The evening wind cut through the streets of Nampo like a dull blade. Tae-min sat in Sang-ho's car, scrolling through the new list of clients. Each name was a debt, each address a risk. He knew none of these people were ordinary, you didn't owe Sang-ho's organization this much money unless you were dangerous.
He stopped at one name. A man who ran a bar deep in Nampo's bad side. Tae-min didn't recognize it, didn't care. He tapped the screen, saved the address, and started the engine.
The drive took him past the familiar roads of the working district and into a place that smelled like trouble, cracked pavements, shuttered shops, graffiti that no one bothered to paint over. The air was heavy with smoke and decay, and the streetlights flickered like they were afraid to stay on.
He parked a few meters away from a run-down bar with a crooked neon sign that read "Blue Tiger Lounge." The sign buzzed faintly, drowning in the shadows.
A man stood outside the entrance, he was tall and built like a wall, arms covered in tattoos, a cigarette glowing between his fingers. His eyes followed Tae-min like a predator watching prey.
Tae-min walked toward the door without saying a word.
The bouncer shifted his weight, blocking the entrance. "Bar's closed," he muttered.
"I'm looking for someone," Tae-min said, voice steady. "Your boss owes money to the Jinho Association."
The bouncer scoffed. "You don't talk to the boss without an appointment. Get lost."
Tae-min stayed still. "Then tell him I'm here."
"Are you deaf?" The man took a step forward, his shadow swallowing Tae-min whole. "Get lost before I..."
He didn't finish. Tae-min ducked under the man's punch and landed a clean straight to the jaw. Before the bouncer could recover, Tae-min followed with a left hook that sent him crashing against the door. He fell with a heavy thud, unconscious.
The few people drinking outside scattered, pretending they hadn't seen anything. Tae-min stepped over the man's body and pushed the door open.
Inside, the bar reeked of alcohol, sweat, and smoke. Men sat at tables littered with empty bottles, their laughter dying the moment they noticed the stranger. The music stopped.
"I'm here for your boss," Tae-min said calmly, scanning the room.
No one answered. One of them, wearing a leather jacket, finally spoke. "Who the hell are you?"
"Tell him Tae-min's here," he said. "He'll want to see me."
The man looked at him suspiciously but eventually disappeared behind a hallway. A few seconds later, he returned and jerked his chin toward the stairs. "Upstairs. Last door."
Tae-min climbed the stairs slowly. The muffled thump of music returned below, but it couldn't hide the sound of his heartbeat, not from fear, but something else. Excitement.
He opened the door without knocking.
The office smelled of sweat and cocaine. Empty bottles and half-burnt cigarettes littered the table. A young man sat behind a messy desk, shirt open, tattoos crawling up his chest and neck. Gold chains hung heavy around him, his teeth flashing with golden grills when he spoke.
A woman lay on the couch behind him, barely dressed, her eyes glassy and tired. She looked at Tae-min the moment he stepped in.
The man smirked. "And who the fuck are you supposed to be?"
"Tae-min. Your debt's due."
The man laughed, leaning back. "Debt? You're one of Sang-ho's little errand boys, huh?" He spat on the floor. "Tell your boss I don't pay pretty boys."
The girl's gaze lingered on Tae-min, silent, unreadable. The man noticed. His smile disappeared. "You looking at him?" he snapped at her. Without warning, he slapped her hard across the face. "You think he's better than me?"
Tae-min's jaw clenched. His eyes didn't move.
"See, that's the problem with guys like you," the man said, standing up, unsteady. "Always walking in like you own the room. You think you scare me?"
The smell of powder filled the air as he pulled a revolver from the drawer. He pointed it straight at Tae-min.
"Get the hell out before I blow your brains out."
Tae-min didn't flinch.
The man fired into the ceiling. The sound tore through the room, and suddenly footsteps thundered from below, his men rushing upstairs.
Still, Tae-min didn't move. His eyes were cold, sharp. "If you wanted to shoot me," he said softly, "you would've done it already."
The man's grin faltered.
The door burst open. Three men stormed in, guns raised. Tae-min's mind slowed everything down. He waited for a slip, and soon enough, he got it. The boss, still waving his gun, stepped closer, shouting at his men to "kill him already."
That was all Tae-min needed.
He lunged forward, grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it sharply, and snatched the revolver from his hand. Before anyone could react, Tae-min pressed the cold steel to the man's temple.
"Drop your weapons," he said. His tone was calm, deadly calm.
No one moved.
He clicked the revolver open. Five bullets. He took out four, leaving only one. The cylinder spun with a soft whirr. He pressed it back to the man's head and pulled the trigger.
Click.
Nothing.
The silence that followed was worse than the gunshot.
"Next one might not be empty," Tae-min said. "Get the money. Now."
They scrambled. The girl on the couch sat up, watching him with wide eyes as the men rushed downstairs. Moments later, they returned with stacks of cash, fifty million won, bundled tight.
Tae-min nodded. "Guns. Out the window."
They hesitated, but one look at their boss's shaking face was enough. The guns clattered outside, landing somewhere in the alley.
Tae-min pushed the man forward, forcing him to walk toward the stairs. When they reached the door, he slammed the man's head into the wall. The body dropped instantly, unconscious.
He took the money, walked out, and stepped into the cold night air.
He leaned against the car for a moment, breathing heavily. His heart raced, not from fear, but from something else entirely. The rush. The thrill.
He loaded the cash into the back seat and looked at himself in the mirror. His reflection stared back, blank and alive all at once.
For the first time, he didn't feel like a man trying to survive. He felt like he was in control.
He started the engine and drove into the night. There was still another client to visit, a client in Seongrim.
And for some reason, he couldn't wait to meet them.