The evening crowd poured in and out of the shopping district like a restless tide. Families carried colorful shopping bags, children tugged impatiently at their parents' sleeves, and bright advertisements reflected across the polished glass of the mall.
A few streets away, tucked beside a convenience store, stood a tiny liquor shop that barely attracted attention.
A black motorcycle was parked outside.
Antonio leaned against it, taking a slow drag from his cigarette before exhaling toward the fading sky.
"...This is the last one."
Nick, standing beside him with another cigarette between his fingers, laughed.
"You said that yesterday."
"I meant it yesterday."
"And today?"
Antonio shrugged.
"I'll probably mean it tomorrow too."
Nick shook his head.
"You're hopeless."
Antonio smiled.
"Says the guy smoking beside me."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Compared to the noisy mall across the road, this little alley felt strangely peaceful.
Nick checked his phone.
His relaxed expression immediately disappeared.
"...Twenty-two minutes."
Antonio glanced over.
"Hm?"
"We've been in the 'bathroom' for twenty-two minutes."
Antonio blinked once.
"...Already?"
Nick nodded.
"I think we should go."
Antonio looked toward the enormous shopping mall where their family had vanished almost half an hour ago.
"You know what the real torture is?"
"What?"
"Shopping."
Nick burst out laughing.
"I knew you'd say that."
Antonio pointed toward the mall.
"They're buying clothes."
"For one engagement party."
"How do you spend half an hour deciding between two pieces of fabric?"
Nick corrected him.
"They're women."
"They'll compare every store."
"Then compare the stores they already compared."
"Then come back to the first one."
Antonio sighed dramatically.
"...Brother's engagement is expensive."
Nick shrugged.
"It should be."
"Aunt already started preparing."
Antonio scratched the side of his head.
"It still feels weird."
Nick looked at him.
"What does?"
Antonio flicked the cigarette away.
"Big Brother."
"Getting engaged."
Nick was quiet for a few seconds.
"...Yeah."
"I still can't imagine it."
Antonio laughed under his breath.
"I can't imagine Brother willingly sitting through a romantic dinner."
"He'd probably stare at the menu until the girl got uncomfortable."
Nick couldn't help laughing.
"Imagine brother saying pickup lines."
They laughed imagining it.
Antonio folded his arms.
"I wonder what kind of girl she is."
"No idea."
"You think she's scary?"
"Brother?"
"No..."
Nick grinned.
"The girl."
Antonio thought seriously for a moment.
"...She'd have to be."
"If she even got brother interested."
Both of them laughed again.
The sound barely faded before Antonio looked toward the mall once more.
"...We should head back."
Nick nodded.
"If Isabella finds out we disappeared just to smoke—"
"She'll lecture us."
Antonio interrupted.
"No."
"First she'll hit us."
"Then Mom joins in."
"And Lucia records everything so she can laugh later."
Nick winced.
"...Why does our little sister enjoy our suffering so much?"
Antonio answered without hesitation.
"Because she's our sister."
They both sighed.
Almost at the same time, they crushed their cigarettes beneath their shoes.
"Let's go."
Just as Antonio turned around—
Someone slammed into him.
Bang.
The impact wasn't particularly strong.
More surprising than painful.
Antonio barely moved.
The other person wasn't nearly as fortunate.
A thin boy in a wrinkled school uniform stumbled backward, completely losing his balance. The paper bag he had been clutching slipped from his hands.
A brown glass bottle rolled across the pavement.
For one terrible second...
It kept rolling.
The boy's eyes widened.
"No..."
Crash.
The bottle struck the edge of the curb and shattered into dozens of glittering pieces.
Beer spread slowly across the concrete.
Everything became quiet.
The boy stood frozen.
His first instinct was to run.
But his legs refused to move.
His thoughts had become a tangled mess.
Beer.
Money.
John.
Punishment.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Antonio instinctively looked down at the broken bottle before raising an eyebrow.
"...Seriously?"
The boy didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the spreading liquid.
His lips trembled.
His breathing became uneven.
His shoulders shook slightly.
His eyes reddened as he stared at the beer disappearing into the cracks of the pavement.
"It..."
"My..."
His voice cracked.
"My money..."
Seeing him not listening, Antonio grabbed the boy's shoulder and pulled him upright.
Ryan instinctively tried to pull away.
He couldn't.
Antonio's grip wasn't painful.
It was simply firm enough that escaping wasn't an option.
His breathing became even more uneven.
If I struggle...
Will they hit me too?
"The hell are you doing?"
The frightened student flinched violently it was as though he'd been struck.
He finally looked at Antonio.
Fear.
His eyes were filled with terror.
Antonio paused for the briefest moment.
"...You bumped into me."
Nick folded his arms.
"And now you're acting like we're the ones who did something."
The boy glanced at the shattered bottle again.
His breathing became faster.
"That..."
"That was everything..."
Antonio frowned.
"What?"
"It was all the money I had..."
His voice shook so badly that several words almost disappeared.
"I..."
"I can't buy another one..."
Antonio stared at him for a second.
"So?"
The answer came immediately.
"...I'm dead."
Nick blinked.
"What?"
The boy covered his face with both hands.
"He'll think I drank it..."
"He'll think I stole from him..."
Antonio and Nick exchanged another glance.
Neither of them understood why someone was reacting this way over a bottle of beer.
Just after bumping them.
Antonio sighed.
"Stop talking in circles."
"What are you on about?"
Ryan looked toward the road.
If he ran now, maybe he could still make it.
But these two were still standing in front of him.
They clearly weren't letting him leave without an explanation.
He lowered his head.
"...Moretti."
Antonio blinked once.
Nick blinked twice.
Silence.
"What do you mean?"
Ryan hesitated.
His lips opened.
Closed again.
Saying the name itself felt dangerous.
"...John Moretti."
He swallowed.
"...Vincenzo Moretti's younger brother."
They froze.
Antonio slowly turned his head toward Nick.
"...Did he just say Moretti?"
Nick looked equally confused.
"I think he did."
Antonio scratched his cheek.
"...Do we have relatives we don't know about?"
Nick looked genuinely thoughtful.
"...Maybe smoking really is affecting our memory."
Antonio frowned.
"...That fast?"
"I don't know."
"My biology grades were terrible."
The terrified student stared at the two of them, completely unable to understand why they were discussing cigarettes instead of running away.
Antonio finally looked back at him.
"...Alright."
His voice became calmer.
"Start from the beginning."
"Which John Moretti are you talking about?"
The question lingered in the air.
The boy stared at them in disbelief.
"...What?"
Antonio sighed.
"You heard me."
"There are different people with the same surname."
"So which one?"
The boy frowned as though the question itself made no sense.
"There isn't another one."
"The Moretti family."
"Mafia family."
Nick looked at Antonio again.
"...He's serious."
Antonio rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I can see that."
The boy swallowed hard, still shaking.
"You... you really don't know?"
Antonio folded his arms.
"If we knew, I wouldn't be asking."
The boy hesitated.
His eyes shot toward the broken bottle before returning to them.
"If I'm late..."
Antonio clicked his tongue.
"Answer first."
The student lowered his head.
"...John."
"John Moretti."
Neither cousin reacted.
The boy continued, speaking faster as anxiety took over.
"He's in my school."
"Everyone knows him."
"Cathy Moretti is his sister."
"Vincenzo Moretti is his older brother."
"He is from that family."
Antonio remained expressionless.
Nick scratched the side of his face.
"...Interesting."
The boy mistook their silence for disbelief.
"I'm telling the truth."
"Everyone knows."
"I won't joke about this."
Antonio crouched slightly until they were almost eye level.
"What school?"
The boy answered immediately.
After hearing the name, neither Antonio nor Nick recognized it.
Antonio continued.
"What makes everyone believe him?"
The student looked genuinely confused.
"Because..."
"Everyone knows."
Nick raised an eyebrow.
"...That's your evidence?"
"No."
The boy shook his head quickly.
"We have seen him with Moretti workers."
"Nobody would pretend something like that."
"People have seen it with their own eyes."
"He is their young master."
"It is true."
Nick's relaxed expression faded slightly.
Is he really from their family?
No.
Just being seen together could convince random civilians.
Not them.
The real family.
They need to know the actual thing.
The student continued in an aggrieved tone.
"Everyone obeys him."
"Nobody can go against him."
Antonio remained quiet.
He was also thinking same as nick.
They need to know about this person.
The boy didn't stop talking, almost as if months of fear were pouring out all at once.
"He walks into class whenever he wants."
"He insults teachers."
"They get angry..."
"But all they could do is smile."
"He makes students carry his bag."
"He takes lunch whenever he feels like it."
"If someone refuses..."
"They get beaten after school."
Nick frowned.
"And nobody reports him?"
"What will change that."
The boy laughed weakly.
"It never changes anything."
"People know reporting him is the same as offending the Moretti family."
"Even the girls he forces doesn't report him."
Antonio's expression slowly darkened.
Forcing girls?
Using Moretti name?
If he or anyone from family did.
It's understandable but someone who is likely pretending doing this.
Has really struck his nerves.
He himself was a virgin.
So was nick.
How could this 'John' do something even they hadn't in the name Moretti.
They really wanted to meet him.
"And you?"
The boy looked down at the shattered glass.
"I'm one of the unlucky ones."
Antonio waited.
The boy continued quietly.
"He picked me because I was good at studying."
"He doesn't want me to learn, so he started giving orders."
"If he wants food..."
"I buy it."
"If he wants cigarettes..."
"I buy them."
"If he wants beer..."
"I buy that too."
He touched the bruise beneath his eye without realizing it.
"If I study..."
"...he reminds me why I shouldn't."
Neither Antonio nor Nick spoke.
They weren't saints.
They had done worse.
But hearing someone use their family name.
Really made them angry.
After several moments Antonio finally asked,
"So today's beer..."
The boy nodded before he could even finish.
"He wanted it."
"If I go back empty-handed..."
Antonio interrupted him.
"Fine."
He dusted off his hands.
"Then let's go."
The student blinked.
"...Go?"
"Where?"
Ryan immediately shook his head.
"No."
"I have to go back."
"He's already waiting."
Antonio looked at him.
"My meaning was..."
Nick completed him.
"...take us to John."
The color immediately drained from the boy's face.
"N-No."
"I can't."
Antonio looked at him.
"Why not?"
"If he sees me bring strangers..."
"He'll think I set him up."
"I'll be beaten even worse."
Nick shrugged.
"If you don't go..."
"He'll punish you even worse later."
The boy froze.
That...
Was unfortunately true.
Antonio spoke in a calmer voice than before.
"We were also the reason you broke his beer."
"We also made you late."
"We'll compensate you."
"We're not running away."
"We'll explain him ourselves."
The student stared at the two young men.
They didn't look afraid.
Not even a little.
For some reason...
That made him even more nervous.
"...You'll regret it."
Antonio smiled faintly.
"We'll decide that ourselves."
The boy looked from one face to the other.
Then toward the broken bottle.
Then back toward the direction he had come from.
He didn't want to involve them.
But looking at their expression it doesn't seem they will back down.
If he went back alone...
He would definitely be beaten.
If he brought strangers...
He might still be beaten.
Either way...
Today wasn't ending well.
He let out a long, defeated breath.
"...Follow me."
Without another word, he started walking.
Antonio and Nick fell in behind him.
The boy didn't notice the small smile beginning to form on the other's face.
Someone claiming to be a Moretti...
This was going to be interesting.
The boy walked several steps ahead of them, his pace uneven.
Every few seconds he glanced over his shoulder.
Not because he feared Antonio and Nick.
Because he couldn't understand them.
Anyone who heard the name "Moretti" either avoided it... or showed fear.
These two had done neither.
Antonio tapped his shoulder.
The boy flinched.
"What?"
"You still haven't told us your name."
"...Ryan."
Antonio nodded.
"Antonio."
Nick raised a hand lazily.
"Nick."
Ryan gave an awkward nod before looking forward again.
"How long has he been doing this?" Antonio asked.
"Almost a year."
"...Nobody stopped him for a year," Nick said.
"Nobody wanted to."
For a while, only the sound of passing traffic filled the silence.
Nick eventually spoke.
"So... this John."
Ryan's shoulders stiffened.
"What about him?"
"Always like this?"
Ryan let out a bitter laugh.
"I've never seen him any other way."
"He treats school like he owns it."
Antonio frowned.
"And nobody has ever fought back?"
"They did."
Ryan answered without hesitation.
"The first few did."
"What happened?"
"They were beaten."
"Some transferred schools."
"Some stopped coming."
"The rest..."
He lowered his eyes.
"...learned to stay quiet."
Nick frowned slightly.
"So people simply accepted it?"
Ryan nodded.
Antonio was silent.
Ryan continued walking while talking, almost as though years of frustration had finally found someone willing to listen.
"He never carries his own bag."
"He makes first-years do it."
"If he's thirsty, someone buys him a drink."
"If he's hungry, someone leaves class to get food."
"If he gets bored..."
Ryan paused.
"...someone becomes today's entertainment."
Antonio's expression darkened.
He wasn't a good person but he didn't bully anyone for entertainment.
At least not yet.
"And the teachers?"
"They pretend not to notice."
"They're afraid of causing trouble."
"Principal?"
"Pretends not to see."
"...Coward."
Nick kicked a small stone off the sidewalk.
"Pathetic."
Ryan smiled bitterly.
"You'll understand when you see him."
Antonio glanced sideways.
"You've got a lot of confidence in him."
Ryan immediately shook his head.
"No."
"I'm terrified of him."
"There's a difference."
That answer made both cousins look at him.
Ryan wasn't defending John.
He genuinely feared him.
A fear that had built over months.
Maybe longer.
He touched the fading bruise beneath his eye.
"I used to think if I endured it..."
"...he'd eventually lose interest."
Antonio already knew the answer.
"He didn't."
Ryan laughed quietly.
"It only got worse."
"If someone doesn't resist..."
"They become easy."
Nobody spoke for several moments.
They crossed another street before Ryan pointed toward a brightly lit district ahead.
"There."
Antonio followed his finger.
Music echoed faintly from somewhere ahead.
Luxury cars lined the roadside.
Young men and women entered expensive buildings dressed in clothes far beyond what ordinary students could afford.
Both of them were surprised.
Even though they had power and money, they had never gone to places like this.
Nick looked around curiously.
"This doesn't exactly look like a place for high school kids."
Ryan gave another helpless smile.
"It isn't."
"But nobody questions him."
"Especially after the blast."
Slowly Antonio noticed Ryan unconsciously slowing his steps.
His breathing had become heavier.
"We're close."
Ryan stopped walking altogether.
He stared toward a modern lounge at the end of the street.
Several expensive cars were parked outside.
A pair of security guards stood beside the entrance.
Even from outside, loud laughter drifted through the open doors.
Ryan swallowed.
"...He's inside."
Antonio looked at him.
"You don't have to come any farther."
Ryan blinked.
"What?"
"We know where he is."
"We'll talk to him first."
Ryan searched both of their faces.
Neither looked nervous.
Neither looked excited.
It was as though meeting a Moretti meant nothing to them.
He couldn't understand it.
Ryan stared at Antonio for a moment.
For the first time since they met...
...his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
"You..."
"You aren't angry with me?"
"For bringing you trouble."
Antonio shrugged.
"You bumped into me."
"You didn't stab me."
"I've already forgotten about it."
"Besides if I was angry I wouldn't have come here."
Ryan stood still.
Nick chuckled.
"Don't misunderstand."
"We only came to explain why you were late."
"Where your beer went."
Nick then lowered his voice to himself.
"And if this John turns out to be half as annoying as you've described..."
"...he's the one having a bad evening."
Ryan didn't hear him.
He looked between the two people.
He really does not want them to go inside.
Seeing their kindness he felt a little guilty.
But he was also afraid of punishment.
He could only hope they somehow convinced John.
And looking at their expression.
They didn't look half as anxious as he was.
Were they also some big shots?
He doesn't know.
He only knew one thing.
When those doors opened...
He was doomed to get hit.