Venom When Dark Love Blossoms

8-- The Shadow in the Portrait

KNIGHTS Headquarters

"Good afternoon, Father" The warm and mellow voice brought a sixty-five years old man to raise his head from the desk and look forth. Oval almond eyes held so much power in them that his stare alone was enough to put one in a trance. Roman nose and plump lips, a bit too perfect to be real. Broad shoulders and tall muscular figure, he looked like a seraph descended from the heavens.

"Ah~ Seokjin came, must be good news, eh?" The old man seated leaned back against the chair with his gaze soared over the former. He sat there with pride glistening in his eyes the more he peered at the handsome male.

"I'm afraid, it's not good news" He spoke with his eyes averting to the floor, he walked forth and seated himself on the chair. Hearing him the old man shifted in his seat clearly expressing how displeased he was to hear that. Puncturing the tip of the cigar he lit it and pressed it between his old wrinkled lips.

"Spit it out then"

"Felix, We can't get in touch with him no matter what. It's like he vanished into thin air, every little arrow stretched toward him ends up being a dead end, as if he got sucked into a black hole, no tracks or traces" Seokjin explained looking at the old man whose brows knitted together crumbling the space between into a thousand lines of fatigue. Seokjin speculated that Felix might have been abducted, although he was already undercover, making it unlikely. However, secondary sources hinted that he may have been captured.

"That kid is loyal to his work, I know that for sure, there is no way he would have just disappeared on his own that too right before his promotion to the legal counsel"

"Could it be an abduction case?"

"Abduction? I doubt that, who would have the guts to meddle with our business, he was undercover already, so that is most probably out of the equation"

"I fear he is captured, Sir"

"How could you be so sure?"

"I'm not sure yet, but my secondary sources hinted at it"

"Also, I have heard that recently a lot of people are going missing without a trace from the pit and that someone has been looking in Code Seoyeon again, and those missing are connected to the case, one way or the other" The mention of Code Seoyeon already sent a deep displeased frown to the old man's face. He remained silent for a good couple of minutes, drowning in the depths of that dreadful dark chest of horrifying bitter truth.

A door knock broke the thick tense atmosphere between the four walls. It seemed like the ticking of the wall clock came back to its typical pace.

"Come in" The door was pushed ajar with the permission being granted. In walked, armored men of KNIGHTS. A blonde head led the small group who carried a huge package in their hands.

"Greetings Sire, we apologize to bother at such an hour but something urgent came"

"That is?"

"We received a parcel addressed to your... original name"

The said left the old guy nudged in his place. The tug on his brow showed an utter shock to his senses upon hearing the news. The men moved aside exposing the box to the officials seated ahead. It read 'Confidential'

"What!? Did you security clear it?"

"Yes Sire, it's unarmed"

Mr. Kim insisted on opening the parcel himself, and as the men ripped the box open, a sickening smell filled the room. The first thing that emerged was a rotten, pale hand covered in dried blood, causing the men to recoil.