The private rooms of the ballroom were reserved for a specific kind of elite. Among them, the highest-ranking chamber was a relic of Victorian grandeur-opulent, gilded, and suffocating. But the soul of such a room isn't born from its decor; it is shaped by the dark, tangled realities of the people within it.
On one side sat Oh Jin-wook, the Chairman of Valkris Corporation. On the other, the Executive Director, Jihoon. They watched each other with gazes meant to kill. One was a pillar of the KFR Organization; the other was the root of The Vane.
This wasn't a corporate meeting. This was a standoff between two organizations that only existed because souls had been sold to build them. The pressure in the room was so immense that even the crystal chandelier above seemed to tremble, caught in the crossfire of their opposing energies.
"Jihoon, I know you prefer to speak alone," the Chairman said, his eyes narrowing as he studied him. He had been tracking Jihoon's every move from the moment he stepped into the lobby. "But it would have been better to include my child, Ivan, in this as well."
Jihoon knew that look. If this had been the Jihoon of ten years ago, he would have been shaking- a puppet doing exactly what he was told. But that time had passed.
"You know exactly why I didn't include Ivan in our conversation, Chairman." Jihoon's voice was leveled, stripping away any hint of fear. He looked the man directly in the eyes, refusing to flinch.
"I see," Oh Jin-wook replied, his gaze unmoving. "Do you truly have that much trust in your Dog?"
The air in the room thickened with the insult. Every word was a clash of egos.
"This is your own doing, Chairman sir," Jihoon countered. "If Ivan is famous today by the title of 'Mad Dog,' it is only because of your mercy. You should admit that much."
Oh Jin-wook smiled.
(He has completely changed. I liked the innocent Jihoon more, but this... this version is a masterpiece from head to toe.) It was the same predatory smile that had been on Jin-wook's face years ago at Delphinus Bay- when he meet him first time. At that time, I had no idea what truth was hiding behind that ugly smile.
(Laugh all you want, bastard. I'll be the one with my knee on your throat when this corporation you're so proud of slips through your fingers like a butterfly.) Jihoon adjusted his blazer collar, his eyes fixed on the man like a hound waiting to strike.
"I've heard the Chairman is running the Blue Lily Project in the Northern Estates," Jihoon said, shifting the focus. "And that the responsibility has been handed to Ivan."
The question was expected, but Jihoon asked it with cold precision.
"Jihoon, I gave that project to Ivan. You have no business with it," the Chairman replied. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a foul, possessive low. "Besides, why bother investing in projects... when you already have me?"
The statement was vile, a blunt reminder of the Chairman's twisted motives. Jihoon's fist clenched. His knuckles went white. He was only inches away- just inches from burying a punch into the center of that smiling face.
Despite the burning urge, Jihoon maintained absolute control. He knew exactly where they were sitting; it wouldn't take a second for the headlines to scream: 'Executive Director of Valkris Corporation Brutalizes Chairman.'
"I think I was only a second away from having blue bruises on my face," Jin-wook said, a cheeky, provocative smile spreading across his lips. "Excellent self-control, Jihoon."
Oh Jin-wook spoke with a mocking tone. Even when he indulged in banter, he remained the kind of person you never wanted to cross. He was a man who derived pleasure from your pain. The more he saw 'survival' written on your face, the more thrill he got from playing with your mind.
"Jihoon, do you think I don't know what's rotting in your heart? But listen to me carefully," Jin-wook leaned in, his voice dropping. "I like you far too much- both now and years ago. You have always been my first priority. So, I advise you: don't do anything that forces me to break the beautiful thing I created with my own hands. And I also know exactly why you wanted this conversation to be private."
The Chairman was far too cunning; he could read the hearts of others before they even spoke. But Jihoon wasn't empty-handed either.
"Chairman sir, you should know that I have a few techniques of my own. If I wished, I could expose your entire organization to the world today. But I didn't come here as a rival, nor as a Director. I came here with the intention of becoming an Ally."
Oh Jin-wook burst into a laugh so loud and sudden that the guards standing outside the ballroom door flinched in shock. Jihoon remained unfazed. He adjusted his clothes with cold indifference and sat back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other with effortless grace.
"I didn't know my little Jihoon had grown so much that he's started handing out threats," Jin-wook chuckled. "But I like this side of you. The tougher the enemy, the more satisfying it is to drag them down."
"I agree, sir," Jihoon replied, his voice a flat line. "The closer something is to your heart, the more interesting it is to rip it out from your veins."
Jihoon stood up and turned toward the door. After a few paces, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder.
"Chairman, don't forget that the organization you stand upon today was built on my hard work. I was the one who 'opened the legs' for the highest rankers to get us here, not you."
Jihoon forced the words out, his heart turning to stone. Though the statement clawed at his self-respect, it was a necessary strike. It was the very ammunition Jin-wook had used against him for years—now, Jihoon was firing it back.
"And one last thing, Chairman. Regardless of what you think my 'other' motives were, it remains a fact that I came to meet you as an ally. I want my contribution in the Blue Lily Project."
Jin-wook's eyes sharpened, the laughter dying as a cold curiosity took over.
"Then tell me this... who is asking? The Director of Valkris Group, or the Leader of the KFR Organization?"
"Is any of this going to change something?" Jihoon replied.
"No, not at all." Oh Jin-wook stepped back, adjusting the edge of his sleeves. "Why is Rivert taking so long? It's not like he went that far- "
The familiar name suddenly reached Jihoon's ears.
Whose name did he just mention?
But Jihoon didn't turn around.
"The door clicked shut, leaving the name 'Rivert' echoing in the cold silence of the hallway."