In Seoul, a thunderstorm was brewing on the horizon as lightning zig-zagged down from the darkened skies. On the edge of the Han river in the Cheongdam-dong district stood a seventy-three storey tall skyscraper that was fashioned out of blue glass from head to toe and resembled a ship's sail in architectural design. This was the headquarters of Four Seas, the nation's largest and wealthiest shipping conglomerate. 

Right now, a man was standing in his office on the seventy-third floor of the building, looking out of the glass window at the rough waters of the river below. He was wearing a sharp business suit complete with a new red tie, and the few streaks of silver in his dark hair made him look a little older than his age. He didn't mind, because it helped lend him some gravitas that was necessary for someone in his position. Glancing down at his watch, he counted the seconds until the minute hand struck twelve and the first drops of rain began pelting down from the skies. 

Punctuality had always been one of his best traits. 

"They found your brother," an unwelcome voice interrupted his solitude, accompanied by the sound of footsteps against the wooden floorboards.

Through the reflection in the glass, he could see a young man with flaming red hair standing by his desk, flippantly twirling one of his pens between the fingers. Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans with a light blue jacket over his shoulders, the newcomer was eyeing him with a glint of mischief in his eyes. 

"So what?" 

"So... should I get rid of him?"

There was a hint of a challenge in that question, and it was not a challenge that he was happy to accept. 

Turning around, he said, "Leave my brother alone." 

The man with the red hair didn't flare up or get the slightest bit agitated with his response. Instead, a crooked smile crossed his face as he said, "Scared? Looks like bloodline matters after all. The son of a dolphin spirit will only ever be weak and soft, just like she was. It's no wonder you almost lost to Kai fifty years ago." 

"Don't say that about my mother!" Kane retorted between gritted teeth. 

The one thing he hated the most was when people insulted his mother, just because she was a lowly dolphin spirit. Ever since he was a child he had known that his blood was not as pure as that of his brother's, because Kai's mother was the dragon queen while his own had merely been a servant up until the point when the king bestowed favour upon her and made her his consort. His mother had passed on soon after childbirth, and because he was the king's firstborn son, he became the thorn in the side of the king's many wives, all of whom would much rather see him gone. In order to protect him, the king took him under his wing and personally saw to his education throughout his early years, right up till he was able to defend himself and stand on his own. Even though the battle from fifty years back had long cemented his position as crown prince, the truth behind his birthright still remained a chip off his shoulder. 

Realising that he could be overreacting, Kane calmed himself down and regained a placid stance. "It's already been fifty years and Kai hasn't done anything since. He's no longer a threat," he said. 

"Suit yourself. Saves me the trouble. In any case, the situation with Kwon Yul was tied up nicely--looks like you can be ruthless if you need to. Useful trait to have if you expect to take the throne one day." 

"I was just doing what I needed to. The company regulations are there for a reason." 

"I was worried that you wouldn't be able to do it. You haven't forgotten our deal, have you?" 

Of course he hadn't. He couldn't even if he wanted to.

As they were growing up, Kai had always been better than him in everything that they did and compared to his reserved personality, Kai's exuberance and confidence had gained him the support of many members of the dragon court. There had been debate for years over the choice of crown prince, and because of Kai's pure bloodline, there was no shortage of those who would much rather have the younger of the two brothers on the throne. Even Kane himself had toyed with the idea that his half-brother would make a better king than him one day.

Despite all that, the relationship between the two brothers had always been close, so when Kai led the rebellion against him fifty years back, Kane had never seen it coming. That day would forever be a nightmare etched in his memory, and till now he still woke up in the middle of the night breaking out in cold sweat because of the memories that haunted him. 

He had always been on the losing end, constantly retreating with what little was left of those still loyal to him, waiting for an inevitability that he wasn't even prepared to face. But just when he thought that all hope was lost, the tables turned. 

A rogue tornado had appeared out of nowhere, tearing through the waters and whipping everything into a blur. The odd thing about the matter was that while it completely destroyed all of Kai's troops (and took the life of the one woman he cared about), Kane's men escaped unscathed. It was no wonder that everyone believed that the tornado was his doing--a trap that he had cleverly lured his brother into so that he could turn an impending loss into a decisive victory. From then on, no one questioned his abilities or his right to inherit the throne of the eastern seas, but only he knew the truth behind that fateful day. 

"You remind me about it every now and then. How could I forget?" he replied bitterly. "What do you want this time, Yohan?" 

"I'm not the charitable sort, Kane. I expect a return on my investment." Yohan sat down on Kane's swivel chair, making himself at home. "I have a shipment coming in next week. I just need you to help me keep an eye on it and ensure that it clears customs without a hitch. I don't want any unnecessary legal hassle to deal with." 

"What's in the shipment?" 

"That's none of your concern. All you need to do is to make sure that it crosses the border safely and my men will take it from there." 

"Does this have to do with Kwon Yul?" Kane asked suspiciously. He knew that Yohan must have had a hand in this entire matter, but he hadn't yet figured out why. All the evidence (genuine or forged) was against Kwon Yul, and with his own confession, there was nothing Kane could do except to sign the dismissal order. 

Yohan smiled, although his smiles had a way of making one's hair stand on ends. "Let's put it this way. Curiosity killed the cat. So just sit tight and enjoy being your crown prince and CEO and don't ask too many questions," he flicked his wrist and the silver pen in his hand went flying across the room, impaling itself on a pillar, "else I can't guarantee you won't invite trouble unto yourself."

Arching an eyebrow, he gave Kane a cursory wave and in the next minute, he was gone.