Bakugo raised his right hand and took the oath in a steady voice.
Heeyeon stood at the defense table. "Mr. Bakugo, were you present at the location where Charles Choi died?"
"Yes," Bakugo said.
"And did you witness the events that took place that night?"
"I did."
Heeyeon nodded. "Please tell the court what you saw."
Bakugo folded his hat on his knee and looked at the judge. "I knew Charles Choi. We had history together, old business, nothing recent. That night he came to visit me. It was friendly. There was no dispute between us." He paused. "Officer Jichang Kwak was close to me, so he was there too. The three of us were together. It was calm."
Baki went still in his seat.
"And then?" Heeyeon said.
"A man came in without warning and attacked us," Bakugo said. "All three of us. We didn't know him and we hadn't done anything to provoke him."
Kim Daeshik leaned forward slightly in his chair.
"Charles led me outside to get me away from the situation," Bakugo continued. "Officer Kwak stayed behind to deal with the attacker. Charles and I had put some distance between ourselves and the house when we heard gunshots."
The gallery was completely silent.
"Charles told me to go and hide. Then he went back toward the house." Bakugo's voice stayed flat and even. "After that, I don't know what happened. I hid, like he told me to. That's all I can tell you."
Heeyeon stood at the defense table without moving. She looked at Bakugo's face. It gave her nothing.
"Mr. Bakugo," she said carefully, "you said an unknown man attacked all three of you without provocation. Can you describe this man?"
"Tall. Very large. Young."
"Could you identify him if you saw him again?"
Bakugo looked across the courtroom at Baki. "Yes," he said. "That is him."
The gallery broke into noise. Judge Park raised his hand and the room settled.
Baki sat with his eyes on Bakugo and his cuffed hands flat on the table. His expression did not change.
Heeyeon looked down at her notes. She pressed her fingers flat against the page and took one breath. Then she looked up. "No further questions, Your Honor."
Kim stood immediately. "Mr. Bakugo, you stated that Charles Choi came to visit you as a friend. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"And there was no hostility between you at any point during that visit?"
"None."
"And the defendant attacked without any provocation that you witnessed?"
"That's correct," Bakugo said.
"Thank you." Kim sat down. "No further questions."
Judge Park looked at the room over his glasses. "The witness may step down."
Bakugo stood, picked up his hat, and walked back down the aisle without looking at Baki or Heeyeon.
Heeyeon sat down next to Baki and kept her voice low. "I don't understand. Why would he do that?"
Baki watched Bakugo reach the back of the room and stop beside the doors. The old man did not turn around. "He had a reason," Baki said quietly. "I just don't know what it is yet."
Kim Daeshik was already on his feet. "Your Honor, given the testimony of the sole eyewitness to the events of that night, the prosecution moves that the court proceed directly to closing arguments."
Judge Park looked at Heeyeon. "Attorney Hwang. Does the defense have any response?"
Heeyeon stood. "Your Honor, before we proceed, the defense would like to address the credibility of the witness testimony just given."
Kim looked at her. "The witness was sworn in and testified under oath."
"Your Honor, the defense has reason to believe that Mr. Bakugo's testimony was given under duress," Heeyeon said. "Mr. Bakugo's whereabouts were unknown until moments ago. Someone found him before we did and may have coerced him into giving false testimony."
Kim let out a short laugh. "Your Honor, this is extraordinary. The defense is now asking the court to disregard testimony it requested, from a witness it called, on the grounds that someone threatened him." He spread his hands. "Mr. Bakugo's location was unknown to everyone, including the defense. If the defense couldn't find him, who exactly was threatening him?"
The gallery stirred again.
---
J drove with one hand on the wheel and his phone pressed to his ear.
"So why did you tell me to let the old man go?" he asked. "Doesn't that waste everything we put in?"
James Lee's voice came through the line, calm and unhurried. "Did you show him the photos?"
"Yes," J said. "When did you capture the Kings of Chungcheong, Daegu, Ansan, and Suwon? Why wasn't I told?"
"Kitae Kim captured them," James said.
J nodded slowly. "The old man looked like he'd been struck by lightning when he saw those photos. Any chance Baki Hanma had of walking out of that courtroom should be finished now."
"Yes," James said.
J changed lanes and kept his eyes on the road. "What about the Red Paper? Has it been secured?"
James chuckled. "Gun Park is after it. He's not exactly on our side, but I trust his abilities. The Red Paper won't be a problem."
J set the phone down on the passenger seat and drove.
---
The junkyard was wrecked.
Three rusted car frames had been knocked off their stacks. A section of the outer fence had a body-sized hole torn through it. Boot prints and blood covered the ground in a wide scattered pattern. Jake, Jerry, Eli, Warren, Mandeok, and Yuseong were all down, spread across the yard in various states of unconsciousness.
Gun stood in the middle of it with his shirt off and his scarred torso catching the last of the afternoon light. He was breathing harder than before and a cut above his eye bled slowly, but he stood straight and his eyes were sharp.
Daniel was still on his feet.
Daniel looked at the people on the ground around him. His knuckles were split and his left side ached from an earlier hit. He looked back at Gun.
'All of us together,' Daniel thought. 'And we still couldn't take him down. Is the gap really that large?'
Gun noticed the look on Daniel's face. "Don't be disappointed," he said. "And don't compare the others to me. I am simply stronger than all of them. That's all it is."
"Stop talking and come," Daniel said.
Gun smiled and came forward.
They traded fast, a blur of punches and positioning, neither landing clean. Gun was the first to break through, a straight right that caught Daniel across the cheek and snapped his head to the side. Daniel staggered one step, then reset.
'He is past his limits,' Gun thought.
Daniel shook his head once and looked at Gun. Then he dropped into a lower stance and let his shoulders relax completely. His arms hung loose. His jaw unclenched. Every part of him went soft.
Gun tilted his head. 'What is he doing?'
Daniel breathed out slowly. He fixed his eyes on the center of Gun's chest.
'I only saw Baki do this once,' Daniel thought. 'At the third affiliate. I don't even know if I can do it. But I have to try.'
He pulled back his right fist. His whole body stayed loose, completely relaxed, right up until the instant he moved.
He stepped in and threw the punch.
At the exact moment of impact, every joint in his body locked simultaneously. His ankle drove into the ground. His hip rotated and stopped. His shoulder fixed. His elbow extended and held. His entire body went rigid in a single instant, converting from a relaxed mass into one solid unified structure, every part of him anchored and aligned behind the fist.
BOOM!
Dust kicked up beneath Daniel's feet.
The punch landed flush on Gun's left ribcage.
For a single moment, a faint silhouette appeared behind Daniel. It was large, wild-haired, and unmistakable. It was there and then it was gone.
Gun took the attack head on, just like always.
Except this time, something cracked.
Gun's eyes went wide and his mind went blank, as his body flew back and crashed into a heap of cars. His body started to give up, losing it's consciousness. Until, his sheer will forced him back to his feets. From the dust and debris, he slowly stood up and looked at Daniel.
'Cracked,' Gun thought. 'My ribs actually cracked.'
He stared at Daniel.
Daniel stood with his fist still extended. Then his knees buckled. His arm dropped. The color drained from his face all at once and his legs gave out completely.
He hit the ground face-first and did not move.
Gun stood over him and pressed his hand harder against his ribs. He looked down at Daniel's unconscious body for a long moment.
"How wonderful!" Gun said with a mad smile. "This feeling, It was better than... the best night I had with any woman."
He looked up at the pile of wrecked cars. A lean boy sat at the top, brown mullet hanging low over his eyes. "So when are you coming down, Goddog?"