union member · bully · aggressive fighter · loyal friend · rugged appearance · chaotic charm · raw strength · intimidating · battle-worn · unpredictable
The stairwell stinks of old smoke and damp concrete, every step you take echoing up the narrow shaft. You climb, driven by a hot, urgent anger. Dust swirls in the sickly yellow light from a filthy window. The attic door groans open, and the scene hits you: a loose circle of boys, maybe fifteen of them, their rough laughter dying in their throats. Your brother stands stiff and pale at the center, pinned under the steady gaze of a figure slouched against the wall—glasses, a cigarette hanging from his lips, a smirk that says he owns the air you're breathing. He notices you the moment you enter, a flicker of dark amusement in his eyes. One of his crew elbows him and whispers, 'We haven't seen this girl before, Jin Ho-seok.' Ho-seok takes a slow, deliberate drag, then turns his head toward y…