"Ack!" The Kurokaze leader grunted in pain, clutching his nose as blood poured out. His eyes widened in shock, as he thought to himself, "How the hell is a kid like this so strong?!"
The warehouse fell silent, the only sound the leader's pained grunt. The members of the Kurokaze stared at the scene in disbelief, their faces pale.
"He took out Hyung-nim in a single hit!" one of them whispered, incredulous.
"I thought the Ryūjin-kai was taken over by some rich kid, but it seems the information was wrong!" another member exclaimed.
The leader's eyes narrowed, his expression darkening. "Tsk, this is bad," he muttered, his voice dripping with concern. The atmosphere in the warehouse grew tense, the Kurokaze members exchanging uneasy glances.
Shinsei chuckled, his hands slipping back into his pockets. "Damn, you're getting beaten up by some 'rich kid'? Guess you're just a phony gangster wannabe yourself!" He taunted, his voice dripping with amusement.
"I thought this would be more fun, but it's disappointing..." Shinsei said, his tone low and melancholic. However, his expression quickly shifted to a beaming grin. "But I guess I'll gain something good from this!"
The Kurokaze leader's face turned red with rage. "You bitch! I'm under the protection of Johan Seong! You can't touch me!" He spat, his voice trembling as he desperately tried to intimidate Shinsei.
However, Shinsei's reaction was not what the leader had expected. "Oh, and who's that? Is he a king or something?" Shinsei asked, his tone innocent and curious.
The leader's face turned pale, and he was left speechless. Ruyo, too, looked on in dismay, his eyes fixed on his boss with a helpless expression.
The Kurokaze leader's went from pale to beet red, "You really don't know about the king of this area, the genius of fighting here in Gangbuk?!" he exclaimed, his voice on the verge of hysteria.
Shinsei's grin only grew wider. "Genius of fighting? Oh, I'd love to meet him!" His tone was light and amused, but it sent shivers down the leader's spine.
The leader's eyes widened in terror as Shinsei continued, "Well, I guess he'll come for your corpse~"
The leader's face went pale, and he stumbled backward, his hands raised in surrender. "I surrender! Mercy, please!" he begged, his voice trembling with fear.
Shinsei's gaze lingered on the Kurokaze leader, his expression unreadable. But inwardly, he was thinking, 'King of Gangbuk, huh? Seems I need to expand.'
He turned his attention back to the leader. "Contact Johan Seong and tell him to meet you. Then, I'll accept your surrender."
The leader's eyes widened in shock, and he exchanged nervous glances with his men. Kaito stepped forward, his voice laced with caution. "Boss, it's too sudden to meet Johan Seong... I've met him myself, and I can say that he's very formidable."
Shinsei's gaze shifted to Kaito, his eyes seeming to bore into the other boy's very soul. Kaito felt a shiver run down his spine as Shinsei's inside-out eyes appeared to gleam with an otherworldly intensity.
Shinsei's expression turned playful, and he said with a chuckle, "Ouch, it hurts me that you berate me to such an extent, Kaito."
Kaito gulped hard, his eyes darting nervously to Shinsei's face.
Shinsei's grin grew wider. "Kaito, I'm someone with big dreams. If I can't beat some punk, how do I intend to take over Seoul?"
The Kurokaze leader and his group members stared at Shinsei, their faces frozen in shock. Normally, they would have burst out laughing at such a bold claim, but coming from Shinsei, it didn't sound like an empty boast or a distant aspiration. It sounded like a foregone conclusion, a certainty that was already etched in his mind.
"I apologize, boss," Kaito said immediately, recognizing his mistake. His trust in Shinsei had been bolstered, and he had made up his mind to follow him forever.
Kaito turned to the Kurokaze leader. "Pick a location where my boss and Johan Seong can meet immediately!"
The Kurokaze leader, whose name was Joon-oh, glared at Kaito before answering. "Shut up, I know!" Joon-oh said, picking up his phone and dialing a number. After a few rings, the call was answered.
"[Joon-oh], why are you calling? Oh, I forgot it's almost time for your protection fee. I'll meet you at Yongyu Park," Johan Seong's voice came through the phone, his tone firm but detached.
It seemed Johan Seong had jumped to the conclusion that Joon-oh was calling to arrange a meeting to pay his protection money. No questions were asked, making things easier for Shinsei's plan.
"He said to meet him at Yongyu Park," Joon-oh informed Shinsei, who nodded curtly.
"Welcome to Ryūjin-kai," Shinsei said with a chuckle, breaking the sweet in his mouth. "Get to your car, we're on a hunt for a fighting genius."
Ruyo hastened to open the car door for Shinsei. Three cars followed behind Shinsei's vehicle, with Joon-oh's car leading the way. Soon, they arrived at the park and spotted a blonde-haired teen with a dog waiting by a bench.
"That's him..." Both Kaito and Joon-oh whispered in unison, but as they turned to share a glance, they found Shinsei already ahead, walking towards Johan Seong.
"Hey~" Shinsei greeted, his tone casual, as he approached Johan. The latter stared at him warily, his eyes narrowing. "What do you want?" Johan questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Instead of responding, Shinsei pulled out a stick of sweet candy and began to unwrap it, his eyes locked onto Johan's.
"Nothing really..." Shinsei said nonchalantly, as he suddenly released his presence.
Johan's eyes widened, and he instinctively launched a swift kick at Shinsei, but it passed through empty air, as if he wasn't there.
"That's rude, attacking someone you don't know like that~" Shinsei chided playfully, his voice coming from behind Johan.
Johan spun around, his eyes scanning the area before locking onto Shinsei, who was now standing behind him, rolling his sweet around his tongue with an air of nonchalance.
'Who the hell is this guy?' Johan thought, his mind racing with confusion and curiosity as he stared at Shinsei, trying to gauge his intentions.