The girls breathed in the chilly air that greeted them upon exiting Incheon International Airport on a cold Monday evening. Ignoring the blinding paparazzi flashes, the girls went straight inside a sleek black car and settled in the surprisingly comfortable seats. When the sliding door of the vehicle finally closed, engulfing everybody in semi-darkness, the maknae heaved a sigh of relief.

"My most favorite girls in the world... welcome home," a familiar voice uttered from the front passenger seat. Kim Lalisa couldn't help the smile that crept on her face as she looked at the handsome face of Byun Baekhyun, the only person that she was close to in the mob. He sure didn't look like the skinny adolescent anymore who the girls used to hang-out with in Busan years ago.

"Baek, you didn't have to fetch us. You could've just sent a chauffeur or something," Jisoo smiled as she pulled her faded purple hair into a messy bun.

"Nonsense, of course, I have to be here for your homecoming. It's been what, six years?" The mobster asked, his big smile showing off his pearly whites. "You don't know how much I've missed you four."

"I see that you haven't changed a bit. Still the charming cousin we know," the youngest cooed.

As the other talked about their grueling flight from NYC, Lisa inadvertently tuned them out as she stared outside of the heavily-tinted car window, marveling at the bustling nightlife in Seoul.

It had been almost six years since they last stepped foot on Korean soil and Lisa had to admit that she was a bit excited to be back. If only she could forget the reason why they were back in Seoul in the first place after living in Manhattan for the most part of their teenage years...

In just four days, her older half-sister was getting married to a man she had been engaged to since she was 16 years old. Kim Jennie was to marry a man she had met only once in her life.

As if it can't get possibly worse, Jennie was getting married to the devil himself; Min Yoongi, heir to the Min Group of Companies and, unbeknownst to the public, the future boss of the largest organized crime syndicate in Seoul.

"Hey Lalisa, are you okay? You spaced out for a minute there," Baekhyun's playful tone pulled the youngest out of her thoughts as the car stopped outside the lobby of a luxurious hotel.

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly as they went out of the car, "I just feel so jetlagged. I haven't had much sleep even before we left JFK."

Nobody ever warned the poor girl about the immense pressure of being the Maid of Honor at the so-called 'Wedding of the Year' or the real-life 'Red Wedding' as the four referred to it. The girls were pretty much convinced that blood will spill for whatever reason on that unfortunate day. Or maybe, they just watched too many episodes of Game of Thrones...

Baekhyun gave Lisa a sad smile before enveloping them into a warm group hug. "You girls should get some rest. I'll see you all at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow." His tone turned somber in the last part. Maybe, just maybe, he was also one of the few people in the mob who were against the sham of a wedding.

When he finally drove away, the girls checked-in at the five-star hotel and got the key card to the penthouse where they will be staying until after the wedding. After showering and doing her nightly skincare routine, the brunette was finally ready for some good night's sleep.

Being in Seoul again after all these years of living overseas felt weird to her. When Lisa lied down on her queen-sized bed though, she was bombarded with an even weirder feeling that she was right where she ought to be.

•••

"KIM LALISA! YOUR PHONE HAS BEEN RINGING FOR THE PAST FIVE MINUTES! JISOOS CHRIST! TURN THAT THING OFF OR ELSE, I WILL THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW—", the shrill voice of Jennie from across the hall woke the youngest up from her deep slumber. Fearing for her phone's life, Lisa quickly turned off her alarm and looked at the time; it was only nine in the morning.

At least ten seconds passed before it dawned on her that she and her older sister had a scheduled brunch with their father in forty-five minutes.

The younger sibling hurriedly went to Jennie's room. "Unnie, get up! We're going to be late for brunch with father."

"Let him wait," was Jennie's sluggish response.

"I know you don't want to see him. I don't want to either, but we don't really have a choice here. Let's just get this over with..." Lisa whined.

Jennie groaned, "fine. But if it looks like I'm about to cause a scene or publicly murder our father, we will leave the restaurant immediately, alright?"

Lisa nodded in return.

It had been at least two years since the two saw their father dearest, Kim Sanghoon, who willingly threw his eldest daughter to the wolves. He was the son of one of the founders of an old criminal organization called 'EXO'.

The Busan-based crime syndicate was notorious for their illegal activities and powerful political connections which made them quite untouchable. Lisa can't even begin to imagine what other criminal activities their father and his cronies did on a daily basis.

Aside from being a high-ranking officer in the mob, their father was also a businessman and the most cold-hearted son of a bitch the Kim siblings knew.

For him, Lisa was the daughter he never wanted, a godforsaken mistake he couldn't get rid of. Sanghoon met her biological mother in Bangkok twenty years ago. When Lisa's mother died giving birth to her, the poor infant had no one.

In the end, Sanghoon eventually accepted Lisa as his own because she was still his flesh and blood. Abandoning her would have been a sin the man wouldn't dare commit to their bloodline.

Even with all these complications the youngest had to bear growing up, she knew that she was still very much blessed because her half-sister's mom, Kim Miyoung, had always treated her as if she was her own. Since the beginning, Miyoung took it upon herself to make the girl's life better and for that, Lalisa was forever grateful.

•••

"My precious daughters, you two only grow more beautiful each day. This meeting will be short. I just have a few things to say to both of you."

There was an undeniable tension in the air as Jennie and Lisa sat across from their father in a small restaurant near their hotel. The younger girl kept her eyes on their father as she observed his rugged appearance, thinning gray hair and expensive suit. Even after all these years, all Lisa felt was inconceivable hatred for the man.

"Jennie, I expect you to behave like the proper lady that you should be now that you are back in Korea." His tone became colder with each word. "Don't think for a second that I'm not well-informed about all the shit you've been doing in New York for the past few years."

"You are getting married to Yoongi on Friday. I don't want any troubles before and after the wedding or else, there will be consequences," Lisa noticed how he spared her a quick glance after enunciating his last word. "Do I make myself clear?" Sanghoon asked.

Jennie's answer was brief, "crystal".

"As for you Lalisa, you are not going back to New York", he quickly fixed his cold stare at the 19-year-old. This revelation wasn't much of a surprise to her though. "You two had too much freedom in America. You will be living here in Korea after the wedding."

"I understand."

"No! You promised that Lisa would continue living in NYC after the wedding. You promised to leave her alone if I kept my end of the bargain," Jennie loudly whispered at their father, gritting her mouth in anger. She looked like she was going to explode any second now.

"That was before you pulled that stunt six months ago!" Their father spat back, Jennie noticeably stiffened. "Or do you want me to remind you again of your whorish tendencies, my sweet daughter?"

For the first time in forever, Lisa saw her sister close to tears. This came as a shock to the younger sibling because it was a known fact that crying — or being emotional at all — wasn't a part of Kim Jennie's genetic makeup.

Lisa took it as a sign that they should leave the restaurant as soon as possible. "Are you done, appa? Jen-unnie has a scheduled fitting of her gown in an hour. We better get going." There was a short, tensed silence before he replied.

"Jennie and Lalisa, both of you know the importance of this arranged marriage to the mob. This will finally settle our conflict with Bangtan. Let this serve as a warning to you two. Do not fuck this up and do not disappoint me again," was their father's parted words before Lisa pulled a stiff Jennie out of the restaurant.

•••

Rumor has it that 'Bangtan' — aside from being the largest syndicate in Seoul — could possibly be the largest one in all of South Korea, too. However, the girls were doubtful if it was just an exaggeration or not.

The mob was reputed to be formed by seven powerful families from Ilsan, Daegu, Gwacheon, Gwangju, and Busan. They had been around since the 1960s and had gained notoriety in the Korean criminal underground over the decades.

Based in the largest metropolis in South Korea, the mob also had strong political connections inside and outside the country. Apparently, Bangtan had maintained treaties with international criminal organizations from the U.S., Japan, Russia, and Italy, among others.

Then, there was BTS, an acronym for Bangtan Sons; the descendants of the seven founding families of the mob. Jennie's fiance was one of them.

The three girls hadn't met them yet; in fact, Jennie had only seen Yoongi in person once during their five-year engagement. They only saw pictures of BTS on the internet, read the occasional news headlines about them, and heard a few juicy bits about the mobsters from time to time.

When the limousine stopped in front of a white-marbled mansion, Lisa was pulled away from her thoughts. Blackpink finally arrived at the Mins' extravagant residence for the rehearsal dinner.

In celebration of Jennie's fast-approaching Red Wedding, the girls color-coordinated their attires for the night and wore red in different shades.

Lisa gazed at the bride and ultimately felt awestruck. Kim Jennie looked regal in her cherry-colored Saint Laurent chain-mail romper dress and red bottoms that showed off her legs. She looked hot without being over the top.

Kim Jisoo didn't disappoint with her rose-colored halter Balmain mini dress. Her faded purple hair hung loosely down her back.

Park Chaeyoung, on the other hand, was ravishing in her crimson Givenchy peplum-detailed mini dress. She partnered it up with sleek black stiletto boots.

And as for the maknae, Kim Lalisa sported a ruby-colored, open-back Gucci dress and paired it with her favorite black Prada ankle strap heels. Her outfit was just the perfect combination between classy and slutty; her own personal style.

"Are you ready to face him, unnie?" Lisa asked Jennie when they were about to enter the wide-open front doors of the mansion. It was being guarded by several armed mobsters dressed in black suits.

Some of the most important people from the Bangtan and EXO mobs were gathered for the rehearsal dinner and everyone was on high alert for any disturbances.

"Maknae please," she scoffed at the latter's question, "I was born ready." She then strolled into her fiance's house looking like the diva that she undoubtedly was.

End of Chapter 1

Author's Note:

Thank you for giving this book a chance. Please let me know what you think about it.

Love,
Alaska