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Seokmin took in the sight in front of him. It was 8pm on the dot and he watched as the moonlight shone on the building, gratifying the sinful deeds unseen by many.

Seokmin's eyes burned with anticipation as he lit another cigarette, placing it in his mouth. He could only wonder why his father had requested him and what was so dire that he had to beckon to his wishes on a random Saturday.

He walked up the steps leading to the entrance and as he stepped in, all eyes turned to him, lured in by his dominant presence.

Seokmin scanned the building that had certainly changed in the past 4 years. Memories rushed to him like waves during a tide and suddenly, Seokmin was ready for his next mission.

His blood was hot with expectation and his soul was hungry for blood, like a demon.

"Seokmin-ah! You're here!" The recognizable tone engaged Seokmin who looked up as the familiar faces of Parker and Henley clouded his sight.

Twins Parker and Henley were Seokmin's father's right hand men. Back in the day, they were the ones who helped Seokmin when he went on his missions, which he always manged to accomplish.

Around the same age as Seokmin, they were hired 5 years ago after Mr. Lee's former right hand man passed away in a terrible 'accident'.

"I haven't seen you two in so long, you'd think I'd get a friendlier welcome." Seokmin looked around, the lack of 'welcome back' decorations baffled him.

"Sorry, next time, but your father needs you in his office, right now." Henley pointed to the elevator before adding, "4th floor, door at the end of the hallway."

Seokmin nodded in response before walking away and into the elevator. He pressed on the button labeled 4 and as the doors closed, he realized the walls of the elevator were completely gold.

So this was what his father had decided to use his money for? Upgrading this building that was struggling to stand with the abundance of secrets it had to hide.

The elevator stopped and opened up and Seokmin scoffed as he got out of it. The floor was marble, the walls were just as golden as the inside of the elevator and there was only one door on the entire floor.

The door to his father's office.

Guards surrounded the floor, dressed in suits with guns strapped to their thighs. Seokmin chuckled. His father was surely a character.

Seokmin knocked on the door and waited. The thought of his father did still scare him, only because he knew his father's capabilities. He knew that his father was a certified crazy bastard.

"Seokmin-ah! You've grown a bit!" The door swung open and Mr. Lee placed his hands on the door frame to support himself. Seokmin noticed the polished, wooden, walking stick in his father's right hand.

"I'm the exact same father, good evening." Seokmin bowed and stayed in the position until his father tapped him, allowing him to stand up straight.

"Well, you don't seem the same." He moved backwards, letting Seokmin into the office. Seokmin closed the door behind him and observed the room he'd just entered.

There were plaques stapled on the walls, a long desk right in the middle of the huge office and bookshelves everywhere, mostly just as decoration.

Once again, the marble and gold combination came into play. "You didn't tell me you'd upgraded the building a bit." Seokmin took a seat after his father.

"You didn't ask. You were done with this life, remember?" Mr. Lee reminded Seokmin who shrugged before taking off his glasses and placing them on the desk.

Truth was, he was never done with being an assassin but he was done with putting himself in danger especially after his best friend died in his presence during his last and final mission 4 years ago.

"But I need you to help me Seokmin, just one last time." His father opened one of the drawers, taking out a brown envelope.

"You know Joshua Hong right?"

The name sizzled on Seokmin's skin, leaving a mark. He knew Joshua Hong... everyone knew Joshua Hong.

The reincarnation of Lucifer himself. He was an invincible man, one whose name turned the heads of people miles away. One whose tongue commanded millions. One who even Lee Seokmin was a bit terrified of.

"Seokmin-ah, I need you to kill Joshua Hong." The words rolled off his father's tongue like it was the simplest command he'd ever given Seokmin. Seokmin felt the hairs in his skin stand up.

He had just come out of retirement and he was being asked to kill the kingpin of the business industry? Did his father want his head to be framed on Joshua Hong's front door?

"I won't do it." Seokmin declined, picking up his glasses and standing up to leave.

"Wait! I'll get you close to him, you have as much time as you want to make it happen. You just have to finish him off for good and I'll pay you." His father pleaded and the mention of money spiked Seokmin's interest.

"How much?" He questioned, a decision already set in his mind. "As much as you want." His father replied and Seokmin tapped on the table, his head lost in a plethora of thoughts.

"A billion USD." Seokmin demanded. He knew it was an unreasonable request but at the moment, he was no longer scared of his father. His very own father who he thought was just as dangerous as Joshua Hong was actually just a greedy man who wanted his competition out of the way because his business was failing.

"I can't give you that!" His father got up, banging his hands against the table. Seokmin's brows raised as he let out, "Oh really? I won't do it then."

As he turned around, the feeling of a cold metal against his head left Seokmin numb, his feet frozen in the space. His father had just pointed a gun at him.

Seokmin let out a groan before asking, "Is this really how you want this to go? Starting off by threatening me?"

He heard his father snicker before feeling the metal trickle down to his neck. "Take the file and do what I fucking asked!" His father yelled but Seokmin didn't flinch. He had adapted to his father's madness years ago.

After all the apple didn't really fall far from the tree.

Seokmin turned around and moved to the desk, picking up the envelope. He looked at his father with disdain before sitting down again.

"He's looking for a new secretary, he doesn't know that you're my son, you'll go under the name Lee Dokyeom, work for him and gain his trust and when the time is right, you take him out." Mr. Lee explained, extending the gun to the middle of Seokmin's forehead.

"Do you understand me?!" He pushed the gun down and Seokmin whinged in pain, a "yes" managing to escape his lips.

"Good, everything you need to know is inside there, I've gotten an apartment for you as well and all you need while you stay here, now get out of my office." Mr. Lee pulled the gun away from Seokmin, strapping it under his shirt.

Seokmin touched his forehead, rolling his eyes at his father's cowardly behaviour as he left the room. He could've defended himself, being a trained assassin after all but he wasn't foolish. He didn't come to Korea to fight with his father.

He opened the envelope and checked the contents. It was simply an overview on Joshua Hong, a briefing on the plan and other unimportant information Seokmin couldn't have cared less about.

Seokmin reached the ground floor with the envelope in his hand and waiting by the elevator were Parker and Henley.

"How was he?" Parker asked, his eyes focused on the mark on Seokmin's forehead. "Just as huge of a dick as he's always been." Seokmin replied earning titters from the two.

"Well, I'm in charge of getting you to your apartment." Henley informed Seokmin who nodded. "Okay, I'm still jetlagged so I need to get some sleep."

The two left the building, getting into the car prepared for Seokmin while Parker had to stay overnight to finish up some work.

Seokmin entered the passenger seat while Henley entered the drivers and that's when the rain started to pour heavily out of nowhere. The sound of the thunder made Henley shiver but Seokmin remained unphased.

He did find it shitty that he'd been welcomed to the States by thunderstorms and a gun to his head. It just reminded him of why he decided to leave in the first place.

Now he was back and he needed to kill Joshua Hong. Just thinking about the man sent shivers down Seokmin's spine.

But strangely enough, he'd started to feel the thrill of it all once again. Seokmin loved missions, he loved them so much that while on them, he didn't care about what happened to anyone which was exactly what caused Mingyu to vomit blood while begging for Seokmin to hold his hand.

Seokmin was broken in more ways than anyone on Earth could possibly imagine. That was why he retired, because he realized what a monster he was. He concluded that the only way he was going to remain at least partly human was if he ran away.

So just like his father, he was also a coward.

Joshua leaned against his swivel chair, his legs propped up on the table. "How many people passed the interview?" He asked, stroking his chin.

"Just one Sir, the others lacked the qualifications and couldn't even get past the internal interview." One of his best workers, Vernon replied and the news of this qualified interviewee piqued Joshua's interest.

"Who is the person?"

"Lee Dokyeom. 28, no experience as a secretary but he has worked for various protection agencies and is trained in martial arts. He also passed the 1st test." Vernon slid the file to Joshua who took a look at the man. He was certainly a feast for the eyes but the beautiful ones were always the first to betray.

"He passed the 1st test?" Joshua queried, shocked but refusing to show it. "He answered all the questions about you correctly Sir." Vernon flipped the pages of the file to his test script and Joshua went through each question before leaning back again.

"Call him in, I want to interview him myself." Joshua instructed and Vernon nodded, taking the file and leaving the office.

Joshua twirled in his chair. Something was suspicious and he was going to find out what. There was no one alive that was able to trick Joshua because everyone who had done it in the past were now six feet under, resting resentfully.

Many people liked to call Joshua inhumane but he only attacked when there was a reason to. He wasn't inhumane, he just valued his life and no one else's life was worth his.

Not his family, not his workers, not anyone. He was a man with priorities and those priorities include him and him alone.

But he wouldn't deny the fact that he was intrigued by the Dokyeom he'd just been told of. Why the hell would anyone even want to be Joshua Hong's secretary willingly?

Unless they were looking for a method far worse than suicide, and in that case, they wouldn't be wrong at all.

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𝐀/𝐍 - hope you all enjoyed the first chapter because i certainly enjoyed writing it! This book is right up my alley lol ! xoxo, iris ! 🖤

Ⓒ︎𝐎𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐇
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 06/10/2024
𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 - N/A