Return to the Cold

[North Busan — Sangcheon District]

They got off the bus near Sangcheon Market, where the buildings leaned too straight and the air felt too quiet.

No one loitered. No fights on the corner. No spray tags, not even a flyer. Just clean sidewalks and shuttered windows. Jace looked around and scoffed.

Jace: "I don't like it. It's too… proper."

Seojun: "No turf tags, no smoke, not even a damn scooter gang. Creeps me out."

Samuel walked ahead, silent. He didn't explain why this part of Busan didn't announce its danger — why the silence here weighed more than the noise down south.

They passed a girl sitting on a stairwell. Barely fifteen. She flinched when she saw them. Not fear — training. She lowered her head, checked her phone, walked away.

Jace (low): "How many more like her?"

Samuel didn't stop walking.

Samuel: "Depends on how many let it happen."

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[Café Gym Hybrid – Back Alley, North Busan]

"Yoo's Corner" was once a low-tier boxing gym. Now it served espresso from a rusted espresso machine and trained kids in silence.

The bell jingled as they walked in. The air smelled like old mats and fresh coffee. A kid skipped rope in the corner while another did push-ups without a sound.

Behind the counter was Shin Hyuk — Samuel's age, taller, leaner, eyes like a fighter who stopped losing by learning to disappear.

He saw Samuel and stiffened. Then smiled, but the curve didn't touch his eyes.

Shin: "Still carry that 'fix everything' look on your face."

Samuel: "You said if I ever needed to call in that favor…"

Shin: "That was before I lost people because of you."

Jace blinked.

Jace: "Wait. You two—?"

Seojun: "Yo, Sam. You never said you had crew in North."

Samuel: "I don't."

They sat. Tension crackled between every word. No apology, no handshake.

Shin finally nodded toward the back wall. A photo hung crooked: six kids in hoodies. Two crossed out in black marker. One was Samuel. One was Shin.

Shin: "We used to think crews would change everything."

Samuel: "We didn't change anything."

Shin: "No. We just built softer cages."

The conversation shifted. Shin explained CTRL9's rise.

Not flashy. Not like Drift or Dogsung.

They offered "jobs" for kids — modeling, social media gigs, sponsorship deals.

Those who hesitated vanished quietly.

Those who agreed were slowly stripped of autonomy.

Shin: "You don't even see it happen. One day, they're sending selfies for profile checks. Next week, they're gone."

Samuel: "How do they pull them in?"

Shin: "Debt, clicks, comfort. No fists needed."

The quiet pause after said more than shouting would.

Samuel: "They took someone close."

Shin (without flinching): "They always do."

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That night, they sat on a rooftop overlooking North Busan. The city felt alien — bright and empty. Like someone had wiped it clean.

Seojun stood by the ledge, tossing a crushed soda can from hand to hand.

Seojun: "Y'know, when you said we were going after the bastards who took Ji Yun, I thought we'd at least see a fight on day one."

Jace (half-laugh): "Yeah. Instead we got awkward tension and a ghost tour."

Samuel didn't smile. He sat with his arms over his knees, watching distant traffic blink.

Jace (softer): "You okay?"

Samuel didn't answer.

Samuel (after a beat): "I failed someone before. Thought I could fix it by planning better the next time."

Seojun turned.

Seojun: "And Ji Yun's the next time?"

Samuel nodded slowly.

Samuel: "She never asked me to help. But she didn't run either."

Jace stood quiet. He'd seen Samuel cold, detached, calculated — but this was different.

Jace: "So what do we do now?"

Samuel: "We find the entrance. We start small. Hurt them where they think they're invisible."

Seojun: "And if it's a trap?"

Samuel: "Then we spring it first."

They stayed there as the night deepened — three boys against a city with no faces, no colors, and no rules.

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[CTRL9 Ops Room – Location Unknown]

Dozens of screens. Static. A flicker of faces on rooftops. A finger dragged across one touchpad.

A male voice: "Samuel Ryu's in town. He's back in North.""Our ghost finally showed.."

"Should we move?"

"Not yet. Lets wait and see."