kim taehyung-a man feared by many and challenged by none. a ruthless mob boss and the ruler of seoul's underworld, he lives for control, chaos, and the thrill of dominance. cold-hearted and arrogant, he finds satisfaction in watching his enemies suf...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
-kim taehyung -ceo of kim's enterprise -ruthless, arrogant -mob boss; leader of his mafia gang
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
-de'arra kerr -warm, confident, and sensitive -student at seoul national university
-------
the music pounded through the club, the heavy bass vibrating off the walls. de'arra wrinkled her nose as the stench of sweat, weed, and alcohol hit her. she hated places like this-too loud, too chaotic.
"don't these people have anything better to do than waste their lives in here?" she muttered under her breath.
"you're such a downer," jackson teased, nudging her. "come on, lighten up. you need this."
"i was fine in my room until you dragged me out," she replied, arms crossed.
"yeah, fine locked away in that hellhole. your foster parents don't care about you. why do you keep going back?"
"because i have nowhere else to go." her voice softened, her eyes dropping to the floor. "what am i supposed to do? live on the streets?"
jackson sighed but didn't push further. "just try to have fun tonight, okay? i'll go grab some drinks. be right back."
before she could protest, he disappeared into the crowd. she sat at the bar, chin resting in her hand, her mind wandering.
"you're hot as hell. wanna get out of here?"
she snapped out of her thoughts to find a stranger leering at her, his hand reaching for her arm.
she snapped out of her thoughts to find a stranger leering at her, his hand reaching for her arm.
"no, thanks," she said, turning away. "don't play hard to get. you'll be begging for it later," he sneered, tightening his grip.
before she could fully react, she kicked him between the legs. he yelped in pain but swung back, slapping her hard across the cheek. the sting brought tears to her eyes, but before the man could do anything else, a fist connected with his jaw.
he collapsed to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.
"take him out," a deep voice ordered, calm but commanding.
de'arra blinked through the shock, her gaze lifting to the man who stood in front of her. he was tall, his black suit tailored perfectly to his muscular frame. his red hair fell loosely over his forehead, tattoos decorating the hand he'd just used to deliver the blow. but it was his eyes that held her—dark and sharp, yet oddly warm as they studied her.
"are you okay, love?" his voice was low, smooth, as he reached out to touch her bruised cheek gently.
she nodded, unable to form words. "you here alone?"
"n-no," she stammered. "my friend... he's in the restroom."
before he could respond, another man approached, whispering something in his ear.
"stay safe," the stranger said, giving her one last look before walking away with his men trailing behind him.
"what happened to your cheek?" jackson's voice snapped her out of her daze.
"i got slapped," she said with a shrug, though her fingers brushed the spot where the stranger had touched her.
"and you're smiling? de'arra, what the hell?"
"a man saved me," she whispered dreamily. "he was... unreal."
jackson rolled his eyes. "you're weird."
__________________
de'arra climbed through her bedroom window, shutting it quietly behind her. after a quick shower, she slipped into bed, exhaustion weighing on her. bang bang
"get up, you worthless brat!" her foster mother's voice screeched from the other side of the door.
de'arra groaned, dragging herself to open it. the woman barged in, looking her up and down with disgust.
"tomorrow, we're hosting a very important guest. you better not embarrass us," she snapped.
de'arra forced a smile. "i won't."
her foster mother left, and de'arra locked the door, her middle finger raised at the retreating figure. "dumb bitch," she muttered.
__________________
"here's the file on your future wife, boss," park said, placing a folder on the desk.
kim taehyung leaned back in his leather chair, scanning the document. his jaw tightened as he read.
name: de'arra kerr age: 22 parents: deceased cause of death: murdered legal guardians: martin and laure holmes
her life was tragic-her parents brutally killed, leaving her in the care of strangers. something about the story didn't sit right with him.
"park," he called, his voice sharp.
"yes, boss?"
"dig deeper into her guardians. i want to know everything."
"right away."
as park left, another man entered.
"you're really doing this?" he asked.
"i have to," taehyung muttered. "it's part of the deal."
"you might fall for her," the man teased.
"unlikely," taehyung scoffed. "she's just another pawn in this game."
but as he stared at her photo, her soft eyes staring back at him, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was more than just another arrangement. for the first time, he felt something crack in the walls he'd built around himself. and he hated it.
