26: Incheon [I]
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Incheon – 17 Hours Before Yuujin's Arrival.
Kitae Kim's dead eyes lingered on the broken car for a moment before he turned, staring at the collapsed storefronts and burned-out signs. His massive body cast a shadow over the cracked asphalt, wooden ax dangling in one hand, dried blood still caked along the blade.
The other doors clicked open one by one.
First came the driver. A fucking wall of a man in a black suit, skin darker than tar, built like a tank. His shoulders looked like they could crush the frame of the sedan. He didn't say shit, just looked around the ruins with a silent, stone-cold stare. Nobure Yappington.
From the back, another man stepped out. Tall, muscular, loud in appearance. Yellow half-suit over a white shirt, a fat Rolex flashing on his wrist. Skin dark, hair buzzed and dyed the same yellow. He looked like money but carried himself like he didn't give a fuck about anyone. Taejin Cheon.
He yawned, stretching his shoulders.
"So this is Incheon, huh? Looks like a fucking junkyard."
Nobure didn't answer, just stood there, arms hanging heavy, eyes reading the ghost-town silence.
Kitae asked flatly, without even turning his head, "What did he say?"
Taejin scratched the back of his neck.
"Intel says Speed ran outta Chinatown. Daniel Park and Jake Kim are still in play. But get this—eighty percent of Dark Crocodile's goons went chasing Speed. Now, Dark Crocodiles are on a rampage, hitting anyone without the symbol of Darkness."
But Kitae wasn't listening. His half-shadowed face tilted, voice dropping colder than the fucking wind.
"So… little brother Jake is here."
And then the last door opened.
A tall figure stepped out. Black shoes, black trousers, yellow shirt with thin vertical white stripes—half unbuttoned, showing the bandages strapped across his chest. Blond mullet falling forward, black sideburns sharp against his jaw. A pair of black shades covered his eyes, but the weight of his disinterest cut through everything.
One hand casually held a katana. His posture was slack, but the air around him wasn't.
Joongoo Kim.
He didn't speak. He didn't need to. He just tilted his face up, breathing out toward the pale sun.
Taejin looked at him, then Kitae, then Nobure. Something about Joongoo was fucked. Different. Off. And Kitae and Nobure? They didn't give a single shit.
So Taejin forced a grin, trying to break the weight pressing down on all of them.
"Why don't we first grab a meal?"
For a moment, all three turned their eyes on him. Nobure gave a slow, heavy nod. Joongoo gave the faintest tilt of his head. Kitae's dead stare lingered long enough to make Taejin's gut tighten, then finally—he too nodded.
They walked into the ruined district until they found a small shop wedged between destroyed buildings. A half-broken sign swung in the wind. Inside, it smelled like smoke, broth, and grease.
Behind the counter was an old woman with a deep scars carved across her face. She didn't flinch when the four monsters walked in.
Taejin swaggered up, not giving a fuck.
"Three kimchi bowls. Three tteokbokki. One ramyeon. One fried beef."
No greeting. No courtesy. Just cold demand.
The food came. No words. Just steaming bowls.
Kitae, Nobure, and Taejin dug into kimchi and tteokbokki. Joongoo picked at ramyeon and fried beef. The silence was brutal, the only sound the scrape of chopsticks against bowls.
Finally, Taejin broke it, voice dripping irritation.
"So what now? Do we crush Speed, or go after Dark Crocodile?"
Silence.
One minute. Two. Five. Not a single fucking word from anyone.
Taejin's jaw clenched. He'd been flat-out ignored.
But the owner—she heard everything.
When they were done, Taejin walked over to her, forced politeness twisting in his tone.
"How much?"
The old woman smiled, her scarred face creasing.
"1,112,970 won."
Taejin froze, eyes going wide.
"…The fuck you just say?"
Kitae turned his head. The old woman smiled like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"It's just the extra fee for outsiders. Extra food, extra price."
Taejin's lips curled back, rage bleeding into his voice.
"You old hag. Don't get cocky just 'cause you're old like my father."
His sleeves rolled up, veins popping as his hands curled into fists. Kitae moved closer, ax heavy in his grip, his dead stare drilling into the woman.
"Ohhh, you outsiders wouldn't know…" The owner's smile widened, teeth yellow. "But this is how Incheon works."
Taejin slammed his hand against the counter, voice booming.
"You trying to fucking rob us?!"
But before Kitae swung, before Taejin exploded—
A heavy black bag landed on the counter with a dull thud.
Everyone turned.
Joongoo Kim stood there, hand on the bag. His voice came low, tired, but sharp as a blade.
"This is 1,113,000 won. Keep the change."
Kitae's dead eyes flicked to him. Taejin looked stunned, then furious. Nobure just stayed quiet putting money in his pockets.
The old woman's smile didn't fade. She pulled the bag away without a word.
Joongoo turned slightly, his glasses catching the dim light. His tone was different. Detached. Cold.
"Why are you wasting time here like children?"
This wasn't the Joongoo anyone remembered. Something inside him had snapped. He wasn't the same man.
And for the first time, Kitae's fingers tightened slightly on his ax.
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Next Chapter: 'Allied' joined in....