Kazu moved first. He threw a series of quick jabs, straight to the face. Jihyeon dodged with head movements, slipping between the punches as if he had seen them coming before they were even thrown.
Kazu smiled, amused.
"Is he testing me?" thought Jihyeon.
Then he threw a hook, but Kazu bent his knees, lowering his center of gravity and dodging the blow smoothly. At that exact moment, he counterattacked with an uppercut straight to the chin. The sound was dry, brutal.
But the punch never landed.
Jihyeon had caught it with an open palm, stopping it mid-air.
Kazu stepped back, still smiling.
"You're not that bad. You've got good reflexes."
Jihyeon shook his palm, as if brushing off the impact.
"That was expected, right? But you weren't going all out either, were you? If this is your level… I came here for nothing."
A vein popped on Kazu's forehead. His smile turned sharper, eyes narrowing.
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, he moved. Faster and more explosive.
He twisted the tip of his back foot inward, then drove his hip and rear shoulder forward. His whole body aligned to generate a powerful blow. His arm shot out in a straight line, right at the face.
Jihyeon barely managed to pull his head back, but the fist still grazed his nose. The impact was enough to throw him off balance.
Kazu didn't stop.
With a short twist, he threw a hook with the other hand, straight to the liver. Jihyeon dropped his forearm to block, and the impact landed full on his arm. The hit was strong, and although he managed to stop it, the pain spread through his forearm, making him frown.
He tried to counterattack with a punch, but Kazu, with a minimal and natural motion, bent his knees and twisted his torso in the opposite direction of the previous hook. All his strength transferred into that movement.
The new hook landed squarely on the liver.
Jihyeon doubled over in pain.
Kazu straightened his torso and finished with an uppercut to the chin.
The blow sent him flying backward. Jihyeon spat blood in the air before crashing to the ground.
The echo of the impact resonated through the empty factory.
Kazu, with an amused expression, explained.
"My goal is to face strong people. Think of this like a game. But unfortunately, since I'm strong, it's hard to find guys like me. That's not fun. I thought you were different… but the result… you failed big time."
His smile widened, mocking.
Jihyeon slowly got up. Blood dripped from his nose, his chin red from the impact. He brushed the dust off his clothes and exhaled sharply.
"Now I get you a bit. Your attacks are simple, straightforward… and extremely efficient. The problem is, since you're a 'genius,' you execute them far above average. That's why you don't bother with anything else, huh?"
Kazu burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, sure… whatever you say. Can you still keep going?"
Jihyeon stretched as he sighed. "Of course… I guess I'll have to give it my all."
Without warning, he lunged forward. He stomped the ground hard, kicking up a cloud of dust straight into Kazu's eyes. Instinctively, Kazu covered his face.
Jihyeon took advantage. He drove a direct kick into Kazu's liver. Kazu grunted from the impact, but with his arms up in guard, he didn't falter. Jihyeon didn't lose momentum; he grabbed his arms and forced them down, and while holding him, smashed a brutal headbutt into his face.
The hit was sharp. Blood gushed from Kazu's nose as he staggered backward, his face bloodied and expression turning more serious, more annoyed.
"That hurt," he said, voice deeper.
Jihyeon smirked cynically.
"Just returning the hits."
But his gaze grew more serious, analyzing him.
No doubt he's a boxing genius… but his weakness is obvious. His body. It can't take too many hits, huh? Well, who am I to talk about that? After all, my body's crap too.
He approached again. Threw a kick to Kazu's face, but Kazu barely leaned back a millimeter, dodging at the last second.
Jihyeon didn't stop. He rushed in with a tackle, slamming Kazu against the factory wall. The blow was heavy, making Kazu spit blood.
Jihyeon raised his fist and threw it straight at his face, but Kazu reacted. An uppercut to the solar plexus stopped him cold. The air was knocked out of Jihyeon's lungs, but he gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain.
"Seriously?" Kazu muttered, slightly surprised.
Jihyeon didn't answer. He swung both fists down like hammers, crashing them onto Kazu's head.
The impact was brutal. Kazu collapsed, smashing against the concrete floor.
The echo of the blow filled the empty factory.
Jihyeon looked at Kazu with a frown, still breathing heavily, blood running down his face. There was something in his expression that wasn't satisfaction, but doubt.
"Was that it?" he muttered to himself. "Even though he's stronger than Chulwoo… and seems more talented… I don't feel satisfied."
He sighed, shaking his head.
"Well, whatever. I'm not in a position to be picky right now, and there's no one around."
He approached, intending to pick Kazu up and carry him away, but then, against all odds, Kazu got up.
Blood dripped from his face, but his smile was still there, livelier than ever.
"Phew… that was pretty fun," he said, walking toward him with firm steps. "Alright, let's keep going. You can still fight, right?"
Jihyeon looked at him, exhaled, and replied with a grin.
"Sure. But… can you keep up?"
Without another word, both charged forward. Their fists met at the same time, colliding violently. Their heads snapped to the sides, cheeks denting from the force of the hit. Blood splattered in the air.
Kazu reacted first. He unleashed a flurry of blows, a hook to the liver that made Jihyeon's torso bend involuntarily, an uppercut to the abdomen that drove the air from his lungs, a cross to the cheek that snapped his head sideways, and finished with a straight punch to the jaw that made his neck crack.
Jihyeon's head jolted violently. His vision blurred. He was about to lose consciousness, but he bit his tongue hard. The pain brought him back.
And still… he smiled.
This was what he'd been looking for.
Kazu threw a jab, but Jihyeon bent his knees, letting the punch glide over his head. He planted his feet firmly, his waist twisted, and from below, he launched an upward diagonal punch straight to the chin.
The impact was brutal. Kazu staggered back, his head spinning from the force.
Jihyeon didn't stop. He threw an upward kick. Kazu, still dazed, raised his arms to block, but Jihyeon changed direction at the last second his leg came down hard, landing a solid kick to the thigh.
Kazu winced from the pain. In that instant, Jihyeon spun around and delivered a spinning kick to the jaw.
Kazu dropped to his knees, spitting blood.
Jihyeon stepped closer and, without hesitation, drove a knee strike into his face.
Kazu fell to the ground, unconscious.
Silence returned to the factory.
Jihyeon also let himself fall, sitting on the floor. He was dizzy, blood dripping from his face. He breathed heavily but still wore a strained smile.
"I wasn't too rough… was I?"
He looked at Kazu, unconscious.
"Nah… he'll be fine."
He lay back on the floor, closing his eyes for a moment. The echo of the fight still rang in his ears, but he was satisfied with the outcome.
After a while, Minho and Hyunseok arrived at the factory. Seeing the place, they stopped, nervous. The blood on the floor, Kazu's unconscious body, and Jihyeon lying there with a beaten face sent chills down their spines.
"You took your time," Jihyeon said from the floor, voice tired. "Help me up."
Minho came over and helped him by the arm. When Jihyeon stood up, his body cracked at the joints.
Hyunseok, looking at Kazu, asked cautiously,
"He's not dead… right?"
Jihyeon waved his hand lazily.
"He's just resting. Let's go. Carry him."
Minho and Hyunseok exchanged glances, then approached Kazu and lifted him with effort.
As they walked away, Minho spoke hesitantly.
"By the way… Chulwoo called. Said he needs to tell you something."
Jihyeon nodded and pulled out his phone. He saw some messages, sent a reply, and put the phone away.
Hyunseok glanced at him sideways.
"But are you okay walking around that beat up?"
"I'm fine," Jihyeon answered, though his voice didn't sound very convincing.
After a while, they arrived at an old, abandoned house. It wasn't comfortable, but it would do. Jihyeon then sent the location to Chulwoo.
Settling in, Jihyeon said,
"Minho, go buy some stuff, like food and cotton."
He asked that because his nose hurt, he still felt it bleeding, and he was quite hungry.
Minho nodded and left with Hyunseok to get what he asked for. Kazu was still unconscious, lying on the floor. Jihyeon leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
A while later, Minho and Hyunseok returned with bags.
They handed one to Jihyeon a container with still-warm kimbap and then the cotton.
Jihyeon stuffed the cotton in his nose. Before starting to eat, he said, "I think you guys should learn how to do those first-aid things. In the future, someone could get seriously injured or something. Not a bad idea, right?"
He thought it was a good idea. They barely contributed to anything, so this seemed like a decent role. After all, in the future, their enemies were almost superhuman.
Minho frowned and said,
"So our role is like… errand boys for the thugs?"
Jihyeon paused mid-bite.
"Eh? But I thought you already were. Weren't you that for Chulwoo?"
Hyunseok raised an eyebrow as he replied, "Well, we weren't exactly errand boys. We just followed him, that's all."
Jihyeon shrugged.
"Well, I was just suggesting it. After all, what role do you think you could have? I don't think you're good at fighting either, right? So it's better to do first aid than do nothing, don't you think?"
Minho and Hyunseok frowned.
"Well, if you put it that way, I guess we'll do our best, but don't expect much."
Jihyeon nodded. When he finished eating, he let out a long yawn. He looked at the two and at Kazu, who still showed no signs of waking up.
"I'm going to sleep for a while," Jihyeon said, eyes half-closed. "Wake me up when Chulwoo arrives."
He lay down on the floor. Even though he wished he were in his apartment, his body hurt too much. Besides, with Kazu unconscious, he couldn't carry him around the city without people getting the wrong idea or misinterpreting the situation.
"Well… let's just rest for now."
And with that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.