He twisted the knob of the door and stepped out. He grabbed the hoodie and pulled it lower; fingers tugged the mask till it fit tight on his face.
He was making sure there would be no mistake, and most of his face was hidden behind the mask properly.
The street was quiet near his house, with only a few lamps buzzing. He walked fast, not looking back, his hands deep in the hoodie pocket.
The club was not far. About 2 kilometres. Near Hongdae.
He checked his watch — 8 PM. Early, but not too early. He pulled out the old wallet from his pocket. Coins rattled inside, with a few notes folded. Enough for one side cab. Not enough to come back from Hongdae.
"Shit…" he muttered under the mask, lips pressing tight.
He sighed.
But then he thought, 'Better reach there first.' To come back, he'll think later.
He didn't want to call a cab near his house; it was too risky. So he walked. About 500 metres away from his home location.
He walked till his legs felt far enough from his house, then stopped near the row of shops. Behind him the lights glowed bright, buzzing.
From the front glass of the supermarket, he could see people moving inside. Some pushing carts, some picking rice bags, some checking vegetables. Next to it a small clothing shop, shirts hanging on hooks, two girls giggling while holding dresses against their bodies.
Laughter spilt out, mixed with the sound of doors sliding open and shut. Plastic bags swinging, people walking out, their faces full of nothing but normal life.
Hyun Woo stood on the footpath, hood low, mask tight. The world behind him was glowing, busy, and warm.
He raised his arm, waving. A cab slowed down, and the cab driver pulled near the footpath.
Hyun Woo opened the back door and slid inside.
The driver adjusted the rear mirror, eyes checking the boy in the back. Black hoodie, mask covering his face, only eyes showing, sharp and dark. His black hair was messed under the hood.
"Where to?" the driver asked, voice flat.
For a second Hyun thought about using the new skill to blur the driver's memory. His fingers even twitched. But then he shook his head. He couldn't. Every skill had the cooldown.
He needs to activate them strategically, not spam them.
"Karaoke club, near Hongdae," Hyun Woo said, his voice low under the mask.
The driver nodded and turned the key. The cab rolled out, streetlights passing one by one on the window glass.
Fifteen minutes later the cab stopped. Hyun Woo pulled some bills from his wallet, enough for the ride, and stepped out. The night air hit his face, cool under the hood.
He turned his head, and there it was. The club.
Neon lights flashing on the sign, music leaking faintly from the doors every time they opened, people going in and out, laughing loudly, already drunk.
His heart should have been pounding. The old him would never stand here.
The old Hyun Woo couldn't even imagine stepping into a club like this. He would've run away, head down, hiding in his room, maybe turning on a game instead.
But now… he laughed. Quiet, to himself. He was smiling inside the mask.
His chest felt hot, not nervous, but excited. It was strange. He almost wanted to go in and sing a song on the mic, like it was nothing.
The neon lights of the Karaoke Club signboard are flickering. Hyun Woo pulled his hood lower and stepped in.
The first thing was the front desk. A woman sat there with a bored look, phone in hand, barely raising her eyes when the door opened.
At that moment—
[ Judge Eye Activated ]
[ Scanning… ]
[ Surveillance detected. ]
His vision flashed gold for a second. The corners of his eyes burnt, and glowing marks appeared on the ceiling in his view.
Small boxes, golden outlines. Each one showed where a CCTV camera was fixed.
One at the entrance, right above the desk, behind the reception desk.
Another down the hallway, tilted toward the rooms.
Two more at the far end, covering the stairs.
Behind her, a small CCTV camera blinked red, staring at everyone who came in.
The air smelt of smoke and cheap alcohol, with music leaking from the closed doors of the rooms.
Hyun Woo's eyes narrowed. He could already see all the CCTV in his vision, highlighted with a golden outline, marking the structure of the CCTV.
He pulled his hood lower, pressed his mask firm, and whispered under his breath.
"Let's see if this works…"
[ Skill Activated: Crowd Seal ]
[ Skill Activated: Echo Mask ]
The cameras were still there, still recording, but his shape was wrong in them.
His face looked blurred, like someone smudged the lens. The more he walked, the blur followed, like he didn't really have a face at all.
At the desk, the receptionist lifted her eyes once.
For a second she blinked, then her brain just… slid over him. In her eyes it wasn't a boy in a hoodie.
It was an old man, slow steps, nothing special. Her memory twisted, fuzzy, like he was never really there or was there but she could not tell.
Her head lowered, and her fingers were back at the phone.
Hyun Woo smirked under the mask. 'Perfect.'
Hyun Woo walked down the hallway. Both sides had doors.
Inside, people were shouting into mics and laughing, clapping hands, and bottles were all over the tables. Some voices cracked loud, some just drunk singing.
He didn't care. His steps were steady, one after another, straight to the room where Seok and his gang were enjoying the night by using the same money which they extort from students.
He already knew. Seok and his dogs always picked the same place, like it was their throne.
The noise of other rooms hit his ears, but his eyes didn't move. His legs just carried him closer, closer.
Hyun Woo stood in front of the door for a moment, his hand tight on the knob. Then he twisted it slowly and pushed it open.
The smell of smoke hit him first. Cigarette smoke mixed with alcohol. The air was filled with the smoke of cigarettes.
Inside, Min-jae was on all four limbs, like a table.
His back bent down, his arms shaking. Seok sat on the couch, but both his legs were resting on Min-jae's back as if he were a dog.
Seok's shirt collar is open, his lips are pressing the cigarette, and he is dragging on the puff of the cigarette and letting the smoke out in the room.
Seok laughed and puffed the smoke right into Min-jae's hair. "Good dog. Don't move."
One of his lackeys stood near the mic, voice cracking loud as he sang. The sound system made it worse – too sharp, with the voice stretching and breaking. He swung the mic like a star, jumping a little, shouting the lyrics off-beat.
Empty bottles were all over the table, snacks were half eaten, and a glass was rolling with leftover drink. The room was filthy, full of smoke, noise, and laughter.
Kim Jae-ho stood near the mic, his voice cracking loudly as he sang.
The speaker made it worse, sharp and broken, his singing off-beat.
He swung the mic like he was on stage, head shaking, voice too high one second and too low the next.
Alcohol bottles were lying on the floor.
Snacks were thrown down like trash, crushed under their shoes. A packet of cigarettes sat right on Min-jae's back, like he was nothing but a table.
Seok took a long puff, his lips curling. He tilted the cigarette and tapped it, letting the ash fall straight on Min-jae's hair, shoulders, and skin. Like he was using him as an ashtray.
Kim Jae-ho laughed between the lines of his awful singing. "Look at him, hyung; even the dog is useful for something."