The cellblock lights flickered, buzzing like angry insects.Seok-Hyun sat on the narrow bunk, legs crossed, hands resting on his knees. His eyes… weren't normal anymore. Dark red, empty, like coals buried deep in a long-dead fire.
He didn't sleep. He didn't talk. He didn't smile.He existed. Nothing more.
"Every day here is survival. Every day I learn."
The yard was a jungle. Factions claimed corners like wolves staking territory. Inmates glanced at him, unsure whether he was dead or just… waiting.
It wasn't long before the first provocation came.
A gang of mid-level thugs, cocky after seeing his rookie fight a few days ago, circled him like hyenas."Hey, dead-eyes," one sneered, stepping forward. "You really think you belong here?"
Seok-Hyun didn't flinch. His eyes burned, dark and hollow. His lips twitched—but not in fear.
The first punch came, swinging like a hammer.
Seok-Hyun moved inhumanly fast, ducking low. He grabbed the attacker's arm mid-swing and twisted, sending the man crashing into a wall. Bones cracked. The others froze.
And then… he became something else.
His movements were raw, primal, violent. Every punch, elbow, knee strike carried the force of a predator—stomping, lunging, grappling.Like a dinosaur tearing through its prey.Like a cave man smashing with nothing but instinct and fury.
The gang tried to coordinate, but he was everywhere at once. Grabbing, spinning, slamming—every strike a message: don't cross me.
By the time the fight ended, three thugs were on the ground, groaning, bleeding. Others had backed away, pale and wide-eyed.
Seok-Hyun's chest rose and fell, steady. His red eyes scanned the yard, cold as ice. The fight was over. He wasn't satisfied. He never would be.
But this… this was the taste of what he could become.
Later, in the quiet of his cell, Seok-Hyun traced his knuckles with one finger."Weakness is finished. Every day I sharpen myself. One by one… they will all pay."
He sat, dead-eyed, soul buried deep, waiting for the next challenge.For the first time, the inmates whispered not just about the kid who fought back—but about the monster waiting beneath the calm face.
"The beast has awakened."