A quiet area of Seoul.
The night was deep, and the streets bathed in a faint, flickering yellow glow from the old streetlights. The occasional breeze rustled the leaves, but otherwise, silence ruled the sleeping neighborhood.
Seventeen-year-old Seo Jinwoo walked alone down the middle of the empty road. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his worn black hoodie, head down, his black hair slightly messy from the long shift he'd just finished. His sneakers scraped quietly against the pavement as he walked without urgency, but also without peace.
His mind was elsewhere — full of cluttered, heavy thoughts.
"How long will it take us to become rich?" he murmured under his breath."Also... it's time for Jina to go to school, but she doesn't want to. What should I do to make her go?"
There was no one around to hear him. Maybe that was for the best.
The quiet night, however, didn't last.
Without warning, a man stepped into view just a few feet ahead — his figure emerging from the shadows like a phantom.
He wore all black, his clothes ragged and loose, his eyes gleaming with a wild light. A wide, deranged grin stretched across his face like it had been carved there. He looked like something out of a nightmare.
"Oh, I got a plaything after so long," the man hissed, licking his lips like a starving beast. "I was about to die from boredom... hehehe."
Jinwoo instinctively took a step back. His heart pounded, but he kept his expression flat. No fear. He couldn't show fear.
He said nothing.
"Hey, at least say something," the man snapped, voice laced with dangerous glee. "I don't like people who stay silent."
His tone sharpened, becoming unstable — manic.
"Tell me… Tell me, how are you feeling? Tell me how scared you are, boy. Is your heart beating fast? Tell me...!"
Jinwoo's thoughts raced.
(What should I do? He's insane. Definitely an Awakened... a villain. If I make one wrong move, I'm dead.)
The man vanished in a blink——and reappeared right in front of Jinwoo.
Jinwoo's eyes widened slightly. His body froze.
"Boy, I told you to answer me," the man growled. "Don't tell me you can't hear."
Still, Jinwoo said nothing. He just stared into the madman's eyes, unblinking.
The man's face twisted with rage.
"I told you, didn't I? I don't like people who don't want to talk!"
Smack!
A brutal fist smashed across Jinwoo's face, sending him flying through the air. His body hit the ground hard and skidded across the pavement.
Blood trickled from his lip, but he pushed himself up, teeth gritted.
(Argh… It hurts! I can't die here. If I die, who will take care of Jina? I have to do something...)
"Oh? You can still stand after taking a hit from an Awakened?" the man cackled. "Nice, nice. You're quite stro—huh?"
Jinwoo turned on his heel and bolted.
The man's laughter rang out behind him, wild and high-pitched.
"Haha! That's it! That's how you should react! Run! Struggle! Try everything to survive! That's what makes it fun! Hahaha!"
But it didn't last long.
In an instant, the man flashed ahead of him again, blocking his escape.
"Huh... so boring," he sighed, wearing an exaggerated frown. "You're so slow. Can't you run a little faster?"
Thwack!
Another punch smashed into Jinwoo's face. He flew backward again, crashing down on the asphalt with a thud. Pain exploded through his jaw.
Still—he got up.
(There's no point in running. He's too fast. I have to fight back...)
This time, Jinwoo raised his fists like a boxer. His stance wasn't perfect — but it was something.
The man laughed again.
"Hoho... are you trying to fight me now? Hehe... interesting!"
Jinwoo didn't respond. He lunged forward with a punch — the man dodged easily. He struck again, this time from the left. Another miss. Jinwoo pivoted and aimed a sharp kick to the man's stomach — but he stepped back with a casual smirk.
Jinwoo threw everything he had.
And didn't land a single hit.
Instead, he took three more punches to the gut and shoulder. His body felt heavier with every blow.
"Huff… huff…"
"Oh? Already tired?" the man grinned. "I was just getting started."
"Shut up! You crazy bastard!" Jinwoo spat, blood on his lip.
"Oh~ You can talk? I thought you couldn't," the man said mockingly. "Even in this kind of situation, you're not begging? Most people would be screaming by now... but you're fighting back?"
"Even if I do that, you won't let me go, will you? So why would I do unnecessary things?"
The man's eyes glimmered with delight.
"Hahaha... Really! I really like you! But, you know… if you beg me, I might just let you live."
"Huh? Really? Then let me go."
"Hehe… although your tone was different, you did ask me to let you go in the end."He licked his lips. "Sorry, boy. But I can't. You've already seen my face. So… I can't let you live."
Crack!The man grabbed Jinwoo's face and slammed it into the pavement.
Then came the punches.
Fist after fist after fist — raining down like a storm, smashing Jinwoo's face, his ribs, his chest. He couldn't even scream. He couldn't move. He was drowning in pain and blood, his vision blurring with each blow.
But in that moment...
He wasn't thinking about the pain.
He was thinking of his sister Seo Jina.
(What will she do after I'm gone? Who will take care of her? She's only ten… she can't live on her own. No... Not like this. I don't want to leave her alone. Not before she grows up.)
Tears welled up in his eyes — not from the pain, but from the helplessness.But the tears were lost in the blood that covered his face.
The punches didn't stop.
And finally, the last one hit — right on the neck.
Silence.
Jinwoo stopped moving.
"Huff... Huff... This bastard couldn't even handle that much," the man muttered, brushing blood off his knuckles. "What a shame. I lost another plaything."
With a disappointed shake of his head, the man turned and disappeared into the night.
Left behind on the cold street...
...was a broken body.
Seo Jinwoo, 17 years old.
Dead. Alone. Covered in blood.