Daniel's body crashed into the ground again. His cheek scraped against the pavement, skin tearing raw. Blood pooled in his mouth, iron thick on his tongue. Every breath rattled in his chest like broken glass.
Above him, Logan Lee loomed tall, his shadow swallowing the streetlights. His grin was wide, merciless.
"Still breathing?" Logan tilted his head, voice dripping with mockery. "Impressive. Pathetic, but impressive."
He crouched, grabbed Daniel by the collar, and hauled him up like he weighed nothing. Daniel's legs dangled, trembling with every movement. His head lolled back, his eyes hazy.
"You thought you could run from me?" Logan's voice rose, sharp enough to cut through the whispers of the crowd. "Thought you could hide behind your little friends?" He yanked Daniel closer, their faces inches apart. His breath stank of cigarettes and rage. "Nah. Trash like you never escapes."
Wham!
Logan's fist buried itself in Daniel's stomach. His body folded in half with the impact, bile rising in his throat. He coughed blood, the spray staining Logan's shirt.
Students gasped and stumbled back. Some screamed. Others froze with their phones raised, recording every second.
"This is crazy…""Vasco already got crushed, now Daniel's—""He's going to kill him!"
No one moved to intervene. No one dared. Logan's presence was suffocating, a predator holding prey in plain sight.
Daniel's mind screamed at him to stay down. His body begged for it. His lungs burned, his ribs screamed, his vision blurred.
But somewhere inside, past the pain and fear, something small stirred.
He thought of Vasco—how his friend had stood tall, blood dripping from his face, declaring: "I don't stop. Not when it's for my friends."
He thought of his mother, smiling gently every morning, never once complaining no matter how heavy the burden of raising him alone.
And he thought of Seong Min—cold, ruthless, but unflinching. The boy who never bowed, never hid, who had faced monsters like Jinyong Go without blinking.
If I can't even stand up now… what am I?
Daniel's fingers clawed at the ground, nails scraping the concrete. Slowly, painfully, he pushed. His arms shook violently, but his body rose. Inch by inch.
Students fell silent as they saw him rise again.
Logan's grin widened. "Still? You've got to be kidding me."
Daniel's chest heaved. His fists trembled as he raised them, weak but clenched. "…I… won't stop."
Logan barked a laugh. "Good. Makes this fun."
His boot swung out, smashing into Daniel's chest.
Thud!
Daniel flew back, rolling across the pavement. Pain exploded through his ribs. He curled, choking, but his body moved on instinct. His palms pressed into the ground, forcing himself upright once more.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"He's insane…""Why's he still getting up?""That's Daniel Park…? The fatty?"
Even Logan's grin shifted, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "You've changed a lot," he admitted, his voice almost respectful. "But not enough."
He strode forward and yanked Daniel up again, slamming a knee into his face.
Crack!
Blood gushed from Daniel's nose. His vision spun.
But his legs, trembling like reeds in the wind, held him upright.
Daniel's lip quivered, but his eyes, red and swollen, still burned faintly. "I… won't… stay down."
Logan's grin twisted cruel. "Pathetic."
His fists became hammers, raining down on Daniel's ribs, his chest, his face. Each blow shook the ground, each one louder than the last.
Daniel staggered but didn't fold. He swung back, his punches wide, slow, almost childish. Logan caught them, twisted them aside, crushed him with counters.
Still, Daniel kept swinging.
He wasn't covering his head anymore. He wasn't waiting for it to end.
He was trying to fight back.
The students' laughter had died completely now. Their shock turned to something else: unease.
"Why's he still resisting?""He should be unconscious…""This isn't normal…"
For the first time, they weren't laughing at Daniel Park. They were watching him.
Logan finally planted his fist into Daniel's temple. The boy crumpled, his body twitching as he hit the pavement.
Logan stood over him, breathing steady. His jaw still burned faintly from Daniel's single strike earlier. His grin widened again, but his voice carried a touch of irritation.
"Still the same weak loser," he muttered. He pressed his boot down onto Daniel's chest, pinning him flat. "But hey—you've got guts. Doesn't help, though."
Daniel gagged under the weight, his vision darkening. His arms flailed weakly, then pressed against the ground. Slowly, shakily, he tried to rise even with Logan's boot crushing him.
The crowd held its breath.
Logan leaned forward, eyes flashing. "End of the line, fatty—"
"Enough."
The voice was calm. Cold.
Logan turned, his grin faltering.
Seong Min stood at the edge of the crowd, hands in his pockets, violet eyes glinting under the streetlights. His presence cut through the chaos like a blade through silk.
The students instinctively parted around him. Whispers erupted, hushed and fearful.
"That's him…""The Dog Pound boss.""He fought a with some big bosses …"
Logan tilted his head, grin returning as he sized him up. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
Seong Min didn't answer. His gaze swept the scene once, then landed on Daniel.
Bloodied. Broken. Barely conscious. Still pushing against the ground.
For a long moment, Seong Min said nothing.
Then, softly, almost like a verdict:
"…You've changed."
The words weren't comfort. They weren't pity. They were recognition.
Daniel's half-lidded eyes flickered. His body screamed, but somewhere deep inside, that spark caught fire. He heard it. He knew it.
Even someone like Seong Min… saw it.
Logan barked a laugh, sharp and cruel. "Changed? This trash? Don't make me laugh."
Seong Min finally turned his gaze on him. Cold. Sharp. Unblinking. "If you can't see it, that's your weakness."
The air shifted. The street seemed smaller, tighter, as two predators locked eyes.
One wild and brutal. One cold and calculating.
The students could barely breathe.
And on the ground between them, Daniel Park—broken, bloodied, humiliated—had taken his first step.
✨ End of Chapter 65 ✨