A few days passed and it was time for the crew to meet with Chairman Seo.
The road to Seongrim's outskirts was quiet, the kind of quiet that hides a storm. The sky was pale gray, clouds hanging low as if ready to collapse under their own weight. Two black sedans rolled through the highway, Sang-ho and Han Soo-jin in the front car, Tae-min and Vlad following behind.
Inside the first car, Sang-ho drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on his thigh. Soo-jin sat beside him, looking through the window, lost in thought.
"You really think Seo will believe it?" Soo-jin asked.
"He'll have to," Sang-ho replied. "Once he hears what Tae-sik's been doing, he won't have a choice."
Soo-jin nodded. "And if he doesn't?"
"Then we deal with it like we always do," Sang-ho said, eyes on the road, voice calm but sharp.
Behind them, Tae-min's car kept a steady distance. Vlad was in the passenger seat, smoking out the window, the tip of the cigarette glowing like a dying ember.
"You think this is gonna be clean?" Vlad asked.
"When has anything been clean in Nampo?" Tae-min muttered. He adjusted the rearview mirror, habit, instinct, and that's when he saw it.
A white van had been trailing them for the past few kilometers. Its windows were tinted black. It stayed just far enough to look casual, but Tae-min noticed how its speed matched theirs every time he adjusted pace.
His eyes narrowed. "We've got company."
Vlad leaned back and glanced behind. "You sure?"
"Positive," Tae-min said. He picked up his phone, calling Sang-ho.
"Yeah?" Sang-ho's voice came through.
"There's a van behind us," Tae-min said. "Been tailing us since the junction."
A pause. Then Sang-ho's calm voice: "Keep your eyes on it."
Before Tae-min could respond, a second van swerved from an alley ahead, blocking the road. Its back doors opened and a rain of bullets burst out.
Sang-ho's car jolted as rounds tore through the windshield. Glass exploded inward. Sang-ho slammed the brakes, pulling the car sideways. Soo-jin ducked down, cursing under his breath.
"Ambush!" Tae-min shouted.
The van behind them, the one with Gun-seok, opened fire too. Bullets ripped through metal and asphalt. The air filled with smoke, gunfire, and chaos.
Tae-min turned the wheel sharply, ramming his car sideways to give Vlad a clear line of fire. Vlad leaned out the window, his AK barking in sharp bursts. The attackers took cover behind their van, but a few didn't make it, their bodies crumpled under the gunfire.
Sang-ho's car was caught between both sides. He opened the door and rolled out, dragging Soo-jin with him behind the car. His pistol came up, and he fired two precise shots, both hit.
The road became a warzone. Civilians scattered, screaming. Sirens wailed faintly in the distance, but no one in this fight cared.
Tae-min switched magazines, crouching behind the open car door. "They're boxed us in!"
Vlad reloaded as well, blood on his cheek but eyes burning with focus. "Not for long."
From ahead, Sang-ho's voice cut through the chaos. "Handle the ones behind! I'll deal with the front!"
And just like that, he got into his bullet-riddled car, engine roaring. Soo-jin hesitated, but Sang-ho gave him a look that said everything, trust me.
The car sped forward, straight toward the van blocking the road. The men in the van panicked, trying to reload, but it was too late. Sang-ho pulled out an automatic from the backseat, leaned out the window, and unloaded every round he had. The front van turned into scrap metal, its fuel tank erupting into fire. The explosion painted the gray sky orange.
Sang-ho didn't look back. He kept driving, off to meet Chairman Seo.
Behind him, Tae-min and Vlad faced the second van.
Gun-seok stepped out, broad, scarred, and calm. He was wearing a tactical vest, his movements precise. His men regrouped behind the van, weapons ready.
"End of the line, boys," Gun-seok called out. "You think you can cross Gwon Tae-sik and live?"
Vlad didn't answer. He stepped out, blood on his arm, rifle raised. "You talk too much."
Gun-seok smirked. "You'll regret that."
The firefight resumed. Bullets tore through cars, glass, and flesh. Tae-min moved like a shadow, ducking low, switching angles. Vlad covered him, cold and relentless. The attackers fell one by one, until silence began creeping back in.
But then...
A single shot. Vlad's shoulder jerked back as the bullet tore through him. He hit the ground, gasping.
"Vlad!" Tae-min shouted, rushing to him, but Gun-seok stepped out from behind the van, rifle in hand, the barrel smoking.
Both men were bleeding. Both were tired.
They stared at each other, predator and predator.
Gun-seok's rifle clicked empty. Tae-min's was already dry.
Gun-seok tossed his rifle aside and cracked his neck. "Guess we finish this the old way."
Tae-min stood, fists tightening. His expression was unreadable, calm, cold, but beneath it, a quiet rage.
Gun-seok smirked. "You're a smart kid. But you're in over your head. Sang-ho's finished, his whole crew's getting wiped out as we speak."
Tae-min's eyes didn't waver. "You think so?"
Gun-seok tilted his head.
"The Russians were watching your moves," Tae-min said flatly. "The men you sent to Nampo are already dead."
Gun-seok froze, then laughed, dark and guttural. "Clever little bastard."
Tae-min stepped forward. "You talk too much for a man who's already lost."
Gun-seok cracked his knuckles. "Then come find out."
The air between them grew still. Smoke rose from burning cars, glass crunched underfoot. Two killers stood in the middle of the ruined highway, surrounded by blood and flame.
Vlad, barely conscious, looked up from the ground and whispered hoarsely, "End him, T."
And Tae-min did what he always did best, he didn't hesitate.
He moved first.
The fight began.