[L]ee Ju-hee and Min-ho stood side by side, united against their enemy. The atmosphere was tense, as they locked eyes, engaged in a silent battle of wills.
Her focus sharpened, blocking out the sounds of the alley. She entered a state of heightened awareness, brimming with energy.
Min-ho, despite the pain in his leg, remained composed and confident, his fists clenched, and eyes fixed on the target. He was there to support her but was prepared to fight if needed.
Facing them was Ri Chul-moo, a formidable figure with crossed arms and a smug grin. He seemed to mock their futile attempt at retaliation.
Lee Ju-hee and Min-ho exchanged a silent glance, communicating their trust. They nodded and shared a side fist-bump, knowing they had each other's backs.
"You ready for this?" Min-ho asked, his voice low.
"As I'll ever be," Lee Ju-hee replied, her gaze locked on Ri Chul-moo. Then uttered a curt order to her cousin, "Right side's yours! I got the left."
Min-ho adjusted his position to relieve the discomfort in his left leg, he couldn't help but appreciate Lee Ju-hee's unspoken consideration.
Ri Chul-moo, on the other hand, let out an exasperated sigh, his patience wearing thin. His tone conveying a mixture of frustration and annoyance, he interjected, "Are we done with the pleasantries? Or do I have to wait for you to finish your chit-chat?"
Lee Ju-hee's lips curled into a faint smirk underneath her mask, accosting bitterly, "Let's get this over with, shall we?"
"Let's do this," Min-ho added in unison, his voice low and steady as he shifted into a fighting stance.
Anticipating their attack, Ri Chul-moo advanced, his fist clenched. The air around him crackled with a menacing presence, like a predator ready to strike.
Unfazed by the intimidating aura, Lee Ju-hee charged ahead, with Min-ho closely following behind. She executed a flying kick, aiming for Ri Chul-moo's midsection. However, he effortlessly blocked the attack by crossing his forearms.
In sync with Lee Ju-hee, Min-ho attempted a sweeping kick from below, but Ri Chul-moo evaded it with a quick backstep.
Capitalizing on this opening, Lee Ju-hee used Min-ho's shoulder as leverage, spun in mid-air and delivered a powerful back-pivot kick to Ri Chul-moo's head. The impact resounded as she landed gracefully on her feet, while Min-ho regained his stance.
The gang leader staggered backward. For a split second, it felt like the battle was over, but he quickly regained his footing and stood ready to continue.
'Shit!' He cursed inwardly, trying to shake off the drowsiness that had suddenly enveloped him. 'They were already formidable by themselves, but together? Hah! Such a lethal combo.'
To shift the balance of the battle in his favor, he needed to find a way to disrupt their synchronicity.
After careful analysis of his opponents, he identified the weaker link - Min-ho.
Harnessing his earlier unearthly speed, he lunged towards Min-ho, unleashing an unforeseen punch to his abdomen. It landed with such force that the breath was instantly knocked-out of Min-ho's lungs, his eyes widening in shock.
Gasping for air, he crumpled to his knees, blood trickling from his mouth as he succumbed to a fit of coughs.
"Min—" she began, her voice laden with concern, but before she could finish her sentence, Ri Chul-moo was already in motion, hurtling towards her with astonishing speed.
In a blur of movements, he zigzagged towards her, executing a swift and precise kick. She managed to intercept it with a front-block, momentarily lifting her feet off the ground by the force.
Without hesitation, Ri Chul-moo followed up with a punch aimed at her face. However, Lee Ju-hee's heightened awareness allowed her to effortlessly slide underneath his arm, skillfully countering his attack, and trapping it between her underarm with impeccable reflexes.
Grabbing Ri Chul-moo's arm, Lee Ju-hee's cold blue eyes shone with a glint of lethal intent as she seamlessly managed to position herself back-to-front, and executed a powerful judo throw, launching Ri Chul-moo through the air with immense force.
The impact echoed with a thud, leaving him gasping for breath and spitting blood — a testament to the throw's sheer power and recoil.
"Fucking shit! All this cause I only wanted to see ya face?!"
Defeated and immobilized, he lay on the ground, incredulous at the fact that a woman smaller in stature had bested him.
Had he grown rusty over the years, devoid of real combat experience?
Lee Ju-hee's foot landed on his right shoulder with a firm stomp as she retorted in warning, "No! It's all cause you messed with the wrong person!"
His eyes lit up with a flirty grin, "Ooh, feisty! I like that in a woman."
Ignoring his advances, Lee Ju-hee noticed how the fog had slowly lifted, before coming to the realization that she and Min-ho seemed to have somehow developed a resistance to it.
Min-ho, who had been gasping for breath just moments ago, was now leaning against a nearby wall, drenched in sweat and struggling to regain his composure.
Out of curiosity, she demanded her eyes lowering downward to meet a pool of intense black, "did you go easy on me? Why?"
Ri Chul-moo chuckled, amused by her question. "Well, would you believe me if I say I didn't?" he replied, a sly grin tugging at the corner of his blood-soaked lips. "And I must say, I'm impressed."
Lee Ju-hee snorted in response, not one to be easily flattered. "Save the flattery for someone who falls for it!"
"Told ya, didn't I? I'm making you, my woman!" He declared, undeterred by her response. Reaching for the foot resting on his shoulder, he tilted his head and placed a kiss on her ankle.
Lee Ju-hee's face twisted in disgust as she kicked him in the face.
"Get off me, you creep!" She yelled, quickly putting some distance between them.
Exhausted and drained, he rolled to his knees and made no effort to rise, his body depleted from the overuse of Bloodlust in his earlier fight.
Then, in a stern and mocking tone, Ri Chul-moo spoke up, "I have a question! How is it that you can read minds?"
A sudden gasp from Min-ho caught their attention, causing both of their heads to snap in his direction.
"Noona? He knows?" He exclaimed, a hint of shock grazing his blue eyes.
"Yeah! Don't ask me how!"
Ri Chul-moo made the connection, realizing something. "So that's why he was unaffected when he witnessed my abilities, heh?"
Min-ho's eyes narrowed; his gaze piercingly fierce. "Is he the asshole who tried to make a move on you? If he is, I strongly object."
Lee Ju-hee quickly shook her head in response. "No, he isn't. It's a long story..."
A scowl marred Ri Chul-moo's face at Min-ho's comment, his expression darkening. "Wait what? There are others too? You must be real pretty underneath that mask!"
"None of your business," she snapped irritably.
Min-ho chortled. "She's pretty all right, even with the mask on."
"Shut up! The both of you!" She chided in reprimand.
"Hah! Anyway! How can you use a Side-effect when your name ain't on the list? The only woman who's name is on there, definitely ain't yours!" Ri Chul-moo let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. There was a slight pause before continuing, "So, where did you get your serum from?"
"The list? A serum?" Lee Ju-hee's scowl deepened as she furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that? I thought people like us were common where you're from!"
Ri Chul-moo let out a dry chuckle. "Not really! There are rules and some other shits involve before we are even allowed to use our abilities!"
"I see! Then…" Her expression grew increasingly contemplative There was a lot of things she wanted to ask. But how and where to start?
Ri Chul-moo heaved a sigh and offered, "come with me! I'll take ya under my wing! If they know that there's a rogue whose name ain't on the list, they'll come for ya."
"Who?" Min-ho demanded; eyes narrowed in alarm.
If he knew what they were up against, it'd grant him with enough intel to take precautions. He could protect Lee Ju-hee better.
Ri Chul-moo's expression became guarded.
"They're a secret organization that oversees the use of Side-effects. They have strict rules and regulations in place, and anyone who doesn't follow are faced with strong consequences. They won't take kindly to someone like you." He answered sternly, beckoning at Lee Ju-hee.
"Who's that other woman? The one you mentioned earlier!"
"Can't say much about it!" He shrugged, keeping his mouth zipped on the matter. "Unless you come with me, that is!"
"Noona!" Min-ho began warningly.
She looked to be giving his offer some serious thoughts, then averred resolutely, "For the last time! I'm not going!"
"Hah?! I'll just take you by force then!" At his words, Min-ho hastily rolled on the ground and adeptly grasp his discarded gun.
Uttering in mocked retort, "how? When you're already this beat up?"
As Ri Chul-moo stood up and approached Lee Ju-hee, Min-ho quickly rose to his feet and stepped forward to stand in front of her, ready to protect her if needed. The tension between the two men escalated as they began to argue.
"What are you, her bodyguard?" Ri Chul-moo spat out, his voice laced with venom. His hand shot out and grabbed Min-ho's collar, pulling him closer.
Min-ho aimed his gun at Ri Chul-moo's chest as he stepped forward, his voice dripping with menace. "Stay away from her. I won't hesitate to shoot if you come any closer."
Ri Chul-moo scoffed. "You couldn't even handle me earlier. You were rolling on the ground like a damn fool."
Enraged, Min-ho swung the handle of his gun, striking Ri Chul-moo hard in the face. Ri Chul-moo staggered back, clutching the afflicted part of his cheek.
"You want some more, huh?!" Min-ho growled, ready to strike again.
"The fuck you asshole?!"
Watching the whole scene unfold before her eyes, Lee Ju-hee stood frozen stiff. None of them had an ounce of energy left to break into another fight.
But then, an idea suddenly came to her.