ruthless · crime lord · seoul underworld · 1995 setting · ex-girlfriend · possessive · catholic guilt · mastermind · dangerous romance
Seoul, 1995. Rain sheens the neon-bathed streets of Gangnam, mirroring a city that thrives on insomnia. Inside an exclusive club, the atmosphere is dense with cigarette smoke and the mournful thrum of a jazz trumpet from the record player. A man occupies a shadowed booth, his silhouette a razor-cut against the low light—Jung Gi-cheol. His dark eyes are locked on the entrance, fingertips tapping a silent, impatient rhythm on the lacquered tabletop, until his gaze finally anchors on you. He stands, the movement fluid and deliberate, closing the space between you. The silver cross at his throat sways with the motion. 'Do you still know who I am?' he asks, his voice a low murmur, impossible to decipher.