Mi Rae didn’t grant TolBom’s honor with her presence. No, she had more important businesses to attend. For example, she had to go and make a deal with a person whom she knew very well.

“Kang Mi Rae! My, my, how much you have grown!” The leader of the eastern clan of Seoul, Kim Dong Ha. He was, as a matter of fact, Joon Myeon’s father. He was due to resign soon and he wanted his oldest son to inherit the title of the big boss. He had an insurance company but everyone knew he was actually stealing a lot from his clients. That didn’t mean he wasn’t famous amongst citizens. People were easily manipulated.

“Dong Ha ssi, it’s nice to see you again” She smiled softly and entered his office. Joon Myeon wasn’t there, thankfully. “I am here for my present”

The man chuckled and told her to take a seat. She was an interesting child. While she used to oppose her father when she was young, she ended up being exactly like him. She was a cunning and devilish little fox whose interests were above ethics. She wanted a place near Hongdae. That was –theoretically- in Woobin’s territory and she wasn’t –theoretically- allowed to build anything there.

“You asked me for a favor and I’m going to ask you one in return. You know how it works” She nodded and crossed her arms in front of her chest. They stared at each other until the older man spoke. “Marry Joon Myeon as soon as possible” She blinked once.

“No” Her face was serious. The man started to laugh loudly. It didn’t sound healthy at all. It sounded like he was suffocating with his own saliva. He calmed down after his bodyguard gave him a glass of water.

“Alright, let’s be serious. I want you to open a door for me towards the Italian mafia” She raised an eyebrow and leaned back against her seat.

“Why would I do that? I don’t have any connection to European mafia” The man chuckled but his eyes weren’t amused at all.

“Are you sure you want that building, then?” Her eyes narrowed. She bit the inside of her cheek and placed her hands on the desk. She leaned on her elbows and stared into Dong Ha’s eyes deeply.

“I’m not going to offer you a way to destroy my family” Dong Ha glared at her. It wasn’t the same intensity, though. Her eyes gave a different feel than his. He wasn’t a demon behind an innocent façade; he was a bad person who always craved more and more power. He didn’t have much to live because he had lungs cancer in a terminal phase.

“Do it for Joon Myeon if not for the building. He will inherit my position”

“Are you sure he won’t be killed because of you?” Her question was rhetorical. They both knew very well how much Dong Ha’s death would destabilize their family.

“You wouldn’t watch your best friend get killed, Mi Rae. You’re not that cruel. You shouldn’t bite the hand that helped you” She grabbed her purse and got on her feet.

“Just watch me”        

On her way out, her trusting companion Kwang Seok ran to his boss and questioned her.

“We’re going to get that building even if I have to talk to Woobin directly” Kwang Seok frowned.

Kim Woobin was a man who liked to be in control. There was one problem that he couldn’t get rid off and that was Mi Rae. Once her father died, he actually hoped to get their land; that was mostly Gangnam and a few others. Mi Rae and Woobin were around the same age and they were trying to get on each other’s nerves. They were competitive people and sore losers. Ever since Mi Rae returned to South Korea, she managed to obtain a lot of financial power. Her younger brother became the CEO of that rusty company of advertisement. After a few years in America, Min Jun returned with a degree in business and a lot of courage. He hired new staff and fired the old one. Min Jun was a tricky young bastard who knew how to manipulate the media. He was a handsome young man with foreign studies. He was an eye candy for girls and that only made it more difficult to attack him. Woobin truly hated the Kang family. They were smart enough to fight back and Woobin wasn’t used to that.

“There is a woman who wants to see you, sir” Woobin was in his office, typing relentlessly on his laptop.

“I’m busy now” The secretary rubbed her hands together. She was a little nervous to tell him who that woman was.      

“It’s Kang Mi Rae, sir” Woobin’s head rose quickly and stared bewildered at his secretary. It was weird to have Mi Rae in the same building with him. He leaned against his chair and chuckled.

“Invite her in and bring us two coffees” The secretary nodded and left. Woobin was growing more and more amused. Mi Rae had a lot of guts to enter his domain.

Mi Rae entered his office a few minutes after. She was dressed in a cute flowery dress and had a short cardigan over it. She wasn’t wearing much make up; enough to cover the wrinkles and the halos under her eyes. She was a pretty woman, Woobin gave her that. But she was a threat.

“Why did you come so far from your district to see me, Mi Rae ssi?” She stared at him blankly.

“I want a specific building in Hongdae” Woobin grabbed his coffee and started to drink from it.

“I know. Kim Dong Ha called me and tried to make a deal for it” He placed the cup on the table and crossed one leg over the other. “He failed” He was curious what kind of deal Mi Rae wanted to make.

“Do you know what happened last night, Woobin?” She wasn’t using formal speech. They were born in the same year, therefore she didn’t see him as being someone whom worth formalities.

“You beat one of my youngsters” She chuckled.

“No. You called the cops and told them that my men were selling drugs in Sinsa. We both know that wasn’t true. I don’t sell drugs” Woobin remained quiet. “You beat up Hyuk”

“You mean your favorite?” He was teasing her. He knew how much she cared for that kid. He was a high school dropout when she found him. She took him and raised him to become like her. “He deserved it. He started a fight near my sister’s high school. I couldn’t let him go home after he made such a big fuss” She sighed. “Is that why you beat up Myung Soo?” She shrugged. Woobin rolled his eyes and got on his feet. He could stand when she wasn’t taking his words seriously.

“I want that building and I’m not going to give up”

“Why do you want it so badly?” He was truly curious.

“I want to build a training facility for kids. We both know how hard is for them to live with grownups. Besides, we can help kids who don’t have a good familial background. We can make them someone”    

“We?” She nodded. “Why do you think I would accept this offer?” Her eyes hardened.

“Because you know how it feels to have a harsh background. You know it better than anyone” Woobin’s eyes narrowed slightly. She was right but he didn’t want to remember the past. He sighed heavily and sat at his office.

“Fine. I give you the building. But you have to let me use your hospitals whenever my men need it” Her eyes widened. She never let any other families enter her hospital. TolBom was a place for innocent people who needed help. Her men were allowed because they were part of the family.

“That’s not going to happen-“

“You either let me use it when I need it or you won’t get to see your little shelter be constructed” She was breathing heavily. She was trying to remain calm but it wasn’t very easy. She closed her eyes and scrunched her nose.

“Fine. But only when there is a real emergency” His lips curved into a smirk and dialed a number on the phone.

“Building 3490R from Hongdae will be in Kang Mi Rae’s holdings from now on. Make the papers and send them to her” He hung up and stared at her expectantly. She raised an eyebrow and got on her feet. Surprisingly, it went as planned. She had to rearrange the nightshifts again but that was fine. As long as she got the building she wanted, it was worth it.