6 Inauguration, Plans & Gangbuk Summit

Lunch only got more hectic when Lee Hyundong returned with a bloody envelope.

"...Try not to get blood on it next time. I fucking hate touching shit like that," I said in distaste, lightly holding the envelope with two fingers before sliding it into my bag, "How much is in it?" I asked as I zipped my backpack up again.

Hyundong coughed, his beady eyes going serious, "I know you said to lower the tax but we pitched in as a welcome present for you, boss. So there's one-million in there*," he seemed proud of himself. Just when I thought he was done, he spoke up again in a hurry, "The second and third year representatives will be getting the money to me tomorrow but if you want, I can go get--" I held up a hand to stop him.

(*A/n - Equates to about £633 or $790.)

"It's okay, don't worry. Make sure you get it tomorrow and if you need to, come get me and I'll get it personally," I absentmindedly said before looking around at the people staring at me. Looking back to the three delinquents bowing to me and I honestly can't blame everyone for looking.

I know this is a webtoon reality but...come on. I'm a highschooler, not some mafia boss--stop bowing!

Though obviously I couldn't say that. Hyundong is a fanatic. I've only met him once before but I remember him from the original webtoon - he's obsessed with uniting Gangbuk. Which means he won't take no for an answer and if I tell him to stop bowing he'll just bow even deeper. Best to just let him do what he wants and try not to get bothered by it.

...But seeing him glare at anyone who gets close to me like they're about to make an attempt on my life, it feels like not getting bothered by it is gonna be a hassle.

Lightly slapping him over the back of the head, I brought his attention back to me, "Is that all for today then? I wanna eat my lunch."

"Ah, boss, we have your inauguration to do. I can get someone to bring you your food if you want?" he asked with puppy dogs eyes that just looked out of place on his fierce, borderline gangster face. Seriously, how is this guy a first-year? He looks like he's already done time in prison and he's got tattoos! How the hell did he get away with that?!

...Webtoon reality, Soohyun, deal with it and ignore it.

Sighing again, I gave a nod, "Just take me to where it's taking place. Make sure whoever gets my food gets double portions, okay?" I asked and he nodded like he lived to serve and gave a look to one of the others with him who gave a way too serious look and nod before going off to the canteen. From how he looked when he turned, you'd think he'd gone off to war or to fight a one-sided fight against an entire gang.

Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to Hyundong who became my personal chauffeur and led me to the place where I'd 'officially' become the boss of West Gangbuk. Say what you want about Hyundong and the delinquents at this school but they've got a decent system worked out.

A few minutes later and I was sat at the end of a table constructed from multiple desks put together and I had Kuza sat next to me. As nerdy as he was, he really fit in right now, lounging on his chair like a real gangster and acting like he owned the place. I smiled a little at that - he was enjoying himself which was good.

The table was lined with a dozen or so people and each of them looked pretty strong. I used Observe and each of them had stats that were C or B in terms of fighting but their Intelligence and Potential weren't the best. Still, they'd make decent foot soldiers for later quests.

Suddenly, all of them bowed towards me, "WELCOME, BOSS!" they shouted and I wondered if they had to do everything like that. Filled with energy and vigor - is this them trying to be manly?

Pushing the thoughts away from my head, I looked to the second objective of my latest quest and saw it become complete. One more to go then. Turning to Hyundong who was at the other side of the table, opposite me and Kuza, I saw him pulling a whiteboard to where he was standing with a picture stuck to it, "Are you ready for our briefing, boss?" he asked and I gave a nod as I turned my attention to the image.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion at what I was seeing. In the original, Gangbuk - which is a district in Seoul - was split between North, South, East and West. Getting past the logistics of how highschoolers owned businesses and the like, the territory was split between those four and those four only.

But...right now I was looking at an image where those four were there but there was also another district map not too far from where Gangbuk was put. The other map simply had a name that tickled at my brain with it's familiarity. Simply, the word 'UNION' was written across that part of the map.

Why does that name seem so familiar?

Either way, Hyundong started speaking, "As you can see, Gangbuk's four schools have split Gangbuk into four parts. These four parts used to be one, unified area led by Seong Yohan but when he gave up his reign to move on to other things everything fell apart. As such, as the boss of West Gangbuk, you have four major enemies," he pulled a pointing stick out of nowhere and slapped it against the board where East Gangbuk was written, "First off, our closest enemies. East Gangbuk High. They're basically just your everyday outlaws and their leader is a psychopath who's rumoured to be involved in the human trafficking business."

That got very real, very fast. Human trafficking? Damn.

His pointer slapped against the board again but in a different place, "Next up is South Gangbuk. Contrary to East Gangbuk, they have a much better reputation and multiple members of their student body have won awards for exemplary learning attitude and other such scholarly awards. Their leader is a good guy, supposedly, but there's something fishy going on there because they have their own shady businesses just like East Gangbuk."

If I recall correctly, isn't it hinted at that it's to do with drugs? Again, damn. Highschoolers selling drugs to the general populace? This world is fucking crazy, man.

Hyundong stopped for a second before giving me an apologetic look, "The last two groups of interest are the most mysterious. North Gangbuk, the school that owns the most out of the four Gangbuk schools, is a complete mystery. We don't know their current boss' name or appearance and all we know about them is that he's a complete monster when it comes to fighting. The same can be said about the Union except that we know it's leaders name: Donald Na. And that they've been trying to push into our neck of the woods over the past few years due to our fractured state."

...Ah fuck. Donald Na? Union? Fuckity fuck, fuck, shit. Fucking hell. That crazy bastard is here as well? The dude who's apparently a business genius, a genius in general and ruthless as hell? Oh man, oh man. I'm fucked.

"And why haven't the rest of Gangbuk united to fight off the Union?" I asked after regaining my composure, "Seems like a common enemy would be the best way to bring a bunch of delinquents together."

"You'd think that..." Hyundong trailed off before coughing into his hand and looking about awkwardly, "But there's bad blood between a few of the Gangbuk leaders and one of them, East Gangbuk's leader, is especially prideful and won't accept working with others. South Gangbuk seem happy enough to sit around and wait to see what the Union do because no outright attacks have happened yet. Nobody knows what North Gangbuk are planning."

"Fucking hell," I mumbled, scratching at my forehead, "And what do you think we should do?"

"I wouldn't feign to know what to do, boss--" I cut him off with a raised hand.

"I asked you a question, Hyundong. Don't make me repeat myself," I put on a bit of a facade. If this dude wants a boss, then I'll have to start acting like one. Besides, it doesn't help that my missions/quests seem to be intrinsically linked to the unification of Gangbuk, so I need to take this stuff seriously.

Hyundong seemed a bit taken aback before he nodded and bowed his head a little, "I apologize, boss," he cleared his throat and stopped bowing his head before continuing, pointing back at East Gangbuk, "I think we should try our best to little by little take over East Gangbuk's territory. Their leader is one of the main people against unifying Gangbuk to fight off the Union because of his bad blood with South Gangbuk's leader. If we can take over his territory, that will mean one less person who will be against fighting the Union as a unified Gangbuk."

I hummed in response, rubbing at my jaw as I thought it through. It is true that out of the three other highschools in Gangbuk, East Gangbuk is the weakest if we exclude West Gangbuk. South Gangbuk is too much of a mystery and I'm pretty sure their leader is massively stronger than East's leader. North Gangbuk are even more mysterious.

"Good plan, I guess. But we should sort out our internal structure before we make any moves," I decided, "Like I said before. Lower taxes and stop fucking bullying people, will you? If you're frustrated, go to the gym and take it out on a punching bag. With that brought up, I want everyone to work out at least two times a week. Go to a gym, do it at home--I don't care. I want you all in tip-top shape, got it?" I ordered and all of them looked at me like I was the bloody Messiah.

And all in unison, they bowed and shouted, "YES, BOSS!"

...Man, that's gonna take some time getting used to.

Just as I was about to dismiss them, Hyundong spoke up with a timid voice that didn't fit his image, "About that boss...I don't think East Gangbuk are gonna give us any time to sort that stuff out. They're already gonna be gunning for you, seeing as you're the new boss."

"And?" I questioned, "Surely the news hasn't...spread...that...did you start rumours, Hyundong?" I asked in horror, realisation hitting me far too late.

"Yes, boss!" he nodded with a joyful smile, "Everyone who's anyone should already know about Mad Dog Kim Soohyun who rips his enemies apart with ferocity unmatched by anyone! The whole of Gangbuk will know how great you are, I, Lee Hyundong, promise this to you!" he gave me a pair of enthusiastic thumbs up and despite his ugly mug looking so happy...I couldn't match his enthusiasm. All I could manage was a weak smile.

...At least being called Mad Dog is better than the original Soohyun who got the moniker Wifebeater. I shiver at the thought of being called that and I feel sorry for the alternate version of me who has to deal with that horrible nickname.

"Thanks, Hyundong," I gave him a dead-inside tone before gripping the bridge of my nose and closing my eyes because I knew if I had to look at his happy face any longer, I'd probably try and kill him for spreading rumours like that, "Just try not to spread too many rumours. I wanna be lowkey and not have the rest of Gangbuk coming after me. Got it?" I heard him nod, his enthusiasm making the action ten times louder than it should've been. Letting go of my nose and opening my eyes, having calmed down some, I looked to him and spoke up, "And what about the Gangbuk Summit? When is it?"

Hyundong thought for a moment before answering, "Two days from now, after school. So Friday, boss."

"Right," I nodded and then leaned back against the chair I was sitting in, "Only three of us are going. Me, you--who else wants to come?"

That sent the guys in the room into a frenzy, all of them trying to get picked. But then Kuza put his feet up on the table in front of him and everyone shut up - it astounds me that a nerdy kid like him can act like such a gangster. How the hell does he do it? If everything else fails, including the singing career, I can be this dude's agent. He's a budding actor.

"I'll come with you, Soohyun," he said dramatically and everyone gave disappointed sighs but said nothing else. I'm pretty sure I heard a rumour about how Kuza and I had a fight for three days and three nights to decide our hierarchy or something so, if they belief that, that makes Kuza my number two. He's really a great actor because even the weakest dude in front of us could kick Kuza's ass, not that I'd let them.

I put a hand on Kuza's shoulder, knowing that despite outside appearances, he was worried for my well-being and that's why he was coming, "Thanks Kuza. You're a real good friend," I then turned back to Hyundong, "So, where's my food?"

. . .

"So, the day has arrived," Kuza got out in an overly serious manner, "The Gangbuk...Summit!" he said dramatically and I chuckled at how he phrased it.

Nudging him on the shoulder with an elbow, I replied, "Stop being dramatic, dude. It's just a meeting between some delinquents. Besides, like I said earlier, you really don't need to come with me, Kuza. I'm grateful you wanna come but if it's that big of a deal for you, you can just go home. I know you're still pretty sore from the gym yesterday."

Kuza gave a nearly imperceptible shiver at the memory of yesterday and I can't blame him. I made him run lap after lap with a weighted vest on - he had decent Strength but he needed Speed. And cardio. Besides, the weights would build up Strength anyway.

But for an overweight guy like Kuza, yesterday was hell for him. Still, I'd basically forced him to show up and he seemed to be following me around like Genos did to Saitama. He wished to learn the secrets of my strength...it's a shame I can't just tell him 'I have a system that lets me cheat' because he'd think I was insane. Either way, I'd try my best to tutor him into living up to his S-Rank Potential. I'd make him strong enough to overcome any flags I may or may not have planted.

"No," he shook his head before looking up at me, "What kind of friend would I be if I let you go on your own?" he asked before looking down at himself, "I know I won't be much help and that you're now strong enough to deal with problems on your own but I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I let my cowardice stop me from supporting a friend."

"Ah, Kuza!" I cheerily said, pulling him into a headlock as I rubbed my free hand's knuckles into his head, "You little bastard, you're gonna make me cry with these drama lines!" I joked but the sincerity was there. Kuza was a real bro, man. I let him go and he gave me a wry smile, then I pat him on the back, "Thanks, Kuza. If you need anything, just tell me and I'll get it done for you." Upon hearing that, he looked up at me and gave a slight smile.

"Just look after yourself, Soohyun--" I cut him off by pulling him into a headlock again.

"You little heartthrob, Kuza! Silver tongued devil! How haven't you wooed most the girls in school yet?" I joked with him, laughing genuinely and lightheartedly. Kuza just has a way of getting rid of my stress, man.

Because despite not showing it, I am a bit nervous about the Summit. From what I remember, the two who show up there are both major characters and both of them are majorly fucking strong as well. Maybe even more so than Hajoon. Not to mention that South Gangbuk and East Gangbuk have plenty of strong guys while the school I now run has very little strong people. But with Kuza being the good friend he is? I feel a bit more at ease than I actually should.

"Boss!" Hyundong gave a shout, catching my attention and when I turned to see him he was waving like a madman, "Over here!" he said, backed up by a dozen or so tough-looking guys.

Sighing, I gave a look to Kuza before turning back to Hyundong and then walking over to him, "I thought I said only three of us would be going?" I asked with an edge to my voice, to which he rapidly shook his head in reply.

"No, no! Boss, I know what you said. These guys are just here to give you their goodbyes and well wishes!" he said before turning to the guys behind him, "Right?!" he shouted and the twelve of them all bowed, shouting their goodbyes, well wishes and wishing me good luck at the Summit. I think I know why Kuza fits in so well with these guys - they're all so dramatic.

"Right, right," I waved my hand dismissively, "Thanks for that. Now, should we head out, Hyundong?"

The man in question gave an enthusiastic nod - what doesn't he do enthusiastically? - and turned to lead me to wherever the summit was taking place.

In truth, the walk there didn't take that long at all. It was perfectly in between all the schools and could probably be considered neutral ground, making it the perfect place to hold gatherings like this. Hyundong seemed absolutely overjoyed he was here while Kuza had a stony face that looked extremely stoic...yet I knew that was a facade to hide how close he was to pissing himself. I can't really blame him as the place to hold the summit was an abandoned building site.

The type of site where you dump bodies into drying cement.

And of course Hyundong opened his mouth to ruin the serious atmosphere we had going, "You can kill someone here and nobody would know...is that the plan, Boss? Kill everyone that's coming today?" he asked with such sincerity that I wondered if Observe was incorrect about his B-Ranked Intelligence.

"No, you idiot," I groaned, dragging a hand across my face, "You told me this is neutral territory, right? I'm not gonna mess with a rule like that, ya crazy bastard. Quick way to have the rest of Gangbuk aiming for my head, if they ain't doing so already," I tiredly explain to him.

Hyundong gave a look of realization and put his fist down into his hand like he understood, "Oh, I get it, you'll wait for them to leave and then strike--"

"Shut up, Hyundong. Just shut up before I hit you," I sighed and made my way into the building site.

Upon entering the building, I was pretty surprised by how well furnished it was. Which made sense, I guess, just a few days as the boss of West Gangbuk and I already had a decent amount of cash inflow. So considering there have been bosses in Gangbuk for a while, they could've put some money aside for stuff like this.

"Welcome~" a particularly friendly looking guy said, his arms crossed. He was all smiles and his eyes were practically closed - anime/webtoon logic on how he could see - and the two guys behind him looked nothing like fighters. But a quick use of Observe told me they all had B or A stats for everything. Damn OP when all I have is Hyundong and Kuza backing me up but whatever, no need to be too salty about it.

The Brock-looking guy was the scariest, of course, being the boss and all.

[Name: Kang Seok]

[Height: 176cm*]

[Weight: 85kg*]

[Strength: S+]

[Speed: S]

[Potential: B]

[Intelligence: A]

[Tenacity: S+]

(*A/n - I actually can't remember his height or weight, so I just did some guess work. He's shorter than Hyundong, but not by much, and he's also ridiculously jacked for his height. Same thing for his stats as well; he's definitely a strength fighter because of how beefed up he is but he's also probably faster than Goo Hajoon because of his shorter size. He's also the type of guy that fights with his head instead of Instinct, making him a much trickier opponent.)

Damn, 85kg? Dude must be absolutely ripped underneath that baggy uniform.

"Kim Soohyun of West Gangbuk High?" he asked and I gave a simple nod to which he continued with his friendly smile and tone, "I must say, you're much taller than I expected. Even taller than Goo Hajoon and he was quite the giant himself! Well, when compared to me, anyway," he joked and if I didn't know his stats and his actual status as a boss of delinquents...I wouldn't suspect he was a bad guy. But because I do know who he actually is, he's extremely suspicious. If anime taught me anything, it's always the guys who are constantly smiling that you should be worried about.

"And you are?" I asked despite knowing the answer, walking up closer to him with a hand reaching out for a handshake.

"Kang Seok," he smiled a little wider and took my hand in a tight grip. If it weren't for my training and reinforced joints, I'm pretty sure my bones would've been creaking. As it were, however, I gave as good as I received. "Do you mind if I don't talk to you formally since we're the same age?" he asked.

"Go ahead, if you want," I shrugged and continued, "Though I've gotta say, the whole good student vibe you've got going on is pretty convincing. Tell the truth, were you a nerd who got sick of bullying so you became the boss of your school? Because if so, that's like the plot out of a webtoon," I joked and Kang Seok gave an uneasy laugh, breaking the handshake.

"No, no," he shook his head, "Nothing that dramatic. I simply rose to my position because I was the one most suited for it," he vaguely replied.

Bullshit. Just pouring out of his mouth. Should probably have a doctor check that out, honestly.

Everything about him seemed a little fake. A little too forced. It was odd and gave me a strong feeling of unease. Gonna have to keep a close eye on this motherfucker, that's for sure. Not wanting to deal with the smiler anymore, I pointed to a seat opposite to the one he came from and asked, "Is that my seat?" and he gave me the same oddly fake smile he'd been giving me ever since I entered and then nodded, "Thanks."

With that, I turned and walked to the seat before seating down and leaning against the comfy cushioning it had. Say what you want about delinquents, they definitely value comfy and high-quality seats.

Hyundong and Kuza sat next to me and the former spoke up, "Boss, don't get deceived by that smile," he spoke in a whisper.

"I know," I kept up a smile while still looking at Kang Seok, "He reeks of fishiness and his smile is fake as fuck. He's the type of snake that'll smile at you while stabbing you in the stomach - a fucking psycho, that is," I said in a similarly quiet tone. And speaking of psychos, another one appeared with a ripping noise as he tore through some plastic tarpaulin sheets to get to us.

"Didn't I tell you to get rid of all this plastic shit, you fucking idiot?" in walked a tan dude with a very delinquent-esque style of clothing. His school shirt was unbuttoned and underneath was a black t-shirt. Classic. His hair was grey-ish and I couldn't tell whether that was natural or not and his eyes were a dark red. Dude looks like an OC character made up by a particularly edgy teenager. Those thoughts aside, I pulled up his stats with Observe.

[Name: Han Jae-Ha]

[Height: 178cm]

[Weight: 68kg]

[Strength: A+]

[Speed: S+]

[Potential: S]

[Intelligence: S+]

[Tenacity: A]

(A/n - Again, I don't remember his exact height, weight and stats. So I've taken some creative license and put in what I thought was best fitting for him. I remember that his Potential and Intelligence were top-notch, and to keep him from being too OP or just a carbon copy of Kang Seok or Goo Hajoon, I've made him Speed orientated fighter.)

Speedy boi, huh? Though it does beg the question; how did he get S+ Speed? Training? Born with it? Either way, this reality just gets crazier and crazier, considering a highschooler has superhuman speed and reaction time.

No wonder there's a scene in the original with him beating the shit out of literal grown-adults who were in a gang.

Kang Seok, unaffected by Han Jae-Ha's vulgar language and hostile attitude, kept up his fake smile, "That's a harsh thing to say to a friend, Jae-Ha. It was so long ago that we had a Summit that I must've forgot that you mentioned it, sorry," he apologised in a tone that made it entirely clear he wasn't actually apologising. Zero sincerity. Obviously there was some real bad blood between these two if Kang Seok was willing to let his facade down even this much.

[You have completed a Main Quest.]

[As per the rewards of completing the quest, you will receive: Gold Card (x1) & Bronze Card (x8)]

Nice.

Adjusting my seating position, I looked to the two of the other main people in the room and quirked an eyebrow, "As much as I enjoy your TV show esque drama and posturing, do we actually have anything to do at this Summit or is it just a case of turning up, squaring off and then leaving? Because if so, I'm gonna leave now before you two start making out. Some real sexual tension there," I mocked, seeing the words really pissing the two of them off.

We all knew they couldn't do anything here. This was Sacred Ground. And if they broke it? I'd have all I needed to launch a delinquent crusade against them. Besides, as much as they outmatched me in stats, I was quickly realising that skills were more important than pure stats.

Not that I'd start skimping out on my exercise routine but just food for thought.

A system given skill at B-Rank, like my Boxing skill, could easily allow me to fight people physically stronger and faster than me. Just like it did when I went up against Goo Hajoon. So these two who were on similar levels to Goo Hajoon? I had decent enough chances that I didn't really feel a need to stop myself from running my mouth.

Han Jae-Ha scowled, turning to me, his dark red eyes almost glowing under the low-light conditions, "You must be Kim Soohyun. Got a real mouth on you, haven't you?"

"Some say it's my best quality outside of my stunningly good looks and my eight pack," I replied wittily without missing a beat and Han Jae-Ha actually laughed. But it wasn't a laugh birthed from mirth...more of a laugh birthed from disbelief that someone was speaking to him like the way I was.

He took a step toward me and I stood up, standing a solid four inches above him with a much stockier and muscular frame. Speed fighter, huh? How well's your speed gonna help when your strength is low enough for my Tenacity to resist? I'm kinda curious enough to fuck about and find out.

"You've got some fuckin' nerve, Kim Soohyun," he poked my chest, trying to push me back but I stood ramrod straight and just looked down at him with a mocking expression, my smirk seemingly pushing him over the emotional edge. I'll give him this - he really is fucking quick. I say that because before I noticed, his hand was clamped around my neck, squeezing it tight. "You better watch that mouth of yours before I knock all of your teeth out. Fucking newbie thinking he can step up to--" he stopped speaking when my hand reached up and latched onto his wrist.

My smirk never left my face.

Why?

Because my Strength had recently pushed over into the A-Rank, meaning I was well-within my means to have a contest of strength with this dude. And true to it's explanation by the System, Strength was related to height and weight more than actual ranking. Meaning? A dude like me who stood 188cm tall, while also being 200lbs? Even if Han Jae-Ha had a nifty little '+' next to his A, it meant jack shit when you take into consideration our height and weight difference.

My hand clamped around his wrist, I slowly but surely pried it off of my throat which wasn't any worse for ware after his little squeezing, "Get your hand off my throat you grey-haired bum. You're embarrassing yourself," my smirk continued to grate on him and he tore his hand away from my grip.

But only because I let him go. Both he and I knew if I wanted to continuing holding it, there was very fucking little he could do about it.

Turning to Hyundong who looked like he was about to start worshipping the ground I stood on and Kuza who looked exceptionally uncomfortable, I spoke up, "Come on, you two, let's go. Nothing's happening here anyway," I said before turning to Kang Seok, "See ya around, man. Don't let your lover's spat get you down," I grinned at him and his smile faltered slightly. Good. Best way to deal with guys like him who like being in control is to make them lose their composure.

Playing mind games out here! Psychological warfare! Emotional damage--Ahem, anyway.

With the summit over and done with, I just wanted to go home, get changed and hit the gym for a little while. Then I could have a load to eat and then sleep. Social interaction with guys like Han Jae-Ha drains me of my will to be social.

And with that thought passing through my head, I left, flanked by Hyundong and Kuza. If it weren't for the cards, I wouldn't have come here. What a damn drag.