The school day dragged on like lead.
Daniel felt it every time he moved—eyes, unblinking, tracing his every step. At first he thought he was imagining it. Then he caught the glint of a notebook at the corner of his vision.
The girl with bangs.
Every time he looked, she ducked her head, scribbling furiously. But her gaze always came back. Always to him.
"Daniel," Zack said, nudging him at lunch. "That girl's staring at you again."
"Maybe she's into him," Zoe teased, smirking.
Daniel flushed, shaking his head. "No, it's not like that—"
"Bro, take the W," Zack laughed, slapping his back.
But Daniel couldn't. Something about her stare wasn't like the others. Admiration, curiosity, hunger—it wasn't the shallow fawning he got from the rest of the class. It was sharper, like a knife pressed against glass.
And when he walked the hall, he felt her following. Step for step.
That night, his world shifted again.
Daniel's handsome body collapsed into bed, while the ugly one stirred awake in the cramped apartment.
He sighed, dragging himself to the convenience store. The uniform vest clung uncomfortably to his frame, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.
The door chimed as he started his shift.
"Another long night," he muttered, stacking drinks into the fridge.
Customers came and went, barely glancing at him. A couple of kids giggled when they saw his face. A businessman muttered thanks without eye contact. The clerk in him was invisible.
But outside, past the glass, she waited.
Notebook clutched to her chest. Bangs hiding her smile.
Her eyes darted between the boy behind the counter… and the golden boy she had seen earlier that day at school.
Two Daniels.
The same voice. The same habits. Two bodies.
Her pen scratched furiously against paper, notes spilling into the margins.
"This is it. The secret. He's mine."
Daniel felt the chill run down his spine. He turned quickly, but the glass only showed his reflection. Round cheeks. Tired eyes. Nobody.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling.
In another corner of Seoul, shadows moved.
The Dog Pound's new allegiance had already begun to bear fruit. Gambling dens reopened under Seong Min's orders, money funneled cleanly through his hands. Protection rackets resumed, this time stamped with his name.
Fear was an efficient currency.
But fear wasn't loyalty.
"Boss!" a lieutenant burst into the room, face pale. "One of our crews—they were hit!"
Seong Min's gaze sharpened. "Who?"
"The western block. Fifteen men. Knocked out in minutes. No deaths, but… they left a message."
The man laid a bloodied cloth on the table. A single word was scrawled across it.
"FIRST."
The room went cold.
The Dog Pound lieutenants shifted uneasily, some pale, some trembling.
"They're testing you," the older veteran muttered. "The First Generation wants to see if you'll break."
Seong Min's violet eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening. He remembered the last fight—the crushing weight of fists forged in another era, the kind of power that could split the ground. And he had survived.
Barely.
"Gather the crew," he ordered, voice flat. "If they want to test me, I'll answer."
The lieutenants hesitated.
One of them finally blurted out, "Boss… maybe we should lie low. They're not like us. They're monsters. If we go too far—"
Seong Min's glare cut him off.
"You think hiding will save you?" His voice was cold, steady. "The First Generation doesn't respect cowards. If they've already noticed us, there's no turning back."
He stood, the weight of his presence pressing down on the room.
"We fight."
At the convenience store, Daniel finished stacking drinks and slumped against the counter. His shift was nearly over, but his nerves were fried.
Every time he looked out the window, he swore he saw her.
The girl with bangs. Watching. Writing. Smiling faintly.
When his shift ended, he stepped outside, clutching his bag. The street was quiet, but his chest tightened.
He walked faster.
Footsteps followed.
Daniel turned a corner sharply. The footsteps turned too.
His pulse spiked. He spun around.
Empty street.
Only shadows.
He exhaled shakily, muttering, "Get a grip, Daniel…"
But from the rooftop above, the Stalker leaned over the edge, notebook glowing faintly in the moonlight. Her eyes gleamed with hunger.
Two bodies.
Two Daniels.
And she would have them both.
Elsewhere, in a smoke-filled room, Tom Lee read the report on his desk.
Dog Pound under new management. Retaliation strikes already happening. The First Generation stirring.
He tapped the paper thoughtfully, lips curling into a faint smirk.
"Charles choi…" he muttered. "You really picked the right city to play your games in."
He closed the file, exhaling a slow stream of smoke.
"But maybe…" His smirk sharpened. "Maybe you picked the wrong boy to test."
The night carried on.
Daniel trudged home in his ugly body, heart racing from shadows he couldn't see.
The Stalker followed silently, her notebook pressed against her chest, her eyes burning with obsession.
And across the city, Seong Min gathered his men, preparing to meet the challenge head-on.
One boy trapped between two bodies. Another carving his name in blood and fear.
The storm was only beginning.
✨ End of Chapter 55 ✨