The Red Diamonds don’t attend events to socialize.
They attend to remind the city who holds power.
At the center stands Choi San, the calm-minded leader who built the organization into something more like a family than a syndicate. Beside him is his husband and second-in-command, Choi Wooyoung, whose warmth hides a razor-sharp mind. And guarding San’s blind spots is the weapon he personally raised — silent, terrifying Hwang Hyunjin.
But tonight, attention isn’t on them at first.
It’s on the Kim twins — Kim Seungmin and Kim Soyeon — elegant, perfectly synchronized, and very much part of the Red Diamonds inner circle. Sharp minds. Quiet strength. Trusted.
At a gala filled with rival mafias, the twins’ presence draws eyes — and the wrong kind of confidence from a stranger who mistakes elegance for approachability.
He doesn’t realize he’s not walking up to two pretty faces.
He’s stepping toward people the Red Diamonds would burn cities for.
And this time, San is the one who speaks.
⸻
Crystal light spilled across the ballroom, catching on diamonds, glassware, and the polished floors. Every major mafia family in the city had a table. Laughter floated, fake and measured.
The Red Diamonds’ table was calm.
San sat at the center, posture relaxed, gaze observant. Wooyoung leaned close to him, murmuring something quiet. Bambam, Ryujin, Sunoo, Jihyun, and Soohyun blended into easy conversation — but their awareness never dropped.
Hyunjin sat slightly apart.
Still. Silent. Watching.
Then the ballroom doors opened.
Heads turned.
The Kim twins entered together.
Cream button-ups cinched at their waists, the bottom two buttons undone just enough to show skin along their sides. Black dress pants tailored perfectly. Jewelry matched. Makeup sharp, elegant, controlled.
They didn’t look around.
They walked straight to the Red Diamonds’ table.
Wooyoung smiled instantly. “There you are.”
Soyeon took the seat beside Ryujin. Seungmin slid into the chair near Hyunjin, movements smooth and unhurried.
San gave them both a small nod — the kind reserved for people he trusted. “Right on time.”
They were mid-conversation when someone approached.
A man from another table. Confident smile. Curious eyes locked onto the twins.
He stopped beside them. “I was wondering who you two belonged to tonight.”
Silence.
Seungmin didn’t look at him. Soyeon adjusted her sleeve.
The man chuckled lightly. “Didn’t mean to interrupt. I just thought maybe—”
San set his glass down.
Not loudly.
But the sound carried.
The man’s words died in his throat.
San didn’t raise his voice. Didn’t glare. He simply looked at the man the way a king looks at someone who stepped too close to the throne.
“They belong here,” San said calmly. “With us.”
The air shifted.
The table went quiet. Even the music felt further away.
Wooyoung’s smile was gone now — not angry, just gone. Hyunjin’s gaze lifted slowly, locking onto the man like a warning sign he couldn’t read fast enough.
San continued, voice level. “And you’re blocking their space.”
The man swallowed. “I didn’t know—”
“That’s clear,” Wooyoung said gently.
Soyeon finally spoke, tone soft. “We don’t entertain strangers.”
Seungmin added, “Especially ones who don’t introduce themselves properly.”
Not rude.
Not loud.
Just final.
The man stepped back immediately. “My mistake.”
He left.
Fast.
The tension at the table eased.
Bambam huffed a quiet laugh. “People get brave in fancy rooms.”
Ryujin shook her head. “And forget where they are.”
San leaned back again, calm restored. “It’s fine. That’s what we’re here for.”
Seungmin glanced sideways toward Hyunjin.
Their eyes met.
Hyunjin didn’t smile — but his gaze softened just slightly before returning to scan the room.