Dressed in a casual suit, with his hair slicked back using styling mousse, Ma Seok-do looked quite pleased with himself as he shook his head smugly, flashing a grin full of layered jowls.
"So? Plenty of girls smiled at me just now."
"They were probably nervous that you'd start throwing punches. Big guy, who wouldn't be scared of you?"
Jack couldn't handle this guy's delusions of charm, shaking his head as he adjusted Seok-do's suit collar.
"All you're missing is a thick gold chain—then you'd fit right in with those bouncers at the entrance."
Seok-do instinctively covered his wrist—he didn't have a gold chain around his neck, but he did have one wrapped twice around his wrist.
"Just follow my lead, and don't show any emotion."
Shaking his head, Jack led the way straight to the front of the line at the nightclub entrance.
—
This club wasn't exactly like the ones Jack had been to in New York, particularly the one he visited with Hannah when he first arrived in the city.
Aside from the massive, muscular bouncers, there was also a pretty-boy manager at the door, greeting guests with a plastic, well-practiced smile.
With surgically enhanced features, the manager's sharp eye instantly locked onto Jack the moment he arrived.
That Armani suit alone was worth a year's salary—and his looks and presence? Easily better than half the country's plastic K-pop idols.
With an exaggerated grin, the manager bowed slightly and gestured for Jack to enter.
"Annyeonghaseyo! Welcome, welcome!"
Jack gave him a polite nod, then gestured behind him with a short, firm statement.
"Bodyguard."
The manager immediately flashed an understanding 'OK' sign, motioning for the bouncers to step aside, his head bobbing enthusiastically.
"Please, enjoy your night!"
—
"Ah, these bastards," Seok-do muttered under his breath, grumbling as he followed Jack inside.
Descending the steps into the club, they were immediately hit by a massive wall of sound—the pounding bass of K-pop, mixed with a suffocating cloud of perfume.
Jack shook his head, trying to adjust to the overwhelming sensory overload.
His sharpened senses made him hate places like this—too loud, too chaotic, too artificial.
The club was still early in the night, so the DJ hadn't fully cranked up the bass yet.
The real madness hadn't begun.
They took a quick lap around the dance floor, and Jack had to admit—this place was high-end.
The girls on the dance floor were young, energetic, and incredibly fit.
How much of that was "natural"? Hard to say.
But with the club's lighting hitting them just right, it was… visually appealing.
Jack and Seok-do instinctively nodded as they observed certain "bouncing elements" in motion.
Just normal guy behavior.
But Jack quickly redirected his focus and motioned toward the second floor.
"This time, let me handle it."
Seok-do glanced at the massive, suited bouncer guarding the staircase to the VIP area, then shouted in Jack's ear over the music before pushing through the crowd toward the entrance.
Jack sighed, dodging multiple grabbing hands from overly aggressive women, even sidestepping a drunken bombshell who almost stumbled into his chest.
—
"You can't go up. Move along."
The huge bouncer, at least twice Seok-do's size, stood like a wall of muscle, completely blocking the staircase.
Seok-do's jowls twitched slightly in frustration.
Leaning in, he pointed up the stairs.
"I've got friends up there—VIP lounge."
Even with the music blasting, they were close enough for their conversation to be heard clearly.
"Didn't you hear me? I said move."
The bouncer shoved him back.
"Don't touch me."
Seok-do brushed off his shoulder, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"I told you, I have friends upstairs."
He tried to push past the bouncer, but was shoved back again—this time, the bouncer followed up with a hard slap across his face.
"Are you deaf, you idiot?"
—
Jack had just escaped the perfume cloud of the dance floor when he saw it happen.
He winced, sharp inhale through his teeth.
Shit.
This wasn't going to end well.
He instinctively moved to block the view, making sure no one in the crowd turned around.
BANG!
A single punch—thrown without warning—landed clean.
THUD!
The bouncer hit the ground face-first, collapsing like a felled tree—the impact rattled the dance floor.
Jack took a quick glance around.
Good.
Everyone was too busy dancing to notice.
Seok-do grabbed the unconscious bouncer by the collar, propping him up against the railing like a sleeping drunk, then snorted before marching up the stairs.
Jack gave the bouncer a light kick—out cold.
Sighing, he adjusted the guy's posture to prevent a stiff neck, then shook his head and followed after Seok-do.
—
Once upstairs, things moved quickly.
It didn't take long for them to spot two sketchy-looking guys whispering in a corner.
One of them had a radio earpiece, clearly a club employee.
With careful movements, he handed over a tiny plastic bag—and in return, took cash before turning to leave.
The dealer was immediately stopped by a wealthy-looking young guy, who pulled him into the bathroom.
Seok-do glanced at Jack, exchanged a silent nod, then followed them in.
Jack, meanwhile, leaned against the wall outside, watching.
A minute later, the dealer stepped back out, still adjusting his jacket.
Jack watched him carefully.
The guy walked confidently down the hallway, arriving at a private VIP room.
Pushing the door open, he grinned.
"Sorry for the wait, fellas. I've got the good stuff right here."
From inside, excited cheers and laughter erupted.
Meanwhile, back in the bathroom, a loud slap rang out, followed by a heavy thud.
A moment later, Seok-do walked out, holding up two small bags of 'HYPER'.
"Just called HQ. Cops are on their way—they're gonna tear this place apart."
Jack nodded.
"Make sure to secure the manager and surveillance footage. If the victim was drugged here, we might catch the suspect on tape."
"Where do we find the boss?" Seok-do stuffed the drugs into his pocket and patted it lightly.
Jack pointed toward the VIP lounge.
"Ask the dealer. He'll know."
—
Seok-do kicked open the door to the VIP room.
Inside, a young drug dealer was preparing a drink, while two scantily clad women giggled drunkenly, already high out of their minds.
Seok-do grinned.
"Alright, buddy… let's have a chat."
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