BL Library - Criminals / Gangsters

Manhwa Review | No Reason by Salty

Title: No Reason

Author(s): Salty

Artist(s): Salty

Jung-hoon is the right-hand man to the boss of the notorious Sung Jin gang. He's beloved by his underlings, whom he often spends time with and jokes with, though not without strict expectations for them. Though Jung-hoon's primary focus is always the gang and his men, he does enjoy spending his free time bedding beautiful men, and he's particularly weak to a pretty face. Things get a bit more complicated when one of the newest recruits happens to be stunning. Unable to control himself, Jung-hoon talks the young man, Hyunjae, into going back to his place with him, where he begins to try to top him. However, when Hyunjae accepts Jung-hoon's advances, he turns the tables on him and tops Jung-hoon instead.

Though Jung-hoon prefers to top, after doing it with Hyunjae, he is more than willing to bottom, and so begins a casual situationship between the two. After a year of working together, it's clear to everyone under Jung-hoon that he has a soft spot for Hyunjae, but even without the preferential treatment, everyone generally despises Hyunjae, maybe none more than Jung-hoon's right-hand man. It's still unclear where Hyunjae came from and how he became so proficient at killing at such a young age. Jung-hoon's judgment is clouded by the affection he feels for the young man, and he assumes he was made for the business, so he ignores his men's warnings.

Unfortunately for Jung-hoon, by the time he realizes he has put his trust in the wrong place, the entire gang is wiped out, leaving him as the sole survivor. For what reason, he doesn't know until Hyunjae confines him and throws him to his underlings. It's clear Hyunjae wants nothing more than to ruin Jung-hoon, but why? What does he have to gain from it? Jung-hoon can't ponder over it for long as he spirals into neverending darkness.

Title: The Origin of Species

Author(s): Harusari, TanSeom

Artist(s): AshK

Youngjin is a faulty omega. Though he's part of the extraordinary species, due to being born from an ordinary species and an extraordinary species pairing, he's effectively infertile. Not to mention, he's missing the superhuman strength, speed, and other superior qualities found in full-blooded extraordinary species. That wouldn't be so terrible if not for the lonely and dangerous life he's forced to lead. After his grandfather passed, Youngjin was left entirely alone on the island he grew up on, everyone else having moved to the mainland. It isn't until Youngjin is taken in by “sir” that he is given a new purpose. Sir steadily grooms Youngjin, tying him to him with immense debt and helping him become an unstoppable hacker, but oppressing all other aspects of his life.

During an intense mission where Youngjin must hack into a safe at an auction to steal a mysterious, encrypted item, he and his teammates are captured. Youngjin is tied up and presented to an alpha, the item's buyer. He is Seo Seunghyun, president of a large company and a man who has every intention of getting what he wants, no matter what it takes. He has the item, but it's encrypted, and his team just isn't well-equipped to break into it. Having seen Youngjin's skills firsthand, he's sure Youngjin is just what he needs. Youngjin is willing to work with Seunghyun only under a few conditions.

The first is to free his teammates.

Easy enough, but then there's the second condition:

Make a sex tape with Youngjin.

Seunghyun is shocked but even more intrigued, and after a night with Youngjin in bed, he finds himself intensely drawn to the strange omega. If Seunghyun wants Youngjin, he'll get him, and he's willing to do anything to win Youngjin over.

Title: The Words In Your Snare

Author(s): Chepali

Artist(s): Aeju

Jooin is just trying to enjoy his life. He's running a little cafe in the middle of the country, enjoying spending time with the locals. But more than anything, he enjoys the words, and that doesn't mean conversation. One of the main reasons Jooin enjoys the conversation so much is because he can read minds. His ability is limited to physical words that spawn off people and linger around where they hang out. In the city, Jooin was often bombarded with negative and positive thoughts. In the rural areas, Jooin sees more positive words than any other kind, and there are fewer, making his life much more peaceful.

However, that peace is disrupted when a strange bag of coffee beans appears at his cafe. Not long after, a group of police officers and a handsome man in a suit come looking for that bag of coffee. It's an odd scenario for a random bag of coffee, but nothing is stranger than the man who, for whatever reason, doesn't give off any words at all. Jooin has never encountered anyone whose thoughts he couldn't see, but no matter how much he looks, he can't see any of his thoughts. Things only get stranger as the man returns time and time again, lingering around Jooin for a reason he can't even fathom. The man then makes a request, one that Jooin has no intention of complying with.

This stranger, Mookya, wants to date Jooin.

Thankfully, Mookya works hours away in the city, so Jooin plans to let their odd relationship fade away. But then a young man with a knife drops by, looking for drugs. Jooin can only assume that the random bag of coffee beans was actually a bag of drugs, and after subduing the young man, Jooin has no choice but to go back to the city. He ends up right back where he started, working alongside the police to read possible criminal's minds. Unlike before, though, Mookya is there, too. As Jooin spends more and more time in the city, with the gangster Mookya wooing him, Jooin feels himself softening up to the mystery man, but love can't cover up the dark feelings and thoughts lurking around the city Jooin has left behind.

Title: The Mountain Bird Cries at Dawn

Author(s): amam

Artist(s): amam

Yamato Edogawa is set to become the fifth head of the Edogawa family, a prestigious crime organization that has maintained their territory for generations. Unfortunately for high school student Yamato, his position in the crime family has made his social life nonexistent. For this reason, among many others, Yamato has no intention or drive to become the next head. The only thing (or person) keeping him tied to his mafia family is the love of his life, his attendant Yoshiteru Fujiwara (aka Yoru).

As the head of the family, Yamato's father is relatively absent, and after his mother leaves them, Yamato is often on his own. From the time he was very small, where his parents should have been, a young Yoru was there instead. This connection to Yoru has grown from an innocent crush to an insatiable lust that Yamato has no idea how to sate. One day, after running away from home to prove his resolve not to follow in his father's footsteps, Yamato ends up alone in a hotel room with Yoru. Not wanting to miss this chance, Yamato makes a deal with Yoru:

I'll go back if you have sex with me.

And to his surprise, Yoru agrees. Will this ensure that Yamato becomes the mafia's next head as he's meant to be? Or will it only irreparably change their relationship forever?

Title: Breathing the Same Air

Author(s): YUUJI

Artist(s): Dasic

Haeshin lives alone, and he prefers it that way. Having grown up being raised by a womanizing single father, Haeshin was used to people coming in and out of his life on a whim, and rather than deal with the same thing in his adulthood, Haeshin would prefer the solace of singledom. This also befits his sexual preference for solo anal stimulation, which he does frequently just before bed to ensure he gets a good night's rest. Unfortunately, his peaceful, homebody lifestyle ends when his former stepbrother comes to live with him.

Haeshin never wanted to live with Sangheon, but after his father, who still pays part of his rent, comes to Haeshin with Sangheon's mother in tow, Haeshin can't help but enthusiastically agree. It probably wouldn't be such a bad living arrangement if Sangheon and Haeshin didn't hate each other due to their strained relationship as children. It's even worse as adults, with Sangheon being messy, a smoker, and prone to destruction, which is entirely counter to Haeshin. Will Haeshin be able to regain his peace, or will he be stuck fighting against Sangheon for the rest of his life?

Title: A Painter Behind the Curtain

Author(s): MUNAMU

Artist(s): MUNAMU

Ian is a prolific artist, but no one knows it. His artwork is sold for high prices, prized in exhibitions, and hanging on the walls of some of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom. Yet, Ian lives in squalor, starved and frail. He is a prolific artist, but he doesn't even know it. Ian has had a talent for art since childhood but was forbidden from pursuing his passion due to his family's low standing and poverty. Unfortunately, his work is noticed by a noble, the head of the Bardi family, a family of prolific artists. Bardi wants Ian and is willing to pay a premium for the child.

Unable to decline his offer, Ian's family sells him off to the Bardi family; all the while, Ian is being lured with promises of being able to paint to his heart's content. Ian sees this as a dream come true until the reality of his situation comes crashing down on top of him. Ian has been enslaved. He's kept in a closet where he is broken and beaten, trained relentlessly in the techniques of painting until he can do so without any reference. Once he's completed a painting, the second son of the Bardi family, without any talent for the arts, signs his name to the piece, passing it off as one of his own.

Ian can't even dream of anything beyond this torturous horror he's trapped in, the only comfort being that he can still paint. That is until a mysterious and eager merchant named Raymond comes by, requesting a portrait from the Bardi family. Raymond's coin is all the Bardi family cares about, but once Raymond sees Ian, Ian is all Raymond seems to care about.

Title: Bound to Be Fools

Author(s): gahyun

Artist(s): gahyun

Kangjin Cha was on the cusp of taking his own life in high school. He was ready to jump off the top of a building at school, hoping to embarrass his overbearing and cruel father as well as escape his suffering. Before he can go through with his plan, Jungkwon Jang, another student, rushes to the rooftop and snatches Kangjin down back to the safety of the roof. Having been rescued by a stranger, Kangjin is desperate to learn more about his savior and, to do so demands that Jungkwon take responsibility for the life he saved. Jungkwon reluctantly agrees.

Over time, the two become the best of friends. It isn't long after that that the two end up becoming boyfriends. They are the epitome of happiness with each other. But outside of their relationship, their individual lives are fraught with pain and suffering. Jungkwon, in particular, is struggling with the immense debt left behind by his late father, who committed suicide. The debt collectors are once again hounding his mother, and he is desperately trying to protect both his sister and his mother from the violence, only for Kangjin to come in and bear witness to one of the most embarrassing times in his life. He loves Kangjin, but he never wanted him to see him so low.

In a fit of rage, Jungkwon breaks up with Kangjin and refuses to see him ever again. Kangjin is absolutely heartbroken, Jungkwon's love being the one bright spot in his life. Kangjin's sorrow eventually swells into rage, and even years later, as an adult working as a host and sex worker, he still finds his life being directed by the trauma that abandonment caused him. When Kangjin ends up running into Jungkwon, all of those feelings come back to the surface, and Kangjin wants nothing more than to finally get revenge. As it happens, Jungkwon is still struggling with debt and desperate for a way to dig himself and his family back out, and what better way to get his vengeance than to drag Jungkwon into the same muck Kangjin is rolling in?

Title: Cover-up

Author(s): GyaGa

Artist(s): GyaGa

Yeon Geum-hwa is a tattoo artist and a highly sought-after one at that. Unfortunately, he learned his craft from his ex-boyfriend, an obsessive and controlling man whom Geum-hwa would love nothing more than to escape from. That opportunity arises when he gets a call about a potential client in Japan. They want to fly Geum-hwa out there to perform a cover-up for someone. While it's not explicitly stated, it's not hard to figure out that this client is part of a gang or yakuza.

It's a dangerous prospect, but if it will free Geum-hwa from his ex's influence, the danger is well worth it. So, after designing the tattoo, Geum-hwa is flown out to Japan, where he meets his client, Katamoto Seung-jae, the second son of the Katamoto family's head. Geum-hwa inadvertently ends up in the middle of a power struggle between the first son and the second son, being used as leverage by the first son when Geum-hwa and Seung-jae begin a physical relationship. While he's no longer any safer in Japan than he would be at home, Geum-hwa is hopelessly in love with Seung-jae, and while Seung-jae feels the same, he isn't willing to risk Geum-hwa's life.

Even though Geum-hwa is willing to risk everything to be with Seung-jae, Seung-jae feels compelled to let him go. Will Seung-jae be able to follow through, or will he be unable to let Geum-hwa go?

Title: Killing Stalking

Author(s): Koogi

Artist(s): Koogi

Yoon Bum is a loner, but he doesn't want to be. Bum longs for companionship, but not just with anyone. He longs for no one other than Oh Sangwoo. Bum has been quietly stalking Sangwoo since meeting him during conscription after Sangwoo rescued him from an assault by his platoon leader. After figuring out where he lives, Bum discovers the numbers of Sangwoo's door lock and lists out every possible combination, which he decides to try so he can gain access to Sangwoo's house. Unfortunately, at the end of the list, a cop car pulls up and begins questioning why he is there. Bum is in a panic but is able to say he's Sangwoo's cousin before getting the code right and slipping inside.

While Bum sees this as a victory, he doesn't realize that the cops he spoke to know Sangwoo, and they end up telling him about the run-in with his “cousin,” prompting him to return home while Bum is lurking about. But having a stranger in his home isn't the main reason Sangwoo is in a rush to get back. While Bum is snooping about, he discovers a basement door in the floor with a lock on it. Once he opens it and heads down, Bum discovers a woman, bound and beaten. Bum tries to help her, but before he can get her free, Sangwoo finds him, knocking Bum out with a baseball bat.

Bum is now Sangwoo's newest victim. Can Bum survive this encounter? But more importantly, can he make Sangwoo love him as much as he loves him?

Title: Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart

Author(s): Syundei

Artist(s): Syundei

Terumichi is in love with his mysterious classmate Yamada, who just appeared in his life one day. Yamada is strange and imposing but dangerously beautiful and one of the few people who have been kind to Terumichi. His unique disposition makes him all the more alluring to Terumichi, and in the end, he can't help being drawn to Yamada. After an abrupt confession, Yamada and Terumichi seem on the cusp of romance when a stranger with a knife appears.

Terumichi does everything he can to protect Yamada, but in the end, Yamada is stabbed to death. Terumichi is in a panic, calling an ambulance, even though it's clear by the amount of blood that Yamada isn't going to survive. Yet, somehow, Yamada gets right up and walks away as if nothing ever happened, whispering a cryptic sentence:

“Only two left.”

Terumichi would be better off cutting his losses and moving on, but he just can't forget Yamada.

Criminals / Gangsters

Manhwa Review | No Reason by Salty

Manga Review | The Mountain Bird Cries at Dawn by amam

Manhwa Review | Breathing the Same Air by YUUJI

Manhwa Review | Bound to Be Fools by gahyun

Manhwa Review | Cover-up by GyaGa

Manga Review | Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart by Syundei

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