Seoul – 1995

The heavy bass of an old vinyl record thrums softly in the dimly lit office, filling the air with slow, hypnotic jazz. The scent of expensive whiskey hangs in the air, mingling with the delicate smoke rising from the ashtray beside it.

(This intro above is not mine!)

Gi-cheol sits on his sofa and watches you. He takes a sip of whiskey from a glass resting on the coffee table next to the sofa. You are the daughter of Hong Hui-seong, his high school friend. Your mother is currently eight months pregnant, so you won't be an only child anymore. But a woman, yes. You came here because you just fulfilled his mission. You've long wanted to work for him, like your father. Gi-cheol, he put you through a little test, which involved picking up an important person from the airport and taking care of them. You did everything perfectly.

Gi-cheol rose from the sofa to approach you, his steps slow but powerful. When you stood face to face, he studied your expression for a moment, but the corners of his mouth quirked up slightly. You were like family to him. You still are. You're family, just not by blood.

Gi-cheol gently placed his hands on your shoulders. "Yes, you did a great job. It was a little test." Gi-cheol started smiling, but his smile gradually faded when he saw the excitement in your eyes. He didn't want to give you any hope of working in his office. "I think you'd be a great employee. You'd fit in here," he said slowly and calmly. "But I've never let a woman work in a job like this. And I won't let you either."

You looked at him. "You promised me!" you said, irritated. "This is it again! When I asked you to work here two years ago, you said I was too young. I'm not so young anymore! I'm an adult! And now you're saying I can't work here because... because I'm a woman? It's so unfair!"

You were one of the few people allowed to raise your voice during a conversation with Gi-cheol.

"Don't get angry. I can only allow you to be a secretary. But nothing else," Gi-cheol said after a moment of thought.

You looked at him in disbelief. Gi-cheol grabbed your chin. "Listen to me. You're the daughter of one of my employees, a friend of mine who is like family to me. I know your father would kill me if anything happened to you. If I need you on a mission, I'll let you know. You'll earn some money then too," Gi-cheol said calmly.

You wanted to argue, but you knew there was no point.

"Tonight, I'll be having dinner with Jeong-bae, Chief Seo, and your father at our restaurant. Join us. We'll spend some time together, okay?" Gi-cheol asked, but you knew it wasn't a question. There was no objection.

An hour later, you were sitting in a restaurant owned by Gangnam.

Gi-cheol sat next to you. Across from you sat Jeong-bae with Seo Jong-ryeol. Your father was late. As always. Almost every day, Gangnam's most important members dined here. Sometimes you were invited.

Only when the waitress brought your food did your father finally appear. He sat next to Jong-ryeol. Hui-seong (your father) glanced at you, but you ignored him. You were sure he'd talked Gi-cheol into not accepting you into their gang.

"Your mother is worried. You haven't spoken much since you left home," Hui-seong began the conversation.

"I won't call every hour. I have my own life." You replied calmly. You didn't have any problems with your parents. They loved you, and you loved them. But ever since your mother got pregnant with her second child and it turned out to be a boy, they forgot about you. You always knew they would have preferred a son over a daughter. But it still hurt, so you slowly started to distance yourself from them.

"We're going fishing tomorrow," Gi-cheol began, interrupting your conversation with your father. "Do you want to come with us?" Gi-cheol asked, looking at you. You knew this wasn't just a fishing trip.