Jin Jang stood before the mirror. His face, sharp as a knife's edge, reflected a solemnity he rarely displayed. With a slow gesture, he adjusted his cap.
Today was no ordinary day. Today would mark the beginning of a change for the Dog God. He walked to his room and stopped in front of a wall where a painting hung. He moved it aside, revealing a hidden safe. He glanced at the door, making sure no one had entered.
For a few minutes, he kept his eyes half-closed, listening for any sound. When he was completely certain he wouldn't be interrupted, he entered the safe's combination. Hearing the click that indicated it was the correct combination, Jin Jiang pulled the handle.
A cold vapor escaped from within, enveloping the scene in an even more mysterious air. When the mist dissipated, Jin Jang reached inside and pulled out a notebook carefully stored within.
The notebook was simple, nothing that caught the eye at first glance. However, on the cover was a solemn title, adorned with almost ceremonial care: "Gangbuk Restructuring Plan."
Jin Jang opened the notebook with sweaty, slightly trembling hands. A drop of perspiration trickled down his sharp features, leaving his cheek damp. The instant he saw the first page, it was like opening Pandora's box.
First Step: Clear Hierarchical Structure.
Upon reading the first step written by his new boss, Jin Jang felt his mind begin to race. The brain of the smartest person in Gangbuk started processing possibilities, paths, and risks at breakneck speed.
Then, an idea took shape with absolute clarity:
¡¡Divide Gangbuk into four parts!!
South Gangbuk
North Gangbuk
East Gangbuk
West Gangbuk
Fragmenting the territory would allow for a more efficient organization. Each zone would have a representative leader, directly responsible for the commissions and activities within their sector.
With such a structure, neither he nor Seo Joon would have to bear the entire burden of administration. It would be the first step in transforming the chaos of God Dog into a functional system.
There were several benefits to this, for example:
Absolute territorial control.
Each zone could be precisely monitored and supervised. No suspicious movement or anything else would go unnoticed.
Each sector leader could place the different schools within their territory under their command, thus streamlining the process of all future operations.
Sturdy hierarchy and reinforced loyalty
By assigning a leader to each sector, Jin Jang could ensure that every junior subordinate had a direct authority figure.
This would prevent internal disputes, ambiguities, and power vacuums.
The regional leaders would be the first line of defense… and if something went wrong in their territory, they would be the first to be held accountable.
Faster reaction in crisis situations.
If a fight broke out, if a rival crew attacked, or if a traitor tried to move in the shadows, the responses would be immediate.
There would be no need to wait for orders from above: the zone leaders would act instantly, ensuring that Gangbuk wouldn't appear vulnerable for even a second.
Increased influence and deterrence against other crews.
Such a structured organization wouldn't just command respect; it would generate fear. Other zones in Seoul would see that Gangbuk was no longer a chaotic territory, but a well-oiled machine, capable of mobilizing as one with a single order.
Jin Jang, after his conversation with Seo Joon, was certain that Dog God was, objectively, the weakest crew in all of Seoul. In the eyes of everyone else, they were nothing more than a disorganized group, a bunch of guys without direction or structure. If it weren't for Johan Seong, just as Seo Joon had said, they probably would have already been devoured by one of the other crews that were circling like vultures.
The lack of organization could also be seen in Big Deal, but Jin Jang knew that was just an appearance. Inside, Big Deal was one of the most united crews in Seoul. Furthermore, its leaders, being elite fighters, deterred most of the other gangs.
During his time with God Dog, Jin Jang had investigated the other crews. Except for Workers, who was like a dark fog, he knew a lot about the others. In Big Deal, there were two monsters just as strong as Johan: Jake Kim and Jerry Kwon.
Jin Jang had no doubt: if Jake Kim and Jerry Kwon attacked Johan together, even he would be subdued and beaten like a stray dog by those two monsters.
Not because Johan was weak, but because as they say "unity is strength" and two monsters attacking one was... well, there was no need to say more.
It's worth noting that, just as Seo Joon had suspected from the start, Jin Jang was a smart guy. He only needed a little push to get his mind working on how to implement the plan.
Perhaps spending so much time in God Dog had dulled Jin Jang's mind, but after meeting Seo Joon, he began to emerge from his shell.
It's worth noting that Seo Joon wasn't a strategy expert; he had the general idea, yes, but he lacked someone capable of turning that concept into something concrete.
He needed a chef to cook up the recipe. And Jin Jang turned out to be an exceptional chef.
Weighing every detail in his mind, Jin Jang didn't hesitate to make a decision. He took out his phone, his fingers moved confidently, and he typed the first message: it was time to contact Hope Park.
…
On the high school rooftop, Hope Park and Ivan Park—the brothers known for their ferocity—were surrounded by several intimidating-looking men. The atmosphere was thick, almost violent by nature; the cigarette smoke kept billowing from these guys, making the atmosphere even more tense.
Ding.
Hope's phone vibrated. Hearing it, he looked down, took the phone out of his pocket, and checked the notification.
Jin Jang: You and your brother are in charge of North Gangbuk. From now on, that will be your territory. You will be the leaders there. Implement the boss's plan. Subdue all the schools within your territory.
Jin Jang: No mistakes allowed.
Hope Park looked up from his phone, his eyes shining with a mixture of surprise and restrained excitement.
"So… it's going to start," he murmured, a smile showing his teeth. Although he had no idea why Jin Jang had divided Gangbuk into sectors, he was consumed by excitement. He hugged Ivan Park tightly. Looks like we'll be bosses of a certain area, brother!
Ivan, always quiet but just as intimidating, nodded without a word. For him, as long as there was ass to kick, nothing else mattered.
Hope clenched his fists and glared at his subordinates with determination, a spark of fire flashing in his eyes.
"Guys, it's time to move!" he ordered. "Call the others. We're taking all of North Gangbuk. No one will stand in our way. Every school will feel our presence."
Hearing Hope's words, the other members of God Dog looked at him with excitement and respect. Without wasting a second, several young men in crew hoodies left the school and began to spread out, ready to cleanse and subdue North Gangbuk.
...
Jin Jang looked at Hope Park's confirmation message and nodded with satisfaction. With Hope, someone strong and somewhat intelligent, and with Ivan, a terrifying guy, securing all of North Gangbuk was practically guaranteed.
Jin Jang narrowed his eyes. It was East Gangbuk's turn, and his mind scanned possible candidates to lead the zone. At that moment, a name appeared in his thoughts: Scott Kwon.
He frowned. Scott was undoubtedly strong, but there was a problem: his personality. As an Olympic athlete, his arrogance was almost legendary. He only showed respect to the most powerful; with everyone else, his attitude could destabilize anyone. He wasn't fit to lead a zone.
Jin Jang scratched his head.
"What a problem..." he muttered, reflecting.
Then another name crossed his mind: Mark Sa.
Although Mark was incredibly weak in combat, his analytical skills were outstanding. Furthermore, the two had a pretty good relationship, something that could work in his favor.
"If these two work together..." Jin Jang murmured, a spark of interest in his eyes. "Perhaps an unexpected surprise will emerge."
Once he'd made up his mind, he pulled out his phone and texted Mark Sa and Scott Kwon.
Scott Kwon's phone vibrated. He wiped the sweat from his brow, picked up his phone, and upon seeing Jin Jang's message, stared at the screen for a moment, one eyebrow raised. It was clear he hadn't expected to be assigned to East Gangbuk, and like Hope Park, he didn't understand why Jin Jang was dividing Gangbuk into parts.
"Mark Sa?" he murmured, an arrogant smile spreading across his face. "This will be interesting."
Meanwhile, Mark Sa was in a café, alone, intently studying his laptop. He wasn't much of a talker, but the idea of Jin Jang entrusting him with an area made him smile slightly. It's worth noting that he was one of the few who understood why Jin Jang divided Gangbuk into parts.
Another message arrived on his phone, and upon seeing it, he raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Working with Scott Kwon?" he thought, knowing that the combination of his analytical mind with Scott's strength could work. It was a rare but effective combination.
Jin Jang: Start preparing everything! Mark Sa, Scott Kwon, East Gangbuk is now your territory. Coordinate and secure control together. There's no room for error!
Scott grinned even wider at the message, stuffed his phone in his pocket, and leaped up from the bench where he'd been sitting. He walked to the locker room, took a quick shower, and put on his signature Dog God hoodie, paired with black pants and white sneakers.
"Mark Sa, uh?… bastard, you better not drag me down," he muttered under his breath, with that characteristic arrogance of his.
Meanwhile, Mark simply nodded calmly upon reading Jin Jang's message and closed his laptop. He wasn't impulsive like Scott; he knew his analytical skills would be key to the operation's success.
"Looks like I'll have to find a way to keep that guy from screwing this up," he whispered to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips.
They soon exchanged text messages to arrange a meeting point. Mark Sa took charge of coordinating the other members of God Dog in the area. After contacting most of them through the private KakaoTalk group—to which Johan, incidentally, wasn't invited—he sent the location, and they agreed to meet in half an hour at the agreed-upon spot.
Once the location was shared, they both headed to the meeting point. Scott Kwon, disdainful of such cumbersome logistical matters, simply went straight there, without worrying about the logistical details.
...
On the other side, Jin Jang frowned, caught in a major dilemma: the lack of manpower.
Only two areas remained to be distributed: South Gangbuk and West Gangbuk.
To lead an area, you needed both strength and some intelligence. For example, in North Gangbuk, Hope Park and Ivan Park complemented each other perfectly: Hope, strong and somewhat cunning, coordinated the strategy, while Ivan, even stronger, focused solely on brute force.
Similarly, in East Gangbuk, Scott Kwon provided the strength while Mark Sa contributed the intelligence.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that all these pairs complemented each other ideally, forming a perfect balance between strength and strategy.
After considering it for a moment, Jin Jang sighed. The only viable plan he could think of was for himself and Dominic Min to take charge of South Gangbuk.
It wasn't that he didn't want Dominic to have his own territory; the reason was much simpler: Dominic Min was a ruthless guy who undoubtedly had good combat skills, but there was a problem with him—he was incredibly stupid, and like Ivan Park, he was all brawn and no brains. Jin Jang was absolutely certain that appointing Dominic as a zone leader would completely ruin everything.
"It seems I can only annoy the boss," Jin Jang sighed. "There's no one else but him to handle West Gangbuk."
"The manpower shortage is really problematic..." he muttered, pulling out his phone. He started texting Seo Joon first, then Dominic, asking him to meet up.
He clicked send and thought, "I hope he doesn't get mad..."
With that thought lingering in his mind, Jin Jang got out of bed and headed to the agreed-upon meeting point to meet Dominic Min and the other guys.