Irene POV

People often say that when one door closes, another opens. But in my experience, when a door closes, it's replaced by an impenetrable wall that I have to break down. I've never had an easy life, so my trusty companion has always been my metaphorical wrecking ball. I sometimes joke that while most people are born with a moral compass, I came into this world with a sledgehammer.

It's no surprise that I ended up in gang life; the apple didn't fall far from the tree. My parents had long histories of lawbreaking, with my father leading the Night Reapers, a notorious gang in Queens. While most little girls played with dolls and dreamed of princesses, I gravitated towards knives, guns, and hand-to-hand combat. I learned two essential lessons: the gang is family, and power equals success.

I was 15 when I witnessed my father cry for the second time in my life; the first had been after my mother was killed by a rival gang in a shootout. When I successfully completed my initiation into the Reapers, Dad wept tears of pride—it almost brought me to tears. It felt exhilarating to put my intelligence to use with planning heists instead of slogging through boring schoolwork. I was a bright girl trapped in an educational system that felt far too easy and restrictive. With my talent for strategic planning and a love for chess, devising a heist was precisely the mental stimulation I craved. The jewellery store on 47th Street in the Diamond District was no match for my crew and me. I played the role of the distraction—who would suspect that a pretty Korean girl shopping for a present for her mother was linked to a gang of masked robbers stealing millions in jewels?

My rapid rise through the ranks of the Reapers wasn't due to nepotism I clawed my way up myself, not relying on my father's position. My successes were the result of my strategic mind and my willingness to do whatever it took to succeed. I became one of the key strategists for the Night Reapers, helping to plan heists, drug operations, and other gang activities. I spent five years with the Reapers, and I loved every second.

But like everything else in my life, my gang family was ripped away when we were blindsided by the Iron Syndicate, a new gang we had underestimated. That dreadful night in 2012, while I was busy organizing a new drug shipment, gunfire erupted in our warehouse. Always armed, I grabbed one of the three guns strapped to my body and headed downstairs to the loading area, which offered the best cover.

In just 45 minutes, I'd dodged bullets more times than I could count and took down 13 members of the Syndicate. I must have had my mother's protection that night because I evaded all the stray shots. But my efforts were in vain; when the gunfire subsided, I heard voices boasting about how they'd eliminated all the Reapers. I stifled a sob at the thought of my father lying dead somewhere in that warehouse.

We all knew the contingency plan for when the gang was in peril. Moving silently, I tiptoed to my father's office and retrieved the detonator for the bombs we'd strategically placed throughout our headquarters. From behind the cover of a truck down the road, I pressed the button and watched the night sky erupt into flames. The pain of losing my gang family and my father was lessened slightly by the knowledge that I'd taken out most, if not all, of the Iron Syndicate in the process.

As I walked away from the chaos and destruction, a crushing realization washed over me: I was utterly alone. With no family and no gang, I felt like a ship adrift at sea. My father had always told me that if anything happened to him or the Reapers, there was only one place I should go: the headquarters of the Blue-Side Serpents. Despite being rivals, my father and The Eagle, their leader, were old friends.

When I stepped into the Serpents' headquarters, it took less than two seconds for armed men to close in around me, guns trained on my head. I'd held my ground, my voice steady as I declared, "The daughter of the Red Baron is here to speak with The Eagle."

⋆⁺₊⋆ 🖤 ⋆⁺₊⋆

Sitting in my office at the Serpent's headquarters, I stared blankly at the paperwork. I was already sick of the day, and it was only 11 a.m. I felt like I had aged more in the past two months than I had in the last five years. Getting rid of that snitch Taehyung was supposed to fix things, but it didn't. Not by a long shot. The real problem now was that no one had seen Chloe for 67 days.

At first, when I heard she'd flown to Australia for a family funeral, I thought it was just bad timing. But as more time passed, it started to look less like coincidence and more like something else. Something nefarious. I couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen something she shouldn't have. And if I was right, Chloe could cause more trouble for the gang than Taehyung ever had

When I first told Hoseok I was reallocating men to track her down, he tried to talk me out of it. He knew damn well that if she had seen what I suspected, I wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in her brain. He was so pussy-whipped over that stripper, he couldn't stand the idea of anything happening to her.

Sure, I thought Lola was gorgeous, but that wasn't enough to shift my priorities. The Blue-Side Serpents were bigger than any one person, even Hoseok or me. One pretty stripper with a great ass wouldn't change my loyalties.

I glanced out of my office's glass door and into Hoseok's. I pursed my lips in disapproval when I saw his head resting on his desk. It seemed like all he did these days was pine over the disappearance of his beloved Lola, drowning his sorrows in bottles of whiskey. Watching him perpetually hungover and depressed filled me with resentment. It wasn't just that he was neglecting his role as leader; it was also that he had never looked at me the way he did her.

People thought Red Velvet had no heart, but Irene Bae did. Hoseok had stolen my heart years ago, yet my love had always gone unreturned. It was hard not to blurt out my feelings for my boss, so I buried them deep within, embracing the cold-hearted persona my second-in-charge alter ego had crafted.

With a sigh, I tore my gaze from the stunning man and turned to the daily reports from various sectors of the gang. I scanned the latest drug figures and was pleased to see our numbers had increased, thanks to the extra turf we'd acquired during the Serpents' takeover of the Pirates' territory. After double-checking the itinerary for the next shipment of drugs and weapons, I sent the finalized details to the appropriate people, satisfied with our progress.

Finally, after handling all the other business, I turned my attention to the report from Shad0wDrag0n, the latest hacker I'd brought in to track down the elusive stripper. I had been sceptical of him; I'd been burned by three others before. But for the first time in two months, a bubble of hope began to swell within me. It seemed he had unearthed a clue that could lead to her whereabouts. I couldn't grasp all the technical jargon he used, but one thing was clear.

The photo included in his report left no doubt—Chloe Harlowe was standing in front of the Colosseum in Rome. Alongside it, Shad0wDrag0n provided additional evidence that bolstered the photographic proof of her location.

I opened a new email, typed out my instructions, and hit send. Leaning back in my chair, I laced my fingers behind my head and allowed a genuine smile to spread across my face. I had found her. Now, I just needed to wait for my men to head to Italy, retrieve her, and bring her back to me. Until I saw Chloe Harlowe standing before me, I wouldn't make any decisions about her fate. After all, if I harmed Hoseok's beloved crush, I might end up just like Taehyung.

︵‿୨ 🌸 🖤 🌸 ୧‿︵

Seokjin POV

Like each day in the past two months, I walked into Copacabana with a heavy heart and a sigh. I used to love coming to work, but it had become increasingly difficult. Since Chloe had abruptly left for Australia in July, the place just didn't feel the same. At first, I held onto the hope that she would return in August, as she had mentioned in her email about the funeral in her hometown.

But as the days turned into weeks without any word from her, my worry deepened. I started to wonder if I had done something to push her away. I replayed our conversations, trying to recall if I had inadvertently revealed how I truly felt about her. I thought I'd done a good job of hiding my feelings, burying them deep inside, but perhaps I had slipped up somewhere along the way.

When Chloe first came to work for me at Copacabana, we started as friendly associates, gradually becoming proper friends and eventually best friends over a year or two. But somewhere along the line, I found myself falling for her. It was impossible not to, given that she was not only gorgeous but also one of the kindest people I'd ever met.

The night we had gotten drunk and kissed was one of the best of my life, and I hoped we could move our relationship beyond the friend zone into something more romantic. My heart shattered when I saw the regret in her eyes; at that moment, I realised she didn't feel the same. To save face, I agreed not to complicate our friendship with sex, but it left an ache that lingered long after.

Watching her dance in those sexy, skimpy outfits was both heaven and hell.

To protect my heart, I started playing the field, bringing home girls and the occasional guy to distract myself from the woman who held my heart without even knowing it. But none of them captured my attention the way Chloe did, so those dalliances never lasted longer than a night.

When Chloe began dating Taehyung, I ramped up my reckless behaviour. I hated being alone with my thoughts, so one partner turned into two, sometimes three. My guilt over wanting her relationship with Tae to fail gnawed at me; I should have been happy for her, but I couldn't see past my longing to be with her.

I knew I would have made a much better boyfriend than him, especially when she confided in me about their problems. The day I found out he'd cheated on Chloe, all I wanted to do was wring his neck—not only for betraying the most special woman in the world but for breaking her heart beyond repair. But, true to her kind nature, Chloe talked me down. Instead of physically confronting him, I envisioned all the ways I could make him pay for his infidelity.

Then came the night I learned from Justin that Taehyung had been shot in a back alley. I should have felt guilty for the sense of relief that washed over me, knowing he could no longer hurt her. Instead, I couldn't help but think it might be the universe's way of clearing a path for Chloe and me.

Yet, like everything else involving my feelings for her, that hope seemed destined to fade as well—she had a death in the family. I couldn't bring myself to tell her via email that her ex had been murdered, so I let her leave without that nightmare hanging over her. I resolved to tell her when she returned to New York... if she hadn't heard about it by then.

But it had been almost 10 weeks, and she still hadn't come back. She had vanished, and I had no idea where she was.

One small positive that emerged from this chaos was the close friendship I had formed with Hoseok. We bonded over our shared sense of loss for Chloe. During the first three weeks, he asked every night if Chloe had returned from Australia yet. Each time I shook my head, I could see his eyes grow dimmer. When I finally told him she'd quit, the poor man broke down in tears. That moment made me realise he was just another moth drawn to her light.

My phone beeped, alerting me to an incoming message. My heart raced, hoping against hope that it was from Chloe. But I felt the familiar crushing disappointment wash over me when I saw it wasn't her. However, when I opened the message from Hoseok, I nearly fell out of my chair.

Tears sprang to my eyes; I couldn't believe what I was reading. A whirlwind of emotions swirled within me. I was relieved to know she was okay, but furious that she was gallivanting around Italy while I was left here worrying about her. I was angry that she had abandoned me, yet happy that she was finally doing something for herself. Whatever relative of hers had passed away must have been wealthy, as I knew Chloe wouldn't shirk on her obligations unless they'd all been paid back.

Leaning back in my chair, I sent up a silent prayer of thanks. For the first time in months, my heart felt a little lighter. Still, I knew I wouldn't feel whole until I had my best friend and the love of my life back here with me. I spent a few minutes planning how I would confess my feelings to Chloe.

Gazing at the photo of us together that adorned my computer screensaver, I whispered, "Soon, my love," before heading down to the main floor of the club to help the staff open for the night.