Chapter 8: The Price of Loyalty
1. Blood in the Smoke
Jinwoo's world had become a blur of blood and gunfire.
Kyung-ho lay at his feet, his breath shallow, his body limp. Blood pooled beneath him, spreading across the cold concrete.
Jinwoo could hear it—the faint, wheezing struggle for air. His brother was still alive. Barely.
The warehouse around them was collapsing. Fire consumed the wooden beams, smoke thickened in the air, and bullet-ridden corpses lay scattered across the floor.
Somewhere in the wreckage, Choi Sang-hoon stood watching.
"You can't save him, Jinwoo."
Jinwoo turned his head. Through the flickering light of the flames, he saw Choi standing atop the crates, completely untouched. His silver pistol gleamed in the firelight, aimed directly at Jinwoo's chest.
Choi sighed, shaking his head. "This was never going to end any other way."
Jinwoo's grip tightened around his own pistol. One bullet left.
Kyung-ho coughed, his fingers weakly clutching Jinwoo's ankle. His voice came out hoarse, pained.
"You gonna stand there looking pretty… or are you gonna kill him?"
Jinwoo exhaled. One shot. One moment to end this.
But Choi was still too calm. Too confident.
Something wasn't right.
The bastard had a plan.
And Jinwoo was running out of time.
2. The Last Shot
Jinwoo didn't hesitate.
He whipped up his gun and fired.
The bullet cut through the smoke, flying straight for Choi's skull—
—but the bastard moved.
A blur of motion, a sidestep, and Jinwoo's bullet missed by an inch.
Shit.
Jinwoo dived for cover as Choi fired back.
Bullets tore through the crates beside him, sending splinters raining down. Jinwoo landed hard, his lungs burning as he rolled, his gun now useless.
No ammo.
Choi's footsteps echoed as he descended the stack of crates.
The bastard was laughing.
"Nice try," Choi mused, his voice cutting through the chaos. "But you always were reckless, Jinwoo. No patience. No planning. Just raw violence."
Jinwoo cursed, ejecting his empty mag and reaching for a spare.
Nothing.
Damn it.
Choi stepped closer, gun still trained on him. This was it.
"Looks like the great Kang Jinwoo is finally out of luck."
3. Death Comes in Threes
Choi's finger tightened on the trigger.
Then—a gunshot.
But not from Choi's gun.
From behind him.
Choi stumbled forward, a bullet tearing into his shoulder.
Jinwoo saw Kyung-ho, lying on the ground, gripping a pistol with shaking hands.
His breath was ragged, his face twisted in pain, but he had fired the shot.
"You talk too much," Kyung-ho muttered, coughing blood.
Jinwoo moved instantly.
Choi was still reeling from the gunshot, his body hunched forward—
Jinwoo grabbed a broken metal pipe from the ground and swung it with everything he had.
The pipe connected with Choi's jaw, a brutal impact that sent him sprawling onto the bloodstained floor.
Choi's pistol clattered away.
For the first time, Jinwoo saw something in Choi's eyes.
Panic.
Jinwoo didn't stop.
He lunged on top of him, pinning him down. Then he drove his fist into Choi's face.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Blood splattered across Jinwoo's knuckles. Bone cracked. Choi tried to resist, tried to grab his knife, but Jinwoo grabbed his wrist and twisted hard.
Choi screamed.
"You don't get to walk away from this," Jinwoo snarled.
Choi spat blood. "You think this is over?"
Jinwoo didn't answer. He just drove the pipe straight into Choi's chest.
The sound was sickening. A wet, choking gasp.
Choi went still.
Jinwoo finally exhaled.
It was over.
4. Escape or Die
But he didn't have time to celebrate.
The fire was spreading fast. The entire structure groaned, ready to collapse.
Jinwoo turned to Kyung-ho. His brother's skin was pale, his breath uneven.
Jinwoo dropped down, gripping his arm. "We need to go."
Kyung-ho chuckled weakly. "You sure? I was kinda hoping to take a nap."
"Shut up and move."
Jinwoo hauled him to his feet. Kyung-ho groaned in pain, but he forced himself to stand.
The warehouse doors were blocked by flames. The only exit was the north wall.
Jinwoo threw his shoulder into a rusted metal door. It gave way, bursting open into the cold night air.
They stumbled out.
The warehouse behind them collapsed, flames swallowing it whole.
Jinwoo didn't stop until they were far enough away.
Only then did he allow himself to breathe.
Kyung-ho sagged against him. His wounds were bad. He needed a doctor.
Jinwoo clenched his jaw. "We're not safe yet."
Kyung-ho managed a smirk. "What else is new?"
Jinwoo scanned the dark alleyways. Choi's men wouldn't be far behind.
They had won the battle.
But the war was just beginning.
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End of Chapter 8