Marked for Life (Marked #2)

Chapter 1

My mother could give any professional tour guide a run for their money.

I watch half mortified as she stands at the bottom of what’s known as the Rocky Steps, the long cascading stone steps that lead up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and were famously featured in the iconic boxing movie.

Her arms are spread wide, floral blouse rippling in the afternoon wind, and she’s delivering what seems to be a well-rehearsed monologue about the popular landmark.

“Mom,” I interrupt, both brows raised. “We get the idea. Can we just head into the museum now?”

“Shh, baby. This is for Jin, not you.” She turns partially toward him and plunges on. “Originally the steps weren’t part of the movie, but it was improvised by Stallone after—”

As she rambles on, I press my lips together and sneak a glance at Jin, whose dark eyes shine with amusement.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear my fiancé is enjoying this.

It’s his first time in America, and Mom’s made good on her promise—she’s showing him every single sight and sound there is to discover in Philadelphia; hell, every little nook and cranny too.

We’ve wound up at the Philadelphia Museum of Art after a morning spent at Independence Hall. My feet are throbbing from standing up for so many hours, and I’m starting to reach the point where I crossover from hungry to hangry.

But if Jin’s enjoying himself and Mom is living out her fantasy as a tour guide, who am I to complain?

This vacation was a long time in the making for a few different reasons.

The first, and most obvious, being that I live in South Korea as an expat. I teach English to young elementary-school-aged children and wouldn’t trade the job for any other.

I’ve been living in Busan for almost three years now, and it’s become a home away from home.

The second, and more challenging reason, is that my fiancé, Seo Jin-tae, is a boss in the deadly and ruthless Korean crime syndicate known as the Baekho Pa—actually, scratch that.

He’s not just a boss. He’s the boss.

After the prior one was betrayed and killed by his nephew, he and Jin fought to the death. It was a vicious battle that almost resulted in Jin going blind, but he ultimately came out on top.

He’s been ruling the crime gang ever since.

You might wonder how we could ever make things work when Jin is quite literally as fierce and deadly as a white tiger and I’m barely scraping five feet and cry when there’s a spider in my room.

I’ve often wondered that myself, but then again, everything about our relationship has always defied the odds.

I met Jin on a warm summer night when I’d gotten lost after a disastrously awkward blind date. Stumbling down a dark alley I had no business being in, I witnessed Jin and his soldiers commit a horrendous act.

He terrified me in those early days. He almost killed me… several times. Then he realized with perplexing frustration he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He couldn’t hurt me even if he wanted to. Neither of us knew it at the time, but it was the beginning of our love story.

As crazy as it sounds, we were both falling for each other. The Silent Hunter and the sunny schoolteacher were meant to be.

Now we’re engaged, planning a wedding, and I’ve finally managed to drag him halfway across the world to experience my hometown and get to know my mother even better.

Right now, as Mom starts rambling about the museum’s 200 year history, Jin seems to take pity on me. The corner of his lips quirks ever-so-slightly, then with a level of finesse that’s surprising coming from a man so stoic and reserved, he loops his arm through my mother’s.

“Mom, what do you say we break for lunch? I’m starving and can’t wait to try one of the Philly cheesesteaks you’ve told me about.”

Mom’s whole face lights up as she titters out a laugh. “Oh. Oh, right! I told Tony we’d be by around one so he could hook us up with the works. Thank you, Jin. Let’s go!”

As Mom bustles toward the parking lot, Jin and I hang back for a couple seconds. His grin comes to fruition on his face, spreading in an almost cocky way as he slides an arm around my waist.

It’s as if he’s taunting me. He was able to get her to change course while I was dismissed.

“It’s because you’re new to the family,” I say, borderline disgruntled. “You’re the guest, so she’s going to coddle you.”

He chuckles. “Maybe. Or maybe I have a gift with mothers. They love me.”

“Which makes no sense considering you have fifty tattoos and regularly break kneecaps.”

“Well, Tokki-ya, you love me too. So what does that say about you?” he asks, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. I’ve gotten my hair done in braids for our vacation, and he hasn’t been able to keep his hands off me ever since (even more than usual).

I can’t refute what he’s said, a small laugh bubbling out of me, so I sigh and concede his point.

“Alright, true. Maybe you’re just more lovable than you first realized, Seo Jin-tae.”

“Someone should’ve told the orphanage I was raised in. Maybe they wouldn’t have made me sleep in the cellar so much.”

It’s a dark joke as we follow in Mom’s wake.

But Jin’s sense of humor has always been dry, sarcastic, and on the darker side. It makes sense considering his childhood and upbringing. In some ways, it’s even rubbed off on me.

“Alright,” Mom says once we’re buckled into her Toyota Corolla. “I’m about to change your life, Jin honey. Prepare yourself for some real grubbin’. This is about to blow your mind.”

I catch Jin’s eye again, smirking at him with equal parts resignation and amusement. He simply stares back with the same level of silent entertainment that once again reveals he’s thoroughly enjoying himself.

It isn’t everyday he’s essentially kidnapped by a sixty-something-year-old mama bear and then driven around the city to different landmarks.

Within half an hour, we’re pulling up outside Big Tony’s Steaks.

The restaurant has been around for decades—longer than I’ve been alive—and it’s a cramped, no-frills hole-in-the-wall tucked between a laundromat and a barbershop.

The hand-painted sign above the door is faded and peeling, the letters barely legible, but the smell that wafts out onto the sidewalk is like a siren’s call for your stomach.

Grilled onions. Sizzling meat. Melted cheese and warm, toasted bread.

My stomach growls loudly enough that Jin raises a brow at me.

“Told you I was hungry,” I mutter.

Inside, the restaurant is small and worn, with scuffed linoleum floors and plastic tables that wobble. Old-school Phillies memorabilia covers the walls. Things like faded pennants, signed photographs, newspaper clippings yellowed with age.

A long counter runs along the back, and behind it, a heavyset man with gray scruff and a grease-stained apron works the flat-top grill.

“Daisha!” he bellows when he spots my mother, his face splitting into a wide grin. “Where the hell you been, lady? I thought you forgot about me!”

“Oh, Tony, you know I could never forget you,” Mom coos, sashaying up to the counter like she owns the place. “You remember I told you my baby girl and her fiancé were coming to visit. They’re here all the way from South Korea!”

Tony’s bushy eyebrows climb toward his receding hairline as he takes in Jin—the sharp lines of his face, the tattoos creeping up his neck above his collar, the quiet intensity that radiates off him even when he’s standing still.

Jin gives a nod in greeting, meeting his gaze without flinching, and for a moment, the two men simply stare at each other.

Then Tony breaks into a throaty laugh and slaps the counter. “South Korea! Well, ain’t that something. You ever had a real cheesesteak before, Jin?”

“This will be my first,” Jin says.

“Then today’s your lucky day. Daisha, the usual?”

“Times three, honey. Make sure to give my future son-in-law the works. Don’t hold back.”

We settle into one of the plastic booths near the window while Tony gets to work.

Mom slides in next to me, leaving Jin across from us, and immediately launches into a detailed history of Big Tony’s—how her parents used to bring her here when she was a little girl and how Tony’s father started the shop back in the sixties.

She’s been coming here for over forty years and has never once been disappointed.

Jin listens with quiet attentiveness, nodding in the right places, asking a question here and there. He’s good at this, I’ve realized—better than I would’ve expected. For a man who spent most of his life avoiding emotional connections, he’s surprisingly adept at making Mom feel heard.

Maybe it’s because he genuinely enjoys her, just like he genuinely loves me.

He’s never had a family. We’re the first real familial bond he’s had since he was a very small boy…

My heart flutters at the thought. If there’s one thing I’ve wanted to give Jin, it’s that.

It’s the kind of love and bond that he didn’t believe he was capable of.

“So,” Mom says, folding her hands on the table and fixing Jin with a curious look. “Moni tells me you two are thinking about a summer wedding. Have you settled on a venue yet?”

“We’re still discussing options,” Jin replies carefully.

“Jin wants something small,” I add. “Intimate. Very private.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Your father and I had a small ceremony too, you know. Just family and a few close friends at the local chapel. It couldn’t have been more wonderful.

” Mom’s expression softens, a wistful look crossing her face.

“It’s not about the size of the party, baby.

It’s about the commitment you two are making to each other. ”

“Mom…” I groan under my breath.

“What? It’s true! And you, honey—I hope you know how lucky you are.” She’s reached across the table to pat Jin’s hand. “My Moni is one of a kind. There’s no one else in this world like her.”

Jin’s gaze slides to me, the gleam in his dark eyes making my heart pause mid-beat. “I’m aware, Mom. I remind myself every day.”