The city was buzzing with vibrant life. The sun was beginning to rest upon the horizon, the sky becoming various shades of colors as the light of day begun to fade out, the temperature from the hot, summer day was decreasing. As crowded as the city of June was, it was truly a beautiful place to dabble with all forms of lifestyles. Here, you could be anyone you wanted, virtually do whatever you wanted, if you knew the right people.
The kind of lifestyle investigative reporter, Kim Hongjoong, lived was more of a laid-back lifestyle compared to the rest of the people in the city. He ran a well-known website that reported some of the most controversial cases that have happened in June, but under an anonymous profile. When he wasn't working off a tip, he lived alone in a loft apartment downtown with his Siamese cat, Bokki.
He grew up with moderately wealthy parents. They weren't incredibly rich, but they lived a very comfortable life in the suburbs outside the city. But, he'd been on his own ever since he was a teenager after his parents passed in a tragic car accident. Hongjoong didn't have any living family as he was an only child, both of his parents were both the only children, and his grandparents were gone way before he was even born.
Hongjoong was always poking his nose into things, uncovering secrets from people without them ever knowing. On his 8th birthday, his mother had gotten him a collectible action figure from one of his favorite comics and asked if he could play with it before his mother even gifted it to him. Turns out, he'd caught her the night before, coming home with it when he was actually supposed to be in bed.
When he discovered he had a talent for this kind of thing, and there was a job that could accompany it, he immediately jumped at the opportunity.
One night, he'd received a call from an anonymous person, tipping him off with information about a notorious, common household name, Park Seonghwa, and where he was most likely going to be spotted that night. This was like striking gold for Hongjoong.
Park Seonghwa was one of the wealthiest bachelors in the city of June, he was also not someone you wanted to mess with, he had a hair-thin temper. He lived in a multi-million dollar home built into the side of a cliff deep in the mountains on the edge of the city. He also owned various big-name nightclubs throughout the city.
Despite his undeniable success, there were rumors that he had close relations to a large criminal operation, known as the Nims family. They were known to be a dangerous family that basically had the whole city wrapped around their pinkie, even a majority of the law enforcement was on their payroll.
The wealthy bachelor didn't always have a bad rep, he was previously known for his career as a model, but he didn't last long in that field.
Many believe Seonghwa got wrapped in the wrong scene with the wrong kind of people, but every time some form of evidence surfaced of him having relations to the family, they would either end up dead or the evidence would "mysteriously disappear." So most didn't dare get involved with the man's business, he was virtually untouchable.
Hongjoong had been trying to get leads on the guy for the past two years, but he could never get close enough to properly investigate. So when he got this anonymous phone call, he knew he couldn't waste any time, he HAD to seize the opportunity, and collect any information he could regardless of the outcome.
Seonghwa Park was planning to spend a night at one of his many nightclubs, this one known as The Alley. It was impossible to get in unless you knew the right kind of people. Thankfully, an old friend of Hongjoong's was apart of the security detail there, so all he did was give a single call, and he had his way in.
Before following up on this tip, he had to fix himself up so he would blend into the crowd and not stick out. Hongjoong showered, styled his candy red hair into a wavy, fluffy mess, and put on the best type of cheap cologne he owned. Hongjoong put on a pair of tight, black jeans, a baggy white shirt, and a black leather jacket with chains attached. He topped off the look with a pair of grey boots with white bottoms.
After examining himself in the mirror for a moment, he decided he looked good enough to be able to blend without a problem.
About half an hour later, the red-haired male had arrived at the nightclub. He walked right past the line to the entrance. Due to the call he made just hours before, he was allowed to enter right away.
When he got inside, the sound of the music consumed his ears, pushing past the grooving bodies inside the club. Everyone there seemed to be fueled by the intoxicating music and an endless supply of expensive designer liquor.
Hongjoong hadn't been to many nightclubs, nor had he had the desire to ever go to one. This wasn't the kind of scene he belonged in, he didn't care for this kind of lifestyle one bit. He had one priority, and that was to track down the man he came for, desperate to gain any form of information he could.
The red-haired male spent almost two hours breaking up make-out sessions and interrupting shot contests as he was asking some locals at the nightclub if they had any clue where Park Seonghwa could be. No one seemed to know a thing.
After deciding to give up, Hongjoong made his way to the bar, sitting upon an empty stool as he ordered himself a drink.
Just then, he felt someone come up close behind him, feeling the warm breath on his left ear.
"I hear you've been looking for me," An unknown, smooth voice speaking into Hongjoong's ear.
Hongjoong felt a cold chill run down the length of his spine, almost holding his breath for a moment. The man's voice was almost like melting butter, but there was a certain edge to his tone that made all of his nerve endings jump with electricity.
He slowly spun himself around on the stool, realizing he was coming face to face with the man he had been looking for all night, the one and the only, Park Seonghwa.
Hongjoong never intended to meet the man, yet here he stood less than a foot away.
The taller male was dressed in a black turtle neck and a leather jacket, black dress pants, and a pair of black leather shoes that probably cost more than Hongjoong's whole apartment. His platinum blonde hair was styled in a messy, yet elegant fashion.
Seonghwa leaned against the bar, tilting his head slightly as he observed the tinier male in front of him. A slight smirk curled the corner of his mouth as he looked Hongjoong in the eyes.
"You're not a local here... I surely would've recognized that candy-red hair." Seonghwa began. "You know me, yet I have no idea who YOU are."
Hongjoong felt slightly intimidated by Seonghwa's presence, swallowing hard before he could even say anything.
"I'm uh... Kim Hongjoong," Hongjoong said loud enough so the other male could hear him over the bouncing music and held out a hand for him to shake. "I've heard a lot of good things about you. I wanted the honor of meeting you in the flesh."
Seonghwa glanced down at the male's hand, then looked back up at him. "You must think I'm stupid, yeah?" He grabbed Hongjoong's hand and laid it back in his lap.
"N-No!" Hongjoong shook his head, putting on a bright smile. "Of course not! I'm serious!"
Seonghwa let out a subtle chuckle, rolling his eyes. "Good things, you say? A random nobody wanting so desperately to meet with the most 'notorious' man in the city out of honor? Hardly the kind of story I'd believe." He said as he got dangerously close to the red-haired male. "What is it you REALLY want?"
Hongjoong blinked as he felt his heart pound in his chest from intimidation and fear. "I-I..." He had no idea where to begin, Seonghwa had just read him like an open book.
A mischievous grin grew upon the blonde-haired male's lips, he seemed to be greatly amused with all of this.
"You're one of those investigative reporters right? A detective?" Seonghwa questioned, moving even closer.
In response to this, Hongjoong scooted back on the stool to move away from him, but in the process, he'd slipped off the stool.
Without hesitation, Seonghwa caught hold of the smaller male to prevent him from falling, then pulled him up close to his chest as he looked deep into Hongjoong's eyes.
Hongjoong just froze for a moment, blinking in complete shock. He finally pulled free from the blonde-haired male's grasp, swallowing hard.
"I-I... I need to go. I shouldn't be here." Hongjoong said with a panicked tone, placing some money on the bar for the drink he never drank, then quickly rushing through the crowd towards the exit. He had to get away from Seonghwa as fast as he could. Hongjoong thought he could handle something like this, but the man was way more intimidating face to face than he was pictured in the media. He knew he shouldn't have even gotten involved.
Seonghwa raised a brow as he watched the red-haired male scurry away from him. Soon after Hongjoong left, one of Seonghwa's men approached him at the bar.
"Find out everything you can about this Hongjoong Kim. I wanna know who he is, where he lives, and every detail about his background. Go." Seonghwa muttered the order into the man's ear, then sending him off to do what he was told.
Seonghwa leaned back against the bar with a slight smile, observing the crowd in his nightclub. "We'll meet again sooner than you think, little one..."
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A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER...
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Hongjoong had gone out to the supermarket to pick up a few things to get him through the rest of the week. Upon arriving at home again, he held onto all of the bags in one arm, struggling with his keys to unlock the door to his apartment. He soon got the door unlocked, turning the door handle and walking inside his apartment. He kicked the door shut as he grunted frustratedly.
Hongjoong carried the bags to the kitchen, setting them on the counter. He then heard a sound coming from his office, but Bokki was curled up on the couch asleep, so it wasn't his cat. He seemed to freeze in place for a brief moment, peering down the hallway that led down to his office.
"Is someone there?" He called out cautiously, slowly making his way down the hallway as he saw his office door was slightly ajar. "You're not supposed to be here. If you don't leave I'll call the cops."
When he pushed the door open, who he saw sitting upon his desk made his heart sink straight to the floor. A blonde-haired male turned and looked at Hongjoong with a wide smile, Park Seonghwa.
"So my intel was right then," Seonghwa said as he stood from the desk.
Hongjoong stumbled back a bit, a mixture of fear and shock plastered on his face. "What the hell are you doing in my apartment?"
Seonghwa tilted his head with a subtle shrug, slowly approaching the smaller male. "You left me high and dry, in my own club. I found that very rude of you to do."
"I-I'm sorry... I really am. L-Let me make up for it. You're not going to hurt me, right?" Hongjoong spoke frantically, taking a few steps back when Seonghwa started to approach.
Seonghwa gave a playful frown and he stopped in his tracks. "I'm truly hurt that you think I would have any intentions of hurting a potentially valuable asset," He said with a soft sigh.
Hongjoong made a weird face, squinting his eyes slightly with suspicion. "Wait... What do you mean by 'valuable asset?' What are you getting at?"
"Well, upon further investigation of your character, you run one of the biggest investigative websites on the internet. You've anonymously cracked cases that the best of the best couldn't even do themselves. I truly admire your work." Seonghwa said with a smile, folding his hands at his waist. "I've come to offer a proposition to you."
"A proposition? What kind of proposition?" Hongjoong sounded a bit uneasy.
"I want you to work for me, aid me in times of tracking down essential information." Seonghwa approached the smaller male. "Your paycheck would have numbers that most can only dream of."
Hongjoong let out a small scoff. "And if I decide to refuse your offer."
The expression upon Seonghwa's face darkened as he continued to approach Hongjoong, backing him against the wall slowly as he leaned his face down close.
"This is an offer that you CAN'T refuse... And if you do..." Seonghwa let out a soft chuckle, taking his finger and tracing Hongjoong's jawline. "I'd hate to see this beautifully soft skin penetrated so gruesomely."
Hongjoong swallowed dryly at the threat the blonde-haired male just made, a shiver going down his spine as Seonghwa grazed his jawline.
"A-Alright, fine. I'll do anything you need me to do, just tell me what." Hongjoong choked out, turning his face away from Seonghwa.
Seonghwa smiled in content, taking a step away from him. He removed a black business card from his pants pocket, waving it in the air a bit.
"I expect to see you at this address tomorrow, not a single second afternoon. Please, for your sake, DON'T be late." Seonghwa said in a slightly warning tone, then set the business card upon the desk. "I'll see you then."
The blonde-haired male gave a cocky wink, then exited the room, leaving the apartment without another word.
Hongjoong leaned against the wall in shock, looking at the black card upon his desk. He'd gotten mixed up with the most dangerous man in the city of June, and it was not going to end well if he didn't comply. After processing everything that just happened, he'd gotten an idea.
I can work for him, but also gather the right information I need to bring him down to the ground. This is the opportunity I needed. Hongjoong thought to himself, sighing out as he tried to mentally prepare himself for the dangerous world he'd gotten sucked into.
****THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING****