Suhyeon walked down a long, almost empty hallway. The echo of his footsteps made the place seem bigger than it really was. He had his hands in his pockets, unhurried, but with his mind clear on what was about to happen.

In front of him, a double door with shiny finishes. He let out a breath, placed his hand on the knob and pushed it open in one motion.

The atmosphere changed immediately. On the other side there was an elegant hall, too spotless for his taste. Lamps hung from the ceiling illuminating round tables with white tablecloths, glasses aligned as if no one dared to move them even a centimeter.

A couple of waiters crossed in silence, and the few people who chatted at their tables did so in low voices.

Suhyeon moved forward without losing his calm, glancing sideways at the whole scene. And there he saw him: at one of the tables, sitting alone, with impeccable posture and a fixed gaze, was Juncheol Yang.

Suhyeon raised an eyebrow, almost amused.

"Well… looks like you were already expecting me, Mr. Yang."

Juncheol slowly lifted his gaze, turning the glass in his hand as if everything was under control.

"Obviously. I don't usually sit with just anyone. If you're here, it's because you're worth it."

Suhyeon dropped into the chair across from him, without taking his eyes off him.

"Worth it… depends on who says it."

Juncheol let out a faint nasal laugh, as if the answer didn't surprise him.

"Cold, huh? I thought you'd try to flatter me or something like that."

"I'm not the type to waste saliva on useless things." Suhyeon interlaced his fingers on the table, relaxed but firm. "And you don't seem like the type who invites someone just for pretty talk either."

The silence stretched for a second. Juncheol watched him, evaluating him as if weighing him on an invisible scale. Then he took a sip of his glass and set it on the table with a clack.

"I like you. Straight, no detours. Guys like that usually last… or die quickly, Mr. Kim."

Suhyeon tilted his head slightly, without changing his expression.

"I guess we'll see which side I fall on."

Juncheol took the glass again, turned it a little under the light before speaking, as if his words needed pairing.

"Eugene told me some things about you."

Suhyeon didn't move, only raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah? I imagine not everything he said was with good intention."

Juncheol let out a faint, almost invisible smile.

"Depends on how you look at it. He told me about that so-called Project Bloom… owner of several coffee shops in Gangbuk. A discreet network, but with deep roots. And that, apparently, you plan to expand them until they cover all of Korea."

Suhyeon rested his elbow on the table, leaning just slightly forward, without breaking the calm in his gaze.

"Project Bloom isn't just coffee shops. It's a structure. What you see is a façade… what's coming, is something else."

Juncheol listened in silence, his fingers drumming slowly on the glass. Then he lifted his gaze with a spark of interest.

"Ambitious. Very few your age think big without burning out in the attempt."

Suhyeon drew a cold smile.

"That depends on how many are willing to set themselves on fire for me."

Juncheol placed the glass back on the table with a soft clack, interlacing his fingers in front of him. His gaze remained fixed on Suhyeon, penetrating, as if trying to tear the answers out of him without speaking.

"I asked Eugene what business you had with me." He leaned forward slightly. "And do you know what he told me? That he didn't know. That… intrigues me."

Suhyeon remained still, watching him with the same calm as always, as if he had already foreseen every word.

"I want to hear it from you, in person," Juncheol continued, tilting his head slightly. "What business do you want to do with me, Suhyeon Kim?" leaving a long silence between them.

Meanwhile the distant murmurs, the lights reflecting on the glasses, the overly perfect atmosphere continued.

Suhyeon finally let out a faint sigh. "Business, you say… I'm not here to waste time with empty proposals. If I came to you, it's because what I seek I can't get anywhere else."

Suhyeon narrowed his eyes, leaning slightly back in the chair as if every word were measured.

"I need: your police force. That silent network that moves when no one else can. In return, I..."

Juncheol coughed, interrupting him immediately. His gaze hardened.

"Support me? I don't need another partner who only fills his mouth with promises, Suhyeon." Juncheol said, letting out a faint laugh.

"Well... well, I simply wish someone like you had... control." Your ability to move between two worlds without getting too dirty. You look like a businessman, but Eugene whispered to me that when it comes to getting your hands dirty, you do it without blinking. That serves me more than any cheap support."

"And... you know, you're just the right person... someone who can put one foot in the light and one foot in the shadows without getting caught. That, Suhyeon... that's what I'm interested in buying from you."

The tension rose. Suhyeon watched him calmly, without moving a muscle, as if he had already foreseen that request.

Suhyeon let a sideways smile, loaded with sarcasm, draw across his face.

"Well… I expected something else, Yang. But if that's your big request, you leave me quite at ease."

He leaned back in the chair, drumming his fingers on the edge of the table as if it were a boring game.

"Because that's exactly where I move best. The concealment of information… manipulating what is seen and what isn't, what is known and what should never have existed. That, Mr. Yang, is almost my signature."

He clicked his tongue with disdain, like someone talking about a trick that's too easy.

"So if what you want is a ghost dressed in a suit… I'll be glad to be one. Of course, as long as your 'police force' can prove it's as effective as its reputation."

Mr. Yang leaned forward, raising his glass as if the matter were already decided.

"Then it's done. You cover my tracks, I give you my police force. Simple, direct… as it should be."

Suhyeon didn't rush. He took his glass calmly, swirling the liquid just to see how the light broke in the crystal. His ironic smile returned, more marked this time.

"Deal closed."

The glasses clinked with a clean, dry sound, which in the silence of the hall rang like a sentence.

Juncheol held Suhyeon's gaze, with a faint curve of amusement on his lips.

"It'll be a pleasure to work with you, Mr. Kim."

Suhyeon answered instantly, without losing that cold air that characterized him.

"The pleasure will be mine, Mr. Yang."