"Attention," Seojin ordered calmly. A finger jabbed toward the far end, toward the metal-bat man. "He's with me. Make way."
The gangsters slid apart, forming a narrow corridor through the middle of the compartment. Seats loomed on either side, passengers frozen with phones raised. The metal-bat man chuckled, resting the bat on his shoulder, then stepped into the aisle beside Seojin.
Seojin's voice cut low and sharp. "Keep your eyes down."
A thumb hooked at the bat‑man's wrist. Seojin guided him silently toward the next compartment where phones hovered through the open door, people filming, capturing everything.
One brave gangster rose from the center of the aisle behind them. "That's not how it works."
Another pushed to his feet, cracking knuckles, shadows falling across the seatbacks. "We follow Oryong's orders. You're our boss only when you return."
The line fractured, some shifting closer to the walls, others hesitating mid-step.
Seojin's voice rose, pointing toward the gangsters. "Hey! You do not defy your boss!"
The metal‑bat man sighed, facepalming quietly beside them.
A laugh, thin and sharp, cut through the moment. "Do you think we're naive enough to believe what you're saying and then just let you escape so easily?"
"Men," another shouted, voice tight with rage, "eliminate him!"
They surged forward.
…
The first crowbar swung wide toward Seojin.
Their eyes tracked the arc for a brief moment.
Then, a quick glance to the side. The metal-bat man was already swinging, bat cutting through the air toward the same target.
Seojin took a step back, lifting their foot forward, wrapping their heel around the lead gangster's knee.
CRACK!
The metal-bat man's strike came from the side, catching the attacker in the jaw. The body dropped in place, folding instead of flying to the side, the crowbar slid out of his grip.
The next man stumbled over him, the crowbar sliding just past his chest as Seojin caught it mid-air.
WHAM!
The crowbar slammed across the gangster's face, a sharp crack echoing through the aisle. Blood sprayed the seats, and the man folded sideways, collapsing over the armrest.
The rest were already closing in, filling the narrow passage, weapons raised. Seojin turned, the crowbar spinning once in his grip before he hurled it down the line.
WHOOOSH! It cut through the air in a clean arc.
One man saw it coming and ducked, too late to warn the one behind him.
CLANG! The steel bar struck the second man in the temple, dropping him instantly and shoving the pack behind off balance.
Before they could recover, the metal-bat man lunged through the opening. His swing came down in a blur, the bat hammering into the lead ducking gangster's head.
CRACK! The impact echoed like a gunshot, sending him sprawling across the floor.
Then– a crowbar spun through the air, right toward the metal-bat man's face.
It came from the right. The metal-bat man lifted his weapon instinctively.
The two metals clashed mid-flight with a metallic CLANG. Sparks flew as the crowbar scraped against the bat, its path veering off course.
Seojin was in the middle of bending to grab the pipe from the unconscious gangster on the floor– Until the wind from the crowbar brushed their hood with a quick, loud WHOOSH, drawing back their hood as their short ponytail swayed from the wind.
CRACK!
Then screams were heard.
Seojin turned slightly, just enough to see the crowbar buried deep in the next compartment's glass door, the surface splintered like a spider's web. Passengers on the other side stumbled back, hands over their mouths, eyes wide with terror.
Seojin rose slowly, pipe in hand, turning back to the fight.
The metal-bat man was still fighting, bat spinning like an iron windmill, catching the dull lights each time it passed through the air. Gangsters fell back, dazed, bodies crashing into seats and walls. And one of them stood out from the crowd, locking eyes with Seojin through the metal-bat man and the gangsters, a lean man in a torn jacket.
He sprinted down the aisle, leaping off the seats. His foot crashed against the side of the metal-bat man's ribs, driving him sideways. Then, in a flash, the gangster planted a boot against the wall, pushing off into a smooth arc that carried him behind the bat-man.
–landing between Seojin and the chaos.
The train shuddered as it tore down the tracks, fluorescent lights flickering.
The gangster's breath steamed through the air; his eyes locked onto Seojin's.
He grinned, teeth blood-streaked, and clenched his fists.
Seojin narrowed their eyes beneath the mask.
For a moment, time seemed to slow down.
The shriek of metal, the rattle of wheels, the rhythm of metal against bone, every sound started to distort. The compartment behind them blurred, screams started to echo. Each vibration carried through Seojin's chest, a pulse of pressure that thudded in time with their heartbeat.
All of the acrobatic gangster's movements were centered in Seojin's concentration: Him lifting his shoulder, cracking his fingers, taking a step forward.
Seojin's gaze locked onto his, then all of the world blurred, except for the gangster.
…
The edges of the man's face began to shift unnaturally. A faint spark of red flame rippled across his face, spreading along his entire face. Followed along with black flames, curling around his eyes, searing into the lines of his jaw.
The colors flared brighter, licking upward, shaping themselves into… a flaming mask of red and black.
…
The gangster charged forward, breaking Seojin's concentration.
And the flames were gone, without a trace, leaving only the man's blood-streaked face and the sharp grin beneath his eyes.
Seojin stepped back, pulled their hood back up.
They raised the metal pipe, grip tightening at the base, metal catching the flicker of the lights above as the gangster closed in, ready to strike.
The gangster swung first, a sharp punch aimed straight for Seojin's face.
Seojin spun the metal pipe into a backhand grip and sidestepped, the blow slicing past their shoulder. The man stumbled from his own momentum, twisting around just in time to see Seojin already mid-swing. He lunged, tackling Seojin before the strike could land, driving them hard against the row of seats with a THUD.
Pain jolted up Seojin's spine, but they barely reacted to it.
Immediately after, they switched the pipe back to a backhand hold and began hammering it down hard on the gangster's back with constant thuds. The man screamed, grabbing Seojin by the shoulder and hurling them aside.
Seojin crashed into another seat, the impact splintering the frame.
Before they could recover, the gangster's boot snapped forward in a kick toward their ribs. Seojin raised the pipe just in time to block,
THWACK! But the force still sent them sprawling backward. The seat behind them split in half with a CRACK.
The world shifted along with Seojin.
Everything inverted, spinning in a half-turn as Seojin crashed over the row. The view flipped upside down, lights streaking across the metal ceiling before the floor slammed up to meet them.
THUD.
The impact jolted through the compartment. Glass trembled, metal frames rattled, the whole space shivering as Seojin hit their back and slid out of sight between the seats.
They rolled, fast, coming up to their feet as they backed against the wall.
The gangster approached slowly, his boots syncing with the low rumble of the train beneath them.
Seojin glanced back, the glass window behind reflected streaks of passing light, a smear of motion and color across the dark. They stared at the mask reflection in the glass.
Then they turned forward again.
The gangster leaned casually against the back of a seat, one arm draped over it, posture loose.
"So you're supposed to be our boss," he grinned. "The one inheriting a legendary centuries-old organization?"
A faint laugh broke out, rough and uneven. He tilted his head, eyes narrowing in amusement.
"What a joke," he said, pushing off the seat. His smile twisted.
"I don't see it."
Seojin's gaze lowered, their hands trembled just once before gripping tighter.
…
Then Seojin lunged forward, pipe drawn low.
The gangster shifted instantly, his heel twisted, leg snapping up in a perfect side kick.
THUD.
The kick landed square in Seojin's ribs, driving them back into the wall.
Glass rattled, the window behind them shivering with reflected light.
Seojin's breath escaped through clenched teeth. One hand caught the seat edge, stopping the fall.
The gangster rolled his shoulder once, grin widening, the sound of the train swallowing his laughter.
"It's a good thing you declined to take on the role," he said, tilting his head, mocking. "We are better off without you."
The lights above flickered, breaking the scene into frozen fragments:
the gangster's grin,
Seojin's hand tightening on the pipe,
and their two reflections in the window, flickering, merging, and splitting apart with each pulse of light.
For a split second, Seojin's vision wavered.
…
The faint red, black flames returned, crawling up the gangster's face again.
It rippled, flickered, then burned alive. The same flaming mask formed, black veins of fire curling around his eyes and jaw, feeding off his pulse.
Seojin exhaled, fingers tightening around the pipe.
They flipped the grip into a backhand hold, the metal catching the passing lights.
Their leg rose, a sharp, fast kick aimed for the gangster's chest.
But before it could land–
CRACK!
The gangster's boot struck Seojin's shin mid-motion with an oblique kick. The impact snapped their balance, cancelling the strike halfway.
The gangster lunged in instantly, driving his fist forward.
Seojin didn't back off.
They stayed still, facing him head-on, raising the pipe high, but instead of striking forward, their arm snapped backward.
THUD!
The end of the pipe smashed into the window behind them. The glass groaned, a web of cracks splintering across its surface.
Before the sound even faded, the gangster's fist crashed into Seojin's face.
CRACK!
The mask split across the cheek, a fracture line crawling down like lightning. The blow drove Seojin backward– but their hand shot up.
They caught the back of the gangster's head mid-motion and pulled forward.
The gangster's body turned with it, his head slamming straight into the already cracked window.
SHATTER!
The glass exploded outward, shards scattering into the rushing dark.
The scream was immediate, echoing with the roar of the train.
Seojin didn't let go, they shoved harder, driving the gangster's upper body through the jagged frame, half of him hanging out into the wind. His legs kicked against the floor, scraping for balance, but Seojin's grip only tightened, pushing him further down as his voice was torn away by the tunnel's roar.
Seojin's vision bled red.
Everything else, sound, movements, light all faded away.
There was only the scream, it tore through the tunnel wind, a distorted echo of fear.
Seojin pressed harder, arms locked, forcing the gangster further through the shattered window. Blood streaked the glass edges. The air outside roared, swallowing his voice.
Seojin started inhaling and exhaling so hard that it felt like they're suffocating.
…
CLANG!
A shock rang through the metal frame. The sound cut through Seojin's trance like a blade.
Their head jerked back.
Before they could react, the gangster was pulled back in the train..
Hands had grabbed him from behind, dragging him back inside.
Seojin's vision started trembling, colors melting into static, blurring.
Someone then seized their collar.
The force lifted them off the floor.
Seojin's eyes flicked up, and saw the acrobat gangster breathing heavily, sitting behind 3 new men.
The lead gangster held Seojin by the collar, towering over everyone else, his other hand holding a familiar object… the metal-bat man's bat, resting against the gangster's shoulder.
The 2 other gangsters, one has a black mohawk that is wet by blood, the other with a jacket too colorful, flanked him, his mouth curling into a grin.The leader looked past Seojin toward the broken window, then back again, his grin widened.
Then he twisted his arm and threw Seojin to the other side of the aisle.
CRACK–THUD!
Their back struck the handle of a seat, metal bending under the impact before they dropped hard to the floor.
The sound of the train's wheels roared back into their hearing, muffled and distant, as if underwater.
Seojin's breath came heavy, they pressed their hands against the floor, but was unable to lift themself up. Their hood had fallen again, the cracked mask reflecting the strobing lights overhead.
The three figures stood framed against the aisle's flickering glow, shadows stretching long across the compartment.
The leader twirled the bat once, the metal still wet under the light.
The mohawk gangster laughed. "Can't believe that guy with the bat went down so fast."
The jacket gangster kicked aside a fallen pipe, smirking. "He was Kangwoo, right? Thought he'd do better."
"Yeah," the leader said, tapping the bat against the floor. "Didn't meet up to the rumors a single bit."
Their laughter rose together, short and sharp, echoing off the torn seats and cracked walls.
"Whole train full of amateurs," the mohawk gangster muttered, shaking his head. "No wonder Yeon's legacy is falling apart."
The leader grinned, eyes cutting down toward Seojin.
"Now, where should we start?"