It's 3am / I must be lonely, Open to Hae Ryong Pa members

[Choi Yun Mi]

3am already. 3am meant that she'd been awake now for 35 hours. That was a bit unreasonable, wasn't it? She'd had an opportunity to sleep 2 hours the day before, but it had been impossible. There were things she saw and people she met on a daily basis, both of which made her skin crawl. Sometimes she wished she didn't know, couldn't see the signs of people thinking things they believed no one else would ever guess. They never knew how much her seemingly empty eyes could see. She was certain after today that one of her new potential connections for bringing in new gambling clients was a pedophile.

Meeting during the daytime often gave a lot away, things were easier to hide at night... especially for someone like him. At night, there were no groups of 10 year old girls to stroll by in little schoolgirl outfits. It made her sick, knowing that he was probably just one of the many. She'd find a reason easily to turn down his offer, of course, but how many people did she support who had dark secrets- darker even than that? It was a reality of the business- her hands weren't clean either, as much as she might suffer from the guilt. She was trying to make a dirty business clean, a shameful practice into something somewhat classy. Valiant efforts were still just efforts at the end of the day.

No matter how many struggling young women (or men) from broken or unfortunate homes she employed, she probably left just as many children in the cold through the debts she collected from reckless parents. Most people had a strong reason to turn to gambling, family was a big motivator, put two and two together and you get a woman with a sleep disorder. The only thing that got her through was pride for what she'd accomplished, for the 'family' her sister had been so dearly devoted to, and which had in turn taken her in. Also, the knowledge that if not her- it would be someone else. The only person who could stop a gambler from making a stupid decision, would be the gambler himself. She knew this, she knew how the human mind worked in a far too intimate way.

The cold glass of bourbon was empty and only alcohol flavored ice remained. She'd been thinking of brandy but had wanted something cold to press to her head between drinks. It had worked well, the headache was subsiding. Though the only true solution would be to pass out into sleep. She was just getting carefully to her feet when the intercom for her penthouse apartment buzzed. She could count on one hand the number of people who her security would let access the buzzer. 3am wasn't unreasonable for someone from Hae Ryong Pa to stop by, not by any means. Making her way unsteadily over, she leaned heavily against the wall and hit the answering button. "Yes?"

[Mun Geon]

Both After Life and Destiny were still open at 3AM, the businesses both going on until closing time at 5AM, but Geon wasn’t overlooking the two nightclubs tonight. He’d left that to his right hand man and instead made an unannounced visit on Eve to check on its business. He fired a clumsy waiter that had the misfortune of spilling a drink within sight of the chairman, and offered a one-worded praise – “Good.” – on the live band performing tonight before leaving. He had a tight schedule – Geon always had a tight schedule – and several things left to do before the morning.

Geon had a mixed sleeping schedule – during the weekends he slept more during the day and less during the nights when business needed his attention. During the week he slept in the night time like most people – though never early in the night, but plenty of people with normal jobs went to bed late like that.

Dressed for work, Geon was wearing a black suit without a tie, but he left three of the five Hae Ryong Pa members that had been following him at Eve, letting only two follow him to the car. He told them where to go – he hadn’t told anyone aside from the right hand man of his schedule tonight, but this wasn’t unusual because he liked to keep everyone on their toes. They drove him to the upscale apartment buildings where the youngest and only female head hyungnim Choi Yun Mi lived – pulling into the parking lot, the one in the passenger’s seat got out to open his door for him, but Geon told both to wait in the parking lot and went up to Yun Mi’s penthouse by himself.

“It’s me.” Geon remembered how he’d first met the Choi twins – Choi Yeeun first, dating Shinguk, then Yun Mi. He’d had a casual, informal relationship with them then, because they’d just been friends of Shinguk. But after the chairman passed away and Geon’s own father was incarcerated, Shincheol became the new chairman. The Choi sisters were made real members of the Hae Ryong Pa as Geon was announced a promotion to head hyungnim, and after that their relationship became more rigid and detached – it was impossible to allow any of the members to call him oppa like the sisters had before their change of status, and Geon had started taking a more authoritative role in the mob to support Shincheol’s leadership, suppressing potential rebellions.

[Choi Yun Mi]

Yunmi hadn't initially been as connected to the gang as her sister had. Shinguk had kind of made it impossible for anything else; when they'd become serious, he'd wanted her to know his family as much as possible within the confines of business etiquette. Despite that, Yunmi had first gotten to know Geon in an informal friendship. Out of anyone in the Family (who was still alive, anyway), he definitely knew the most about her and especially about Yeeun. Before he'd become chairman, he had comforted her over the death of her sister. Back in those days, she hadn't had to refer to him as 'chairman'. She felt something had been taken from her in that respect. A lot had been taken from her.

As soon as she heard his voice, an ironic smile crossed her face. Speak of the devil... She hurriedly reached for a robe to toss over her evening gown. Lingerie wasn't really professional wear, but she was too tired to attempt getting properly dressed. It would be better not to make him wait. Though she couldn't recall ever really incurring Geon's anger, she didn't want to break that lucky streak. Slightly zig-zagging strides brought her to the door, which she peered through once before unlocking. Her guards stood passively to either side, as they probably had been from the moment the elevator closed safely behind Geon.

"Good evening chairman, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Despite her managing to pull off her typical eloquence in speaking, she was still very much obviously intoxicated. Inside, the living room table was littered with pictures and an open journal- it was almost that day again and even two years didn't feel like any time had passed at all. She always imagined that someday the voice over the buzzer would be her sister's. She managed a fluid bow without falling and stepped aside, leaning on the wall for support. "Please excuse me... it's been a long week." She never quite knew how to talk to Geon anymore; what was an 'acceptable' subject and what wasn't, if there were ever situations were informality was still a welcome sign of friendship.

Two years in her position had only taught her how to handle her position and those below her, everything else was a little bit of a gray area. As soon as he stepped inside, she tried to separate from the wall without seeming too sluggish. Although he had seen her in a similar condition before, she never relished the occasion and tried to avoid it. Usually, he would inform her ahead of time if there was something he had to discuss with her... though sometimes she wondered if it wasn't an excuse to check up on her. She was a fantastic actress these days, the face she wore in public was certainly different from the one she was wearing now.

[Mun Geon]

Geon’d handled the change in his position well – from member to hyungnim to chairman in only a year’s span, and now he’d had a year and a half of chairmanship but his authority had been established from day one. Geon never would’ve thought he’d be in this position. It’d always been assumed that Shinguk’d take over, and there was nothing else to it. Geon’d been involved in the Hae Ryong Pa affairs since he’d been young, but because his dad didn’t devote lots of time to the family affairs, he hadn’t either, and he’d always had a life separate from the mob. Now his entire life was tied to the Hae Ryong Pa.

In the two years since Yun Mi had been assigned to take over her sister’s role in the mob, Geon had noticed some hints of her personal conflicts in their job, but he never said anything about it. As long as Yun Mi continued to run Gangnam Midnight well and her policies didn’t have great negative effects on the business, Geon wouldn’t intervene in her attempt to make the work a little better for everyone. Some members had called it feminine weakness, especially when complaints had been made more boldly during Shincheol’s chairmanship, but Geon didn’t tolerate such challenges to his authority and people knew not to question his decisions so openly by now.

“Let’s sit,” Geon said – an order and a suggestion of concern both – he noticed the way she was leaning on the wall, and seeing the contents of the table in the living room reminded him of how it was nearing March 10, the date of Yun Mi’s sister’s suicide. But Geon seldom talked about personal matters to the Hae Ryong Pa members, and tonight was no different. He took a seat first in the living room, making no comments on the table. “Axe brought in a new girl to his prostitution ring.” Axe was the nickname of one of the Hae Ryong Pa members that worked directly under Geon, who ran one of their phone-based prostitution rings. “She’s an orphan – her grandmother died recently so she’s become homeless. She’s sixteen, so I thought you might want to take her in.”

Geon had no qualms about employing a young girl like that, even though his own sister was about that age – this was his business side, and his line of work didn’t allow for noble intentions – but he knew that by offering the girl to Yun Mi, she’d be treated better. Axe wouldn’t like it, having one of his girls taken away, but that was Geon’s decision to make as the boss.

[Choi Yun Mi]

The coldness and stiffness to Geon's attitude was not something new to the woman, it hardly phased her now at all. In fact, seeing him more the way he had been before would be startling. He'd always been serious about business, but since he became chairman there were astronomical differences. She had gone from having two friends in the Hae Ryong Pa to having nothing at all, except business associates. Since Shincheol no longer associated with the gang, she didn't burden him by even bothering to continue a strained friendship. It would just be conflicting for them both. She couldn't leave the family and he couldn't go back.

She nodded her head and gave a brief bow to his order, moving to the living room and flicking an eye to the table. Quickly, she tidied up the pictures into the book and set it aside without a word either. At the end of the day she was still a woman, and she did have a soft side. It was something her employees praised her for, because her softness was reserved for them alone. When it came to clients and business, she was hard as stone. Her decisions didn't waver, and she wasn't afraid to threaten to get what she needed in a 'negotiation'. Of course, the family only saw what happened on the outside of those business rooms- girls and boys from bad families and bad situations being taken in and given everything.

Her prostitutes had very easy lives considering their craft. She ran her prostitution rings like a mother hen, and ran her gambling rings like a man. But as long as men were threatened by her position, there would always be talk. Geon handled it admirably, and she had no doubts he was here on business. She was pleased to hear that it wasn't more rumors to be dealt with, though the nature of his news surprised her. The girl was young, too young. She sighed softly and rifled through her hair in thought. Finally she raised her eyes with a look that was hard to read. "I don't want to cause further tension between Axe and I. It will only be more of a headache for you, and myself." She clasped her hands delicately in her lap and leaned back, trying to keep from feeling dizzy.

"If he wanted to negotiate, I could compensate him monetarily. There is no one I would feel comfortable trading to him at this time, however." She sorted through her roster in her head, the only one who she felt comfortable putting under Axe's 'tough love' style was a boy... and she didn't know if he sold boys or not. "You know my style well, I would very much like to take her." She gave a brief smile at that, and people be damned if they blamed her for it. Maybe she still had a little innocence left to hold on to.

[Mun Geon]

Geon had an even temperament and this made it possible for him to keep a level head in dealing with the family’s affairs, using the same level of severity for the same crimes regardless of who committed them. This could be considered a family trait – the second chairman had never been emotional, and in every memory he had of Shinae nuna, she’d been almost exactly like the chairman. Shinguk and Shincheol had been warmer people, but Shincheol even before his chairmanship had been known for his expressionless manners. But it couldn’t be an inherited trait for Geon because he didn’t share any blood with his cousins – and Geon was, in private, a much friendlier person. Though that side of him – the playful side – was actually something that seemingly could’ve been inherited from his dad, because his dad had been the opposite of the chairman in personality.

When Geon considered the girl being discussed, he’d thought that Yun Mi might not want to put her into prostitution at all, but it didn’t matter to Geon how she employed the girl, as long as it wasn’t profitless. It was a cold thing to say, but warmth didn’t go hand in hand with his job. “There’s no need to negotiate. Hammer’s been complaining about Axe moving into his block.” By that Geon meant this’d serve as a warning to stay in line, and Geon wouldn’t hear any complaints about it. Geon didn’t explain most of his actions – he didn’t need to, explanations were given to him, not demanded of him. The only one that could do that was Shincheol – or his mother, but he didn’t tell his mother anything on the Hae Ryong Pa, and she didn’t ask.

Geon took out his cellphone, writing a short text as he spoke to arrange the transfer. “There’ll be someone to bring her down to Midnight in the morning.” Of all the nightclubs that the Mun family owned, Geon visited Gangnam Midnight the least. He was familiar with Yun Mi’s background story for being in the Hae Ryong Pa, and that meant he was less suspicious of potential trouble. He could never be completely trusting – that wasn’t a leisure afforded to him – but Shincheol and Shinguk had trusted the Choi twins and that meant Geon did too. He put his phone back in the inner pocket of his suit jacket and motioned towards the items on the table with a hand, though he didn’t directly refer to them otherwise. “Take a vacation for a few days after the end of the month.”

[Choi Yun Mi]

Shinguk had been the most different from any of the Mun family and their relatives. She'd seen a briefly warmer side to Shincheol, but he had left so soon after her taking over her sister's position that it hadn't mattered. In a way, she was regretful that Geon was unlike either of the men, but in a way it was fortunate for her. Of all, Geon was easily the most emotionally and mentally suited for his position- by far. The Hae Ryong Pa needed a leader like him, and she'd never seen a gang with such good flow and structure. There were still rough patches of course, two of the other head hyungnims refused to take kindly to her in the least because she was a woman, but for the most part the gang functioned admirably.

Yunmi hadn't really thought about any options aside from prostitution, the girl was too young to work in the club without legal trouble. She served no use in any gambling rings either, unless Yunmi planned to auction her off- however, human trafficking was not only insanely illegal but completely against her morals. So prostitution it was, until the girl was old enough and well off enough to get on her feet. "Ah, that isn't entirely unexpected." They'd had territorial conflicts in the past, and she was on Hammer's side because he treated her with significantly more respect. Selfish, biased, but honest.

When the chairman announced what time the girl would be brought by, she inwardly winced. "In the morning" most likely meant 5 or 6 hours from that time. Well, hopefully she slept at least half that long, if only to look presentable and avoid further dark eye circles to be covered up. "I look forward to meeting her, thank you for offering her to me." He could have gone to any number of the other hyungnims who also ran prostitution rings, but he chose her over them. Perhaps under his cold exterior there was a man who saw her as a child who needed protection, or perhaps he just flipped a coin on where she would end up. Yunmi wasn't sure how his mind had changed with over a year in that position. She could only imagine what it did to a person.

His gesture caught her off guard and she immediately stiffened. Around Geon, she didn't try to hide her natural reactions as a sign of trust. She didn't mind him reading her because she trusted him not to use it against her, something which couldn't be said for anyone else except Shincheol really. "I can manage, really. Leaving my business in anyone elses hands is too irresponsible." She dipped her head apologetically, it went without saying that she realized he'd offered it due to her poor condition. A woman in her position should have been holding up better- even in private. People in gangs died, and positions were shifted while business continued as usual... it was just the way it was. Geon was no stranger to loss, either, she had no excuse to accept his compassion. Wasn't it that exact kind of weakness that had pushed Yeeun over the edge? "I don't know if it's better for me to be left alone in my head, anyway." It was meant as a light-hearted attempt at mild humor, but the tone didn't make it to her voice.

Normally she refrained from making any personal comments, since Geon had become somewhat of a stone wall in that aspect. It had been over a year since she'd asked things like how he was doing, if he was tired or if there was anything on his mind he needed someone to listen to. Since then, she'd assumed a close friendship was just impossible. Though there were still times when kind words lingered just behind her lips, such as now.

[Mun Geon]

Geon knew that Yun Mi was a proud person, and one who took her job seriously. In most cases there was an implicit understanding that she’d put her job before any other matter, because that was what was expected in the mob. But while Geon adhered to almost every single expectation flawlessly he did not put the Hae Ryong Pa ahead of his family, and he didn’t require it of the Hae Ryong Pa members. There’d be consequences to betrayal of the family for one’s personal family – with no sympathy for the cause – but his rule was that if it came to that one chose betrayal with the understanding that it was betrayal regardless of circumstances. He wouldn’t hold it personally against the turncoat, but business was business.

“That wasn’t a suggestion.” Geon replied, but there was no edge to his words, nothing more than the normal stone-cold calm. “Leave one of your dongsaengs in charge and take a few with you to Incheon. There’re five girls coming in from Thailand that you need to meet. Gangnam and Hongdae Midnight will take one each and the rest will be sent to Eve.”

These were experienced massage prostitutes recommended by Hammer, brought over from Bangkok through China and then to Incheon from China by boat. The Hae Ryong Pa still hadn’t regained its former power and a part of pursuing that was re-expanding their international business. Geon still abided by the law set by Shincheol and didn’t extend any drug trades though he knew that the other head hyungnims arranged personal trades. Leaving out drug trade he was left with weapons and human trafficking – both which the Hae Ryong Pa had done before and to a lesser degree did now. But Geon kept weapons to a minimum because a surplus could enable rebellion and had yet to extend the prostitution rings in the Hae Ryong Pa to international levels – he preferred domestic expansion, which accounted for the imports.

Geon was giving Yun Mi the first pick, so to speak, but the five had all been persuaded to come by choice – though not necessarily by truth, Geon assumed – so there was an element outside of work at play here. After all, he didn’t need to choose Yun Mi to arrange the pick-up from the ship, not when the majority of the girls were going to Eve. “Keep yourself busy,” Geon said, addressing her last comment late as he got up to leave.

[Choi Yun Mi]

Geon was lucky enough that he could keep connections to his family. She'd left the house under pretenses of moving out and starting a career related to psychology. She'd said it was criminal psychology; it was more of a half-lie. Her parents had enough faith in her not to question things, despite her job starting suspiciously soon after her sister died. Maybe they thought her suicide had nothing to do with the gang, after all, she hadn't shown them the woman's journal. Maybe they had already put two and two together and knew the basics of what happened, and what Yunmi was really up to with her life. Maybe that was why they stopped checking in on her so much.

Regardless of the 'how's or 'why's, Yunmi still only had the Family left, her own were either dead or impossible to stay connected with. The closer she stayed to her mother and father, the faster she'd expose herself and fall out of their good graces forever. So Geon had nothing to worry about, since this was all she had left to rely on. At Geon's words, she breathed out slowly and nodded her head in a smooth movement. "I understand." Despite knowing that he was keeping an eye out for her best interests (even if he'd never directly say it), but it still felt almost like a punishment. Like a 'time out' in public school. When he continued, her mind relaxed a bit- if it was a business related vacation, then at least it was still business related.

Her posture visibly eased. "I will make the arrangements immediately." She bit her tongue on the sense of unease that the idea caused her. He knew she was thoroughly against human trafficking, and no matter how willing the girls seemed, no one could really be sure. It made her feel uneasy to think she might be employing a woman who was bought and sold and shipped around quietly like a show pony. Times were hard all around the world though, she held onto the hope that no matter how degrading it was, that this lifestyle was healthier than any alternative in their home country. For the most part, it was usually true, enough so that she could sleep at night... sometimes.

She had also realized that it wasn't entirely logical for her to go, if most of the girls would be sent to Eve and only one coming to her, personally. Geon had made the decision regardless, to give her as much of a break as a woman in her position could really afford. She rose to her feet when he did, bowing her head. "I try, I really do." A ghost of a smile was given before she moved ahead of him to get the door, her steps significantly more steady now. The door was held open by her hand as the guards waited attentively outside. "Take care of yourself, as well." He worked hard, probably too hard, but it was required. He wouldn't complain, even when he was pushed past exhaustion. No wonder Shincheol had given it up.

[Mun Geon]

Geon was aware about Yun Mi’s position on human trafficking, but he only allowed her sense of morals within the confines of the running of Gangnam Midnight and her prostitutes – assuming that there were no great losses derived from it. For the Hae Ryong Pa as a whole, he had no reason to employ her philosophies – there was nothing noble about what they did, and Geon didn’t try to hide that fact.

But since he knew Yun Mi’s position, Geon wouldn’t have sent her on this pick-up if the people’d been brought over unwillingly – there’d already be someone involved in the transport anyway, but even if a pick-up was needed, he wouldn’t send Yun Mi to do it. There was no reason to – there were enough other people that’d do the job. That was the extent of his courtesy to her moral views.

Geon nodded to her reply and goodbye, saying nothing more as he left the apartment. One of the guards had already gotten the elevator for him, of course, and it opened only seconds after he arrived at a stop in front of it. He got on and pressed the button for the lobby. He still had more to do tonight.

[OOC: I think we can end it there, or after your post]