A Deal Sealed in Blood

The streets of Seoul were alive with the usual chaos—cars honking, people rushing past, and neon lights flickering in the cold air. But for Jung Hwan and Ji-hoon, the city had faded into the background. They walked side by side, their bond stronger than before.

Jung Hwan, as usual, reeked of soju. A half-empty bottle swung in his hand as he took another sip. His steps were unsteady, but his eyes were sharp. Despite his drunken state, he was always aware—watching, calculating. Ji-hoon, on the other hand, was different. Young, stubborn, and too proud to admit his struggles.

"You really should eat more, kid," Jung Hwan muttered, tossing a steamed bun toward Ji-hoon.

Ji-hoon caught it but didn't take a bite. "I’m not a kid," he scoffed. "And I don’t need your charity."

Jung Hwan chuckled, shaking his head. "Still acting tough, huh? You sleep under a bridge, get beaten up daily, and yet, you think you're too good for a meal?"

Ji-hoon clenched his jaw, refusing to answer. They had this conversation every single day—Jung Hwan offering food, Ji-hoon pretending he didn’t need it. But the truth was, he was starving.

As they walked through a narrow alley, Ji-hoon finally asked, "Where do you even get all this money?"

Jung Hwan smirked, taking another sip of soju. "Who knows? Maybe I'm secretly rich."

Ji-hoon rolled his eyes. He knew Jung Hwan was hiding something—his past, his money, his reason for drinking himself to death. But Ji-hoon never pushed.

Tonight, however, fate had different plans.

The Ambush

The moment they turned a corner, shadows moved.

A group of six men stepped forward, blocking their path. Ji-hoon's heart sank. He recognized them—the same bastards who beat Jung Hwan regularly.

Only this time, they weren’t after the old drunk. Their eyes locked onto Ji-hoon.

"Look who we have here," one of them sneered. "The little street rat."

Ji-hoon didn’t hesitate. He threw the first punch. It was sloppy, but it landed. The guy stumbled back, but his friends were faster, stronger. A fist slammed into Ji-hoon's stomach, making him choke.

Jung Hwan took another sip of soju, watching.

Ji-hoon struggled, throwing wild punches, but within seconds, he was on the ground. Kicked, punched—beaten.

Jung Hwan sighed. "Tch… Useless."

The leader of the gang turned to Jung Hwan, laughing. "What about you, old man? You wanna get beaten too?"

Jung Hwan smirked and looked down at Ji-hoon. "Alright, kid. New deal. If I take them down, you become my student."

Ji-hoon, lying on the ground, spat blood. "Fuck off."

Jung Hwan squatted next to him, unfazed. "Is that a yes?"

Ji-hoon groaned, glaring. "I said, fuck off—"

CRACK!

Before Ji-hoon could finish, Jung Hwan stood up and snapped his bottle of soju against the wall.

The men flinched.

Jung Hwan’s usual drunken smirk was gone. His eyes sharpened. His movements, calculated.

"Alright, boys," Jung Hwan stretched his neck. "Let's play."

The Fight Begins

The first guy lunged. Big mistake.

Jung Hwan sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and snapped it back. The guy howled in pain. Before he could recover, Jung Hwan’s elbow crashed into his jaw—knocking him out cold.

The others hesitated.

Ji-hoon, still on the ground, watched in shock.

This wasn’t some pathetic drunk.

This was a fighter.

One of the gang members pulled out a knife. "You old fuck—"

THUD!

Jung Hwan kicked him in the ribs before he could finish. The man crashed into the wall.

Two men charged at once. Jung Hwan ducked, caught one by the collar, and used his momentum to slam him onto the pavement. The second guy barely had time to react before Jung Hwan grabbed his arm and twisted it until a sickening pop echoed through the alley.

It was over in seconds.

The gang leader, the only one left standing, took a step back. "What the fuck… What are you?"

Jung Hwan took another sip of soju. "Just a drunk."

The leader turned to run—but Ji-hoon tripped him.

The man hit the ground hard, groaning. Ji-hoon slowly stood up, blood dripping from his lip. He looked at Jung Hwan, still breathing heavily.

Jung Hwan grinned. "So, what do you say, kid?"

Ji-hoon wiped his lip, swallowing his pride. "...Fine. Train me."

Jung Hwan smirked. "Good choice."

The fight was over, and the gang was left groaning on the ground. Ji-hoon wiped his bloody lip, glancing at Jung Hwan, who casually took another sip of soju like nothing had happened.

"You really had to be that dramatic?" Ji-hoon muttered, still catching his breath.

Jung Hwan smirked. "If I wasn’t dramatic, would you have agreed to train?"

Ji-hoon scoffed. "You had me at ‘taking them down.’"

Jung Hwan stretched, cracking his knuckles as they started walking down the dimly lit street. The city lights flickered above them, casting long shadows.

"Alright, kid. Now that you’re my student, you need to show some respect."

Ji-hoon raised an eyebrow. "Respect?"

"Yeah," Jung Hwan said with a cocky grin. "I’m your teacher now. Call me ‘Sunsaengnim’ or ‘Master Hwan.’"

Ji-hoon burst into laughter. "Master? You sound like a martial arts movie villain."

Jung Hwan scowled. "It’s about respect."

Ji-hoon grinned. "I’ll call you Hyung then."

Jung Hwan stopped walking. "Hyung?"

"Yeah. Big brother." Ji-hoon smirked. "That’s what you get. No master, no teacher, just ‘Hyung.’"

Jung Hwan sighed, rubbing his temples. "You little brat…"

As they walked past a narrow alley, another figure stepped into the street—Choi Min-seo.

She walked quickly, her school bag clutched tightly against her chest. Her eyes were puffy, her uniform slightly messy, and there were faint red marks on her wrists. She looked up for a second and saw Ji-hoon and Jung Hwan.

Ji-hoon’s smirk faded the moment their eyes met.

Min-seo flinched and looked away, hurrying past them.

Jung Hwan noticed the tension but said nothing, only taking another sip of soju.

After a moment, Ji-hoon muttered, "She’s from my school."

Jung Hwan raised an eyebrow. "You know her?"

"Not really," Ji-hoon replied, watching as Min-seo disappeared down the street. "But… something’s wrong with her."

Jung Hwan exhaled, tapping the soju bottle against his palm. "Kid, everyone in this damn city is dealing with something."

Ji-hoon didn’t respond.

For the first time in a long while, he wasn’t thinking about his own problems.

But Min-seo's expression wouldn’t leave his mind.

And he had a bad feeling about it.

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