[Suhyeon Kim's Pov]
[Quest Completed: Fight With Big Deal Executives (Mask Permitted If Want to)]
[Reward: 1 Master Card, 2 Diamond Cards]
I leaned against the wall.
"They still got a long way to reach the strength they have in the canon arcs to even graze my level," I muttered.
---
Status Window
NAME: Suhyeon Kim
HEIGHT: 182cm
STRENGTH: [SSR]
SPEED: [SSR]
POTENTIAL: [SS+]
INTELLIGENCE: [S]
ENDURANCE: [SSR+]
---
The executives of Big Deal were the only ones worth throwing a punch at, The rest Dead weight, Their regular members were weak, barely scraping D to B rank at best, The executives, at least, hovered around A to SSS,That made them manageable but not boring, The leader though I hadn't seen him yet, Which mean He too confident in his crew's mediocrity to step in himself, That's Jake kim Alright.
I flopped onto the bed, as I exhaled "That makes Fifth main missions in just one month," I murmured, closing my eyes "If I count the side quests… tch, I've lost track Too many."
The first Master Card, That alone had my attention.
[Master Card: Mana Drain (Absorb opponent's stats)]
[Diamond Card: Forced Ascension (Available only when User is Awakened)]
[Diamond Card: Monstrous Leap Strength (Increases all stats to SSS except Intelligence, provided stats are below SSS)]
"Better than last time's" I muttered, "Mana Drain, huh, Guess I expected this."
I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling "Not bad." I whispered, almost pleased.
Knock, Knock.
The sound snapped me out of my thoughts, I turned my head toward the door "Come in" I called.
The door creaked open, and my mom poked her head in "Suhyeon, someone's here to see you."
I pushed myself up from the bed "Alright." I said simply.
When I stepped outside, the first thing I noticed was the hair a striking red, Multiple earrings, and he wore a sleeveless jacket over a long-sleeve shirt.
"Sigyeong." I greeted.
Ryu Sigyeong smirked faintly, arms tucked into his pockets "I came to tell you something, God Dogs are moving again, Word is, they're out recruiting."
My eyes narrowed "You have a phone, Sigyeong, Ever heard of calling?"
He leaning lazily against the wall "Better to tell you in person."
"Anyway," I said "how are Taeho and Seonu doing with the task I gave them?"
"They finished it." Sigyeong replied.
I nodded, That meant the pieces I'd placed were moving correctly, My "gang" was small, just four of us including me, Small, but efficient, I didn't need numbers I needed competence.
But this latest news, this was worth more than casual interest, God Dogs In just three months, their reputation had Rocket into something unrecognizable compared to the canon timeline I remembered, Their structure was tighter, Their presence in Gangbuk had grown sharper, And all of it pointed to one man.
Sun-ho.
The reason I hadn't tested God Dogs yet.
He was dangerous, Not just strong, dangerous, And what unsettled me more was his pull Somehow, he had Canon characters around him, That wasn't written.
And if this is truly an alternate verse, then every step I took needed to be Careful.
I turned to Sigyeong "Keep an eye on them."
Sigyeong tilted his head, that smirk returning "Careful isn't usually your style."
"This time," I said "it has to be."
----
"Thanks for saving me, piggy, Minsoo, Vasco." Zoe exhaled, her voice trembling slightly even though she tried to smile.
Behind them, the flashing red-and-blue lights of the police cars, In the narrow alley, Two officers cuffed the stalker and shoved him into the back of a patrol car.
Minsoo sighed "Well, that's over with, Dinner, anyone, There's a place nearby that's open late."
OG Daniel,waved it off "No, I can't, I've got work to get back to, and honestly, I already ate, You guys go ahead." He forced a small smile, adjusting his glasses.
Zoe quickly added, "I… I'll skip too, I'll go with piggy, I need something from the store anyway."
Minsoo didn't press "Alright then, I'll drag Vasco with me."
Vasco nodded "Yeah, Let's eat, I'm starving."
---
The restaurant was nothing fancy, just a small place tucked on a corner street, a few minutes later, Jace Park joined them, He jogged inside waving one hand.
"Sorry, I was helping someone carry boxes" Jace sat beside Vasco, already reaching for the menu.
They ordered fast, ramen, rice bowls, a plate of dumplings As the food arrived, their conversation flowed.
Jace chewing thoughtfully "that creep… Good job catching him."
Minsoo sipping his soup.
---
Next Day, Classroom
Minsoo had barely sat down when Namsoo staggered in, his face swollen with bruises, lip split, and eyes bloodshot like he hadn't slept all night.
"Zack," Namsoo's voice nervous "They… they took it."
Zack's eyebrows rose "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Your money!"
"I found a seller online who said he had the limited-edition Jordans, only 300 bucks, as you said." His voice broke "But it was a scam, A thief, I lost it all, They beat me and took the cash."
Zack leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable, Namsoo's eyes begged but Zack, He crossed his arms.
Finally, Zack muttered "Give me Jiho's phone."
"Huh?" Jiho blinked "Why my phone?"
Zack, He snatched the phone before Jiho could protest, scrolling quickly.
Everyone leaned in, curious, as Zack tapped through same contacts as Namsoo said.
Zack smirked, He started Chatting.
After a few words exchanged, Zack's smile widened, He tossed the phone back at Jiho, and stood.
"They sent a location." Zack said coldly.
Minsoo, leaning back in his chair "Let them handle this, it's important to their Development." He thought.
"You coming Minsoo?" Zack asked.
"No, I got things to do." Minsoo replied.
----
"Mid-terms are here, and you're rolling easy." Hana said.
Minsoo was laying across the couch like he owned it, Well he is, one arm lazily draped over the backrest while his eyes stayed to the TV, A Football game was on, the roar of the crowd through the speakers, He didn't even look up when he answered.
"Did you forget," he smiled "that I was a teacher once? High school exams are like warm-ups to me, Barely even a stretch."
Hana sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by a small fortress of books and notes, Some were neatly stacked, others were spread open across the carpet, She raised her head and frowned at him, strands of hair falling in front of her face.
He muttered "You also finished high school in your previous life, right? So why are you acting like this."
Then Minsoo glanced at her "You're treating this like a national exam."
Hana puffed her cheeks "Well… I forgot most things, hehe." Her nervous laugh gave her away.
Minsoo's expression Unreadable, his eyes lingering on her longer than he meant to, She caught it, of course.
"What?" Hana narrowed her eyes, cheeks warming "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Minsoo only shook his head, lips twitching He was trying not to laugh.
"Don't you dare laugh at me." Hana's voice dropped low with warning, but the smirk on his face betrayed him.
The moment the first chuckle slipped out, she snapped, With a motion, she leapt to her feet "Alright, that's it!"
Before Minsoo could react, Hana launched herself at him with a Taekwondo kick, her form surprisingly clean for someone in casual clothes, His eyes widened, and he barely managed to roll off the couch, The kick missed his head by inches, landing against the cushions with a thud.
"Yah! Hana!" Minsoo sweating now "I'm sorry!"
But Hana wasn't done, She pivoted on her heel, charging again with a flurry of kicks and light punches, Minsoo dodged around the living room like his life depended on it, slipping past her strikes.
"Sorry! I'm really sorry!" he laughed breathlessly, ducking as another kick came dangerously close.
Hana grinned, relentless "Too late for sorry!"
Finally, she copied one of Minsoo's own movements, a unnatural feint step he had once used on her before, Caught off guard, Minsoo had no choice but to react instinctively He grabbed her wrist mid-strike, twisting his body, and the two of them tumbled together onto the floor.
Thump!
Hana landed with her back against the carpet, Minsoo on top but half-rolled to the side, Their arms tangled as they wrestled briefly, laughter spilling out of both of them despite the mock battle.
"Cheater!" Hana accused between giggles, trying to shove him off.
"You were the one who ambushed me!" Minsoo shot back, as he pinned Hana's both hand above her.
Eventually, their laughter died down into breaths, The room grew quiet, the only sound the faint commentary of the sports game playing on the TV, Hana tilted her head, as she looked up at him, Minsoo's gaze met hers.
only the rhythm of their breaths, perfect sync, His face hovered just inches from hers, eyes dark and unreadable, a loose strand of her hair brushed her cheek.
His voice came out low "If I move any closer…"
She didn't answer, Her gaze flickered between his lips and eyes, her heart pounding hard, the silver chain, Written something in another language was around his neck swaying gently.
For a second, neither moved.
Ding-dong.
Both of them blinked, Minsoo rolled off, while Hana sat up and brushed her hair back with an embarrassed cough.
[AN: Hey guys, I got a job! Yay! Now that I have a job, the updates might be late or less frequent, depending on myself, I'll be working 12 hours a day, so it will depend if I have time to write, but I will not drop it, I have so many ideas for this novel, Bye, peace out!]