Daehyun's leg crashed into Taesoo's right fist with the force of an sledgehammer.
The air shattered around them. A shockwave blasted outward, sending cracks rippling through the ground as rock shards and dust erupted into the air.
Taesoo's stance, solid as it had been, buckled.
His right fist… the same fist he had thrown against countless men, the same fist he had relied on for years, the same fist that had never once failed him…
Broke.
Daehyun's raw power tore straight through it, blasting past conditioned knuckles, crushing through his defenses as his shin connected against Taesoo's skull.
A soundless impact.
Until…
*BOOM*
Taesoo slammed into the earth.
The street beneath him ruptured, cratering under the sheer force of the blow, his body carving into the shards and dust as the wreckage caved in around him.
He didn't move.
The world was silent.
The neon lights flickered.
The street groaned.
Daehyun exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he looked down at the man beneath him.
And yet, even now…
Even in defeat…
Taesoo hadn't fallen.
His body lay broken in the wreckage, his right fist battered and useless, but he wasn't unconscious.
His breath, though ragged, was steady. His chest still rose and fell. His left hand, the one that had stayed in his pocket this entire fight, twitched slightly.
And then, slowly—painfully—
Taesoo forced himself upright.
Not to fight.
Not to throw another punch.
Just to sit up.
Daehyun clicked his tongue. "Jesus, man."
Taesoo breathed out a laugh. His split lip curved into a grin. "I told you."
Daehyun raised a brow.
"A real man doesn't fall."
Daehyun watched him for a moment.
Then, he sighed.
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a crumpled lollipop, shaking one out of its wrapper. He placed it between his teeth. Just let it sit there as he crouched down, elbows resting on his knees.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I guess you really are a man, huh?"
Taesoo tilted his head slightly.
Daehyun exhaled through his nose. "I've met a lot of men who run their mouths about strength. About what it means to be tough, to be a fighter." He studied him, his gaze sharp but not unkind.
"You're the first one who actually backs it up."
Taesoo blinked. Then he huffed a quiet laugh. "You're not bad yourself, Baek Daehyun."
Daehyun snorted. "Yeah. I know."
A moment passed.
The rhythmic thuds of fists meeting flesh slowed down as the people around them realised what exactly had caused the destruction on the road.
Taesoo's shoulders shifted. His left hand finally left his pocket. He flexed his fingers, testing them, before resting his palm against his knee.
He met Daehyun's gaze.
"This isn't over."
Daehyun's lollipop twitched slightly in his mouth.
Taesoo's voice was hoarse, but certain. "One day, I'll fight you again. And next time—"
His right hand curled into a shaky, battered fist.
"I won't lose."
Daehyun stared at him. Then, he exhaled a quiet chuckle, shaking his head.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I'll be waiting."
And with that, he stood up, stretching out his shoulders as he turned away, leaving Taesoo sitting in the crater he had buried him in.
Not fallen.
Not broken.
Just waiting.
The rest of Ansan's guys were already gone—scattered the moment Taesoo fell. No one wanted to take their chances after what they had just witnessed.
One of them had grabbed Jinhwan's unconscious body, draping him over their back as they sprinted into the night.
Cowards.
Daehyun walked through the wreckage, scanning the street for his men. The ones still standing were catching their breath, leaning against overturned furniture or broken walls. Kangjun was still on his feet, bloodied but steady, barking orders at the few fighters still conscious.
His men had survived. They had won.
Daehyun gave Kangjun a nod. "Good work."
Kangjun exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "That was a mess."
"It always is."
Kangjun grunted in agreement. "Where's Taeyang?"
Daehyun didn't answer.
Because now that the adrenaline was fading, now that the fight was over, he could feel it—something still wasn't right.
His head turned. His gaze drifted toward the distance, toward the darkened streets, the ruined roads leading out of the district.
The junkyard.
Taeyang was still fighting.
***
By the time Daehyun got there, the fight was already in its final act.
And it was disgusting.
Giseok was throwing everything at Taeyang—concrete, steel, his own blood—and Taeyang was taking it all with a fucking grin on his face. His shirt was torn, his arms were shredded, his body was drenched in red.
But he didn't care. He wasn't even flinching.
Daehyun stepped forward, fully prepared to intervene—until he heard it.
"Harder."
Taeyang's voice was slurred, a drunken mess of hysteria and self-destruction.
"Hit me like you actually want me dead."
Daehyun almost laughed. Of course. Of fucking course.
That idiot was enjoying himself.
And then Giseok's fingers twitched, his body shifting for another attack.
Taeyang moved faster.
Two fingers—straight into Giseok's eye.
Giseok's head snapped back, his whole body staggering, and that was all it took.
Taeyang's leg snapped up, crashing into the side of his skull.
The force sent him spinning again, his momentum carrying him forward into another kick, and another—and another—
Daehyun could hear bones cracking, metal groaning, the earth itself fracturing beneath them.
By the time Taeyang stopped, Giseok wasn't just down. He was buried—a broken mess of blood and wreckage, trapped beneath a crumpled car and the shattered rock beneath it.
Silence.
Taeyang stood over the wreckage, body swaying. He exhaled sharply, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths.
Daehyun saw them both talk, a few words. He couldn't hear it but he saw Giseok mumble something and then collapse onto the floor.
Then, a few seconds later, Taeyang followed him.
Flat onto the dirt.
His body too exhausted to move. His muscles too wrecked to even twitch.
Daehyun stepped forward, watching as Taeyang lay there, motionless, staring up at the night sky.
And for the first time today… he looked peaceful.
For a second, Daehyun thought he had actually passed out. Would've served him right. Dumbass fought like he had a death wish.
But then he saw it… Taeyang's chest rising and falling, his fingers twitching slightly against the dirt. He was alive, just exhausted.
His body had given up before his mind did.
Daehyun exhaled through his nose. "Tch. This dumbass."
He stepped over the wreckage, his boots crunching against shattered concrete and twisted metal.
Giseok was done—still breathing, but unconscious, buried into something that used to be called a car. Daehyun didn't even spare him a second glance. Not his problem anymore.
Instead, he crouched beside Taeyang, looking down at him with a lopsided smirk as he took the lollipop out of his mouth.
"We won."
Taeyang didn't react at first. Just kept staring up at the sky, breath heavy, eyes glazed. Then—
"…Yeah?" His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.
Daehyun scoffed. "Yeah. Scared off every last one of those bastards. Jinhwan got carried out like a sack of shit, and now look at you… lying here like some tragic war hero."
Taeyang let out a breathy chuckle. "Sounds… about right."
Daehyun shook his head. "Gotta say, though…" He leaned in slightly, just enough to make sure Taeyang could hear him loud and clear. "You're kinda gay for that 'harder' shit."
Taeyang blinked.
Daehyun barely had time to move before Taeyang lunged—or at least, tried to.
His body twitched violently, his arms jerking as if he wanted to throw hands right then and there, but his muscles were wrecked.
The second he moved, pain exploded through his limbs, and he collapsed back into the dirt with a wheeze.
"Fuck you," he muttered, glaring at Daehyun with annoyance.
Daehyun just laughed, standing back up and stretching. "Nah, that's your thing, apparently."
"Shut the fuck up."
"'Hit me like you actually want me dead~,'" Daehyun mimicked in an exaggerated, mocking tone. "That's crazy, man. You sure you weren't flirting?"
Taeyang groaned, slamming his head back against the dirt. "I fucking hate you."
Daehyun grinned. This Taeyang guy was way too easy to rile up.
He nudged Taeyang's leg with his boot. "C'mon, dumbass. Get up."
Taeyang huffed. "I'll get up when my body decides not to be fucking paralyzed."
Daehyun shook his head, offering a hand. "Four days of training and you're already breaking your own body. What a waste."
Taeyang scoffed but took his hand anyway. Daehyun pulled him up, steadying him when his legs almost gave out. Taeyang rolled his shoulders, grimacing at the pain.
Then he glanced at Daehyun, voice quieter this time.
"…We really won?"
Daehyun nodded. "Yeah. We did."
Taeyang was silent for a moment, then... he grinned. And for the first time that night...
It wasn't hysterical.
"…Cool."
Daehyun scoffed, crouching beside him. That's it?
"That's all you have to say?" He shook his head. "You just won a gang war, beat Giseok's ass, and made it out alive, and all you can say is cool?"
Taeyang exhaled sharply, like a half-laugh. "Yeah."
Daehyun stared at him, then clicked his tongue.
"…Fucking loser."
Taeyang actually laughed at that… quiet, breathless, but real.
Daehyun didn't say anything else. Didn't need to. He just sat there for a moment, beside the dumbass he had trained for four days, fought beside, and somehow, in the middle of all this bullshit, become friends with.
He glanced at Taeyang one last time, watching as he lay there, broken but victorious, smiling up at the stars.
Yeah.
They'd be alright.
.
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I know I said I wasn't updating today but... somehow I found free time. So consider yourselves lucky.
Awww Taeyang has a friend now. Everyone clap please.
The Ansan arc (not even an arc just a lot of fighting) has officially come to an end. The next arc is uh...
Well I still haven't decided yet. I have two potential ones but I don't know which one to go with.
Oh wells, I'll save tomorrow's problems for tomorrow's me.
That latest lookism chap man... Gitae's fucking insane. Did Mexico turn him into that or was he always like this...
Also, if you read this, please grant me the honour of a review (I just wanna see stars next to my fic please🥺 )