Chapter 1
~ November 2004 ~
Little Namjoon was curled up in a corner of the dimly lit room, his small shoulders shaking as silent tears streamed down his face. The heavy silence of the house was broken only when his uncle, Kim Ji-Hoon, stepped through the door. Seeing the boy so helpless, Ji-Hoon knelt down and gently scooped him up into a warm, protective embrace.
“You’re not alone anymore, Namjoon,” his uncle said softly. “From this day on, I’m your family.”
Just a week prior, Namjoon’s world had shattered. His parents had tragically passed away in a horrific car accident—ironically, exactly two months after he had celebrated his 10th birthday. Namjoon had been in the backseat during the crash, but miraculously escaped with nothing more than a few minor scratches on his skin. His parents, however, had died instantly, leaving him entirely alone.
The boy looked up, his large eyes wide with terror, the whites of his eyes bloodshot and swollen from hours of nonstop crying.
“I’ve got your bags packed, buddy,” his uncle continued, wiping a tear from the boy’s cheek. “You’re coming to live with me, your aunt, and your cousin.”
Namjoon said nothing. The trauma had left him in a state of profound shock, making even speaking feel impossible. He looked like a ghost of himself, dressed completely haphazardly. He was wearing baggy, oversized pants that dragged heavily on the floor, far too long for his small legs. Over his plain white t-shirt, his hair was a messy, tangled nest, and he even had mismatched socks on.
His uncle looked down at him, his heart breaking at the sight. “Hey... who helped you get dressed like this?”
“I... I did it myself,” the boy whispered, his voice cracking.
Until that devastating week, his mother had always been the one to carefully pick out his clothes, making sure he was always neat and warm.
“Come here, let’s fix this,” his uncle said with a soft sigh. He reached into the nearby open suitcase, pulled out a thick, soft sweater, and gently slipped it over Namjoon’s head, covering the thin t-shirt. “It’s already November, and winter’s right around the corner. We can’t have you catching a cold. Alright... let’s head home.”
“But... what about the rest of my stuff?” Namjoon murmured, looking around his empty childhood bedroom.
“Don’t worry, we’ll come back for everything else another time. I promise.”
Before stepping across the threshold and leaving his old life behind, the boy paused. He darted into the quiet living room, grabbed the framed family photograph from the mantelpiece, and clutched it tightly against his chest as if his life depended on it.
When they arrived at the grand house, his aunt was already waiting at the door, welcoming Namjoon with a tight, tearful hug. His cousin, Sunoo, was practically buzzing with excitement, thrilled at the prospect of finally having a constant companion to play with.
“Guess what?” Sunoo grinned, jumping slightly. “You’re my big brother now! We get to share a room, and we’re even going to the same school!”
There was a two-year age gap between them. Namjoon had been born on September 12, 1994, while Sunoo followed on June 24, 1996. Sunoo practically dragged Namjoon upstairs to show him their shared bedroom.
“So, what’s your pick?” Sunoo asked, pointing at the furniture. “Do you want the window bed or the wall bed?”
“The window one...” Namjoon said softly, liking the idea of looking at the stars.
“Awesome,” Sunoo beamed. “And check it out—this desk right here is all yours!”
The room was a masterpiece of symmetry. It featured two identical beds, two matching desks, and two wardrobes facing each other. It looked as if an invisible, rigid line divided the space exactly in half. Slowly, Namjoon walked over to his new desk and carefully placed the photo of his parents right in the center.
Noticing his cousin’s hesitation, Sunoo added quickly, “Look, I know it might suck having to share a room right now, but don’t sweat it. When we move into a bigger place later on, we’ll both get our own rooms.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind at all,” Namjoon replied, genuinely comforted by not being alone in the dark.
At the time, their uncle was the powerful CEO of a massive corporation in South Korea—an empire he had built and run side-by-side with Namjoon’s late father.
* * * ### ~ September 12, 2021 (17 years later) ~
The atmosphere was lively as Namjoon celebrated his 27th birthday.
“Man, you’re staring thirty right in the face. You’re getting up there, old man!” Sunoo teased, nudging him with an elbow.
Namjoon sighed playfully. “Seriously? Are you ever going to let my age go?”
“Hey, look on the bright side—Jin is turning twenty-nine. He practically has one foot in the grave!” Sunoo laughed.
“Unbelievable...” Namjoon shook his head. “You and Jungkook literally never give us a break about this.”
Just then, their uncle’s voice echoed from the bottom of the stairs. “Come on downstairs, boys! The guests are waiting!”
“We’ll be right down!” Namjoon called back. He turned to his cousin with a serious look. “Look, Sunoo... please tell me you’re not going to get completely wasted and cause a scene tonight.”
Sunoo gasped, throwing his hands up. “Dude, lower your voice! Don’t bring that up... God, that was one time! Fine, fine, I’ll be on my best behavior, I swear.”
The two young men walked down into the expansive living room, which had been transformed for the party. The space was elegantly decorated with floating balloons, and the air smelled of gourmet food. High-end catering staff in uniform glided through the crowd of Namjoon’s high school and university friends, serving expensive appetizers and champagne. In the background, a hired violinist played a sophisticated, classical melody.
“Happy Birthday, man!” Seokjin shouted, pushing through the crowd with a huge grin.
“Enjoy it, hyung,” Jungkook added, grinning mischievously. “You’re only a couple of years away from being as ancient as Jin.”
Seokjin feigned outrage. “Hey! Watch it, brat! Show some respect to your elders!”
“Where is everyone else?” Namjoon asked, laughing as he looked around the room.
“They should be here any second,” Jungkook replied. “The traffic downtown is an absolute nightmare tonight.”
Right on cue, the front door opened, revealing a frustrated trio.
“We finally made it...” Taehyung groaned, pulling off his coat. “Ugh, I swear the traffic out there is soul-crushing.”
“Happy Birthday, bro!” Jimin said, walking over to give the birthday boy a warm hug.
Hoseok raised his glass. “Twenty-seven... wow. I can’t believe we’ve been a crew for ten whole years already.”
“Has it really been a decade?” Yoongi muttered, taking a slow sip of his drink. “Man, time flies when you’re doing nothing.”
Jungkook looked around the room, raising an eyebrow. “Wait, where’s Yu-Na? She’s usually practically glued to your side at these things.”
An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Namjoon’s smile faded slightly. “We’re not together anymore. We broke up.”
“Wait, what?” Seokjin blinked in shock. “Since when? What happened?”
“Well, it’s... complicated...” Namjoon muttered, looking down.
“He walked in on her cheating,” Sunoo interrupted loudly, not missing a beat.
Jimin’s eyes widened. “No way. Seriously?”
Namjoon nodded grimly. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
“Damn... where?” Hoseok asked.
“At her apartment.”
Taehyung scowled. “I knew she was a trashy little—”
“Tae! Filter!” Jimin snapped, nudging him sharply. “There are people around.”
Before the conversation could get any more awkward, their uncle stepped into the center of the room, tapping his glass with a silver spoon. The clinking sound drew everyone’s attention, and the room fell silent.
“If I could have everyone’s attention for a moment, please,” the uncle began, smiling warmly at the crowd. “I have a major announcement to make tonight. After a lot of thought, I’ve decided it’s time for me to officially step down as CEO of the company.”
Sunoo choked on his drink, his eyes snapping to his father. “Wait... what?”
“...and the person taking the reins, passing the legacy onto...” the uncle continued.
“Here it comes. Finally,” Sunoo smirked, whispering triumphantly to himself.
“...is Namjoon,” his father announced proudly. “The company is yours now, son. I know you’re going to do incredible things with it.”
The room erupted into loud applause and cheers. Sunoo’s face went pale, his smirk twisting into a look of pure shock and betrayal. “What? Him? You’ve got to be kidding me...”
As everyone crowded around Namjoon to congratulate him, Sunoo turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, his fists clenched in blind rage.
As soon as the party wound down, Sunoo burst into his father’s private study, slamming his hands onto the mahogany desk.
“Are you out of your mind?!” Sunoo yelled. “How do I not deserve that spot? I’m your actual son! That chair belongs to me, not him!”
His father looked up calmly from his chair. “Look at yourself, Sunoo. Do you honestly think you’re ready for that kind of weight?”
“Dad!”
“You are completely reckless!” his uncle said, his voice rising. “You blow through cash like it’s water on pure garbage, and you do nothing but expect me to bail you out of trouble. You’ve jumped through three different colleges and couldn’t even manage to finish a single semester. Let’s not forget you almost landed a prison sentence last year because of those lowlifes you call friends! And you expect me to hand over a multi-million dollar empire to you? You’d drive it into bankruptcy in a month!”
Tears of anger stung Sunoo’s eyes. “Just admit it—you love him more. You’ve always loved him more than me!”
“That is not true, Sunoo. I love you, but—”
“Save it!” Sunoo spat, refusing to listen further. “If you actually cared about me, that company would be mine right now!”
He turned around and slammed the heavy office door behind him. He practically ran out of the estate, threw himself onto his bicycle, and began pedaling furiously into the dark night, his mind racing with resentment.
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the drama at home, the friend group had migrated to an exclusive, high-end VIP club. Namjoon, Seokjin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook were lounging on a massive, curved leather sofa centered around a table covered in expensive liquor. Namjoon, who was usually the responsible one who stayed sober, was now completely wasted, trying to drown out the stress of the day.
“Look, since you’re officially a free agent and a CEO now, I got you the ultimate birthday present,” Jungkook said, leaning in with a smirk.
Jungkook snapped his fingers, motioning toward one of the club’s beautiful VIP dancers. The girl, dressed in a stunning, revealing outfit, glided over and immediately began to flirt, running her fingers through Namjoon’s hair. In his drunken state, Namjoon just laughed and played along, letting her lean into him.
Seokjin watched wide-eyed. “No way... I have literally never seen him this loose before.”
“Honestly? Good for him,” Yoongi murmured, taking a slow sip of his drink. “The guy needs to wild out for once.”
Suddenly, Namjoon stood up, gripping the girl tightly by the hand. A dark, confident look replaced his usual shy demeanor.
“Whoa, whoa, where are you two taking off to?” Hoseok called out.
Jungkook chuckled. “Come on, hyung, use your imagination. He’s going to go unwrap his present.”
“Hey, where’s my gift? Don’t leave me hanging!” Jimin grinned at Jungkook.
“Don’t worry, I got you covered...”
Seokjin shook his head. “Man, the kid really knows his way around the block... Alright, JK, hit me. What do you have for me?”
“Nothing,” Jungkook said, completely deadpan. “You’re way past your expiration date.”
Seokjin exploded. “I’m twenty-nine, not eighty!!! Seriously, is it ‘bash Jin night’ or what?!”
While they argued, Taehyung quietly stood up, grabbing his jacket. “Hey, guys... I’m gonna take off. Heading home.”
“Wait, seriously? The night’s just starting. Why?” Jimin asked.
“It’s nothing,” Taehyung said, looking distant. “We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”
“Uh... alright. Get home safe, man.”
Namjoon and the dancer stumbled down a dimly lit VIP hallway until they stopped in front of her private dressing room. She quickly unlocked the door, and Namjoon pulled her inside, slamming it shut and locking it behind them.
The moment the lock clicked, Namjoon pinned her against the door, burying his face in her neck, his kisses moving lower and lower. He eagerly pulled her top off. The girl gasped as her hands flew to his shirt, unbuttoning it rapidly to reveal a perfectly sculpted, toned chest and abdomen.
“Damn...” she breathed heavily. “Okay, those abs are definitely not a myth.”
“Trust me...” Namjoon smirked, leaning down close to her ear. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
With practiced ease, he let his pants drop to the floor.
“Holy... okay, wow,” the girl whispered, her eyes widening in the dim light.
Far away from the flashing lights of the club, Sunoo sat in a dark, empty alleyway, meeting up with one of his most dangerous associates.
“I am so done with my cousin,” Sunoo said, his voice trembling with bitter rage. “He took my life, he took my future. I want him gone. Permanently.”
Ha-Neul exhaled a cloud of smoke, a sinister smile creeping onto his face. “Well... I might just know a way to handle that problem for good.”
“I’m listening,” Sunoo said, leaning forward. “What do you have in mind?”
“A contract killer...” Ha-Neul whispered.
