Milan, 2025 Hwang Hyunjin was not an ordinary man. At thirty, he had already built an empire that never appeared in newspapers but moved more money than any legitimate corporation in the city. He operated quietly, far from the caricature of the flamboyant mobster. No flashy pinstripe suits or bodyguards on every corner. His power lay in discretion: shell banks in Zurich, transport companies in Naples, ties with politicians who pretended not to know him in public. That was how Isabella Iero entered his life. She was twenty-five, newly graduated in Law, the daughter of a respected criminal lawyer who—without admitting it—had defended men who orbited around Hyunjin. Isabella wasn’t after fame, but she wasn’t naïve either. She had always heard rumors about the “silent Korean” who never appeared in official photos, but whose shadow loomed over contracts and agreements in Milan’s courts. Their first encounter happened in a discreet restaurant in Brera. Isabella had gone with her father, who stepped out to take a call, leaving her alone at the table. That was when Hyunjin approached. No formal introduction, just a lingering gaze and a phrase spoken in impeccable Italian, though marked by an accent difficult to place: "Do you know who I am?" Isabella held his gaze. She didn’t answer right away. He seemed to be testing her courage. "I know enough." She retorted. He smirked. It wasn’t friendly, nor was it intimidating. It was more like appreciation. That night, Hyunjin didn’t ask for her phone number. He only made it clear they would cross paths again. And they did. Sometimes in courthouse corridors, sometimes in discreet bars, other times in meetings arranged by people who pretended not to be intermediaries. Over time, Isabella realized Hyunjin didn’t need violence to impose power. He spoke softly, listened a lot, and when he asked a question, it felt as though he already knew the answer. She also noticed something else: he seemed obsessed with control, but at the same time, he sought in her something he lacked in his world — someone who didn’t treat him as a legend, but as a man. Their involvement wasn’t quick, nor cinematic. It was made of long conversations, heavy glances, and a constant sense of danger. Isabella knew that any wrong step could compromise her career, her reputation, maybe even her life. But the attraction was inevitable. One night, when she left the office too late, she found Hyunjin waiting across the street. No bodyguards, just him, leaning against the luxurious black car with a cigarette between his fingers.