Chapter 1- Who Are Yu?
Some people burn bright like a matchstick—brief, fleeting, yet enough to light the dark for others.
Others spend their lives chasing something they'll never catch.
And then…
there are those who don't burn at all.
*Flick*
*Flick*
The streets of Seoul buzzed with noise—cars passing, voices blending, neon signs flickering even in daylight.
A young man walked through it all, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. His shoulder-length hair brushed against the collar of his denim jacket, and his leather shoes tapped steadily against the pavement. He kept the cigarette clenched between his teeth, careful not to let it fall.
He took a slow drag.
The smoke slid down his throat, heavy and bitter, settling deep in his lungs. For a moment, he held it there—then exhaled.
A stream of grey-white smoke curled into the air, carried by the wind as it drifted toward a nearby alley.
In broad daylight, he sees 3 teen high schoolers wearing red uniforms beating up a frail looking kid.
The eyes of the kid being beaten up are void of any emotions. He aimlessly looks up at the kid standing in front of him, and his weak looking fist as they slowly crash against his cheeks.
*PaP* *PaP*
"Had enough, you bastard?" the one standing in front of him speaks in a threatening way, his face shadowed over the black haired kid, his fist rocked beside his face, with a grin and a slicked back hair
The other 2 kids are also smoking and snickering looking at their friend threatening him
"Hey, hey, you might seriously injure him at this rate" a teen with a crew cut, snickers and says, the smoke still lingering through his words
The one threatening the bullied kid doesn't even look at him,
"Yeah? Well he should learn how to respect his seniors?" the punk says still riled up
"Ah didn't know, AG High still extorted and bullied weak kids" the shoulder length haired teen speaks up behind them, still a cigarette in his mouth
"B-Brent?" the other kid, holding a cigarette, his eyes wide almost drops the cigarette
The kid threatening the frail looking teen immediately stops looking at his victim and turns behind
"T-This is none of your business. Besides it is our territory" he speaks hiding his nervousness
"Ah know this is yall's territory, but after Ah am done with Issaac. Whatever's here will be mine" his mouth turns into a grin, his eyes challenging yet also disrespecting them
"Don't get too full of yourself Brent, Isaac isn't so easy." a short crew cut haired kid says, while he stood up ready for action
"Yeah, it won't be easy for you to deal with Issac after we break one of your arms here" the third highschooler says while he stomps his cigarette out
Brent, the ever ready guy for fighting, also grins looking at them. He ties up his hair with a rubber band in a ponytail and completely steps in the shadows of the alleyway
He flicks his cigarette towards the face of the teen nearest to him.
Being caught off guard, the crew cut haired punk tried to lean back so the cigarette wouldn't hit his face.
Right after he leans a bit back, Brent dashes towards him and swings his fist towards his face in an overhand motion.
*Thwack*
His fist crashed into the boy's nose, a sickening crunch echoing through the alley.
Blood burst out before the body even hit the wall.
Due to the power of his swing, the kid flung back towards the wall of the alley, his eyes blank, and blood dripping from his nose.
The other two were shocked by for a bit, still nervous they started to run towards Brent, their faces betraying their false confidence
Seeing the two charge towards him, he also lunged foward, right as the crew cut haired kid swung at him, he ducked and punched straight towards his liver,
*Thud*
The crew cut student, dropped in his knees, his face trembled, his breathing ragged
The one last teen bullying the black haired kid, seeing that, stopped and picked up a wooden stick that was nearby and started to run towards him again
Brent seeing that, closed his gap a foot in, ducked again, and punched his wrist,
The slicked haired student dropped the stick and clutched his hand, screaming him pain
"Ahh! You fucking Bastard!!"
Before he could speak again and attract attention, he swung horizontally towards his chin, creating a perfect arc of hook.
With another thud, the red uniformed student also collapsed, a bruise slowly forming on his chin.
He slowly looked at the student, he looked at his bruised chin, his split lips that slowly oozed blood out,
"Why didn't ya resist? Ah know, ya ain't scared" he said, while lighting up another cigarette
"Couldn't bother" the black haired kid, slowly turned his eyes towards Brent, it seems as if his eyes were devouring all the light that were in the alley, swirling into a black mass
Brent felt a sense of chill, he had never felt that from anyone. None of his opponents that he had faced till now, even while he fought to conquer and unify Busan had felt such a cold shiver run down his entire body.
And he did conquer and unify Busan.
"Well whatever, mate. Do what you want" he slowly walked away and rummaged through the pockets of the kids he knocked down. He found some cash and a couple of cigarettes in their pockets.
While he was going to walk out of that alley, he heard voice of the black haired teen
"Is it fun?"
He turned around to look at him, still those same eyes holding nothing inside.
"Fun? What are you talking about?" Brent tilted his head slightly and asked
"To fight. To punch" he replied back
"Fun, eh? It is…fun. Fun to fight. It's fun to be the best. Every man, once in their life, dreams to be the strongest man in the world." Brent replied with a smirk and he carefully looked at him again
"Do you have a home? Where do you live?" he asked while taking a drag of the cigarette
"I live…nearby." he replied emptily, being ready to head out
"Why don't you be my friend? I'll teach you how to fight" he threw away the cigarette and smiled.
"Okay" the black haired student replied without much thought.
"By the way, what's your name?" he asked while they walked out of the alley
The black haired kid, he thought for a while, his memories hazy. He remembered someone telling him the name of his parents, but all those sounds jumbled up. He only remembered Yu.
"It's..Yu", he replied.