CHAPTER 01

THE IRON BLACKWOOD GATE...

The iron gates of Blackwood Academy never creaked. Rain had soaked the gravel path, leaving fallen pine needles clinging to a young girl's boots. She walked with practiced silence, her footsteps steady and unhurried. To anyone watching from the dense forest beyond the walls, she looked like nothing more than a student carrying out an ordinary errand.

She stopped before the rusted letterbox fixed to the stone pillar and lifted its heavy lid. Three envelopes rested inside. Two were plain. The third was different. A crimson-red envelope. It bore no stamp, No address, No name. Only its deep red color distinguished it from the rest.

Without showing the slightest reaction...

The girl gathered the letters, tucked them beneath her heavy wool coat, and turned back toward the academy.

She stopped before the heavy oak door of the Principal's office, knocked once, and stepped inside. The room was silent. Behind a massive wooden desk sat the Principal, his expression as cold and unreadable as carved stone. Without a word, the girl stepped forward and placed the stack of letters on the polished desk. Then she turned on her heel and quietly left the office. The door clicked shut.

The Principal calmly pulled the letters toward him, sorting through them with practiced hands. His fingers paused on a single crimson-red envelope. He tore it open and unfolded the sheet inside.

The paper was completely blank except for three numbers printed neatly at its center.

The Principal studied them without the slightest hint of surprise. This was neither unusual nor unexpected. It was the signal.

He reached for the telephone on his desk and dialed a single extension. The line connected almost instantly.

"Vice-Principal."

His voice was calm but carried unmistakable authority.

"Initiate the protocol immediately."

A brief pause followed.

"It is time for the next batch to leave."

A few moments later...

The sharp clang of the academy bell shattered the silence, its echo rolling through the mist-covered grounds. Within minutes, the central courtyard was filled with neat rows of students. There were only around twenty of them. None were children. Each student had already reached adulthood, standing shoulder to shoulder with perfect military discipline. Their expressions remained emotionless, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

The Principal stepped onto the concrete podium overlooking the courtyard. His cold gaze swept across the graduates.

"Listen carefully."

His voice echoed through the silent academy.

"The day you have trained for has finally arrived."

"For years, you have endured relentless discipline, endless training, and unimaginable hardship. Today, that preparation comes to an end."

He slowly paced across the podium.

"Your education at Blackwood Academy is officially complete."

"The outside world awaits you. Each of you has been assigned a position, a residence, and a Master."

He stopped walking. His eyes hardened.

"But never forget this."

"From this moment onward... your life no longer belongs to you."

"You exist for one purpose. To serve your assigned Master with absolute loyalty."

"If danger approaches, you will become their shield. If necessary... you will die in their place."

Silence consumed the courtyard. The Principal slowly raised his right fist against his chest.

"Our loyalty."

The graduates answered as one.

"Our power."

Again, the Principal called out,

"Our loyalty!"

"Our power!"

The united voices thundered across the academy, echoing through the surrounding forest before fading into silence. The Principal gave a single nod and walked back inside.

Without exchanging a single word, the graduates broke formation. In perfect synchronization, they turned and marched toward their barracks.

Inside the boys' dormitory, the air carried the scent of leather, metal, and polished boots. Jung Hyun-soo pulled the zipper of his tactical duffel bag closed.

At twenty-one, he possessed the lean, disciplined build of a soldier. His calm, calculating eyes held a maturity far beyond his years. He glanced around the room one last time. Rows of iron beds, Steel lockers, Bare concrete walls. Nothing in the room held a memory worth taking.

The heavy wooden doors swung open. Vice-Principal Chui stepped inside, his sharp gaze sweeping across the assembled graduates.

"It is time."

His voice cut cleanly through the silence.

"Move out."

Without hesitation, the young men lifted their bags and fell into formation.

Outside, a matte-black transport bus waited in the courtyard. The graduates boarded without a word. The doors hissed shut. Moments later, the engine rumble to life. The bus rolled forward, leaving the iron gates of Blackwood Academy behind.

Hyun-soo rested his head against the window. The academy's towering stone walls slowly disappeared behind the endless rows of black pines.

His expression remained unreadable.

Only his thoughts betrayed him.

*My name is Jung Hyun-soo*

*I was seven years old when I first entered this place.*

His eyes followed the passing forest.

*Most children who arrive here know nothing. They believe this is a boarding school. They have no idea they are being raised as obedient assets... weapons that will one day belong to someone else*

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

*But I was different*

*I knew exactly what Blackwood Academy was*

*And I chose to walk through its gates*

His fingers tightened slightly against the edge of his seat.

*I came here with only one purpose. To survive, To become strong enough, To take my revenge*

The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

*Graduating from Blackwood was only the first step. The next step... begins with blood*

The bus disappeared deeper into the endless Blackwood Forest, carrying its silent passengers toward the lives that had already been chosen for them.

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THE FIRST MOVE...

Hours later, the endless forest gave way to concrete highways. The transport bus finally came to a stop in front of a towering government-like building.

The Placement Agency.

Inside, the graduates were led into a stark white hall. Behind a long counter stood an agency official. Without offering a greeting, he handed each graduate a thick manila folder and a sleek, restricted-network smartphone.

"Everything you need is inside the folder,"

He said, his voice echoing through the silent room.

"Your assigned location, designated Master, and operational duties are listed in detail."

He paused briefly.

"These phones are strictly for official communication. Switch them on."

A chorus of startup tones filled the room. Hyun-soo pressed the power button. The screen lit up. A moment later, a single notification appeared.

💬 [Done.]

His expression remained unchanged. The message wasn't a surprise. It was confirmation.

His contact on the outside had successfully manipulated the placement system. Opening the folder, Hyun-soo glanced at his assignment. Exactly as planned.

He had been placed in the one location he had waited nineteen years to reach.

"You are dismissed,"

The official announced.

"Proceed to your assigned destinations."

Stepping outside, Hyun-soo was greeted by the noise of the city. After years of silence inside Blackwood Academy, the crowded streets almost felt unfamiliar.

Instead of heading toward the agency transport, he quietly walked several blocks away and entered a small coffee shop. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. Approaching the counter, he met the shopkeeper's eyes and calmly spoke a seemingly meaningless sentence.

It was a code.

Without hesitation, the shopkeeper reached beneath the counter and placed a brown paper parcel wrapped in twine before him. Hyun-soo took it without another word. He walked into the restroom at the back of the café and locked the door.

Opening the parcel, he found two items. A disposable burner phone and a compact GPS signal jammer. He powered on the burner phone and dialed its only saved contact. The call connected after a single ring.

"Everything went exactly as planned,"

A deep, middle-aged voice said.

"Activate the jammer and follow the coordinates I've sent."

Hyun-soo looked at the academy-issued phone resting on the sink.

"I only have thirty minutes,"

He replied quietly.

"If the signal disappears for longer than that, the agency's security system will trigger an alert. They'll know something is wrong."

A low chuckle came from the other end.

"Thirty minutes is enough."

The man's voice turned serious.

"But remember, Hyun-soo..."

"This is your final chance."

"If you want to reach the man who destroyed your family...there is no turning back."

The line went dead. Hyun-soo lowered the phone in silence. The real mission had finally begun.

Hyun-soo ended the call and glanced at the coordinates displayed on the burner phone. Without hesitation, he dropped the phone into the toilet and flushed it away. The screen disappeared beneath the swirling water. He switched on the GPS jammer.

It was a dangerous gamble. If the signal vanished for too long, Blackwood Academy would know something was wrong. They would come looking for him. But his mission left no room for hesitation.

Memorizing the route, Hyun-soo slipped out of the coffee shop and disappeared into the city's crowded streets. His years of training guided every step.

Within minutes, he stopped outside a rundown massage center hidden between aging buildings. The glass door opened with a soft chime. A silent woman greeted him with a slight nod, as though she had been expecting his arrival. Without a word, she led him through a dim corridor into a secluded room.

A middle-aged man sat behind a wooden desk.

Min-ho.

"Sit."

Hyun-soo obeyed.

The woman immediately injected a numbing agent into his forearm before making a small incision with a surgical blade. She carefully removed a tiny capsule implanted beneath his skin. The tracking device.

Dropping it into a lead-lined container, she sealed the lid before expertly bandaging Hyun-soo's arm.

Min-ho leaned forward.

"My influence ends at Chairman Kang's front gate," he said quietly.

"Once you're inside... you're on your own."

He paused before giving a small nod.

"Good luck."

A few minutes later, Hyun-soo climbed into a taxi.

The moment he gave the address, the driver's expression changed. The man glanced nervously at him through the rear-view mirror before silently starting the engine. Hyun-soo noticed.

So even ordinary people feared the name Kang. He rested his bandaged arm against the cold window and watched the city drift past.

For the first time in nineteen years... Blackwood Academy no longer had a hold on him.

*I'm going to kill him*

His jaw tightened.

*I'll tear his empire apart...

Piece by piece. Everything I've endured... every broken bone... every drop of blood...

It was all for this day*

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FINAL DESTINATION...

The towering walls of the Kang Estate slowly came into view. High stone walls, Steel gates, Armed guards. The mansion looked less like a home and more like a fortress.

The taxi stopped at the entrance. Hyun-soo stepped out without another word. Waiting for him at the front steps was an elderly butler dressed in an immaculate black suit.

"Welcome,"

He said politely.

"Our Master has been expecting you."

Hyun-soo simply nodded.

Even while following the butler, his eyes never stopped moving. Security cameras, Guard patrols, Emergency exits, Blind spots. Every detail was silently committed to memory. The butler led him into a spacious office.

Behind an enormous wooden desk sat Chairman Kang. Even seated, the man radiated quiet authority. His presence alone was enough to make the room feel smaller.

"So..."

Chairman Kang glanced through Hyun-soo's file.

"Officially, you're assigned as a household servant."

He closed the folder.

"That title means nothing. My enemies are countless. My son is their easiest target."

He looked directly into Hyun-soo's eyes.

"Your true duty is simple. Protect Kang Min-jae."

"At any cost."

For a single heartbeat, Hyun-soo stared into the face of the man who had stolen everything from him. Hatred surged through him. But not a trace of it reached his expression.

"Understood."

After showing him his room, the butler led him toward the private courtyard.

"The Young Master is usually here around this hour."

The sound of water echoed across the courtyard. Moments later, someone climbed out of the swimming pool.

Kang Min-jae.

Water streamed down his broad shoulders as he casually brushed damp hair away from his forehead. Dressed only in black swim shorts, he carried himself with effortless confidence.

For a brief moment...

Hyun-soo forgot to breathe. The unfamiliar feeling caught him completely off guard. He immediately turned his gaze away.

The butler stepped forward.

"Young Master."

"This is Jung Hyun-soo."

"Your new personal bodyguard."

Min-jae barely spared him a glance.

"I don't need a bodyguard."

His voice carried open irritation.

But after a long, silent look, he simply turned away and walked back toward the mansion.

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A TEST PASS...

Night settled over the estate.

While returning to his quarters, Hyun-soo noticed movement near Min-jae's bedroom. A shadow slipped inside.

Instinct took over. He rushed through the doorway. An intruder had already drawn a knife.

Before the blade could strike, Hyun-soo tackled the man to the floor and twisted his arm behind his back.

The lights suddenly came on.

"That's enough."

Min-jae's calm voice filled the room. Hyun-soo looked up. Min-jae stood nearby, completely unharmed.

"Let him go,"

He said.

"He's working for me."

Hyun-soo slowly released his grip. His eyes narrowed.

"What exactly is the meaning of this?"

The man rubbed his sore wrist before laughing.

"He's fast, Young Master."

Min-jae stepped closer until only a few feet separated them.

"I wanted to test you."

"I don't trust anyone my father sends."

A faint smile crossed his lips.

"You passed."

Hyun-soo said nothing.

Without acknowledging the compliment, he turned and walked away. The bedroom door slammed shut behind him. Min-jae stared after him for several seconds before a small smile spread across his face.

*This bodyguard... is far more interesting than I expected*

That night, Hyun-soo sat alone in the darkness of his room. To steady his mind, he forced himself to revisit the memories he had buried for years.

*Why do I want revenge?*

*Why do I crave their blood?*

The answer had begun nineteen years ago. When Hyun-soo was seven, he lived a peaceful life as the beloved son of a wealthy and respected family.

Everything changed during a relative's wedding. The joyful celebration was shattered by the deafening sound of gunfire. Chairman Kang and his armed men stormed into the hall, killing everyone in their path. Hidden beneath a banquet table, young Hyun-soo watched the nightmare unfold. He saw his father fall while protecting others. He heard his mother's final scream. One by one, his sister and every member of his family collapsed onto the bloodstained floor.

Then the tablecloth was lifted. A mafia soldier looked directly into the terrified boy's eyes. Hyun-soo held his breath, expecting death. Instead, the man silently dropped the cloth back into place and walked away, hiding the child's existence from the others.

Before leaving, Chairman Kang ordered his men to pour gasoline throughout the building. The wedding hall was set on fire. The flames destroyed the evidence, the bodies, and Hyun-soo's entire life.

They believed they had erased every witness.

They were wrong. Hyun-soo crawled out of the burning ruins alone. Shivering and covered in ash, he wandered the streets until he was found by Min-ho.

After hearing the boy's story, Min-ho understood that the law would never be able to punish a man as powerful as Chairman Kang.

"If you want to destroy that monster,"

Min-ho told him,

"you must become someone capable of standing against him."

That was the day Hyun-soo learned about Blackwood Academy, a hidden institution that trained abandoned children into loyal operatives for the criminal underworld. Min-ho enrolled him there, believing it was the only place that could prepare him for revenge.

At seven years old, Hyun-soo willingly stepped through Blackwood's iron gates, accepting a life of endless discipline and suffering for a single purpose.

Nineteen years later, he opened his eyes. His breathing steadied. His hands slowly tightened into fists. The memories no longer filled him with grief. They sharpened his resolve.

No matter what feelings were beginning to grow inside him... He would never forget the blood that had stained his childhood.

His revenge had only just begun.

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