Chapter 3
Ryu POV
As I walked into class, I spotted Gray chatting with his deskmate—a glasses-wearing guy who looked like he'd been a shuttle his whole school life. Slouched shoulders, timid eyes, and a backpack bursting with crumpled worksheets. Definitely not a fighter.
"Did I miss anything exciting?" I asked, slinging my bag down. The glasses kid visibly panicked, like I'd just barked at him.
Gray, calm as ever, replied evenly, "No, nothing really. I was just talking to Eugene about homework."
'Eugene, huh?' I looked him up and down.
"Boring!" I said loudly, stretching my arms with a yawn. Then I turned to Eugene with a grin. "So, what's your favorite thing to do, Eugene?"
Eugene blinked, startled that I was actually addressing him. "Nothing much… sometimes I help out at my aunt's clinic," he answered, voice awkward and nervous. He gave a shy laugh, like he wasn't sure whether I was joking or planning to throw him out the window.
"Hmmm," I said, narrowing my eyes. "You give me the vibe of someone who knows the inner workings of this school. The social hierarchy. All that underground info."
"How did you know that?!" Eugene nearly jumped out of his seat.
"I didn't," I answered, flashing a cheeky grin.
'He's really good at guessing personal things about people,' Gray mused, side-eyeing me like I was some kind of trickster.
"Alright. He's in," I declared.
"What do you mean?" Gray asked.
"He can join our friend group. He's cool in my book," I said like it was obvious.
"But I have one condition." I held up a finger with one hand and, with the other, handed Eugene a black device about the size of a chunky phone.
"You have to be my DJ now. I need background music for when I fight people."
Dead silence. Everyone in class looked at me like I'd just suggested we all run laps naked.
Completely unfazed, I started showing Eugene a catalog of different tracks. "This one's for serious fights. This one's for warm-ups. And this—this is for when I want to look cool, win, and walk away in slow motion."
Eugene just nodded, overwhelmed but somehow going along with it.
Scene change – Pool hall
Ben Park stared at the pool table, cue stick in hand, but his head was clearly elsewhere.
"Thinking about the new transfer again?" Gogo asked, leaning against the table.
Ben exhaled through his nose. "Yeah… Ever since we saw that fight, it's like someone flipped a switch I didn't know I had. It's giving me a feeling I've never had before." His hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.
Gogo nodded, eyes lighting up. "Same here. It was like watching a boxer use some never-before-seen style. The fight was over before it even started. That Ryu guy—man, it was art."
Gerard, leaning back against the wall, arms folded, spoke for the first time. "We should meet them. That white-haired guy too. The way he moved—it wasn't strength. It was precision."
Gogo smirked. "Sounds good to me. Let's invite them here. A game of pool—see who they are, what they're about. Ben, you in?"
Ben's eyes narrowed with quiet resolve. "Yeah. I want to meet these two. Especially Ryu Baeksan."
Next day – after school
We were about to head out when a guy with short, spiked hair approached us. He looked confident but friendly. Behind him, I recognized his face from the pool hall window.
"Hey, Ryu Baeksan and Gray Yeon, right? I'm Alex Go, but everyone calls me Gogo," he said, extending a hand to me.
I sized him up, then slowly shook his hand. "Yeah, that's us. What do you want?"
He laughed a little awkwardly. "Well, me and my friends saw your fight the other day. We were impressed, so we thought we'd invite you to hang out. Play a couple games of pool?"
I glanced at Eugene, who was staring nervously, and then at Gray. After Eugene had filled me in on the school's power structure, I'd made a mental note: Gogo equals Big Ben's best friend.
Interesting.
"I'm down if they are," I said, nodding at my two companions.
"Sure," Gray replied.
"Um, s-sure. If you guys don't mind," Eugene added, gripping his backpack strap.
"Sweet. Sounds like a plan. I'll swing by here tomorrow after school, then we can walk over together," Gogo said, eyes lighting up with genuine interest.
"Sounds good to me," I replied.
"I can do that too," said Eugene.
"I'll probably have to leave early. Cram school," Gray muttered.
"Neeeeerd," I teased, drawing a small laugh from Eugene.
"Alright, see you then," Gogo said as he waved and walked off.
Scene change – Jimmy Bae's hideout, a run-down warehouse
Helmet limped through the warehouse doors, his body still aching from the beating. A swollen cheek, limping gait, and a haunted look gave away everything before he even spoke.
Jimmy Bae sat on a torn-up couch, legs spread wide, arms crossed. Jack Kang, stoic as always, stood near the wall, arms folded. His stare could've frozen fire.
"You said you had something important," Jimmy said, voice calm but deadly.
Helmet swallowed hard. "Yeah. You're not gonna believe this."
Jimmy didn't blink. "I'm already not believing you. Start talking."
Jack stepped forward. "This better not be another excuse."
Helmet nodded quickly, wiping his busted lip. "Colton tried to get revenge on this new kid. Loud guy. Dyed hair. Acts like he's the main character. Calls himself Ryu Baeksan."
Jimmy's brow twitched.
"Ryu who?"
"Baeksan. But he's not just talk. Colton brought eleven guys. Ryu flattened most of them by himself."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "Most?"
"There was another kid," Helmet admitted, eyes flicking down. "Gray hair. Smaller, quiet. Not strong like the other one, but… scary. He took me out with a pen. A pen, Jimmy. To the throat, the ribs—he moved like he knew everything I was gonna do before I did."
Jimmy's lips thinned. Jack let out a slow, unimpressed exhale.
"So let me get this straight," Jack said. "Colton and his whole crew got wiped out by a guy with dyed hair and some quiet shrimp with school supplies?"
Helmet didn't answer. His silence said it all.
Jimmy leaned back, expression unreadable. "Where do they go after school?"
Helmet, eager to prove his usefulness, jumped in. "They're always together—the loud one, the gray-haired one, and this nerdy guy. I think I know their usual path after class. I can follow them."
Jimmy drummed his fingers on the armrest. The room was silent except for the distant hum of traffic outside.
"…Find out for sure," he said at last. "I want to see this for myself."
Jack tilted his head. "You thinking of stomping them?"
Jimmy didn't respond immediately.
Then, coldly: "No one makes noise in this city without the Donald's say so."