Once, there were two individuals bound by fate—princes of two of the most powerful mafia syndicates in the underworld: The Crimson Fang and The Black Coil.
Both families ruled the shadows, but Zhang Hao, the sole heir to Crimson Fang, had no desire for violence or power. His heart belonged to music. While others trained with weapons, he dreamt of stages and melodies.
But everything changed the day the Crimson Fang headquarters was bombed. The underworld was thrown into chaos, and the long-standing peace treaty between the two elite factions crumbled.
To prevent all-out war, the Black Coil offered a diplomatic gesture—sending their second young master, Hanbin, to serve under Zhang Hao.
That was the day they met—the moment their fates became entangled.
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As time passed, their relationship grew—evolving into something far deeper than what others called friendship. Hanbin began to understand Zhang Hao's world—the passion behind his music, the weight of his silence, and the fire behind his calm demeanor.
In the Black Coil, Hanbin was known for two things: his unwavering loyalty and his unmatched martial arts. But his arrival wasn't mere diplomacy.
He had a secret mission: to eliminate Zhang Hao.
It was all part of a larger scheme—a plan by the Black Coil to eliminate the Crimson Fang's heir and seize absolute control over the underworld.
But Hanbin didn't expect Zhang Hao to be human. Vulnerable. Honest. He didn't expect to care.
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The Betrayal
The order came in one rainy night.
A silent call. One code. One bullet.
Hanbin stood at the edge of Zhang Hao's private rehearsal room. The soft notes of violin echoed as Zhang Hao played the melody he'd been composing for months—a melody that reminded Hanbin of peace he never knew he longed for.
His gun trembled in his grip.
"I knew," Zhang Hao said quietly, not turning around. "That you were sent to kill me."
Hanbin froze.
"I knew from the beginning. But I wanted to believe you'd change."
"Why didn't you run?"
Zhang Hao turned, tears in his eyes—but no fear.
"Because for the first time, I had someone who listened. And that meant more than survival."
Hanbin dropped the gun.
"I'm not going to do it."
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The Reckoning
But betrayal in the mafia doesn't go unpunished.
The Black Coil declared Hanbin a traitor. A bounty was placed on both their heads.
Zhang Hao didn't flinch. For the first time, he stepped into the underworld willingly—not as a boy with a dream, but as a man with a cause.
The duo fled into the shadows, gathering allies from the ashes of broken families and old loyalties. One by one, the others joined them:
Jiwoong and Gunwook, Crimson Fang's most feared soldiers, who chose loyalty to Hao over orders.
Taerae, who uncovered the Black Coil's darkest secrets.
Yujin, the information broker who refused to let the underworld destroy another dream.
Ricky, who turned against his own blood to protect the friend he once vowed to spy on.
Gyuvin, wild and unpredictable, who chose freedom over fear.
Matthew, the last to join, the one who once walked both sides, now fighting to end the bloodshed.
Together, they became 0x1—nine shadows, one oath.
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The Endgame
The final battle wasn't a storm. It was a symphony.
Zhang Hao stood on stage in the middle of the abandoned opera house, surrounded by enemies, his hands on the strings of his violin. The sound of his music was the signal. Gunfire erupted. Shadows danced. Trust was tested.
In the end, Black Coil fell.
Zhang Hao never returned to the throne of Crimson Fang.
Instead, he built something new—with Hanbin by his side. A place between violence and dreams. A space where power didn't need blood to survive.
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Because in a world built on betrayal, they chose music.
They chose each other.
And they rewrote the underworld.