✧˚ · . 2024, January 2 – Seoul, South Korea

Ria found herself trapped in another one of Pierre’s deals. The old mafia boss had a knack for dragging her into these so-called “missions,” leveraging her past crimes as blackmail. It was either obey him or risk her family’s safety.

It was exhausting, taking orders from a man barely taller than my shoulders. This time, Pierre had his sights set on a painting worth a staggering 1 billion won.

“The job’s simple,” he declared, twirling the ends of his bristly mustache, his gold rings glinting in the dim light. “The painting belongs to the Nishimura family—specifically, to their heir, Ni-ki. Your job? Make the brat fall in love with you. Kiss, cuddle, all that fluff. And, boom! The painting ends up in my hands. Easy, no?”

as a picture of Ni-ki appeared on the screen in front of them, her eyes widened, and she pointed at the image.

“Wait a second. I know that guy!” she exclaimed, her voice tinged with disbelief. “I kissed him once!”

Pierre raised a eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

Ria hesitated for a moment. “We were kids—thirteen, maybe. He’s 22 now, so there’s no way he’ll recognize me… But still.”

Pierre leaned back in his chair, stroking his mustache as he considered her words. Then he snapped his fingers. “Good. That makes things easier. Change your look. Dye your hair red—it’ll suit you.”

Ria groaned . Red? My hair’s already hanging by a thread after the last four dye jobs. A girl can’t keep her beauty while living as a criminal.

“For the record,” she said, flopping down on the leather couch in his office, “this isn’t going to be as easy as you think.”

Pierre narrowed his eyes. “Why not? You just said you know him.” Ria pressed her fingers to her temple. “Yeah, and that’s exactly the problem. Back then, Ni-ki was the most immature, and unserious rich kid you could imagine. And something tells me he hasn’t changed much.”

“But fine,” she said with a sigh, her voice dropping to a murmur. “I’ll try, Pierre.”