"Ugh!"

  A painful groan. It came from a student who had been hit squarely in the stomach.

  Students wearing the same uniform surrounded him. Every one of them wore a cruel smile as they looked down at the fallen boy.

  "I told you. We're doing this because the Hyung-nims (older brothers/superiors) told us to. So you should have just prepared the money."

  The student who had just thrown the punch said that, grabbed the fallen boy's hair, and lifted his head.

  "You're making your body suffer because you can't understand simple words, huh?"

  Saying that, he slammed the fallen student's head straight into the ground. Then, looking bored, he stood up and ordered his friends to take anything of value.

  "Hey, but this won't be enough, will it? It's far short of the amount the Hyung-nims told us to collect."

  The one holding the wallet said, nodding, as if they had taken everything they could but it still wasn't enough.

  "Damn it. What a poor bastard."

  His tone, spitting out curses, was full of annoyance, as if he had experienced something unlucky. The frustration of not getting what they felt they deserved made them cruel.

  But the student who threw the punch knew that inflicting any more violence was pointless.

  What was urgent now was gathering the required money.

  While he didn't mind tormenting people just for fun, he feared the wrath of the Hyung-nims.

  So, now they had to find a new victim. There was no time.

  He didn't care what happened to the fallen bastard. If he died, that was his own problem.

  They were only afraid of how badly they would be punished by the Hyung-nims if they didn't collect the money immediately; they didn't want to think about anything else.

  Therefore, they quickly went elsewhere.

  To find a new victim.

  They had no sympathy for the victim. They thought their actions were justified simply because the victim was weak.

  ... ... ...

  Blood flowed from the fallen student's head.

  "Hyung, are you free today? If you are, could you please come meet me when I get off school?"

  Jihyuk made an unusual request to Jihyeon. His expression was a mix of seriousness and a slight fear, as if something scary was happening.

  "What's going on?"

  Jihyeon looked puzzled by the sudden question. Jihyuk then told him about a recent incident.

  "It seems there are some delinquents wandering around the school. A kid who got caught by them, beaten like a dog, and extorted for money, had to be rushed to the hospital. They said he might not die, but he's in danger."

  Jihyeon recalled the incident that Jihyuk mentioned. It had been in the news.

  "So, just in case?"

  Jihyeon understood why his brother was asking.

  He must be nervous. If it were just one person, Jihyuk might handle it, but with a group, it was a different story.

  Bad guys always travel in packs.

  So, he must want a guardian. Even a crazy delinquent is cautious when an adult is around.

  "Yeah. I've been getting home late these days because of after-school classes."

  Jihyeon nodded at Jihyuk's words. It was something an older brother should do.

  At the same time, Jihyeon felt exasperated.

  That these kinds of delinquents still existed. What on earth were the police doing? He felt dumbfounded and annoyed.

  Jihyeon set a time to meet Jihyuk. As always, he thought that touching his family was unforgivable.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  The sound of slapping filled the room. The same boys who reigned as tyrants over their peers were now merely being beaten like punching bags in front of the men they called Hyung-nims.

  One-sided violence.

  Yet, they didn't even think of resisting. They had been taught that they must endure hardships for their dreams.

  Of course, they didn't know if that dream was the right one. They had never properly considered that kind of life in the first place.

  They just took the beating, thinking they were enduring it temporarily to live the cool life they envisioned.

  "You bastard, you just try to look cool but can't even do the one job you were told to do? Do you think you can walk around with your head held high like that?"

  The man they called Hyung-nim said that and slapped him again. He was angry because the money the students, whom he called his 'younger brothers,' had collected was insufficient.

  "You have to show sincerity to the Hyung-nims to be properly recognized, right? What do you expect to achieve by doing a lousy job like this?"

  The man, invoking their superior's name, swung his hand relentlessly.

  The man's hands were so sharp that the boy's head snapped back with every slap. But if they showed any weakness after being hit, they would be kicked, and even their stomachs would be stomped on with dress shoes.

  They had to endure this if they didn't want to be hurt more. Every boy here knew that was the only way.

  After a long time of violence, the man said.

  "Get the money ready by tomorrow. Only then will the Hyung-nims properly acknowledge you as real gang members. Got it?"

  The boys answered, their eyes filled with fear from the violence.

  "Yes!"

  However, the man seemed unsatisfied and couldn't hide his annoyance.

  "Speak up, you bastards!"

  Frightened, the boys yelled as loud as they could.

  "YES!"

  This time, the man nodded, seemingly satisfied. His appearance was that of a petty person boasting over nothing, but the boys didn't realize that yet.

  "Go. And do it properly. Fail, and you'll die, understand?"

  The man dismissed the boys. His eyes were filled with the cruelty of a slave driver.

  But the boys were completely unaware of it.

  The face of the student who was hit the most today was truly pathetic. He had been slapped without mercy, hit on the head, and sometimes kicked in the shins with a dress shoe.

  He had never been beaten this badly before, so his expression was somewhat blank. Perhaps it was because he had dealt out violence but had almost never been beaten himself.

  All of this was because he had failed to satisfy the Hyung-nims.

  To live the cool life they wanted, they had to be recognized by the Hyung-nims. They knew no other path.

  "Hey, what should we do? Damn it, the amount of money isn't a joke."

  The guy who was hit the second most today trembled with fear, thinking of the amount they had to pay up. They thought they were going to live a so-called 'cool' life, but their current situation was ridiculous.

  It felt good when they tormented their peers and enjoyed watching their faces contorted in fear. It was the best when they extorted money and spent it on alcohol, cigarettes, and women.

  However, even they were just kids and local delinquents in the end.

  It might be natural for teenagers to aspire to a cooler life, but if that aspiration is twisted, the story changes.

  It felt good when they were introduced to the so-called 'shoulder guys' (gangsters). But being beaten like this made them wonder if this was right.

  However, they had already gone too far. They no longer knew how to escape.

  "What can we do? We have to get properly recognized this time. Damn it, only then can we live a cool life, right?"

  The boy who had been hit the most said that and got up. No matter what, if they didn't want to be beaten again, they had to collect the money.

  The time for collection, accompanied by violence.

  Beating the victims as much as they were beaten would serve as some outlet for their frustration. The poor kid they catch today is guaranteed a hospital visit.

  "Let's go. Damn it."

  Spitting out curses as if they were breathing, they became a pack and started hunting. Their search for good prey was blind and even chilling.

  Jihyeon left the house a little earlier than his brother's school dismissal time. It was best to go and wait for him.

  Crazy people always harass others by traveling in packs.

  It was a typical delinquent act to find a weak-looking target and unleash their distorted aggression.

  Such guys avoid adults. Strong to the weak and weak to the strong.

  They were such predictable, nauseating trash.

  Jihyeon didn't want to see his precious brother get hurt by such trash. Moreover, unlike the past, Jihyeon now had a power he could use effectively in this situation.

  It was a tool that was troublesome to use recklessly but could be used effectively when necessary.

  Therefore, Jihyeon went to meet Jihyuk with a somewhat lighter heart. Walking the path he used to take every day felt strange.

  Memories.

  This road, which he traveled back and forth every day during his school years, held countless memories for Jihyeon too.

  Of course, it wasn't only good things, but it wasn't only bad things either.

  Every moment of laughing, crying, and being annoyed was tied to this road. Everything becomes a memory once time passes.

  Recalling those emotions, Jihyeon found himself smiling unconsciously.

  However, that smile didn't last long.

  "What are those bastards doing?"

  Jihyeon muttered, startled. He saw a group of men approaching Jihyuk just as he stepped out of the school gate.

  Jihyuk seemed to have come out a little early as well. The moment he came out of the gate with his friends, the delinquents swarmed them as if they had been waiting.

  Jihyeon knew instantly who they were and what they were trying to do.

  Naturally, those bastards were the delinquents Jihyuk had mentioned. And they were the opponents Jihyeon had to crush.

  They skillfully surrounded Jihyuk and immediately started moving. The atmosphere was one where no one would dare speak to them, and Jihyuk's friends could only watch, helpless.

  Jihyeon clicked his tongue at the unfortunate distance between him and Jihyuk. If he had been closer, those bastards wouldn't have dared to take Jihyuk.

  However, Jihyuk hadn't seen him, and the delinquents had already completely surrounded him.

  Jihyeon reluctantly started following the group taking Jihyuk, all while calling the police.

  Those guys already looked like their hunt had been successful. Jihyuk's face was already filled with fear.

  Unforgivable.

  To touch his younger brother. It was absolutely unforgivable. A faint blue lightning briefly crackled in Jihyeon's hand, like an emotion he couldn't control.

  Jihyeon decided to deal with all of them. And he intended to do it thoroughly.

  The cleanup would be handled by the police anyway, so it didn't matter. Therefore, Jihyeon followed them with colder eyes than ever before.