By Zephyria 
“Kwon Rae-i, and Woo Tae-hwon. Those outrageous men plotted a rebellion and violated the authority of the Gyeongjeong Faction. They disturbed the organization by using deception and tricks, and shook the foundations of Gyeongjeong by spreading false rumors.”
Kwon Tae-oh straightened his shoulders and scanned the inside of the building with cold eyes. A cold face that seemed solid, and the gaze beneath his dark eyebrows was hot. Every time he opened his mouth and made a sound, the air in the room seemed to tremble slightly. Everyone held their breath and listened to his words.
“Everyone here knows it in their bones. Kwon Rae-i is not the owner of the throne. He is nothing more than a humble birth with no roots, and he even brought in Woo Tae-hwon, the traitor who murdered his father, as his close aide. Not only that, but he also slandered me, the rightful heir, with false incitement, and unfairly seized our Gyeongjeong by bringing in Jeun.”
A low, heavy voice that seemed to shake the floor filled the interior. Tension spread tautly.
“I cannot overlook this. No… I must never overlook it. I have a mission to correct the turbid order and restore the legitimacy of Gyeongjeong.”
Kwon Tae-oh then slowly began to walk to the center of the building, and the heavy sound of his shoes tapped on the floor.
“I am the rightful heir of Gyeongjeong, the legitimate successor. Therefore, this struggle is not a simple punishment, and bringing down Kwon Rae-i and Woo Tae-hwon is the way to restore the order and honor of Gyeongjeong.”
He took another step towards the organization members. Slowly, but like an irresistible current.
“You and I are qualified to take back Gyeongjeong. And we have that responsibility too! Only we do.”
Before he knew it, all the breaths in the room had become faint. As if waiting for his words to fall.
“Now, answer me. Who is the owner of Gyeongjeong?”
“……”
“Who is the rightful owner of Gyeongjeong!”
“……You are, Hyung-nim!”
Then the hardened faces of his subordinates changed. As if the last embers were burning in those who were dying in the darkness, a wick was lit in their gloomy eyes.
“Tae-oh Hyung-nim is the rightful owner of that position.”
At that moment, the air surrounding them completely changed. The organization members no longer hesitated. They clenched their fists tightly and straightened their backs. Their eyes, gestures, and posture changed.
“Stand up!”
Kwon Tae-oh shouted. With that one word, everything was decided.
“Yes, Hyung-nim!”
“Hyung-nim!”
The organization members rose from their seats all at once. The movements that moved in unison, even the sound of their footsteps, were sharp and rough. The ominous shadows moved as if distorted under the dim fluorescent lights.
“Trust me and follow me.”
“Yes!”
“I will follow you for the rest of my life!”
“The only person we will serve as Chairman is Hyung-nim!”
Kwon Tae-oh slowly nodded. And he raised the corners of his lips sharply and muttered.
“I won’t be wishy-washy anymore. More than thorough calculations and strategies… sometimes, a blood-calling violence is necessary.”
It was as if the voice of his ruthless father was heard from somewhere. The words of the owner of Gyeongjeong, who had been difficult and distant until the end, were imprinted on his memory like a brand.
‘No. Your judgment is wrong.’
Kwon Rae-i is a dragon… Then, what is he, who killed the dragon?
‘What do you think, Father? Do you still see me as just a tiger?’
That day. The memory of the unforgettable night comes to mind.
The night was deep, and heavy rain was beating against the eaves, swallowing the dark sky. The heavily pouring rain seemed to foreshadow the impending disaster.
Kwon Tae-oh, who had been called by his father, stood in front of the main building’s office late at night. His father was inside, with only a thin paper door between them. The shadow of the lamp was shaking faintly, and a familiar smell wafted out. Old paper, herbal medicine, tobacco, and a faint smell of blood.
A space built on authority and oppression. In the middle of it, his father, sitting at his desk with his back to the low light, slowly raised his head. Kwon Tae-oh entered the room and closed the door without saying a word. The sound of rain momentarily faded away, and silence came.
His father handed him a glass of alcohol. There were a total of three glasses on the table.
It seemed there was another guest waiting.
Soon after, Woo Tae-hwon entered and sat across from Kwon Tae-oh. Only then did his father begin to explain the purpose of calling the two of them together.
The moment he saw it, Kwon Tae-oh’s heart froze.
‘A will.’
His fingertips trembled slightly. Something was boiling up from deep within. Even without opening the file, he could feel that something was wrong. Was the emotion that took over him then anger? Regret? Or was it an unspeakable, unacknowledged, twisted attachment?
Kwon Tae-oh was silent.
Rather, it was Woo Tae-hwon, who was sitting across from him, who openly exploded with anger.
His black eyes were deep and rough, revealing all the rage that had risen inside him raw. His fists, clenched so tightly that his fingertips turned white, were trembling.
“I dare not comply. You must know the loyalty I have shown while serving you, Chairman. As promised, the moment the young master turns twenty, please release him from Gyeongjeong. He must never set foot in this world again; you must ensure he lives a normal, peaceful life.” The Chairman lifted his glass without a word and quietly drank.
Kwon Tae-oh understood the meaning of the silent reply at once.
He slowly reached out and picked up the will, reading the contents he had braced himself for. What his father had decided to bequeath to Kwon Rae-i, who was turning twenty and becoming an adult.
“Ha… Hahaha.”
The moment Kwon Tae-oh saw the notarized will, something seemed to snap in his head.
How had things gone so wrong? He didn’t know. Had the expectations his father had placed on him become useless? He had devoted thirty years of his life to following in his footsteps, but was it all for naught? Was it all a waste?
“Father.”
Kwon Tae-oh called out to him.
So distant, so fearful and cold, even though he was the father who had given birth to him.
“How can you do this to me?”
“Tae-oh, you must now go your own way.”
“In your eyes, was I such an inadequate and deficient son…?”
“No. This is a decision for you, your brothers, and the members of Gyeongjeong. Even a father cannot defy his children’s fate.” At that moment, lightning flashed across the window.
Krrrr, flash!
A flash of light that split the sky shattered the darkness. In that instant, the quiet space of the Hanok office was brightly illuminated. The face of his unfeeling father was clearly revealed in the stark white light.
His gaze was always stern and cold. Possessing features that were exactly like his own, yet regarding him not as a son of flesh and blood, but as a member of the organization, weighing and judging his worth with that cold expression.
Kwon Tae-oh inhaled roughly.
As the light of the lightning flowed across the latticed window and swept over the bookshelf in the office, another person beside him was revealed.
Woo Tae-hwon. He would be a witness, a testifier.
At the same time, he could also be the culprit.
As the lightning faded, the faces that had shone for a moment were swallowed back into the darkness. And the last expectation that remained in Kwon Tae-oh’s heart collapsed along with it. It was completely severed. Some faint emotion that may or may not have been there crumbled away, and the sharp thorn that had been tormenting and piercing him for so long snapped off with a ‘thud’.
Then, there was no longer any reason to hesitate.
A cold ripple spread from the depths of his heart, and his fingertips turned icy. All thoughts vanished, and only one emotion emerged clearly.
The desire to kill.