Page 25

CHAPTER 25

SUNHO

The Under World

Madang District, Fourth Ward

SUNHO SHOVED HIS way through the crowd, Tag right behind him. Reaching the center, Sunho sprang forward and grabbed Haru’s shoulder. The boy flinched, cowering in fear. Sunho felt equal parts guilt and anger, that he hadn’t been there for Haru when the boy needed him, that Haru had ended up here .

“S-Sunho?” Haru gazed up at him, wide-eyed. “It is you.” Tears flooded Haru’s eyes and he threw himself into Sunho’s arms. “I knew you’d c-come.”

Sunho bent his head over Haru’s; beyond all the other emotions, he was relieved Haru was alive.

“I’m getting you out of here,” he promised, then, grabbing Haru’s hand, he turned from the circle.

“What are you doing?” a voice rang out. A weasel-like man scurried forth, flanked on either side by larger men carrying clubs.

Sunho’s grip tightened on Haru’s. “I’m taking him with me.”

“He’s indentured to the Small Ring until he pays back what he owes.” The man—presumably the ringmaster—sneered. “With interest.”

Sunho had to restrain himself from punching the man then and there. “How much?”

“It doesn’t matter,” the man said. “I need a body tonight, and the book’s already out.” He nodded to where a bookmaker was taking money for bets and balancing them in a stitch-bound ledger.

“You want a fighter?” Sunho let go of Haru’s hand, pushing him gently back so that he stood behind him. “Let me fight in his stead.”

The ringmaster arched a brow, then lowered his gaze, studying Sunho from head to toe. “The idea has merit.”

“That’s not fair!” Across the circle, one of the speculators pointed an accusatory finger. “He’s clearly had training.”

“We’ll just have to make things a little more even, then.” The ringmaster nodded to a lackey on the sideline, who began yelling and waving her arms, motioning for the crowd to part. A few seconds later, a man stalked out into the ring. He was about twice the size of Sunho, in height and girth.

“How’s that even?!” Tag objected.

“What do you think?” the ringmaster yelled to the crowd. “Want to see this fight? The newcomer versus the Small Ring’s undefeated champion?” They roared with approval. “Place your bets. Fight starts in three minutes.”

“Wait,” Sunho said beneath the clamor of those squabbling to get the bookie’s attention, “I want to place a bet.”

The ringmaster eyed him. “Sure, assuming you want to bet on yourself.”

“If I win, you’ll release Haru and give me…” He glanced at Tag.

“Five hundred coins,” Tag supplied promptly.

“And if you lose, you’ll have to fight in my ring for a year. You and the boy.”

Sunho hesitated. He didn’t like that he’d have to bet Haru’s freedom alongside his own, but he couldn’t see another solution. “Deal.”

The man held his hand out and Sunho took it, gripping hard.

“The odds are thirty to one you won’t even leave this ring alive. Sweet dreams, kid.” The ringmaster walked away, shaking out his hand.

Sunho turned his back on the ring. Crouching down on one knee, he looked at Haru. The young boy bore new marks from the last time he’d seen him—a fresh cut beneath one eye and a bruise on his chin. And these were the ones that were visible.

Sunho bowed his head. “I’m sorry.” Haru was never meant to suffer, not like this. Not like he had.

“The others…,” Haru said quietly, “they had no hope. They knew no one was coming for them. Not me. I knew you’d come.”

Sunho lifted his head. “Why?”

“Because you’re Sunho. Because there’s no one stronger than you.”

But he wasn’t strong. He was weak. Of the four of them—Junho, Rohoon, Heetae, and him—he’d been the weakest. If he had any strength now, it was because of the Demon.

“You shouldn’t put so much faith in me.”

Haru was insistent. “But you did come, so I was right, wasn’t I?”

Sunho laughed softly. “Yeah.” He looked over Haru’s shoulder to find Tag watching him.

Sunho rose to his feet. “This is Tag,” he said. “He’ll look after you during the fight. He’s…” Tag raised a brow. “A friend.”

“That’s right.” Tag placed a hand on Haru’s head. “I’m strong in my own way, too.”

“Thirty to one odds, huh?” Sunho’s gaze met Tag’s. “That’s a fifteen-thousand-coin payout. After we get back, will you speak to Yurhee on Ren’s and my behalf?” They hadn’t agreed to take them on the aircraft, but once he’d gotten the coins, they’d owe him a sizable favor.

Tag shook his head. “Don’t worry about that. Just concentrate on the fight.”

Sunho’s gaze traveled to his opponent, who stood waiting for him at the center of the circle.

“No weapons!” the big man bellowed.

Sunho grabbed the strap of his scabbard, pulling it over his head and tossing it to Tag, then walked to the center of the ring.

The big man had taken off his shirt, his biceps bulging. Hand-to-hand combat clearly favored him; his whole body was his weapon. Sunho opened his hands and closed them into fists at his sides.

“Let the match begin!” shouted the ringmaster.

The big man didn’t hesitate. He was fast for his size, moving in with an uppercut that Sunho just barely managed to avoid, his fist clipping Sunho’s chin. Then the big man’s left fist flew at him, and Sunho lifted his arm to avoid a direct hit to his face. The impact felt like being smashed on the side of the head with a sledgehammer.

“You’re making this easy!” the big man roared as Sunho stumbled backward. “First, I’ll teach you a lesson, and then after, I’ll beat the boy to a pulp. That’ll teach him not to depend on the weak!”

The Demon stirred, but Sunho repressed it. He wouldn’t rely on the Demon to fight this opponent.

The big man attacked, but Sunho was ready.

He ducked, throwing his shoulder into the big man’s chest and jamming his elbow into his stomach. The man let out an oof before recovering enough to whirl around, kicking Sunho in the side. He went flying across the circle.

“Sunho!” he heard Haru shout, though the sound was muted through the ringing in his ears.

He struggled to his knees, wiping the corner of his mouth with his forearm. He tasted the salty tang of his own blood.

The big man raised his arms, eliciting a roar from the crowd. Sunho felt oddly removed from his body as he watched him. Memories flooded his mind—a crackling fire in a dark forest, and Junho looking up at the stars; his friends, serious Rohoon and laughing Heetae. Of the four of them, he’d been the weakest. They’d protected him, carried his weight, both physically and mentally. They’d bled for him, and Sunho had cried as he’d bound their wounds.

But that had been before. He had changed, and not because of the Demon, but because of himself . He’d wanted to get stronger, and so he’d trained, sparring first with Rohoon, then Heetae, then both of them at once. With Junho, Sunho would fall to the ground, only to get back up again and again and again.

He was strong because he’d made himself that way. Because he’d chosen to be.

For his friends. For his brother. For himself.

Sunho breathed in slowly. He heard the air scream as the man rushed toward him. At the last second, he shifted his body to the side. The man barreled forward, stumbling. Sunho was already on his feet. He brought his fist down as the man turned, smashing him into the ground. When he tried to get up, Sunho rained blows down upon him until the man stopped moving.

The muted sound dissipated, replaced by the violent cheers of the crowd.

“We have a winner!” shouted the ringmaster.

THEY LEFT THE Madang District as soon as Tag collected the part from the dealer.

“Thank you,” Sunho said. He didn’t elaborate; Tag knew what he was grateful for.

“Kids like Haru,” Tag said. “Like you. Like me. Every one of us has the same story. We have to watch out for each other.”

They took turns carrying Haru on the long journey back, not speaking to conserve their strength. Until they located Haru’s mother, he’d stay at Wolryudang, where it was safe.

As they walked, he noticed Tag stealing glances at his face, likely due to the blue blood that had clotted on his lip. But if Tag had questions, he kept them to himself.

They emerged from behind the pawnshop several hours later. Sunho immediately spotted the girl who’d sold Ren the flower, her basket tucked beneath one arm.

“Hold on,” he said. Tag raised a brow but didn’t comment.

After purchasing the entire basket from her, Sunho jogged to catch up to Tag. He found the silver-haired boy standing still in the alley that led to Wolryudang. The grandmother was gone.

“Something’s wrong,” Tag said. Crouching, he let Haru down against the nearest wall. “Wait here.”

Sunho followed Tag through the narrow opening. He felt a strange numbness overtake his body. Together they burst into the courtyard to find the front door of the teahouse kicked in.

Tag sprinted up the stairs. Sunho followed, his heart beating erratically in his chest.

“Yurhee!” Tag shouted. Sunho spotted the older girl sitting at a table near the bar, her head between her hands. “Are you all right? What happened?”

“Tag.” Yurhee’s eyes were wide and teary, but not with fear. “They took her.”

The feeling of numbness grew stronger. “Who did?” Sunho asked softly, though he already knew.

“They weren’t wearing uniforms, but one of them said a name: Sana.”

Sunho had felt anger before, back in the Small Ring, when he saw the abuse Haru had suffered.

This feeling was different. He dug his fingernails into his palm, hard enough to draw blood.

“Sunho?” Yurhee’s eyes widened as she caught sight of his expression.

This anger was darker, out of control. He felt it, hot and thick in his veins.

This was rage .

And he had reached his limit.