In the narrow stairs, seven men circled Joe like a pack of wolves. Viper gave a subtle lift of his chin. The six goons tightened their grip on their wooden clubs and steel pipes as they closed the distance.
"Hey, finally crawled out of your hole?" Viper asked. "You are a hard man to track down, you know that?"
Joe let out a weary sigh. He kept his hands buried deep in his hoodie pockets and did not even look them in the eye.
"Who are you people this time?" Joe asked. "What do you want from me?"
The men looked at each other and burst into a chorus of dirty laughter. Viper took a slow and deliberate step forward.
"You have a shitty memory." Viper said. "A few days ago, you trashed a bunch of our brothers at a restaurant. Those boys are still in the hospital groaning. Originally, the boss told me to recruit you, but who is to say I cannot get a little rough first? Think of it as a lesson in obedience."
Joe let out a short and dry chuckle.
"Smile Capital, was it?" Joe said. "Those brothers of yours were pathetic. If you are anything like them, do not bother. You guys are not worth my time. Just leave."
Viper licked the flat side of his knife blade and barked an order.
"You arrogant piece of trash. Hey, beat him until he is half dead!"
All six goons lunged at Joe at the same time. Joe thought to himself that here they went again.
The big man at the front swung a wooden club toward Joe's skull.
Joe did not dodge in a big way. Just as the wood was about to hit him, he tilted his head a fraction of an inch to the side.
SWISH!
The club whistled through the empty air. Before the sound even faded, Joe's left jab buried itself into the center of the man's face.
THWACK!
"Gah!"
The big man tumbled backward and got tangled with the men charging behind him. Joe used the chaos to slide into their ranks. He swayed his upper body with fluid grace.
A steel pipe swung from the right and grazed Joe's ribs. Joe used the momentum of the near miss to spin his body and plant a hand on the floor. He sprang up and shot his fist upward to catch the pipe wielder right under the jaw.
CRACK!
"Guh-ack!"
Two men were down in just two strikes. As the remaining four hesitated, Joe's breathing grew ragged.
His left hand was shaking uncontrollably. His vision began to double. The symptoms of his Parkinsonism always picks the worst possible moment to flare up.
"Look at him, something is wrong!" Viper shouted. "Get him all at once!"
The remaining four men lunged from all sides. Joe backed against the wall and dropped into a stance with his hands down. Fists and boots rained down on him. Joe moved only enough to protect his vitals and absorbed the punishment.
THUD! CRACK! SMASH!
Blood sprayed from Joe's mouth but the light in his eyes did not flicker. It actually burned brighter.
As the most aggressive thug threw a straight punch, Joe's fist crossed over the incoming arm.
WHAM!
"H-hurrk!"
It was a perfect cross counter. As that man spiraled away, Joe did not stop. He buried a liver blow into the next man's gut and followed it with a rapid series of hooks and uppercuts.
In an instant, all six goons were lying across the hallway floor. Joe leaned heavily against the wall to stay upright. His body was covered in sweat and blood.
"You monster." Viper said.
His hands were trembling as he gripped his knife and charged. Joe's reaction was a split second too slow.
RIP!
The blade carved a deep red line across Joe's side.
"Die! Just die already!" Viper screamed.
Viper swung the knife like a madman. Joe staggered back until he hit a dead end against the wall. The tip of the blade lunged for Joe's throat.
Joe did not blink. Just before the steel touched his skin, his upper body collapsed to the left as if he were falling. He used his right shoulder as a pivot and threw his entire weight into a single punch.
BOOM!
Joe's corkscrew punch exploded against the center of Viper's face. The force lifted Viper off the floor. He flew down the corridor and slammed into the window at the far end.
CRASH!
Viper foamed at the mouth and went limp.
Joe leaned against the wall with a trembling hand and slowly caught his breath.
"I told you." Joe muttered. "You guys are not on my level."
---
A few hours later, Hyeon-ju broke the silence inside the bookstore. Joe, Geon-woo, and Woo-jin sat in front of her.
"I will get straight to the point." She said. "From now on, we are not clashing with Smile Capital. At all."
Geon-woo's brow furrowed. "Why? After everything those bastards did."
He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He tried to act indifferent but he clearly wanted revenge. Woo-jin noticed and gave him a heavy pat on the back.
Hyeon-ju let out a slow sigh and her eyes softened.
"It is Grandpa." She said. "He does not want me involved with them. It sounds like he has some deep and ugly history with Smile Capital from years ago. We are staying out of their way."
Joe gave a curt nod. "So, what is the plan then?"
Hyeon-ju spread a map across the desk.
"Jae-myeong was not the only person who owed Grandpa money." She said. "He was just the loudest. Now that he is gone, we can focus on the other targets."
The group nodded. Hyeon-ju led them toward a corner of the bookstore. She pressed a hidden catch and a massive bookshelf slid aside to reveal a secret room. It was a command center packed with monitors and gear.
Woo-jin's jaw hit the floor as he looked around.
"Whoa! You had a place like this back here?" Woo-jin asked. "What are you, Juju? Batwoman?"
A small smile touched Hyeon-ju's lips.
"Maybe I am." She said. "I have the money and the tech to back it up."
But her expression quickly turned sour again.
"That being said, we are going to have to clear out soon. Grandpa has decided to move the bookstore to a new location."
Woo-jin groaned. "Seriously? This place is cool. It would be a shame to leave it."
Hyeon-ju offered a wry smile. "I cannot help it. Once Grandpa makes up his mind, there is no stopping him."
She tapped a key on the console and a photograph appeared on the main screen.
"This guy is our next target." She said. "I already found his location. We move tonight."
The air in the room shifted as everyone locked eyes with the target on the screen.
"Understood." Geon-woo said.