It feels like I've been held up in this cell for years. Each day stretches on for an eternity. These concrete walls are the only thing I see the whole day. Jungwoo kept his word and cared for me while I was cooped up in this room. He brought food and water, but only the smallest portions of said food. His bright orange hair made the room feel more alive, the plain grey walls becoming revolting to look at.

   I sat upright on the mattress with my back against the wall. Jungwoo stood across from me leaning onto the wall, one foot propped up against it. He came in to give me my daily serving of food and water, but we ended up chatting for a while.

   "Okay, I've got another question. When will you let me go?" I ask.

   Jungwoo sighs, his head falling to his feet. He crosses his arms over his chest and looks up to meet my stare. He smirks, a chuckle rumbling in his throat.

   "Not anytime soon." My mouth parts slightly, his answer slapping my across the face.

   "W-What?.....Why can't I leave?" I stammered.

   "For multiple reasons. One, you heard confidential information. What you heard may seem pointless to you, but for us, it can cost us our lives. Two, not only did you hear us, you saw us. It's a problem you overheard us, but the fact you witnessed us on a mission is an even greater problem." Jungwoo slides his hands into his pockets, holding my gaze.

   "The words you heard us say and the actions you saw us perform were strictly confidential. It could tear our company to the ground having the information you overheard let loose. So we're keeping you here until further instruction." 

   "But I won't tell anybody what I heard," I insisted. Jungwoo scoffed, a smile tugging at his lips, and pushed off the wall. 

   "That's a funny joke." He paused, his coffee-colored eyes piercing through me, "No one is this building trusts you, not in the slightest. Not even myself." His tone of voice is low, almost commanding, "We don't know how you're going to behave," Jungwoo reaches behind his back, "so I always come prepared."

   Jungwoo's hand retracts from behind his back holding a black pistol. My breath hitches, my heart beat increasing by the second. I remain still, scared that any move I make could cost me my life.

   "Now seeing as I have this out," He holds the gun loosely in his hand, "I wanted to make something clear. The information you know is classified, and having someone walk around with that kind of information can be dangerous not only to us, but to you as well. So for the sake of the company and your life, don't ever think of escaping." He had the gun aimed at me, his face stone cold.

   Jungwoo pocketed the gun and combed his fingers through his hair. I sat frozen on the mattress, his threatening voice paralyzing me. I swallow dryly, my hand slowly creeping up to push a few loose strands of hair out of my face. I shuffle my body to the edge of the mattress and glance up at Jungwoo, who is standing lazily near the door. 

   "Well....Do you know how long I'll be in this room for?" I ask quietly. He exhales sharply out his nose, licking his lips.

   "You ask way too many questions," Jungwoo smiles slightly, "But to tell you the truth, I- Yes sir?"

   His hand rushes to his ear, pressing onto a black, circular object lodged in it. His body stiffens, all his attention focused on the person's voice. He stares blankly at the ground. He nods vigorously and brushes off his suit jacket. 

   "Yes sir, I'll be there in a few," And in one swift motion, Jungwoo grabbed the door handle and rocketed out of the room. The metal door slid shut, a soft click echoing off the walls. I swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, my shoes slapping the concrete floor, and let my head fall into my hands, my elbows held up by my knees. I sigh deeply, processing what Jungwoo explained earlier. 

   The information I know is top secret. I wasn't supposed to hear nor see what happened in that alley, but since I couldn't control my noisy ass, I got myself trapped with Neo City. The amount of information I know about them is fatal; Jungwoo said this knowledge can ruin their company.

   But how? Every gang steals money and kills people, so what's the difference in this situation? Jungwoo said they were on a mission, but that mission looked fairly easy for a gang as eminent as Neo City. The conversation I overheard did have some private information, but surely not something that big of importance. They wouldn't say things that hold secrets as big as the ones I heard out in the open would they?

   Jungwoo mentioned a while back me becoming a member of the gang. They can't force me to do something I don't want to do. If I don't want to join their gang, I'm not joining their gang. I won't expose their information to the entire city, I'm not that dumb, and I'm sure as hell not staying here another night. Their secrets are safe with me, and we can both return back to our normal lives, like nothing ever happened.

   I rub my eyes, my mind racing. 

   I going to escape whether they like it or not. I won't spread their information and they won't have to keep an eye on me. It's a win-win situation. But then again, Jungwoo did say that he and the others carry guns with them since they don't trust me. I'll have to wait until I'm alone. Until everyone's asleep, then I'll make a move. But how will I get out of this godforsaken cell?

   The metal door flew open, light spilling onto the floor. I pulled my head out of my hands as Jungwoo entered the room, a stern look on his face.

   "The Boss wants to see you," His hand hovered over his pocket, "Come with me."

   Jungwoo slips through the door frame, clearly in a hurry. I smile to myself. 'Bingo! Now to look for a place to escape from."  I spring up from the mattress and rush out the room. He quickly slams the door shut, locks it, and guides me through a narrow, dim hallway. The hallway is no different from the cell: grey and bland. 

   I followed Jungwoo up some thick concrete stairs until we come face to face with a mahogany door. He swiftly pressed a white, plastic card against the lock of the door. The door made a mechanical click and he flung the door open.

   Jungwoo wasted no time and hurried off to his left. I had to jog to keep up with him, who seemed to not care that I was falling behind. I slowed my pace to a stride, my eyes wandering the house, or mansion, the men trapped me in. The walls are a slick white, gold accents along the ceiling and baseboards. The floor was a wooden, charcoal black. The clicks of Jungwoo's shoes bounced off the walls of the house. Paintings scattered the walls, luxurious furniture crowded the large main room, and thin hallways split off every direction. One thing I do notice is the lack of windows. 

   Jungwoo rounds a skinny, ink-colored banister and starts climbing the stairs leading to the second floor. The same black wood travels up the stairs. I follow closely behind Jungwoo.

   The mansion was enormous. I've only passed through two rooms, but I can already tell this house is incredibly lavish. A home this big must house a ton of people, and Neo City currently has 21 members, but it's strange I haven't seen anyone else roaming about the house. 

   Jungwoo leads me round a corner and down a corridor until he stops at a black door. The aura the black door is giving off makes my heart race. What's behind that door isn't something that's friendly. He knocks lightly against the wood, a muffled voice sounding from inside the room. Jungwoo turns the handle and pushes the door open, grabbing hold of my wrist and pulling me into the room.

   As my body gets pulled into the room, I catch a quick glimpse of a window at the end of the corridor. 'Perfect.' A small smile etches along my face as my eyes meet the man that runs this mafia.

   Neo City's leader. 

   "And who do we have here?" the man asked. He rested his weight against his desk, his elbows propping him up. His head sat atop folded hands and his austere expression made the room go silent. His rose-colored hair laid delicately over his forehead and his eyes never faltered from my figure.

   "Kang Yubin. Age 20." Jungwoo stated, his voice coming from behind me. 

   "Nice to meet you Yubin. I'm Lee Taeyong, leader of Neo City. I see you already met Jungwoo, our Informant." He gestures a hand towards Jungwoo. I nod, my eyes examining his office.

   Tall bookshelves line the sides of the room, nearly touching the ceiling. His desk stands towards the back of the room; the wide, red-wood furnishing stood majestically in front of ceiling high windows. The night sky was pitch black, not a single star in the sky. The moon shone brightly into the room, illuminating his office. Even with the lights on, the room felt darker than the rest of the house, a serious tone hanging in the air. 

   "Now I believe you already know why you're here," his hands fell to his desk, "So let's cut to the chase. It has come to my attention that you have overheard private information, it that true?" Taeyong arched a brow, his head tilted slightly upwards.

   I swallowed dryly and nodded hastily. I wanted him to think I was scared, but in reality I'm far from scared. Jungwoo has used this tough, almost threatening tone of voice with me before. I was used to it by now, so it didn't faze me. But I wanted him to think I was afraid, that I would follow their orders in a heartbeat. Regardless of what they say, I'm escaping this house.

   "Well, that information is what we tell majority of you newly recruited members. I inform them on what our company does and how it runs," Taeyong rises from his leather chair and strolls around to the front of his desk. He leans against the wood and glances back at me, a blade knife held limply between his fingers. "And lucky for you, that specific information you happen to already know."

   "Now, that information must never leave the walls of this house," Taeyong explains, "And if that were to happen, the person responsible for letting that information loose has to pay with their life. Which brings me to why I had you called up here." I fidget with my fingers, my mind focused on his words.

   "You have two choices: Stay here or get shot. Become a member of Neo City, or get killed because of the information you know."

   "Life or death?"

   He holds his hands out to his sides. His left hand is positioned gracefully, his fingers floating aimlessly above his palm. His right hand holds the blade, his fingers tightly gripping the handle. The moonlight reflects off the metal of the blade and onto the carpet I'm standing on, making the weapon seem even more perilous.

   I lick my lips, taking the bottom one and biting into the skin. 

   "Life." I say blankly. As much as I detest being kept in this house, I value my life more than anything else.

   Taeyong smirks, twirling the blade between his fingers before securing it underneath the waistband of his pants. He swiftly rounds his desk, his fingers gliding along the polished wood, and nodded towards me. I felt Jungwoo's presence behind me and his fingers around my wrist.

   "Jungwoo, take her to a spare room," he ordered.

   "Yes sir." Jungwoo spun me around and reached for the door, opening it and pulling me through. 

   "Yubin," Jungwoo halted and I turned to look back at Taeyong. A small smile lined his lips.

   "Welcome to Neo City." 

Thank you for reading!!