Then the men turned left into a narrow side alley. Dim lighting. Old posters half peeled from the walls.
A stack of crates beside a restaurant's back door. A cat darting past a trash can.
Hyun Woo stopped at the entrance for a moment.
The two men didn't even look back.
They were talking about someone who hadn't paid, arguing over whether to "rough him up" or "just take something from his house."
Hyun Woo's steps stayed slow for a second…
then he moved.
He closed the distance fast, shoes hitting the ground with that quick thud of someone running.
Both men heard it and turned right away.
"…Huh?"
They just stared for a second, confused, like they weren't expecting anyone to be behind them at all.
And then they saw him, at the end of the alley stood a boy wearing a black hoodie, hands in pockets, face mostly hidden.
He looked like any high school kid out too late.
Both men blinked, confused for a moment.
Then the taller one snorted.
"Hey… what's this? Kid, you lost?"
