Chulwoo stood there, gasping for air, the metal pipe dripping blood from his right hand.
His body was covered in fresh bruises: a swollen eye, split lips, and ribs that throbbed painfully with every single breath. Blood ran down his forehead and nose, mixing with sweat and grime.
In front of him, Seo cracked his neck with an audible snap.
His hands were swollen and bloodied, covered in cuts and stained with both his own blood and Chulwoo's. Across his torso and arms, purple and red welts marked where the metal pipe had landed.
All around them, the rest of the thugs lay unconscious or groaning on the floor, some with broken noses and others with arms twisted at impossible angles.
Chulwoo grimaced, spitting blood onto the ground.
Seo looked at him with a weary half-smile.
"Impressive… How old are you anyway?"
"You've clearly got a talent for this."
Chulwoo scowled, tightening his grip on the pipe.
"Shut the hell up."
"If you wanna fight, then fight. I don't give a shit about your talking."
Seo shook his head, looking genuinely disappointed.
"You don't get it, do you?"
"Guys like us belong in this world. Being thugs."
"Looking at your face, it's obvious you aren't the academic type. Are you sure following that kid is a good idea?"
"You're just gonna ruin your life even more. Join us instead, and you'll actually have a future."
"As a thug, sure… but you'll live well."
Chulwoo's expression turned dark, his eyes casting a heavy shadow.
Without another word, he charged forward, swinging the pipe in a violent downward arc.
Seo barely dodged it. Slipping past the blow, he grabbed the pipe with both hands and slammed a headbutt directly into Chulwoo's face.
Chulwoo stumbled back as fresh blood spurted from his nose, grunting in agony.
Seo rushed in and tackled him to the ground.
Chulwoo slammed the pipe into Seo's back, but Seo grit his teeth, hauled Chulwoo up like a sack of dead weight, and slammed him back onto the floor.
The impact knocked the wind right out of Chulwoo's lungs, forcing a heavy cough.
Pushing through the pain, Chulwoo scrambled back up and drove a sharp strike into Seo's abdomen.
Seo doubled over, wheezing.
Chulwoo spat out blood and growled:
"Don't project your bullshit onto me, you bastard."
Seo kicked him squarely in the chest, sending Chulwoo stumbling back several paces.
Breathing heavily, Seo reached into his pockets, pulled out a pair of brass knuckles, and calmly slipped them onto his fists.
"Projecting? No. It's the exact opposite."
"I'm guiding you."
"Plenty of people could make something of themselves, but in the end, they fail."
"You're talented, but as a simple thug, you're destined to follow someone else."
"If you join us, you'll have more freedom… and it's the best guys like us can hope for. Living comfortably and enjoying the perks."
Good, he's taking the bait, Seo thought to himself.
Guys like him are impulsive. A few words and they lose control. I just need to time this right and land a clean hit.
Chulwoo charged again, bringing the metal pipe down with all his weight.
But Seo blocked it directly with his brass knuckles. Deflecting the swing, he threw Chulwoo off balance and capitalized instantly, driving a brutal punch right into Chulwoo's chest.
Chulwoo gagged, coughing up saliva and blood as he flew backward.
Seo didn't give him room to breathe. He kicked the metal pipe straight out of Chulwoo's hand as he hit the deck.
Seo swung a heavy fist down toward Chulwoo's face, but Chulwoo rolled out of the way just in time. The brass knuckles slammed into the ground, shattering the concrete surface.
Chulwoo scrambled to his feet while Seo pressed the offensive, unleashing a barrage of rapid punches. Even the grazing blows sliced into Chulwoo, leaving small cuts across his skin. A sharp strike caught him right across the eyebrow, opening a deep gash that bled heavily into his vision.
Through the blood, Chulwoo launched a rising kick straight into Seo's chin.
Seo's head snapped back.
Without missing a beat, Chulwoo drove a vicious knee right between Seo's legs.
Seo dropped to his knees, clutching himself, his face contorted in sheer agony.
Chulwoo was furious now. Moral codes had no place here. Yet the words he had just heard pressed on his mind harder than he cared to admit.
Is it my destiny to just be a thug? Maybe it is…
I don't have a future, and I should just accept it. I should be rotting in some alleyway smoking, throwing my life away.
But those losers… they changed.
Dowan, Jihyeon… even that ambitious idiot leading us.
I know they'll leave me behind. I know they'll surpass me.
I can't let that happen. Not now.
Call it pride, call it not wanting to disappoint the guy who pulled me out of my bubble.
Even if I'm just a sidekick, even if that's all I deserve for everything I've done… I won't fail as a member of this crew.
I refuse to lose.
With that thought burning in his chest, Chulwoo drove a knee straight into Seo's face.
Then he let loose completely—punches, elbows, headbutts. Everything became a bloody blur until Seo collapsed flat onto his back, his face mangled and drenched in blood.
Chulwoo collapsed into a sitting position, gasping for air, his own face covered in red.
Staring up at the ceiling, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, muttering raspily:
"I'm weak as shit…"
Footsteps echoed down the hall.
Then came a young, arrogant, utterly callous voice:
"What's this? More punks coming to claim this place?"
"You've gotta be pretty damn weak and stupid to end up in that state…"
"You really think you can just walk out of here whenever you feel like it?"
Chulwoo rasped out, his voice hoarse:
"Who the fuck are you?"
With his face caked in blood and grime, he couldn't make out the speaker's face.
Out of nowhere, a brutal kick slammed into his jaw.
Chulwoo skidded across the floor, crashing hard into the wall before going completely limp and unconscious.
The young man smirked.
"Whoops, did I go too far?"
"Haha, didn't mean to kick him that hard."
With that, he casually strolled further down the hallway.
Meanwhile, Kazu had only a few minor scratches, while Yoon stood panting heavily, a swollen eye and blood smeared across his face.
Kazu flashed a twisted grin.
"You're pretty tough. It's been a while since I ran into someone like you."
Yoon's face remained grim, but he suddenly spoke up:
"I'll admit you're strong… but you're way too arrogant."
"And that's exactly why you just lost."
Kazu realized it a second too late: his back was pressed right against the wall, severely limiting his movement.
Yoon lunged forward with his entire weight, tackled Kazu, and smashed them both straight through the wall, crashing into the adjacent room.
Kazu coughed as he stood up, his tone turning noticeably colder.
"You clever… bastard."
"Now you've really done it."
When he raised his eyes, he noticed the room was a storage area filled with tools and spare auto parts.
Yoon stood nearby, tightly wrapping a heavy steel chain around his hand.
"You don't have the space advantage anymore."
Kazu narrowed his eyes, a dangerous smile spreading across his face.
"Oh… is that how it is, then?"
Kazu launched himself forward.
Yoon whipped the chain like a leather lash, but Kazu dipped low, letting the metal links whistle right over his head.
However, Yoon snapped his wrist back, reversing the chain's momentum.
Kazu rolled across the floor, grimacing. He couldn't close the distance with the chain's massive reach. Metal slammed into auto parts and concrete, wildly trying to catch Kazu.
Yoon advanced, continuously swinging the chain. A grazing blow opened a small cut on Kazu's cheek.
Kazu began searching for the exact rhythm. Utilizing his footwork, he threw subtle feints, calculating the timing.
A horizontal lash came sweeping through—Kazu ducked beneath it and instantly exploded forward with a lightning-fast step before Yoon could recoil the link.
Getting right past his guard, Kazu drove a straight punch into Yoon's torso, followed immediately by an uppercut to his chin.
Yoon spat blood as his head reeled, but through sheer stubbornness, he swung the chain in a frenzied arc.
One link clipped Kazu's chest, but Kazu pivoted on his heel, dodging another swing that grazed his shoulder.
Taking full advantage of the opening, he planted a laser-precise jab directly onto Yoon's jaw.
Yoon's eyes rolled back, and he dropped to the floor.
Kazu touched his chest, chuckling softly.
"That was unexpected… Didn't think you had those tricks up your sleeve."
Seeing that Yoon wasn't moving, Kazu turned to leave, but a faint rustle stopped him.
Kazu glanced over his shoulder, his twisted smirk returning.
"You really oughta stay down."
Yoon dragged himself back up, covered in blood and barely conscious, tightly wrapping the chain around his right fist like an improvised brass knuckle.
Kazu tilted his head.
"So it's all coming down to a single blow."
Yoon couldn't even speak—his jaw was almost certainly shattered—but his eyes burned with sheer defiance.
Both moved at the exact same instant, aiming to finish it in one strike.
Yoon thrust the chain forward like a spear. Kazu tilted his head just enough for the chain to graze his cheek, but Yoon used the momentum to drive a hard knee straight into Kazu's face.
Blood spurted from Kazu's nose.
Yoon yanked the chain back and drove his wrapped fist in a short, devastating straight punch right into Kazu's solar plexus.
The moment the blow hit, Kazu countered with a crushing straight right directly to Yoon's face, landing flush.
Stepping to the side to load his weight, Kazu unleashed a brutal uppercut that lifted Yoon clean off his feet.
Yoon collapsed, completely out cold.
Kazu slouched into a half-seated position against a pile of spare parts, resting his forearms on his knees as he fought for air.
"Man… that hurt way more than expected…"
He sat there for a moment, breathing heavily, staring at Yoon's unconscious body sprawled among scattered tools and auto parts. The chain lay useless beside him.
Kazu spat on the floor, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. His smirk returned, colder this time.
"That was better than I thought… but I'm done here."
He straightened up slowly, feeling the burning sensation in his chest and the sting of the cut on his cheek.
He looked toward the shattered wall they had crashed through earlier. On the other side lay the main event.
Kazu muttered to himself:
"We're at the end game now. Everything depends on that guy."