The morning bell clanged, rattling through the concrete walls.Seok-Hyun stepped into the yard, the sun harsh against his pale skin. Inmates were already moving like predators: groups circling, eyes sharp, muscles tense.
He kept his gaze low, noting the gangs, the informal leaders, the weaklings trying to avoid attention. Every motion, every glance, told a story.
It wasn't long before someone noticed him.
A bulky inmate with arms like tree trunks stepped forward, blocking his path."You're the new kid who thinks he can survive?" The man grinned, revealing a gold tooth. "You look soft. We'll see how long that lasts."
Seok-Hyun's pulse steadied. Pain, fear, rage—it all blended into focus.
"You talk too much," he said quietly.
The first swing came fast—a punch aimed for the jaw. Seok-Hyun sidestepped, using the man's momentum to land a sharp elbow into his ribs. A grunt escaped the big man as he stumbled.
Other inmates cheered, jeered, some recording on their phones. Seok-Hyun didn't flinch. He had trained his body to move through pain, his mind to stay calm when chaos erupted.
Another thug lunged, swinging a chain. Seok-Hyun ducked, grabbed the chain mid-swing, and yanked hard. The attacker fell to the ground, cursing and clutching his shoulder.
The yard fell silent.The powerful and dangerous were watching. Whispers ran like electricity.
"You… you're not scared," someone muttered. "Never seen a rookie move like that."
Seok-Hyun's eyes scanned the yard. Every fight, every fall, every grunt—he memorized it all.He wasn't here to be the strongest yet. He was here to learn, to calculate, and to mark himself as someone you couldn't ignore.
By the end of the morning, bruises covered his arms and ribs. Blood stained his shirt. But Seok-Hyun stood taller than when he entered.
That night, alone in the cramped cell, he pressed his palms to the wall."One fight. One step. Tomorrow, the real climb begins."
And somewhere in the yard, the inmates who had mocked him now whispered among themselves:
"That kid… he's not just lucky. He's dangerous."