How could the gang leader possibly let his prize get away?
There was no way he would let the woman in his grasp go free. If he did, what was the point of being in this line of work? Would his reputation mean nothing?!
Gangsters have reputations too, you know. Especially a minor leader like him who had been in the game for years.
Years ago, after his father died and his mother remarried, he had no choice but to become a beggar. Back then, his body was frail and weak.
Any food he managed to beg for was snatched away by other beggars, leaving him to do nothing but hide in a corner and weep.
He knew he wouldn't survive long if this continued. He thought about dying, but he couldn't bear to leave this world.
And so he lived day by day, torn by this conflict. On one hand, he longed to live; on the other, he felt there was nothing worth living for.
But he still wanted to survive, even though life as a beggar meant he was starving far more often than he was full.
