"It was you... The one I fell in love with. This entire time, it was you."
***
It all started with the end.
Han Jisung─an orphan whose only goal for the future is to build a better life for himself and his sister─and Lee Minho─also known as...
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Listen to "Heather" by Conan Gray for this chapter (because its the 3rd of december)
"With that being said, on behalf of The Vipers group, I promise that the rodent infestations in our restaurants have been dealt with. The locations that were shut down are ready to be reopened, this time with a more accessible price list and a wider menu in terms of variety. Please support us." A courteous bow and flirty wink were the climax of Hyunjin's speech.
As soon as the cameras went off, the Prince Charming act was over. He stopped sucking in his stomach and untied the bun at the back of his head.
His work for the night was done.
Sit there, be pretty and say smart words that aren't yours. That was his secret formula for success as a spokesperson. People were going to fall in love with the bullshit he memorized five minutes prior to the interview. It didn't matter that he had no idea what he was talking about. The Mafia was like the human body. The source of all ideas is the brain, but it's the face that takes the credit.
In The Vipers' case, that face was Hwang Hyunjin; more commonly known by his nickname, Prince Hwang.
With no pretense of self-control, the overly excited middle-aged reporter put her hand over Hyunjin's. "Great job, Hyunjin-ssi," she said with a dumb grin. "People will go crazy over you when they see this on the news, sir. They don't call you Prince Hwang for nothing. So handsome."
Hyunjin's jaw tightened; he pushed her hand away. "Thank you. It was great talking to you."
"Thank you for having us. Crew, let's pack up and hurry back to the studio. Annyeonghi gyesipsio¹, Hyunjin-ssi."
After saying goodbye as well, Hyunjin rose from the couch and left the stylish guest area of his massive office to go sit at his desk. Lee Yoonki, his best soldier and confidant, welcomed him back with a cup of coffee.
"If you winked one more time you would've made that woman orgasm." Yoonki sipped his own coffee, scrutinizing the folder he was holding. "Mother Viper knew what she was doing when she named you the spokesman, eh?"
"I guess." Hyunjin shrugged, his mind on a completely different planet. A galaxy of thoughts about Seungmin occupied all the space in his brain. A minute felt like three excruciating hours when they were apart, and they'd been apart for way too many minutes. "Do you think Seungmin will watch the news tomorrow and see me?" He missed him so much he couldn't hide it. "Do you think he'll call me somehow? Even if he's not allowed to?"
Yoonki rolled his eyes, probably fed up with all the whining he had to tolerate. "We've got a lotta work to do, Captain. Stop sulking and check this out," he ordered, proffering the open file folder.
