Vasco was tired and battered, blood staining his clothes. More than a dozen bodies lay scattered around him. Seth Lee smirked. "Monster Vasco, you're certainly stronger than me. But how long can you keep this up?"
With that, he threw a punch at Vasco. Vasco countered with a punch of his own. Just before Seth's fist could connect with Vasco's face, a massive fist smashed into Seth instead. Vasco looked back. It was Woong, a Burn Knuckles member.
"Woong?!"
"Yeah, me. Woong!"
Behind Woong stood the entire Burn Knuckles crew. "VASCO! SORRY WE'RE LATE!"
Jace stood at the center of the group. "Well, my predictions went damn haywire." A girl peeked out from behind Jace. He looked at the Hostel members. "So these knuckleheads are the infamous Hostel boys?"
Jace picked up Vasco and supported him with his shoulder.
Olly asked, "Who are these pricks?"
Jin Jang muttered, "Jace Park..."
Jace and the Burn Knuckles boys walked toward the enemies with swagger. But sadly for them, they didn't know that Burn Knuckles wasn't near the level of the four major crews yet. Chuck Kwak and Justin Peng alone were beating them all up.
Vasco was exhausted, but he still stood up. He pulled out a golden burn neck. Taking his Muay Thai stance, he said, "You're all bad guys... I know what you've done... I'll never stand down against fuckers like you."
Vasco was strong—stronger than Chuck Kwak or Justin Peng individually. But there was a catch. It wasn't Chuck Kwak or Justin Peng, but Chuck Kwak and Justin Peng. Together, they had the strength of a crew head. The Hostel boys surrounded Burn Knuckles while Justin Peng and Chuck Kwak one-sidedly defeated Vasco.
Vin Jin had just finished beating up Baek Seongjun. Though Baek Seongjun was weaker than him, there was one thing Baek Seongjun possessed that Vin Jin didn't: the will to kill or die. Through sheer willpower, Baek Seongjun had managed to occupy Vin Jin. But against overwhelming strength, even sheer will fails.
Suddenly, two voices echoed. "They're real monsters, huh?"
"Right? They're even crazier than the rumors. We're definitely not a match for them."
"Maybe we shouldn't have come."
"Bro, are you kidding?"
"You're realizing this now?"
It was Max and Derrick, who were for some reason pushing the entire Awful Tteokbokki van. Maybe they were trying to save fuel.
Seeing them enter the scene, the cigarette dropped from Jin Jang's hand. "A new variable?!"
Sally Park was sitting on the roof of the van. She shouted at Olly, "I really didn't want to bother them... but I had to because of you, Olly Wang."
Max and Derrick had grown immensely over the years. Throughout their lives, they'd been repeatedly saved by Warren or Vin Jin. They'd thought of themselves as burdens. So they decided to get stronger—far stronger.
As of now, Max and Derrick's duo had become legendary. They were known as Gangdong's version of Johan Seong.
Olly looked at the fight between Hostel A and the Hostel B duo. It was extremely one-sided. Max and Derrick were leagues above Justin Peng and Chuck Kwak.
Olly muttered, "I knew it. I knew it. The fake could never grasp the essence of the original. OUR HOSTEL IS BACK TOGETHER!"
Max and Derrick picked up the battered Eli. Olly's plan had worked. Eli could never raise his hand against children. Olly ordered all the children to attack J High and Hostel B.
Jin Jang took a drag of his cigarette. "J High and Hostel B... they can never win." Then he glanced at Olly. "Unless they have a monster like him... they can't win."
But his train of thought suddenly broke. Logan Lee came into view holding a box, kicking the children away left and right without a hint of remorse.
Jin Jang's plan faced another variable today. "A devil... That's right... J High also has a devil!"
Olly was lost in thought. Max kneed him in the ribs while Derrick kicked him in the neck. Olly coughed up water. Max and Derrick locked Olly's shoulders.
"Don't move, Olly. If you move, I'll pull out your shoulder."
Olly looked sad. "Pull my shoulders out?" Then he abruptly moved and dislocated his own shoulder. "What, like this? That's not even a threat."
Max threw a punch. Olly dodged and shoulder-locked him.
"Aarggh!!!"
Derrick jumped from behind, but Olly kicked him in the jaw.
"Now, now. Don't do that to a real villain." Olly muttered as Max clung to his torso while Derrick grabbed his leg. Olly threw both Max and Derrick away. "Max, Derrick. So you guys are Gangdong's Johan Seong? More like Johan Seong from three years ago."
Suddenly a punch connected with Olly's jaw and sent him flying backward. He fell to the ground on his back. "You're up for some more? But can you? With that battered body of yours?"
Warren said through a clenched jaw, "I can do this all day!"
Olly Wang jumped at him with a wooden stick, slashing at Warren's body several times. Warren crossed his arms in guard, then grabbed the stick abruptly. "Olly, I can't lose. I promised to never lose if it's for her!" With that, he punched Olly in the temple. Olly's brain rattled.
"That! That hit was awesome!" Olly laughed.
Eli grabbed Warren's shoulder. "Let me handle him."
Olly and Eli walked toward each other. Suddenly, a bus crashed into Olly, sending him flying. From the bus, James Gong stepped down.
---
Jin Jang looked at Jace. "I'll tell you now... about my masterpiece."
Jace walked toward Jin Jang. "Your masterpiece? What the hell are you talking about?!"
Jin Jang took out a lollipop. "I knew you were the one with wits. The brain of J High. That's why I picked you as the first target of the big picture."
"...What?!"
Jin Jang smiled. "The first part of the big picture: seduce Jace Park."
Suddenly, the girl behind Jace swung a bat at the back of his head. But before it could connect, someone grabbed the bat. Vasco squeezed it until it started to crack. Without looking, he said to Jace, "Don't be sad, Jace. Love can make you an idiot like me."
The girl rushed to Jin Jang and removed her fake hair and glasses. Vasco recognized her as Jin Jang's girlfriend, whom he'd met when he first beat up Jin Jang.
Jin Jang smiled. "While you guys were enjoying your ordinary days... I was always planning the next move."
Several Burn Knuckles members rushed at Jin Jang. Suddenly Seth Lee tackled them, sending them flying. He knelt before Jin Jang.
"I would like to formally introduce myself to the boss: crew head of K House, Jin Jang."
Three years ago, when Johan Seong conquered Gangbuk, Jin Jang had secretly sent Seth Lee, a member of his K House gang, to Cheonliang to wait for the time of their re-emergence. Today was that time. He had finally won.
Jace muttered, "So... that's why you sent Jerry Kwon back first? Your plan was never to help Big Deal or Hostel."
Jin Jang smiled. "Correct. For our survival, we're going to Gangnam."
With that, he started leaving with his K House gang members. The Burn Knuckles rushed at them, but they were surrounded by the Hostel boys.
Warren stood in front of him. "You've been annoying me from the beginning, you chickenhead."
Jin Jang smiled. "Warren Chae, your story hasn't finished. Shouldn't you find your friends first?"
Warren looked around and found that Olly and Eli were missing. He immediately rushed out to find them.
With that, Jin Jang and K House walked away. Jin Jang laughed, "I've analyzed them all. Hahaha!"
Suddenly a voice echoed. "Oh? Is that so? Then did you forget to analyze me?"
Vin Jin stood in front of them. He cracked his knuckles and smiled. In the darkness of the night, Vin Jin's left eye seemed to glow faintly.
Jin Jang staggered backward. "W-What?! You defeated Baek Seongjun?!"
Vin Jin cracked his neck and smiled. Jin Jang had thought K House had finally re-emerged, but sadly for him, history was about to repeat itself. What Johan Seong had accomplished three years ago in Gangbuk, Vin Jin was about to do three years later in Gangdong.
"Shall we start?"