Manager Kim sat with his back against the bumper of a car, a knife lying beside him. He spoke wearily, "Guys... Don't do this."
Gabriel Park smiled. "Oh, come on, bro! Since we delivered all the other streamers, nobody's gonna notice one or two kids missing. Don't worry—we'll deal with the boss."
Gabriel extended his hand to Manager Kim. "Were you really trying to fight us? You can barely stand straight after that fight earlier."
Robert Choi also offered his hand. "Stop blaming yourself, man. How would I face your wife and daughter if I stabbed you? We're letting you off this time because of your midlife crisis or whatever."
Gabriel added, "But there's no next time. You hear me?"
With that, they pulled Manager Kim to his feet and walked back with him.
---
Meanwhile, Sally was gathering clothes for the wash when she suddenly heard the door click open. The basket tumbled from her hands. "Hey... What the...? Baki-hyung? Warren?!"
She saw Baki carrying a bloodied Warren. Baki set Warren down on the sofa and sat beside him. Sally rushed over. "What happened?! Are you guys okay?!"
Baki smiled. "Nothing happened. Did Amy and Natalie come back?"
Sally nodded, worry etched on her face. "Yeah. They returned not long ago."
Amy Lee and Natalie Cho appeared before them, each holding an ice cream bar. "W-We came home right after work. M-Mister Senior Manager Kim dropped us off! A-And we decided not to work for that company anymore. I-It seemed a little dangerous..."
Warren sighed with relief. Baki smiled, then his smile turned to laughter—deep, uncontrollable laughter that went on for a long while. Sally, Amy, and Natalie exchanged confused glances. "Did hyung go crazy?"
Warren hugged all three of them and smiled. "Hyung is fine. He's just being mysterious! Let's stay like this for a moment."
After a while, Amy pulled a card from her pocket. "Oh, by the way, uncle. Do you know Mister Senior Manager Kim? He told me to give you this."
She handed the card to Warren. "He said if you guys ever meet again... make sure to learn from him rather than figuring it out on your own."
Warren took the card and glanced at it. Baki patted him on the back. "Hahaha! Warren, looks like you've got yourself a teacher. I didn't think the old man would take a liking to you. But his personality does match yours. Hahaha!"
After a moment, Amy pointed at Johan, who had been standing by the door like a statue the entire time. Two dogs stood beside him. "Huh? Whose puppies are those?"
Baki glanced at Johan. "Tch! Kid, what are you doing standing at the door? Get inside." Then he turned to Sally. "This kid's with me. Let him stay here for now, yeah?"
Sally nodded. She thought to herself, "What a weird hairstyle..."
---
A few days later, Baki received a call from Tom Lee. He answered.
"Brat. The new intern—what was his name again? Whatever. Send him to our place. I have a task for him."
Baki glanced at Johan, who was doing handstand pushups. "Don't you need me?"
Tom Lee replied, "No. This mission will be led by Manager Kim."
"Okay. I'll send him."
---
A few weeks later, Baki entered the White Tiger Job Centre with Johan following behind. Inside, Section Chief Sera was managing some files. Seeing Baki after so long, she greeted him warmly. "Welcome, Baki. How was your vacation?"
Baki smiled back. "Yeah, it was great. Major General called me. Where is he?"
"Is that so? He isn't here, though. Are you sure he called you?" Sera asked. Baki nodded. "Yeah. It's fine. I'll wait for him here."
Baki sat down on the sofa with Johan beside him. Sera approached with two cups of coffee and handed one to Baki. "I heard you had a fight with Major General not long ago?"
Baki nodded. "Yeah. Just minor disagreements. Nothing too serious."
Sera smiled. "Is that so? I guess Major General has gone soft then. By the way, who's this kid?" She gestured toward Johan.
Baki patted Johan on the back. "Him? He's my sidekick and the new intern. He'll be doing missions with me from now on. He recently passed his first mission with Manager Kim."
Sera smiled. "Speaking of Manager Kim, it seems he failed his one of his missions. Two girls went missing from the batch he was supposed to deliver."
Baki smiled. "Is that so? Sounds like old man Kim is starting to be true to himself."
Suddenly, the door burst open. Tom Lee entered. "Baki, my boy~ Looks like I'm late."
Baki glanced at him. "It's fine, old man. Why did you call me?"
Tom Lee grinned. "I've got a new contract~ This one's paying more than the previous one. They're demanding more manpower than before."
Baki nodded. "Is that so? Are you working for Workers again?"
Tom Lee patted him on the back. "In this world, many things can change any outcome~ You should get ready. Your next mission is at Workers' 3rd Affiliate."
---
A few days later, Vasco met Brakdek at a food stall outside Club Vivi. Brakdek handed off the work to Vasco and left wearing stylish clothes.
Vasco was shocked to see this new side of Brakdek, but he quickly got busy with work. Suddenly, a man wearing a cap approached the stall.
"...Tabasco? You work here?"
But Vasco didn't recognize him. He cooked the food. "The fish cakes are 500 won."
The customer was none other than the leader of Big Deal, Jake Kim, who had just been released from jail a few days ago. "You don't recognize me with the hat on? You're something else, man."
Vasco asked without looking up, "Who are you?"
Jake took a fish cake and bit down. "I'm Jane Kim. Aspiring nail artist."
Vasco said, "I'm Euntae Lee."
Just as Jake finished eating, he noticed a girl beside him eating a fish cake too. Suddenly, the girl swayed and was about to fall. Jake rushed to help her, but another man stepped between them and caught her first.
Several men gathered behind. Seeing their badges, Jake realized they were from Workers.
They spoke in Chinese, which Jake didn't understand. One of the guards said in Korean, "A member from White Tiger Job Centre will be coming today."
The man who had helped the girl replied, "Is that so? I'll keep it in mind."
With that, he picked up the girl and went inside Club Vivi, the guards following behind. Jake followed them, but Vasco was surprised. "That girl... She... didn't pay for her food...!"
Meanwhile, Jake tried to follow them inside and was shocked when the door guards practically shoved him in with no questions asked.
Jake looked around the club and accidentally spotted Old Face, Noan. Suddenly, Vasco burst in and started demanding payment. His actions caused a ruckus, and guards surrounded them.
While Vasco was beating the living daylights out of the guards and bouncers, Jake took the opportunity to interrogate Noan.
---
Meanwhile, Baki arrived at Club Vivi on his bike with Johan behind him. Both were dressed in formal suits. As they were about to enter, Baki noticed the food stall. He decided to eat something first.
Johan asked, "Won't it be bad if we're late for the interview?"
Baki shrugged. "I don't care. I don't understand the point of this interview anyway. Let's eat something first."
When they reached the stall, they noticed the seller was missing. Baki looked around. Seeing no one, he grabbed chicken skewers and left some money at the stall.
Baki entered Club Vivi with Johan. Just after entering, he noticed a bunch of guys surrounding something. He looked at Johan. "I'll solve the problem here first—make a good impression. You go upstairs and meet the boss for the interview."
Johan sighed and nodded. Baki squeezed through the crowd and came to the front. He finally saw what was happening. A bunch of guys were lying on the ground, beaten. In the middle, Gabriel Park was fighting someone.
Baki stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... Is this kid someone I know? Wait—why do I feel like I recognize every kid I see these days?! Is this déjà vu? Oh, right! This kid! He's the one from the gas station. But what's he doing here?"
Baki kept watching as Vasco beat Gabriel Park one-sidedly. "This kid's gotten a lot stronger! Who's his teacher?!"
Suddenly, he saw Johan and another kid walking in. Johan called out to Baki, but Baki just gave a thumbs up.
Johan sighed and walked in front of Vasco. "You're Vasco from Burn Knuckles, right? I remember you."
Vasco nodded. Johan took a fighting stance. "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to kick you out for causing a ruckus."
With that, Johan lashed out at Vasco. But suddenly Jake stopped him. "Let me go first." Johan kicked him aside. "I got to him first. So let me try first."
Jake shrugged. Baki watched the spectacle with interest.
Johan kicked directly at Vasco's head. But Vasco raised his forearm to block.
CRACK!
The impact reverberated through the club. Vasco's eyes widened slightly. "Fast...!"
Johan didn't waste a second. He immediately transitioned into a spinning back kick. Vasco stepped back, narrowly avoiding the strike.
"Taekwondo," Jake muttered, recognizing the style. He thought of the taekwondo fighter Jason had mentioned.
Baki was mildly surprised. "This kid. What did he learn during his mission with Manager Kim?"
Johan closed the distance with a quick step, launching a rapid series of kicks—a low kick aimed at the shin, followed immediately by a mid-section roundhouse, then a high kick targeting the head.
Vasco blocked the low kick with his shin, absorbed the mid-section kick with his elbow, and leaned back from the high kick.
Johan asked, "Why aren't you fighting back?"
"Sorry to tell you, but," Vasco said as he took his stance, "I have been fighting you the whole time."
Johan's eyes narrowed. He rotated his body and prepared for a spinning kick. Suddenly, a hand grabbed his leg. Jake Kim looked up. "Your time's over."
Johan sighed and stepped back. "You think you can do better?"
Jake smiled. "Ten seconds." Then he looked at Xiaolong. "I just need ten seconds." With that, he walked toward Vasco.
"Here," Jake muttered, handing over 500 won.
Vasco took it and nodded. "Thanks." Then he left.
The crowd fell silent, unsure what to make of the anticlimactic ending.
Baki burst into laughter from the sidelines. "HAHAHA! That's amazing! The kid fought everyone seriously just to get paid for a fish cake! I love it!"
Johan scratched his head, bewildered. "What the hell just happened...?"