CHAPTER 02

THE TRUSTED SHADOW...

Days turned into weeks, and Hyun-soo's Blackwood training proved its worth. By handling every security threat with calm precision, he earned Chairman Kang's complete trust and gradually gained access to the inner circle of the family's weapons business.

At the same time, the distance between Hyun-soo and Min-jae quietly began to shrink. Min-jae hid his growing attraction behind his usual confident smile, but his eyes followed Hyun-soo wherever he went. Though few words passed between them, an invisible tension lingered whenever they shared the same space.

One quiet night, Hyun-soo slipped unnoticed into Chairman Kang's private study. Moving carefully, he inserted a flash drive into the computer and copied several confidential files. Every passing second felt painfully long, but his training kept him calm. As soon as the transfer was complete, he removed the drive and stepped back into the hallway.

After only a few steps, he stopped. Min-jae was standing right in front of him. A wave of panic flashed through Hyun-soo, but his expression remained calm.

Fortunately, Min-jae hadn't seen him leave the study. He had only come to the hallway after receiving a late-night phone call. Still, finding his bodyguard wandering the corridor at such an hour seemed unusual.

"What are you doing here so late?"

Min-jae asked.

"I heard a strange noise, sir,"

Hyun-soo replied without hesitation.

"I came to check it."

Min-jae smiled faintly.

"Your hearing must be impressive."

He stepped closer, slowly closing the distance between them.

Hyun-soo could feel his heartbeat quicken. Min-jae looked up into his eyes, carefully watching every small reaction.

For the first time in years, Hyun-soo struggled to keep his composure. Afraid his feelings would show, he lowered his head in a respectful bow.

"If you'll excuse me, sir."

Without waiting for another question, he stepped around Min-jae and disappeared into the shadows. Min-jae watched him leave, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

The encounter had not been an accident. He had deliberately stepped into Hyun-soo's personal space to observe his reaction. The bodyguard's sudden nervousness, hurried escape, and inability to meet his eyes told Min-jae everything he wanted to know.

Whether Hyun-soo admitted it or not... Something about Min-jae affected him deeply.

That night, Hyun-soo returned to his room and inserted the flash drive into his laptop. A faint smile crossed his face as files containing illegal weapons deals, secret transactions, and the names of powerful kingpins appeared on the screen. His mission was finally moving forward. He carefully examined each document, memorizing every detail that could bring Chairman Kang's empire crashing down. But his concentration didn't last.

Without warning, the memory of Min-jae standing only inches away from him resurfaced. His quiet voice, teasing smile, and unwavering gaze lingered in Hyun-soo's mind.

Hyun-soo clenched his jaw and shut his eyes.

"No..."

He whispered, shaking his head as if trying to drive the thoughts away.

"This changes nothing."

"My revenge comes first."

"I will finish what I started."

He took a slow breath and turned his attention back to the files. No matter how much his heart wavered, he refused to let his emotions stand in the way of the revenge he had spent nineteen years preparing for.

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THE SUMMONING...

Morning sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Min-jae's office. Resting a glass of vodka in his hand, he replayed the previous night's encounter with Hyun-soo over and over. The bodyguard's nervous reaction had only deepened his curiosity. He pressed the intercom.

"Hyun-soo. Come to my office."

A moment later, Hyun-soo entered and stood silently before the desk. Min-jae poured a second drink and slid the glass toward him.

"Sit. Have a drink with me."

"I don't drink, sir,"

Hyun-soo answered.

"Not even once?"

"I must remain alert while on duty."

Min-jae laughed softly.

"You really are different."

He rose from his chair and slowly closed the distance between them.

"I hate guessing games,"

He said. "So let me ask you directly."

He stopped only a step away.

"Are you attracted to men?"

For the first time, surprise flashed across Hyun-soo's face.

"No, sir."

"I'm straight."

Min-jae studied him carefully.

"Then why do you avoid looking at me?"

"You misunderstand."

"Do I?"

Min-jae smiled.

"You become nervous whenever I'm close."

He reached out and lightly caught Hyun-soo's wrist. The touch sent an unexpected jolt through Hyun-soo. For a brief moment, his heart betrayed him. Then another image replaced it—

His family's blood. He's Chairman Kang's son. Hyun-soo pulled himself together.

"I have no personal feelings toward you, sir."

With a firm motion, he freed his wrist, bowed respectfully, and left the office without another word.

The door closed.

Min-jae looked down at his empty hand and smiled to himself. The denial had convinced him of only one thing. Hyun-soo was hiding something.

The following days changed nothing. Min-jae continued finding excuses to spend time with his bodyguard, but Hyun-soo remained calm, distant, and strictly professional. The more Hyun-soo avoided him, the stronger Min-jae's feelings became.

One evening, after everyone had retired, Min-jae found Hyun-soo alone in a quiet hallway.

"You've been avoiding me,"

Min-jae said.

"I am simply doing my job."

"You treat everyone the same."

"Because that is my duty."

Min-jae stepped closer.

"For once... stop acting like my bodyguard."

Hyun-soo remained silent.

Before he could move away, Min-jae reached for his arm again, And cornered Hyun-soo in the shadows, lunged forward, and pinned him tightly against the wall to force a breathless kiss upon his lips. Hyun-soo violation triggered. Before his conscious mind could process the attraction, his normal condition took over.

Almost by instinct, Hyun-soo drove a powerful punch into Min-jae's face. Min-jae stumbled backward, crashing against the wall. Blood trickled from the corner of his split lip. Silence filled the hallway.

Hyun-soo froze.

He had struck the mafia heir. Realizing what he had done, he immediately lowered his head.

"My deepest apologies, sir."

"My reaction was instinctive."

"It will never happen again."

Min-jae slowly wiped the blood from his lip and stared at the red stain on his fingertips. Then he looked back at Hyun-soo.

He said nothing.

Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Hyun-soo standing alone in the corridor, wondering whether he had just destroyed everything.

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THE TWISTED COVER-UP...

The next morning, Hyun-soo was summoned to Chairman Kang's private study. Expecting punishment for striking the young master, he entered with quiet determination, prepared to face whatever awaited him.

Instead, he found Min-jae standing silently beside his father, a bruise darkening his lip. Chairman Kang's expression hardened.

"Min-jae," he ordered, "apologize."

Min-jae lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, Hyun-soo. I acted recklessly."

Hyun-soo stood frozen, unable to understand what was happening. Chairman Kang sighed in frustration.

"My son got into another fight last night. Thank you for protecting him and taking responsibility for the situation."

He looked directly at Hyun-soo.

"From now on, your priority is his safety. Handle any trouble he causes before it reaches me."

Hyun-soo could only bow.

"Understood, sir."

As Chairman Kang turned back to his work, Min-jae slowly looked up. Their eyes met for a brief moment. A faint smile appeared on Min-jae's bruised lips.

Only then did Hyun-soo realize the truth. Min-jae had lied to save him. Instead of exposing the punch, he had claimed Hyun-soo was protecting him. The lie had spared Hyun-soo's life while binding him to silence.

That evening, Hyun-soo found Min-jae alone in the mansion's library. Once they were certain no one else was nearby, Hyun-soo spoke in a low voice.

"Why did you lie to Chairman Kang?"

"You could have had me executed."

Min-jae gently touched his injured lip before smiling.

"Because I didn't want you to die."

He took a slow step forward.

"If you disappeared, this place would become unbearably empty."

His smile faded.

"And you're the only person in this house who treats me like a human being instead of my father's heir."

His words caught Hyun-soo off guard.

For years, he had known every member of the Kang family as equally guilty. But standing before him was not a cruel mafia prince. Min-jae looked lonely and trapped.

A son living in the shadow of a ruthless father. For the first time, the wall of hatred Hyun-soo had built over nineteen years began to crack. He finally understood that Chairman Kang and Min-jae were not the same person.

As he watched Min-jae walk away, a single thought echoed through his mind.

*Why my heart rate rising like this...?*

For the first time since entering the mansion, Hyun-soo questioned whether revenge alone was enough.

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UNCOVERING THE TRUTH...

Late that night, Hyun-soo returned to his room and plugged the stolen flash drive into his laptop. As he reviewed the copied files, he noticed an encrypted folder he had missed before.

After bypassing its security, he stared at the screen in disbelief. The files weren't related to the mafia at all.

They contained legal business records belonging to Min-jae's private tech company. Every financial report was clean. There was no trace of money laundering or illegal weapons deals.

More shocking were the internal documents.

They revealed that Min-jae had repeatedly rejected Chairman Kang's attempts to use his company to hide illegal profits. Instead of helping the mafia, he had been resisting his father's criminal empire from within.

Hyun-soo sat frozen.

For years, he had believed the entire Kang family deserved to fall. But Min-jae...had never chosen this life. A painful warmth spread through Hyun-soo's chest. The hatred that had kept him alive for nineteen years began to weaken.

He quickly shut the laptop and buried his face in his hands.

"No..."

he whispered.

"This changes nothing."

He had sworn to destroy Chairman Kang and bring his empire to an end. But if that day finally came...

*What would become of Min-jae?*

For the first time since leaving Blackwood Academy, Hyun-soo wasn't afraid of his enemies.

He was afraid of his own heart.

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THE SPARK OF DEFIANCE...

Days passed, and Chairman Kang's birthday celebration filled the mansion with powerful guests, mafia leaders, politicians, and wealthy businessmen.

Standing near the ballroom entrance, Hyun-soo silently watched over the crowd.

Across the room, Min-jae noticed him immediately.

With a faint smile, he began chatting with a young woman beside him, laughing as he deliberately kept close to her. Every glance he stole toward Hyun-soo was meant to provoke a reaction.

Hyun-soo saw through the act.

*He's trying to make me jealous*

His expression remained calm, but his clenched fists betrayed him. He forced himself to look away.

Suddenly, a loud splash echoed from the courtyard. A young woman had fallen into the estate's swimming pool. Panic spread through the guests as she struggled to stay above the water.

Without hesitation, Hyun-soo rushed outside and dove into the pool. Within moments, he pulled her safely onto the deck.

She wasn't breathing.

Relying on his emergency medical training, Hyun-soo immediately began lifesaving first aid. After several tense moments, the woman coughed, forcing water from her lungs as the surrounding guests sighed in relief. Medical staff quickly took over.

As Hyun-soo stepped back, water dripping from his clothes, he looked toward the ballroom.

Min-jae was gone. He told himself Min-jae's reaction didn't matter. But deep inside...it did.

The mansion fell into silence after the celebration. Hyun-soo returned to his quarters, peeled off his rain-soaked jacket, and wrapped a fresh towel around his waist. He ran a hand through his damp hair, trying to clear his thoughts.

The door burst open.

Min-jae strode inside, his expression dark with barely restrained anger.

"So," he said coldly, "you're the hero of the evening now."

Hyun-soo didn't even look at him.

"I did what anyone should have done. I saved a life."

"A life?" Min-jae laughed bitterly. "Or were you enjoying the attention?"

Hyun-soo's jaw tightened.

"Watch your words, Young Master."

"Why?" Min-jae stepped closer, refusing to back down. "You never react to anything... until tonight."

"It was an emergency."

"Yet you looked at her more warmly than you've ever looked at me."

Silence filled the room. Hyun-soo slowly lifted his eyes.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then tell me," Min-jae challenged. "Tell me why you keep pushing me away."

Hyun-soo's breathing grew heavier.

"You keep crossing every line."

"And you keep pretending you don't feel anything."

The words struck harder than any weapon.

Months of buried emotions, guilt, and rage collided inside Hyun-soo. In one swift movement, he grabbed Min-jae by the front of his shirt and shoved him back against the wall.

The room fell deathly quiet. Their eyes locked.

"You think this is a game?" Hyun-soo said through clenched teeth. "You know nothing about the burden I carry."

"Then stop hiding," Min-jae replied quietly. "For once... be honest."

"JUST SHUT UP!" Hyun-soo growled.

Losing his grip on his rigid conditioning, Hyun-soo grabbed Min-jae by the front of his shirt and slammed him hard against the wall. The impact knocked the breath out of Min-jae. They were standing so close that their heartbeats seemed to echo off the walls. Their lips were barely five inches apart, the heat between them absolutely suffocating.

"You don't know a single damn thing about how I feel," Hyun-soo hissed, his eyes burning into Min-jae's.

"Then tell me,"

Min-jae breathed out, his arrogance melting into an intense, desperate plea.

"Stop hiding behind that mask, Hyun-soo. Look at me."

The vulnerability in Min-jae's voice cracked the last of Hyun-soo's defenses. Giving in to a sudden, overwhelming rush of desire, Hyun-soo leaned forward and crashed his lips against Min-jae’s. It was a fierce, possessive kiss, born from months of forbidden longing and hidden secrets.

 Min-jae’s eyes widened in sheer shock—he had pushed for a reaction, but he had never expected this level of raw passion. Within a heartbeat, Min-jae reached up, his fingers tangling into Hyun-soo’s damp hair, pulling him closer as he kissed him back with equal, desperate intensity.

Hyun-soo suddenly released his grip and stepped back as if burned.

His fists trembled.

*What am I doing...?*

*He's Chairman Kang's son*

He turned away, unable to meet Min-jae's eyes.

"Leave."

"Hyun-soo..."

"I said leave."

His voice echoed through the room.

"You keep provoking me... testing me... pushing me until I can't think clearly anymore."

He shook his head, struggling to regain control. "This should never have happened."

He finally looked back, his expression cold once again.

"I am your bodyguard."

"Nothing more."

Min-jae stood silently for several seconds.

Then, without another word, he turned and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Left alone, Hyun-soo sank onto the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands. His mission had never felt so fragile. For the first time in nineteen years, revenge was no longer the only battle he had to fight.

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THE FALL BEGINS...

Hyun-soo had just finished buttoning his shirt when a mansion servant came running down the hallway, his face pale with panic.

"Hyun-soo!"

The servant gasped, struggling to catch his breath.

"Quick! Everyone's been called to the banquet hall!"

Without asking another question, Hyun-soo hurried after him.

The grand hall, which had been filled with music and laughter only moments earlier, had fallen into complete silence. Guests stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the enormous television screen at the front of the room.

A breaking news broadcast echoed through the hall.

"Breaking News. Authorities have received a massive leak exposing years of illegal weapons trafficking, money laundering, and organized criminal activities. The leaked files contain financial records, transaction logs, and confidential documents allegedly linked to the Kang family."

Images of confidential files and company records flashed across the screen one after another. Whispers spread rapidly through the crowd.

"It can't be..."

"Those are Chairman Kang's documents..."

"Who leaked them?"

Chairman Kang's face darkened with fury. His hands clenched into tight fists as rage burned in his eyes.

"Find the person responsible," he growled through gritted teeth.

"Now."

Without another word, he stormed out of the hall, followed closely by several of his most trusted men. Across the room, Min-jae's expression also changed completely. The confidence vanished from his face, replaced by shock and concern. After staring at the screen for a long moment, he quietly turned and walked away.

Hyun-soo remained rooted to the spot.

His heartbeat quickened.

*This... wasn't supposed to happen yet*

He had intended to expose Chairman Kang's crimes himself after gathering enough evidence, but not now.

His eyes narrowed as he watched the news continue.

*Someone else leaked the documents before I could*

*Someone is already moving against Chairman Kang...*

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