A few weeks later, Central Seoul
Seongji lay on the floor, watching as Yenna took her first wobbly steps. She toddled toward him and tumbled onto his chest. He smiled at her antics.
Then he glanced at the clock and sighed. "Haah... Eli and the others still aren't back. I don't know if it's right to make those girls work. Shouldn't they be studying at this age?"
After the Hostel incident, police had arrested Olly and his gang members. Without major charges against them, they'd be released soon. Eli decided to stay with Hostel, but they faced a serious problem—they had nowhere to live since Sally's house had burned down.
Seongji Yuk offered them a place to stay in Central Seoul. The guys initially declined, not wanting to impose, but Yenna had grown so attached to Seongji that Eli couldn't bear to take her away. Reluctantly, they accepted his offer.
Baki had bought an entire floor for them—three large apartments. But Eli and the others refused to stay for free, insisting on paying monthly rent. Though Baki disagreed, the kids persisted.
This brought them to their current situation. The two runaway girls who'd joined Hostel, Amy Lee and Natalie Cho, also wanted to earn their keep, so they'd started livestreaming. A major company called ONE MCN had invited them for an interview today, and Eli and the others had gone with them.
---
Baki walked through the street eating skewered chicken, a boy trailing behind him.
Without turning around, Baki asked, "Kid, why don't you go home for now? I'll call you when I have work."
Johan said nothing and kept walking. Baki sighed. "Come on, let's eat something more substantial. This skewered chicken doesn't have much protein."
They stopped at a food stall and sat down. Johan devoured his food ravenously while Baki ate at a normal pace.
"So, kid. What's with not going home?"
Johan didn't answer, just kept eating. Baki sighed and stopped asking questions.
Suddenly, another young man sat down between them. Without looking at Johan, he said, "So... are you really not heading back home? I finally found you, Johan Seong. Let's go. Your mother's looking for you."
Johan glanced back at Zack and smiled. "Hey... have I ever listened to you before?"
Zack sighed. "Idiot. No, you never have. So I came up with a solution. If you refuse to go... I'm gonna beat you up and drag you there." He threw a punch at Johan, who leaned back to dodge.
Zack continued, "You can't run away anymore. You'll have to give it your best shot."
Johan tapped Zack's forehead with his pinky finger. "Give my best shot? Hey. My pinky should be enough to take you down."
But Johan didn't know—Zack had grown. He wasn't just complete. He was beyond complete. He was near perfect.
Zack threw another punch so fast Johan couldn't dodge. He crossed his arms to block, but the sheer impact sent him skidding backward.
Baki watched with amusement. "Hahaha! Kids these days are rough!"
Zack asked, "You good?"
But Zack had underestimated his opponent. He wasn't the only one who'd grown. Johan threw a jab that landed on Zack's jaw. Zack immediately countered with a punch to Johan's midsection, sending him flying. Zack rushed forward and threw another punch to his stomach.
"Let's go. Let's go home, Johan."
"I can't..."
"Stop being so stubborn, dumbass." Zack walked toward Johan as he took off his sweater. But he didn't know—the man he was facing possessed the combined power of Gangseo, Gangnam, and Gangbuk.
Johan rushed at Zack and punched his stomach, sending him flying. As Zack was about to crash into a food cart, Baki kicked it aside. "Tch! These kids have no sense of their surroundings!"
Zack got back up and threw a straight punch. Johan ducked and threw a jab to his face. "You definitely got stronger since middle school. But that's about it. So know your place."
Zack's mind went blank from the impact, and he fell to the ground. Johan crouched down, grabbed his collar, and pulled him closer.
"And don't pity me either. Who the hell... do you think you are? You're always so full of yourself."
He threw a punch at Zack but missed. At that moment, something clicked in Baki's mind as he watched. "This kid... is he suffering from the same illness as his mother?!"
Sweat formed on Johan's face as he realized what had just happened.
Seeing his distress, Zack got up and punched at him. "What the... hell? Are you going easy on me now?!"
Johan brought his forehead to the fist to lessen its impact. "What if I am?" Then he threw an uppercut. "You really thought... I'd break a sweat for you?"
Zack called out, "It isn't hereditary...! No. It can't be, right?!" He seemed to have caught on too.
Johan slammed Zack to the ground with a suplex. "Don't be so clingy. I've never thought of you as a friend. So... there's no reason for you to look for me anymore."
He walked to Baki. "I'm full." Baki sighed and stood up. "Let's leave then."
---
A few hours later
Baki was jogging down the street when his phone rang.
Brrring! Brrring!
He answered. "Yeah, old man. What? Right now? Tch! I was enjoying my free time. Okay, I'll be there."
He ended the call and looked at Johan, who was carrying his bike overhead while jogging beside him. "You can put it down now. I've got some work. Let's go."
Johan set down the bike. "Phew... why did you make me carry your bike the whole way?"
Baki snorted. "Boy, if you want my help, you'd better not question what I say."
---
Baki and Johan stood in front of a massive building. Baki walked inside, Johan following. Suddenly Johan bumped into a large man so tall Johan didn't even reach his shoulders.
The large man turned around. Seeing Johan, he bent down. "Tch! Kid, watch where you walk!" Then he suddenly noticed Baki standing nearby. He patted Baki on the back. "Baki, my boy~! Was your vacation long enough? Hahaha! You've grown taller!"
Baki slapped his hand aside. "Old man, tell me why you called me here at this hour."
Tom Lee laughed. "Haha~ I heard kids these days are very rough. So I decided to bring backup."
Baki snorted. "Tch! As if you needed backup."
Tom Lee laughed and walked inside. A woman in a cat costume greeted them. "Welcome, meow! I've been waiting for you, meow! I was surprised to hear another VVIP is coming today. I heard you're the special one, meow!"
She pressed the elevator button. "I'll be taking you to the prison floor where our streamers are locked up... It's a top-secret place even VVIPs don't know about, meow."
Baki, Johan, and Tom Lee entered the elevator with the woman, who pressed two keys simultaneously. The elevator began to move.
When they stepped out, they saw Robert Choi and Gabriel Park from White Tiger Job Centre. They greeted Tom Lee. Robert Choi waved at Baki. "Kid, it's been a while since I last saw you. You've grown taller. That's good. Haha!"
---
Meanwhile, Daniel and Warren confronted Samuel. They were startled as a large jeep rushed toward them.
Alexander Hwang shouted, "END ME, MY ASS! SAMUEL!! I STARTED THE CAR!! I'LL SAVE YOU!! WE'LL SAVE MY PRECIOUS ONE MCN TOGETHER!! JUST TRUST ME, BIG BRO!!"
Then Alexander suddenly noticed the jeep wasn't moving. "Samuel, why isn't this thing moving?"
From behind the car, a voice rang out. "Baldie, baldie. No pancakes for baldie! I think you've been naughty. Who were you trying to crush with the car? Ya can't just swoop in... and take away my playmates. It's my job to give these kids a little spanking."
It was Tom Lee. He'd suddenly appeared between Warren, Daniel, and Samuel. All of them were shocked.
Tom Lee slowly pulled out a soju bottle. "So it's you kiddos who've been a pain in Mr. Choi's ass?"
Warren punched Tom Lee in the midsection, but Tom Lee kept drinking his soju, showing no reaction—as if he hadn't been hit at all. Tom Lee grabbed Warren's head and slammed him into a wall.