The silence that followed the confrontation was deafening, as if the alley itself had been left breathless. Jihyeon watched Chulwoo collapse, his labored breathing mixing with the blood and sweat streaking his face. The echo of the last blow still resonated in his mind, reminding him how far he had come… and what he was willing to sacrifice to achieve his goals. Still, victory brought him no peace, only a gnawing unease that sank into his bones. He knew this was only the beginning.
Chulwoo lay sprawled, pale, motionless. Jihyeon approached slowly, his pulse steady but his mind in conflict. There was something about this boy that reminded him of himself: a loser, someone beaten down by life who had chosen the wrong path. Maybe that was why, he thought, he would make him useful.
"Chulwoo…" he murmured in a softer voice. "Can you hear me?"
The henchmen, who had witnessed the beating with fear etched on their faces, took a few steps back. The image of invulnerability their leader once carried had shattered before their eyes. All that remained was a defeated man on the ground.
"What… what the hell just happened?" one whispered, his voice trembling.
The loyalty they had felt toward Chulwoo was crumbling like dust, replaced by uncertainty. Their wavering gazes finally landed on Jihyeon, who was still breathing heavily. He studied them in silence for a moment, then spoke firmly:
"It's over. Chulwoo can't lead you anymore. If you want to continue, you have to decide. You can stay here, being third-rate thugs… or join me and aim for something bigger."
The air grew tense. The two thugs looked at each other, caught between fear and the promise of something new. One tried to back away.
"I don't want trouble…" he said uncertainly. "Chulwoo was an idiot, but at least with him we had some kind of stability. What's in it for us now?"
Jihyeon met his gaze calmly.
"What you have is an opportunity." His tone hardened. "Although, to be honest… I don't care if you join. I didn't come here for you. I came for him."
The thugs swallowed hard. They understood their role would be minimal, shadows at best. And yet, the strength radiating from Jihyeon pulled them toward him like a magnet. In the end, they nodded silently, surrendering to the inevitable.
Chulwoo blinked weakly, realizing they were abandoning him. The world around him blurred. Jihyeon leaned down beside him, and for the first time allowed a hint of compassion to cross his face.
"I'm not here for revenge, Chulwoo. I'm here to give you a choice." His voice was firm but not cruel. "You can go on being a thug with no direction… or join me and fight for something greater."
Chulwoo looked at him through confusion and exhaustion. Deep down, Jihyeon sensed a flicker of hope, faint, like a spark not yet extinguished.
"Why should I trust you?" Chulwoo whispered hoarsely, his voice heavy with distrust.
"Because I know what it's like to fall," Jihyeon replied without hesitation. "I know what it's like to be humiliated, to feel there's no way out. But I also know there's a path to becoming stronger."
Chulwoo clenched his teeth, trying to gather strength.
"And if I join you?" he finally asked, his gaze more steady. "What do I gain?"
A faint crooked smile crossed Jihyeon's lips.
"The first step will be to form a team. With that, even if it sounds ambitious, we'll face anyone who gets in our way. We won't be victims but hunters. And yes, the thug council, other groups, trashy gangs, all of them will be our enemies… because we'll take everything. We'll be the biggest organization."
The words ignited something inside Chulwoo.
"It won't be easy," Jihyeon warned. "There will be pain, there will be sacrifices. There will be moments when you'll want to give up. But if you're willing to let go of your pride, we can be more than losers."
Chulwoo closed his eyes for a moment, as if his entire past played before him. When he opened them, there was still a trace of defiance in his gaze, but his voice was steadier.
"Alright, Jihyeon… I'll give you a chance. But if you disappoint me, I swear I'll end you."
Jihyeon smiled faintly, satisfied.
"I understand. I won't disappoint you." He leaned in closer, with a cynical smirk. "Besides… you didn't really have a choice. If you had refused, I would've forced you. Consider this your redemption for making me your errand boy."
Then they exchanged numbers and left the alley, leaving behind the echo of a new alliance… and the beginning of something much darker.
...
As they left the alley, Chulwoo's two henchmen, Minho and Hyunseok, walked with uncertain steps. Their faces still reflected disbelief at what had happened, but amid the confusion, a new spark began to show—the idea that maybe they were facing change.
"So what now?" asked Minho, a boy with messy hair, his tone heavy with uncertainty.
"How are we supposed to handle all this?"
Jihyeon stopped and slowly turned toward them.
"Don't draw attention, and don't act recklessly. That's how it should be for now. After all, who would take four people like us seriously? Exactly, no one. But still, don't make mistakes."
Then his eyes fell on Chulwoo.
"Before… were you part of the thug council?"
Chulwoo pressed his lips together, uncomfortable.
"No. Most of the strong ones are in there, but I was just another thug. I don't even think they know who I am."
Jihyeon nodded, thoughtful.
"Mmm… then maybe with you it could be different. I remember you used to hang around with Jaemin, a thug with bleached blond hair, right?"
Chulwoo nodded. Jihyeon continued.
"Then you're perfect to be a council thug, since you used to hang with him…"
Chulwoo interrupted.
"But we're not friends. That bastard probably wouldn't even talk to me anymore."
Jihyeon sighed.
"Well, anyway. We need you to draw attention. If you can get the council to notice you, you could serve as our informant… or simply join as a representative."
He paused briefly and lowered his tone.
"But don't get your hopes up. That alone isn't enough. You need real strength. If you don't improve, you wouldn't last a day against them. Start with that. If one day you're strong enough, then we'll see if this plan can work."
Chulwoo listened. He grew somber at first, but then a shadow of doubt shone in his eyes.
"And you?" he asked hoarsely. "What will you do while I keep up this façade?"
"I'll act from the shadows," Jihyeon replied seriously. "I plan to start something like a protection business, of course far from the thug council. A front that will let us move without drawing too much attention. Meanwhile, I'll gather more people willing to join us."
Hyunseok, the bulky one in the group, spoke with a frown.
"But… what if someone finds out what we're doing? Not everyone can be trusted."
"It's an unavoidable risk," Jihyeon replied coldly. "What matters is that each of you fulfills your role. I don't care about perfection, only loyalty. I don't want you to follow me out of fear, but for the chance to become stronger."
Then, with a faint smile, he added, "And if we fall, at least it won't be in loneliness."
Chulwoo took a deep breath, as if trying to convince himself.
"Alright. I'll do it. But this better work, Jihyeon. I'm not going back to being a loser."
"And you won't," Jihyeon assured without hesitation.
Minho spoke up, his face uneasy.
"And what if they see us together at school? You know, we used to beat you up, those kinds of things. People know we used to bully you. It'd be weird if they didn't talk about it."
Jihyeon crossed his arms.
"That doesn't really matter. Right now, we're nobodies. If they see us, it'll just be rumors no one takes seriously." He paused, looking at each of them, and sighed. "But if it makes you feel better, we can pretend we don't know each other at school."
But he was thinking that it wasn't important, it didn't matter at all.
Hyunseok nodded slowly.
"That could work…"
"Do you really think this will work?" Chulwoo asked, still doubtful.
"I know," Jihyeon admitted. "It's not a master plan, but it's a start. You, Chulwoo, will be the visible face. I'll stay in the shadows, guiding you and making sure nothing gets out of control."
Silence wrapped around them for a moment. Chulwoo lowered his head, taking in the logic behind the words.
"Alright. I'll do it. But if this doesn't work, I'll find another way."
"Trust me," Jihyeon said, showing them a faint smile. "Together we're going to build something big. This is just the beginning."
Then Jihyeon, as if remembering something, added:
"Oh, I forgot something. You should apologize to Dowan."
Chulwoo clenched his teeth, his face dark.
"Why?"
Jihyeon thought that Chulwoo still had a long way to go. He needed to start shaping him to fix that shitty attitude.
"That's because Dowan, from now on, will be someone important for the council. It wouldn't hurt for you to start on the right foot now."
Chulwoo clicked his tongue.
"Fine."
Clearly, Chulwoo didn't believe Dowan would become important. Jihyeon sighed. He didn't want to think about it anymore.
With those words, the group dispersed, each returning home, carrying with them a mix of fear, doubts, and a new promise for the future