THE STREET KING

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1. The Weight of Silence

The streets of Seoul were quiet at this hour, but to Jinwoo, they had never felt louder.

He and Hye-jin moved like shadows through the alleys, their steps silent against the cold pavement. It had been only a few hours since Mirae's body had fallen still in his arms, but the weight of her death clung to him like a second skin.

He told himself it was over. The war. The bloodshed.

But deep down, he knew better.

Hye-jin finally broke the silence. "Where do we go from here?"

Jinwoo didn't answer right away. The old him—the one who dreamt of leaving this life behind—might have said they could run. That they could disappear somewhere far from the reach of ghosts and bullets.

But ghosts never stayed dead.

And bullets had long memories.

"We need to clean up the mess," Jinwoo said. "Mirae had people. A network. We take them down before they come looking for us."

Hye-jin nodded, but something about her expression was different. She wasn't just thinking about the war they had just fought—she was thinking about what came after.

And for the first time, Jinwoo wondered if she wanted to leave this life behind more than he did.

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2. The First Warning

They didn't make it far before the first shot rang out.

Jinwoo barely had time to react before Hye-jin grabbed his wrist, pulling him behind an abandoned truck. A second later, another bullet whizzed past, shattering the glass of a nearby car.

"Sniper," Hye-jin muttered.

Jinwoo's eyes scanned the rooftops. Whoever it was, they were professional. They had waited for the perfect moment to strike.

Mirae's people were already moving.

"Stay here," Jinwoo whispered.

Before Hye-jin could protest, he bolted from cover, rolling into the shadows of a nearby alley. He moved fast, using the buildings for cover as he scaled a fire escape.

The sniper didn't fire again.

They knew he was coming.

When Jinwoo reached the rooftop, he moved cautiously. He could feel eyes on him, waiting.

Then, a voice. Smooth. Confident.

"You always were predictable, Jinwoo."

He turned sharply, gun raised.

And froze.

Standing there, sniper rifle slung over her back, was a woman he hadn't seen in years.

Min-seo.

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3. A Deal with the Devil

She looked different. Older. Harder. But those sharp, calculating eyes were the same.

Jinwoo didn't lower his gun. "If you came here to kill me, you missed your shot."

Min-seo smirked. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead."

Jinwoo didn't doubt it. Min-seo was once one of the best assassins in the underground. And now, it seemed, she was working for Mirae's old syndicate.

Or maybe not.

"You're alone," Jinwoo said.

Min-seo tilted her head. "You always were sharp."

Jinwoo narrowed his eyes. "So? What do you want?"

Min-seo sighed, slinging her rifle over her shoulder. "A storm is coming, Jinwoo. Mirae was just the beginning. The syndicate is already choosing a new leader. And trust me, you're not going to like who they pick."

Jinwoo tensed. "Who?"

Min-seo hesitated. For the first time, he saw something rare in her expression.

Fear.

"They call him The Butcher," she finally said. "And he has one goal—wiping out anyone connected to Mirae's downfall."

Jinwoo exhaled sharply. He had expected retaliation, but this? This was something else.

Min-seo took a step closer. "You have two choices, Jinwoo. Run. Or fight."

Jinwoo didn't hesitate.

"I never run."

Min-seo smiled, but there was no amusement in it.

"Then you're already dead."

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4. The Hunt Begins

Jinwoo returned to the streets below, where Hye-jin was already waiting.

"What happened up there?" she asked.

Jinwoo didn't waste time. "We have a new problem."

He told her everything. About Min-seo. About the Butcher.

About what was coming.

Hye-jin listened quietly, then exhaled. "So, we take them down first?"

Jinwoo nodded. "That's the plan."

Hye-jin smirked, checking her ammo. "Then let's get to work."

Jinwoo felt something stir inside him. It wasn't fear. It wasn't dread.

It was something else.

The same feeling he had before every war.

Excitement.

The hunt had begun.

And this time, he wouldn't stop until the streets were his.

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End of Chapter 53

(Next Chapter: The Butcher's Arrival.)