After the chaos left behind by Dae-Seok's defeat, the atmosphere in the school shifted. Whispers spread through the hallways, and veterans started to grow uneasy. No one knew where Dae-Seok had gone, but his absence was loud enough to shake the fragile hierarchy of the third-year dominion.
Jin, meanwhile, wiped the sweat from his face, his knuckles raw, his breathing heavy. He leaned against a cracked wall at the back of the gym, gulping down cold water from a bottle Leon had thrown at him.
"You're really insane, you know that?" Leon smirked, watching Jin guzzle down the water. "But damn… that was clean."
Jin let out a dry laugh. "Two down. Three to go."
Leon glanced at his phone, where he had a map of the school marked with the usual spots where the veterans hung out. "Next one's Woo-Jin. The bastard loves to fight dirty. Always carries some piece of metal or stick with him, and he's quick."
Jin cracked his neck, his grin savage. "Good. I hate fair fights."
Leon's plan remained the same: isolate, outsmart, destroy. But this time, Jin needed a breather before the next war. They both agreed to wait until after the final bell rang, when the hallways thinned out and Woo-Jin would head to his usual smoking spot behind the storage sheds.
The hours dragged by. Jin sat quietly on the bleachers in the old gym, nursing his sore body and bruised knuckles. His mind, however, burned with anticipation. Every bone in his body ached, but something deeper—a violent streak he rarely let surface—was awake now.
When evening finally arrived and most students had left, Leon gave the signal.
"Let's move."
They headed to the back of the school, navigating through empty corridors. The distant sound of laughter and music from the town's streets filtered in through cracked windows. It felt like a calm before a storm.
Woo-Jin was right where Leon expected. Leaning against the wall by the storage sheds, a thin metal pipe lazily hanging from his hand. He spotted them immediately and grinned.
"Finally came for me, huh? Thought you'd chicken out after Dae-Seok."
Jin didn't respond. He cracked his knuckles and stepped forward.
Woo-Jin laughed and took a swing with the metal pipe. Jin dodged to the side, feeling the rush of air as the weapon missed his head by inches. He countered with a sharp elbow to Woo-Jin's ribs, making him stumble.
But Woo-Jin wasn't a weakling. He retaliated with a knee to Jin's gut, then cracked the pipe against his shoulder. Pain shot through Jin's arm, but he gritted his teeth and kept moving.
Leon stood nearby, watching, not interfering. This was Jin's fight.
Jin knew he couldn't let it drag on too long. He feinted left, baiting another swing from Woo-Jin, then ducked low and swept his opponent's legs. Woo-Jin hit the ground hard but rolled away, back on his feet in seconds.
"You're not bad," Woo-Jin sneered. "But I'm gonna leave you crawling."
Jin's eyes gleamed with something dark. He rushed in, ignoring the pain, landing a brutal series of punches to Woo-Jin's jaw and torso. Woo-Jin managed to land another hit with the pipe, this time cutting Jin's cheek open.
Blood trickled down, but Jin grinned wider. "You like playing dirty, huh?"
In a sudden move, Jin tackled Woo-Jin to the ground, locking his legs around the veteran's. Woo-Jin struggled, thrashing, but Jin tightened his grip.
"Let's see you swing that pipe without a leg," Jin hissed, before twisting sharply.
A sickening crack echoed in the empty yard. Woo-Jin screamed in agony as his leg bent at an unnatural angle.
Leon raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Jin leaned in, his voice cold and low. "Stay down."
Leaving Woo-Jin writhing on the ground, Jin picked up the metal pipe, considered it, then tossed it aside in disgust.
Leon approached. "That makes three."
Jin wiped the blood from his face, his eyes still burning. "Two more."
And so, the night settled in, heavy with tension. The remaining veter
ans wouldn't fall so easily. But Jin was done holding back.