Famous Figure of the Back World
The faction operating in the old industrial district of Ansan. Their leader, Kang Tae-jin—once hailed as an outstanding assassin—shot up from his seat upon hearing that an explosion had rocked the factory where his men were stationed.
"An explosion? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?! Which crazy bastard did this?!"
"C-communications are completely cut off—we can't reconnect at all! Looks like they came prepared for a full assault……."
His subordinate's report that they couldn't even scout the situation because comms were down. But before he could finish, a heavy thud echoed through the factory.
Boom──!
Boom──!
Boom──!
The sound of blast doors dropping inside the factory. Kang Tae-jin whipped his head around at the noise, and the subordinate who caught his glare broke out in cold sweat before speaking.
"I-it seems they've seized full control of the internal systems. We're trying to regain access, but it's not easy……."
"You fucking idiot, is that what you call a report?!"
Kang Tae-jin bellowed at the words that only proved his subordinate's incompetence, hurling the cup from his hand. The man flinched and cowered at just a thrown cup. Kang Tae-jin wanted nothing more than to rip him apart right then, but he knew that wasn't the priority in this situation.
"The hard drives! Where are the hard drives?!"
"Th-they're all in that bag over there, separated out!"
"Good, grab those first! And burn every damn paper record—torch the whole factory if you have to!"
"Yes, sir!!"
The most critical thing right now wasn't anything else—it was the data on their operations. Info on the labs they dealt with, the kids they'd bought and sold, the funds from the labs—everything had to be secured or destroyed. If that leaked out, their standing in the Back World, their connections to the labs, all of it would vanish.
Paper records could just be burned. But the data on the hard drives was irreplaceable vital intel. That's why Kang Tae-jin ordered his most trusted subordinate to grab them, then armed himself and prepared to flee.
"They've probably got this factory surrounded too! Don't pussy out—break through however you can!! Anyone who chickens out and comes back gets it from me!!!"
"Got it!"
"Move your asses!!"
"Hey, you idiot! Get the fire ready—fire first!!"
His men responded to his shouts while moving with disciplined precision. As Kang Tae-jin watched them prepare to set the factory ablaze, a sharp crash cut through the chaos—glass shattering, unmistakable despite the din.
Crash──!
Glass shards rained down onto the factory floor. Kang Tae-jin jerked his head up toward the ceiling.
"What the—someone on the roof……?!"
And as he looked up, he saw it: a woman dropping through a broken skylight. Along with her came a drone spewing emerald-green gas.
Hiss─────!!!
The gas rapidly enveloped the entire factory. The sinister hue alone screamed not to breathe it in.
Kang Tae-jin held his breath and yelled, "Everyone, hold your breath!! Gas masks! Get the gas masks!!!"
"Huh? Gas masks? What are you—cough!Cough!!"
"G-gah……!"
"C-can't… breathe…… Help……!"
But his men inhaled the gas from above before they could grab masks. Their faces turned blue in seconds as they clawed at their throats and collapsed. Only the quick ones who'd held their breath or been on the edges bought a little time. But everyone here, Kang Tae-jin included, would breathe it soon enough. No one could hold out more than two minutes, especially not with enemies closing in.
"Y-you bitch…… Who the hell are you?!"
"Your goons asked the same damn thing. Guess birds of a feather. Can't you tell just by looking?"
"Grr…… What……."
The black-haired woman descending on a rope. Her mocking sneer was the reply to his question. A quick scan revealed the Baek Ya-seong logo pinned to her suit.
"B-Baek Ya-seong? No way—you're the ones who killed our men……."
"Bingo, me. You guys were up to some seriously inhuman shit, huh?"
"Damn it……."
He'd known someone ambushed his men while kidnapping kids for sale. But without digging too deep, he hadn't known who—and now he was prepping to run, only to find out it was Baek Ya-seong. What shitty luck. Still, Kang Tae-jin rolled his eyes, scheming. He had no intention of getting captured without a fight.
"Hoo……."
His held breath was already burning, escape routes severely limited. And this woman—somehow breathing fine without a mask in the gas. It was eerie, incomprehensible, but not the point. The point was she could breathe freely, so to escape, he needed to create an opening. And this place was overflowing with ways to do that.
"Dump all the grenades!!!"
At his shout, his remaining men pulled grenades from their pockets. Pins yanked, the grenades flew—landing perfectly between him and the woman.
"Oh, grenades?"
"Splash the oil too!! Light it up and bolt—now!!!"
The moment he saw them, Kang Tae-jin spun and bolted. No way she'd cross a grenade line unless she was insane; dodging came first. That's why he turned his back fully and focused on running.
But as he turned, a nagging unease hit him. Her casual reaction to the grenades, her vaguely familiar face—tying it to Baek Ya-seong and a young assassin prodded his brain.
He tried to ignore it and run, but the sensation wouldn't fade. And he realized what it was after sprinting about ten steps—just as the grenades blew.
KABOOM─────!!!!!
A dozen grenades detonating at once unleashed a deafening roar. But sounds that should have come only from behind echoed from multiple directions. Kang Tae-jin instinctively glanced back.
He froze mid-stride at the sight.
"What the……."
The woman stood unmoved in her original spot, as if nothing happened. Around her, his men lay shredded by the blasts. In less than five seconds, the scene had flipped. Why had the grenades aimed at her flown back to his own men? The question clawed at his mind—but before he could answer, she vanished and reappeared, seizing his throat.
Crunch───
"G-gah……!"
Her grip was so vise-like his held breath burst out. Lungs empty, he sucked in the gas. Numbness spread instantly. And as she crushed his throat, he grasped the source of that unease.
"Y-you… you're Baek… Se-rin, aren't you……?"
"What? You know me?"
"Heh… hehahaha…… No way it was really you……."
Her reaction confirmed it—the woman was indeed Baek Se-rin. Kang Tae-jin laughed involuntarily. He'd glimpsed her face from afar once, drawn by rumors of the Back World's top prospect. It was distant, over a year ago, hazy memory. But up close, it sharpened crystal clear.
"In the Back World… among the real players…… no one doesn't know you. Word is the strongest bitch around became a Central… lapdog… spreading like wildfire……."
"Talk big all you want—you're all jealous you couldn't snag a spot like that. Losers who never got an offer always yap the loudest."
"Heh… fair enough. Talk about… bad fucking luck…… running into you of all people……."
"You thought pulling this crap wouldn't bite you in the ass? Even if it wasn't me, you'd have gotten hit eventually. Just happened sooner, that's all."
His vision blurred. The gas's toxin plus oxygen starvation to the brain hazed everything. In his fading mind, the last thing Kang Tae-jin remembered was Baek Se-rin jabbing a syringe into his arm.
"You'll wake up where you're supposed to be, so just crash hard."
With that, his consciousness blinked out completely.