Chapter 18: The Rebirth
1. A City Without Its King
The streets of Seoul had changed.
Jinwoo could feel it the moment he stepped out of the hospital.
The air was colder.
The shadows deeper.
The city that once belonged to him had moved on.
He wasn't the King anymore.
Tae-sung was.
And his name—Jinwoo—was nothing but a ghost.
His enemies thought he was dead.
His allies had scattered.
But he was still here.
Still breathing.
And he wasn't done yet.
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2. The First Step
Kang Seok drove in silence.
Jinwoo sat in the passenger seat, fingers tapping against his knee.
His mind was a storm.
He had been gone for weeks.
Shot. Broken.
Now, he was back.
But he wasn't stupid.
Charging into Tae-sung's world alone would be suicide.
He needed to rebuild.
He needed an army.
"You sure about this?" Kang Seok asked, eyes on the road.
Jinwoo's gaze was cold.
"No."
He rolled his shoulder—still sore from the bullet wound.
"But it doesn't matter."
Kang Seok smirked.
"Then let's go get your soldiers."
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3. The Fallen Wolves
They stopped at a rundown warehouse on the outskirts of Seoul.
The place was crawling with old faces.
Men who once swore loyalty to Jinwoo.
But when Tae-sung took over—they had vanished.
Not dead.
Just… waiting.
Kang Seok killed the engine.
"You sure they'll follow you?"
Jinwoo exhaled.
"They don't have a choice."
He stepped out of the car.
The men inside stared.
Their murmurs filled the room.
"He's alive…"
"…I thought Tae-sung finished him."
Jinwoo stopped in the center.
His voice was calm.
Cold.
"Anyone who still calls themselves a Wolf," he said, "step forward."
Silence.
Then—Jung Min-ho moved first.
Followed by another.
And another.
One by one, his old crew stood before him.
Loyalty wasn't given.
It was earned.
And Jinwoo had earned it with blood.
But trust?
Trust had to be rebuilt.
---
4. War Begins in the Dark
That night, the Wolves gathered.
Weapons were cleaned.
Plans were drawn.
They wouldn't attack yet.
Not until they were ready.
Jinwoo wasn't just going to take Seoul back.
He was going to burn Tae-sung's empire to the ground.
One piece at a time.
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5. The First Strike
Their first target was a small operation in Itaewon.
One of Tae-sung's drug warehouses.
A test.
A message.
Jinwoo led the attack himself.
It was quick. Brutal.
Bodies dropped.
Blood spilled.
And when it was over, Tae-sung had lost millions.
The message was clear:
Jinwoo was back.
And he wasn't stopping.
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6. The Ghost of Hye-jin
But as the war began, Jinwoo found himself haunted.
Not by guilt.
Not by fear.
By her.
Hye-jin's betrayal should have killed his love for her.
But love and hate were two sides of the same coin.
And now, every time he closed his eyes—
He saw her face.
Smiling.
Laughing.
And then—
Pointing a gun at his heart.
Jinwoo clenched his fists.
She was part of this.
And he would deal with her last.
Personally.
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End of Chapter 18