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Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Red-Eyed Wolves

Rain poured over Daejin High like it was trying to cleanse the school of its sins.

It wasn't working.

Inside the old music room, the Grey List trained. Not with punches or kicks—not yet—but with rhythm, movement, and timing. Chan-mi stood in front of a whiteboard with a marker in one hand and a stopwatch in the other.

> "Speed, not power," she said. "Strike timing beats brute force."

Park Sun-woo was sweating hard. His jabs were sharp but inconsistent. Oh Min-ji practiced silent takedowns on a dummy made of chair legs and duct tape. Kang Tae-yul balanced on a wobble board while tossing apples in the air and catching them behind his back.

Dae-hyun, meanwhile, stood still. Watching them. Recording every mistake.

> "Again," he said. "Sun-woo, your step-in is too wide. Min-ji, you're hesitating on the hip lock. Tae-yul..."

> "I'm perfect," Tae-yul said, juggling.

> "You're chaos. And chaos needs precision to be useful."

Tae-yul grinned. "Then train me harder, boss."

> "Don't call me boss."

> "Then 'Captain Grey'? 'Strategist Daddy'?"

> "I will knock you out," Min-ji said flatly, still practicing takedowns.

Chan-mi interrupted. "Enough. We're moving out."

> "Where?" Dae-hyun asked.

> "You've been noticed. You're getting a visit."

---

Elsewhere: Division 3 Training Grounds

The gym used by Division 3 fighters wasn't part of the school's official layout. It was under the bleachers—dark, humid, lit by exposed bulbs, and always filled with the sound of fists on pads.

Tonight, five fighters stood in a circle, stretching, taping up, and sharing quiet rumors.

Their leader, Ryu In-ho, was known as "Red-Eye," thanks to the burst blood vessels in his left eye that never healed from a childhood accident. He wore a black hoodie over his uniform and had a Muay Thai stance that never relaxed.

> "Grey List," he muttered, looking at a phone screen with Dae-hyun's fight replay.

> "New punks," said his second, a wiry boy with cauliflower ears named Jeong Minsu.

> "Trash," added another. "No real background. No discipline."

> "That's why we end them now," In-ho said, tapping his heel on the mat like a war drum. "They haven't learned fear yet."

---

That Night: Rooftop Challenge

It was a rule—unspoken, but universal. Fights at Daejin happened in certain places:

The parking lot for grudge matches.

The storage rooms for punishment brawls.

The rooftop for calls to war.

And tonight, they were summoned.

Chan-mi stood under an umbrella as Dae-hyun and the team approached the rooftop.

> "Three fighters. All Division 3," she said. "Ryu In-ho leads. He's fast and mean. Minsu likes joint strikes. The third is a wildcard—they call him 'Sidekick'. He kicks knees out like a surgeon."

> "So what's our plan?" Sun-woo asked, bouncing in place.

Dae-hyun looked at the rooftop's slick surface. "Use the water."

> "What?"

> "They rely on heavy strikes. We use angles. Stay low. Use their momentum. Fight in pairs."

Min-ji cracked her neck. "Finally."

Tae-yul chewed a piece of gum and smiled. "Let's ruin some dreams."

---

The rooftop was misty, lit by orange floodlights, and filled with the smell of rusted pipes and wet concrete. Ryu In-ho stood in the center with his two teammates flanking him.

> "You're the 'Grey List'?" In-ho asked.

> "We are," Dae-hyun said calmly.

> "You don't look grey. You look green."

> "That's the point. Grey is what hides in plain sight. We're not here to impress. We're here to dismantle."

In-ho cracked his neck.

> "Big words."

> "Let's see if you can still talk with a broken jaw," Tae-yul muttered.

Mr. Yoon appeared at the door, umbrella in hand.

> "Official sanction. Three-on-three. No weapons. Tap or sleep."

> "Understood," Dae-hyun said.

> "Let's begin."

---

Round One: The Setup

Dae-hyun, Tae-yul, and Sun-woo stepped forward first.

The rain made the mat slick, which Dae-hyun had counted on.

In-ho charged first.

Sun-woo met him head-on—boxing stance, tight guard. But In-ho's speed was terrifying. He faked a left and launched a flying knee.

Sun-woo caught it—barely—but slid backward across the rooftop, almost losing balance.

> "He's fast," Dae-hyun muttered.

Tae-yul engaged Minsu, who aimed for his shoulder with a snapping elbow. Tae-yul ducked, then rolled, laughing.

> "Oh, I like you," Tae-yul said, spinning to his feet.

> "Stop playing," Dae-hyun called. "Form two. Switch partners!"

Dae-hyun moved to flank In-ho, while Sun-woo and Tae-yul shifted opponents mid-flow. The chaos confused Division 3's team.

For the first 30 seconds, they held even.

But In-ho adapted.

He lashed out with an elbow that cracked against Sun-woo's jaw. Sun-woo reeled back, dazed.

> "Down!" Dae-hyun shouted.

Tae-yul dove into In-ho's legs to slow him.

Minsu took the opening and landed a blow to Tae-yul's spine, knocking him forward.

Dae-hyun scrambled backward and realized something terrifying:

> "They're not just fast. They're coordinated. Like a hunting pack."

---

Round Two: Tactical Shift

Chan-mi watched from the shadows, eyes sharp.

> "They're testing responses," she muttered. "Ryu isn't just strong. He's a reader too."

Dae-hyun regrouped.

> "We switch targets again. I'll take In-ho. You two disrupt. Don't fight clean—fight smart."

Tae-yul grinned.

> "Permission to be weird?"

> "Be unpredictable."

Sun-woo spat blood. "About time."

The second clash was different.

This time, Sun-woo charged Minsu, not waiting for a strike. He slammed forward with raw boxing force, aiming for the ribs. Minsu tried to parry, but the tight space made it hard.

At the same time, Tae-yul danced. Literally. He weaved between Sidekick's legs, clapping and laughing like a maniac. His footwork was wild, but it kept the kicker off balance.

In the middle, Dae-hyun faced In-ho.

> "You're not bad," In-ho said. "But brains don't block bones."

> "True," Dae-hyun replied. "But strategy breaks rhythm."

Dae-hyun sidestepped a knee and swept In-ho's leg with the slick rooftop puddle.

In-ho staggered.

Dae-hyun closed in, landed a quick jab to the side, then rolled away.

The Grey List didn't overpower.

They interrupted.

And that made them dangerous.

---

Final Moments: Collapse or Rise

Minsu landed a brutal elbow into Sun-woo's nose, sending him down hard. He bled a lot, but snarled through it.

Tae-yul finally baited Sidekick into a spin-kick—then ducked under it and kicked his support leg. Sidekick screamed as he hit the concrete, hard.

Now only In-ho stood.

Dae-hyun, panting, faced him alone.

> "Your team's good," In-ho said. "But not good enough."

He came in fast—an elbow to the jaw, a knee to the gut, a flurry of close-range attacks.

Dae-hyun blocked some, took the rest.

But then...

> "Now!" he yelled.

Sun-woo rose, nose bleeding, and tackled In-ho from behind.

Tae-yul leapt and landed a flying elbow to In-ho's chest.

In-ho grunted—then fell.

Rain hit his face. He blinked against it.

He didn't rise.

Mr. Yoon raised his hand.

> "Winner: Grey List."

The crowd—silent until now—burst into shouts and stunned whispers.

> "They beat Division 3." "How...?" "Who are these kids?"

Chan-mi smiled faintly in the shadows.

---

Aftermath

The Grey List regrouped in the old classroom. Cuts were cleaned. Ice packs passed around. No one spoke much at first.

Sun-woo wiped blood from his lips. "We won."

Min-ji, who had watched from the shadows, nodded. "You didn't win because you're strong."

> "We won because we're crazy," Tae-yul said, laughing.

> "You won," Dae-hyun said quietly, "because you listened."

Chan-mi stepped forward.

> "One win doesn't make you feared. But it makes you known."

> "Now the others will come."

---

Meanwhile: The Top

In a distant room,

Jin Do-won watched the fight replay on a projector. Again.

Na Jae-hyuk stood behind him.

> "They beat In-ho."

> "I saw."

> "Should we move?"

Do-won paused the screen.

Dae-hyun's face stared back. Calm. Calculating. Bruised.

> "Let them rise."

> "Why?"

> "Because when you kill a name... it's louder than killing a ghost."

---

End of Chapter 5

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