[South Busan – Near Dogsung High / Industrial Lot - 3:25 PM]
The city wasn't still, but it felt like it was holding its breath.
Eli noticed it walking past the pharmacy near Dogsung's back gate. Conversations were shorter. Bikers were off the streets. The usual fights on the corner hadn't broken out.
Even the weather seemed too clean.
He crossed into an industrial block he'd walked through a hundred times — gravel crunching under his shoes, shadows peeling off old containers and broken light poles.
Then he saw them.
Three figures.
Standing across the wide lot near an abandoned machine shop. No gang tags. No announcement. But their spacing said everything.
"They're not here by accident."
He stopped mid-step and looked up.
A few civilians on the far sidewalk froze when they noticed. Phones came out. Whispers began.
Dogsung students standing near a wall leaned in closer.
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The first to step forward looked like a university student — tall, pale, neat clothes, collar uncreased.
Ha Seung-Rok.Hands in his coat. Voice slow, composed.
"Your footwork's too lazy for a guy with a kill count."
Eli blinked. Kept walking.
The second was built like a striker — lean arms, a twitch in the shoulder, black blade handles strapped across his back.
Moon Chan-Ho.Hair bleached uneven. Jacket open. Rings on three fingers. Too much swagger.
"Man, you really look like you don't care. That's a skill."
The third stayed silent.
Kwon Yuri.Thin frame. Black scarf. Head lowered slightly. Fingers twitching in rhythm at her side. Gloves tight.
She wore a harness of thin-thread reels.
Eli slowed to a stop about ten feet from them.
"You lost?" he asked.
Seung-Rok tilted his head.
"We're right where we're meant to be."
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Eli finished his canned barley tea and dropped it without ceremony.
That was the only signal.
Yuri moved first.
One flick — a wire zipped past Eli's cheek, slicing a line in his skin.
He didn't flinch.
"Cute trick," he said. "Let's see what else you've got."
Chan-Ho was already in motion — blade spinning down his wrist, darting low.
Eli stepped back just enough.
The first swing missed.
The second didn't.
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Yuri moved on the perimeter — her wire circling Eli's left wrist. She pulled — trying to lock his balance.
He turned into it.Dislocated his own shoulder mid-spin to close the gap — and drove his foot into her hip, slamming her back into a pole.
She gasped. Still no sound.
Eli twisted and popped his arm back into place with a wince.
"Your wire's too light. You trying to annoy me or kill me?"
Seung-Rok observed, murmuring under his breath:
"Disruptive. Off tempo. He's folding his own rhythm."
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Chan-Ho laughed and stepped in — twin blades drawn. Each one moved in opposite circles, a blur of silver.
Eli moved into the chaos instead of away.
He took a slice to the shoulder, ducked under the second, and drove a fist into Chan-Ho's sternum.
Blade fell.
Eli caught it mid-drop, flipped it backward, and buried it into Chan-Ho's own thigh.
"That one's for the entrance."
Chan-Ho screamed — a short, guttural sound.
Yuri tried to re-engage. Eli caught her by the collar and slammed her face-first into the pavement.
Not to knock her out. Just to shut her down.
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Seung-Rok looked unsettled now.
He reached into his coat — no weapon. Just a metal baton. Extended with a snap.
"You're off-beat. Your timing's wild. You shouldn't win these."
"But I'm not losing," Eli said.
They met in the middle.
Seung-Rok tried precision. Shoulder strikes, baton spins, rib jabs.
Eli absorbed the first two.
Then used the baton as a pivot — slammed his forehead into Seung-Rok's nose and wrapped his arms around the taller boy's legs.
Tackle. Full-force. Through a gate.
They crashed into the dirt. Seung-Rok didn't get up.
Eli stood.
Shaking a little now.
Shirt cut. Arm bleeding.
Eyes clear.
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The people watching had backed up.
But no one had left.
Phones were still out.
Footage already uploading.
A black car pulled up. Two patrol vehicles behind it.
Cops stepped out. Quiet. Calm.
The officer in charge looked around. Took a slow breath.
"What's the count?"
"Three down. One standing."
"All armed?"
"Yes. Except the one standing."
They looked at Eli.
"You coming peacefully?"
Eli looked down at Chan-Ho, still groaning.
"Peace is relative."
They didn't cuff him hard.
They didn't beat him.
They didn't need to.
Eli raised his hands calmly.
"Just make sure you spell the name right."
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[Later – Inside a van]
Eli sat with his head against the window. Blood dried on his sleeve.
He wasn't smiling.
Just quiet.
[Elsewhere – Public Safety Feed]
Video of the fight had 9,000 views in under thirty minutes.
Thread title:
"Eli Nam Detained After Fighting 3 vs 1"
[Drift HQ]
Gilwoo looked up from his phone. Turned it off.
Said nothing.
[Samuel's Location – Unknown]
Message received: "They took him."
No reply.