The tunnel groaned with stillness before the first punch ever landed. The air was damp, heavy with rust and old piss, the flicker of dying lights painting everything in a jaundiced glow.
Seong Min stood loose, hands in his pockets, as if the scarred man across from him were just another face in the crowd. His violet gaze flickered once, then settled, calm and detached.
The envoy rolled his shoulders, muscles shifting like corded steel. His grin showed teeth cracked and jagged, but his eyes burned with a steady, predatory fire.
"Not scared?" the man rasped. His voice carried years of smoke and violence. "Good. Fear's boring."
Seong Min tilted his head slightly. "You're old."
The grin widened, ugly. "Old's the reason I'm still standing. Let's see if you've got the bones to last."
For a long moment, nothing moved. Just two figures, measuring each other, the silence thick enough that Daniel Park — pressed against the corner at the tunnel's edge — felt his lungs lock up.
Then the scarred man lunged.
The floor cracked under his boots as he exploded forward, fist cleaving through the air with the weight of a sledgehammer.
Seong Min twisted at the last second, coat whipping as the punch slammed into the wall. Concrete spiderwebbed instantly, dust raining down.
Before the man could recover, Seong Min's elbow snapped into his ribs. The sound was sharp, echoing like a gunshot.
The envoy staggered, breath jolting — then laughed, a guttural sound that scraped the air raw."Good. You've got bite."
He swung again, this time lower, his fist driving like a piledriver into Seong Min's side. The blow landed solid. Pain burst through Seong Min's ribs, forcing air from his lungs. He slid half a step back, teeth gritted — but his face never broke calm.
Daniel flinched at the sound. That single hit would've folded him in half.
The envoy pressed forward, wild grin stretching. He slammed Seong Min against the wall, forearm across his throat, concrete cracking beneath their weight.
"You bleed like anyone else," he growled, spit flecking Seong Min's face.
Seong Min's smirk twitched wider. His voice rasped against the chokehold."Then you're not watching close enough."
His knee drove upward, crashing into the envoy's stomach. A grunt tore free, raw and guttural. Seong Min's head snapped forward, forehead colliding once, twice, three times. The man's nose split open, blood streaming down.
The grip loosened.
Seong Min shoved off the wall, fists a blur.
A jab — temple.A hook — jaw.A knee — stomach.An elbow — collarbone.
Each strike deliberate, merciless.
The envoy staggered back, spitting blood, then roared. His fist hammered across Seong Min's face, splitting skin. Seong Min's head whipped sideways, blood spraying against the wall.
Daniel slapped his hand over his mouth to keep from crying out. The hit sounded like wood splitting.
But Seong Min straightened immediately, violet glow blazing brighter, blood dripping down his chin like it only sharpened him.
The envoy wiped his own blood with the back of his hand, chuckling raggedly."You're tough, kid. But toughness isn't enough. You don't know what it means to survive."
He surged forward again, punches flying in brutal arcs. Each blow carried the weight of years, the kind of strikes that didn't just aim to hurt — they aimed to erase.
Seong Min weaved barely, each dodge scraping inches. His counters were sharp, precise — ribs, jaw, temple. But the envoy didn't slow, didn't falter. His grin only grew wider, blood coating his teeth.
Daniel's stomach twisted. It's like watching two predators eat each other alive.
One strike slipped past. The envoy's fist smashed Seong Min's jaw clean. His skull rattled, body stumbling back two steps.
The man barked laughter. "That the best you got?!"
Seong Min wiped blood from his mouth, gaze calm, steady. He spat crimson onto the ground."No. Just the start."
He surged forward.
Their bodies collided in the center of the tunnel.
Fist met fist. Elbow split flesh. Knees cracked bone.
The air filled with the sound of impact after impact, like steel hammers colliding in a forge. Each blow left a mark — skin tearing, bones bruising, blood spraying the concrete.
Seong Min's knuckles buried into the envoy's ribs again and again until something cracked sharp. The man snarled, spitting blood, but still swung — catching Seong Min across the cheek.
Blood gushed from both, dripping into the growing pool on the floor.
Yet Seong Min's expression never wavered. Calm. Detached. Violet flicker glowing brighter, sharper, hungrier.
The envoy finally faltered, one knee hitting the ground. His breath came ragged, laughter breaking into coughs, blood bubbling at his lips."You… you're not… human…"
Seong Min crouched in front of him, voice low, almost gentle."No. Just inevitable."
His fist rose.
And came down.
The crack echoed through the underpass, final and absolute.
The envoy collapsed, body limp, blood pooling fast.
Silence.
Daniel's breath tore in shallow gasps behind his trembling hands. He couldn't move. Couldn't think. The body on the floor looked less like a man and more like wreckage.
Seong Min stood slowly, blood dripping from his fists, his jacket, his face. His chest rose and fell steadily, calmly, as if none of this had touched him at all.
He didn't glance at Daniel, though Daniel felt the weight of those violet eyes anyway.
Instead, Seong Min muttered to himself, voice quiet, certain."First Generation… Good. Let them keep sending more."
And he walked out, footsteps calm, leaving the tunnel reeking of blood and dust.
Daniel stayed frozen in the shadows, his legs trembling so hard he could barely stand.
One thought, and one thought only, carved itself into his mind.
Seong Min isn't like Zack. Or Gun. Or anyone else.
He's something else.
End of Chapter 16