White Tiger Job Center
"Why did you hold back against that kid during the interview? Did you like him that much?" A muscular man with a receding hairline and glasses asked Tom Lee.
Tom Lee took a sip of his coffee and laughed. "Hoho. Did I hurt our Yeongcheol's feelings?"
Yeongcheol shook his head. "I'm just curious. It's not like you."
Tom Lee laughed again. "Hoho. The reason is simple. I wanted the kid in. That kid is unique. If he learns how to work just a bit, he'll become the ace of the White Tiger Forces."
Yeongcheol asked, "Why did you give him such a dangerous task at the very beginning? Wouldn't it be bad if he's poached by the others?"
Tom Lee laughed thunderously. "Hohoho. That kid isn't like that. I could tell by looking into his eyes—he's a bonafide fighter. He joined us to fight. So I gave him the opportunity to fight to his heart's content."
---
"Do you think I'll go down after coming this far?!" A lean, muscular man threw a jab at Baki. Baki dodged by slightly tilting his head to the side. "Seong Nam-shin, you killed 15 people and wounded 19. Seems you've been on the run for quite a while now," Baki said as he performed a shoulder throw on Seong Nam-shin, forcing all the air out of him.
Seong hurled a trash can at Baki, but Baki easily dodged. "It's bad if you do this, you know? I have other places I need to be," Baki said as he dodged a roundhouse kick. He grabbed Seong's leg and flipped him onto the ground.
Seeing that he wasn't getting up, Baki took out a tranquilizer and pressed it into Seong's neck.
"Sheesh! How do people like him even commit murder? As much as I want to kill him right now... it's not my job. With skills like this, he's going to end up dead in the arena anyway." Baki mused as he took out his checklist and put a tick mark next to Seong Nam-shin's name.
Two men wearing black suits grabbed the body and hurled it into the back of a van. It had been almost three months since he was contracted by the Lucky Casino. During this time, he'd been traveling all around South Korea, capturing criminals. Though he wasn't quite certain how they located each criminal that even the police had yet to find.
He took out the photo of his next target. This target was somewhat interesting—an ex-South Korean marine. For some reason, he'd been expelled from the marines. Though his real name was Li Maeng-Ho, he was called the "Flame Tiger."
---
Hayan Taekwondo
Baki stood in front of the dojo. His target often came here. After waiting for a while, he found that it was getting dark and his target had yet to arrive, so he entered the dojo.
Inside, the dojo was mostly empty. Suddenly, a man in his mid-forties approached Baki.
"Hey, young man. I've been watching you for quite a long time. Are you perhaps waiting for someone?"
Baki was startled when the old man approached him. Moreover, the man spoke in Japanese.
"I'm waiting for a friend. Who are you, old man?"
Hansu Seong laughed at being addressed as an old man. "Hahahah, how rude of me not to introduce myself. I'm Hansu Seong, the Taekwondo teacher here."
The reason he'd approached the young man in front of him was because he could feel the sheer aura the young man was radiating. It had been quite a while since he'd met such a remarkable young man.
Baki scratched his head. "Well, I'm Baki, Baki Hanma. If there's nothing else, I'd like to leave now." Saying this, Baki started to leave. But Hansu Seong grabbed him. "Wait a moment, young man! Since you've come this far, why not learn a bit more about Taekwondo? Life is hectic nowadays, isn't it? Learning a bit about fighting can help you out greatly from time to time."
Though Baki wasn't convinced, seeing the expression on the old man's face, he was a little reluctant to turn him down. Since his target hadn't appeared here anyway, there was no rush today.
"Old man, you gotta be careful not to damage your old bones, okay?"
Hansu Seong's eyes crinkled with amusement. "Hohoho, you're quite the cheeky one, aren't you? Don't worry about these old bones—they've weathered far worse storms than a sparring session with a youngster."
He led Baki to the center of the dojo. As they took their positions, Hansu's demeanor shifted subtly.
"Before we begin, let me ask you something," Hansu said, stretching his shoulders. "What do you know about Taekwondo?"
Baki shrugged. "Flashy kicks. Lots of spinning. Good for tournaments."
Hansu laughed again. "Ah, the typical response. Most people see the sport aspect and think that's all there is to it. But let me show you something... the Taekwondo that was meant for survival, not points."
Without warning, Hansu's leg whipped out in a low kick aimed at Baki's lead leg. It was fast—far faster than someone his age should be capable of. Baki barely managed to check it, feeling the impact reverberate through his shin.
"This old man..." Baki's eyes widened slightly. "He's no joke."
"Your reaction time is excellent," Hansu observed, already resetting his stance. "But you're too used to fighting with your hands. In Taekwondo, we say the legs are the longest weapons—why wouldn't you use them?"
He demonstrated with a series of kicks—a quick front kick, a roundhouse that seemed to materialize from nowhere, and a spinning back kick that cut through the air like a whip.
Baki found himself genuinely interested now. After his fight with James Lee, he had deemed Taekwondo a pretty boy fighting style, but now that Hansu Seong was performing it, it felt different.
"Alright, old man," Baki grinned, settling into his stance. "Show me what you've got."
---
Meanwhile, across town, Tom Lee was reviewing documents in his office when his phone rang.
"Boss, it's about the new recruit—Baki Hanma," Yeongcheol's voice came through. "He's been making excellent progress on the assignments. Seventeen targets captured in three months, all delivered alive as requested. But there's something interesting..."
"Hoho? What is it?"
"He was spotted at Hayan Taekwondo today. That's Hansu Seong's dojo."
Tom Lee set down his coffee, his expression shifting to one of genuine interest. "Hansu Seong... now that's a name I haven't heard in a while. What's the kid doing there?"
"Unknown. He was tracking Li Maeng-Ho, the 'Flame Tiger,' who was supposed to be there. But the target never showed. Instead, Baki went inside and met with Master Seong directly."
Tom Lee leaned back in his chair, a broad smile spreading across his face. "Hohoho! How interesting! That old monster is still teaching, is he? Keep an eye on this. If Hansu Seong takes an interest in the kid, things might get very interesting indeed."
"Should I intervene if necessary?"
"No, no," Tom Lee waved his hand dismissively despite being on the phone. "Let it play out naturally. The kid needs to grow. Besides..." His eyes gleamed behind his glasses. "I'm curious to see how far he's really come."