Chapter 1~

...The Man Behind The Headlines...

The first thing Jungkook felt every morning was pain.

Not sunlight.

Not peace.

Not happiness.

Pain.

It had become routine.

Normal.

Expected.

The sharp ache in his ribs greeted him before he even opened his eyes.

The bruises decorating his skin throbbed beneath the expensive silk sheets.

For a few moments, he simply stared at the ceiling.

Silent.

Motionless.

Empty.

Then he heard footsteps outside his bedroom door.

Jungkook immediately sat up.

His body reacted before his mind did.

Years of fear had trained him well.

The footsteps stopped.

A knock followed.

Three knocks.

Not him.

Jungkook relaxed slightly.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Min Yoongi entered first.

Coffee in one hand.

Tablet in the other.

Behind him walked Park Jimin carrying several files.

The moment both men saw Jungkook, their expressions darkened.

Again.

Another bruise.

Another cut.

Another morning.

Neither of them said anything.

Because they already knew the answer.

Who did it.

Why? it happened.

And why Jungkook would never fought back.

Yoongi quietly placed coffee on the bedside table.

"Morning."

Jungkook nodded.

Jimin crossed his arms.

"You slept?"

"A little."

Lie.

Everyone knew it.

Nobody challenged it.

Because arguing with Jungkook before breakfast was pointless.

"Meeting starts in an hour."

Jungkook stood.

Ignoring the pain.

Ignoring the dizziness.

Ignoring everything.

As usual.

---

Two hours later.

Jeon Corporation Headquarters.

The tallest building in Seoul.

The building itself looked intimidating.

Cold glass.

Sharp architecture.

Security everywhere.

A perfect reflection of its owner.

Employees immediately bowed as Jungkook walked through the lobby.

Nobody dared speak.

Nobody dared approach.

The media called him ruthless.

Investors called him brilliant.

Competitors called him dangerous.

Nobody called him happy.

Because he wasn't.

The board meeting lasted three hours.

Three hours of numbers.

Contracts.

Investments.

Profits.

Expansion plans.

Until suddenly—

The conference room doors opened.

A nervous executive rushed inside.

"Sir."

The room fell silent.

Jungkook looked up.

The man's face was pale.

Sweat dripped down his forehead.

Never a good sign.

"What happened?"

The executive swallowed.

"Our shipment disappeared."

Silence.

Jungkook's eyes narrowed.

"Explain."

"It was intercepted."

"By who?"

Nobody answered immediately.

That answer was dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Finally—

"V."

The room became cold.

Every executive looked away.

Nobody liked hearing that name.

V.

The invisible king of the underworld.

A ghost.

A monster.

A man nobody had seen.

Nobody knew his face.

Nobody knew his identity.

Yet somehow he controlled half the criminal organizations in the country.

Even governments struggled to touch him.

Jungkook leaned back in his chair.

Expression unreadable.

"How much did we lose?"

"Twenty million."

Silence.

The executive looked terrified.

Waiting for an explosion.

Waiting for anger.

Waiting for punishment.

Instead—

"Recover what you can."

The executive blinked.

"Sir?"

"Meeting continues."

Everyone stared.

That was it?

No rage?

No threats?

No retaliation?

Nothing?

Jungkook simply returned to reading documents.

As if twenty million dollars had vanished into thin air every day.

---

Several kilometers away.

A very different meeting was taking place.

A dark room.

No windows.

No cameras.

No names.

Only shadows.

The atmosphere felt suffocating.

Terrifying.

Dangerous.

Several mafia leaders sat around a large table.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

Because someone was arriving.

The door opened.

Every person immediately stood.

A tall man entered.

Black suit.

Black gloves.

Black mask.

Nobody could see his face.

Nobody ever did.

"Boss."

Kim Taehyung ignored them.

He sat at the head of the table.

Crossing one leg over the other.

His presence alone controlled the room.

"What happened?"

One of the men stepped forward.

"The shipment was intercepted successfully."

Taehyung nodded.

"And Jungkook?"

The room became silent.

"Nothing."

Taehyung looked up.

"What?"

"No retaliation."

His eyes darkened.

No retaliation?

That made no sense.

Jeon Jungkook was known for destroying competitors.

Known for his pride.

Known for his intelligence.

Why wasn't he responding?

Taehyung hated uncertainty.

And right now—

He felt uncertain.

---

Later that night.

Jungkook finally returned home.

The mansion looked beautiful.

Elegant.

Luxurious.

A prison.

The moment he entered—

"You're late."

His grandfather's voice echoed through the hallway.

Jungkook closed his eyes.

Not today.

Please.

Not today.

But life rarely cared about what Jungkook wanted.

The old man stepped forward.

His cane struck the marble floor.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"You lost twenty million dollars."

"It'll be recovered."

SLAP.

The force turned Jungkook's head sideways.

The entire hallway became silent.

Servants lowered their eyes.

Nobody intervened.

Nobody ever intervened.

"You embarrass this family."

Jungkook clenched his fists.

The old man grabbed his collar.

"Do you understand how much I've invested in you?"

Another strike.

Pain exploded across Jungkook's cheek.

Yet he remained silent.

Because fighting back would only make it worse.

It always did.

Hours later.

Jungkook sat alone in his bedroom.

Blood stained the sleeve of his shirt.

His head hurt.

His ribs hurt.

Everything hurt.

But tomorrow he would wake up.

Put on a suit.

Smile for cameras.

Lead meetings.

Make billions.

Pretend everything was fine.

Just like always.

---

Across the city.

Taehyung stood beside a floor-to-ceiling window.

The skyline glittered beneath him.

Beautiful.

Small.

Fragile.

A subordinate approached carefully.

"Boss."

"What?"

"We found another Jeon Corporation route."

Taehyung remained silent.

Then—

"Take it."

"Immediately?"

"Immediately."

The subordinate hesitated.

"Boss... are we declaring war?"

A cold smile appeared beneath Taehyung's mask.

"War?"

His voice dropped.

Dangerously low.

"No."

He looked toward the city.

Toward the empire belonging to a man he had never met.

A man he had never seen.

A man he already despised.

"This is only the beginning."

Far away.

In another part of the city.

Jungkook stared at the same skyline.

Unaware that somewhere within those lights stood the enemy slowly tearing apart his empire.

Neither knew each other's face.

Neither knew each other's name beyond headlines and rumors.

Yet fate had already begun moving them closer.

One attack.

One mistake.

One secret at a time.

And when they finally met...

Nothing would ever be the same.

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