Ren was walking toward Mina with heavy steps.
His footsteps echoed through the warehouse, and with each step, Mina's heart skipped harder.
Just then—
Wel jumped in front of him like a shadow.
"Don't move!" he shouted. "Hey hey, where do you think you're going, huh? You really thought you could just take Mina back? She's ours now. Why would that slut even want you?"
Mina's eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat.
Even the way Wel clenched the metal rod in his hand radiated anger.
Ren stopped for a moment… then began to laugh.
A short, filthy chuckle.
He gripped the wooden stick with both hands.
Then — crack!
It snapped in half.
Without a second thought, he drove the sharpened broken end into Wel's foot.
The sound of tearing flesh and Wel's scream split the air at the same time.
Blood splattered across Ren's face.
Ren tilted his head slightly and licked the drop that reached his lip.
Wel writhed in pain, screaming:
"Ahh! You crazy… crazy psycho! I'm gonna kill you, you hear me?!"
Ren shot him a cold, belittling look.
With an icy voice, he said, "Oh really? Yet you're the one kneeling in front of me."
Then he spat in Wel's face.
At that moment, Xen got up.
Suppressing his rage, he grabbed the other half of the broken stick and rushed at Ren.
"My turn now!" he snarled.
Ren watched him approach, but his face didn't change at all.
As Xen closed in, Ren raised his arm, caught him mid-air, and slammed him into the ground.
Then he brought his fist down on him over and over—
with each blow, Xen's nose, mouth, and cheekbones shifted in different directions.
Even the kids in the warehouse couldn't move a muscle.
And then…
"M–Ren… please… enough!"
Mina's trembling voice rose.
Ren stopped.
He slowly turned his head toward her.
For a brief moment, the darkness in his eyes flickered.
"…Whatever you say." he muttered, obeying, his voice deep and muffled.
He let Xen go.
His limp body collapsed into the pool of blood.
Now only two of the four remained.
Ten and Our exchanged nervous glances as they stepped back.
Ten gritted his teeth.
"You're a complete psychopath…" he hissed.
"A sadistic bastard!"
Then he pulled a small knife from his pocket.
Step by step, he moved toward Ren and swung—
—
Ten and Our lunged forward at the same time.
While Ten slashed with the knife, Our tried to knock Ren off balance from behind.
Ten's blade left a long cut across Ren's cheek.
A thin line of blood trickled down his face.
But Ren's expression didn't change.
It was as if he didn't even feel it.
His eyes stared into a dark void.
Our approached with a mocking grin.
"Do you know what your precious little master did to her?" he said in a disgusting voice.
"All the things we did… while you were gone—"
Ren suddenly stopped.
He let the stick slip from his fingers and fall to the ground.
The thunk echoed through the warehouse.
Ten and Our hesitated for a moment.
"Giving up?" Ten asked, smirking.
Ren tilted his head slightly.
Then — in one sudden move — he grabbed Ten's head with both hands.
Before Ten could react, Ren slammed him into the wall.
THUD!
The impact knocked the air out of him, producing a choked "Ahgh—".
Our took a step back, but Ren had already turned toward him.
He wrapped his hand around Our's throat.
One squeeze…
Our's eyes rolled back, and his body went limp.
He collapsed to the floor.
Ten screamed in terror:
"Wait! We were joking! We didn't do anything, I swear!"
But Ren no longer heard anything.
There was only darkness.
He grabbed Ten's head again — harder this time.
He smashed it against the wall.
Then again.
And again.
Until Ten lost consciousness and crumpled like a lifeless puppet.
There was no smell of death in the warehouse…
But something heavier lingered: silence.
Mina was sobbing in the corner, trembling.
Tears streamed down her face, her hands tied so she couldn't wipe them.
With every blow Ren struck, her heart clenched tighter.
Then Ren inhaled.
A slow… dark breath.
He turned to Mina.
Closed his eyes and whispered:
"Mina… close your eyes."
Mina didn't hesitate.
She shut them immediately.
Tears fell from her trembling lashes.
Ren stripped the unconscious Wel, Xen, Ten, and Our.
Dragged them — fully naked — to the center of the schoolyard.
Pressed their faces into the muddy ground.
Then he spat on each of them.
Without saying a single word.
He returned to Mina.
When Mina slowly opened her eyes, she saw Ren's face—
bloody, exhausted, conflicted… yet human for the first time.
Ren leaned down.
His trembling hands rested on her shoulders.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered.
"I'm sorry, Mina… I should've come earlier. I'm sorry for leaving you alone."
Then he pulled her into his arms.
Rested his head on her shoulder.
"I'm so… so sorry."
Mina couldn't stop crying.
But this time not from fear…
From relief.
From the realization that Ren still had a piece of humanity left inside him.
—
In the morning, four naked, unconscious boys were found in the schoolyard.
Wel, Ten, Our, and Xen… all brutally beaten.
Students screamed, teachers ran, the principal called the police.
Everyone who saw the scene muttered the same thing:
"No human could've done this…"
And at that moment, Ren and Mina walked through the school gate.
Mina's wrists were still red.
Dried blood streaked Ren's face.
Everyone stepped back.
No one dared to speak.
Ren lifted his head, stared at the crowd watching them.
For a moment, his eyes darkened…
But then he squeezed Mina's hand tightly.
A student whispered:
"If Ren is back… this school will never be the same again."
---