Jake Kim's muscles tensed as he leaned against the hospital wall, staring at the broken bodies of his men. His best fighters—the pride of Big Deal—were lying in beds, wrapped in bandages, some still unconscious. It had been a week, and the pain was still fresh, not just in his body but deep in his pride. His fingers absentmindedly traced the jagged gaps in his teeth where Toji had knocked out his front row, a brutal reminder of the man who had torn through them like they were nothing.
He closed his eyes, the memories of the fight playing back in vivid, horrifying detail.
It had started with a simple raid. They were supposed to confront Division, a crew that had risen to power almost overnight, claiming territory that had belonged to Big Deal. Jake hadn't thought much of them—a new group with too much ambition, looking to make a name for themselves. But the moment they arrived, things took a turn Jake hadn't expected.
Jerry Kwon had been the first to charge in, as always, leading the pack with his massive frame, fists ready to crush. And for a moment, it had seemed like Big Deal would overwhelm them. They had the numbers, the experience.
Then Toji stepped forward.
The air changed, and Jake felt it immediately. It wasn't fear, exactly, but a suffocating sense of doom. He watched as Toji stood there, his face emotionless, almost bored. He didn't taunt them, didn't posture like most gang leaders did. He simply... waited.
The first guy rushed at Toji with a steel pipe, swinging it with all his might. Toji caught it mid-swing, his fingers curling around the cold metal with terrifying ease. There was no struggle, no hesitation. With one fluid motion, Toji yanked the pipe from the guy's hands, spun it around, and slammed it into his gut, sending him crumpling to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
Jake's eyes widened. That was just the beginning.
Jerry Kwon stood beside Jake now, arms crossed, still bruised from the battle. His usually boisterous demeanor was muted, replaced with a quiet intensity. He had been the last to go down that night, and it had taken only one punch from Toji to knock him out cold. Jerry wasn't used to losing, especially not like that.
"I can take him," Jerry muttered, but there was hesitation in his voice. He clenched his fists, looking down at the floor. "If you give the word, Jake, I'll go find him and bring him back, broken and begging."
Jake took a long drag from his cigarette, staring out of the window, lost in thought. He could still hear the sound of Toji's knuckles cracking against his jaw, feel the moment when everything went black. Jerry wasn't ready. None of them were.
"You saw what he did to our men, Jerry," Jake said quietly, glancing at the hospital beds. "Look at them. He didn't just beat us. He destroyed us. You... me... we weren't even a challenge to him."
Jerry's brow furrowed with frustration. "I thought I could have lasted longer. Maybe if I had approached differently—"
"But you didn't," Jake interjected, his voice rising slightly. "You couldn't have. We weren't even a challenge to him. That guy… he's not like Gun or Goo."
Gun and Goo... Jake had fought them both, had come close to death more than once under their fists. But even they hadn't made him feel as helpless as Toji had. Gun had always been cold, calculated in his brutality, and Goo was unpredictable and wild. But Toji... Toji had been calm. Unbothered. Almost bored as he tore through Jake and his men like they were nothing more than obstacles in his way.
The fight had been one-sided. A single punch had sent Jake to the ground, unconscious. By the time he woke up, everything was over. His men beaten, his territory lost, and his pride shattered.
Jerry's eyes widened at the mention of those names. Jake didn't compare people to Gun and Goo lightly. They were two monsters who had shaped Jake's life and Big Deals fate in ways he couldn't forget. But the fact that he was now placing Toji on that same pedestal spoke volumes.
"That punch," Jake muttered, almost to himself, as his fingers traced his swollen jaw.
"when I looked into that guy's eyes… it was like he'd seen death a thousand times. He didn't just fight us—he enjoyed it."
He remembered the way Toji moved, so fast it was almost like he wasn't human. His hits were precise, deliberate, and devastating. There was no wasted energy, no theatrics. Every punch was calculated to cause maximum damage. The sheer power behind it was terrifying.
And that face. Toji's face had remained eerily calm the entire time, not a trace of emotion or satisfaction as he broke them, one by one. It wasn't just his strength that made him dangerous—it was his indifference. Toji didn't care about the fight, didn't care about Big Deal or its reputation. He was fighting them as if they were just an inconvenience, something he needed to deal with before moving on to something more important.
"That aura around him… it was like he drew all the light away. When he stood there, it felt like death itself was closing in."
The memory of that moment flashed in Jerry's mind, the instant when Toji's fist had connected with his face. He had charged in, full of confidence, ready to crush this so-called "Devil Child." But then, he had locked eyes with Toji for just a split second—and that's when he felt it. The cold, detached gaze that stared back at him wasn't human. It was like looking into the eyes of a predator, something that had no emotion except for the thrill of the kill.
Jake could feel his anger rising again, but it was mixed with something he hated to admit: fear. Not for himself, but for his men. Toji had taken them apart like a predator playing with its prey. And as much as Jake wanted to charge in and get revenge, he knew they weren't ready.
Another scene flashed in his mind. One of his men, a seasoned fighter, had tried to catch Toji off guard. He'd come at him from behind, thinking Toji wouldn't notice. But Toji had turned, faster than Jake had thought possible, his hand gripping the guy's neck with an ironclad hold. With a casual flick of his wrist, he'd slammed the man into the ground, the sickening crunch of bone reverberating through the alley.
That wasn't the worst part. It was the way Toji looked after, standing over the broken body like it was nothing. His eyes—cold, detached—glanced over the rest of them, as if silently asking who would be next. He looked like a demon, standing in a pool of blood, untouched by the chaos around him.
Jerry broke the silence again, his voice lower this time. "You really think he's at their level? Gun and Goo?"
Jake sighed, rubbing his temple. "I don't know. But the way he fought... it reminded me of them. The speed, the power, the precision. And that look in his eyes..."
Jerry nodded slowly. He understood now why Jake had called for restraint. It wasn't just about healing their wounds. It was about survival. Going after Toji without a plan, without knowing more about Division, would be suicide.
"And Division..." Jake muttered, his mind shifting to the intel they had gathered. "They've been around for less than a year, Jerry. Less than a year, and they've taken down a crew that have been here for decades. That doesn't happen without serious backing, without serious power."
"Someone's pulling their strings, Maybe T- group are they connected to workers," Jerry added, his brow furrowed.
"Maybe. Or maybe Toji's just that good." Jake exhaled smoke, letting the thought hang in the air. "We need to figure it out. Who they are, where they're getting their resources. We've already lost most territory to them. If we don't act fast, we'll lose more."
Jerry glanced at the men in the hospital beds, his fist tightening. He knew Jake was right. They weren't ready. Not yet.
"But we'll get him," Jake said, his voice hardening with resolve. "We'll get them all. On our terms."
Jake sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. "Spread the word," he said, his voice firm. "No one touches Division for now. I don't care how angry you are. I don't care how much you want revenge. We're not ready."
There were murmurs of discontent, but no one challenged him. Jake's authority was absolute, even after their defeat.
"Focus on Sinu," Jake continued. "Once we get him back from workers, then we'll deal with Toji."
Jake clenched his fists again, his jaw tight with anger. "We'll get him," he whispered to himself, his eyes narrowing. "But on our terms."
For now, though, Sinu came first. Toji and Division would have to wait. But the next time they met, Jake vowed, it wouldn't end the same way.
"Toji..." Jake muttered, his hands trembling as the anger built inside him. "Next time, I'll be ready."
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