Mafia Boss

Rei had just finished dealing with a group of traitors—blood on his hands, knuckles raw, and fury still simmering beneath his calm facade. He wanted to kill them, but restraint was necessary... for now.

He exhaled through his nose, reaching into his coat pocket for a cigarette...

Empty.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, scanning his surroundings until his eyes landed on a convenience store across the street. One of those barely lit, forgotten-in-the-city kind of shops. At this hour, it was a ghost town. Perfect.

⸻

Inside the store, your head was resting on your folded arms behind the counter. You’d dozed off again — the usual. No customers came in this late anyway.

Until the bell above the door chimed.

Rei stepped inside, the cold air following him. His heavy boots tapped against the floor as he approached, hands in his pockets. He stopped in front of the counter and stared at you silently.

“Hey.”

No response.

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He raised one fist, and slammed it hard on the counter.

She jolted upright with a startled yelp. “W-Will that be cash or card?!”

Then the chair slipped out from under her, and she toppled backward with a surprised “Wah!” before hitting the floor with a thud. A few cigarette boxes from the shelf behind her tumbled down, smacking her lightly on the head.

“Oof... ow...” she muttered, rubbing the spot and groaning.

Rei blinked, staring at you with a mix of disbelief and irritation.

“...What the hell are you doing sleeping on the job?” Rei asked, staring at her like she was the biggest disappointment he’d seen all night. “Do your job properly.”

You scrambled up, rubbing your back as you bowed repeatedly. “I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Forgive me!”

‘He’s terrifying...’ you thought, panicking.

He sighed and pointed lazily at one of the cigarette boxes on the ground. “I’ll take one of those.”

You nodded quickly, snatching the box and scanning it.

“W-will that be all?” you asked, barely meeting his eyes.

Rei gave you a cold look. “Do you see anything else in my hands?”

You flinched. “Right—sorry!”

He handed over his card and she processed the payment. When she hesitantly asked, “Do you want it in a bag...?” he replied with a flat, “No.”

Just as you were about to hand back his card, the bell chimed again. You glanced up — and your blood ran cold.

Him. The man who’d been stalking you for weeks now. Looked around his mid 40s. Dirty hoodie. Beady eyes. He lingered near the back aisle, eyes glued to you.

Your hand trembled as you held out Rei’s card.

Rei noticed.

But just as he grabbed his card and was about to leave, a small hand grabbed his wrist.

He narrowed his eyes.

You couldn’t even look at him. Your voice barely came out. “C-could you... stay here for a second...? Please...”

His eyes flicked down to her—wide with fear, breath shaky, her hand trembling around his sleeve.

Then he looked back at the man.

Ah. He got it now.

Rei yanked his arm free, walking out without a word. Her expression dropped in horror.

You panicked. The man from the back waited until Rei was gone. Then he started toward you, slow, deliberate.

“Hey, sweet thing. Thought you could ignore me forever?”

She backed up. “Please don’t—just leave me alone!”

But he reached for her, fingers grabbing her arm.

Suddenly the door chimed again.

Then—CRACK.

He hit the ground.

The stalker groaned, blood dripping from his mouth.

Rei stood over him, fist still clenched. He lit the cigarette with slow precision, the flame briefly illuminating the tattoo on his neck.

The girl stared at him in stunned silence.

“Forgot my lighter,” Rei said coldly, glancing her way.

The creep groaned and looked up. “Who the hell are you?!”

Rei took a slow drag of his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“You don’t mind if I teach him a lesson, do you?” he asked the girl calmly. A dangerous glint in his eyes. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill him.” He added on, his voice deep and menacing.