ALWAYS You: Swan's Shadow [YOONGI] (Book 3)

Chapter 23

Breathe in... breathe out...

Yoongi, situated at the head table, made a move to a standing position. The ballroom fell into a deafening silence as the guests kept their stern eyes on him. In a bid to convince the international gangs that he was completely devoted to the KSI, he was ordered by Chung Ha to make a speech.

"The Hope Gang isn't as righteous as they seem." Yoongi addressed the crowd loudly before him. Chung Ha sat next to him, poised and collected, because she knew Yoongi wouldn't make any irrational decisions to put the Hope Gang at risk. Back at the temple, a firing squad was placed at the front of the prison cell, ready to hurl a round of deadly bullets at Chung Ha's command.

He paused, getting anxious by the second. A dreaded feeling kept nipping at the consciousness at the back of his mind. His intuitiveness kicked in. He could sense Soo-ji was closeby, and he had no idea what she planned, what she was going to do, but the dreaded feeling didn't feel right. It was the 'not knowing' that scared him the most. If Soo-ji turned up, then she would've given Chung Ha exactly what she wanted.

Soo-ji knew this, of course. She knew that gatecrashing the party was stupidity to some, knew that this was possibly a trap, but that couldn't stop her. After all, how could she sit around and do nothing when her precious gang's life was hanging by a thin thread?

"Some of you may have never heard of Choi Soo-ji until recently..." Yoongi swallowed hard, "that wouldn't be a surprise, considering she had never been in the underground scene until recent years. She came from a normal family, was just a normal girl, until Park Chanyeol of the XV Gang took her in and made her who she is today."

Yoongi stopped there, reminiscing the painful memories he went through when he lost her, pushed her away and left her behind.

"For someone who had been in a gang his whole life, even I am astonished how uncontrollable she has become. Her combat skills are incomparable, she works a gun like an artist working a piece of art. She's cunning, stopping at nothing to get what she wants."

"And what does she want?" Shuhua from Taiwan spoke up from the back.

Yoongi took a deep breath. His stomach churned at the answer he was about to give.

"Take Kim Chung Ha's place, take over the KSI, become the biggest leader in Korea."

The tension in the room shot through the roof. Chung Ha shifted slightly in her seat. The ghost of a smile lingered on her lips; she was satisfied, completely happy with Yoongi's answer. This was what she wanted - create unease amongst the gangs that they fear Soo-ji, leaving them with no choice but to join forces with the KSI.

"Do you think she can?" Shuhua asked again, voicing out the thought in everyone's head.

Yoongi swallowed hard again, casting his glance away from everyone's gawking stares for a brief moment.

"With her abilities, she can take you all out alone."

A cackled female laugh echoed from the other side of the room. Jessi's head was thrown back over her chair. Slowly, her hands were raised before bringing them together.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

"Repeat that, please." Jessi laughed in amusement, "you mean to tell me an inexperienced so-called gang leader thinks she's so good that she can get rid of all of us?!"

Yoongi's head slowly nodded in reply. He didn't laugh along with her, but he kept his gaze on her to let everyone know that he was being dead serious.