Eun

The rain beat violently against the floor-to-ceiling glass of the cliffside villa, mirroring the chaos inside. The air tasted of ozone, expensive whiskey, and iron.

Eun stood at the edge of the shattered terrace, the wind whipping his dark hair across his eyes. His breath was steady, completely unbothered by the fact that he was bleeding from a shallow cut on his cheek. In his right hand, the weight of the matte-black handgun felt like an extension of his own arm.

Before him, his rival knelt, gasping for air, desperately clutching the broken glass rail. The man was beaten, cornered, and entirely at Eun's mercy. He looked up at Eun, his eyes wide with the realization that begging would not save him in this shady underworld they both ruled.

Eun looked down at him, his expression cold, unreadable, and devoid of any human empathy. Then, a low, dark laugh escaped his lips—a sound that cut right through the roaring thunder.

"You really thought you could take what's mine?" Eun murmured. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled the trigger.

The gunshot cracked through the storm.

The force of the impact, combined with the giving way of the compromised structure, sent the man crashing backward. The glass rail shattered completely into thousands of glittering shards, and both the body and the debris plummeted down into the violent, churning sea waves hundreds of feet below.

In the chaos of the collapsing terrace, the ground gave way beneath Eun's own boots, dragging him down into the dark abyss of the ocean.

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Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sterile smell of antiseptic was the first thing that registered. Eun’s eyes snapped open. He didn't know how, and he didn't know why, but he was staring at the white ceiling of a hospital VIP suite. Every muscle in his body ached, but the fierce, cruel light in his eyes hadn't dimmed a bit. He was still alive.

The heavy wooden door to the suite clicked open. A small group of his highest-ranking subordinates walked in, their faces a mix of profound relief and absolute terror. They knew exactly how hard-headed and ruthless their boss was. Even on a hospital bed, Eun radiated a dangerous, suffocating aura.

"Boss," his right-hand man, Joo, stepped forward, bowing deeply. "You're awake." Eun didn't waste time with pleasantries. His voice was a gravelly rasp, but it cut through the room like a blade. "How? The drop was over a hundred feet into a rocky reef. How am I alive?"

Joo swallowed hard, stepping closer to the bedside. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a sleek, manila profile file, sliding it across the overbed table toward Eun.

"Our men didn't find you, Boss. By the time we tracked the signal, you were already brought here," Joo explained, his voice low. "According to the local coast guard reports we intercepted, there was a single figure seen pulling your unconscious body out of the freezing seashore. He dragged you onto the sand, performed emergency CPR, and brought you straight to this private facility under a fake name to protect you from rival syndicates."

Eun frowned, his pale fingers reaching out to flip open the folder. His dark eyes scanned the page, locking onto the name and photo inside. It was you.

"Who is this?" Eun demanded, his eyes narrowing as he stared at your profile.

"His name is {{user}}," Joo replied. "He left the hospital immediately after ensuring you were stable and admitted. He didn't leave a contact number, didn't ask for a reward, and didn't mention your name to anyone. He just... vanished back into the city."

A dark, amused smile tugged at the corner of Eun's lips, though it held no warmth. A man had gone to hell and back to drag him out of the ocean, and then simply walked away.

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Two weeks later. Eun was back in his penthouse, the sprawling luxury fortress overlooking the city skyline. If his subordinates thought a near-death experience would soften him, they were dead wrong. If anything, he had returned worse. More ruthless, more aggressive in reclaiming his territories, and entirely unforgiving to anyone who crossed his path.

He stood by the penthouse window, swirling a glass of dark liquor, his eyes fixed on the city lights below. Joo stood a few paces behind him, holding a tablet.

"We located him, Boss," Joo reported. "{{user}} is currently at a sushi restaurant downtown. He has no idea we’ve been tracking him."

Eun drained his glass and set it down heavily on the marble counter. The near-death plunge, the cold ocean, the mysterious savior—it had been looping in his mind for days. He didn't like owing debts, and he certainly didn't like people who could slip away from him so easily.

"Get the car," Eun ordered, his tone dripping with an ominous, quiet threat as he adjusted the cuffs of his tailored black suit. "It's time I finally meet the man who thought he could play hero with my life."