Beneath the shiny and rich facade of modernity, Seoul City, just like any other city, was an underground network too complex for a simple human mind to handle. In the heart of Gangnam, the headquarters of this network could be found. The Underground controlled everything and everyone, without any suspicion or clue from the outside world. Despite its history and complexity, the concept of the Underground was simple: power belonged to the hands of a few. Although the masterminds’ identities were unknown, anyone even remotely acquainted with the Underground knew that there were 3 main groups that ran it: YG (which was in charge of businesses), JYP (which was in charge of media and pop culture), and SM (which was in charge of government and the black market). Out of the 3, SM was the most notorious for being the most brutal and perhaps, even the most mysterious. Nobody knew what happened behind closed doors. All they knew was once SM handled an issue, it would always get it done.

A sleek white limo made its way to the front of a luxurious glass building. Kim Heechul stared down at the door as a group of men rushed to open it and assist the rider. The thin heel of an expensive stiletto stepped hard on the concrete ground as a woman carefully exited the car. Just from her appearance, she exuded importance. She wore an extravagant white coat and skirt that matched beautifully with her black handbag and hat. Her large sunglasses prevented people from seeing her face but anyone could see that she was a beautiful woman.

She walked straight to Heechul who greeted her with a warm smile and nod.

“Heechulie!” the woman greeted as she hugged him. “It’s been too long. How are you?”

Heechul let go of her before he replied. “I’m fine. You know me. Still caught in the same old things. The government is still as tiring as ever.” He gave her a mischevious smile. “You haven’t aged since we last met Yoona! As expected from the goddess of the group.”

“Stop, you’re making me blush,” Yoona said as she brushed him off. The two started to chat as they walked into the building. They were surrounded by a crowd of men and women but none of them stood out as much as the two. They seemed more like an entourage to avoid attention from prying eyes. Stealthily following them were various security personnel, each so inconspicuous that no one would even suspect that they had special business.

Walking past the lobby, they made their way to the elevator where the crowd of people around them split like the Red Sea.

“We aren’t late, are we?” Yoona asked.

Heechul gave her a smile. “Actually, we are.”

Yoona laughed. “Oh well, it’s not like they dare start without me. If I were called, it means that they want something from me."

"You're not wrong," Heechul replied. "How are the girls by the way? Taeyeon? "

Yoona waved him off. "They're fine. Taeyeon and I have been managing our units very well. In fact, she's been training a few legacies. She's planning on setting up a new unit." She smiled at the thought of the progress that she had been making. "You're in for a real treat when you meet them."

Before Heechul could reply, the two reached the top floor. The doors opened but they didn't step out. Instead, one of the security stepped out and inserted an ID into the elevator buttons, to reveal another set of buttons. He pressed it and the doors closed once more before it suddenly shot down and they were immersed in darkness. Heechul and Yoona, however, remained calm and stoic throughout the entire thing. It was as if they had switched completely to business mode as soon as the elevator changed its destination. They were silent as the ride continued and when the elevator’s doors opened, they were lead to a special meeting room. There was another entourage filled with people and security that quickly joined them until the finally reached the room and entered. It was dark and the identities of those that sat by the table could not easily be seen.

“I apologize for my lateness,” Yoona said as she sat down. “Shall we begin our meeting?”

“I’m glad you finally decided to show up,” Yunho snarkily said. Yoona shot him a glare but before she could reply, Heechul quickly stepped in.
“There are more important matters at hand than your bickering,” Heechul reminded. Under his breath, he scolded them. “You are representatives of SM. Act like it.”

The two immediately shut up before turning to the man that sat at the head of the table: Kwon Jiyong, the highest ranked official at YG and the man who called for the meeting.

“Well, if the trivial matter has already passed, I shall now begin,” he started. “As you know, the Underground has remained untraced for centuries now. This is all because we have made sure to keep our actions as vague and mysterious as possible. Even our members are sworn to great secrecy. However, as of recent, there has been a recent...breach in privacy.”

Everyone around the table looked at him in concern and then panic.

Jiyong sighed as he turned to Bae Suzy, the woman beside him and the top representative of JYP. She cleared , an action that meant that she demanded their silence and their ears to listen to her.

“We have recently found out that one of the most trusted men in JYP, a man that goes under the name Bang, had betrayed the group and ran away. We’ve tracked him and found out that he had built a rival establishment. There’s not much to be known about it. Just a bunch of smaller groups that think they can take down the Underground. Nothing we haven’t dealt with before,” she explained. There was a quick moment of shared eye contact between her and Jiyong as if they were discussing whether to add more information. He gave her a stern glare, making her sigh before continuing. “However, it has come to our attention that this… union has quite influential members as well. They’ve already made some progress in untangling our ties in the business realm.”

“More specifically, we’ve lost crucial deals over this,” Jiyong said. “If they keep this up, there will be a big blow to our financial report.”

Chatter quickly filled the room as people started to express their shock and fear. It was the first time that anything like this had ever happened to them. There were only 3 people who remained silent: Yunho, Heechul, and Yoona.

“What exactly are you asking us to do?” Heechul spoke in a serious tone and the room quickly became quiet. As soon as SM got involved, there was no telling what would happen.

Jiyong turned to the three SM representatives. “Get rid of them.”

“Who exactly are ‘they?’” Yunho asked. “We need to know what we’re dealing with.”

“The specific group you need to take down first is called the Bangtan Unit or BTS, for short,” Suzy answered. “There are 7 males, all in all.” She reached in her bag and pulled out a glass tablet before handing it over to Heechul. “Here are their profiles.”

Heechul studied them carefully before turning to the two.

Yunho gave him a cruel smile. “Who am I taking down?”

“I’m sorry Yunho,” Heechul said as he laid down the tablet. “This first mission isn’t for you.”

“What?” Yunho exclaimed. “EXO is the best-armed unit in the Underground. They’ll have this done in no time.”

“Yes but we don’t need only speed for this matter,” Heechul explained. “This is something we have to be careful about. We cannot raise suspicion. These are well-known, high profile men. Anything that happens to them could lead to a possible reveal of the Underground. We cannot have that. We need a plan that involves more...subtlety and calculations.” As he said this, he turned to Yoona, who had been quiet and emotionless the whole time.

“This is where I come in, huh,” she said as she took a sip of the champagne in front of her. She swirled it a bit wordlessly before removing her sunglasses for the first time to reveal her stunning face. She rivaled Suzy in beauty, which said a lot considering that Suzy was the media’s darling. She would’ve been so peaceful to look at if not for the crazy glint in her eyes that revealed that she was up to no good. Her blood red lips broke into a wicked smile.

“Things are about to get very sweet… and bloody.”