In Jihyeon's apartment, sitting on the floor since there was only one couch, Chulwoo and he shared a conversation that wasn't exactly comfortable. The atmosphere was sober, almost tactical.
"So, to make it clear, like I told you before, you have to meet Jaemin at that place."
Chulwoo frowned.
"Why? I don't see the need."
Jihyeon shrugged.
"Well, pretty much tonight you'll have to fight someone. Just show your worth, right?"
Chulwoo looked at him in disbelief.
"What the hell? You want me to go fight? Against who? Jaemin?"
Jihyeon shook his head. He pressed his finger against the floor, as if marking a point.
"Manchoon Yook."
Chulwoo blinked.
"That gorilla? Why the hell do I have to hit him?"
With a serious and expectant face, Jihyeon replied.
"Let's just say that night, someone will be desperately looking for a new representative," Jihyeon explained. "I doubt you'll qualify for that, but who knows… maybe they'll find you interesting enough to join a certain group. So you'll have to show off a little. You only have to beat him. No one else."
Chulwoo narrowed his eyes.
"What about his crew? You know there's a bunch of them, right?"
Jihyeon said casually.
"Just worry about what I told you. I'll handle the rest."
Chulwoo looked at him suspiciously.
"You bastard… why are you so confident? You're not going to do anything too crazy, right?"
Jihyeon sighed and said,
"Only what's necessary. But tell me, have you been training?"
Chulwoo smiled with a cocky air.
"Yeah. I'm stronger now."
Jihyeon looked at him intensely.
"Then you won't lose, right? Because if you do… I'll have to drop you."
Chulwoo stood up, adjusting his jacket.
"I'll win. Just wait."
And with that, he left the apartment.
...
Later, Chulwoo arrived at the place where Jaemin had said they'd meet. He was walking down the alley when he saw Dowan talking with Jaemin. As he approached, Jaemin greeted him with a smile.
"Oh, so you came after all."
Dowan looked at him, a bit nervous, but Chulwoo just snorted.
"I just came to have some fun."
Jaemin nodded, satisfied.
"The girls are already here."
There were three of them. One with black hair, another with brown, and the last one… a cold beauty. She had short brown hair, pale skin, and a distant expression. Dowan stared at her like a fool, completely mesmerized. Jaemin was chatting with the other two girls, who were quite friendly.
Chulwoo observed her closely. He had to admit it—she was really beautiful. Compared to the girls that idiot usually brought around, this one was the best. Well, I said I came to have fun, even though that was a lie… but maybe this isn't so bad after all.
He approached the short-haired girl.
"You're pretty hot. What's your name?"
She looked at him as if she were seeing an insect or the most disgusting being in the world. Her voice was cold, cutting.
"I'm not interested."
Chulwoo was stunned. This girl… she's really cold, huh?
He was about to say something else, but Jaemin interrupted.
"Alright, since we're all here… let's go."
And with that, they all headed to the karaoke.
Inside the room, the atmosphere was lively. There was food everywhere, drinks on the table, and music playing in the background.
Dowan was sitting next to Jaemin, visibly nervous. He wondered if all this was okay. How was something like this even possible for a high school student?
Jaemin, seeing Dowan's nervousness, said casually,
"Don't worry. The older brother of a friend works here. The guys who hang around the area often come to drink."
Dowan relaxed a little.
"Oh, then it's fine… hehe."
He laughed awkwardly, trying to fit in.
Jaemin smiled.
"Dowan, why aren't you drinking?"
He handed him a glass.
Chulwoo, sitting on the other side, watched the scene with disdain.
"Are you stupid? Just by looking at his face, you can tell he doesn't drink that stuff."
He grabbed the glass meant for Dowan and downed it in one go. With a look of contempt.
"If you don't want to drink, then don't, idiot."
He glared at him with barely contained anger. After all, that same guy had beaten him… and now he was acting like a stupid, nervous loser.
Jaemin shrugged, calming down.
"Come on, you should've said so, Dowan. As compensation, order whatever you want. Don't worry about the money, I'll pay tonight."
"Thanks," said Dowan, a bit more relaxed.
Jaemin stretched and looked toward the door.
"Though it's about time my wallet showed up…"
Dowan thought: What is this guy talking about?
Just then, the door opened. A short boy walked in, timid, with his shoulders hunched.
"Oh, perfect timing. Jihan, did you pay?"
Jihan, with his head down, replied quietly,
"I told them to give us two more hours…"
Jaemin's smile vanished, replaced by an annoyed expression.
"Idiot, do you think that's enough?"
"I'm sorry, Jaemin…" Jihan apologized, head down.
"Aren't you a little slow to get things? Hahaha…"
Chulwoo watched curiously. He vaguely remembered Jaemin always having someone who acted as his wallet. So this was the guy.
Jaemin turned to Dowan.
"Do you know him?"
Dowan shook his head.
"Not really."
Chulwoo looked at him like he was an idiot. He didn't consider himself a genius, but he remembered seeing that guy in the same class. How does Dowan not know him? How clueless can he be?
Jaemin laughed.
"Come, Jihan. I'll introduce you. You're drinking too, right?"
Jihan sat next to Dowan. Jaemin handed him a glass.
"Say hi, don't be shy. This is Dowan, and this is Jihan."
Chulwoo was already bored. The girls seemed uninterested, especially the cold one. I don't know why, but she looks at us like we're trash… and it pisses me off. And that idiot Dowan, he's a moron… and now another nerd.
Suddenly, Chulwoo's eyes widened slightly, nervous.
"Wait… calm down… it can't be possible, right?"
Dowan was a delivery boy and beat me up, like he had some hidden power. Then there's Jihyeon, who was also a loser but ended up hitting me too. And now this guy? Is he another one hiding his power?
With that thought, Chulwoo paid more attention to Jihan. But nothing interesting happened.
Jaemin, with a sly smile, spilled his drink on Jihan's pants.
"Oops, sorry, my bad. But why'd you wear such light-colored pants? Now it looks like you pissed yourself. Hahaha…"
Jihan lowered his head.
"Seems like I unnecessarily wore this kind of pants… I'm sorry…"
Chulwoo was expectant. Is he going to attack? Is he going to show something? But in the end, nothing happened.
One of the girls said,
"Hey, Jaemin, you should sing too."
Jaemin laughed.
"Nah, I don't sing. I'll just drink."
Then, with a grin,
"Hmm, whatever. I'll sing a ballad for once."
"Eww… ballads are the worst. The fun's going to die," said the girl.
As if struck by a brilliant idea, Jaemin made a somewhat sinister face.
"Oh yeah? Then while I sing, it'll be fun to watch Jihan dance, right?"
"You're insane! Hahaha, don't tell him to do that kind of thing."
"No, he likes dancing. Right, Jihan?"
Chulwoo thought.
Here it is… that's the moment. Just look at his face… he went from a loser to someone serious.
Jihan looked at Jaemin with a firm expression.
Noticing that look, Jaemin put on a cruel, threatening face.
"Jihan, why are you looking at me like that? You're making me look bad in front of the girls…"
Jihan lowered his head again and stood up.
"I'll dance."
Chulwoo looked confused. So that guy's not strong? But I'm sure his face changed…
Jaemin looked pleased and happy.
"As expected. Jihan, you're so cool."
The girls laughed. Siyeon kept scrolling on her phone, not paying attention.
Jihan began to dance. Dowan went to the bathroom. Then the girls went to fix their makeup. In the room, only Chulwoo, Jihan, and Jaemin remained.
Jaemin asked for Jihan's pants. He was about to hand them over.
Chulwoo watched everything. Maybe that guy wasn't strong after all… He sighed.
"Hey, Jaemin… since when are your friends such losers?"
"Huh?" Jaemin replied.
Chulwoo scowled.
"This isn't fun, bastard. You said it would be fun. You've just been showing off in front of the girls, you piece of shit."
Jaemin got angry, stepped forward.
"You think you're better than me now? Remember, you got beaten by your errand boy."
Chulwoo stood up, furious.
"Say that again, bastard."
"You think I won't? You're just a los..."
Chulwoo interrupted him with a kick to the thigh. Then stepped forward and kneed him in the face. Jaemin fell, bleeding.
"Who's the loser, idiot? It's true I lost to an errand boy… but that's not you, right?"
The door opened. Dowan came in, confused.
"What the hell?"
"They had a fight…" Jihan said quietly.
Chulwoo, seeing Dowan return, looked at him mockingly.
"Hey, idiot, why don't you leave? The party's over."
"Oh, I get it, you want to stay with the girls?"
Dowan blushed.
"No… that's not it…"
The conversation was cut short. The door opened again, and it wasn't the girls.
A man appeared. Well, if you could call him that. He looked like a grown gangster, big, with clothes stained in blood.
"Had some problems… but I finally made it."
But seeing Jaemin on the floor, he frowned.
"Who's the bastard that did this?"
Manchoon filled the room with silent menace.
Chulwoo saw him and smiled inside. Bingo. Target identified. He walked toward him.
"It was me. Got a problem?" he said without hesitation, staring straight at him.
Manchoon growled.
"What did you say? You wanna die, bastard?"
Not even a second later, Manchoon lunged. A brutal, direct punch. Chulwoo barely dodged, keeping his distance. Though his voice sounded confident, he knew that a few of Manchoon's hits could be dangerous—or even knock him out cold.
He took advantage of the space and countered. A quick, sharp punch. But Manchoon didn't even flinch. He charged again with a roar and threw another punch. Chulwoo dodged and kicked his thigh. But it did nothing. Didn't even tickle.
Manchoon grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground like he weighed nothing. Chulwoo reacted instantly, pushed off with both legs, and kicked him directly in the jaw. The impact echoed. He took the chance, grabbed the first thing on the table, and smashed it against the giant's leg.
Manchoon growled, furious. The next hit was like a falling wall. It landed square on Chulwoo's torso. He flew back, air bursting from his lungs, pain spreading through his body.
Without wasting time, Manchoon approached, grabbed his face, and slammed it against the floor. Chulwoo gasped, blood filling his mouth.
A few meters away, Jihan spoke nervously, in a low voice.
"Is it okay if we leave?"
Dowan didn't answer. His eyes were on Chulwoo, but his mind was elsewhere. On the system mission—he didn't want another consequence for failing. But Chulwoo had knocked out Jaemin. Would it count if he hit him while unconscious?
Dowan had to take the risk. There was no time left. He grabbed a microphone. Jaemin was still out cold. Without thinking too much, he smashed it over the boy's head. Then exhaled in relief when the mission completed notification appeared.
Meanwhile, Chulwoo broke free. He charged again but only feigned a direct attack, switching his stance at the last second. A sharp kick to the liver.
Manchoon grunted, tried to grab him, but Chulwoo lowered his stance and spun, striking the inner side of his knee with the sole of his foot.
The blow made him buckle. Finally, some effect.
Chulwoo didn't hesitate. He spun again and launched an upward kick straight to the ear. The sound was dry, brutal. Manchoon screamed and fell to the floor, clutching his head as blood began to stream down his neck.
Chulwoo pounced on him and started punching over and over. Fist after fist. No pause. No mercy. When he noticed the body had stopped moving, he stopped. Manchoon's face was unrecognizable—a bloody, swollen mess.
Chulwoo slowly stood up, breathing hard. He looked at Dowan and Jihan.
"What's wrong? Got something to say?"
"N-no… nothing…" both answered almost in unison, avoiding his gaze.
Dowan muttered,
"Cruel bastard…"
The girls came back soon after. Two of them were pale with fear. Siyeon, however, was the same as always. She looked at Dowan, then Jihan, and finally at Chulwoo. Her gaze stopped on Manchoon's body, then returned to him. She narrowed her eyes, as if evaluating something.
Chulwoo's phone vibrated. A message.
Jihyeon:Are you done? Go to the hallway. Don't be late.
Chulwoo pocketed the phone without replying. He crossed the room with a calm stride, leaving behind a heavy silence.