The message had said enough.
By the time Tae-min's car rolled into Nampo, the night had already turned red.
Smoke rose from a warehouse district near the docks, one of Dong-il's territories. Sirens echoed in the distance, but everyone knew the police wouldn't come here. Not tonight.
Tae-min parked two blocks away, stepped out, and watched the flames reflect in the puddles on the street. His phone buzzed again.
Sang-ho: "Iron Wolves hit back. Two of our guys are dead. The city's going to hell."
Tae-min: "Good. This is just the start."
He slipped the phone into his pocket and started walking.
The Streets Break
Everywhere he looked, there was movement, shadows with guns, cars speeding down alleys, men yelling into phones. The balance that once held Nampo together had finally shattered.
When he reached the coffee shop, Sang-ho and Vlad were already there. The barista had closed early and the place was empty, silent, except for the low hum of tension in the air.
Vlad's sleeves were rolled up, revealing blood on his knuckles.
"They hit one of our loan offices," he said, leaning against the counter. "The Wolves and the Iron Dogs are working together now. You were right, it's organized."
Sang-ho slammed his hand against the table.
"Those bastards! I aleays knew this would happen! Tae-sik's using them to weaken us, to split our men!"
Tae-min stayed calm, pulling out a folded map from his coat. He laid it across the table, the docks, the markets, the backroads. Every mark, every arrow drawn in red ink.
"Let them fight," he said. "That's the point. We keep our men quiet for now. Let the Wolves and Dogs tear each other apart. When they're bleeding, when their leaders are desperate, we move in."
Sang-ho stared at him, disbelief mixing with curiosity.
"You're saying we just watch?"
"No. We control it."
Tae-min's tone was sharp, unshaken. "I already leaked rumors to the Red Pins, told them the Wolves are hiding money from Tae-sik. I told the Black Runners the Dogs are planning to betray them. By morning, they'll all be turning on each other."
Vlad smirked, his eyes glinting with dark amusement.
"You're not just starting a war, you're conducting it."
Tae-min looked out the window, watching two cars speed past, men shouting from inside.
"Exactly."
The Meeting
Hours later, they gathered in an abandoned apartment near the port. Sang-ho's crew was small but loyal. They were armed, restless, and angry.
Sang-ho addressed them first.
"We're not running anymore. You saw what happened to the Wolves, they got cocky, they got hit. Tae-min's got a plan to clean this mess up. You follow him, you follow me."
All eyes turned to Tae-min. He stepped forward.
"Tonight, the city's in chaos. By sunrise, half the men fighting in these streets won't have a boss to report to. That's when we strike. No mercy, no hesitation. We hit their warehouses, their safe houses, their leaders."
A voice from the crowd asked,
"What about the cops? They'll show up eventually."
Tae-min's expression didn't change.
"They won't. I made sure they're busy in the East District — a tip about a smuggling operation. They'll be chasing ghosts all night."
Sang-ho nodded, pride flickering behind his rage.
"You really thought of everything, huh?"
"No," Tae-min replied. "Just enough to win."
Midnight
By midnight, Nampo was a warzone.
Gunfire echoed between the alleys. Tires screeched. A van exploded near the harbor, sending a column of smoke into the black sky.
The Iron Wolves were ambushed by their supposed allies, the Black Runners. The Dogs turned on the Red Pins after a false rumor spread about a bounty. Every alliance cracked.
And in the chaos, Sang-ho's crew moved like ghosts.
Vlad led one team through the southern docks, eliminating guards, torching hidden drug shipments. Tae-min took another through the industrial district, moving with surgical precision, no wasted bullets, no hesitation.
Inside an old warehouse, they cornered one of the rival captains. The man was bleeding, terrified.
"Please," he begged, "I was just following orders! Tae-sik made us,..."
Tae-min aimed the gun, calm as ever.
"Then follow this order, die soldier."
The shot echoed through the metal walls.
He lowered his weapon, looked at Vlad.
"Burn it."
Vlad grinned, tossing a match into a leaking fuel barrel. The flames roared to life.
The Aftermath
By dawn, the city was unrecognizable.
Dozens dead. Crews shattered. The Red Pins and Black Runners had turned on each other so violently that half their lieutenants were gone.
Sang-ho's crew, on the other hand, stood tall. They'd lost men, but they gained territory, docks, blocks, and fear.
As the sun rose, the three of them met again at the coffee shop. The streets outside were eerily quiet now, the calm after the fire.
Sang-ho leaned back, exhausted but smiling.
"You did it, Tae-min. You really pulled it off."
Tae-min poured himself a coffee, his movements deliberate, almost detached.
"We did it. But don't celebrate yet. Gwon Tae-sik isn't dead. He'll notice the shift soon."
Vlad leaned on the counter, smirking.
"Let him notice. We'll be ready."
The phone on the counter buzzed. Tae-min picked it up, a message from an unknown number.
Unknown: "You move well, Tae-min. Seongrim is watching."
– H.R.
Tae-min smiled faintly and deleted the message.
He looked out the window again, the first light of morning touching the rooftops of Nampo. Smoke still hung in the distance, the price of victory.
"Let them watch," he murmured.
The city was his chessboard now.
And the next game had only just begun.