The Ultimate Villain: Cheol-su Kim

Taemin and Ji-yoon crouched in the dimly lit basement warehouse, the heavy silence bearing down like a suffocating weight. The flickering incandescent bulb above them cast a pale, dying glow. The air, thick with dust and the dampness seeping from unseen cracks, made every breath a laborious effort.

A faint stench of decay permeated the room. Rusted machinery stood as silent witnesses to past atrocities, while small insects scuttled between the cracks. Bloodstains, long dried, clung to the walls like haunting memories, making the place feel like the hardened remains of old sins.

Swish. Scrape. Swish. Scrape.

Taemin worked tirelessly on the floor, his hands moving with mechanical precision. His face betrayed no emotion, yet a sharp, smoldering anger burned beneath the surface.

"Are we really going to keep living like this?"

Ji-yoon, sitting nearby, cast him a sidelong glance, her eyes gleaming with an unsettling fervor.

"They toss skilled people like us into this pit, treat us like errand boys. Do you think this is right?"

"Keep your voice down," Taemin muttered, his tone weary but resolute.

"If someone hears you, we're both dead."

He gestured toward the ceiling with a subtle nod.

Ji-yoon snorted, twirling the blade in her hand.

"I won't just sit back and take it."

Her words pulled Taemin into a vivid memory—of running, being caught, and beaten mercilessly while lying face down on the cold ground. The pain and humiliation of that day resurfaced like a wound torn open.

"You know as well as I do that we can't beat them,"

he said, pausing his work to fix her with an empty, haunted stare.

"We'll never escape this place."

His low voice carried the undeniable weight of truth.

"So what? You're just going to endure it forever?"

Ji-yoon slammed her blade down, challenging him.

"Those bastards can't do anything without us. They need us!"

"Which is exactly why they'll work us harder the moment they realize it,"

Taemin said with a sigh, his voice barely audible.

"No matter what we do, they'll catch us again in the end."

Ji-yoon stared at him silently before springing to her feet.

"One day, I'll flip this whole damn thing upside down. When I become the boss, they're all dead."

"Just get back to work, idiot,"

Taemin replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he resumed his task. His fingers, still stained with crimson, moved deftly across the surface.

The heavy silence between them returned, as if the warehouse itself embodied their grim fate.

Thud.

The sound of something heavy hitting the floor above shattered the stillness. Both Taemin and Ji-yoon froze.

Taemin was the first to set down his knife, lifting his gaze to the ceiling. His eyes gleamed coldly, as though piercing through the layers of concrete.

"Did you hear that?"

he asked, his voice low and taut with tension.

Ji-yoon, wiping her blade, smirked.

"Hear it? Of course. Another fight, maybe?"

Watching fights was one of Ji-yoon's twisted pleasures. And brawls upstairs were a common occurrence.

"This isn't the time for jokes. What if they take it out on us again?"

Taemin's voice was firm, laced with caution.

"Fine, fine. Always so serious,"

Ji-yoon scoffed, but her grip on the knife tightened as she stared at the basement door.

"We should check it out. Doing nothing could be even riskier."

"Alright, but it's dangerous. Let me go first,"

Taemin said, moving cautiously toward the door. His footsteps were nearly silent, and he suppressed even the sound of his breathing. Ji-yoon followed closely, her blade poised for action.

As they approached the door—

"Aagh!"

A scream rang out, followed by another heavy thud, this time closer and clearer.

Taemin held his breath, listening intently. The oppressive silence returned, yet a creeping sense of dread gripped him. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.

"It's too dark. Something's off," he whispered.

"Open the door wider!" Ji-yoon hissed.

Taemin pushed the door open slowly.

Suddenly, flames burst forth like a slumbering beast awakened, roaring to life.

The fiery glow illuminated a figure standing amidst the inferno. The man's silhouette was framed by the flickering flames, which seemed to move with a life of their own, encircling him protectively.

Taemin locked eyes with the man, his heart racing as cold sweat ran down his back.

"Can we survive this? Can we even hope to fight him?"

Fear and helplessness weighed heavily on him.

Ji-yoon, though smiling faintly, couldn't stop the trembling in her hands as she clutched her knife.

"If I don't laugh, I'll break under the pressure."

Forcing herself to stay calm, she gritted her teeth and shouted at Taemin.

The heat pressed down on them, and the scorched remains of others littered the floor.

"Was this… your doing?"

Taemin asked through clenched teeth, his trembling hands unable to steady themselves.

The man turned his head slowly, his golden eyes burning with an intensity that stole their breath. His scarlet hair swayed with the flames, and the tattoos winding up his arms and neck pulsed like living entities, dancing in unison with the fire.

"This organization reeks of greed and betrayal,"

the man said, his voice cold and unyielding. "I will purify its sins with this fire. This is my justice."

He raised a hand, and a small flame flickered to life at his fingertips. In an instant, it swelled into a raging inferno, dancing menacingly in his palm.

"Justice is forged in the fire. Only those who survive the flames can emerge truly pure."

Taemin stepped forward, shielding Ji-yoon.

"If you want to burn us, then do it. But I won't just sit and take it."

Taemin offered Ji-yoon a brief, wry smile.

"Well, if it's die doing nothing or die fighting, I'd rather fight."

Ji-yoon grinned faintly, gripping her knife tighter.

"Pathetic,"

the man muttered, amused. With a wave of his hand, the flames around him surged into a spiraling vortex.

"Fine. Share the fate of the others."

The firestorm surged toward them, searing the air.

The firestorm surged toward them, searing the air.

Taemin bent low and rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the advancing flames, while Ji-yoon leaped in the opposite direction with equal agility.

"If I ever become the boss, you should join me,"

Ji-yoon muttered under her breath, gripping her knife tightly.

"I'll make sure to pay well."

"This isn't the time for jokes! Focus!"

Taemin shot back, glancing at her sharply.

"We can't beat him with brute force. We need another plan."

"Well, if force doesn't work, then we'll just have to outsmart him. But for now…"

Ji-yoon smirked, her knife gleaming as she shifted her stance.

"I'll take my chances head-on."

Both of them charged at the man simultaneously. Taemin moved low, circling to draw his attention, while Ji-yoon darted forward, exploiting the momentary gap.

She aimed for his side, her blade slicing through the air. But just as it neared him, the flames encircling the man flared up, pushing her back like an invisible wall.

"No!"

Ji-yoon tumbled to the ground and quickly rolled away, repositioning herself near Taemin.

"Useless struggle,"

the man sneered. Raising his hand again, he summoned a massive wave of fire.

The flames engulfed the space, and both Taemin and Ji-yoon were thrown violently to the ground. The heat scorched their skin, and the oppressive air left them gasping for breath.

"Too… hot!" Taemin groaned, curling up as his body screamed in pain.

"You bastard!"

Ji-yoon spat through gritted teeth, her body trembling from the unbearable heat.

"I'm not fond of petty cruelty,"

the man said coldly, his voice echoing with an almost detached finality.

"But since you're young, I'll grant you a painless end."

He reached out and grabbed Taemin by the neck, hoisting him effortlessly into the air. Taemin's body writhed as he struggled against the crushing grip, but the man's strength was unyielding.

His golden eyes flickered, shifting to the basement door.

"So, you were hiding down there all this time?"

Taemin dangled helplessly, while Ji-yoon, her breathing labored, forced herself upright. Her hand reached out for the knife that had fallen to the floor.

"We weren't hiding! We were… working!"

she shouted, her voice strained but defiant.

Her fingers tightened around the knife as she lifted it.

"So put him down, you piece of shit!"

Ji-yoon lunged forward, swinging the blade at the man.

But he moved with inhuman precision, sidestepping her strike effortlessly. In one fluid motion, he grabbed her by the throat with his free hand and lifted her off the ground as well.

"Working?"

he said, his tone dripping with disdain.

"Work that reeks of blood and death, no doubt. So, tell me—what exactly were you doing down there?"

Ji-yoon gasped for air, her voice barely audible as she croaked out a response.

"Dismembering… bodies…"

A faint smile tugged at the corners of the man's mouth.

"Interesting."

He seemed to deliberate for a moment, his gaze shifting between the two of them.

"Do you harbor rage against the world? Do you crave power and wealth? Can you become my loyal hounds? If so, I will grant you new life."

The crushing grip on their necks eased slightly, allowing them to draw shaky breaths.

Taemin and Ji-yoon, faces twisted with desperation, exchanged a brief, silent glance before nodding weakly.

The man released them, and they fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. As they struggled to steady themselves, his voice, low and commanding, filled the room.

"Very well. Show me that you are worthy of my fire."

The flames around him burned brighter, casting long, jagged shadows across the scorched walls of the warehouse.