Chapter 4: First Blood

Rain covered the streets of Seoul.

Neon signs reflected across the wet pavement, turning the city into a sea of red, blue, and gold. People hurried home beneath umbrellas, unaware that the balance of the underworld had already begun to shift.

Kang Tae-hyun stood outside an abandoned warehouse near the Han River.

He knew this place well.

Ten years ago, this warehouse belonged to a small gang called the White Tigers.

In his previous life, they had been wiped out in a single night.

Not because they were weak.

Because they trusted the wrong people.

"This is where it begins," Kang Tang whispered.

Behind him stood Kim Eun-woo.

Eun-woo looked around nervously.

"You've been staring at this building for five minutes."

"I'm remembering something."

"You've been saying strange things since we met."

Kang Tang smiled faintly.

"If I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me."

Eun-woo shrugged.

"Try me."

"I already died once."

Silence.

Then Eun-woo laughed.

"I knew you were weird."

Kang Tang couldn't help but smile.

Even in his previous life, Eun-woo always laughed first before asking serious questions.

It was one of the reasons Kang trusted him.

A loud crash echoed from inside the warehouse.

Both men became serious.

"They've started," Kang Tang said.

"Started what?"

"A massacre."

Without another word, Kang Tang walked toward the entrance.

---

Inside the warehouse...

Dozens of men were fighting.

Wooden bats.

Metal pipes.

Chains.

Broken bottles.

The air smelled of blood and dust.

At the center of the chaos stood a young gang leader with blood running down his forehead.

His name was Choi Min-jae.

In the future, he would have become one of Kang Tang's most loyal captains.

Unfortunately...

Tonight was supposed to be the night he died.

A larger gang surrounded him.

Their leader smiled cruelly.

"It's over."

Min-jae wiped blood from his lips.

"I'd rather die than kneel."

The leader raised his knife.

Before he could strike...

A steel pipe flew across the room.

CRACK!

The knife shattered onto the floor.

Everyone turned.

The warehouse entrance slowly opened.

A young man walked inside.

Black jacket.

Hands in his pockets.

Calm eyes.

Behind him stood Kim Eun-woo.

The room fell silent.

The gang leader frowned.

"Who are you?"

Kang Tang looked around the warehouse.

Twenty-seven enemies.

Eight injured White Tiger members.

Three exits.

One broken window.

He calculated everything within seconds.

Then he answered.

"A man who's changing history."

The gang members exchanged confused looks.

"What nonsense is he talking about?"

Kang Tang ignored them.

Instead, he looked directly at Choi Min-jae.

"Do you want to live?"

Min-jae stared at him.

"...Yes."

"Then trust me."

Without hesitation, Kang Tang picked up a metal pipe.

The enemy leader laughed.

"Kill them both!"

Twenty men charged at once.

Eun-woo's eyes widened.

"We're dead."

Kang Tang took one step forward.

Then everything happened at unbelievable speed.

He swung the pipe.

A man collapsed.

Another punch.

A kick.

A shoulder throw.

His movements weren't flashy.

They were efficient.

Every strike ended a fight.

Every movement saved energy.

Years of experience guided his body.

Even if his younger muscles couldn't match his memories, they were more than enough against street thugs.

One by one, the attackers fell.

The warehouse echoed with cries of pain.

Eun-woo stood frozen.

"He's... unbelievable."

The White Tiger members watched in disbelief.

Who was this man?

Where had he learned to fight like that?

Within minutes, only the enemy leader remained.

His confidence had vanished.

He stumbled backward.

"W-Who are you?"

Kang Tang walked toward him slowly.

His footsteps echoed through the warehouse.

"You don't need my name."

The leader reached into his jacket.

He pulled out a handgun.

Everyone froze.

Even Kang Tang.

Because this wasn't supposed to happen.

He remembered the original timeline.

There had never been a gun.

The future had changed.

The man pulled the trigger.

BANG!

Time seemed to stop.

Before anyone could react...

Choi Min-jae pushed Kang Tang aside.

The bullet struck Min-jae's shoulder.

He crashed onto the floor.

Blood spread across his shirt.

The warehouse became silent.

Kang Tang slowly turned.

His expression disappeared.

No anger.

No fear.

Nothing.

Only cold emptiness.

The gunman suddenly felt his heart race.

Those eyes...

They weren't human anymore.

Kang Tang rushed forward.

In one swift movement, he disarmed the gunman and drove him to the floor.

The handgun slid across the concrete.

The attacker struggled.

"Please... don't kill me!"

Kang Tang looked down at him.

In his previous life...

He would have ended the man's life without hesitation.

Now he had a choice.

He closed his eyes.

Then stepped back.

"Leave."

The gang leader stared in disbelief.

"What?"

"I said leave."

The man scrambled to his feet and fled with the few followers still able to walk.

Soon the warehouse was quiet.

Rain drummed against the roof.

Kang Tang knelt beside Choi Min-jae.

"You idiot."

Min-jae forced a weak smile.

"I thought... you needed saving."

Kang Tang tore a piece of cloth from his jacket and pressed it against the wound.

"You're not dying today."

Min-jae laughed weakly.

"You talk... like you're certain."

"I am."

Sirens echoed faintly in the distance.

Someone had called the police.

They had only minutes left.

Kang Tang looked at the remaining White Tiger members.

"If you stay here, you'll all be arrested."

"What should we do?" one of them asked.

He stood up.

His voice was calm.

"Disappear."

"Tonight... the White Tigers die."

Confusion spread among the group.

Kang Tang continued.

"But tomorrow..."

He looked at each of them.

"...a new family will be born."

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Min-jae smiled despite the pain.

"I don't even know your name."

Kang Tang extended his hand.

"Kang Tae-hyun."

Min-jae grasped it firmly.

"I'll remember that name."

Outside, police lights reflected across the rain-soaked streets.

Far away, inside a luxurious office overlooking Seoul, Chairman Jang Min-seok received another report.

"The same young man?"

"Yes, Chairman."

"He defeated nearly thirty gang members."

Jang leaned back in his chair.

A slow smile appeared on his face.

"So..."

"The dragon has finally shown his claws."

He looked out over the city.

"Prepare my car."

"It is time I meet Kang Tae-hyun."

Far below, Kang Tang disappeared into the rainy streets with Eun-woo beside him.

He had just prevented the first tragedy of his new life.

But he also knew something else.

The moment he saved Choi Min-jae...

The future had become completely unpredictable.

The game had truly begun.

End of Chapter 4

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