"Max! Derrick!" Sally cried out at the sight of their bloodied forms.
"Found you," Eli suddenly whispered behind Sally's ear.
"Huh! Eli!" Sally gasped, shocked by the blood covering him. She immediately understood who was responsible for Max and Derrick's condition.
With a pained expression, Eli chanted, "Come out. Come out." Just as he was about to punch Sally, Sujin threw herself between them. But Eli didn't stop or slow down.
The punch connected with a face—but not Sujin's. Vin Jin removed his shattered glasses, his expression contorting into something monstrous.
"You can't hurt her. You can't hurt her. YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU CAN'T HURT SUJIN!" Vin Jin roared like a madman.
He pulled Sujin aside, with Sally next to her. Suddenly Warren entered the scene. Seeing the bloodied Max and Derrick, anger surged within him. Thankfully, Sally wasn't hurt—otherwise he might have lost his mind. "Sally, are you okay?!" he asked, but Sally was too shocked to speak. Seeing that he'd missed his target, Eli started walking toward Sally and Sujin.
But Vin Jin stood in between.
"Before I beat you up, I wanna ask you one thing. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?"
A pained expression flashed across Eli's face. "But... I am it."
Warren also grasped the situation and moved toward Eli. Sally, realizing that Eli might have been abused through twisted games of hide-and-seek in his past, shouted at Warren, "Warren! Wait!"
But Warren already knew that Eli's behavior might stem from trauma.
"Whatever the story is, I can't let someone who tried to hurt you... get away with it," Warren said without looking back.
Vin Jin and Warren stood side by side, facing Eli.
Vin Jin lunged forward, gripping Eli's collar, and with a sharp twist of his hips, slammed Eli hard onto the ground. The impact rattled the floor.
"What happened? Not getting up anymore?" Vin Jin sneered.
"I don't want to fight you. There's nothing to gain from you," Eli replied, staring at the ceiling.
"Oh, I see. You don't fight unless there's something to gain," Vin Jin sneered.
"If you win, I'll give you anything you want. If I win... you get the fuck out of here."
Hearing this, Eli stood up. "You'll give me anything I want...?"
"Yeah, but that won't matter, 'cause I'm gonna beat you up anyway," Vin Jin replied.
Eli began removing his shirt. "Then I've gotta fight."
Seeing the plethora of wounds covering his body, everyone exclaimed in shock.
"What the hell...? His body... What happened to him? Is that a bullet wound? How old was he? Fifteen?"
Eli rushed forward and clawed at Vin Jin's face, nails raking skin.
But Vin Jin grabbed Eli's collarbone and, with a sharp twist of his hips, slammed him hard onto the ground with a judo throw. The impact rattled the floor.
Eli tried to sink his teeth into Vin Jin's forearm, but Warren stormed in with a straight punch to Eli's jaw. Eli rolled back but immediately scrambled to his feet, spitting blood.
"If I lose... I can't have it?" Eli wheezed. "I... get whatever I want."
He lunged low, punching Warren in the groin before Warren could brace himself. Warren staggered, breath stolen. Eli then tried to jam a knee into Vin Jin's groin, forcing a grunt from him.
"You bastard!" Vin Jin growled.
But Vin Jin recovered fast, sweeping Eli's legs and slamming him into the concrete. Warren didn't miss the chance—he stomped down hard on Eli's chest. The floor cracked faintly under the sheer force.
With animal ferocity, Eli clawed at Warren's ankle, twisting it brutally and forcing Warren to stumble. In that moment, Eli hurled a wild elbow backward into Vin Jin's nose. A sickening crack echoed as blood poured down Vin Jin's face.
Warren, regaining his footing, tackled Eli into the wall, smashing his skull against it. Eli retaliated by biting Warren's shoulder, tearing into flesh like a beast. Warren howled but didn't let go.
Vin Jin approached. Together, he and Warren pulled Eli forward.
Vin Jin wrapped Eli's arm and torso in a crushing clinch, locking him in place. Warren wound up his fist, veins bulging, and hammered Eli's ribs with a flurry of brutal blows.
But Eli lashed out one last time. His head whipped forward, crashing into Vin Jin's brow. His fist shot out, catching Warren in the jaw. Both staggered.
The three stood there, bloodied.
Then—
"NOW!" Warren shouted.
He and Vin Jin launched forward at once, driving their punches straight into Eli's face. Eli did the same.
Suddenly, a tall man with long hair came between them. It was Seongji Yuk. Warren and Vin Jin immediately stopped. But Eli didn't. Just as his punch was about to connect with Seongji, the man caught Eli's entire fist within his palm.