Chapter 1: Smoke and Bloom

(The streets of New Seoul are slick with recent rain. Neon signs flicker in the distance, casting reflections on cobbled alleyways. The sound of distant jazz echoes from a club nearby. It's midnight.)

[Narration — Soft gray tone with ink-brushed city]

The city that never sleeps — not when its queen is awake.

[A tall figure stepping out of a luxury car. Long wolf-cut hair tied loosely, a sleek black suit hugging her toned frame. A cigarette hangs from her lip. Cold eyes scan the street.]

Dahlia (Ren): (coldly, to her bodyguard Mira)

“Make sure nobody follows us. I don’t like being watched.”

Mira: (glancing behind)

“Yes, Boss. Eyes everywhere these days. Even in the rain.”

(They step into an underground speakeasy, filled with shadows and whispers. At the far end, a girl in a flowery frock is playing piano softly — a sweet, innocent melody among thugs and secrets.)

She didn’t belong there. That was her danger… and her charm.

[ Hana’s face — warm smile, chubby cheeks, long soft hair bouncing as she plays. A pink glow outlines her as if she's from another world.]

Hana (softly, to herself):

“Maybe if I play it softer… She’ll remember me.”

(Dahlia notices her — her cigarette pauses halfway. Her breath catches. The melody hits a memory.)

[Flashback in pale ink — a younger Dahlia watching a girl run through a field of sunflowers. The tune was the same.]

Dahlia (muttering):

“…That song…”

“Ooh... I was trapped in the night, when suddenly—like summer breeze on my skin—she touched my world... and everything began to...”

Mira (tense): Trying to confront Dahlia

“Are you okay?”

Dahlia:

“Leave us. Don’t let anyone in.”

Mira (irritated grits her teeth and muttering):

TCH! Again her ...

Mira (Trying to stop Dahlia):

But Ren _

Dahlia (angrily )

LEAVE!

Mira (taking few steps back):

yes

(She walks slowly to the piano. Hana looks up, surprised but calm.)

Hana (smiling):

“You smell like gunpowder and rain.”

Dahlia (pausing, then smirking):

“You talk like you have a death wish.”

[Narration — her heart begins to thaw, in silent pulses]

That was the first time Dahlia didn’t give the order to shoot.

(The speakeasy is quiet except for the gentle hum of Hana’s final notes. Outside, thunder rolls. Inside, a storm brews silently between two fates about to intertwine.)

[Hana’s soft expression, contrasted with Dahlia’s sharp, unreadable face. Their eyes lock. One holds curiosity, the other command.]

Hana (tilting her head playfully):

“So... mafia boss or just someone with really good fashion taste?”

Dahlia (light scoff):

“I don’t do small talk with strangers.”

Hana (smiling wider):

“Then make me not a stranger.”

[Panel — Mira outside the door, tense. She speaks into an earpiece.]

Mira:

“Dahlia’s still inside with the civilian. Do we intervene?”

Voice on comm (deep, male):

“Negative. Let her play. The girl’s clean. But keep eyes on entrances.”

[Scene shift — A warehouse rooftop under the same stormy sky. A new character watches from afar.]

[Enter Blossom — short silver hair under a black beret, trench coat fluttering in the wind. She sips from a thermos.]

Blossom (dryly):

“Well, well... our queen found a new flower.”

[From behind, another voice — sweet but steely.]

Evenie:

“Think it’s just a crush or something fatal?”

(Evenie, Hana’s childhood best friend, steps beside her — leather jacket, short bob, clutching a camera with a zoom lens.)

Blossom (smirking):

“Depends on who picks the petals first.”

[Narration]

Not everyone watches to protect. Some just want to see how long a match burns before it dies.

[Scene returns to speakeasy. Hana closes the piano. Stands. Walks to Dahlia — barely an inch between them.]

Hana:

“I know who you are, Dahlia.”

Dahlia (coldly):

“Then why aren’t you afraid?”

Hana (softly):

“Because I know you won't hurt me.”

[ Dahlia’s mask cracks for a split second. Her lips part. But suddenly—]

BANG!

(A bullet shatters the ceiling lamp. Screams erupt.)

Mira (bursting in):

“Boss! MOVE!”

[ Chaos. Mira shields Dahlia. Hana pulled behind the piano.]

Dahlia (shouting):

“Who the hell—?!”

[Enter D.U. — lean, fast, dressed in red, eyes wild with adrenaline.]

D.U. (grinning):

“Sorry for the party crash. Mary sends her love.”

[Narration — Thunder claps above.]

And just like that, the first petal of peace was torn by a storm they didn’t see coming.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***