Chapter 2 The First Step into Darkness

The streets of Raventon were unusually quiet that night.

Clouds covered the sky completely, hiding the moon above the city. The cold wind carried the distant sounds of police sirens, barking dogs, and drunken laughter from nearby bars.

Kim Taehyung sat alone on the rooftop of an abandoned building, staring silently at the glowing skyline ahead of him.

The rich part of Raventon looked beautiful from far away.

Golden lights.

Tall buildings.

Luxury.

Power.

Everything he had once been denied.

Behind him, footsteps echoed softly against the concrete.

Min Yoongi walked over carrying two cups of instant coffee.

“You’ve been sitting here for an hour,” Yoongi said while handing him one cup. “Planning world domination again?”

Taehyung accepted the cup quietly.

“I was thinking.”

“That’s usually dangerous.”

A faint smirk appeared on Taehyung’s lips before disappearing again.

Yoongi sat beside him comfortably.

For a few moments, silence surrounded them.

Then Yoongi spoke again, more seriously this time.

“You’ve been different lately.”

Taehyung kept staring ahead.

“How?”

“You look angry all the time.”

Taehyung let out a quiet laugh without humor.

“The world gave me plenty of reasons.”

Yoongi leaned back against the wall behind them.

“You can’t fight the whole city alone.”

“Who said I’m alone?”

Yoongi looked at him for a second before smiling softly.

“Fair point.”

Taehyung glanced at him briefly.

Yoongi had always stayed beside him.

Through hunger.

Through fights.

Through nights sleeping in abandoned buildings.

Through every terrible moment life threw at them.

Sometimes Taehyung wondered why.

“You know,” Yoongi said casually, “if we ever become rich, I’m buying the biggest apartment in the city.”

Taehyung raised an eyebrow.

“That’s your dream?”

“Yes. And expensive food. And a bed that doesn’t feel like concrete.”

Taehyung shook his head slightly.

“You think too small.”

Yoongi smirked.

“And you think too dangerously.”

Before Taehyung could reply, footsteps suddenly echoed from the staircase behind them.

Both immediately became alert.

Three men dressed in black suits stepped onto the rooftop.

Yoongi quietly placed his coffee down.

“Well,” he muttered, “this feels threatening.”

The tallest man stepped forward.

“Kim Taehyung?”

Taehyung stood calmly.

“Who’s asking?”

“Our boss wants to meet you.”

Yoongi crossed his arms.

“And your boss is?”

The man’s expression remained cold.

“Victor Kaine.”

The atmosphere instantly changed.

Even Yoongi’s joking expression disappeared.

Victor Kaine.

One of the most feared names in Raventon’s criminal world.

A man powerful enough to control gangs, police officers, businessmen, and politicians from the shadows.

Taehyung’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“And if I say no?”

The suited man smiled faintly.

“You won’t.”

An hour later.

A black luxury car moved through Raventon’s streets while rain tapped softly against the windows.

Yoongi sat beside Taehyung quietly.

“This feels like the beginning of a very bad idea.”

Taehyung remained calm.

“Bad ideas are usually the ones that change lives.”

Yoongi sighed.

“One day your confidence is truly going to kill me.”

Taehyung looked at him briefly.

“Not before me.”

The words were simple.

But something about them made Yoongi’s chest tighten strangely.

Before he could respond, the car stopped outside a massive underground nightclub glowing with red lights.

Two armed guards opened the doors immediately.

Music thundered through the building as they entered.

Expensive alcohol.

Criminals.

Businessmen.

Politicians.

Everyone mixed together beneath flashing lights.

Yoongi looked around carefully.

“So this is where the city’s devils gather.”

A voice suddenly echoed from above them.

“Interesting choice of words.”

Both looked upward.

A man dressed entirely in black stood on the balcony overlooking the club.

Victor Kaine.

Cold eyes.

Sharp smile.

Dangerous presence.

Even from a distance, power surrounded him naturally.

“Bring them upstairs.”

Victor’s office overlooked the entire nightclub below.

He slowly poured himself a drink while studying Taehyung carefully.

“You’re younger than I expected.”

Taehyung stood calmly without fear.

“You expected someone older?”

“I expected someone smarter than a teenager attacking local gangs.”

Yoongi leaned against the wall casually.

“In his defense, they deserved it.”

Victor’s eyes moved toward Yoongi briefly before returning to Taehyung.

“People fear you already.”

“They should.”

Victor smiled slightly.

“Confident.”

“Realistic.”

For a moment, silence filled the office.

Then Victor finally sat down.

“I’ll speak honestly. Raventon is changing. Small gangs are becoming greedy. Politicians are becoming unpredictable. I need loyal people.”

Taehyung crossed his arms.

“And why would I work for you?”

Victor’s eyes darkened slightly.

“Because I can give you power.”

Taehyung stayed silent.

Victor leaned forward slowly.

“I know what kind of boy you are, Kim Taehyung. Boys like you don’t dream about survival.”

His voice lowered.

“You dream about ruling.”

The room became quiet.

Yoongi looked toward Taehyung carefully.

Because the terrifying part was—

Victor was absolutely right.

Taehyung had never wanted an ordinary life.

He wanted the world itself.

Victor smiled faintly.

“Work for me.”

Taehyung stared at him silently for several seconds.

Then finally—

“I don’t work under anyone.”

Yoongi closed his eyes briefly.

There it is, he thought.

The death wish.

But instead of becoming angry, Victor laughed softly.

“That ambition will either make you a king…”

His smile slowly faded.

“Or get you killed.”

Taehyung stepped closer without fear.

“Then I’ll die standing above everyone.”

For the first time in years, Victor Kaine looked genuinely interested in someone.

And at that exact moment—

without realizing it—

Kim Taehyung took his first true step into darkness.

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