Chapter Text
Seunghyun has never seen his boss. Which was not very unusual considering the fact he was only a rookie in the field and men in his rank don’t get to really see the higher-ups. Moreover, the boss never showed his face unless it was absolutely called for.
The boss’ right hand man though, one Mr Seungri does all the dirty work while occasionally receiving calls from someone he calls “hyung”. This was baffling for the entire organisation because who has the balls to call The Dragon “hyung”. Despite Seungri being an extremely social being, no one questions his authority. The last time someone challenged his power, The Dragon himself made an appearance. To say things went south for everyone present would be an understatement. 10 loyal men beheaded and their Headman left blind and missing his legs to tell the story. People still talk about this event which occurred a few years ago in fear, of how the tough, well-built Headman was found weeping in a pool of his own blood and piss.
In case you are still wondering what this violent organisation is, it’s the Korean Mafia. The general opinion is that the Korean Mafia is tame and that the men are all pussies. This opinion holds till one walks down the streets of Busan after 9 in the night. The Russians will look like tame kittens beside the Koreans after a direct encounter with these Asian gangsters.
Seunghyun’s been a part of the Yongseongyeog for nearly a year. Rising through the ranks have become harder as the organisation has gained traction under The Dragon and become as full-fledged as it is now. The employees rarely make a move against the boss and his plans anymore, knowing very well what he is capable of doing in the case of such an instance.
Before the mafia happened, Seunghyun has somehow always knew that he would never fit in with the normal folks. Never have a normal life. So when his mother passed away and his father’s retirement funds stopped coming in, he knew it was either the streets or the mafia. So he found himself before a club which he knew for sure was owned by some mafia lord. He stood there for 5 hours before he was asked what he wanted and another 8 before he was given access to the manager. A week later he found himself being the assistant to the bouncer at the front door of the club.
It took him another 9 months before he was the manager of the club. This position was pleasing enough to him as it bought in enough money for his expenses and he felt he was well-settled. This quick promotion was not because of his commendable leadership, but had something to do with his slanting eyebrows and his piercing eyes. When he is serious, his intimidating features have people scrambling to obey his orders. It worked in his favor and Seunghyun finds a small perverse pleasure in the power his appearance holds.
He comes across Seungri once in a blue moon. Monthly meetings are held in the conference hall of any one of the posh hotels owned by the Yongseongyeog. The location is never specified until an hour before the meeting is to commence. At these meetings, the accounts are presented and gains are compared among the Headsmen. Seunghyun’s Headman attends most of these meetings as he overlooks 4 other clubs other than the one Seunghyun manages. But once in a while in the absence of his Headman, Seunghyun is called in to do the talking. He never understands why, because he being a rookie manager will definitely be junior to the other club managers.
These meetings best portray the efficient businessman in Seungri. Despite his age and attitude he owns everyone’s attention and loyalty, while also inciting a healthy amount of fear. The crude gangsters present in the room are always on their toes in their desperate attempt to please him and not step over their boundaries in his presence.
On a fateful day, when Seunghyun is called in for a meeting in the absence of his Headman, he meets Seungri unarmed and unguarded in the loo while the meeting breaks for tea. When Seunghyun opens the door, Seungri is washing his hands and looks up at the mirror eyes directly making eye-contact with Seunghyun. Without knowing whether he should leave in respect or do his buisness, he freezes at the door. He might have looked a little comical in his indecision at the threshold.
Seungri snorts. ‘Cute’ Seungri comments as he is patting his hands dry and looking curiously at Seunghyun. Understanding that this might be his cue to leave, Seunghyun begins to turn in the doorway. ‘Go ahead, I’m done anyway” Seungri says.
Regardless of his casual tone, Seunghyun knows he cannot disobey Seungri, not if he wants all his body parts intact when he gets home in the evening. So he treads softly as if he were walking on a flower bed to the urinal and unzips his pants. He’s hyper-aware of Seungri’s presence and as he starts pissing, Seungri approaches him. He stands in the next urinal and looks at Seunghyun’s exposed nether parts.
‘Hmm…’ Seungri hums appreciatively at his well-endowed size. When Seunghyun lifts his head questioningly. ‘The grapevine wasn’t lying this time’ Seungri continues with a smirk. At this point, Seunghyun is sweating in bucket proportions. His limited experience in dealing with higher-ups coupled with his panic is not helping his situation.
Seunghyun shakes, tucks and zips up all the while keeping his head down. He bows deeply showing his respect and turns towards the door to leave. ‘Cat took your tongue?’ Seungri says, tone bordering on anger. Seunghyun freezes in his tracks, not knowing what to do at the face of this sudden, unexpected anger. While turning around, in a rush to defuse the situation, Seunghyun responds without much thought.
‘I like my head very much’ Seunghyun blurts out. At that moment, he wants to break open the window at the end of the corridor in which the toilet is located and jump off the hotel building. He knows it will be much less painful than the fate which is waiting for him after the sort of reply he’s given to Seungri just now. He solemnly waits for the backlash with a lowered head. It can’t be a shot to the head considering Seungri is unarmed. So painful it will be.
After a long solid minute of deadly silence, Seungri snickers. Seunghyun wonders whether he’s hallucinating. ‘Is this about the incident in Jung-gu?’ Seungri lowers his head to look at Seunghyun’s downcast eyes. ‘You’re new, aren’t you? I wonder what version of the story they’ve told you. The whole lot of them are worse than a set of gossiping ahjummas’ he snickers more at his own comment.
Seunghyun bows once more and whispers a silent ‘sorry’.
Seungri circles him slowly. In built, he is smaller and leaner than Seunghyun is. But his expertise in Jiu-jitsu is no secret to the members of the organisation. This, Seunghyun thinks must be the reason why Seungri carries no weapon on his body. ‘Did you think that us meeting here is by mistake?’ Seungri drawls at him, all the cheer lost in his tone.
‘Yes, sir. Forgive me’ Seunghyun says back him. He keeps his head down despite the pressing instinctual need to know exactly where Seungri is behind him.
‘You will help me take down your Headman. He has been passing on information to the police regarding our drug deals in Daegu. He has also been collecting information on the whereabouts of the boss. Once it is in the hands of the police it will be a messy job to retrieve it.” Seungri said solemnly.
Seunghyun takes a minute to understand the implications of this situation. It finally dawns on him why he was called in for the monthly meetings. Him being a rookie, will not be naturally trusted enough by his headman to do his dirty work against the boss. Seungri has chosen him now because of how his allegiance to his headman was new and therefore will not be deep enough to disobey the boss’ wishes. Seunghyun nodded in affirmation. ‘Yes, sir' he says in spite of him knowing that Seungri’s statement was not a question, but an order.
‘Do what I ask you to do and prove your loyalty to the boss. He’ll let you keep your precious head and maybe a promotion too.’ Seungri says in that same commanding voice as he pats his shoulder and leave the loo.
When the door swings shut behind him, Seunghyun startles. He’s been told that this is how the mafia works, that the only person that he is supposed to be truly loyal to is The Dragon in the Yongseongyeog, but he can't help feel queasy at this turn of events.
That evening when Seunghyun comes home to his apartment he finds an envelope on his coffee table with very minimal directions. He understands that the trespassing is a part of the intimidation. It is to inform him how they don’t need to even break his locks to enter and leave his private space. The envelope informs him of how his soon-to-be-dead Headman will be present at his club on Chuseok. Seunghyun is supposed to confiscate his official suitcase before the transaction happens between the police, which is scheduled on Chuseok night at his club. He also finds a gun taped to the underside of his small dining table.
Through the night, Seunghyun sits on his lumpy couch thinking about how this single event will change all the plans he had for his future. He had anticipated to stay a manager at the club through his mafia career considering how he has to do only some drug trafficking here and there, arrange a few hookers for the VIPs who come in once in a while and do accounts. This killing could bring him into the spotlight with his fellow workers and some of them might also conceive the opinion that he intentionally betrayed his Headman, despite what he’s about to do being a common occurrence, for the position of Headman. Seungri’s idea of promotion will most definitely be appointing Seunghyun as the next Headman which will only fuel the unpopular opinion about him and also a much more direct involvement with the organisation itself. Seunghyun has previously made a very conscious effort to stay away from exactly such an involvement.
In the liminal light which comes in through the window at sunrise, Seunghyun shivers in anticipation of the Chuseok night. This one event will make or break his life. He feels absolutely no remorse the Headman. From what little Seunghyun knows about him, he is single and has cut contact with his family at least a decade previously. So none of his family will be involved in the punishment. Seunghyun tells himself that that the Headman's betrayal to the organisation is of the highest order and he simply deserves to be punished.
Seunghyun runs his index finger over the matte barrel of the gun which shines in the morning light. He knows it’s Semi-automatic because the bouncer he was assistant to in the beginning, was asked to carry one of these, especially on the days the VIPs came around. But that’s about all he knows about the gun, or any gun in general. He hasn’t fired one, has never even thought of firing one before. If the promotion happens then he’ll be asked to carry on punishments of the crimes of the lower-class men working for the organisation. Punishments in Yongseongyeog were either death or torture, depending on the crime committed to the organisation. Seunghyun wasn’t particularly averse to blood but none of the things which happen in the Yongseongyeog are simple blood-spilling. He’s never seen a torture scene but he’s heard a bartender being torn apart for stealing money from the counter once. The headman had turned up and the bartender was fired from the job, with both his thumbs missing. On the nights when Seunghyun tosses and turns in his sleep, he can still hear the bartender’s screams from the storage room.
Seunghyun knows how this is a do-or-die situation. He pushes off the couch and walks into his semi-kitchen for his morning coffee. And he’d rather live than be dead in a ditch in Busan. Seems like he’ll have to let his life change. For better or for worse he’ll only know later.