The Fight Family

I walked through the smoke, rolling up my sleeves as my eyes swept across the room.

Two girls, three guys clustered around the drinks table, not including Jihan or Gumin.

Two more on the side, already shifting nervously.

One other leaning against the wall, looking half-asleep.

The people around the table were the first to react.

"Shit, look at this guy trying to act tough."

"Yeah, you're about to be the one getting your ass kicked, dumbass."

Gumin, who had shot to his feet from the shock of the door flying open, finally seemed to recover. He let out a slow breath and lowered himself back onto his chair, legs crossed, smirk back in place.

"Wow, Jihan, your friend came to rescue you." His voice was dripping with mockery as he leaned back lazily. "I almost teared up at your friendship."

I tilted my head slightly. "You. Shut it."

His eye twitched.

Good.

"D-Dowan! What are you—?!"

Jihan's voice barely had time to reach me before one of the guys charged at me. Too slow.

I stepped forward and threw a quick, sharp punch straight to his face.

A sickening crunch echoed through the room as blood burst from his nose. His eyes rolled back, and he crumpled like a ragdoll, hands clutching his face as red stained his fingers.

I barely spared him a glance. These bastards didn't deserve a quick knockout.

They deserved worse.

The other two on the side stumbled back, eyes blown wide.

"W-what the fuck was that?!"

"O-one punch?!"

They hesitated for half a second before gripping their empty soju bottles and rushing me.

Idiots.

I stepped forward, fist flying out in a blur. Glass shattered. Bone cracked.

Two more bodies hit the floor.

I flicked my fists, shaking off the blood and the glass shards that had cut into my knuckles.

Didn't even hurt. I barely felt it anymore. The pain didn't register, only the force.

One of the girls near the table stared in horror. "What the hell… why is everyone going down in one hit?!"

The fat fucker took a step forward off the couch in my direction. "He's going after their noses on purpose."

I glanced at him.

Peek at you.

[Name: Kwak Jaerim]

[Height: 183 cm]

[Weight: 120 kg]

[Strength: S+]

[Speed: C+]

[Potential: C]

[Intelligence: C]

[Endurance: A+]

Not bad, he was probably on the level of Manchun from way back then. I braced as he ran forward, basically a charging rhino, and then gripped onto me trying to throw me outwards.

Unfortunately, my feet were braced into the ground and I had no intention of letting go.

I didn't budge.

His face turned red with effort, veins bulging in his forehead. He struggled. I stared at him blankly.

"Here."

I wrenched his hands off me, gripping his collar and belt.

"Let me show you how it's done."

His eyes widened in pure disbelief. I lifted.

And threw.

His massive frame slammed into the wall, the impact shaking the entire room. The guy bounced off like a basketball before rolling across the floor. Already unconscious.

I dusted off my hands. "Who's next."

Silence.

The two guys around the drinks table finally stood up.

One of them exhaled, shaking his head. "Haa… this is why we don't let that dumbass handle things."

His friend cracked his knuckles, rolling his shoulders. "Should've stepped up from the start."

They both jumped over the table, landing in front of me.

"We're just getting sta-"

My fist drove into his jaw with a sharp, brutal crunch. His body snapped backward, flying straight into the guy behind him.

Both of them toppled, limbs flailing as they tumbled across the floor, crashing into chairs and bottles before finally coming to a stop.

I waited.

They didn't get back up.

The girls screamed.

"Ahhh!"

One of them shoved the other aside, scrambling away. "Don't come near us you thug!"

I barely spared them a glance as I walked toward the couch, reaching out a hand to Jihan.

"Hey man," My voice came out softer. "They didn't do anything to you, right?"

Jihan hesitated.

His fingers clenched against his knees.

Finally, he exhaled. "N-no. I'm fine."

Fair enough. He'd never seen me fight before, not really. Just me messing around with Sehun. This?

This was different.

The silence stretched for another beat.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

I turned my head.

Gumin leaned back into the couch, slow, deliberate applause echoing through the ruined room. He grinned.

"Jihan, I'm impressed." His voice was almost playful. "He must've cost a fortune."

Jihan blinked. His brow furrowed. "What?"

Gumin didn't stop smiling. "A friend like that," he gestured lazily at me, "doesn't come cheap, does he?"

I narrowed my eyes.

"Recently, I got myself one too," he continued. "A fucking expensive friend."

A slow, deep exhale came from the corner of the room.

I tensed.

The cot in the shadows creaked. The guy who had been sleeping there… silent this whole time, finally moved.

A shift of weight. A slight creak of the mattress.

Then, in one smooth motion, he sat up. Even before he turned his head, I could tell.

He was different.

His broad shoulders flexed under a black tank top. His arms were thick, corded with muscle. Dreadlocks fell around his face, partially obscuring his sharp, tired eyes.

A lazy snarl escaped his lips as he rubbed at his eyes, swinging his legs over the edge of the cot.

"Fucking hell." His voice was low, rough, irritated. His glare landed on me.

"Can't a guy get some damn sleep around here?"

I pushed Jihan back down onto the couch and stepped aside, just in time.

Something flew past my head.

A blanket, hurled through the air.

And, behind it… a blur of motion. The guy lunged through the sheet like a fighter bursting through smoke.

Fast.

Way too fast for a guy his size.

His fist shot forward, aiming straight for my head.

I twisted, my feet sliding across the floorboards as the punch just barely missed.

The air whistled past my ear and I exhaled, shaking out my shoulders.

This guy wasn't some punk with a loud mouth. He could actually fight.

He rolled his neck, shoulders still loose. "Tch. You dodged." His lips curled into something between a smirk and a scowl.

"Guess I can't go back to sleep just yet."

Peek at you.

[Name: Kim Kangjae]

[Height: 184 cm]

[Weight: 89 kg]

[Strength: SSR+]

[Speed: SR]

[Potential: B]

[Intelligence: C]

[Endurance: SSR+]

I exhaled, flexing my fingers as I scanned his stats again. SSR+ strength and endurance? Yeah, that made sense. The way he moved, the way the floor groaned under his weight… this guy was built like a truck, and he knew it.

Gumin sure as hell wasn't bluffing when he called him "expensive."

Kangjae cracked his knuckles, rolling his shoulders as he took a step forward. His movements were loose, effortless. The kind of confidence that only came from years of knowing you could beat the shit out of anyone in your way.

I took a step back, my muscles coiling in anticipation.

I could see it now, the slight shift in his stance, the way his weight pressed into the balls of his feet.

He was about to lunge.

A slow grin spread across Kangjae's face.

And then he moved.

It was like a gunshot.

One second, he was standing there. The next, he was already in front of me.

His fist shot out, and I barely had time to twist my body, dodging just enough to feel the wind cut against my skin. The force behind the punch was insane, the wall behind me cracked from the impact.

He didn't let up.

Another punch.

I ducked, the blow sailing past my head. I countered immediately, slamming my elbow toward his ribs.

It was like hitting steel.

Kangjae barely flinched.

Instead, his arm swung down.

I barely pulled back before his fist crashed into the floor, shattering the wooden panels beneath us.

Kangjae clicked his tongue, looking up. "Not bad. You're quick."

I wiped my mouth, cracking my neck. I didn't need to waste lines on this fucker.

Gumin leaned forward on the couch, laughing. "What's wrong, Jihan's friend? Weren't you just one-shotting people a second ago?"

I didn't look at him.

My eyes were locked onto Kangjae.

I couldn't waste my energy trading hits with someone like this. Not when he could probably take twice the damage I could.

I had to be smarter.

Kangjae yawned, scratching his stomach. "C'mon, man. I woke up for thi-."

Just as he opened his eyes, they widened. Because I was already in the air, leaping towards him.

He tried to rush back but I'd leapt too early and my thighs encircled his throat, both fists pulled back.

"Get off m-"

Maximum Capacity.

160 pounds of man in an instant became 380 pounds and Kangjae grunted, but the weight shift was too sudden, he lost balance and fell.

My fists fell too.

Onto his face.

Jab. His nose burst. 

Straight. Saliva flew from his jaw. 

Jab. His head cracked the solid concrete floor. 

Straight. The crack burst into a crater. His limbs twitched once, then stilled. His eyes rolled back as he went limp.

Silence.

No one moved.

No one breathed.

Quest complete!

You have received a Diamond card!

I slowly climbed off Kangjae's chest, shaking the blood and spit from my knuckles, my steps slow and deliberate as I turned toward Gumin.

The fear in his eyes was raw, naked, overpowering. I could practically smell it.

I stood in front of him as he looked up at me.

"H-h-how much did he pay you?!" His voice cracked. "I-I'll pay double! Triple!"

I tilted my head, watching him squirm. Pathetic.

"You think I'm here… because he paid me?"

Gumin swore under his breath, sweat beading down his forehead. His eyes darted past me, desperate now. Looking for an escape.

"Jihan…! You dared use him against me?! I'll send every single pic, every single video of you being bullied to your mom! Is that what you want? Do you want things to end up like that day?!"

Silence.

Jihan didn't respond. Didn't even flinch.

Gumin's breath quickened. "Ha! Why can't you answer?! I'll press se—"

I snatched the phone from his hands and he froze. I flicked through the gallery, tapping Select All.

"Everything's on here?" My voice was even. Calm. "Then I'll just erase it."

Gumin let out a bark of laughter, wild and shaky. "You… you really think I don't have backups?! You think I'd be that fucking dumb?! It's all on the cloud! I've got copies everywhere, you idiot!"

I exhaled slowly. "Yeah. That's the perfect villain thing to do."

Then I squeezed.

The phone cracked in my grip, glass and plastic crunching together until it crumbled in my fingers. I let the clump that had once been a phone, fall to the floor and ground it beneath my heel.

Gumin's smirk twitched… faltered.

I leaned down, my voice a whisper. Cold. Absolute.

"You might've been able to do all this before." My fingers closed around his throat. He gasped, hands scrabbling against my wrist as I lifted him clean off the floor. 

And then I leaned in closer, hissing at his face. "I'm a Representative in the Bully Council you fucker." His eyes widened and I continued, louder this time.

"And you're not pulling this shit again. Jihan's not alone anymore."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jihan's shoulders tense. Heard his breath hitch.

I tightened my grip. "If I ever find you doing this again…"

Gumin choked, hands trembling as the fight drained from his body.

"...I'll fucking destroy you."

His pupils blew wide.

But I wasn't done. I turned toward Jihan. This wasn't my fight to end. I threw Gumin to the ground at his feet with a thud.

Jihan stared down at him. Silent.

Gumin coughed, dragging in ragged breaths, too stunned to move.

Jihan lowered himself to a crouch. His eyes weren't angry.

They were just… sad.

"Back then…" His voice was quiet. "I knew you were going down the wrong path. But I was too scared to stop you."

He swallowed, voice dipping into a whisper. "If I never gave up on you… maybe none of this would've happened. Maybe we'd still be friends. But…"

Jihan clenched his fist.

He took a breath.

And opened his eyes.

"I can't run away anymore."

His hand pulled back.

I held my breath.

Nothing.

The fist never came down.

Jihan stood there, frozen, staring at his hand like it wasn't his own.

Then his gaze lifted, searching for mine—desperate. And then, defeated.

His shoulders sagged. His head dropped.

"I…" His voice cracked. "I can't do it."

The fight was over.

But the battle inside him wasn't.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I have an actual reason for doing this, something I noticed from rereading the manhwa the other day. 

Jihan was only able to fight back because Dowan was in danger... except he's stronger at this point in time than original Dowan so he beat them all too fast for him to be in actual danger.

Of course, he doesn't realise this.

Does anyone have suggestions for how to improve fight choreography? Should I just take inspiration off of fights from yt like I've already been doing?