Ryongjin was a city where the night was most brilliant.

By day, Ryongjin was a massive trade city. Endless ports lining the sea, skyscrapers, foreign capital and tourists, brilliant lights, and music that never stopped echoing. People called this city the Pearl of the Orient.

But once the sun set, the story changed.

The city's true face was revealed only at night.

The night of Ryongjin was divided in two.

Heukcheonhoe under the black sky. And Baekyamun under the pure white lights.

The two were once one, but now they had become beasts tearing at each other's throats.

If you entered the port area, the first thing you smelled was rain.

A street where the damp sea breeze, the fishy smell, and the scent of old iron mixed. At the docks where massive containers stood like shadows, smuggling ships moved in and out all night. Under red work lights, people moved cargo in silence, and unidentified things often sank into the sea.

People called that place Gwiryeong Port.

The Ghost Port.

It was the most dangerous district in Ryongjin.

There were rumors that anyone who entered Gwiryeong Port alone after 4 AM would not return. Even the police didn't slow down their patrol cars, and port workers lowered their eyes if they saw a black umbrella.

That was the land of Heukcheonhoe.

Heukcheonhoe was the oldest criminal organization in Ryongjin. Those who stained the city with blades and fists. Members called each other family and dealt with traitors most cruelly. To them, loyalty was above the law, and revenge was easier than breathing.

Heukcheonhoe's territory didn't end at Gwiryeong Port.

If you went a little further inside, Black Cloud Street appeared.

Like its name, it was a place thick with black cigarette smoke.

It was an entertainment district where red neon signs flashed all night. Illegal casinos, mahjong parlors, underground arenas, and bars continued endlessly, and the streets were a mix of drunks, gang members, loan sharks, and fugitives.

On rainy nights, Black Cloud Street always looked as if it were stained red.

No one said whether it was because of the neon lights or the blood.

And at the innermost part of that street was Jeoksaru, the Red Snake Pavilion.

It was the headquarters of Heukcheonhoe.

Outwardly, it looked like an old Chinese-style pavilion. A weathered building with red pillars, gold plaques, and faded red lanterns. But the moment you stepped inside the door, the air changed.

Gang members in black suits stood in every hallway, and knife marks and bullet holes remained on the walls. Faint bloodstains that had yet to be erased shimmered on the meeting room floor.

And on the other side of the city, a completely different night existed.

White Phosphorus Citadel

It was the central district where skyscrapers rose endlessly. A place where hotels, conglomerate corporations, political party venues, and private member clubs gathered. Even at 3 AM, the streets shone brightly, and people laughed while clinking champagne glasses.

Outwardly, it was a perfect high society.

However, everyone knows that behind the laughter of the White Phosphorus Citadel, someone's scream is always hidden.

At its center was the Glass Palace.

The headquarters of Baekyamun.

The top floor of the tallest building in the city. Surrounded by glass on all sides, the entire night view of Ryongjin could be seen below. Pure white lights turned on every night, and the city lights reflected on the glass windows like stars.

The people of Baekyamun did not like blood.

At least on the surface.

They used contracts instead of knives, and moved the media and politicians instead of guns. Someone's company would collapse overnight, someone's name would disappear from the news, and someone would die socially.

No traces were left.

That made it even scarier.

Snowflake Street was another face of Baekyamun.

Outwardly, it was a beautiful street crowded with tourists. Tea houses with white lanterns, high-end souvenir shops, and cafes where quiet classical music flowed. In winter, artificial snow scattered, making it a famous dating spot for lovers.

But as the night deepened, Snowflake Street transformed into Ryongjin's largest information market.

If you had enough money, you could buy anything from a person's life to a politician's weakness or transaction records between organizations. However, there was one rule.

Secrets leaked in Snowflake Street always return as blood.

Ryongjin was that kind of city.

A place where the black night and the white night coexisted while strangling each other.

Heukcheonhoe called Baekyamun hypocrites, and Baekyamun called Heukcheonhoe beasts. Yet ironically, neither could survive without the other.

Heukcheonhoe needed Baekyamun's money and political protection, and Baekyamun needed Heukcheonhoe's violence and control over the field.

A relationship that could not be severed despite the hatred.

Like a human who can only live by swallowing poison.

And one winter.

Outside organizations began to covet the nights of Ryongjin.

Gwiryeong Port's smuggling routes were shaken, and the corporations of the White Phosphorus Citadel were encroached upon one by one. An unidentified force was trying to devour all of Ryongjin.

If the war continued, both would collapse.

Eventually, Heukcheonhoe and Baekyamun sat at the same table for the first time.

It was a rainy night.

The meeting room on the top floor of the Glass Palace.

Black suits and pure white gloves sat across from each other at a long table.

The night of Ryongjin was visible through the window.

A landscape where the black city and the white city were mixed.

After a long silence, someone spoke lowly.

"We must form an alliance."

But no one trusted each other.

Therefore, a more certain shackle was needed.

And finally, the Sect Leader of Baekyamun set down his glass and spoke quietly.

"Prove it through marriage."