Chapter 17: The Betrayal
1. The Shot That Changed Everything
The gunshot rang through the club like a death sentence.
For a moment, time froze.
Jinwoo didn't feel the bullet.
Not yet.
He only saw Hye-jin's face.
The cold determination in her eyes.
The silent apology on her lips.
Then—pain.
A burning heat exploded in his shoulder, knocking him back.
His knees buckled.
Blood soaked his jacket.
Kang Seok shouted his name—but Jinwoo barely heard it.
His vision blurred.
And through the haze, he saw Jung Tae-sung.
Laughing.
"This is what betrayal feels like, Jinwoo," Tae-sung said, stepping closer.
His voice was smooth, almost gentle.
Like a man enjoying a final performance.
"You should've learned by now—" He crouched beside Jinwoo, his smirk widening.
"Love makes you weak."
Jinwoo's fingers twitched toward his gun.
Tae-sung stepped on his hand.
Hard.
Jinwoo gritted his teeth, fighting the pain.
Fighting the rage.
But the betrayal cut deeper than the bullet.
Hye-jin.
The woman he had once sworn to protect.
The woman he had loved.
And now—she was standing beside Tae-sung.
Against him.
---
2. Why?
Jinwoo's voice was hoarse.
"Hye-jin…"
She looked at him, but her expression didn't change.
No regret. No sorrow.
Just emptiness.
"I told you, Jinwoo," she said softly.
"This was always going to happen."
His vision swayed.
Blood loss.
His strength was fading.
But he forced himself to speak.
"Why?"
Hye-jin tilted her head.
Then—she pulled the trigger again.
BANG!
The bullet barely missed Jinwoo's head, embedding into the floor next to him.
A warning.
A message.
"There is no 'why,'" she whispered.
"This is just how the world works."
And then, she turned away.
As if he were already dead.
---
3. A Killer's Mercy
Tae-sung let out a sigh, shaking his head.
"That's enough, Hye-jin."
She didn't respond.
She just walked away, disappearing into the shadows.
Jinwoo's heart felt heavier than his wounds.
Tae-sung crouched again, patting Jinwoo's bloodied shoulder.
"Here's the deal," he said.
"You're dying, Jinwoo. You won't make it out of this room alive."
Jinwoo glared at him.
Tae-sung smirked.
"But I'm feeling generous today."
He leaned in closer, whispering:
"Run."
Jinwoo's breath caught.
Tae-sung's eyes gleamed.
"I want you to live long enough to understand," he continued.
"To feel what it's like to lose. To have nothing left."
He stood, turning his back.
"This city doesn't belong to you anymore, Jinwoo."
His smile widened.
"The Street King is dead."
And with that, Tae-sung walked away.
Leaving Jinwoo bleeding on the floor.
Alone.
---
4. The Price of Betrayal
Jinwoo fought to stay conscious.
His breathing was ragged.
His fingers twitched, reaching for something—anything.
But his strength was gone.
His vision blurred.
The world around him darkened.
And just before the silence took him—
A hand grabbed his wrist.
Strong. Steady.
Kang Seok's voice, urgent and low:
"Not yet, you bastard."
Then—darkness.
---
5. A Dead Man Returns
When Jinwoo woke, it was to the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor.
White walls. Dim lights.
A hospital.
His entire body ached.
His arm was bandaged. His ribs felt like they had been shattered.
But he was alive.
Barely.
A chair creaked beside him.
Kang Seok sat there, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
"You should be dead," Kang Seok said flatly.
Jinwoo swallowed, his throat dry. "You saved me."
Kang Seok scoffed.
"Don't get sentimental. I just wasn't ready to let Tae-sung win."
Silence settled between them.
Then, Jinwoo exhaled.
"She betrayed me."
Kang Seok didn't answer.
But his expression was enough.
Jinwoo's fists clenched.
Hye-jin had shot him.
Tae-sung had spared him.
And now, he was nothing.
His empire—gone.
His people—scattered.
He had lost.
For the first time in his life—
Jinwoo was no longer The Street King.
---
6. The Final Choice
Kang Seok leaned forward, voice sharp.
"You have two choices."
Jinwoo looked at him.
"One—you disappear. Leave Korea. Start over."
Jinwoo's jaw tightened.
"Two—" Kang Seok's eyes darkened.
"You take back what's yours."
Jinwoo's heart pounded.
Everything Tae-sung had built…
Everything Hye-jin had destroyed…
He could let it go.
Or he could burn it all down.
Jinwoo's fingers curled around the bedsheet.
His decision was made.
The Street King wasn't dead.
Not yet.
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End of Chapter 17