Charles Choi had made a career out of recognizing dangerous men.
Some announced themselves through violence. Others hid behind money, political connections, or inherited influence. The most troublesome possessed all three and knew when to use each.
Kang Minjun belonged to a rarer category.
At seventeen, he was already building the kind of organization that usually required years of careful preparation.
Charles looked at the word he'd written beside the boy's photograph.
THREAT.
He picked up his phone.
"Gun. Come to my office tomorrow morning."
A pause.
"Bring Goo."
"Absolutely not."
Goo Kim stood in the middle of Charles Choi's office, holding a paper cup of coffee.
Gun Park ignored him.
Charles looked up from his desk.
"Is there a problem?"
"Several, actually." Goo pointed at Gun. "First, this idiot got himself beaten half to death. Second, you're asking us to investigate the guy who did it. Third, nobody has mentioned additional compensation."
Gun adjusted his glasses.
"You talk too much."
"And you get punched too much."
"Goo."
"What?"
"Sit down."
Goo dropped into the nearest chair.
Charles placed Minjun's file between them.
"I want to know whether he's acting independently."
Gun examined the photograph.
"He is."
"You sound certain."
"Someone with his ability wouldn't need permission."
Charles shook his head.
"Strength doesn't make a person independent. Money does. Connections do. Information does."
He tapped the financial records.
"His organization has acquired several businesses in three months. The transactions are structured carefully enough to withstand ordinary scrutiny. Someone is advising him."
Goo leaned forward.
"Maybe he's just smart."
Charles regarded him.
"Then he's even more troublesome."
Gun remained silent.
He remembered the parking garage. The complete failure of his attacks. The effortless way Minjun had handled him.
Gun had encountered stronger opponents before. He had trained under monsters.
But that fight had revealed a difference he couldn't yet measure.
And he disliked mysteries.
Charles closed the file.
"Don't provoke him again. Find out what he's building."
Goo stood.
"Finally, a sensible instruction."
Gun glanced at him.
"You're still coming."
Goo groaned.
Gangseo — Big Deal Street
The smell of grilled meat drifted through the narrow street.
Vendors called to passing customers while shopkeepers arranged their displays beneath aging signs.
At the center of it all, a tall young man in a white shirt stood listening to an elderly woman complain.
"Those boys came back yesterday," she said. "They demanded money again."
Jake Kim frowned.
"Did they touch anything?"
"No. But they frightened my granddaughter."
"Then they won't be coming back."
The woman sighed.
"You always say that."
"And I'm usually right."
Jake smiled, earning a reluctant laugh.
A few meters away, Jerry Kwon stood beside a vegetable stall, carrying several boxes for its owner.
His enormous frame made the task look effortless.
When Jake approached, Jerry immediately straightened.
"Jake."
"Everything alright?"
"Yes. But Jason found something."
Across the street, Jason Yoon waved them over. Brad Lee stood beside him, holding a phone.
"There's a new crew in Mapo," Jason said.
Jake glanced at the screen.
A recording showed a young man in black standing inside a boxing ring.
Three fighters attacked him simultaneously.
Within seconds, all three were on the floor.
Jake watched the recording twice.
"Who is he?"
"Kang Minjun," Brad answered. "His organization is called Black Dragon."
Jerry leaned closer.
"He's strong."
Jake nodded.
But the fight wasn't what interested him most.
"Why are people talking about him now?"
Jason scrolled through several messages.
"Because he isn't collecting protection money. He's buying businesses, recruiting fighters, and taking over operations that used to belong to smaller gangs."
Jake's expression changed.
"That's different."
Brad nodded.
"Some people think he's planning to challenge the Four Major Crews."
Jake handed the phone back.
"Then we'd better find out what kind of man he is."
Jerry looked toward him.
"Should we visit?"
"Not yet."
Jake glanced down the street, where the elderly shopkeeper was helping her granddaughter arrange fruit.
"Someone building a crew that quickly usually wants something. Let's find out what before we decide whether he's a problem."
Mapo — Black Dragon Headquarters
"Your left side is open."
Hajun barely heard the warning before Seongho's fist struck his ribs.
He staggered, cursed, and retaliated with a vicious low kick.
Seongho checked it.
The sound cracked through the gym.
Taehwan watched from ringside.
"Better."
Hajun retreated, adjusting his guard.
Three months earlier, he'd have charged straight back into range.
Now he waited.
Seongho feinted with his lead hand.
Hajun recognized the movement and countered with a sharp right.
The punch landed against Seongho's cheek.
Both men separated.
"Time," Taehwan called.
Hajun pulled off his gloves.
"Finally."
Seongho rubbed his jaw.
"You're getting faster."
"You're getting slower."
"You've been saying that for three months."
"And one day it'll be true."
Taehwan tossed them towels.
At the far end of the gym, Minjun stood reviewing a training report.
He had watched the entire spar.
Their progress pleased him, although none of them had reached the standard he expected.
Not yet.
Seongho had developed excellent defensive boxing and an increasingly sophisticated understanding of distance.
Hajun's striking had become dangerous even against experienced opponents.
Taehwan was approaching the level where his grappling could threaten established crew executives, provided they allowed him to close the distance.
But Minjun had no intention of confusing promising talent with finished fighters.
"Tomorrow," he said, "you're all taking the day off."
Hajun blinked.
"What?"
"Rest."
"Are you sick?"
Minjun looked at him.
Hajun raised both hands.
"Just checking."
Seongho approached with a tablet.
"There's something else."
He displayed a photograph.
A tall young man with dark hair stood outside a convenience store.
Beside him was an enormous teenager wearing a school uniform.
"Jake Kim and Jerry Kwon," Seongho explained. "Big Deal."
Minjun examined the image.
He knew both names.
Jake Kim, the leader of Big Deal. A capable fighter with exceptional instincts and the kind of charisma that inspired genuine loyalty.
Jerry Kwon, his devoted sword.
The two represented something Minjun valued.
An organization whose members were bound together by more than money.
"Why are they in our report?"
"Jason Yoon has been asking questions about us."
Minjun handed back the tablet.
"Let him."
"You don't want us to investigate?"
"Find out what they're asking. Don't interfere."
Seongho nodded.
Minjun returned to the training report.
"Big Deal isn't our enemy."
Hajun leaned against the ropes.
"Yet?"
Minjun looked up.
"That depends on whether our interests conflict."
A Familiar Invitation
That evening, Minjun visited his mother's restaurant.
The damaged window had been replaced, the furniture repaired, and business was improving.
Hyejin stood behind the counter arguing with a supplier over the telephone.
"No, I ordered twenty kilograms, not twelve. Read the invoice again."
Minjun took a seat near the window.
A girl with long dark hair looked up from the opposite table.
Kim Jisoo.
"You're late."
He checked his watch.
"By five minutes."
"Twenty."
"That's a very aggressive interpretation of time."
She closed her textbook.
"You've been avoiding me."
Minjun paused.
Jisoo had known the original Kang Minjun for years. She noticed changes other people overlooked.
And recently, she'd begun noticing his absences.
"I've been working."
"Apparently."
She studied him.
"You have employees now?"
"A few."
"And an office?"
"Yes."
"And you bought a car?"
"Technically, the company did."
Jisoo stared.
"Minjun, we're seventeen."
He laughed.
"I'm aware."
"Most people our age are worried about exams."
"I worry about those too."
"No, you don't."
She leaned forward.
"What's actually going on?"
Minjun considered his answer.
He could tell her the truth.
Not about reincarnation, obviously.
But about the organization. The money. The enemies.
Instead, he asked, "Would you believe me if I said I was building a business?"
"I'd believe you were building something."
Her expression softened.
"I'm just not sure I like what it's doing to you."
That caught him off guard.
Before he could respond, the restaurant door opened.
A short, overweight teenager stepped inside, carrying a schoolbag.
His uniform was unfamiliar.
He looked exhausted.
Hyejin glanced up.
"Welcome! Sit wherever you like."
The boy hesitated before choosing a table near the entrance.
Minjun noticed the bruising around his wrist.
And the way he kept his eyes lowered.
The boy ordered the cheapest item on the menu.
While Hyejin prepared his food, Minjun watched him discreetly.
Something about his appearance was familiar.
Then the boy's phone lit up.
A name appeared on the screen.
Logan Lee.
Minjun's eyes narrowed slightly.
Daniel Park.
The protagonist of Lookism.
He was supposed to be transferring to J High soon.
Minjun hadn't expected to encounter him here.
Daniel stared at the incoming call until it stopped ringing.
Then he put his phone away.
Jisoo followed Minjun's gaze.
"Do you know him?"
"No."
"Then why are you staring?"
Minjun looked back at her.
"Just thinking."
She sighed.
"You do that too much."
Daniel Park ate slowly.
He hadn't expected much from the restaurant, but the food was excellent.
More importantly, nobody bothered him.
That alone made the evening unusual.
When he finished, he approached the counter.
"How much?"
Hyejin told him.
Daniel counted the money in his wallet.
He was short.
His face reddened.
"I'm sorry. I thought I had enough."
Hyejin waved a hand.
"Pay the rest next time."
Daniel looked startled.
"Really?"
"Of course."
He bowed repeatedly.
"Thank you!"
As he turned to leave, Minjun spoke.
"Hey."
Daniel froze.
Minjun stood beside the counter.
"You're transferring schools?"
Daniel blinked.
"How did you know?"
"Lucky guess."
He took a business card from his pocket.
It contained only a name and phone number.
"If someone gives you trouble, call."
Daniel stared at the card.
"Why?"
Minjun considered him.
Because he knew what was coming.
Because Daniel Park would eventually become involved with some of the most dangerous people in Korea.
And because, in another life, Minjun had learned that knowing a valuable person before everyone else recognized his worth could be extremely profitable.
"Consider it an investment," Minjun said.
Daniel looked confused.
Minjun smiled.
"Don't worry about it."
Daniel accepted the card.
"Thank you."
He bowed again before leaving.
Jisoo watched him disappear.
Then turned toward Minjun.
"An investment?"
"Potentially."
"You're weird."
"So I've been told."
The First Generation
Later that night, Minjun received a call from an unfamiliar number.
He answered while standing on the balcony of his apartment.
"Kang Minjun?"
The voice was rough.
Older.
"Yes."
"My name is Ma Taesoo."
Minjun's attention sharpened.
Taesoo Ma.
The First Generation King of Ansan.
A man whose entire fighting philosophy revolved around faith in his right fist.
Minjun looked toward the city.
"What can I do for you?"
"I heard you've been training some talented fighters."
"That's right."
"Then I've got a proposal."
Minjun listened.
"There's a gathering next weekend. Fighters from several regions. Some former First Generation members. A few younger talents."
"And you want me there?"
"I want to see whether the rumors are true."
Minjun considered it.
A gathering of First Generation fighters.
That meant connections, potential recruits, and an opportunity for his companions to experience opponents beyond the small crews they'd been fighting.
"Send me the location."
Taesoo chuckled.
"You sound confident."
"I'll be there."
Minjun ended the call.
For a moment, he remained on the balcony.
Below him, Seoul continued moving.
Big Deal had begun investigating Black Dragon.
Charles Choi had identified him as a threat.
Gun Park was recovering from their encounter.
And Daniel Park had finally appeared.
The familiar pieces of the Lookism world were beginning to move.
But the story was no longer following its original course.
Kang Minjun had entered the board.
And he intended to remain there.