Twenty minutes ago…
Jihyeon, with a hood covering his face, waited in a dark hallway of the building. The echo of distant voices mixed with the buzz of fluorescent lights. His eyes were fixed on a door at the end.
From it came out a burly man with a hard expression. Manok Yook, Manchoon's older brother.
Jihyeon walked toward him calmly. Manok frowned.
"Do I know you?"
Jihyeon barely smiled.
"Your brother's got some problems… you don't mind, right?"
Manok flared up instantly.
"What the hell did you do to him, bastard?"
He threw a direct punch. Jihyeon dodged it easily, twisting his body.
"Come on, relax," he said with a mocking smile.
That only pissed him off more. Manok charged again, but Jihyeon took advantage of the opening and threw a jab to the face. Then he moved to the side and followed up with more quick jabs. Manok's nose started bleeding.
He roared in anger and threw a punch. But Jihyeon saw it coming clearly. I can see better than before… he thought. He stepped aside and countered with a punch to the liver. Manok doubled over in pain.
Jihyeon jumped and threw a kick to the face, but the thug reacted at the last second and caught his leg. He lifted him and slammed him toward the floor, but Jihyeon rolled on impact, softening the fall.
Manok charged again, throwing a brutal punch. Jihyeon crossed his arms to block it. The impact pushed him back, his arms hurt, but didn't break.
I have to finish this quickly. There's no time to waste.
With that, he ran toward him. Manok charged too. But Jihyeon stepped on his knee and, in midair, landed an upward knee strike to the jaw, making him spit blood.
But Jihyeon didn't stop there. He drove elbows into his face, one after another. To finish, he clenched his fist and buried it right into his nose, smashing him against the floor.
Manok was out cold, his face disfigured.
Jihyeon stood up, breathing calmly. He looked toward the doors down the hallway as they started to open. From them came about thirty thugs, all wearing shocked expressions.
"Huh?"
"What happened?"
"Manok?"
"You did this, bastard?"
Jihyeon sighed. He adjusted his hood.
"They're just fodder… I'll finish this soon enough."
The first thug approached with a threatening look. Jihyeon closed the distance in an instant and threw a direct punch to the jaw. The impact was sharp. The thug collapsed to the floor without a sound.
The others saw him fall and started shouting.
"Bastard!"
They charged as a group. Two of them threw punches, but Jihyeon dodged. He deflected one's arm and hit him in the liver. The second tried to strike from the side, but Jihyeon grabbed his wrist, spun him forward, and smashed an elbow into his temple.
Another approached. Jihyeon greeted him with a knee to the stomach, followed by a kick that sent him flying into the others.
Without wasting time, he ran and jumped. In midair, he landed a knee strike to one guy's face. The crack was dry and brutal. The thug fell backward like a sack.
When he landed, Jihyeon unleashed a flurry of fast jabs on the faces surrounding him. But he had to stop his offense to block a punch with his forearm. Another came from the front. Jihyeon leaned his torso back, dodging it by inches. Without losing rhythm, he countered by stabbing his fingers into the attacker's eyes. The thug bent over, groaning, clutching his face. Jihyeon finished him with a sharp, downward elbow to the back of the neck. The body dropped without resistance.
He punched another straight in the solar plexus. Sweat was dripping down his forehead.
Then he got hit — a punch to the stomach, another to the face, and a front kick to the jaw. He spat blood. The pain was real, but it wouldn't stop him.
He recovered quickly. Countered with a punch to the face. Grabbed another's head and slammed it to the floor. He stomped it, jumped toward another, and kicked him under the chin. Upon landing, he spun and launched a spinning kick at the one coming from behind.
He grabbed the arm of a thug attacking from the front and kneed him in the solar plexus. Then grabbed his hair, yanked him back, and began smashing his face repeatedly, blood flowing until he was unrecognizable.
He looked at the ones left. They were frozen, scared. Jihyeon smiled.
"What's wrong? Don't stop now…"
The thugs swallowed hard. They stepped back instinctively. But Jihyeon didn't give them time. He threw the guy in his grip to the floor like trash.
Without pause, he rushed at the rest.
He punched, dodged, countered. Used everything — headbutts, fists, legs. Each strike dropped someone. But he was also taking more hits. The pain piled up. His body ached.
Finally, with a bruised face and a smile on his lips, he reached the last one. Kicked him in the liver, punched him in the solar plexus, and finished him with a direct combo to the face that left him buried in the floor, the imprint of his fist visible on the skin.
Jihyeon exhaled deeply. Sweat mixed with blood. He was surrounded by bodies. He rested his hands on his knees, bent over, catching his breath.
He was sore. Exhausted. But satisfied. He had just beaten all those thugs. Proof that he was getting stronger.
Not long ago, he wouldn't have even thought about fighting that many. But now… he could say he was improving.
With heavy legs, he tried to walk. Step by step, dragging the pain, he reached the edge of the hallway and let himself drop. The silence was absolute.
....
After that, Jihyeon sent the message to Chulwoo. He lay back, catching his breath while watching the bodies scattered around him. The hallway was silent, broken only by his ragged breathing.
Chulwoo arrived shortly after. When he entered, he froze, impressed by the number of unconscious thugs. His eyes scanned the place until he found Jihyeon, sitting against the wall.
He walked over with a frown and a strange expression.
"So this is what you meant by 'only doing what's necessary'?"
Jihyeon smiled.
"It was nothing. I just did what I had to."
He stood up, running his fingers through his hair.
"Besides, it also helped me see where I stand."
Chulwoo looked at him in disbelief.
"Crazy bastard… So what now? I already beat that fat piece of shit."
Jihyeon pulled up his hood. As he passed by Chulwoo, he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We have to make this look like you took them all out."
Chulwoo frowned.
"And how the hell do you want to do that? No—wait… why are you so sure this will even work?"
Jihyeon sighed. Suddenly, he pulled his hand away from Chulwoo's shoulder and threw a jab straight to his face. Chulwoo felt blood run from his nose as his head snapped back.
"You just have to beat me. They'll mistake me for one of Manok Yook's gang members. If I look like the last one standing and you defeat me… they'll draw their own conclusions, right?"
Chulwoo, bleeding, held his nose.
"Idiot… can't you just fake losing?"
"It won't work. Look at you. You barely have any injuries. If it's you, at least you've got to look a little banged up for them to believe it. Don't you think?"
Chulwoo growled and threw a kick. Jihyeon dodged, but his movements were sluggish from exhaustion and accumulated pain.
"Despite what you said… your body's pretty beat up, huh?"
Chulwoo punched him in the solar plexus. Jihyeon crossed his arms to block it, but the impact hurt and pushed him back.
With a smile, Jihyeon said,
"What's wrong? It'd be disappointing if you lost when you're in better shape, right?"
A vein bulged on Chulwoo's forehead. He charged.
"You're underestimating me way too much, bastard!"
He punched Jihyeon in the left cheek. Jihyeon answered with a kick to the right. They started trading blows with everything they had.
Chulwoo, face covered in blood, growled.
"I told you I'm not going easy just because it's you."
Jihyeon smiled, then spoke with a thrilled expression.
"Not enough."
He grabbed Chulwoo's arm and, in one fluid motion, pivoted, lowered his center of gravity, and pulled hard. Chulwoo's body lifted into the air, his legs shooting upward, his head plummeting straight down. The impact was sharp. He spat blood. His face twisted in pain.
Jihyeon was barely standing. He was exhausted, but this was necessary. Not just for the plan… he also wanted to see what level Chulwoo was at. Though he couldn't deny that this — the fight, the pain, the progress — was becoming addictive.
He looked at Chulwoo.
"What's wrong? Giving up already?"
He stepped closer, but Chulwoo, still on the ground, suddenly spun and swept his legs. Jihyeon was caught off guard. He didn't expect that from him. But he couldn't think further. Chulwoo pushed himself up and, using the imbalance, drove a brutal knee strike to his face.
Jihyeon groaned. Blood dripped from him.
He looked around, searching for signs of Siyeon. His body was on the verge of collapse. He caught a glimpse of her. How was he so sure it was her? Simple: short hair, cold eyes… and she was beautiful.
He sighed. Looked back at Chulwoo, who was also exhausted.
It was time, he told himself.
He charged at him with a punch to the solar plexus. Chulwoo clenched his teeth, endured the pain, and countered with a punch to the temple.
Jihyeon could finally rest. With that last hit, he let himself drop to the floor.
Chulwoo was breathing heavily. He stared suspiciously at Jihyeon lying there, waiting for him to move. But he saw him smiling with his eyes closed.
Chulwoo squinted. He looked around and spotted Siyeon, watching the fight.
That bastard… so he could still move… or is he even unconscious?
He stopped thinking about it. Looked at the girl. He shoved his trembling hands into his pockets and said with a cocky grin,
"What's up? Now that you saw how cool I am, you came looking for me?"
Siyeon's expression didn't change. She approached with her arms crossed.
"Honestly, when I first saw you, I thought you were a loser. But after seeing what you did… you're not that useless."
Chulwoo, veins showing, replied,
"Oi… you know I'm being nice, right? I'll admit you're kinda cute, but… you think that gives you the right to talk shit to me?"
Siyeon ignored the threat.
"Your phone."
Chulwoo looked incredulous.
"Huh?"
Siyeon said with her hand extended.
"We'll be seeing each other more often from now on. So give me your phone. Don't make me repeat myself."
Chulwoo was confused. This girl's seriously weird… did she even hear what I said? Is she for real?
He sighed, resigned. He didn't have the energy to argue with someone so annoying. He pulled out his phone. Siyeon typed something into it and handed it back. Then she left without looking at him.
Chulwoo stood there with the phone in hand, watching her walk away until she disappeared from sight.
Jihyeon, still on the ground, coughed to get his attention.
"You done yet?"
Chulwoo turned his head.
"You bastard! Weren't you unconscious?"
With a cynical smile, Jihyeon said.
"Well… that last hit you gave me was pretty strong. But I think you still lacked a bit of power. Now help me up."
Chulwoo reluctantly helped him up.
The two of them walked away, blood dripping from their bodies, taking slow steps, beaten and sore.