Chapter 3: Wolves in the Dark
The city felt different now.
Jinwoo had spent years carving his empire into these streets, but tonight, they felt unfamiliar—like something was watching him from the shadows. It wasn't paranoia. It was instinct.
And instinct had kept him alive this long.
He stepped out of the bar, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. The night was still, but he could feel the weight of unseen eyes. Hana followed closely behind, her heels clicking against the pavement.
"Do you believe it now?" she asked.
Jinwoo didn't answer. He was still processing it. His brother—his own blood—was the one pulling the strings. Kyung-ho wasn't just alive. He had become the enemy.
And that meant only one thing.
This war wouldn't end with deals or negotiations.
Only one Kang brother was walking away from this.
Jinwoo lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply before speaking. "Where is he?"
Hana sighed. "You're not ready for this—"
"Where?" Jinwoo repeated, his tone sharp.
She hesitated, then finally said, "The Hanseong Clan runs their main operations out of an underground club in Hongdae. If Kyung-ho is still in Seoul, that's where he'll be."
Jinwoo flicked his cigarette away. "Then I'll pay him a visit."
But before he could move, a black sedan screeched around the corner, tires screaming against asphalt.
Jinwoo already knew.
He grabbed Hana and shoved her behind a car just as gunfire erupted.
Bullets tore through the night, shattering windows, sending sparks flying as they ricocheted off metal. Hana gasped, pressing her back against the car. Jinwoo crouched beside her, his mind racing.
This wasn't a warning. This was a kill order.
The Hanseong Clan wanted him dead—tonight.
Jinwoo reached into his jacket, pulling out his custom Glock 19, its matte black surface cold against his palm. He waited, listening. Footsteps. More than five men. Armed.
They were closing in.
Jinwoo exhaled slowly. Then—
He moved.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots. Two bodies dropped instantly.
A third man swung around the corner, aiming a rifle. Jinwoo lunged, grabbing the barrel and twisting it away as the gun discharged. The muzzle flash lit up the dark street for a split second before Jinwoo drove his knee into the man's ribs.
A sickening crack.
The attacker crumpled, gasping for air. Jinwoo finished him with a clean shot to the head.
More gunfire. Hana screamed as bullets struck the car above her. Jinwoo didn't flinch. He spun, dodging the next attacker's blade, then buried a knife into his throat. Blood splattered across Jinwoo's face, warm and thick.
The last gunman hesitated.
Big mistake.
Jinwoo shot him twice in the chest, once in the head.
Silence.
The street was littered with bodies. Smoke curled from Jinwoo's gun as he exhaled, heart pounding.
Hana stared at him, eyes wide. "They're serious about killing you."
Jinwoo wiped the blood from his face. "They should've sent more men."
---
FLASHBACK: Five Years Ago
The rain poured heavily on the rooftop of an abandoned high-rise. Jinwoo stood, facing a man on his knees—Jung Min-sik, one of the last traitors responsible for his father's death.
The man was pleading.
"Please, Jinwoo. I was just following orders."
Jinwoo's grip on the gun didn't waver. "So was my father's killer."
Min-sik trembled. "I—I have a family."
Jinwoo's voice was cold. "So did I."
Bang.
Min-sik slumped forward, blood pooling beneath him.
Jinwoo holstered his gun, stepping over the body.
Revenge was never about justice.
It was about balance.
And the scales weren't even yet.
---
PRESENT
Jinwoo turned to Hana. "Get out of here. Now."
"What?" she frowned. "I'm not leaving you."
"You don't have a choice." Jinwoo stepped closer, voice low. "They came for me tonight. That means they'll come for anyone near me. If you stay, you die."
Hana clenched her jaw. "You think I don't know the risk? I—"
Another gunshot.
Jinwoo barely had time to react.
A sniper round shattered the pavement inches from his feet.
Shit.
He grabbed Hana's wrist and yanked her into a run.
More shots followed, kicking up debris as they sprinted through the alleys. A second sniper round grazed Jinwoo's shoulder, sending a flash of pain through his body, but he didn't stop.
They had to disappear. Now.
Spotting an old warehouse up ahead, Jinwoo pulled Hana inside, slamming the metal door shut behind them. The silence was deafening.
Jinwoo pressed his back against the cold wall, breathing heavily. His shoulder throbbed, blood seeping through his jacket.
Hana stared at him. "You're hit."
"It's nothing." He pulled out a knife, cutting away the torn fabric to examine the wound. A clean graze. Painful, but not life-threatening.
Hana pulled out a small bottle of whiskey from her bag. "Hold still."
She poured the alcohol over the wound. Jinwoo hissed as the sting burned through his nerves.
"I told you to leave," he muttered.
"And I told you to shut up," she shot back.
Jinwoo chuckled—a rare, tired sound.
As she wrapped a cloth around his shoulder, her hands lingered for just a second too long. Jinwoo met her gaze, something unspoken passing between them.
But before either of them could say anything, his phone buzzed.
A text message.
Blocked Number: Meet me at the old Kang Estate. Midnight.
Jinwoo's heart stopped.
No one had used that place in seven years.
Only one person could be calling him there now.
Kyung-ho.
Jinwoo clenched his jaw.
This wasn't just a war anymore.
It was a reckoning.
---
End of Chapter 3