The delinquent and the gangsters who pointed out Jihyeon took him to their office. Jihyeon was even feeling a sense of novelty, as he hadn't thought he would visit the place he crushed again.

  Upon entering, he saw that the office had been renovated, he didn't know when. The furniture was all new, indicating they had purchased new items after Jihyeon swept through.

  The characteristic smell of newness in the air indirectly testified to the destruction Jihyeon had wrought. The unfamiliar scent of tools and items that hadn't aged yet created an awkward, unharmonized atmosphere.

  Thinking that these were objects that might be crushed again depending on the circumstances, he felt a certain sadness. Of course, it was very enjoyable while he was crushing them.

  Jihyeon thought the memory of that time was not bad. He knew violence was not good, and treating objects recklessly was a bad thing.

  However, sometimes a fist is faster than words, and action can prevent a victim from harm. And Jihyeon himself was included among those victims.

  Therefore, adding his personal feelings, Jihyeon completely crushed this place. He also thought it was very useful in that he could actually experience the knowledge that his power could crush everything like lightning splitting a tree.

  Still, seeing them attempt to commit a crime once again, Jihyeon was somewhat impressed by their persistence.

  How wonderful would it be if they used that much persistence for a legal job? But it would be too much to ask for that from them. It was a funny thing.

  The very fact that beings who only parasitized others lived like this.

  Jihyeon had to try to suppress the laughter that threatened to escape. Of course, that laughter was mixed with disgust.

  In the center of the room was a gangster.

  He was different from the low-level gangsters and delinquents who brought him here. The low-level gangsters were, in a way, slightly higher-grade consumables, one step removed from being mere cannon fodder.

  But the master of this room was a little different. He exuded a certain amount of experience, and Jihyeon could tell that he was relatively close to the organization's upper echelon.

  Just his clothes alone were not the cheap kind that thugs who only threw punches in a place like this would wear.

  Of course, one could daringly say his fashion sense itself was terrible, but there was no need to say that out loud.

  First, Jihyeon slowly checked the information. None of the people in this room knew how to hide information.

  More precisely, no one possessed the tools of the underworld in here. It seemed they hadn't acquired new ones yet after being stripped by Jihyeon.

  If so, Jihyeon thought the job would be finished more easily than expected. If he had to do it anyway, dealing with them through words would be much easier.

  Thinking that, Jihyeon examined the information that came to his mind.

  And this time, he truly couldn't hold back his laughter. It wasn't loud, but he couldn't hide his wry smile.

  The reason was simple.

  He understood why he had been brought here.

  The initial trigger, of course, was the delinquent who pointed him out. That guy only wanted revenge and cared about nothing else.

  But they wouldn't have moved just for simple revenge. The gangsters belonging to this office had no reason to move for a guy they considered cannon fodder in the first place.

  If they had done something reckless, they might have been exposed to unilateral violence just for causing trouble.

  However, one lie was enough to make them move.

  It was the statement that he knew the person who raided the office and created the mess. He hadn't actually seen him, but it was enough of a reason to make them move anyway.

  Of course, they knew it could be a lie. That's about the extent of what a delinquent would think up, right? It would be good if it was true, but it didn't matter if it wasn't.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Jihyeon had reported the delinquent's group to the police before. The gangsters thought if they could take revenge for what they couldn't do last time, that would be good enough.

  The only reason they weren't moving immediately was the presence of the executive gangster. If it wasn't for his command, the gangsters might have already committed violence right on the street.

  However, the owner of this place had a very different perspective.

  Or perhaps it was natural.

  The fact that his own base was destroyed, yet he hadn't been punished, was because the incident, where one person crushed this place, made his boss intrigued.

  Now, for his own honor, the executive had to find the culprit. It was also the boss's order.

  Prioritizing command over one's own feelings. Jihyeon thought cynically that this was astonishing loyalty.

  Isn't it funny that someone who is just waiting for an opportunity to stab him in the back would claim to follow orders? Lies, deception, and insubordination.

  That was the truth of this world.

  Knowing that fact, Jihyeon felt a strange enjoyment. Seeing the raw reality, different from what was romanticized in movies, felt like watching a wild animal in its habitat.

  "This bastard is the one! He was the one then!"

  Even in this situation, the delinquent was still shouting, completely out of his mind. He just saw an opportunity and wanted to settle his grudge as quickly as possible.

  But that was truly a foolish thing to do. The kind of thing children do when they call an older friend to defeat someone stronger than themselves.

  Come to think of it, his age was exactly that of a teenager.

  Jihyeon thought he looked like a beast: full of youthful vigor but lacking thought, simply faithful to his own desires. Including the fact that he didn't know he would bear all the responsibility if something went wrong, he was simply an immature being.

  "Shut up, you bastard!"

  One of the gangsters heavily smacked the delinquent's head, silencing him. The delinquent, teary-eyed from the blow, shut his mouth.

  "Just do what the Hyungnim (Big Brother) tells you to do. Don't mess around anymore, or you'll get nothing."

  Another gangster said that, preventing the delinquent from talking anymore. The delinquent finally seemed to understand what he needed to do now.

  He wanted revenge, but since things weren't going his way, he was filled with dissatisfaction, yet he became submissive in front of someone stronger than him—truly characteristic of a delinquent.

  But what could be done?

  Everything was already out of the delinquent's hands. He might die if things went wrong, but Jihyeon didn't care about that anyway.

  And things would certainly go wrong.

  They still didn't know that Jihyeon could kill them all if he was determined. Well, it didn't matter. Jihyeon observed the situation leisurely for now.

  "Let me ask you one thing. Are you the one who raided this place?"

  The executive gangster asked. His tone was rough and contained a threat that he would deal with him immediately if he said no.

  "What will you do if I say no?"

  Jihyeon replied in a voice that was not intimidated at all by his words. At that, the gangster laughed rather than getting angry.

  "Not bad, huh? Fearless..."

  The gangster seemed to like Jihyeon's attitude. Maybe he thought Jihyeon was a big shot in his own right.

  He must have thought that not being intimidated at all in a place full of gangsters like this meant Jihyeon was not ordinary.

  The fact that an ordinary university student didn't show fear in a place like this was unusual.

  The gangster seemed to feel that it would be good to have such a person on their side.

  Of course, Jihyeon had no intention of doing that.

  "But you're too presumptuous. It seems you need to be a little more obedient, don't you?"

  The gangster said with a more threatening tone, perhaps to establish dominance. But this was only a bluff.

  He didn't even need to examine the information contained in the words he spoke a second ago. He could tell just by looking at his eyes.

  There was no anger. Only interest. He seemed to be a person who had at least reached this level of position.

  "I'll pass. More importantly, what do you really want from me? You didn't call me here just to beat me up, did you?"

  Jihyeon asked, as if suggesting a negotiation. He wouldn't be here just to exchange useless banter.

  "Oh, really..."

  The gangster reacted with disbelief at Jihyeon's words. He hadn't expected him to ask in this manner at all.

  Offering a negotiation in this situation, rather than being terrified or looking for a way to escape, was not ordinary.

  However, the gangster realized he shouldn't be thrown off balance here. Jihyeon was unusual, but he couldn't let Jihyeon seize the initiative.

  Since their principle was to firmly crush anyone who got too ambitious, even a useful talent had to know his place, didn't he?

  "This bastard is getting cocky!"

  The delinquent, displeased with the situation, dared to swear and lunged at Jihyeon.

  Of course, Jihyeon only looked at the delinquent.

  That was enough.

  "What? What are you doing, you bastard?"

  The delinquent, who had shouted fiercely and was about to assault Jihyeon, stopped. The gangsters muttered in disbelief, looking at him.

  But just looking was enough.

  The moment the delinquent looked into Jihyeon's eyes, he seemed to understand. That he had messed with someone he should never touch.

  Thud.

  The delinquent sank to the ground. And he unconsciously started wetting his pants.

  "Uh... Ah..."

  Both the executive gangster and the lower-level gangsters were surprised by the delinquent's reaction. They didn't know what Jihyeon had done.

  However, the moment they looked into Jihyeon's eyes, they all understood.

  Pure murderous intent.

  This was an intensity of gaze that was difficult for even seasoned criminals, let alone ordinary people, to possess easily.

  "Ugh..."

  The executive gangster realized he was afraid. But there was no way to deal with that gaze.

  They had never experienced such pure murderous intent before.

  If they acted recklessly now, only death awaited them. He had never experienced such palpable killing intent before.

  "Then, I'll be leaving. I hope we don't have to cross paths again."

  Jihyeon said that and got up from his seat. But none of those who saw his eyes questioned his departure.

  Jihyeon turned his body.

  And naturally, he opened the door and walked out. For a long time after he left, the air inside the office remained frozen.

  "I think it would be best if we don't get involved with him anymore..."

  After a long while, the executive gangster muttered. At those words, all the lower-level gangsters simply agreed.

  But their fate, regardless of their will, was already in motion.