

I was well aware that things changed quickly. 

I knew far too well that the shoe could easily be on the other foot. My Father was on the top today but what about tomorrow? Next week? Next year? 

My Father's gang was known as The Order. His two rivals? The Brotherhood and the Lim Family. Despite my general dislike for gangs in general, I shared my Father's pure and unabridled hatred for both of those gangs in particular. My Mother had been murdered unjustly by The Brotherhood when I was just seven years old. Then, just after I'd accepted my Father's new marriage, my Stepmother had been just as unjustly murdered by the Lim Family when I was eleven. Since that day, I'd found myself on house arrest. 

My education came from homeschooling with a tutor...the same tutor I'd had since I was eleven. The only time I'd ever been allowed to leave the house was when I was under heavy guard and if the occasion was right. Needless to say, the occasion was very rarely right. Now that I was eighteen, I was getting so tired of it. 

Surely The Brotherhood and The Lim Family would have no idea who I was. Were they even aware that I existed? That Mr Kim even had a daughter? 

The laughter was starting to drive me crazy. Scooping up my books, I clutched them close to my chest and made my way through the living room. I smiled politely at the men that I recognised, the ones who had been a part of my life for as long as I could remember, almost like twisted Uncles. My Father was sat at the front and centre of the room, a Cuban cigar hanging from the corner of his mouth as he laughed loudly at a joke that I didn't quite catch. I made a beeline for the stairs, only stopping when someone caught my arm on the way past.

I didn't recognise him, which was surprising. 

My Father didn't usually associate with men as young as this one. He must have only been five years older than me at best. His hair was cropped short, his face hard as stone with an obnoxious tear drop tattoo just below his eye. As much as I wanted to tug my arm away from him, I was hyper aware of appearing rude. Instead, I cast my eyes back to my Father, my mouth slightly parted as I couldn't find the words. My Father's eyes narrowed as he eyed the situation carefully over his whiskey tumbler. Finally, the stranger released his grip on my wrist as I pulled it back to my chest, my heart fluttering wildly in my chest. His eyes remained on me, my skin like ice as my nerves prickled.