The Gapyeong Tigers didn't implode overnight.
They rotted from the inside, quietly at first, like a wound ignored too long.
Then, suddenly, the rot burst open.
1. When Lines Disappear
It started in Namgye on a Wednesday afternoon.
A small Tiger crew was ambushed at a red light by another Tiger crew, both wearing the same emblem, both shouting the same gang name, both convinced the other side had struck first.
Cars screeched.
Gunshots cracked.
Pedestrians scattered.
By the time police sirens wailed in the distance, the Tigers involved had already fled, leaving behind a burning scooter and a shattered sense of loyalty.
News spread fast.
Within hours, Haneul's underbelly was trembling.
Shops closed early.
Gang members walked in pairs.
Every Tiger kept a hand near their weapon.
Rumors turned into whispers.
Whispers turned into theories.
Theories turned into accusations.
It was everything Tae-min predicted, almost too perfect.
Almost.
2. A Strange Silence
Inside the Skyfall Lounge, closed for the day, the trio gathered around the backroom table, listening to the city unravel.
Sang-ho was smiling, cigarette in hand.
Soo-jin was sharpening a blade absentmindedly.
But Tae-min had a crease in his brow.
Sang-ho noticed immediately.
"Why're you frowning?" he asked. "Everything's going exactly how you said it would."
Tae-min didn't answer.
He tapped his fingers on the table rhythmically, staring at the map of Haneul they'd marked with strings and notes.
Soo-jin stopped sharpening.
"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
Tae-min leaned back.
"Something's off."
Sang-ho scoffed.
"What, the fact they're killing each other? That was the whole point."
"No," Tae-min said. "That's predictable."
He pointed at three circles on the map, all Tiger territories.
"These three sectors should've collapsed by now, but instead… they've gone quiet."
Han Joon leaned forward.
"What does that mean?"
Tae-min's eyes narrowed.
"It means someone inside the Tigers is stabilizing their own faction. Someone smart enough to ignore the chaos."
For the first time, Sang-ho's smile faded.
"So there's someone playing the same game as us."
"Maybe," Tae-min murmured. "Or maybe someone is learning from the chaos."
3. A Visit From the Wrong People
Their meeting was interrupted by a knock.
Not a loud one.
Not a violent one.
A single, polite knock.
Soo-jin, who had been checking security cameras, froze.
"Who the hell knocks politely in Haneul?" Sang-ho muttered.
Tae-min gestured for silence.
Sang-ho approached the door quietly, motioned for everyone to stay back, and cracked it open just enough to peek.
Two men stood outside.
Not Tigers.
Not cops.
They wore no colors.
No identifiable marks.
But Sang-ho knew their type instantly...
free agents, gangless men who thrived on chaos, scavengers who picked off scraps from collapsing empires.
They were dangerous because they were unpredictable.
The taller one smiled, revealing a chipped tooth.
"Evening," he said calmly. "We heard business is changing around here. Thought we'd pay our respects."
Sang-ho didn't open the door wider.
"We're closed."
The shorter man chuckled.
"That's fine. We're just here for news. Word on the street says the Tigers are eating themselves. Word also says someone's stirring the pot."
A tension snapped tight inside the room.
Soo-jin's grip tightened on his blade.
Tae-min's eyes sharpened.
Soo-jin stood behind them, hand near the drawer where a pistol was hidden.
The taller man continued:
"We just wanna know… is it you boys?"
Sang-ho didn't flinch.
"No."
The shorter one smiled wider.
"Right. Well… we'll be around. And we'll be watching. Chaos is good for business."
They left quietly.
Too quietly.
When the door shut, nobody spoke for a long time.
Then Tae-min finally exhaled.
"That," he said, "is a problem."
4. Cracks in the Plan
When the trio regrouped in the office, Tae-min laid it out plainly.
"We underestimated how fast word spreads," he said. "We wanted the Tigers to collapse, but now others are circling the ruins."
Soo-jin frowned.
"That's a good thing. More pressure."
Tae-min shook his head.
"No. Pressure makes people desperate. Desperate people make unpredictable choices. And unpredictability ruins plans."
Sang-ho folded his arms.
"So what do we do?"
Tae-min looked at the whiteboard filled with targets, movements, and timing.
"We proceed to the next phase, but with caution. We can't let random scavengers or smaller gangs get in our way."
Soo-jin leaned back.
"How do we stop them?"
Tae-min's voice became colder than usual.
"By making sure they're scared of the same thing."
"What's that?" Sang-ho asked.
Tae-min looked at both of them.
"Us."
5. The Night Explodes
That night, the Tigers' internal war reached a boiling point.
A Tiger warehouse in Namgye was set ablaze, no one knew by who.
In Haneul, three Tigers turned on their own senior after accusing him of taking orders from another faction.
Gunshots echoed through alleys.
Cars raced through backstreets.
Territories were abandoned, claimed, reclaimed.
And while all this happened, the trio walked through the chaos carefully, subtly pushing events along.
But for every action they took…
…something unexpected followed.
A Tiger patrol they expected to be in Sector C was suddenly gone.
A crew they planned to manipulate was found beaten beforehand.
A rumor they planted was overshadowed by a rumor someone else planted first.
Someone else was playing.
Someone else was adapting.
And for the first time since the plan began… Tae-min felt an edge of uncertainty.
The city was turning into a chessboard where pieces moved on their own.
He watched a burning warehouse from a bridge and whispered to himself:
"This is moving too fast…"
6. Something Worse Than Chaos
Back at the Skyfall Lounge, late at night, Soo-jin rushed in with a tablet showing surveillance footage.
"Guys," he said, breathless. "You need to see this."
Tae-min and Sang-ho looked at the tablet.
It showed a Tiger safehouse being raided, not by another Tiger crew, but by an unknown group wearing masks and moving with frightening discipline.
Not scavengers.
Not amateurs.
Professionals.
And one of them walked with a familiar posture.
Sang-ho felt his stomach drop.
Someone who shouldn't be there.
Someone who shouldn't know anything.
Tae-min noticed his expression and stepped close.
"What is it?"
Sang-ho swallowed hard.
"The plan isn't just cracking," he said quietly.
"It's being hijacked."