34: Incheon [9]
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Vin Jin and Hudson moved forward, their steps deliberate, each one echoing faintly against the paved stone path. The air here seemed heavier, as though the district itself was testing their resolve. They cut through a garage filled with luxurious cars—sleek black lambos and Porsches lined up like silent predators, their polished bodies reflecting the faint shimmer of sunlight breaking through drifting clouds. Hudson's eyes moved across them instinctively, scanning the surroundings, noting every possible angle of escape or ambush. His jaw tightened; even in silence, he carried an edge that could cut through the uneasy atmosphere.
Beside him, Vin Jin's posture was relaxed, but there was no mistaking the suppressed pressure he carried. The faint rhythm of waves colliding with distant rocks bled into the silence, accompanied by the occasional metallic creak of garage doors shifting in the wind. They stepped past the cars and into a courtyard where a tall water fountain stood at the center, its stream rising confidently before collapsing into a shallow basin. The splashing water echoed in irregular intervals, the sound bouncing off the surrounding walls, giving the space a strange hollow feel.
Vin Jin's sharp eyes swept the fountain, then darted toward the narrow alleys that stretched outward like veins. He wasn't just looking—he was analyzing. Every inch of this place felt curated, and yet… wrong. Too clean. Too quiet.
Hudson moved closer, lowering his voice into a whisper only Vin Jin could hear.
"Vin Jin, this place is totally opposite of what Daniel has stated, isn't it?"
Vin Jin didn't immediately answer. His eyes remained fixed on the fountain, watching the water rise and fall. He let the silence linger, his voice finally breaking through in a tone that was as quiet as the wind.
"Yes. Totally."
Then, after a pause, he added, "Let me ask him."
The two of them shifted their pace, catching up to the small man who had been walking ahead. His steps were quick and nervous, his shoulders hunched forward as though each movement was dragging the weight of invisible chains. Vin Jin reached out, his long fingers landing on the man's narrow shoulder. The sudden contact made him shiver, his entire frame tensing like prey cornered by a predator.
Vin Jin leaned down, bending his body just enough so his face aligned with the smaller man's. Even though his eyes were covered by his signature black shades, the suffocating weight of his presence alone pressed down on him.
"What is your name?" Vin Jin asked, voice steady, deep, almost disarmingly calm.
The man froze. His lips trembled before words finally broke through.
"I-Its—its Ho-Hosan Ki-Kim."
Vin Jin tilted his head slightly, his brow furrowing with the faintest hint of curiosity. "Kim? You are part Korean?" His voice carried the subtle edge of disbelief, like he was trying to decide whether the man was telling the truth or just fumbling for survival.
Hosan Kim nodded quickly, hair bouncing in disarray as he stammered under the pressure.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Vin Jin's lips. His tone shifted into something mischievous, playful but with a blade hidden underneath.
"We are half-Korean brothers, aren't we? You will answer all my questions right?"
Hosan could only nod again, his entire body quivering under the weight of expectation.
Satisfied, Vin Jin straightened up, his spine rolling back into his usual calm stance. He gave Hudson a subtle thumbs up, a sign that he had pulled what he needed. Then, turning back toward Hosan, his tone returned to something more casual yet commanding.
"While we reach Chinatown, I want you to tell me why this Incheon is different from what I have heard."
The air hung still for a moment, broken only by the faint trickling of the fountain behind them. Hosan's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously. Then, as the three resumed walking, he began his tale.
"Few years ago," Hosan's voice was soft at first, uneven, but it gradually steadied as if speaking his truth gave him strength. "When I came into Incheon, Incheon was segregated on that time but not like this. It was divided into two parts, but both were a peaceful place. The place where I lived was the North Incheon. This was ruled by the leader of Speed Fraction, Yugang Ha."
The name hung in the air, stirring faint recognition even in Hudson's eyes.
Hosan's tone shifted, laced with bitterness. "But it all changed when Yujae Seon killed him, betrayed Speed, and joined Dark Crocodile Society."
The weight of that sentence seemed to ripple outward. Both Vin Jin and Hudson stopped momentarily, their steps faltering in unison. Hudson's eyes widened, disbelief flashing across his normally cold face. His voice dropped to a low growl.
"Yujae Seon was once a member of Speed, but he betrayed and killed the former Leader of Speed… and joined Dark Crocodiles?"
Hosan's expression was grim, his nod slow and deliberate. "Yes. The current Leader of Dark Crocodile Society was a former member of Speed Fraction."
The three continued walking, each word of Hosan's digging deeper into the atmosphere like daggers. Their footsteps echoed faintly through the stone path leading away from the fountain, into narrower, more shadowed alleys where faded murals of dragons and serpents curled across cracked walls.
Hosan pressed on with his tale, his voice carrying a kind of exhausted resignation.
"After Speed's leader was killed, one by one, the rest of Speed's older members were either killed by Dark Crocodile or they ran out of here. Right now, there are only six original Speed members left, and their leader is Jaegyeon Na. And from then, the rulers of South Incheon—the Dark Crocodile Society—started to break and demolish everything in the North as disguising it all as Civil War. By the orders of Yujae Seon, to find the rest of Speed… and maybe kill them to take over all of Incheon."
Vin Jin's expression remained unreadable, his shades hiding whatever storm brewed beneath, but his tightened jaw betrayed his thoughts. Hudson, on the other hand, had been quiet too long. He finally spoke, his voice cutting through the silence like steel.
"I get the reason why South Incheon is better than North. But now, I have a thing to ask…"
His eyes locked onto Hosan, sharp and calculating, his finger extending like a spear pointing directly at the trembling man. "Why did you join Dark Crocodile, Mr. Hosan Kim?" His tone carried no warmth—only cold suspicion.
For a long moment, Hosan didn't answer. His lips pressed tightly together, his shoulders trembling. The sound of their footsteps on the stone echoed louder than before, as if amplifying his hesitation. Finally, his voice broke through, low and fragile but firm in content.
"You know… I joined Dark Crocodile… to help Speed."
Hudson's lips curled into a knowing smirk, his voice rising with a sharp confidence.
"I knew it! You were the one who gave Speed information to run?"
Vin Jin turned his head toward Hudson, momentarily shocked by the accusation. His brows furrowed, lips parting slightly as confusion etched across his usually calm face.
Hosan stopped in his tracks. He turned his head back toward Hudson, and in that moment, the nervous, trembling facade melted away. His eyes narrowed into sharp slits, his expression calm but laced with something dangerous. A faint smirk crept across his lips as he spoke in a low, deliberate tone.
"You are smart, Mr. Joongoo."
The words carried a venomous weight, and Hudson's expression froze for a split second before settling back into cold neutrality.
Then, Hosan stopped walking completely, his face tilting upward slightly, eyes gleaming with something unreadable. His voice cut through the air like a blade.
"We have reached our destined destination… the Incheon Chinatown."
The alley they walked through opened into a vast courtyard, and standing before them was a massive Chinese-style building. Its ornate design loomed high, painted red and gold with carved dragons coiled around its pillars. Lanterns swayed lightly in the wind, casting a subtle glow even in daylight. The sheer size of the place—stretching over three hundred square meters—made it clear this was no ordinary structure.
Then, a big man emerged from the shaded doorway of the building. His steps were slow yet deliberate, each one making the wooden boards beneath creak like they were carrying a ship's hull. His clothes clung unevenly to his round frame, the cheap fabric stretched tight and rolling above the swell of his stomach. The exposed flesh gleamed faintly in the dim light, and yet there was something commanding in the way he carried himself. That belly wasn't just weight—it was presence, an emblem of someone too secure to care how he looked.
He bent forward, the movement strangely elegant despite his size, his massive head lowering until the beads of sweat on his brow almost touched the ground. His voice boomed in the space, full of pride and formality.
"I, Tao Ju, a 100 squad leader, welcome Mr. Kitae Kim and…"
His words cut, his tone hesitating as his gaze slid toward Hudson. The small eyes narrowed, squinting like he was peeling apart a memory, forcing his mind to reconcile the young figure before him with some deeply embedded recollection. The pause stretched, hanging over the gathered air, until he finally spoke again with heavy weight.
"Master Joongoo Kim."
The words fell like stones, echoing in the ears of those who heard them.
Then, straightening, Tao Ju adjusted his shoulders. His lips curled into something between a grin and a grimace. He extended his broad arm with a practiced sweep, gesturing toward the open doors of the structure. His tone was ceremonious, his Korean bent awkwardly under the weight of his accent.
"Please enter the esteemed building of Dark Crocodile Society."
Vin Jin and Hudson moved forward. Each step they took was calculated, cautious, their figures like shadows drifting past the threshold. Tao Ju's thick hand lifted lazily, a wave directed behind them at Hosan.
Hudson's head tilted slightly, his sharp eyes catching the gesture. He looked back just in time to see Hosan's smirk—the kind of sly curl that carried secrets too costly to speak aloud. Hosan's figure receded, vanishing like smoke, leaving only that lingering expression etched into Hudson's mind.
Vin Jin and Hudson crossed fully into the building. From the outside, its exterior had been gaudy, flashy—an attempt to broadcast wealth and dominance with neon glows and gilded panels. But once inside, the pretense fell apart. The air was stale, tinged with dust and old wood. The walls were dull, the light faint, as though all the glitter had been nothing but bait for outsiders.
Vin Jin's eyes scanned the surroundings, his voice dry with curiosity.
"This is the Chinatown headquarters of Dark Crocodile?"
Tao Ju lumbered beside them, his steps shaking the uneven floorboards. His head bobbed, and when he spoke, his words stumbled, thick and clumsy.
"Yeesa, thhis iss Dark Krokodilles Headquarters."
His Korean was broken, fractured by foreign rhythm. The syllables clashed, each word sounding dragged through unfamiliar teeth.
Vin Jin's gaze narrowed. He tilted his chin toward Tao Ju, his question clipped, deliberate.
"How did you know that we were coming?"
The big man's lips split into a grin. His teeth showed, yellowed and uneven, but the smile wasn't empty. It carried satisfaction. He answered plainly, a single name slicing through the air.
"Hosan Kim."
The moment the name left his mouth, Vin Jin's eyes flickered, a sharp gleam flashing behind the black lenses of his glasses. His thoughts turned inward, rapid and cutting.
Hosan. That bastard. He reached them first.
Vin Jin's jaw clenched as the realization pressed down on him. He had chosen to walk through Chinatown deliberately, a choice born of calculation—stealth, secrecy, control. He hadn't wanted them alerted, hadn't wanted anyone preparing for their arrival. But now, thanks to that half-Korean, the board had been shifted, their position exposed.
His mind hissed with frustration.
I specifically asked to walk to Chinatown… because I didn't want them to know. And yet that half-blood…
The rage stayed locked in his chest, his face a mask. Only the tightening of his lips, the faint twitch at the corner of his jaw, betrayed the thought storm.
They continued down the corridor, led by Tao Ju. The path wound strangely, a labyrinth of turns and shadowed passageways. Neither Vin Jin nor Hudson truly knew where they were being taken. It was as if the building itself had been designed to disorient, to unbalance outsiders before placing them in front of their true audience.
Tao Ju's heavy eyes, however, did not stray. They lingered on Hudson, who walked slightly ahead of Vin Jin. The tall man's frame, upright and unbothered, carried a calm defiance that unsettled even Tao Ju's seasoned demeanor.
At last, Tao Ju spoke again. His words were not in Korean this time. His tongue rolled smoothly, confidently, in the fluid tones of Mandarin. The words were meant to bite, meant to sting Hudson with recognition.
"你变化很大,金仲九少爷."(You have changed a lot, Young Master Joongoo.)
Hudson's pace didn't falter. His shoulders remained square, his hands still in his pockets, his gaze steady ahead. But there was no reply. The sound fell flat against him, as if it had struck stone. Hudson hadn't understood a word. To him, it was noise—a weightless taunt drifting past his ears. Silence was his answer, whether by ignorance or choice.
Tao Ju's expression twitched, but he said nothing further. Instead, he led them down one final stretch of dim corridor. The air grew heavier with each step, the wood beneath their feet darker, older, as though they were being pulled deeper into the belly of something ancient.
At last, Tao Ju stopped in front of a thick door. His massive frame blocked most of it, but when he turned toward Vin Jin, his expression was grave, the usual smug grin wiped clean. His words came in broken Korean again, halting but clear.
"Here is where Yujae Seon has said you all to wait. He is already inside."
Vin Jin's brow arched. His head tilted slightly, suspicion sharp in his gaze. His voice was low, a single syllable cut like a blade.
"Who?"
Tao Ju blinked, as though the question itself made no sense. His brows furrowed, confusion etched into his round face. He spoke bluntly.
"Who what? He is inside."
The name followed immediately, delivered without hesitation.
"Taejin Cheon is inside."
The syllables landed like a hammer against Vin Jin's chest.
Heat rushed through his body, his blood burning hotter with each pulse. His lips curled, twisting into something darker than a smile. Something demonic flickered across his features. Slowly, deliberately, he raised his hand to his glasses. Veins bulged and coiled along his skin, the lines standing out like cords about to snap. His jaw tightened, the muscles straining, his entire face hardening into a mask of fury and menace.
The air shifted. Pressure dropped, as though the weight of the room itself had thickened. Tao Ju froze, feeling it press down on him like a sudden storm.
Vin Jin lowered his glasses just enough for his eyes to show. One eye gleamed with a single pupil, sharp and piercing. The other, unnatural, bore two pupils, both focused and unyielding. They locked onto Tao Ju with the kind of intensity that could freeze bone.
His voice came low, cold, every word crawling from his throat like ice.
"Who is inside?"
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[A/N: This chapter is the most longest chapter I have posted, 2,593 words]