The afternoon slowly faded, like a curtain pulled by invisible hands. The city changed its face.
Suhyeon walked in silence, blending with the night.
His entire body was cloaked in black: a loose hoodie hiding the gleam of his eyes, a mask covering half his face, and thin gloves that absorbed the light.
"Same as always… time to gain more experience."
The system buzzed softly in his mind, as if sharing his excitement. Suhyeon stopped at the intersection of two forgotten streets. He observed a group of students joking, confident and oblivious.
They had gathered in an irregular circle in front of a closed store. At first, they seemed like simple night-time troublemakers, drinking cheap alcohol and laughing like idiots.
But when Suhyeon narrowed his eyes, something in the center of the group caught his attention. A slender figure, forced to kneel, with loose hair and a wrinkled uniform.
"A girl? No, wait… it's… Baek Chaerin!" he thought.
The same girl who, until recently, had been watching him from a distance in the school hallways.
Her face was bruised, one cheek red, her gaze downcast, yet firm. A fool shoved her shoulder while another laughed with a nasal snicker.
"What's the matter, little one? Quiet now?" said the biggest one, as the others laughed.
Then the system activated a notification.
— — — [System] — — —
Rescue Baek Chaerin from her abusers [0/6]
Reward: 1 golden card.
— — — — — — — — —
The expression that had remained neutral for days—maybe weeks—suddenly changed. My eyes darkened; not from the shadow of the hood, but from something deeper, visceral.
Pupils contracted, jaw tightened. And when I saw Chaerin's face, a twisted, sick smile spread across my lips, like a crack splitting my face in two.
"Bastards… motherfuckers."
My fists clenched so hard that the veins in my neck and face popped out, sliding under my skin like snakes.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
I didn't care about the mission.
I didn't care about the reward.
I didn't even think about the system.
"At that moment, there was only one thing on my mind: Baek Chaerin.
That girl with the dry gaze and few words, who watched me with both suspicion and curiosity at the same time. I'd spent little time with her, yes… but it was enough.
Enough to notice how different she was from the rest. The way she stayed… even when she had every reason to leave.
"Those bastards…" I spat through my teeth.
"They laid hands on her."
I bent my head slightly; my hair fell over my forehead, but my eyes remained fixed.
In a second, I was running toward them, the hood shaking and rage pushing me like gasoline on fire.
"Now you'll learn…"
…what happens when you touch what I cherish.
The first to notice me was the one closest to Chaerin. He turned with a stupid smile still on his lips.
"Who the—?"
I didn't finish the sentence. My fist shattered his jaw with a dry crack, twisted his head to the side with a grotesque snap. He fell to the ground like a broken doll, spitting teeth and blood before he could scream.
[1/6]
The others froze in shock, but I didn't give them time. I drove my fist into the second guy's stomach so hard that he vomited blood before collapsing. He doubled over, squealing like a pig, and I already had his head in my hands.
"YOU DON'T DESERVE A SINGLE FUCKING CARD!" I shouted and slammed his face into the concrete.
One. Two. Three.
The sidewalk was stained. His face would be crushed.
[2/6]
The third pulled out a stick. Too late. I kicked his knee, and something snapped. He fell to his knees, screaming. I snatched the stick without thinking.
"You think this makes you strong?" I said, and slammed it into his face.
I continued until the screams died and he stopped moving. The stick bent against his skull.
[3/6]
Another guy burst in, shouting, a rusty knife in hand. He slashed my arm. I didn't feel it; I just looked at him.
"You… dared?" he said, voice broken.
I grabbed his wrist and twisted it until I heard the bone snap. The knife flew from his hand. I kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall among shattered glass.
I stood over him and pressed my sneaker into his face.
[4/6]
The other two tried to run.
"You think you have the right to escape…?"
One tripped, the other let out an unintelligible scream. I caught them, grabbed one by the neck, pressing my thumb against his trachea until he stopped moving.
[5/6]
The last one fell to the ground, trembling and sobbing. "Please… no… it wasn't my idea…" he stammered.
My shadow completely covered him. "Did you beg too when they forced her to kneel?"
"No, I didn't—"
"Then die anyway."
I threw him against the corroded metal column, the impact sounding like flesh smashing into scrap. Blood gushed, teeth flew, and a torn howl rose among the metal.
[6/6]
"…"
— — — [System] — — —
Mission Complete: Rescue Baek Chaerin from her abusers [6/6]
Reward: 1 golden card.
— — — — — — — — —
"…"
The sound of my screams had already spread farther than I could imagine down the street.
The blood was still warm on my knuckles, and I barely remembered how to breathe.
I didn't hear the system. I didn't care.
Baek Chaerin was still there, kneeling among the defeated bodies, her gaze lost on the ground, as if she still didn't understand what had just happened. Her hair covered part of her face, but I could see the dried blood on her cheek, the tremble of her lips.
And something inside me… broke.
Without saying a word, I slowly raised my hands.
First, I removed the hood hiding my face, then lowered the mask, letting the cold night air hit my sweat-soaked skin. I no longer had to hide.
Chaerin lifted her gaze at the exact moment the mask fell from my hands. Our eyes met: hers, crystallized and filled with unbearable sadness; mine, still stained with rage.
Without thinking, I knelt beside her and hugged her, like someone who couldn't let that sorrow go alone. At first, she didn't react, but when she did, she leaned into my chest and sank into it.
Her fingers clung desperately to my jacket, as if I were the only anchor in a collapsing world. She buried her face in my neck and then broke into tears.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, almost inaudibly. "I… I couldn't…"
"It's over," I murmured, throat tight. "Chaerin. No one will hurt you again. I swear… on what's left of my soul."
Her sobs began to subside, but her body still trembled, as if the invisible wounds refused to heal.
Part of me wanted to go back, gather the bodies, and destroy them again for what they'd done… but at that moment, only she mattered. Carefully, I moved slightly, attentive to her breathing, ready to hold her until the trembling ceased.
I placed my hand on her head and gently combed her hair, moving the strands off her forehead.
It was a small gesture.
But it had an immediate impact on her. Her eyes opened, trembling, as if she didn't understand why… I was being so kind.
"You're safe," I whispered softly, almost inaudible. "I'll take care of everything now."
I took off my black jacket, still warm from my body heat, and carefully draped it over her shoulders, hiding her torn uniform. Then I knelt in front of her and offered my back.
"Come on. I'll take you home."
At first, she didn't move. But after a moment of hesitation, I felt her arms wrap lightly around my neck. With a gentle push, I hoisted her onto my back.
Her chin rested on my shoulder, and although she tried to hide it… she kept crying silently.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered a second time.
And I only replied in my mind: "You don't have to apologize."
I walked under the silent night with her on my back, the streets of Gangbuk stretching out before us… thinking no one had seen.
Some students, a few passersby, maybe a curious night worker… all had frozen, hidden in alleys or behind posts, from the moment the screams shattered the silence.
And while my fists sank into flesh and blood splashed walls like grotesque brushstrokes, someone recorded. A trembling phone, a camera trying to focus despite the movement. And just as my fury peaked, I screamed:
"YOU DON'T DESERVE A SINGLE FUCKING CARD!"
The video spread in minutes: first among West Gangbuk students, then other high schools, and eventually it became impossible to stop.
Thus the nickname was born.
"The Card Breaker."
Or, as a Japanese student who uploaded the video to social media called him:
"Fuda Yaburi."
A phrase that spread like wildfire across forums, comments, and screens. No one knew if he was a hero or a psychopath. Some began to fear him, others admired the overwhelming strength he had shown.