One of Gun-Sik's men lunged in with a roar, muscles rippling, fist aiming to crack Mae-Bi's ribs—
WHAM!
Mae-Bi raised his guard—but the force was heavier than expected, blasting him back a few steps.
"Tch... cocky," the assassin muttered.
Before Mae-Bi could retaliate, five shadows shot forward from behind.
"TEAM LEADER!"
His squad landed in formation, weapons drawn.
Yuri, Yeon-Mi, and three others stood like walls between him and the incoming horde.
"We'll handle these trash mobs," Yuri said without looking back. "Go deal with that psycho."
Mae-Bi blinked, stunned they were protecting him.
"You guys..."
Their eyes met his.
Filled not with scorn.Not with doubt.But respect.Even the great Yuri with her broke arm
She's protecting him.
Mae-Bi felt something stir in his chest.It was... uncomfortable.
"Damn," he muttered, scratching his head. "You all look so cringe when you're being sincere."
They smiled. Awkward. Nervous.
"Haha I guess he never take things seriously."
"The team leader love to joke like that."
And that was enough.
Mae-Bi turned around, cracking his knuckles, then his neck.His eyes locked onto Yo Gun-Sik—still standing at the center, watching with a twisted grin.
But all Mae-Bi saw was a monster.
In his past life, Yo Gun-Sik had earned many names.
None of them honorable.
The "Sex Demon."A beast who tortured his victims for days.He raped. He cannibalized.Men, women... even children.Nothing was sacred.
And tonight, he almost made Yeon-Mi one of them.
Mae-Bi's expression darkened.He stepped forward slowly, voice calm but cold.
"You shouldn't be breathing."
Gun-Sik sneered. "What are you staring at, you pervert?"
Mae-Bi twitched.
This bastard—this freak of hell—just called him a pervert?
"That's rich," Mae-Bi muttered. "Coming from a pile of pig shit in human skin."
He rolled his shoulders, red eyes flaring.
"Killing you would be merciful."
He took one step.
"So let's not do that."
Meanwhile—off to the side of the chaos—Jin and Rak were locked in a brutal, clumsy slugfest.
Both were bleeding.
Both were bruised.
And neither was holding back.
Crack!
Fists connected with jaws.
Both staggered back, panting.
"Damn it, Jin Seori..." Rak growled, wiping blood from his swollen lip. "When did you get so strong?"
Jin didn't even blink.
"Shut up, you bastard," he spat. "You tried to kill our teammates. You helped that freak. I heard everything."
He lunged, landed a clean punch to Rak's face—
SMACK!
Rak countered. Their fists collided again.
Another dizzying exchange.
Both reeled back—gasping, stumbling, but refusing to drop.
Rak's eyes flared with frustration.
"You've changed," he said, voice hoarse. "You were never like this before... All because you started following that weakling!"
"His name is Mae-Bi," Jin snapped.
Rak paused.
Jin spat blood onto the dirt and met Rak's eyes with fury and disappointment.
"You really lost yourself."
Rak's shoulders rose and fell, his breath heavy.
His gaze drifted.
To the others.
To their team.
They were fighting side-by-side.
Even Yuri — the one who once stood beside him.
All of them, defending Mae-Bi like their lives depended on it.
And maybe they did.
Rak clenched his fists.
When did it all go wrong?
He remembered the past—
When it was him, Yuri, and Cho Gwan—a rising trio handpicked by the Lord himself.
Unstoppable. Chosen.
He remembered late nights on rooftops with Jin, laughing like kids in a place built on murder.
And then... Mae-Bi came.
Sloppy. Slow. Worthless.
But now—
He had become the center.
The force.
The one they rallied around.
And no one even suspected him... not for Cho Gwan's death. Not for anything.
Rak grit his teeth.
"I refuse... to give up!" he roared.
They both charged again—
Fists meeting flesh, bone bruising bone.
There was no Qi.
No techniques.
Just raw pain and the weight of everything unspoken.
A flash of movement—
Yuri was pushed back by an assassin. She stumbled.
Rak saw it. His body moved before he could think.
Flick!
A shuriken sailed clean through the air—
Thunk.
Straight into the assassin's skull.
The body dropped.
Yuri blinked, breath caught.
She looked at Rak.
"...This bastard again," she muttered. "Helping me at the worst times."
WHAM!
Jin tackled Rak mid-turn, dropping him to the ground.
He mounted him, raining punches.
"One for betrayal!"
Smack.
"One for being a dumbass!"
Smack.
"And one more—!"
Smack.
"For making me care about your sorry ass!"
The sky cracked.
Rain began to fall.
Rak lay on his back, face swollen, rain washing over his cuts.
His arms wouldn't move anymore.
His body didn't care.
His pride was the only thing still breathing.
Was it worth it?
Fighting like this? Falling this low?
Maybe not.
Maybe dying here would be easier...
Easier than serving under Mae-Bi.
That murderer.
That imposter.
Rak's fingers dug weakly into the mud. He never cared about us...
All Rak wanted was the old days. The old trio. The old family.
Back when Cho Gwan still laughed.
Back when Yuri still smiled for him.
Back when Jin still joked about stupid things under the stars.
Back before everything shattered.
He thought about the meals they stole, the nights they hid, arms around each other like they weren't trapped in hell.
Now?
Hell had gotten lonelier.
He stared up at the clouds. They stared back.
Jin raised his fist again.
One more hit.
Just one.
But a hand grabbed his wrist.
"...That's enough," Yuri said quietly.
Her hair was soaked. Her eyes were sharp. But her voice was trembling.
"Move," Jin snapped. "He deserves worse."
"No—!" she shouted, standing firm. "You'll kill him."
Her words cracked through the rain.
Jin paused. His arm still raised.
Yuri stood between them now. Not for Rak. But for Jin.
"You're not that kind of person," she said. "Don't be."
The rain fell harder.
All around them, the sounds of their team's battle echoed.
But for a second—right here—everything was still.
Jin slowly lowered his arm.
Yuri turned to Rak. Her voice was cold.
"...You're not worth it."
Then she looked back at Jin.
"Let's go."
They stepped away.
But Rak... laughed.
It was ugly. Dry. Like he had nothing left but spite.
"Look at you," he coughed. "Two little heroes, walking away like you did something noble."
He sat up slightly, bloody smile forming.
"You think a few punches will make me regret anything?" he scoffed. "You're delusional."
He reached into his sleeve and pulled a small dull dagger—barely sharp enough to cut.
He tossed it at Jin's feet.
"Then kill me," Rak said. "Go ahead. Common kill. One clean stab."
Jin stared down at the dagger.
Then at Rak.
He picked it up.
Yuri gasped. "Jin—!"
But Jin didn't move to strike.
He turned it in his hand, then tossed it aside, letting it clatter against the stones.
"...You're not worth killing," Jin said. "If this is your way of running from your mistakes—then you're just a coward."
He turned his back.
Yuri hesitated. Then walked with him, not looking back.
Rak sat alone in the downpour.
Bleeding.
Empty.
Staring at the sky like it owed him an apology.
"...Still so dramatic," he muttered. "Jin Seori... always with the cringe lines."