Jihyeon, as he approached, could see the scene more clearly. It was even more desolate than he expected. Chulwoo's eyes were vacant and his attitude far less defiant than he remembered from this body.
"Chulwoo," he said calmly. "We need to talk."
The group turned toward him. The hostility in Chulwoo's eyes was evident. Then one of the henchmen let out a laugh.
"Who the hell are you?"
Jihyeon took off his cap. A lackey recognized him and laughed mockingly.
"What do you want, Jihyeon? You gonna cry again?"
Jihyeon's fists clenched unconsciously. That body still remembered the days when it had been the target of humiliation and beatings. But this was no longer the same Jihyeon. He hadn't come for revenge, but for a future.
"I'm not here to fight," he replied with a smile. "I want you to understand that we all make mistakes. You, especially. You've been an arrogant idiot, and you deserved it."
Chulwoo crossed his arms, locking his gaze on him. The silence grew heavy.
"And why should I care?" he retorted bitterly. "You were always a loser. And a loser will always be one."
Jihyeon let out a chuckle without stepping back.
"Maybe you don't understand it now, but life doesn't treat losers kindly. It pushes you to the ground over and over until you think you can't get up. I know because I'm one of them. But tell me… aren't you the same?"
For a moment, something wavered in Chulwoo's face. He quickly hid it behind a bitter laugh. His henchmen were watching, expectant.
"Don't get me wrong," Jihyeon went on. "I'm not here to lecture you. You beat up the weak, and that's why you deserved what happened to you. But everyone deserves a second chance. Even trash like you. That's why I'm asking you: join me. Let's change, as losers… to become winners."
The group fell silent. Chulwoo's pride was a wall hard to break.
"I don't need your lessons, Jihyeon," he growled, though his voice sounded less firm. "You were always weak."
Jihyeon smiled, relaxing his shoulders.
"Then I'll make you understand another way. No more nice words."
He stepped toward them.
"Chulwoo Min, I've come to conquer you. I don't care if you accept or not. If necessary, I'll use force to make you change your mind."
The henchmen looked at each other, confused. Chulwoo frowned.
"What are you talking about?" he asked distrustfully.
"An opportunity," Jihyeon replied, his tone graver. "One you can't understand right now. And when I defeat you, I'll explain it to you step by step."
The murmuring among the henchmen grew. The tension was palpable. Finally, Chulwoo dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his foot.
"Fine, Jihyeon. But if you disappoint me, I'll make you my errand boy for life. Show me what you're capable of."
Adrenaline rushed through Jihyeon's body. He took a boxing stance. Chulwoo remained upright, seemingly relaxed, but his eyes evaluated him carefully.
Jihyeon inhaled deeply and, in an instant, lunged forward with surprising speed. His fist headed for Chulwoo's face.
I throw this punch to gauge Chulwoo's level, because I didn't know if he was weak, since in the manhwa Dowan hit him with maxed-out skills, and therefore his level wasn't clear.
As expected, Chulwoo wasn't weak. He reacted quickly, leaning to the side and easily dodging the blow. Chulwoo's cunning was evident; he had been in fights before.
"Don't rush," he mocked. "Think before you act."
Jihyeon smiled. He pivoted on his heels and launched a roundhouse kick toward his head. Chulwoo blocked with his forearm and countered with a quick jab, but Jihyeon tilted his head, dodging by inches.
A fleeting look of astonishment crossed Chulwoo's eyes. This wasn't the same weak Jihyeon he remembered, nor one who knew how to fight like this. He didn't think twice.
He launched a kick at his rival's face, but Jihyeon caught his leg, swept his support, and threw him down. Before he hit the ground fully, he delivered a punch to his solar plexus that slammed him violently to the floor. The impact made him crash onto the alley floor with a muffled groan.
The blow was effective. Chulwoo let out a pained grunt but quickly recovered and got up, counterattacking with punches at full strength.
All this because Chulwoo began to feel nervous, so he attacked to avoid prolonging the fight, since he felt an unprecedented crisis. It reminded him of the moment Dowan humiliated him.
Jihyeon crossed his arms, blocking the blow, but his forearms trembled. That was because Jihyeon's body was still weak.
Chulwoo smiled fiercely.
"Even if you've learned, you're still fragile, Jihyeon."
He advanced decisively. But a dry jab struck him on the nose. And another. And another. Blood began to stain his face. The henchmen shifted uncomfortably seeing their boss back away. While Jihyeon kept his distance he kept throwing jabs.
Soon, Chulwoo's face was battered and his nose bleeding. His expression grew grim.
"It's just like before," Chulwoo thought. "Blows to the face… and they're coming from my former errand boys. Since when are these losers so strong?"
With an angry face, he lunged to tackle Jihyeon. The latter was surprised by the sudden move, planted his feet firmly on the ground, but it wasn't enough. He was lifted and then slammed to the ground. The impact echoed in the alley.
"That's more than I expected," Jihyeon panted, smiling as he staggered to his feet.
He had discovered that Chulwoo wasn't useless. As his first recruit, he was enough. With training, he could become stronger.
Jihyeon got up. Without wasting time, he rushed at Chulwoo again, this time with a combination of fast strikes. Chulwoo tried to dodge and sometimes deflected, but he still took hits.
Then Chulwoo grabbed Jihyeon's hands and, with force, pulled them back, forcing him closer. He prepared to headbutt him.
Jihyeon saw it coming and responded the same way.
Skull against skull thundered. Blood and sweat mixed on their faces, pressed together in an instant of shared pain.
Jihyeon reacted faster. He drove his knee into Chulwoo's ribs. The latter doubled over. Two more jabs to the face left him dazed.
The sound of the blows landing echoed in the air, and sweat mixed with blood began to drip onto the alley floor.
Taking advantage of the opening, Jihyeon kicked Chulwoo's thigh, making him lean. And then he delivered an uppercut to his chin. The blow lifted Chulwoo's head, who spat blood from the corner of his lips.
The silence of the alley was broken by the impact. Chulwoo's eyes clouded, staggering on the brink of collapse.
"Now you understand…" Jihyeon whispered.
And, in one last burst, he jumped and planted a direct kick to Chulwoo's face.
The world shattered for him. The ground received him like an icy abyss. In his mind, images of humiliation and defeat mixed with Jihyeon's voice. He tried to speak, to deny the inevitable.
"No…"
But it was too late. His fingers clawed at the concrete looking for an anchor. He found nothing. Only the void. His consciousness faded, and with it, his pride.
The henchmen kept a sepulchral silence.