A month had flown by a little too fast for my liking, and all of a sudden, the twelfth was upon us. The day of my engagement party.

"Junseo, don't run," I said absent-mindedly, fiddling with my earrings as my younger brother scowled.

"But the guests aren't even here yet!" He whined, not happy about being in his shirt which he complained was itchy.

"But Father is here, and you know what will happen if you don't follow his orders," I said firmly to him, trying to neaten his black hair. "He wants today to go perfectly,"

The last week had been full of preparations, deciding what sort of food was to be made, what dress I was going to wear and what the schedule was. It wasn't really going to be a party, more of a meeting between Daegu's Capo and his Consigliere and my own father, Consigliere of the Seoul Family as well as our Capo. 

Junseo grumbled but said nothing. At only six, he was too young to be inducted, but his temper and energy had all the makings of a killer, something he would end up becoming. I tried not to think of my adorable brother as a Made Man, silently praying that maybe he'd take the other route, that he'd run from our life. But that was impossible. Junseo was born to be a mafia man, destined for the title of Consigliere, something he would take with blood on his hands.

"I don't understand why we had to dress up when you're the one getting married!"

I turned to Bitna who had just walked in, her cat eyes flashing dangerously, obviously not pleased at the arrangements. She wore a dark blue dress with a sparkly belt that accentuated her waist, looking like a dream.

If it wasn't for the fact that I was older, Bitna would have been an option to marry the Capo of Daegu. But even if that option remained present, I would never allow it. My priority was to protect my siblings, even if that meant I had to deal with the devil.

"You look gorgeous," I said softly, and at that moment, Chaewon came in too, wearing a baby pink dress and kitten heels of the same colour. "You too, Chae,"

Chaewon beamed at the compliment, moving in front of the mirror so she could analyse herself. Despite being only thirteen, the girl was a flirt and I had caught too many men looking at her in a way that made my blood boil. Mother had always said that she was exactly what K-pop idols dreamed of looking like, with her soft features.

Junseo was still in a bad mood, and that meant that he was in the state of mind to mess around. "Chase me!" He yelled, leaping off the bed and down the corridor, leaving me, Bitna and Chaewon in a panic.

"Junseo, no!" I shouted, running after the six year old in my pyjamas.

"I'm gonna catch you, you little troublemaker!" Bitna raced after him, Chaewon following quickly from behind.

If he ran into Father, then that would mean big trouble. Junseo was quick as he darted past the kitchens and into the east wing of the house, almost knocking over a vase, which Bitna had caught, allowing Chaewon to dash past her, gaining on our younger brother. 

When we had passed Father's office, I breathed a sigh of relief, but some men had rounded the corner and before I could warn the younger two, Junseo had ran into the man in the middle with full force, Chaewon having managed to come to a skidding halt, gripping the side of the wall.

Bitna released a gasp, and Chaewon was frozen in her spot. My eyes couldn't tear away from my future husband who was steadying my younger brother with his strong hands, hands that had killed.

"Junseo," I said, my voice trembling as I extended my arm. "Come here,"

Three pairs of eyes stared at me, including those of Chan's, so cold, so distant.

"Song Junseo," I repeated even more firmly. "Come here, right now,"

My brother gave an attempt of a glare towards the older boy before marching towards me, his small hand clutching my finger.

Chaewon had slowly backed away from where she had been standing, hiding behind me, although, she too couldn't quite take her eyes off of the entourage.

Bitna managed to keep her cool, staring at the trio, her displeasure obvious. "Bang Chan," She muttered, unhelpfully.

"My apologies, my brother had no intention of colliding into you," I swallowed.

"Yes, I did!" Junseo yelled, as I squeezed his hand.

"Why are you apologising?" Bitna ignored the warning look I gave her as she continued. "It's not our fault that they take up so much space and had to come round the corner at that exac- "

"Bitna!" My voice was like a whip. "Take Chaewon and Junseo to my room," When she didn't move, my eyes flashed. "Now,"

My sister grabbed our younger siblings, throwing one last disgusted look at the men before disappearing into our safe haven.

I tried not to cringe at the fact that I was still in my pyjamas, not the most appropriate outfit when meeting one's future husband.

"I'm sorry for my brother and my sister," I said, my body still tense. "They don't mean any disrespect,"

"They're protective of you,"Chan said simply, his eyes not showing a flicker of emotion. "I understand,"

Did he though? Did he really understand why they were so protective?

He tilted his head to the left. "My Consigliere, Minho,"

Minho was just as intimidating as Chan, his lips pulling into a smirk, and I was glad that he didn't try to make a move to greet me.

"And my right hand, Changbin,"

The muscled man on Chan's right offered a nod before glancing around, as though to make sure they weren't at risk of being killed right there and then. What did he think? That we hid snipers in our walls?

I held my head, meeting his eyes. "I should return to my siblings," I spun on my heel, quickly leaving the hallway, trying to remain calm, yet my heart continued to pound with terror.

...

Mother circled me as I stood in my dress, her eyes scrutinising the clothing for any hint of a wrinkle or stain, which was impossible seeing that the outfit was from the very best of designers.

It was a red satin dress, the straps tied like bows and the material hugged my skin, flaunting my figure. Gold creole earrings glimmered on my ears, and my feet were in heels that had elevated my height by a fraction.

"You're beautiful," Chaewon sighed, all the terror from having seen the men earlier had disappeared.

"Fucking gorgeous," Bitna added, earning a glare from our mother.

"Don't swear, Bitna, it's most un-ladylike," She scolded, before smoothing down my dark, long hair. "You really are a picture, Nayoung,"

I kept my expression controlled.

"Now remember, you enter the room alone, where your father will be with the other men. You wait for him to present you, before leading them to the dining room where we will have dinner,"

"I know,"

We had gone over the schedule for the last week, and no mistakes could be afforded now. It was time.

"Let me go with her," Bitna tried, but Mother held her back. 

"She has to go alone,"

Carefully, I left the room, only hearing fragments of Bitna arguing with our mother, and Chaewon attempting to calm her down as I headed towards Father's office in the east wing.

Outside the door, I could hear their voices, deep in discussion, no indication that they'd heard me outside.

In that room, I would become bound to Bang Chan, I would be promised to him officially. My insides churned as I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The moment I came in, the voices fell into a silence, and my eyes darted towards my father, who was watching my future husband. 

Bang Chan was on the left, seated with Minho and Changbin as well as a boy I didn't recognise. My father was besides Baek Ilsung, the Capo of the Seoul Family and his son, Baek Kijung, only a few years older than Chan, looking bored out of his mind. Manseok was beside Junseo who stood in the corner of the room, eyes wide at my presence, but even he said nothing, not wanting to risk our father's wrath in front of so many people.

"Chan, this is my oldest daughter, Nayoung,"

"The most beautiful girl in all of Seoul," Ilsung grinned, shooting my father a look. "I didn't over-exaggerate, did I?"

Chan said nothing as he took me in, his dark eyes scanning my figure from head to toe. "You did not,"

"Perhaps, they would like to be alone for a few minutes?" Ilsung's words mortified me as he stood, my father following suit as well as Kijung, Minho, Changbin and the other man alongside the Daegu entourage. 

Junseo trailed after them, but not before hugging me, much to Father's irritation.

The door shut, leaving me and the monster of Daegu alone in the office. I managed to meet his eyes, as he stared.

"Did you choose the dress?"

"My father did,"

"I'm not surprised," He muttered under his breath before straightening. "Red suits you,"

Silence fell upon us again as I realised that he had not described our encounter this morning to the other men. 

He reached inside his pocket, pulling out a black box as I stared at his black shirt. The man was dressed in black from head to toe.

The box opened, and inside sat a glittering ring, a moment that so many dreamed of to be their happiest. Yet for me, it was the pure opposite.

That ring was binding me to my misery, something that was unavoidable.

...

Later that night, Bitna and I had discovered that the men from Daegu would be staying a night at our house before leaving in the morning, and the two of us had taken the opportunity to spy on them outside the library.

"She's gorgeous," Minho nodded, taking a sip of wine. "She's going to be turning heads everywhere she goes,"

"How old is she again?" Changbin questioned.

"Sixteen," My future husband murmered, his dark eyes far off from where his men were discussing us. "Only a year younger,"

"Her father wants you two wed by the time she's nineteen, right?" The man I didn't know spoke, his blond hair messy from having ran his hands through it too many times.

"That gives you less than three years," Minho looked towards his Capo. "You're going to have to rein yourself in, and dedicate yourself to your wife. Impossible, right Hyunjin?"

The blond boy, Hyunjin, said nothing, but his lips curled into an almost smile.

Bitna and I exchanged a look. We had heard enough.

As I returned to my bed, switching the light off, I tried to think of a future with the Capo of Daegu, yet all I saw was blood and death.