Archive of Our Own

Sigh

A handsome teenager with hair the colour of rubies and a delicate body that seemed like it was made from porcelain heaved a heartfelt sigh, his eyes closed and long eyelashes fluttering like a butterfly's wings. A scene such as this one was enough to bring people to their knees. The crease between his exquisitely carved eyebrows could bring out the maternal feelings from the depths of a woman's heart.

'What troubles does he have? I wish I could help him. Such a beautiful youth should be treasured', was the only thing that would come to mind, had somebody been watching him.

…..said 'beautiful' and 'delicately weak' youth was currently busy crushing a charred and twisted lump of….. something with dead eyes that were hidden beneath his closed eyelids. 

"...oops. I broke my phone again." He lamented, and yet there wasn't even a trace of regret to be found in his tone. 

Ting ting

His tablet beeped to notify him of the incoming message from a certain someone . However, even before the vibrations from the notification had ceased—

—the tablet caught on fire.

'If only I could set that person on fire instead….. all my problems would be gone.' Cale thought, and yet his face displayed none of the viciousness his mind conjured.

Knock Knock

'Here it comes', He sighed again, for running away had never been an option. He knew because he'd tried. In the past three weeks, he'd tried so hard to escape from—

"Young Master, there is a call from Mr. Alberu Crossman." Ron's 'genial' voice came through the closed door which, by the way, would do nothing to disrupt the wizened butler if he ever decided that Cale was too annoying to exist anymore because he didn't get a reply.

"Yes. Wait a minute." Cale sighed for what felt like the n-th time in the day, feeling a bit annoyed at himself for sighing so damn much, and trudged out of his room, down the stairs, circling the backyard and greeting the surprised maids who had been airing the laundry. Then he decided that he'd made that person wait long enough and finally picked up the call that had been on hold for who-knows-how-long.

"So you're alive." 

Cale would score the fakeness of the smile that he could imagine on Alberu's face at a whopping 83. He would've given less, but the fact that he could demonstrate his faux-polite smile through the voice call alone was really impressive.

"Why, are you disappointed, your highness?" 

Cale reckoned that his own fake smile wouldn't score less than a solid 80.

"...Why would I be disappointed? I am so happy that my dongsaeng is still alive and kicking ! I was merely... worried …. About you since you seemed unable to attend to my calls…... I'd been calling you since three whole hours. "

Ooh a gap of three seconds! Looks like Alberu was pissed off ! Cale almost couldn't suppress his delight brought about from his latest bout of victory. 

"Oh my! Does your highness have a lot of time in your hands? I'm so sorry, I really can't relate, after all, I've got more important things to do….."

'Hehe. Get a little more annoyed. It's really good for the blood pressure—

—Mine , that is.' 

The redhead felt rejuvenated, especially after all the sh*t he'd been through in the past three weeks.

There was a sound that seemed suspiciously similar to someone gritting their teeth before a 'friendly' reply came through the call, landing a critical hit to the gleeful redhead.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I'd forgotten that you had joined the drama club at school. You must be so busy trying to fit in . However, I have complete confidence in your ability to act. You seem experienced, after all."

Crack

Cale's friendly facade almost cracked. He took a deep breath and patted the phone that had turned hot and almost started smoking due to his anger. He hadn't felt this irritated in years. Not only did Alberu recommend him to that group of crazies, he also personally talked with the president of the club, requesting them to "help his dongsaeng feel comfortable and unleash his full potential in acting" like a worried older-brother, in front of his classmates.

Now, he had no way to escape the drama club members who, for some mysterious reason, thought that he was 'just being shy'. Though if he had to bet on it, he was around ninety three percent sure that a certain princely council president who fashioned himself to be his 'hyung' was the one to be blamed. The remaining seven percent was attributed to the fact that the members of the drama club were all distinguished madmen (or madwomen). 

Cale almost cried at the thought that his workload had increased yet again . All because of that fake-smiling son of a b*stard. Alberu Crossman was the biggest hurdle in his path to a slacker life. He had no choice but to cross him. 

"......haha….. you seem to be overestimating me….."

'You seem to be overestimating my patience'

"I know my dongsaeng is talented! I have complete confidence over you." Alberu's voice seemed remarkably cheerful after gaining an upper hand in the war ahem conversation.

".........." The phone in Cale's hand had definitely started smoking now.

"Well, I won't waste any more of your precious time" the blond haired schemer's voice was dripping with schadenfreude " I just called to remind you that my graduation party will be held this friday. I have already talked with Uncle Deruth. The dress code is casuals. I hope you reach the venue on time."

Bam!

Another critical hit!

Player Slacker_Life is mortally injured and requires recuperation for the next few hours.

"..........." The angry redhead desperately wanted to fill the silence with curses borrowed from all the fifty eight languages he knew. But alas! The cause of his high blood pressure had gleefully disconnected the call.

Cale Henituse closed his eyes, which had a fire similar to an inferno burning within them. 

'I may have lost the fight, but I'll win the war. Just you wait, Alberu Crossman.'

" Why "

A certain 'trash' who went by the name of Cale Henituse, looked at the sparkling and shining Limousine standing in front of him in all its glory with a face full of black lines.

A black limousine and a chauffeur who was actually a high ranking member of the Mafia. Cale had a feeling that he was being carted off to his death.

"Y-You didn't have to do this for me…" Cale twitched his lips in a facsimile of a smile, all the while cursing a certain son of a b*stard.

After all, that b*stard reminded him too much of himself.

"You don't have to worry, Cale-nim", the dark haired, brown skinned man smiled at him politely, treating him as a superior."I hope that you're comfortable"

'It's the complete opposite, actually.' Cale muttered sullenly. 

He had planned to throw a tantrum when the car came to pick him up, so that Alberu got a bit of a headache trying to deal with him, but now that he had sent a limousine, how was he going to act dissatisfied? 

Loosening the collar of his unfairly expensive formal shirt, he felt even more stuffy, partly due to his ride, and partly because of his outfit. 

Since Alberu had told him to come in casuals, he was definitely going to go wearing formal clothes, no matter how much it irked him. 

The 'crown prince' of Roan Industries who had thousands of acquaintances and double the followers, having a 'casual' graduation party? Hah! There was no such thing as that! If Alberu had told him that the party was formal, he would've come in casuals just for the hell of it. But now that he was actively trying to sabotage his reputation (a reputation that he never really had, but who cares?), He would never give in!

And that's how Cale Henituse, trash extraordinaire, stepped out of the limousine like a royal knight out to fight a war. This was the first time people got to see him so well groomed, all due to a certain scheming blonde. 

Ah the wonders of spite and revenge.

'Damn you, Alberu Crossman.'

" Who's that person?"

"I don't know. I've never seen somebody like him in our school…."

"Is he one of the celebrity friends of Mr. Crossman?"

"Hmm I wonder. I want to introduce myself but I am nervous! He seems so elegant!"

"............" Cale could accept anything, but he couldn't accept being called elegant or gentlemanly . Ever. It was an insult to gentlemen all over the world, and worst of all, it undermined the painstaking efforts he put into cultivating a sixty three percent real and thirty seven percent fake persona of a trashy young master. 

A celebrity? Why would they think that? Didn't he just wear a formal suit and comb his hair? What was all this fuss about?

"Haaaah….." the red-head felt tired already. It was torture. Absolute. Torture. He downed a glass of apple juice. There wasn't even any alcohol. 

'Hah! Alberu Crossman is a goody two shoes except for the whole Mafia boss thing', Cale thought spitefully.

The 'goody two-shoes' who was being cursed by Cale currently had his own problems to face. 

"Are you sure?" He asked with an expressionless face.

"Y-yes sir. Our informants cannot be wrong about this. Mrs. Crossman hired a gang under the protection of Adin to sabotage your graduation party."

"How childish" The blond smiled without a trace of humor. He had expected his dear step-mother to do something, but he'd never realised that she would go this far to see him humiliated. If Adin's followers really managed to storm this party and hurt the guests, then he would have a lot to answer to the rich and influential people attending this party. Do not mistake this event for a normal graduation party. It wasn't about graduation and neither was it about celebration. It was an event to showcase the might of the eldest son of the Crossman family. If he failed here, then not only would he lose a few allies and contacts, his reputation as a responsible young man that he had so carefully cultivated would also turn to dust. 

Nobody would search deep enough to find that somebody deliberately sent thugs to tarnish his reputation. People would only see the disgraceful eldest son of the Crossman family who couldn't even organise his own 'graduation party' properly. If he wasn't capable of conducting a small party, then forget about handling the vast businesses under the family. 

In short, it was a petty yet surprisingly devious plot. As expected of his step-mother.

It would've been pretty effective if he hadn't been the hidden boss of the Mafia, who controlled the whole city of Roan from the shadows. His information network was scary enough to be called omniscient. There were very few things that could escape his notice. Of course, this didn't include a certain mysterious assassin cum mercenary, but Alberu promised himself that he would certainly find out their identity one day.

"Increase the security around the premises. Don't let any unauthorized personnel enter." He fired off instructions without breaking a sweat. 

Who was he? The boss of the mafia. If he really had been a weak and unsuspecting teenager, then he wouldn't have survived a single day in the underworld.

"Hi~ Can I know your name?" A girl clad in expensive clothes and beautiful makeup twirled her delicately permed golden curls, blinking coyly at the nonchalant boy in front of her.

"No." 

The girl bristled at his disinterested tone. If he hadn't been so handsome, she would've given a scathing reply; if he hadn't been so handsome, she wouldn't have come up to talk with him in the first place. 

"Oh, well, I saw you alone so I thought I'd give you some company. But it seems like you don't appreciate it." She pouted, waiting for him to apologize for his rudeness. Little did she know that the person who had dressed up like a prince right now was actually a trashy lout who didn't give a damn about manners and social niceties. 

Cale turned to look at her with a very innocent expression. 

"I really don't. Thanks for understanding," he said sincerely. The girl with the blonde curls huffed in anger and left without looking back. Cale reverted to his position of looking at the wall blankly. 

'Should've brought my own alcohol.'

A party without alcohol was a party without life. Although the redhead had a very high alcohol tolerance, he still didn't want to attend such a stuffy party while completely sober. 

'I would've had more fun if I was out as Nyx.' Cale completely disregarded the fact that Nyx was all but dead on paper. Of course, the person responsible for his alter ego's death was the same person who dragged him into this misery of a situation.

"I finally found my dongsaeng! How's the party?" The cause of his misery greeted him cheerfully.

"It sucks." Cale replied without reservation. He wasn't going to change his original attitude even though he knew that the person in front of him was the Mafia King himself. As weird as it may sound, it was a way to protect himself. He couldn't leave any way for Alberu Crossman to know that he was Nyx; that would only bring him even more trouble, so he acted the way he would've behaved towards an annoying senior. Of course, deep inside, he didn't want to play possums with this youth, after all, the blond had irritated him far too much to warrant a cordial attitude. 

"Oh? How can I make this party better for you?" For all intents and purposes, Alberu acted as if Cale's satisfaction was really necessary for the success of this party. 

"Alcohol." Cale deadpanned.

"I am afraid that's not possible. Do you have any other requests?"

"Of course. Let me go home."

".....ho ho ho you're talking as if I kidnapped you. You are free to go back at any time… however, I may get a little sad if my dear dongsaeng isn't there to congratulate me at such an important moment in my life……… what should I tell Uncle Deruth if he asks me why I am so sad?" The blond put special emphasis on 'Uncle Deruth', his brows scrunched up in 'sadness'.

Cale accurately translated this flowery spiel into something more legible;

"If you try to return now, I'll snitch on you," was what Alberu actually meant. 

'Ha! Where's your Oscar? You definitely deserve one for your acting!' The redhead sneered internally. However, he too, was a pretty good actor.

"How can I let my hyung down like this?! This is indeed an important occasion. I'll spread the happiness and make this moment unforgettable for others!" Cale mustered up all the fake cheer he could without actually vomiting. 

'Since you refuse to let me go, I'll stay here and spread chaos. Watch me as I turn this whole party upside down; people will remember this day for days to come.' 

Cale, too, deserved his own Oscar. 

Of course, he knew that he shouldn't do anything that would ruin the whole party and make people point fingers at Alberu Crossman. He didn't want to be genuinely hated by the Mafia King, after all. But even by acting as his usual trashy self, he could create enough chaos to make it uncomfortable for the other guests of the party. 

He watched Alberu walk away to greet other guests. It seemed like he had to work for a bit. 

"Oh ho ho ho? You actually managed to smuggle alcohol into this party?" Cale jumped out from behind an unsuspecting boy like a hound who had caught the scent of blood—or well, alcohol , in this case. 

"W-where did you come from?!" The boy squeaked, hiding the small bottle behind his back. Such a gesture was of no use in front of a mercenary-assassin who had taken up jobs like tailing and disposing of sneaky, evil people.

"What do you mean? I was invited, of course. Now what do you have to say about this bottle of whiskey you have in your hands?" The redhead was genuinely happy; he didn't have to suffer so much anymore!

"I-It's none of your business" the boy tried to act brave.

"Nuh-uh. You shouldn't have brought this, Mr. Alberu Crossman would be so disappointed." He continued gleefully. "This is confiscated." he took a swig off the small bottle which contained potent alcohol while the poor guest looked at him dumbfoundedly, his fingers curled up as if he was still holding the bottle. 

" How? " 

"Magic." Cale deadpanned, his face already taking up a slight red tinge. It wasn't that he had been affected by the pitiful amount of alcohol; it was just that his face and constitution were both very deceptive. "Thanks for this gift. I'll be off now. Don't worry I won't tell anybody where I got this from!" The redhead made a big show of hobbling around the venue, scaring off guests every now and then. 

He rudely cut in line at the buffet, laughed uproariously and even tried (and failed) to start a fight with the guests. 

In the end, he was called up by one of Alberu's underlings. 

"Where did you get the alcohol from?" The blond asked, trying to hide his irritation. He would have succeeded if it was anybody else, but Cale had made it a point to study body language and psychology. 

"Where there is a will, there is a way." He answered cryptically, acting wise, but his red face and swaying body showed how 'drunk' he was. 

Come on, where is the Oscar now?

The blond finally sighed. "It seems like you're in no position to answer properly. We'll talk later. For now, I'll ask the driver to send you home." 

"But I want to accompany my dear hyung for this great event!" Cale slurred like a drunkard, but his passion was evident. 

Alberu's twitching fingers were the only indication that he wanted to do something extreme like strangling the person in front of him. 

"Go back—"

"No. You'll be sad. "

The blond took a deep breath and calmly gazed at the 'drunk' boy. The 'drunk' boy gazed back. 

"I won't be sad. Go home and have a good rest." Alberu bit out softly. Cale nodded 'unwillingly'. Although annoying the blond had been very satisfying, he knew when to back off. Anything more and he would have to watch his back against retaliation. 

One of Alberu's underlings walked him to the car that was supposed to be his ride for his way back home. This time, it was a low key, yet fairly expensive car instead of the grand limousine that had picked him up. The underling talked with the driver and Cale noted that this person probably had no connection to the Mafia since he didn't have the aura of somebody involved in the underworld. Very few people could hide the ruthless and dark aura that was a result of working in the opposite side of the bright, lawful world, and the people who could were the ones talented enough to reach far and above in the dark world. Considering that the driver wasn't somebody he had seen before, he was willing to believe that it was one of the ordinary employees working under the Crossman family. 

However, Cale had a gut feeling that something was wrong. He quietly sat inside the car because he didn't have a way to refuse. He was afraid Alberu would directly off him if he didn't obey him at this time. The car moved at a steady pace, but the driver was sweating buckets. 

'Yup. Something's definitely wrong.'

If he had to guess, Cale would bet that this person was trying to kidnap him. But why? 

His identity as Nyx was known to none. He was sure nobody had found out about his second persona. That means that somebody wanted to kidnap 'Cale Henituse', the son of a rich and influential man. Or, to be more accurate, somebody wanted to kidnap the guests of Alberu Crossman. Cale could imagine why. 

The world of the rich was a complex one. This was part of the reason he had to create such a facade for himself and earn money secretly on the side as a mercenary. Alberu, even though he was the most appropriate choice for the position of heir to the conglomerate, would still have to fight his step-mother and step siblings. To gain power, some people would be willing to go to any lengths. This kidnapping was probably arranged by one of the competitors of the blond. 

'Tch. Why is my luck so rotten?', thought the redhead, feeling a bit uncomfortable by the way the driver was giving him guilty looks every now and then through the rear view mirror. 

Cale wasn't very worried about his own safety. Unless the Crossman family wanted to deal with an enraged Deruth Henituse, nobody would touch even a single hair on his head. 

He made himself cozy in the passenger seat and dozed off to sleep. For the next few hours he would be safer than he was in his own bedroom, it wasn't a bad idea to take a nap. He had to be completely awake and fresh when the drama actually started. He maintained his drunken facade and closed his eyes, feeling the driver take a sigh of relief.

'Ah yes, you must be feeling so relieved that there won't be a young master making a fuss in the back seat while you kidnapped him, hm?' The redhead smiled in schadenfreude. Unknowingly pissing off the Mafia King, this man was doomed from the beginning. 

Well, he wasn't going to sympathize with his kidnapper anyway.

Cale opened his eyes to bound limbs and darkness. Any normal person would've felt frightened out of their minds. Cale, however, had already expected this. He had been feigning his unconsciousness when they had hauled him out of the car and put him inside a dark room after binding his limbs. The redhead wiggled a little, he hadn't expected them to tie him up so tightly. Even though the Henituse Conglomerate was as clean as they come, even the people of the underworld couldn't afford to take them lightly. In this world, money was power and power inspired respect and reverence. 

"Yo! Can you loosen these ropes? I promise not to try escaping!" He called out to the people guarding the door to his room. 

Unfortunately, he didn't get a reply. The goons outside murmured softly, as if afraid that he would hear what they were talking about. 

His posture made him feel very uncomfortable. He didn't want to wait for so long in such an inconveniencing position. Considering that the party had barely started before he was 'sent home', nobody was going to look for him till the party was over. There was still quite some time left for people to find out that he was missing. The people in the Henituse manor probably wouldn't realise that he was missing till the next morning, after all, they were used to him loafing around till late at night. Sometimes he would be out till the morning next day and all he would get was a lecture from Deruth and a disapproving gaze. 

For now, his only hope for rescue was Alberu Crossman. 

Of course, he was capable enough to escape from here without any problem, but that would mean dealing with the aftermath, so why take up so much trouble?

"Hey, can you at least tell me what time it is?" He called again. He did have a watch on his wrist, but it was too dark to see anything.

"It's nine in the evening. What do you want?" One of the guards answered. 

"You tied me too tightly. My hands are chafed and bruised!" He complained. 

Still no reply.

Cale felt a little wronged. "I know you have kidnapped me for money. If you return me with wounds and bruises, then won't you get in trouble?" Even after being abducted and bound, the redhead refused to shed his stupid trashy persona. 

Cale could hear the thugs bristling and discussing among themselves. 

"Oh, I am in so much pain that I'd rather die !" His woeful cries shook the hearts of the guards outside. Joining the Drama club had been rather useful…...should he thank Alberu for the recommendation?

….. Naaah

He wouldn't have been here if it hadn't been for the blond in the first place. 

"I can't bear this anymore. If nobody unties me, I'll bite my tongue and die! Dying is better than living such a painful life!" Cale spouted all the dramatic bullshit he could think of right now. In the past half an hour, he had found that these thugs really lacked some braincells. Even a normal person would know that he was overacting; how can a person enjoying all the good things in life give up on living just because his hands hurt a bit? But these people had actually started panicking.

"Don't talk nonsense! Y-you're going to kill yourself just because you are uncomfortable? Do you think we are idiots?" One of the smarter goons yelled. 

'Yes,' thought Cale. 

"I know what happens to people who are kidnapped. You evil people will kill me once you get the money! So I'd rather die on my own terms!" Cale injected a lot of distress and bravery into his voice, as if he had already made up his mind to die. 

"We won't kill you!"

"LIES!" He made sure to make his voice tremble a little, as if he was crying. He sniffled a little, just for show. The guards outside had already been convinced of his 'determination'.

"Goodbye world." He whispered brokenly, but the smirk on his face destroyed the dramatic atmosphere. 

"No!" Apparently, the thugs were more dramatic than Cale. They almost broke the door and entered hurriedly, ready to save the youth who was 'going to give up on life'.

Light flooded the dark room and the redhead squinted his stinging eyes in irritation. The moment his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he came across the scene of not one, but five burly men looking at him, slack-jawed and in shock. They hadn't even bothered to hide their faces.

Cale, who hadn't yet put away his smirk to assume a more neutral expression, froze for a moment. 

'Idiots!'

The light in the sparse room flickered, mirroring the irregular heartbeats of the big burly men who were gathered around a slender teen, their heads bowed as they waited for the imposing red haired boy to stop glaring at them in disapproval. 

".......did you not think about how I can go to the police and describe your features once you get the ransom and let me go? Hm?" Cale couldn't help but berate. As somebody who had worked in the underworld for less than three years, he felt second hand embarrassment about the fact that this world contained fools such as these. Really, what did they even think? 

Being so brainless, how the hell had they survived in this muddy world?

The men encircling him bristled at his tone, but stayed silent in the end. 

"Or what, did you already decide to get rid of me, since I have seen your faces? Did your mother never teach you that kidnappers never showed their faces to their victims unless they wanted to kill them off?! " 

The thugs shrank like naughty children who had made a big mistake and were now being berated by their teacher.

"I need an answer! Are you thugs or not?" 

"N-no! We really don't want to kill you…" a brawny man with a tattoo replied weakly. Considering how every other goon looked up to him, Cale believed that he was the leader of this group. 

Tch. What a leader. 

"Then what? Do you want to be jailed?"

The bunch of hoodlums looked at each other in panic. They hadn't thought that far! QAQ

"So… did you expect me to say that I didn't see your face once I'm rescued?" Cale felt a bit disgusted at the grown and sturdy men who were looking at him with such hopeful eyes. 

Once again, how the hell had they survived till now?!

What Cale didn't know was that these goons were protected by a larger group, which, in turn, was protected by the boss of a big criminal organisation from a different city. This boss, Adin, had been looking for ways to stick his greedy paws to this giant fruit called the Roan city which was already under the protection and control of mafia king Bob, the alias of Alberu Crossman. As such, these goons never had to use their brains. They were the unpaid labour and meat shields of the bigger group that protected them. When that group got the job of kidnapping somebody from a rich man's party, they directly sent these poor men to do the dirty job while keeping most of the money in their own pockets. 

These small-time thugs were at the short end of the stick, all but becoming a scapegoat while their so-called 'protectors' lined their own pockets with money. If they succeeded in getting the ransom, then the money would be divided, and if they were caught then they would be cut off like a lizard leaving behind its tail.

See, this is what happens when you don't use your brain.

"And why would I do that for my own kidnappers? Haaah" Cale half laughed and half sighed in displeasure. He was getting a headache now. 

"Nevermind. First untie me. I have lost feeling in my limbs. We'll talk after that." 

The thugs hesitated a bit and then untied the harmless looking teen. They were five burly men; there was no way this half-grown boy could escape while they were surrounding him. 

Little did they know that Cale was more than capable of escaping if he wanted to. Defeating these men was, of course, not something within the teen's skillset, but he had always been agile and clever at whatever he did. 

After untying the ropes around him, the goons personally massaged Cale's ankles and shoulders, trying to generate goodwill in this young master who held their future in his weak, powerless palms. 

Feeling comfortable with their 'customer service', Cale felt a bit more charitable towards these brainless idiots. 

"Since you are at the end of your rope now, let's make a deal."

The men perked up, knowing that this teen was kindly giving them a way out. They felt emotional and decided to treat him better. This was their saviour, after all. 

They had already forgotten that the reason they were so desperate was sitting right in front of them, talking as if he was doing them all a big favour. 

"I'll say I didn't see your face because I had been blindfolded and locked inside a room. The ransom money; we'll divide it among ourselves. The ratio will be 60 to 40. Sixty percent mine and forty percent yours."

The thugs weren't yet braindead. They knew that this was an unfair deal. They had done most of the work and taken up most of the danger, but they wouldn't get even half of the ransom money. However, they didn't dare to voice their dissatisfaction, after all, anything was better than being caught and locked inside a cell. While they were already seen as outlaws by the police, kidnapping was a more serious crime, not to mention that they would have to face the wrath of a giant conglomerate. They meekly nodded in acceptance.

"........learn to use your brains. I am the eldest son of a ridiculously rich man. Make sure that the ransom you ask for isn't too little. It will be fine to ask for a few hundred million." The thugs gaped at each other; they had never thought that they would deal with this sort of money! They had expected a few hundred thousand at most.

"Let me guess, you had only thought of asking for a few hundred thousand, right? Hya, do you know how much I am worth?" Cale sighed. It felt like he was teaching a bunch of children. He had to spoon feed everything to these people. What even was his life?

"Go go go. Prepare a better room for me. Bring me some good quality food and beer while you are at it. I am hungry since I didn't eat much before I was kidnapped."

Cale had the urge to sigh again as he saw the men scurrying around, leaving him alone in the room.

'Didn't they think that I may run away?......haaah…. never mind'

When Alberu broke into the room, Cale had just stuffed a cookie inside his mouth. Both of them froze, staring at each other in bewilderment. The cookie in Cale's half-open mouth fell down silently. 

"Why are you here?" They asked each other at the same time.

When he had heard that Cale had been kidnapped, Alberu had felt a weird emotion welling inside him. With a start, he had realised that it was fear. He was scared that something would happen to the annoying kid who called him hyung with a shit eating grin. He was fearful of losing his friend— his only friend. 

They were not good people. They lived in the dark, walking at the edge of life and playing with death as if it was an old friend. People getting wounded, people dying; it was all a part of life. Every moment was a fight to survive and to a certain point, Alberu accepted, and maybe even enjoyed , the chase. He hadn't chosen this life, but he had been born into it. And that was fine. 

Until it was not. 

For the first time in his life, Alberu Crossman, the nominal heir of Crossman Conglomerate; Alberu Crossman, the Mafia King Bob, made a reckless decision. He had never wanted the bright and dark sides of his life to meet. He had done all he could to keep both of his identities away from each other and yet, and yet , here he was, joining his subordinates in searching for an innocent who had been caught up in his mess. And why?

Because he found that he didn't want Cale Henituse to die. 

From a logical perspective, he knew that nothing was going to happen to the teen. It was a kidnapping for ransom; there was no way he would be killed. But Alberu also knew Adin and he knew that the man liked to kill just for the sake of it. That man was a psychopath who revelled in despair. 

The first time he had met Cale Henituse, he had known that something was different about him. The teen didn't try to get into his good graces, choosing to get on his nerves instead. Before meeting him, Alberu had only known three kinds of people. The first kind were his subordinates and the people working under him; they were trusted and all of them depended on him. The second kind were the people who acted friendly to get benefits from him. And the last kind were the people who smiled in front of him while preparing to stab him in the back. 

Cale Henituse……. Was none of them. He was an anomaly. He said praising words, but to deliberately annoy him. Every word was measured and thought out, but it wasn't for the purpose of negotiation. Everything the redhead did had one single purpose, and that was to irritate Alberu to death. 

They said everybody in the Mafia was crazy in some way. Maybe this statement did contain some truth. Why else would he take a liking towards a teen who always tried to fight him with words?

They traded veiled insults and passive aggressive words. They tried to throw each other under the metaphorical bus. Their words were filled with countless hidden barbs, but none of them contained any real malice. In a way, it was relaxing. It was a battle of wits, and one that the blond wasn't sure he could win. Sometimes it was a win, sometimes it was a loss. But either way, for the first time in his life, Alberu found that he actually enjoyed talking with somebody. He was genuinely entertained by the presence of a boy who was seen as a useless waste by everybody else. 

So this was how siblings were supposed to be. 'Hyung'. The word was suddenly filled with a feeling of anticipation.

'Come on, which weapon did you bring out to the fight today?'

So he had to save this boy who had called him 'hyung', who had never once expected anything from him, who had made him forget about the numerous burdens placed on his shoulders. 

He had to save the boy who made him remember that he was a teen too. He was merely eighteen, just barely an adult, standing tall under the dual weights of fighting for his right to inherit and ruling over the city's underworld with an iron fist. 

If his stepmother had wanted to make him feel panicked and scared, then she had achieved her purpose. 

The whole city's information network was within his grasp. It didn't take long to find where the redhead was being kept. Even though he was worried, he hadn't lost his mind. He knew that his identity as the Mafia King couldn't be leaked, so he took only a few of his trusted subordinates and raided the abandoned warehouse that held the teen captive. 

The goons seemed pretty brainless, but they had the strength to fight. Of course, all of them combined weren't even equal to one Tasha. He left his aunt to deal with the thugs and chose to search for Cale. Room after room after room, the doors were all broken in by him. In one particular room, he found a chair and a pile of ropes that seemed like they had been used recently. The blond immediately imagined a scene where Cale was kept, tied and frightened out of his mind. He didn't want to imagine him like that. Cale Henituse was more suited to stand bold and confident, his eyes shadowless and free, and his demeanor fiery and unrestrained. That shit eating grin that made people want to beat him up was also a necessary part of his character. 

He didn't want to see that innocent child trembling in fear, sitting tied up in a dark room with nobody to comfort or reassure him. 

The fact that these ropes had been untied meant that Cale may have been in a worse condition. Alberu had already notified his personal doctor that he may have to attend to a patient that night. He had also looked for a good psychologist; wounded or not, a kidnapping would leave too many shadows in a growing child's mind. He resolutely broke through a few other rooms. The last room was a bit different; it was locked from the inside. 

'This room definitely contains Cale. Is there somebody else inside?' Since somebody locked the room from inside, there was a high chance that there were people guarding the redhead. However, Alberu had never been afraid of a fight. He had been expecting it ever since he broke into the first room in the warehouse. 

The door was broken in, and the blond stormed inside the room, wanting to take its inhabitants by surprise…….

….It turned out that he would be the one surprised instead. 

The person who had him worried and anxious for more than two hours was now looking at him with a dumbfounded expression. He wasn't hurt, he wasn't tied up. He was actually eating cookies with a carefree expression!

The first emotion Alberu felt at this point was soul crushing relief, followed by amusement and exasperation. He also felt a bit silly, the anxiety and trepidation he had felt before now felt like overreactions. He also felt confused. 

Very confused.

"Why are you here?" They asked each other at the same time.

Cale felt flustered for a moment, but he soon managed to regain his wits. 

So Alberu found him like this? No problem. He could think up something. Out of all his skills, the one that made him feel the proudest was his mind. This was a bit unexpected; he had thought that he'd have to wait for at least a few hours after the party ended before Alberu came to know that he was missing. He had thought that waiting until the morning was also not outside the realm of possibilities. But the blond had come to find him half an hour after the party had ended! How powerful was his information system?!

But there was something wrong. He had asked his 'kidnappers' how long it took to reach here from the venue of the party, and they had answered that it took around forty five minutes at normal speed and half an hour if somebody was in a hurry. So when exactly did Alberu get the time to look for him? Hell, when did he even find out that he had been missing?

Something foreign welled up within his heart, but the feeling had passed before he could start identifying it. He decided that whatever it was, it wasn't important enough to focus on. For now, he had more pressing matters to attend to. 

Dealing with Alberu…. Wasn't actually hard…. He could just lie and say that they had been scared of him, a young master of a big corporation. The Henituse name had its own weight, after all. However, when he looked into the blond's eyes, he was taken aback by the sincere and pure concern the older youth had for him. 

It wasn't the concern one had for their employer.

It wasn't the concern one had for a random amusing thing or a pet they were fond of, like his butler had for him. 

It wasn't the concern mixed with guilt, regret and cowardry, like his father had for him. 

It was a sincere concern for his well being.

And Cale didn't know how to deal with it. This look..... He'd seen it a long time ago, on the woman who had birthed him and shown him what love was, who had left him long before he could understand the look in her eyes.

Their faces didn't have a single point of similarity, their eyes were of a completely different colour and shape, but the look inside them was the exact same. Concern. For him. Concern for Cale , a sixteen year old boy with a smart mouth and lazy disposition.

Cale's eyes stung a little. 

'If those brainless idiots are cutting onions nearby, then I'm really going to beat them up this time.' 

Why else would his eyes sting like this?

Well, anyway. Since Alberu had shown his care towards him, then he was going to return it with sincerity. 

"I…….managed to make a deal with them…." His throat suddenly felt a little dry. He picked up the bottle of apple juice to take a sip; those idiots refused to give him any alcohol, claiming that he was a 'growing young boy' who needed to take care of his health. 

".........Care to explain?" The blond replied, frowning a bit. 

It was a long story, but Alberu was adamant about listening to the whole thing. Since Cale had promised his sincerity, he had no choice but to comply. He explained how he fell asleep in the car, only to wake up to a dark room, sitting with his limbs bound to a chair. Then he explained his little drama, finally deciding to give the blond his credit. Alberu was gracious, accepting the praise with a knowing smirk. It did make him want to punch him a little, but looking at his 'hyung's' face, he knew that the feeling was mutual. 

Then he came to the point where he scolded the thugs, and Alberu was suddenly very interested. Cale didn't know the truth behind everything, but Alberu was the master of the underground information network. By the end of the story, Alberu was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Just a little bit. 

Cale Henituse was a lot different than how people saw him. He was hiding a lot of things. There were layers and layers of facades built over his true self, and nobody knew the true depth of his character. Alberu hadn't known the teen for a long time, and he didn't trust him a lot either. But one thing was clear, Cale's mind was sharper than a blade and his psychological quality was better than anybody he had ever met. If the redhead could be trained properly, he had the qualities to one day become his Consigliere. 

If it had been anybody else, Alberu would've tried to slowly bring them towards his side, covertly manipulating them to join his organisation. But this time, Alberu was unwilling to do anything. Cale Henituse clearly had a capable mind, but he chose not to use it to grab onto his position as the heir. He didn't have a lot of competition; only one non-blood-related step brother and a half sister. There must be a reason he had given up everything, happily enduring the humiliating insults society threw at him, just to live a quiet and comfortable life. 

Alberu didn't exactly understand it, but he sure could respect it. 

Since the redhead didn't want to have responsibilities, he wouldn't force him. The world has plenty of talented people. Even though letting this one go would be a shame, he was willing to let his dongsaeng have his fun.

Because that's what hyungs do, and he had already decided to take this responsibility seriously. After all, out of all the roles he had, Alberu had only ever consciously chosen one—

'Hyung'.