The Union headquarters was silent, its walls heavy with tension. Every captain, every lieutenant, every soldier sat waiting.
Then the steel doors opened.
Daniel Park walked in. No music. No words. Just presence. And that was enough.
He didn't demand respect—it bent toward him on its own.
He reached the head of the table, eyes scanning the hall like a blade.
"Sit."
The word alone carried the weight of a decree.
---
The Speech
Daniel's voice was calm, steady, almost too quiet—yet it filled the hall like thunder.
"You all want to know what this is. The Union. Cheongryong. My rise." He paused, his lips curling into the faintest smile. "This isn't luck. This isn't chance. This is power."
He slammed his hand on the table, making the wood crack.
"Power isn't given. Power is taken."
His eyes narrowed, ruthless and cold.
"And I take everything."
He let silence stretch, then spoke again—each word sharp as steel.
"Remember this line, because it will outlive every single one of you:
'Those who kneel to me will rise higher than kings. Those who stand against me will be erased.'"
The captains shifted in their seats, sweat rolling down their brows. Daniel's charisma pressed down on them like gravity.
---
The Ruthless Side
Guards dragged in several traitors caught sabotaging a Union business. Their faces were bloodied, but their voices still spat curses.
Daniel didn't look at them. Not yet. He turned instead to the hall.
"What do we do with traitors?"
"Erase them," a captain muttered.
Daniel's gaze finally landed on the broken men, his voice icy.
"Loyalty is life. Betrayal is death. That is the only law I recognize."
He raised his hand. The guards dragged the traitors away. Their screams faded into silence. Daniel remained unmoved, calm as stone.
---
The Oath
Finally, he stood tall, his shadow long and commanding.
"This is no gang. This is no faction. This is my empire. And empires don't beg for respect."
His voice hardened into a line that would be remembered:
"We don't ask for respect. We take it—and we never give it back."
He extended his hand to the hall, palm open, eyes blazing.
"Stand with me, and you'll rise. Stand against me, and you'll cease to exist. There is no middle ground. Only loyalty—or nothing."
The captains dropped to their knees.
The Cheongryong lieutenants bowed low.
A roar shook the hall:
"We follow you, Leader!"
---
That night, Daniel Park no longer sounded like a boy at all.
He sounded eternal.