Geon sat on a bench wrapping his fists lazily while Johan stood nearby observing the place.
Geon looked toward Hyunjin carefully, a grin appeared on his face "You look different."
Hyunjin leaned against couche casually "Different how?"
Geon laughed "You're eyes look dangerous."
Johan glanced toward Hyunjin.
After fighting Gun, something about Hyunjin changed.
His presence, his eyes.
Hyunjin simply smiled faintly "Maybe."
Then he pushed himself off the couch "I came here for a reason."
Geon's expression became serious.
Hyunjin pointed slightly toward Johan "Keep him here for now."
Johan looked at him
Hyunjin continued calmly "He joined me, and Johan your mother's hospital has already been changed."
Johan's eyes widened
Hyunjin pulled a folded paper from his pocket and handed it toward him "This is the room number."
"You can visit her after this."
Johan just stared at the paper.
"I'm leaving for a week or two."
Geon frowned "Alone?"
"Yeah."
A smile appeared "There's somewhere I need to go."
Geon could already tell
Whatever Hyunjin planned next probably wasn't normal.
Then Hyunjin added "Until I come back," He glanced toward Johan "Train him."
Johan looked toward Geon now.
Geon smirked "You sure?"
Hyunjin's eyes narrowed "He needs to grow stronger."
Then Hyunjin added something else "And give me someone from your side too."
Geon raised an eyebrow "Someone from my side?"
"A Second Generation fighter." Hyunjin crossed his arms "I'll need stronger people moving forward."
Then, suddenly Hyunjin's phone rang.
The three looked toward it.
Hyunjin glanced at the screen.
Then blinked "Mary?"
Hyunjin answered the call "You remembered me after all this time?"
Mary's annoyed voice came through the phone "Idiot, of course."
Hyunjin chuckled quietly "I'm honored."
Mary clicked her tongue, then asked quickly "I heard you got discharged from the hospital."
"How's your condition?"
Hyunjin smiled "Why?" A teasing tone entered his voice "You worried about me?"
"W-What?!" Mary's voice instantly rose "Don't misunderstand!"
"I was just asking!"
Hyunjin's grin widened "So you do care."
"YOU IDIOT, IF I YOU SEE AGAIN, YOU'RE DEAD!"
Click.
The call ended immediately.
A smile still remained on his face.
After a moment
Geon leaned back "Fine."
"I'll give you a fighter."
Hyunjin looked toward him calmly.
Geon's grin slowly returned "But when you come back.."
His eyes hardened "I want another fight."
Hyunjin smiled immediately "Of course."
----
Mary slammed the pillow against the wall "That idiot!"
Her face was slightly red from frustration or embarrassment.
Maybe both.
She grabbed her phone again staring at the dark screen
"'You care about me?'" She mimicked Hyunjin's voice angrily.
Then she threw herself backward onto the bed dramatically.
Hair spread across the pillow.
Still thinking about him.
And somehow, that annoyed her even more "If I see him again,"
She clenched her fist "I'm seriously beating him up."
But despite saying that, a smile almost appeared.
Mary slowly sat up.
She only met Hyunjin around three weeks ago.
Three weeks.
That wasn't long at all.
Yet somehow, they already became close friends.
Talking, meeting often.
Walking together around J-High.
And after the incident, she found herself worrying about him constantly.
Mary immediately shook her head violently "What am I even thinking?!"
She buried her face into the pillow "This is so annoying."
The image of Hyunjin smiling before hanging up stayed in her mind.
----
Daniel, Zack, and Vasco sat quietly on the bench together.
The atmosphere felt serious.
Daniel leaned forward "So."
"What do you guys think?"
Zack glanced toward him.
Daniel continued "Should we join Hyunjin?"
Silence.
The question lingered between them.
Because they all knew joining Hyunjin meant entering something much bigger.
Vasco looked toward the water, then slowly clenched his fist "I'll join."
Daniel looked toward him.
Vasco's eyes hardened with determination "There are too many bad people in Seoul, and if we stay weak.."
He remembered Johan, Gun, the Four Crews.
"People will keep suffering."
"So I'll help Hyunjin beat them."
Daniel smiled hearing that.
Then both looked toward Zack.
Zack stayed silent for a few seconds.
Thinking.
Then he finally spoke "I'll join too."
Zack looked down toward his fists "That First Generation story.."
"It shouldn't happen again." A cold breeze passed through them.
Zack remembered what Hyunjin said on the rooftop.
Kings, circles.
Violence ruling Korea, destroying cities.
His expression hardened "If the Second Generation keeps going like this.."
"Seoul will turn into another battlefield."
Then Daniel smiled "Guess that settles it."
Vasco grinned "Burn Knuckles are joining then!"
Zack smirked "You're acting like you own all of us."
Daniel laughed.
Then slowly stood up from the bench.
The city lights reflected in his eyes "Let's help Hyunjin."
Then his expression turned serious "And save Seoul before it becomes another First Generation."
----
(Next Week)
Doo Lee and his friends laughed loudly while scrolling through a phone "Bro, look at this one!"
"This seller's crazy!"
Zack frowned hearing them "What are you idiots looking at?"
Doo smirked and turned the phone around "Mira's stockings are apparently worth a lot."
The moment Zack saw the screen, his expression froze.
A fake online account displayed Mira's picture.
Another with Joy.
Another with Zoe.
Another with Mary.
And below them, posts claiming to sell their stockings.
Zack's face darkened instantly "What the hell is this?"
Doo awkwardly backed away "W-We were just looking.."
Daniel immediately grabbed the phone.
His eyes narrowed "Someone's using their pictures."
...
Vin Jin clicked his tongue "Pathetic bastards."
Mary looked disgusted "I'm going to kill them."
-Police Station
A tired officer sighed while looking over the reports "There's not enough evidence."
Zack slammed his hand against the desk "So that's it?!"
The officer frowned "These accounts disappear quickly."
"We can't trace them fast enough."
Mary looked furious "So you're just letting it happen?"
The officer avoided eye contact.
Daniel slowly stood up "Fine."
His eyes hardened "Then we'll catch them ourselves."
-Zack's Boxing Gym
Everyone gathered together, except Hyunjin, he was away for a emergency.
Jace adjusting placing a small bottle onto the table "I bought a sample from one of the accounts."
Vasco immediately grabbed it "I'll test it."
Before anyone could stop him
He drank it.
Jace froze.
Three seconds later
Vasco's face turned green "BLEEEGH!!"
He spit it everywhere violently "THAT'S PEE?!"
The entire gym exploded into disgust.
Vin looked horrified "You actually drank it?!"
Vasco looked betrayed "WHY WOULD THEY SELL THIS?!"
Jace rubbed his forehead "Focus." He pointed toward the packaging "The delivery location traces back to the eastern side of the river."
"Hostel." Jace nodded "Runaway fams operate there."
Then he explained calmly "They use girls' photos online, pretend to sell personal items and scam desperate people."
The atmosphere became heavier.
Mary clenched her fists "So they're using us for money."
Daniel stood up immediately "Then I'll infiltrate them."
"What?"
Daniel smiled slightly "I'll disguise myself as a runaway kid."
Vin snorted "You already look homeless half the time anyway."
Vasco stood too "Then Burn Knuckles will search around the area while being runaway fam."
Jace rubbed his temples.
Mary crossed her arms "I'll go-"
Vin stopped her "You be here, I'll go.."
And just like that, the hunt for Hostel began.
---
Daniel sitting, two girls approached him.
They blinked blankly.
Daniel stared awkwardly "What?"
....
Daniel bought them food at a small restaurant.
The moment the plates arrived, the girls devoured everything instantly.
Daniel's expression slowly changed watching them.
They were starving.
"How do you guys make money?"
The girls immediately became quiet "You're innocent.."
Daniel frowned "Do you guys sell stockings?"
They laughed.
Then Daniel asked softly "Can you take me to your runaway fam?"
The girls exchanged looks.
----
Daniel's eyes widened the moment he entered.
The house was packed.
Dozens of teenagers crowded inside tiny rooms.
Some sleeping on the floor.
And at the center a guy sat lazily on a couch.
Riley Oh.
The moment he saw Daniel, he immediately threw a bottle at his head.
CRASH!!
Daniel tilted sideways slightly avoiding it.
Riley frowned "Sluts, Who's the new guy?"
One of the girls nervously explained "We brought him.."
Before she could finish-
Riley was trying to hit her "Did I ask you to bring trash home?"
Daniel's eyes hardened instantly, he grabbed Riley's wrist.
The room went silent.
Riley slowly looked toward him.
Daniel's expression had completely changed now.
Cold.
Riley smiled slowly "Interesting."
Then he looked toward the others "Lock the door."