In the heart of Seoul, where neon lights hide shadows and whispered names can decide life or death, the most feared mafia rules in silence and power. Led by the young married pair, San and Wooyoung, their empire stretches beyond the reach of law. Among their members is Hwang Hyunjin — cold, unreadable, and untouchable.
When the mafia heads to a café for business with a pesky ally named Park Leehun, fate writes a new chapter for Hyunjin. Because of Leehun’s clumsiness, a college student named Kim Seungmin suddenly finds his world colliding with theirs. With a spilled coffee, a ruined MacBook, and a pair of eyes that Hyunjin can’t quite look away from, two lives from opposite worlds are forced onto the same path — one paved in danger, the other in innocence.
But can a boy with no ties survive in the orbit of a mafia that owns the city? Or will Hyunjin’s ice-cold world melt, just from Seungmin’s presence?
⸻
Chapter One: Coffee and Collisions
The café was warm, buzzing with the quiet hum of conversations, clinking spoons, and the faint hiss of steaming milk. Outside, Seoul’s autumn chill painted the streets in a palette of gray, but inside, people wrapped themselves in soft chatter and caffeine.
When the doors opened, the atmosphere shifted. Heads turned. It wasn’t just the sight of tall men dressed in sharp black coats, but the weight that came with them. The kind of aura that silenced a room without a word. The mafia had arrived.
San and Wooyoung entered first, hand brushing against hand, an odd mix of power and devotion. Behind them trailed Ryujin, Jihyun, Bambam, Soohyun… and then Hyunjin. Tall, lean, with eyes as sharp as glass. He didn’t look at anyone, but everyone looked at him.
They spotted Park Leehun immediately. He was leaning over the café counter, bothering the manager with his endless chatter. When his eyes landed on the group, he lit up as though he’d just seen long-lost friends.
“Ahhh!” Leehun shouted, waving his arms dramatically. His voice cracked through the café, drawing attention. In his enthusiasm, he spun too quickly, elbow bumping into a waiter’s tray.
A cup of steaming coffee tipped, its contents cascading over the table where a boy sat, hunched over his MacBook.
The boy jolted up, hands flying to his head as dark liquid spread across his papers and keyboard. “No—oh my god…” he whispered, voice trembling with disbelief. His palms pressed against his face as if hiding could erase what just happened.
He wasn’t dressed like the others in the room who stared in shock. Instead, his outfit was simple: a white t-shirt, a gray zip-up hoodie, and gray sweatpants. His hair fell softly over his forehead, making him look younger, fragile even. Definitely a college student.
Leehun froze, guilt flashing briefly before he awkwardly laughed, “Oops… my bad!” But he didn’t even bother to help.