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chapter 1
Haa—
Haa—
A man and a woman, panting heavily, pushed through a dense thicket, their bodies scratched and bruised from head to toe. The woman, running so hard that her breath hitched in her throat, suddenly tripped over a bush and fell.
“Ah—!”
“Hurry, darling! If they catch us here, we’re both dead.”
The man helped her up, and she regained her strength, running again. They dashed toward a river shrouded in mist and jumped into a boat they had prepared earlier.
“There! Catch them!”
“Hey!! Don’t stop there!”
A group of men in black suits chased after them. The terrified woman trembled violently, but she gritted her teeth and pulled the rope with all her strength, refusing to give in.
Vroom—vroom—
The engine roared louder as someone drew a gun.
“Shoot—!”
Bang—
A bullet struck the man’s leg, but he clenched his eyes and restarted the engine. Soon, the boat surged forward, cutting through the river with roaring waves.
“Darling… the… blood…”
The woman sobbed as she tried to stop the bleeding from his leg. The man gently stroked her hair as if to calm her.
“It’s okay. Don’t cry.”
“Do you think we can escape?”
“Of course. Just trust me.”
“Yes… I’d rather live even one day with the one I love than a lifetime with him.”
The man nodded.
Though drenched by the rough waters, nothing could stop their love.
This was the beginning of a notorious incident.
‘JM Capital,’ the second-largest financial company in the country, presented itself as a legitimate business. But like some loan companies, its roots were in organized crime. The chairman, Cha Myunghwan’s mistress, had run away with a low-ranking member of the organization.
Those who had failed to catch them were frozen in terror.
“We’re screwed.”
Someone slumped to the ground in defeat. The expressions of all present reflected the same fear. Failing to capture the fugitives meant only one thing…
Death for the CEO, Kang Seokwoo.
Somewhere in a gym in Gangnam.
Wham—
Wham—
Despite facing opponents nearly two meters tall and well over 100 kilograms, the man didn’t falter for a second. He moved with agility, his muscles rippling with each motion. His fist struck precisely on his opponent’s jaw.
Smack—
The opponent staggered. Even with protective gear, Seokwoo’s blows carried terrifying power. In a real fight, one hit like that might have been fatal.
Kang Seokwoo, CEO of JM Capital.
Sweat fell with every punch he threw. His face, sculpted like a work of art, was deceiving; his muscles were solid as rock, his movements agile like a tiger. Though his appearance didn’t fit a fighter, in the world of organized crime, he was at the top.
His irritation was evident even during sparring. The cold, tense atmosphere felt like a scene from a thriller movie.
Juheon, watching, felt his fingertips tremble. A chill ran down his spine.
A man ran over to whisper a report to Juheon. Upon hearing it, Juheon turned pale.
“…Understood.”
Smack—
Thunk—
The opponent fell backward with Seokwoo’s final strike. The match ended as expected: Seokwoo’s victory.
Removing his boxing gloves, Seokwoo looked at Juheon as if waiting for a response. His deep, commanding voice shook the room.
“The results?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Is this how you manage the men?”
“Res… responsibility…”
Several words were enough to make them collapse. Seokwoo did not forgive failure.
“Lead the way. I’ll follow.”
“D-Directly?”
“Prepare yourself.”
“…Y-Yes.”
Seokwoo tore off his wet shirt, revealing the black tiger tattoo on his back, which seemed to move with his muscles, intimidating everyone around him.
Changing into a clean shirt, he strode forward. The men trailing him looked as if they were walking to their doom.
Clack, clack.
As they walked down to the company basement, they saw men suspended in the air. Already drenched in blood, they groaned in pain. These were the men who had failed to capture the low-ranking member, Sopilmo, who ran away with the chairman’s mistress. Those closest to him were barely alive.
Accused of aiding Sopilmo, they trembled at Seokwoo’s approach.
“Please! CEO! We didn’t… we didn’t think he’d do this…”
Seokwoo simply stared. One man lost control and wet himself. Until yesterday, they had been his men, but no longer.
Juheon intervened.
“Tell us what you know. Anything. That’s how you survive.”
“I—I really don’t know!”
“Anything!”
“He… he mentioned his younger sibling… was running a business.”
“Younger sibling?”
“Some market… in Seoul… running a snack stall.”
Thud, thud.
Seokwoo’s footsteps echoed like those of the grim reaper. Juheon discreetly offered him a cigarette. Seokwoo lit it and blew smoke toward the trembling man, who coughed in terror.
“Find them. Search all of Seoul if you have to.”
Bang—
Startled by the thunder, Heeyeon closed the window.
Whoosh—
The rain hammered the glass, and a feeling of unease crept in. Her phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
Her brother?
For the past five years, she had only confirmed his survival through the money he sent. Something told her it was him, and she answered.
“Heeyeon, it’s me.”
Her blood ran cold. She remembered resenting him for sending only money for years, leaving her and her sibling like discarded parcels.
“Brother! How could you… five years…”
“I got caught up in something.”
“What happened?”
“Wait until it’s solved. The CEO isn’t that bad… uh, wait. I have to go. Ah!”
“Brother! Brother!”
The call ended abruptly, leaving her mind in chaos. Was he really working at a company? But why did it sound like he was running from something?
Bang—
Thunder struck again. Lightning flashed in the dark house. Something felt terribly wrong.
“Brother…”
Two days later.
Heeyeon, carrying a large box on a cart through the faded-striped cloth of the market and among merchants haggling over prices, raised her voice:
“Excuse me, coming through!”
Her stall was in a remote back alley of the market, with the cheapest rights, yet popular with students for its good food.
The market stretched about 500 meters. She paused repeatedly to check her phone.
What could have happened?
Her brother’s call after five years indicated serious trouble.
Sweat dripped down her forehead as she wiped it away, pushing the cart toward the alley.
She suddenly stopped.
The alley was unusually quiet.
“…What?”
Unlike the other shops she passed, the alley was silent. Some neighboring shops had even closed their awnings. Strange. It wasn’t a holiday, yet the entire alley seemed shut down.
Her heart sank further. Her brother’s call had already unsettled her.
At that moment, she spotted her aunt, frozen with fear in front of men in black suits.
“Aunt!”
“Hee… Heeyeon!”
Her aunt, a close friend of her late mother who had raised her and her sibling, ran over quickly. Seeing her trembling caused Heeyeon’s fear to spike.
“Aunt, are you okay? What’s happening?”
“They’ve been blocking the alley all morning… they look like… gangsters. What do we do?”
“…!”
