A/N:

This is set in Korea. Terms/words that you may not know will be explained below.

Dedicated to @naburrito for taking the time to shed some light on my character questions :-)

Also I forgot to add the gifs per chapter. Just a little something for extra laughs.

01 'I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON THE BUBBLES'

AKA THE TIME THE WEDDING SUCKED

"THIS WEDDING SUCKS."

The woman turned to the comment, annoyance inflamed in a ball inside of her, and she was shocked to come face to face with a lovely young man with a strong frame and a gorgeous, cherub-like face. He turned as she did, his smile suggested a small talk quality, a comment made for a good conversational piece.

She shouldn't get angry. It was a wedding after all, but she couldn't help it. They both stood on the sidelines, hers more for show than his, but they were isolated enough that she could retaliate.

"Excuse me?"

His smile brightened, turning charming. It was obvious he didn't knew her, most likely came from the bride's side of the family. And he was appraising her, his judgement easy and obvious. She stood her ground and tilted her chin. She knew she looked good, her hanbok outlandishly expensive and elegant, the color of the rising sun in a palettes of green climbing flowers.

"Sorry," he finally said, eyes half open, smile lazy. "I was just talking to myself. I thought no one heard me." He raised the glass of champagne to toast her, and when she sniffed cautiously, she came to the satisfied conclusion that he was drunk. The lack of honorifics was a testament to that.

Though she was annoyed, having picked half the theme for the wedding very meticulously herself, half making sure her new 'daughter-in-law' was still satisfied with it, her heart stuttered for this younger man. Though it was shocking for she was older than him by, well fifteen years by the looks of his nice skin - merely nine years in looks from all the expensive and extraneous skin care and surgery she's done if she's being honest - she still couldn't stop herself from admiring his tall, strong stance. He was rich, she can see it now.

Maybe even a chaebol.

Her heart pounded deeper at the idea. Then she blinked, fanning her inner self.

What is wrong with you? This is a job. He can be a potential mark. Calm yourself.

"Miss?" he cautiously called, hauling her back to the present.

"Miss? I'm mother of the groom!" She smiled slyly despite herself, but remained her indignancy. "I am years older than you, young man. I'd suggest a little use of honorifics."

As if showered in a bucket of ice, the gentleman straightened his posture and blinked at her. Not without widening his eyes and nearly yelling across the extravagant wedding hall, "but you look so young! I just thought you were a noona who I could flirt with. Weddings aren't entirely my function. And frankly, I feel too out of place."

He smiled, still charming, still drunk, yet the older woman was incredibly smitten. Warm from her head to her toes. It was obvious he didn't get along well with the event if he was standing on the sidelines.

Goodness, get a hold of yourself! You're here for a reason. You should be watching your 'new daughter in law's' father. Make sure he drinks the poison instead of entertaining a young guy! This is beneath you. Work over men. Isn't that the code?

"I-I can't," she muttered, shaking her head and trying to get a hold of herself. She didn't even realised that he was blocking her view of the room until his breath fanned her face, encasing himself around her. How she didn't notice that he was a close enough for that puzzled her. "I-I have to make sure, the uh -"

"Make sure what, noona?" Her heart just about zoomed out of her body. His voice was low, throaty. He gripped the flute of champagne between them like a last barrier. "I'm right here. You can make sure of me."

"Good lord," she muttered, mesmerised with the way his lips moved.

But just as she was about to do something incredibly stupid, he was pulled away by a severe hand and the face of her glaring 'husband' took view.

He was about two feet shorter than the young man, less pronounced and incredibly disappointing, and he knew it too, feeling the muscle in his arm as he ripped the young man away from his fake wife.

He stepped by her side in a protective manner, like a dog to his hidden loot, with a glare.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He whispered harshly to her, breath stank; smelling of booze, cigarettes, and the undeniable air of a scoundrel.

"Nothing," she snapped back, mortified. Though she was grateful, she was still the mother of this operation, this stinky old man's leader, and she demanded that respect.

She straightened herself and turned to the young gentleman who was still smiling. Now that the air has cleared in her brain, she can see his half smile and the sway in his stand. His eyes were hooded, full of booze. She was slightly, slightly disappointed, but she has been doing these scams for years.

At least this one looked naturally pretty with an oozing charm even while drunk to boot. While the young man she calls her 'son', a leechy no good bum she picked off the streets and thrusted to an operating table to make him look somewhat good-looking to charming young ladies who have likewise bought their good looks using their rich dad's money - this man knew charm like a second skin.

Being born rich and one that isn't is just too disappointingly obvious sometimes.

"I really must get on, mister-"

He offered his hand, a bolt of seriousness in his stupor. "Mr. Jerome Huan. My father is a business partner with the bride's father. Well hopeful business partner. They're still trying to figure out the figures."

The fake old couple hitched their eyebrows. The word figures stood out tall. She was right with her assumption. And the way he drawled his name, almost in a Western accent.

"You don't sound from here Mr. Huan," she commented, urging the conversation out of him. With drunk, flirty men, whatever the age, they spill like brimmed cups.

"Oh well yes. I'm from Hong Kong. Though I studied at Harvard." He smiled conspiratorially, almost with a wink as he continued in a hushed voice, "I have to confess, I'm not really close to Mr. Bae or his daughter, but my dad said it's good to associate outside of work functions. Makes good potential business partners."

God. The perfect target.

"Well, we have some other guests to attend to, Mr. Huan. We're incredibly sorry. But you can always come to us whenever you need, er, some good connections to further business deals with the Baes. Being in laws and all, what better connection?" She winked, feeling herself catching a big fish, imagining the money rolling, the vacations she can spend it on -

She handed her business card, finishing the deal.

"Oh well, of course. Thank you."

He bowed, and they bowed ever so generously back, pinching her husband when he refused.

As they left him in his drunk solicitude, the man she call her husband sulkily matched her pace.

"Speak, imbecile."

"Why'd you do that?"

"Are you an idiot? He's a good mark when this shit is done. He's rich, comes from a wealthy family, studied in America-" She rolled her eyes. "Use your brain, you stupid fool. But what would you understand about good breeding anyway? What were you clucking about when you interrupted my carefully created plan?"

"Well while you were flirting with the young guy, madam, our current target has disappeared."

"What? And you - " She hurled a fist at his shoulder, hard enough to make him yelp. " - just tell me now?"

"Don't worry, just a stomachache from the food he was shoving down his ass. He's in the presidential suite up top trying to get it out. I just thought you should know. Remain knowledge in all the facts." He barely controlled not rolling his eyes.

She pursed her lips and lowered her tone. "Has he drunk the poison yet?"

He shook his head again, this time sheepish. She growled.

"Are you serious? You couldn't even do that one thing - make sure the bride's father gets the poison so we can have some semblance of money? What use are you? Give me the fucking vial. I'll get up there and finish this so we can kill the girl -" She threw a glance at the newlyweds on the dance floor, the girl oblivious that she was just part of an elaborate organisation to extort her money and kill her family.

"- within our schedule. Make sure her body doesn't float in a reservoir park this time why don't you?"

• • •

Grayson watched with faint amusement, sipping his champagne, as the older woman who looked just about thirty years his senior, stomp out of the venue and slid outside while her goons in their tuxedos, inconspicuous if you don't look closely and see that they were so not family members or people who work for your spa business, partied on.

As his thoughts wandered, looking loose in a hall full of an organisation that commits murder to extort money out of rich and lonely chaebol children, disguising as far out ugly relatives or employees for the fake businesses, his earpiece finally crackled with life.

"Out of all the bullshit you were going for," the voice charmingly started, "Harvard on the top three, flirting with the leader of an organized crime group really kicks it."

Grayson raised his glass to his lips, covering the movement of his words. "You said to grab her attention so you could get the fat ass rich man out of the room."

"Grabbing her attention didn't mean flirting with her, idiot."

"Aw, are you jealous? I'll still love you the best."

"I hope you choke on the bubbles on that champagne."

"You're so sweet."

Minwoo sighed. "Do you have eyes on the daughter? We're almost at phase two."

"Get her to safety and unleash hell." Grayson eyed the couple still dancing. "Yeah I have a good eye on her. She looks happy. What a shame her fiancé is in the plot to kill her. Also it's a shame their family has no other relatives beside the two of them. And her grandma earlier at the ceremony who had to leave because she's having breasts implants done. Who has breast implants at this time of the night, though? Seedy ones? Or for senior citizens only?"

Minwoo ignored his last statement entirely. "Easier for us to get all civilians out of the way. Get to her, Gray. I'm coming down. The CEO is out of the building, waiting for his daughter."

"On it." He downed his drink in one go, fixing his tux as he sauntered towards the slow dancing couples... and one mob couple who was doing some bendy thing with their bodies that look like getting aftershocks from a live electric current.

"I'll be the charming young man who she should've married instead - the one who will sweep her off her feet on her wedding day. Her late... sensuous affair."

"Jesus Christ, no."

"Jesus Christ says yes and you can't stop me." Grayson grinned then sobered it with a charming smile to the max to the surprised bride. Every other gang member in the room has turned to him, even the bendy lightning dancers halt in their dancing to glare holes at him.

The room - an entire wedding hall - quiet as a grave.

Well, then.

"What a lovely bride you are, Ms. Bae. Oh well, Mrs. Yoo. I would incredibly treasure it if you would approve of a dance." He paused for dramatic effect. "With me."

The final crackle of the earpiece with the resounding stomps of Park Minwoo picking up his pace was the last thing he heard. Grayson could even hear his cane swinging like the old man he was.

Oh and the-

"Grayson Wang, you fucking idiot."

THE STUFF -

Hanbok - traditional Korean dress used especially for formal or semi-formal occasions. This includes a wedding. | Chaebol - family controlled conglomerate firms with strong ties with government agencies. This is the Google version. They're usually rich families who owns a group/company etc. Therefor, chaebol children are incredibly rich and usually used as kidnapped victims or psychopaths who get away with things. This is joke. If there are any chaebol children who want to support this, pls feel free to hit me up lmao. | Noona - what a younger male would address an older sister. Though in this case, she should've been called  ahjumma. 'Old lady'.