The headquarters of the Workers in Gangnam was a place of calculated silence. The kind of silence that spoke of power, discipline, and fear. Within its walls, empires rose and fell—without ever being mentioned in public.
In the central conference room, the council sat around a long black table. At its head was Eugene, the enigmatic leader of the Workers, his eyes calm behind thin glasses. Across from him, high-ranking figures murmured, their tones sharp, restless.
Gangmi Choi stood near the edge of the room, her presence professional, her gaze steady as she delivered her report.
Gangmi: "Daniel Park. Twelve years old. Already the second richest man in Korea. Controls Taesan Group, expanding aggressively into national and international markets. He also controls two underground empires: Union, the most powerful middle school faction, and Cheongryong, a syndicate disguised as a security company. Both answer directly to him. With them, he has seized Gwangseong entirely and is spreading into nearby provinces. Some regional kings have already fallen. Others… stay cautious."
A murmur rippled across the table. One of the executives scoffed.
Worker Exec: "A middle schooler? You expect us to believe a boy can command that kind of power?"
Gangmi's lips curved faintly.
Gangmi: "I saw him myself. His charisma, his aura… it isn't a boy's. When he speaks, grown men listen. When he decides, entire factions move. He's not pretending to be a king—he is one. And the frightening part is, he knows it."
The table fell quiet.
Another executive leaned forward, his voice colder.
Worker Exec 2: "Then he's a threat. A child with that much wealth, muscle, and ambition—if he isn't stopped, he could destabilize everything we've built."
All eyes turned to Eugene. He was silent for a long moment, tapping one finger against the table. His calmness was unnerving, a still lake hiding unfathomable depth.
Finally, he spoke. His voice was measured, deliberate, cutting through the air like a scalpel.
Eugene: "A dragon may rise in the east, but not every dragon breathes fire. Daniel Park is powerful, yes. Charismatic, wealthy, ruthless. But he is young. Young men burn quickly when they fly too close to the sun."
He adjusted his glasses, his eyes glinting.
Eugene: "For now, we observe. We study him. If his ambitions remain confined, he could even be… useful. But if he grows into a threat to the Workers, if he dares to challenge the balance we maintain—"
His tone sharpened, final, absolute.
Eugene: "—then we will destroy him."
The council bowed their heads in grim acknowledgment. The meeting ended, shadows spilling back into the greater shadow of Seoul.
Gangmi lingered for a moment, her thoughts heavy. As she turned to leave, she couldn't shake the image of Daniel's calm, smiling face from her mind.
A dragon among sheep, she thought. But what happens when dragons clash with dragons?
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