The knock on the heavy oak door echoed through the dimly lit office. The air was thick with cigarette smoke, curling in lazy trails beneath the golden chandelier. Hwang Hyunjin leaned back in his leather chair, one hand holding a burning cigarette, the other lazily resting on the polished desk scattered with files, guns, and half-empty whiskey glasses. His sharp jawline caught the glow of the desk lamp, his expression unreadable but cold.

“Sir,” one of his guards spoke through the door, voice tight with tension, “Felix is here.”

Hyunjin’s lips curved into a dangerous smirk, the kind that could make anyone’s blood run cold. He took one last drag of his cigarette, exhaled a slow cloud of smoke, and let his voice drop into that dark, commanding tone.

“Let him in.”

The door creaked open, and there stood Lee Felix. He was dressed in all black, his blond hair falling into his eyes, freckles catching faint light. His hands were bound by the guards, but the defiance in his gaze burned brighter than any chain.

“Hyunjin,” Felix said evenly, his accent sharp, “you always were good at surrounding yourself with dogs.”

Hyunjin chuckled, low and sinister, flicking ash into the tray before gesturing to the guards. “Untie him. I want to see what my little enemy thinks he’s doing sneaking into my territory.”

The ropes fell from Felix’s wrists, and he stepped forward, unflinching, even as Hyunjin’s gaze pierced through him like steel. The tension crackled in the air, the unspoken history of blood, betrayal, and power between them filling the silence.

“You’ve got guts walking into my den, Felix,” Hyunjin said, leaning forward, his cigarette smoke drifting between them. “But guts won’t save you tonight.”