Click!
Click! Click! Click!
Blink.
Testing Yoongi's patience was bravery in itself.
He stood at the top of the Blue House's grand steps, draped in the most expensive Louis Vuitton suit and posed for the camera ahead.
The skyline, vast and unreachable, merged with the magnificence of the governmental building behind him. It screamed power, prestige and authority, intimidating the common land at the bottom of the marble stairs.
To Yoongi, on the other hand, the Louis Vuitton suit was drenched in the poor people's blood, sweat and tears.
They were starved, tortured and robbed of their lives just so the rich could bathe in the cash and gold.
He felt sick.
The high quality material weighed his shoulders down like an anchor. The Blue House, as brilliant and elegant as it was at the outset, hid the most immoral, the most depraved secrets the world had chosen to ignore, in fear that they would become the KSI's enemy.
"Turn to your left slightly." The photographer ordered Yoongi.
Yoongi, irritated to the bones, did just as he was instructed.
"A bit more to the left... just a bit more... ah that's too much to the left, turn to the right now."
Something ticked inside Yoongi like a bomb popping off.
"LOOK, MR. FUSS POT. NO MATTER WHICH ANGLE YOU'RE TRYING TO TAKE OF ME, I LOOK PERFECT JUST AS I AM. SO TAKE THE DAMN PICTURE, WILL YOU?"
The photographer, a young geeky boy with spectacles, lowered his professional camera.
"Your picture could never be perfect without the main female lead." Chung Ha interrupted them.
Clothed in an elegant red evening dress, Chung Ha lifted the hem of her dress slightly so that her feet wouldn't get caught at the bottom of the fabric. The dress's tail, metres and metres of fine thread, flowed down the steps like a ripple of a calm bleeding river.
She stepped up next to Yoongi, having just finished with her hair and make-up. Yoongi flinched back slightly, after being attacked by her pungent perfume penetrating his nostrils. Her face was heavily painted with powder, perfectly winged eyeliner and matching red lips.
An upcoming fundraising ball would be taking place at the Blue House soon. The invitations were sent out, and only the most exclusive, most influential gangs around the world were invited.
The KSI sought help from international gangs, claiming that the Hope Gang was becoming braver and braver, threatening the sovereignty of the KSI. In each country, one gang would always precede over the others. Years ago, the White Thorn/KSI and the XV Gang fought for that spot. But now, the KSI was practically untouchable.
The government was on their side, they quashed all other gangs in recent years and forced all gang members to join their organisation, the economy was determined by their own greed and the fate of the civilians were at their hands.
The only gang left standing in Korea was the Hope Gang, who refused to bend their knees at their mercy.
And that was the pure reason why Yoongi was summoned out of the prison cell.
What better way to convince the most ferocious, most feared gangs in the world that the Hope Gang was no match for the KSI, when Yoongi, the second in command, had even turned his back on Choi Soo-ji and decided to work with the KSI.
It was propaganda.
"Hold my waist." Chung Ha flicked her big glimmering eyes up to Yoongi. Her voice was small and breathy, having stood so close to him.
Yoongi's head dipped down. He returned her stare and stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. He didn't say a word, but his actions already replied to her.
Chung Ha placed a hand on his chest, smiled gently up at him and stood on her tippy toes. "If you don't want to play with me," she whispered, "I can play with your friends back at the temple."
She leaned back, cast her eyes down to the floor but the smile still lingered on her lips. She waited, knowing very well that Yoongi would obey.
Begrudgingly, as stiff and rigid as a rod, Yoongi gave in. He gritted his teeth and finally took his hands out of his pockets.
"That's a good boy right there." Chung Ha whispered, smiling even wider.
She stood closer, letting Yoongi's hands brush against her hips. She pushed herself onto him, merging their bodies together.
Click! Click! Click!
"More feeling!" The photographer yelled at them. "Smile!"
Chung Ha and Yoongi stood face to face, looking into each other's eyes mermerisingly as the camera flashed away.
"Don't talk to me like a dog." Yoongi breathed out, digging his nails into her sides.
"Shall I be your bitch then?" Chung Ha cooed, taking a hold of his hand to wrap around her stomach. She leaned her back against his broad chest, looked straight into the camera and flashed a dashing smile.
Click!
"I'll let you dominate me," Chung Ha continued, "control me. You can do whatever you please with me. Why let Choi Soo-ji boss you around when you can be the one leading?"
"I don't suppose you would understand," Yoongi laughed into her ear, "I rather be Soo-ji's bitch than have you as my bitch any day. And I don't suppose you would understand the definition of a true leader. A leader does not control; they lead from the front line, pave the road so that his companions can walk. They don't dominate; they earn the companions' trust so that instead of saying 'I', they say 'we' together. And that's the difference between you and Soo-ji. You don't care what sacrifices are made, who dies along the way, as long you remain at the top. You control your thousands of men and dominate them to get what you want. Can you even guarantee that they are loyal to you? Soo-ji may be at rock bottom now, but the Hope Gang is ready to die for her just as much as she is for us."
"If you move your mouth too much, the picture will come out blurry!" The photographer scolded.
Chung Ha released his hand from her stomach. In a full circle, she spun around, faced Yoongi again and hitched her thigh against his waist. In a tight grasp, she gripped onto his hand again, slapped it against her milky thigh and made him hold the bottom of her leg up.
The slit of her dress parted ways, giving the camera a full show of her flawless leg.
"Loyalty is earned through power. When you have power, people fear. When people fear, people will follow." She lightly traced his lower lip with her slender fingers. "That goes for all the useless commoners out there. That goes for the thousands of men at the KSI who are afraid to turn their backs on me. That goes for all the rival gangs who changed loyalty to me. And that goes for you too... Join the KSI. Pledge your loyalty to me, and I will ensure your friends are unharmed."
Chung Ha grabbed on to the front of his belt buckle.
"Together, we can rule the world."
She pulled. In a single tug, Yoongi's body jerked forward against hers.
Chung Ha, eyes closed, head tilted slightly to the side, closed the gap between them completely.
SNAP!
Her lips moulded into his.
Yoongi stood grounded to the spot. His eyes remained wide open in surprise. In the intimidating seductive pose, they stood lips against lips, body against body.
In the coming days, that photo became the billboard in every corner of the city's streets. It was hard to miss it, since it was enlarged with illuminating flashlights on the side of the motorway, in the city centre, in all district hubs, in train stations and even on magazine covers.
It was wicked publicity on Chung Ha's part. She wanted to crush the hope in the civilians' hearts to let them know that any uprising in support of Choi Soo-ji proved futile.
She wanted to let the international gangs know they had to unite to defeat Choi Soo-ji, that she was worth investing in when she was becoming stronger and Choi Soo-ji was becoming weaker.
But most importantly... she knew Soo-ji would be watching.
And nothing was more satisfying to Chung Ha than to use Yoongi's betrayal to bring Soo-ji to her downfall.