What's in the box?" Joon-ho, Jae-Hyun's younger brother, asked, reaching for the cloth that covered it.
"Don't!" the guard shouted, but it was too late.
Joon-ho lifted the cloth and peeked inside. He wished he hadn't. A severed hand lay in a pool of blood, its fingers curled in a grotesque gesture. Joon-ho recoiled and gagged, dropping the cloth.
"Wh... whose is it?" he stammered, his eyes wide with horror.
Jae-Hyun stepped closer and looked at the box. He recognized the ring on the finger, a gold band with a ruby stone. It was Min-Ki's hand, one of their aides.
"What the hell is this? shouted Jae-Hyun as he grabbed the box and threw it on the floor. The hand left a trail of blood on the carpet as it rolled on the floor. "Who sent this?"
The guard who had brought in the package was visibly nervous. "It came from the Kamol's." He swallowed thickly. "They said it was a wedding present for you and Cheri."
Jae-Hyun clenched his fists. He hated the Kamol's being they were a rival family who were doing everything humanely possible to overthrow them and take over their territory.
He had no doubt that the marriage idea came from them. It was supposedly an alliance to end the feud between the families.
Jae-Hyun hated the idea even worse. To him, it felt like a trap, a scheme that the Kamols would use to infiltrate his family and use against them the first chance they got.
Hyun-woo, their father, who was buried busy in his desk, heard the commotion and walked over to them to see what the fuss was all about. He sighed frustratedly, trying to remain calm like he was supposed to. Being the head of the family, he had to he had to master strength in front of his sons.
"Who sent this?" Hyun-woo finally asked in a cold yet calm tone.
"I don't know, sir." said the guard, shaking his head. "All I know is a courier delivered it; they said it was a present from the Kamols."
Hyun-woo narrowed his eyes disbelievingly. Of course, he knew the Kamol family were their rivals in the underworld. But this bold and ruthless act was beyond him.
He had agreed to the alliance, the plan to marry his eldest son to Cheri, Kamol's daughter. But Jae-Hyun had blatantly refused. This was a show that the Kamols had finally taken offense and decided to send them a message.
A bloody message.
"Jae-Hyun, Joon-ho," said Hyun-woo as he turned to his sons, "We need to talk. Come with me."
Together, they walked into his office, and once they were in, Hyun-woo shut the door behind them and turned to his sons with a stern face.
"You know what this means, right?" he asked.
"They want to start a war. They want to take us down just because I refuse to marry Cheri," said Jae-Hyun.
Hyun-woo sighed. "So that means you know it is your fault, no?"
"No, it's not. I don't care. I don't love that woman. She's a snake, probably a liar, just like her father. They don't want an alliance. Don't you see that this is a scheme, Father?" said Jae-Hyun, glaring at his father angrily. "We don't need her."
"Like hell you don't. Don't be foolish Jae-Hyun, you have no idea how the underworld works. Look at what your defiance earned us!"
"Are you kidding me? Is your deal that important that I have to marry someone I hate just so you can use her as your bargaining chip? Jae-Hyun retorted angrily as he folded his arms.
Being the leader of one of the biggest crime syndicates in Seoul, Hyun-woo had no sense of compassion. It was almost evident that this argument wasn't going to end well.
"Look at me, Jae-Hyun, do I look like I'm kidding?" His face had grown cold and serious. "You will do as I say. Or you will face the consequences. You will marry Cheri. Unless you want a bloodbath, you will do as I say."
Jae-Hyun shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't understand what was so important that his father was willing to sacrifice his happiness and freedom for the sake of power.
"Oh, I see we're doing this for my own good, right? Well, thanks a lot father, but I have to decline this generous offer. We will work this out with or without that family."
"You will lock down that engagement—"
"No, I won't." Jae-Hyun insisted, his eyes hardening. "I'm not interested in Cheri, or any other woman you will ever suggest to me. I understand our family legacy as the next don, but I have to live my life. I don't think marriage will solve that."
Hyun-woo's face turned red in anger.
"How dare you talk to me like that? Do you even know what at stake here? Someone sent us Min-Ki's fucking hand in a box this morning! This is someone trying to mock us."
"But father..."
"We cannot afford to be trifled with. We have to act fast. And the only way to do that is to lock down that engagement to Cheri and join forces with her father, do you understand?"
Joon-ho had been silent until then when he finally spoke.
"I understand you father. I do respect your decision. But if Jae-Hyun isn't willing to marry Cheri, maybe I can step in and take his place. I'm sure I can make her happy and loyal to us. I can also take up any challenge that comes our way..."
"Shut up, Joon-ho. Does this look like a matter of choice and preference? This is about honor. Jae-Hyun is the eldest, therefore he's the one supposed to lock down the engagement. That's final. It's not up for discussion!"
"You two better get that before it's too late to salvage this matter, or you will have to deal with more of this," Hyun-woo commanded, pointing at the hand, looking at them with contempt and disappointment.
"Well father, it seems like we aren't even close to agreeing. You want me to lock down the engagement. I will not. You want me to join forces with snakes, I will not. You want me to not question your choices, I will not. So, I bet that leaves us with only one option. I am out of here."
Jae-Hyun stomped towards the door, leaving them staring at each other in disbelief. "Come back here, Jae-Hyun!" Hyun-woo yelled at him, but he didn't seem to care. "We aren't done talking!"
"Oh yes we are, father." Jae-Hyun smirked, "Yes we are."