The start of the semester.

  And returning to school.

  Jihyeon thought everything had returned to normal now. Everything that had been twisted since the fraud incident was slowly reverting to its original state.

  On the surface, it was just an ordinary daily life.

  But Jihyeon instinctively began to feel that nothing would be strange if it happened now.

  It wasn't surprising at all.

  The Boss and the Master (The head of the rival organization).

  The two men who ruled the darkness of the region had each started approaching Jihyeon in their own ways.

  One side wanted a scout or revenge.

  The other side wanted unilateral revenge.

  Both were understandable reasons. However, Jihyeon had no intention of playing along.

  The subtle tension emanating from this slowly started to irritate Jihyeon. It was like a psychological battle that would never end until one side completely surrendered.

  Of course, neither side was currently moving in a visible way. For now, it was only a matter of sending people to monitor him.

  They would also need information. If Jihyeon had no physical power, they would immediately use force, but it seemed they had noticed that their opponent possessed an unknown force.

  Still, Jihyeon couldn't hide his annoyance. He had expected it, but witnessing the people monitoring him in person was something he couldn't stop from making him angry.

  He even started to think it would be easier if he just annihilated the entire network of organizations in the area. Then it wouldn't be noisy for a while.

  However, now was not the time to act, at least.

  Jihyeon also needed to obtain more information. Both sides were the same in that they tried to conceal information on the internet and other sources as much as possible to hide their identities.

  Just as they wanted to obtain information about Jihyeon, Jihyeon also wanted to obtain more information about the two organizations.

  Fortunately, the individuals they sent for surveillance were the best source of information for Jihyeon. Although they were low-ranking members and didn't know much, by slowly working his way up from them, he would eventually reach all the information.

  Very thankfully for Jihyeon, none of the people monitoring him had the tool that neutralized CCTVs. Perhaps it was too valuable to give to low-level subordinates.

  Of course, even if they had it, he wouldn't be unable to extract information, but such things were cumbersome, so Jihyeon rejoiced at this situation.

  They wouldn't know what a big mistake that was.

  Jihyeon intended to maximize his advantage. They would soon realize.

  The fact that their organizations could be shaken the moment they got involved with Jihyeon. That would come with a painful lesson.

  Hoping that day would come soon, Jihyeon held his smartphone tightly in his hand today as well. Hidden in his pocket, away from the eyes of others, Jihyeon began to prepare countless schemes.

  The sound of keys tapping filled the room. The Boss's lawyer worked constantly to process the many tasks that awaited him, as always.

  The moment of transition from illegal to legal business always came with a mountain of tasks.

  Especially in competition with the other boss's organization, it was entirely the lawyer's job to navigate the precarious line between legal and illegal and ensure they avoided legal trouble.

  The lawyer always satisfied the Boss's expectations. And the Boss always provided sufficient compensation for those who met his expectations.

  Thanks to this, the lawyer was currently satisfied with his job. Sufficient compensation always made a person feel worthwhile in their work.

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  However, if asked about the most recent incident, the Boss's lawyer couldn't hide his complex feelings.

  "How could that be?"

  The sound of keys tapping stopped. The Boss's lawyer took a sip of the coffee in his cup, murmuring to himself. His expression was, very rarely, filled with complexity.

  The lawyer stopped writing the report on Jihyeon and thought. An ominous feeling, warning him not to delve any deeper, gripped the back of his neck.

  It was perhaps a natural reaction.

  Anyone would be led to that thought if they continually witnessed what his subordinates were experiencing.

  As with everything in the world, information is the most fundamental basis for work. The lawyer also employed every means, sending his subordinates to gather information about Jihyeon.

  However, he couldn't figure out why the subordinates sent to collect information always ran into trouble.

  A random police stop might be bad luck, but since they had previous convictions, it could happen if they were unlucky.

  But various strange incidents, including parking enforcement, constantly harassed his subordinates. Because of this, they couldn't even go outside, let alone collect information.

  It was impossible to dismiss this as mere coincidence.

  When only the people sent to investigate so blatantly ran into problems, anyone could tell. That something was going on.

  But in this state, a proper investigation was close to impossible. They even hired separate people, but even they were having no luck.

  Considering that the information available through documents was limited, this was extremely frustrating.

  Moreover, the man named Jihyeon showed movements that were much more elusive than expected. They tried to track his movements through CCTV in areas where it was possible, but that was also difficult.

  It was not just one or two times that a bird suddenly flew in front of the CCTV, causing them to fail the tracking.

  When incidents piled up to this extent, it was simply frightening.

  "It feels like God himself is protecting that guy."

  A bitter sense of defeat lingered in the lawyer's mouth. The reality he had to face, even though he didn't want to admit it, always tormented people.

  And now he could be sure. The more he got involved with the punk named Jihyeon, the more complicated things became.

  If so, he had to be careful. The lawyer had to admit the possibility that the blade might turn on him if he did something unnecessary.

  Then, another problem awaited him.

  The Boss wanted Jihyeon's downfall.

  However, he could do nothing right now. Considering that the subordinates he sent as a test were annihilated, further intervention could be dangerous.

  Of course, there was no evidence that Jihyeon himself had dealt with them.

  But the fear he felt when the car they were in crashed into a wall with a loud bang right after losing contact with the subordinates was indescribable.

  "Certainly... it's that guy, but I can't see a way to handle it."

  The Boss's lawyer thought about attacking Jihyeon's family first. But that could lead to the worst-case scenario.

  He had already destroyed a drug-selling club just because a drug addict attacked his family.

  If they inflicted more direct harm, the organization itself could be in danger. There was already a precedent for that.

  "What on earth should I do about this..."

  He wasn't scared. But if he continued like this, the Boss's patience would run out, and trust would quickly break.

  And no one knew what the Boss would do to a lawyer whose trust was broken. As always, he was merciless to those who failed to meet his expectations.

  But now was the time to speak plainly, even if it incurred the Boss's wrath. Although he might be ruined if he miscalculated, the lawyer felt it was time to brace himself because he had a certain affection for the organization.

  His steps as he stood up were heavy. Perhaps he realized that tapping on the keyboard here was no longer meaningful.

  "It will be difficult..."

  Feeling that things were going wrong, the lawyer could only lament that it was already too late. What could be sensed from him as he walked out was the sense of relief of one who had admitted defeat.

  The executive gangster didn't mind the atmosphere of the detention center, which he tasted after a long time. No matter how he looked at it, this was the best option right now.

  It might be an escape.

  However, he knew well that his life had been heading for ruin ever since he got involved with the punk named Jihyeon.

  Everything related to his business was already a mess. He couldn't collect money, and his subordinates couldn't go anywhere anymore.

  It was the gangster's job to handle the issue related to Jihyeon within the organization. He could understand that much.

  But everything went wrong ever since he looked into Jihyeon's eyes. The fear that came just from recalling him brought nightmares every time.

  Moreover, that wasn't all.

  The police, as if they smelled something, had started cracking down on the various businesses the gangster had put effort into.

  In the end, the combination of these things resulted in the gangster being here now.

  "It's not bad."

  He probably wouldn't be able to worry about Jihyeon for a while. But thanks to this, the gangster might have been liberated. If he didn't intervene with that guy, there would be no more troublesome incidents.

  The Boss had already given up hope on the gangster. It was too much to do anything more.

  Rather, it wouldn't be bad to wash his hands of it during this opportunity. Once a person sees eyes like that, they come to know what fear is.

  "Hyungnim..."

  His subordinate, who came to the detention center with him, looked at him with an anxious expression.

  "What? We're already ruined. But we can rest here for a bit and start anew, can't we? You saw him too, didn't you?"

  The gangster said to his subordinate.

  "..."

  The subordinate was silent, as if he didn't want to recall it. The gangster simply nodded at his look.

  "We're ruined anyway. Of all people to meet, we met that guy... So, all we have to do is not get involved with him anymore. Let's rest here for a while."

  The gangster said that and then lay down on his spot. It wasn't time to sleep, but he just wanted to be like this now.

  "In a way, I'm free."

  The gangster said that and didn't speak anymore. He just stared blankly at the ceiling, enjoying the moment of being here now.

  The gangster smiled wryly, as if he had never dreamed that this place, which he used to hate so much, would become a refuge.