Chapter 68: The Price of Power
---
1. A City on Its Knees
Seoul had changed.
Overnight, the underground obeyed a new law.
No more random turf wars.
No more reckless power struggles.
No more wasteful bloodshed.
Jinwoo had forced them into a fragile peace.
But peace had a price.
And that price was him.
---
2. Ghosts in the Shadows
It started small.
Whispers. Rumors. Doubts.
Jinwoo wasn't like Seok-min.
Seok-min had built his empire on brutality. Fear. Absolute control.
Jinwoo had built his on strategy. Precision. Tactical dominance.
Some men feared him. Others saw opportunity.
And one by one—
They started plotting.
---
3. The First Betrayal
Jinwoo sat in a high-end restaurant, staring at his drink.
Across from him, Do-jin smirked. "I hear some of your men are going missing."
Jinwoo didn't react.
He already knew.
Five enforcers had disappeared. No bodies. No messages.
Just... gone.
Jinwoo took a slow sip of whiskey. "And what do you hear about that, Do-jin?"
Do-jin chuckled. "That some people don't think you deserve to sit in that chair."
Jinwoo set his glass down. "Is that what you think?"
Do-jin leaned forward. "I think you've done something no one else could. But power, Jinwoo… power is borrowed. It's never owned."
A waiter approached.
Jinwoo held up a hand. The waiter hesitated—then quietly backed away.
Do-jin smirked. "Paranoid, are we?"
Jinwoo's eyes flicked downward.
On Do-jin's wrist—a slight bulge under the sleeve.
A hidden knife.
Jinwoo smiled. So it begins.
---
4. The First Warning
Jinwoo didn't blink. "You came here to kill me."
Do-jin grinned. "I came here to see if you were still sharp."
Jinwoo chuckled. "You won't be leaving this restaurant alive."
Do-jin laughed. "You wouldn't dare. Not in broad daylight."
Jinwoo sighed. "You still don't get it."
Do-jin frowned. "Get what?"
Jinwoo gestured toward the window. "Look outside."
Do-jin hesitated—then turned his head slightly.
His entire crew was gone.
The SUVs they arrived in? Empty.
No gunmen. No backup. No escape.
Jinwoo leaned back. "I don't fight battles I can't win, Do-jin."
Realization dawned on Do-jin's face.
He reached for his knife—
BANG.
Jinwoo shot him through the knee.
Do-jin screamed, collapsing onto the table. Blood splattered across the white tablecloth.
The restaurant fell silent. No one moved. No one ran.
Because they all worked for Jinwoo now.
Jinwoo stood up. Calm. Unbothered.
He leaned down, whispering into Do-jin's ear.
"This is your only warning."
Do-jin groaned in pain.
Jinwoo straightened, nodded at his men. "Dump him outside."
As they dragged Do-jin's writhing body away, Jinwoo checked his watch.
The real war was about to start.
And he was ready.
---
End of Chapter 68
(Next Chapter: The Hunt Begins.)