Baki briefly glanced over Charles and Goo before his eyes locked on Gun. A battle-crazed look appeared on his face.
Gun smiled, as if indicating mutual feeling. But he didn't rush to fight—at least not today.
Charles slowly approached James. James didn't seem surprised to see Charles. In fact, he had no reaction whatsoever, as if he'd already known Charles would come.
Charles walked past James and directly confronted Eugene, who had already regained consciousness.
Eugene looked up at Charles, his face badly swollen from the beating. He smiled. "It's the third time today I've been in this exact situation. What a strange thing to happen in a single day, right?"
Charles shook his head. "That's what overconfidence does to a person."
Eugene's smile broadened as he looked at Charles's missing hand. "I see you have firsthand experience with it."
Charles didn't get angry at Eugene's taunt. Instead, he leaned toward him and whispered in his ear. "I heard you were friends with Police Bureau Chief Juncheol Yang? He came to my house yesterday. Pleasant man."
Eugene's eyes widened in surprise. The reason the Workers could attack Big Deal Street so blatantly was because of Chief Yang's support. If what Charles said was true, then Workers were in deep trouble.
But Eugene's smile didn't leave his face. "Is that so? I guess I'm really in a pinch then. But I do have some information that might affect you—no, it should affect the whole HNH Group."
Charles's eyes narrowed. "So you do know about it."
Eugene's smile broadened. "I also know where it is."
Charles looked up and sighed. Then he took out his phone and dialed a number. The ID read 'Chief'.
"Yes. Let them off this time. No, I just have something I want from them."
Then he looked at Eugene. "Follow me."
With that, Charles started to leave, followed by Eugene.
But then Baki stopped them in their path. A smile full of frustration appeared on his face. "Am I invisible to you?"
Charles squinted at him. "Who are you?"
Baki's smile turned ferocious. "Good. Very good. You don't have to know me. But I have business with that pesky little runt behind you. If you want to leave, you can certainly do that. But leave him behind."
Charles sighed as he looked back at Eugene. "You've made too many enemies."
Eugene didn't reply. He had clearly seen Baki's fight with James. He also knew what Baki had done in China. After all, he was the man who'd sabotaged Baki's mission there. So he really didn't want to be left alone with this man—even if it meant getting captured by Charles. After all, he knew perfectly well how to handle Charles. But Baki was extremely volatile.
Charles looked at Gun and Goo. "I have something really important to discuss with President Eugene."
Gun and Goo nodded. "It's okay. You can leave."
Charles and Eugene sat inside a car. Baki burst forward with speed.
Just then, Goo Kim appeared before him, holding two metal pipes. He blocked Baki's punch with the pipes, but they bent inward.
Goo looked at the pipes exasperatedly. "Phew... These things are really weak. How do they support whole buildings? Are we safe in their hands?"
But Baki didn't wait to hear his corny jokes. He rushed at the car once again, his speed so fast that he reached it in a blur of motion.
Goo hadn't expected Baki would abandon the fight midway for Eugene.
Baki grabbed the car's door mid-run and literally tore it open.
Inside, Eugene was shocked by the scene. Before he could react, Baki grabbed his collar and pulled him out.
Just then, a tile flew at Baki's hand. He immediately let Eugene go.
Eugene gasped for breath. "Cough! Cough! What was that? Is he even human?!"
Charles was also surprised. "So he's the infamous Ogre? What a monster! He kind of reminds of Him."
Baki turned back to Goo, who had picked up small tiles in his hand. "You know those things are useless against me, right?"
Goo smiled. "They're very sharp though~"
Baki shook his head and came at Goo.
Meanwhile, James was already on his bike, looking at the fight from afar. Suddenly, he felt a gaze on him.
He saw that Gun was looking at him. James smiled and put on his helmet before leaving.
Goo swung the tiles at Baki with extreme speed, his hands turning into a blur. Baki dodged every attack by centimeters, his figure also becoming a blur.
Just as Goo swung both tiles down at Baki together, Baki shattered them with a kick. The broken pieces left several small cuts on Goo's face. But Goo also reacted quickly, using the broken pieces as weapons and slashing Baki's leg several times.
Goo sighed heavily. "Hey, Eugene already left with the Chairman. Do we really have to fight now?"
Baki threw a kick. "Do you take me for a fool? I really wanted to give that bastard a good beating. And you stopped me!"
Goo leaned back as the kick went over him. "You can always find him alone later. I also helped you last time. You should at least repay the favor."
Baki's onslaught halted instantly. He took a sharp step back, his ferocious smile dropping into a grim, serious line. After his fight with King, Goo had indeed helped him.
Baki snorted. "...Tch. You're right. I do owe you for that."
He stood straight, the battle aura around him cooling from a boil to a simmer. His eyes, however, remained locked on Goo with intense focus.
"Consider this the repayment," Baki said seriously. "I won't pursue Eugene through you right now. I'll let you walk away from this spot, unharmed by me."
He took a deliberate step to the side, clearing Goo's path.
But then Baki's gaze shifted past Goo, toward the direction the car had disappeared. His jaw tightened. "However... the debt is to you, Goo Kim. Not to Eugene. Not to Charles. And certainly not to the deal they're making."
He looked back at Goo, a new, more dangerous glint in his eye. "The favor is repaid the moment you leave my sight. If you choose to stay and block me again, or if I find you with Eugene later... all bets are off. The debt is cleared, and I will break every bone you try to use to stop me."
Goo smiled. "Woohoo! So intense! But that's what I like about you~ I'd really like to include you in my secret friends. The offer still stands."
But Baki turned back and waved his hand. "I don't want to join someone like you."
With that, Baki picked up Eli and left the place.
Gun came to Goo's side. "What favor was it? You didn't tell me anything about it."
Goo hung his arm around Gun's neck. "It was just a coincidence~ By the way, I thought you'd rush at him at the first chance, but you didn't."
Gun shook his head. "There's no point in fighting someone who's not at their peak."
Goo smiled. "Is that so? I knew you'd think that. Haha~"