"Fang" was one of the gangs that came to Korea from Thailand approximately twenty years ago and mostly consisted of runaway criminals and young immigrants who wanted a taste of a "better" life. Most of the men from their top-tier management were on bad terms with the Koreans, however, even when they did find the courage to cross them in one way or another, they tried to do it as subtly as possible and never dared to approach them directly. And that was exactly why Min Hyun found it ridiculous to have one of the Fang's people in his father's warehouse.
"How long have you been lurking around here?"
Min Hyun was not interested in his reaction as he was still fidgeting with the gun that had an "F" engraved on its grip. The man swallowed dryly, his obviously anxious behavior was laughable. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and made an effort to sound as confident as he could,
"Let me meet Mr. Yang Hyun Woo, I want to have a proper conversation first."
Min Hyun scoffed at that outrageous request.
"Since when did criminals learn how to negotiate? What does Mr. Yang have to do with this? I am the one who manages this warehouse."
The man looked visibly disturbed while others started to exchange whispers and murmurs that echoed through the otherwise rather quiet room. Min Hyun brushed his hair back with an annoyed gesture, then pointed the confiscated gun at the man's forehead, and sighed.
"Nothing personal, man, but sewer rats must die before they can spread the plague."
He pulled the trigger but, to everyone's complete bewilderment, the gun did not fire and, taking advantage of that single moment of confusion, the Fang's man jumped onto his feet and tried to snatch the fake gun from Min Hyun's hand but was not lucky enough - Chae Ji Seon incredible reflexes were way faster than the man's desire to escape. With three loud shots, the man fell on the cold concrete floor, forming an almost black puddle of blood underneath his lifeless body.
The rest of Min Hyun's men followed Ji Seon's example and fired their guns at those still groveling on the floor, and when the dark room finally went silent again, the intern crouched in front of the first man that was shot by Ji Seon, turned him over, and started searching his blood-soaked upper body frantically, like a madman. His fingers bumped into something square and leather-like, hidden in the inner picker of the hoodie, and after a few seconds of hesitation, Min Hyun finally took that thing out and widened his eyes.
"Fuck!"
"What's wrong, boss?"
Ji Seon ran toward Min Hyun as he heard his distressed swearing and snatched the leather-covered thing from his hands.
"What the... He was a cop?!"
"That's why his Fang gun was fake - he was two-timing it."
When it came to powerful and influential men like Yang Hyun Woo, the police were usually smart enough to not interfere with their well-managed business, however illegal. Mr. Yang was not just rich, he was on good terms with many important men in the country and even indirectly supported a few politicians, including the current president's last election campaign. And since he himself was no longer officially involved in anything illegal, it was virtually impossible to even frame him, therefore, the matter of an undercover criminal investigation of any kind was a rather extraordinary occurrence and that's why it managed to catch Min Hyun off guard.
The guy covered his face with his big cold hands while Ji Seon pressed the grip of his gun towards the temple of his head, and rubbed it, completely flabbergasted as to what to do next. The intern took out his cell phone from the pocket of his pants but was reluctant to make a call. He screwed up. Again. But he had no luxury of hesitation, the matter had to be resolved quickly. And it had to be resolved by Mr. Yang himself.
"Seong Tae, have the guys clean this place up, Ji Seon and I are leaving first. Contact me if anything else happens."
"Understood."
Min Hyun sighed, then finally pressed the green call button next to his father's name on the phone screen, and after five long ringing sounds that to his ears sounded even worse than gunshots, a hoarse voice on the other line made his body stiffen in an instant.
"What is it?"
"There was a problem... We shot an undercover cop."
His words were met with overbearing silence. It was the second time he screwed up like that, but now it definitely meant trouble. Prepared for an earful, Min Hyun closed his burning eyes and rubbed them with his free hand, but his father only let out an exhausted sigh which was followed by a short, cold sentence.
"Have your guys bring his body to my house."
"Okay."
"And as for you..."
Mr. Yang paused for a second, then took a deep breath, and continued,
"I will see you tomorrow."
***
The quiet ambiance of the hotel bedroom was interrupted by a violent phone ringtone that struck Se Ah like a lightning bolt. She groaned as she rolled over in bed and started blindly looking for the source of the disturbance and when her fingers finally reached the loud, vibrating device, she accepted the call and almost shouted,
"What is it?!"
"Geez, is that really how you greet your best friend? The one that let you live in her luxurious hotel suite for free? No strings attached?"
Se Ah opened her eyes and threw a quick look at the phone screen.
"Da Hye? Why are you calling me so late? Did something happen?"
"Well, something did happen... And you are the only one who can help!"
Da Hye's chipper voice did not match the implied seriousness of her situation, and Se Ah knew that whenever that happened, it meant that Boss Kang had something either ridiculous or dangerous in mind.
"... What is it, Kang Da Hye?"
The woman on the other line sighed, then cleared her throat, and replied in an almost singing voice,
"Se Ah, my dear friend whom I love so much and who lives in my room for free... I need you to go on a blind date instead of me."
"What?!"