A sea of black ascends the staircase.  Solemn faces greet the customers and employees of the bar. In a matter of seconds, they are gone without a trace. The silence soon returns to loud chatters and laughs rippling through the air.

                Na Hee eyes the staircase, as if expecting the men to return. She anxiously wipes the bar down with a rag, never taking her eyes off the second floor of the bar. Her colleague calls for her.

                “What are you looking at, Na Hee?” Kim Yun Hye eagerly glances at Na Hee. Yun Hye was a high school student, working part-time at the bar to pay off her school tuition. At a young age of sixteen, her parents thought it would be best if Yun Hye helped out with the crisis of money shortage. Wanting to relieve her parents of unnecessary stress, Yun Hye applied for several cafes and restaurants. La Verdad happened to be the only placed that accepted student workers.

                “Nothing,” Na Hee says. Yun Hye frowns, knowing that Na Hee was lying. As she opens to speak, a customer waves Yun Hye over, precluding her from asking any questions. Jae Hwan – better known as Ken to the female crowd – helps Na Hee clear the countertop.

                “They’re a gang called Dominance,” Jae Hwan whispers. “Sister gang of Resistance.”

                Resistance worked hand in hand with the mafia; they rarely appeared in the light. They preferred to work in the dark, keeping everything they did a secret. The last time Resistance was mentioned in the news was two years ago, when a homicide rang through the streets of Seoul. The police tried finding who was behind the massive amount of deaths, but the clues were seemingly cut in half. Nothing made sense. Eventually, detectives gave up on the case, leaving it unsolved.

                “They’re smaller, but more dominant than Resistance. They’re the ones doing all the dirty work. Resistance is merely a façade,” Jae Hwan laughs at the word play. “Apparently, they’re in talks to buy this bar from Elemental.”

                “And you know this how?” Na Hee pretends to be interested in wiping a glass cup.

                “Inside sources,” Jae Hwan shrugs. He then leaves to fulfill a customer’s order.

                Year two and counting, Na Hee thinks. In a world of mobsters, you cannot trust anyone.

                “How do you intend to put this land into use?” Beady black eyes drill into the leader’s head. The poker face would intimidate many, but the leader of Dominance remains unfazed.

                “Kyungsoo, I’m certain you’re fully aware how I will utilize this bar.”

                “If we’re going to play the you-know-what-I’m-talking-about game, I’d prefer not to. I have important errands to run for Kai,” Kyungsoo sternly says, leaning back in his leather chair.

                “Of course, the right-hand-man is always the one to run the errands,” Woo Ji Ho nods. “If you’re in no mood to play a game, then I’ll stop beating around the bush.”

                “Yes, please do,” Kyungsoo replies.

                “We’re planning to make this as one of our manufacturing locations,” Ji Ho motions to his right hand man. Immediately, a roll of paper is placed into the palm of Ji Ho. Spreading the paper out, Kyungsoo realizes it’s a floor plan of the bar.  

                “You have everything planned out, why bother asking, when you could easily take over this building?” Kyungsoo examines the map, observing the tiny marks drawn in pencil.

                “I thought it would be better if we had a rather civil relationship,” Ji Ho