Jihyeon, Minho, and Hyunseok got off the subway. They had arrived at Yeongdeungpo.
"You two can go together. Just look for something interesting," Jihyeon said, walking away while adding, "If you find something, call me."
He separated from the two and began to walk calmly, observing the area. He looked for something that would catch his attention, but everything seemed routine: run-of-the-mill thugs smoking, some beating passersby for no reason.
Quite some time passed with no results. Hands in his pockets, Jihyeon sighed.
"Ah… how exhausting it is to look for someone."
After a long walk, near an alley, he heard noise. Dry sounds, heavy blows. Driven by curiosity, he peered in.
A hooded figure in black, wearing burgundy pants, was fighting six thugs. Jihyeon watched closely. The young man seemed to use boxing—he threw strong, fast jabs, powerful hooks, and dodged with ease. His style was clean, technical, and brutal.
In no time, the hooded man defeated them all. Then, without saying a word, he turned and left.
Jihyeon thought it was the perfect moment to approach, but just then he received a message from Minho.
"We found something."
He looked ahead. The man was gone. He sighed, ran his hand through his hair, and called Minho.
"What did you find?"
"There's a rumor in the streets," Minho replied. "Someone is dismantling gangs. Apparently his fighting style is…"
"Boxing," Jihyeon interrupted.
"Did you find him?"
"Something like that. Do you know anything else? Where to find him?"
"Not much. They say a gang is looking for him. They challenged him. The meeting will be in an abandoned building, almost at the edge of town."
"Alright. If you find more info, let me know."
He hung up.
He put his hand to his chin, thoughtful. Then he walked over to one of the unconscious thugs. He crushed the man's leg with force. The man woke from the pain, wearing an expression of fear and confusion.
"Wh… where am I?" he murmured.
Without wasting time, Jihyeon slapped him.
"Focus. Who was the guy that beat you?"
After some questions, he got what he wanted. Then he kicked him in the face, leaving him unconscious again.
Jihyeon began organizing the information.
"Mmm… so Kazu Uesugui," he muttered, intrigued.
That name sounded familiar. If he remembered correctly, he appeared in the manhwa The Boxer. Very little, almost as a background character. But if his memory didn't fail him, he was a boxing prodigy who traveled the city facing strong opponents and dismantling gangs, all alone.
"This is getting interesting…"
But then he stopped.
"Wait… if this guy is here, does that mean other characters from the manhwa The Boxer could appear too?"
He shook his head.
"I'll think about that later. Now I must focus on finding this 'boxing genius.'"
With that, he resumed walking, determined to follow the trail.
.....
Meanwhile, the young man on the podium began to present the day's agenda. He mentioned a file with the names of Chulwoo Min and Ha Dowan.
Murmurs erupted.
"That's the guy who caused a ruckus in the karaoke room…"
"And the other… apparently he also beat several people."
Dowan got very nervous, while Chulwoo tried to keep a serious expression. Siyeon sighed but said nothing.
The young man showed two photos: one of Chulwoo standing next to several unconscious thugs, and another of Dowan surrounded by ten thugs writhing on the ground.
"These two caused chaos in a building in Sillim-Dong, which is affiliated with our organization. They incapacitated several members and caused significant losses for the council in that area," he said.
All eyes turned to them. Dowan looked like he might faint. Chulwoo watched silently, remembering what Jihyeon had warned him: You'd better keep it together with Dowan for now.
Just as the young man was about to continue, Siyeon's voice rang out in the room.
"Before concluding, I'd like to address the next item on the agenda."
The young man at the podium paused, intrigued.
"The election of the representative for Boramae-Dong?"
"Yes," Siyeon replied, turning to the crowd. "As an assistant representative, I've found two potential candidates, Ha Dowan and Chulwoo."
Murmurs returned. Dowan, panicked, tried to leave, but Siyeon held him. Chulwoo tried to calm down and analyze the situation. This place makes me feel small… I guess after all I was just an ordinary thug.
The young man frowned.
"Only one can be the leader."
Siyeon thought for a moment. Chulwoo broke the silence.
"Ha Dowan should be the leader."
Although he wouldn't admit it, he already beat me before. I'll find another time to test myself… but not now. Besides, I have other things in mind. This might be the best option I can take.
The murmurs erupted. Dowan was stunned. Siyeon, calmly, said.
"That will work."
Dowan, still nervous, muttered.
"This is a bad idea… I don't want to join a group of thugs."
Siyeon looked at him.
"What position are you in right now?"
Dowan thought it over. She was right.
The man at the podium prepared to declare:
"I declare Ha Do..."
But he was interrupted. The elevator opened and Sehun Kang appeared.
"Siyeon, why didn't you tell me there was a meeting?" he asked.
"What are you doing here?" Siyeon replied indifferently.
"I suspected you… because of those idiots you had around you. Then you said that idiot was your boyfriend… so was that all to hide this?" Sehun responded.
Siyeon's face went cold.
"That's none of your business."
"Sorry, but I'm going to be the representative of Boramae-Dong," Sehun said confidently.
He approached Dowan. They stood face to face.
"Since there's a dispute, settle it," the man at the podium said.
The thugs moved chairs, leaving space.
Sehun grabbed Dowan by the neck and lifted him easily.
"Seriously this guy wanted to be leader?" Sehun sneered.
"Stop," Siyeon ordered.
"I don't want to. I want to be leader too," Sehun shook his head, looking confident, ready to throw him to the floor.
Dowan stood up and, with a jump, kicked Sehun in the face with his heel. Sehun blocked it with his forearms.
"That surprised me… so you're not useless after all," Sehun said.
Dowan froze, confused. How did he block that?
Sehun didn't wait. He put him in a rear naked choke. Dowan writhed.
Chulwoo watched.
"Why is that idiot sometimes strong…and other times weak as hell?" Chulwoo wondered.
A memory hit him: Dowan being his errand boy, humiliated by him.
He scratched the back of his neck and looked away.
"I think I humiliated that bastard enough…"
He took a step forward and kicked Sehun in the liver, forcing him to let go of Dowan.
"What are you doing?" Dowan asked nervously.
"Don't ask, idiot. Consider it an apology from me. That's all."
It was also because he had said he was going to change—and he had to prove it. Even if he couldn't say he had forgiven him, this was his way of apologizing.
Sehun recovered.
"You bastard! You attacked me from behind!" Sehun shouted.
"Are you stupid? If we're thugs, then act like one," Chulwoo replied.
Sehun lunged at him, trying to grab hold, but Chulwoo kept his distance, throwing quick punches to his face.
"You're pretty slow," Chulwoo taunted.
Sehun endured the hits, blood dripping from his nose, and grabbed Chulwoo's arm, lifting him with tremendous strength and slamming him to the ground, producing a dull thud.
"And you're pretty light. You just got beginner's luck," Sehun said, wiping the blood from his nose with his hand.
Chulwoo stood up, a thin stream of blood running down his face. He stretched, his bones cracking audibly.
"Guess you're not as useless as I thought," he said, then lunged forward with his fist.
But Sehun blocked it with his palm, applying pressure to the grip. Chulwoo took the chance to jab his thumb into Sehun's eye, making him scream and loosen his hold. Chulwoo then slammed his forehead into Sehun's nose with a brutal headbutt. Blood began pouring down Sehun's face as he grimaced in pain.
Furious, Sehun stepped forward and punched Chulwoo hard in the face, making him stagger back as blood spurted from his nose. Sehun rushed in, grabbed his ankle, and threw him violently against the wall. Chulwoo hit it hard—but got back up.
They glared at each other. Both had blood on their faces. They were in the same condition.
They charged. Chulwoo landed a hook to the liver. Sehun winced in pain but ignored it and countered with an uppercut to the chin. Chulwoo gritted his teeth as his head spun from the impact but didn't stop. He kicked Sehun in the thigh, making him bend slightly, then followed with an upward kick to the chin. Sehun's head snapped back, his vision blurring. Chulwoo moved in to hit him again, but Sehun, trembling, tackled him into the wall.
He punched him in the cheek, then again in the solar plexus. Chulwoo's eyes widened in pain. Sehun raised his fist to finish him with a direct punch to the face, but Chulwoo managed to tilt his head in time—the punch slammed into the wall instead. Chulwoo took advantage and elbowed Sehun in the jaw, then kneed him in the stomach.
Sehun staggered back, breathing heavily. Chulwoo was exhausted too. Then both of them charged again, trading blows without mercy.
After a while, the two of them lay on the ground, battered and bruised.
"Persistent bastard… just give up already," Chulwoo said, breathing heavily, his face covered in blood and bruises.
"You give up, you piece of shit," Sehun shot back, his chest rising and falling quickly, his face a mess.
They both tried to stand, but could barely keep their balance.
Chulwoo managed to get up, spat blood, and clicked his tongue.
"So it's a draw then…"
"Consider it beginner's luck," Sehun said, half kneeling, one knee on the ground.
The thugs who had been watching the fight whispered among themselves:
"Damn… those bastards are brutal."
"They're insanely persistent."
The man at the podium spoke.
"Now that there are no more problems, I declare Ha Dowan the representative of Boramae-Dong."
After the meeting, Siyeon, Dowan, and Chulwoo—who had blood on his face and was somewhat sore—walked together.
Siyeon broke the ice.
"I know it's confusing, but I have other plans in mind. Don't worry too much. Be thankful we avoided the council of thugs' consequences."
Dowan reflected. If I hadn't become representative… something worse would have happened.
Arrogant Chulwoo interrupted.
"You should thank me. Without me, you wouldn't be the leader of Boramae-Dong."
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be under so much pressure," Dowan replied.
They started to fight.
Siyeon stopped them.
"This is my house. You can leave."
She entered without looking back. The two boys fell silent.
Finally, Chulwoo asked for Dowan's number. Reluctantly, he accepted it.
"We're not friends, but for now we're allies. And just wait… when this is over, I'm going to finish you. And about today… forget it or I'll beat you," Chulwoo said.
He left, leaving Dowan confused.
Dowan sighed.
Maybe Chulwoo is changing… and will stop being a shitty thug.
His phone vibrated. A message from an unknown number.
It was a photo of a middle finger. With the phrase.
"I'm Chulwoo."
Dowan just turned off his phone, shaking his head.
......
Jihyeon finally reached his target. He headed toward the abandoned factory and looked for a place to observe what was happening inside. What he witnessed was a brutal fight. Kazu Uesugui was facing an entire gang, slaughtering them without mercy.
Fast jabs, precise hooks, clean dodges. Kazu moved like a predator among clumsy prey. One by one, the thugs fell.
Once Kazu defeated them all, Jihyeon made sure there was no one else around. Finally, he ventured into the factory.
Kazu stood with a bored expression on his face. His breathing was calm, as if the fight had meant nothing.
Jihyeon emerged from the shadows.
"Impressive performance, Kazu Uesugui," he said in a clear voice.
Kazu turned immediately. His dark eyes searched for something, amusement on his face.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice echoing in the empty factory.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jihyeon Kwak," Jihyeon replied with a smile, taking a step forward. "I've been looking for people. To be more precise… people like you. Geniuses."
Kazu frowned, amused.
"So you say you need me? For what? I'm not interested in joining any gang or organization."
"I know," Jihyeon replied, keeping calm. "Guys like you only want to have fun, right?"
Kazu looked at him with a crooked smile.
"And if that's the case?"
"I'll prove it to you," Jihyeon said, opening his hands as if embracing the world. "I offer you a life where you'll never be bored again. You'll always have formidable enemies. A place where you can channel your skills. Doesn't it tire you to keep beating run-of-the-mill thugs?"
Even though I said all that, I was thinking this guy won't back down with sweet words. I'm not one of those cheesy protagonists who talk about justice and friendship. Arrogant people like him need to be taught a lesson.
Kazu tilted his head, amused.
"Alright. Nice talk. But tell me… how strong are you?"
Jihyeon began moving his joints, loosening his body. He smiled.
"Fine. If I beat you, you'll have to join me. And if you don't want to… I'll drag you along. After all, losers have no choice but to follow the winner, right?"
Both stood facing each other. One with an amused smile. The other, with a crooked smile.