Chapter - 4
The night fell silent.
Nani stood on the balcony, still pointing dramatically into the darkness.
"Dew!"
"I swear there was a ghost!"
Footsteps echoed behind him as Dew rushed onto the balcony, hair messy from sleep.
"What ghost?"
"There!"
Nani pointed toward the garden.
"..."
Nothing.
The figure was gone.
The black car had already disappeared into the night.
Dew looked at the empty street, then at his brother.
"You've been through a lot today."
Nani frowned.
"I'm serious!"
"There was a tall, scary shadow!"
Dew patted his shoulder.
"Go back to sleep."
"It was probably your imagination."
Nani scratched his head.
"...Maybe."
He yawned.
"I'll blame the power cut."
With one last suspicious glance outside, he shuffled back into his room and was asleep again within minutes.
---
Meanwhile...
Several streets away...
Sky drove in complete silence.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened.
He had ruled North City for years.
Negotiated with criminals.
Faced armed enemies without blinking.
Yet...
The moment Nani screamed "Ghost!"...
Sky had done the one thing nobody expected.
He left.
His right-hand man, sitting in the passenger seat, carefully looked out the window to hide the tiny smile threatening to appear.
"...Boss."
No answer.
"...Are we going back to North City?"
Sky's voice was flat.
"No."
The man blinked.
"No?"
"We're staying."
---
The next morning...
A luxurious moving truck stopped beside Nani's neighborhood.
Workers carried expensive furniture into the long-empty house next door.
The neighbors gathered outside.
"Someone bought the old house?"
"Looks expensive."
"I heard the owner paid without negotiating."
Within an hour...
The deal was done.
Sky now owned the house beside Nani's.
He stood in the empty living room.
Cold.
Silent.
Unbothered.
To everyone else, it looked like a business decision.
Only Sky knew...
It wasn't.
---
Across the fence...
Nani was having the opposite of a peaceful morning.
He had barely finished breakfast when the front gate opened.
A familiar luxury car rolled inside.
Nani sighed the moment he recognized it.
"...Seriously?"
Niran stepped out.
Perfectly dressed.
Calm as ever.
"Nani."
"I'm not here to argue."
Nani folded his arms.
"That's funny."
"Because I'm already arguing."
His father hurried outside.
"Niran! Please, come in."
Nani groaned dramatically.
"No one even asked me."
Niran looked at him.
"I've given everyone enough time."
"I still wish to marry you."
Nani stared at him in disbelief.
"I already said no."
"I won't change my answer."
His father raised his voice.
"Nani!"
"You should at least listen!"
"I did listen."
"My answer is still no."
The tension in the yard grew heavier.
---
Then...
The sound of another car echoed outside.
Everyone turned.
A sleek black car stopped in front of the neighboring house.
The driver's door opened.
A tall man in black stepped out.
Broad shoulders.
Sharp features.
An unreadable expression.
Even standing still...
He carried an intimidating presence.
The entire street seemed to fall quiet.
Nani blinked twice.
"...Huh?"
Sky walked toward the fence with his usual composed stride.
His presence alone made the conversation stop.
Even Niran looked over, trying to identify the newcomer.
Nani's eyes widened in recognition.
He pointed without hesitation.
"Hey!"
Sky stopped.
"What are you doing here..."
Nani tilted his head innocently.
"...Cold Ice Cream?!"
Silence.
The neighbors looked confused.
Niran frowned.
Dew bit his lip to stop himself from laughing.
Sky's right-hand man quietly looked at the ground.
For one brief second...
The terrifying aura surrounding the infamous mob boss seemed to vanish.
Not because he was afraid.
But because, despite every title he held...
This one person refused to call him anything except ridiculous nicknames.
Sky looked at Nani with the same unreadable expression as always.
"..."
Nani smiled.
"So..."
"You checking into my neighborhood now?"
For the first time...
The quiet suburban street felt far more dangerous than North City's underworld.
--------------
An uncomfortable silence settled over the front yard.
Everyone's attention remained on the stranger who had just appeared.
Sky stood calmly beside the gate, dressed in black from head to toe.
His expression revealed nothing.
His eyes, however, were fixed on one person.
Nani.
Nani crossed his arms.
"So..."
"Why are you here, Cold Ice Cream?"
Dew immediately looked away before he laughed out loud.
Sky ignored the nickname as if he hadn't heard it.
Instead, he reached into his coat pocket.
"I came to return something."
Nani blinked.
"Hm?"
Sky opened his hand.
A delicate silver anklet rested on his palm.
The tiny charm reflected the morning sunlight.
"You left this."
Nani's eyes widened.
"My anklet!"
He quickly checked his other ankle.
"...No wonder it felt lighter."
He happily took it back.
"I thought I lost it forever."
He looked at Sky with genuine surprise.
"Wait..."
"The hotel actually has a special return policy?"
Sky remained silent.
Nani's eyes sparkled.
"That's amazing!"
"You even delivered it to my house!"
"What incredible customer service."
Several guards standing behind Sky lowered their heads.
One quietly whispered,
"...He still thinks it's a hotel."
Another sighed.
"I don't think anyone can convince him otherwise."
Nani smiled brightly.
"Thank you."
"I really liked this anklet."
For a brief second...
Sky simply looked at him.
Then gave a small nod.
Nothing more.
---
The peaceful moment didn't last.
Niran stepped forward.
His polite smile had disappeared.
He looked directly at Sky.
"You've returned it."
"Now..."
"You may leave."
Sky slowly shifted his gaze toward him.
The temperature in the yard seemed to drop.
Even Nani's father noticed the change.
Niran continued speaking.
Then turned toward Nani.
"I've given you enough time."
"You've embarrassed your family."
"You've ignored every discussion."
He exhaled slowly.
"I'll have the marriage papers prepared."
"You'll sign them."
"And if you refuse..."
His voice became colder.
"...the consequences won't be pleasant."
The yard fell silent.
Everyone waited for Nani's reaction.
Nani stared at him for several long seconds.
Then...
He casually shrugged.
"Do whatever you want."
He lifted his chin proudly.
A fearless expression crossed his face.
"So dramatic."
"If you want a villain entrance..."
He spread one hand toward the front gate with exaggerated elegance.
"I'll even roll out a red carpet for you."
Dew immediately turned away, shoulders shaking with laughter.
Their father covered his face.
Niran's expression darkened.
Nani simply smiled.
Then spun around and walked back toward the house without another word.
His confidence...
Was much taller than he was.
---
Sky watched the small figure disappear inside.
The corner of his mouth lifted...
Just barely.
A smirk.
So faint that most people would have missed it.
His right-hand man blinked.
Then quietly leaned closer.
"...Boss."
No response.
"...Are you thinking..."
He lowered his voice dramatically.
"'That's my boy'?"
Sky's smirk disappeared instantly.
His cold eyes shifted toward him.
"Shut up."
"...Yes, Boss."
"I said nothing."
"I heard nothing."
"I'll forget this conversation ever happened."
The man immediately took two steps back.
---
Inside the house...
Nani entered his pink bedroom.
He sat on the edge of his fluffy bed and looked down at the silver anklet.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"At least Manager Sky isn't completely rude."
He carefully fastened it around his ankle again.
"There."
"Back where it belongs."
---
Outside...
Sky turned to leave.
Before getting into his car...
He looked at Niran one last time.
No words.
No threats.
Just one cold, unwavering stare.
It lasted only a few seconds.
But it was enough.
Niran instinctively stiffened under that gaze.
Then Sky looked away, entered the car, and drove toward the neighboring house.
The engine faded into the distance.
Yet the weight of that silent glare remained.
For reasons Niran couldn't explain...
The newcomer next door made him feel as though an invisible storm had just arrived.
----------
The house next door was finished surprisingly fast.
Fresh furniture.
Modern interior.
Advanced security.
Within a single day...
The empty house had transformed into a luxurious residence.
Yet...
Its owner wasn't interested in any of it.
Sky stood in front of the enormous living room window.
His hands rested behind his back.
His face remained as emotionless as ever.
His gaze...
Was directed toward the neighboring house.
More specifically...
Toward one particular pink bedroom window.
"..."
Nothing.
The curtains were closed.
Sky frowned almost imperceptibly.
---
Five minutes later...
He walked to another window.
"..."
Still nothing.
Another ten minutes passed.
Now he was standing on the second-floor balcony.
"..."
Still no sign of Nani.
His right-hand man slowly walked outside carrying a cup of coffee.
He looked at Sky.
Then at the neighboring house.
Then back at Sky.
"...Boss."
Sky didn't respond.
"...May I ask what you're doing?"
"I'm stretching."
The answer came immediately.
The right-hand man looked around.
"...Facing exactly one window?"
"..."
"With binocular-level concentration?"
Sky remained silent.
The man nodded.
"I understand."
"No, you don't."
---
Another guard arrived.
"Boss."
"What?"
"The curtains haven't moved for twenty-three minutes."
Sky slowly looked at him.
"Who told you to count?"
The guard instantly regretted speaking.
"...No one, Boss."
"I counted by accident."
Sky looked back toward Nani's house.
"I'm checking the surroundings."
"Of course."
The guards exchanged looks.
One whispered,
"Our terrifying mob boss..."
"...is conducting neighborhood surveillance."
Another whispered back,
"On exactly one neighbor."
---
A few minutes later...
The living room curtain in Nani's house twitched.
Sky's eyes immediately shifted.
The guards noticed.
"So..."
"Stretching?"
Sky ignored them.
The curtain opened a little more.
A familiar figure walked past.
Messy hair.
Oversized pink hoodie.
A mug in one hand.
Still half asleep.
Nani yawned so widely he nearly spilled his drink.
He scratched his head.
Completely unaware that someone next door had just spent half an hour waiting for exactly this moment.
Sky watched silently.
Then...
Nani disappeared again.
The curtain closed.
"..."
Sky continued standing there.
His right-hand man finally couldn't help himself.
"Boss."
"What."
"You waited thirty minutes..."
"...to see him for five seconds."
"..."
"No comment?"
Sky calmly turned around.
"I've finished stretching."
He walked back inside as though nothing unusual had happened.
The guards stood in silence.
Then one quietly whispered,
"Our boss has changed."
Another nodded solemnly.
"He used to inspect weapon shipments."
The first sighed dramatically.
"Now he inspects pink curtains."
Before they could continue—
Sky's cold voice echoed from inside the house.
"If either of you has enough free time to gossip..."
"I can assign paperwork until next month."
Both men instantly straightened.
"We were discussing security, Boss!"
"Very seriously."
Sky didn't answer.
But the faintest hint of annoyance crossed his face.
Not because they were wrong.
Because...
They were.