Episode 3

  When the small commotion caused by the scammers had passed and his family finally went home,

  Jihyun was left alone in the quiet of the night — thinking.

  He was thinking about what he had seen through his new ability.

  Those scammers were far more dangerous than he had imagined.

  He had thought they were just lowlifes chasing insurance scams — but they were worse. Much worse.

  Especially the one who led them — his mind was utterly rotten.

  A man who could only survive by feeding off the ruin of others.

  He had already committed countless crimes, faced legal punishment more than once,

  but those sentences barely scratched the surface of his sins.

  If Jihyun had to describe him in one word, it would be evil.

  Pure, unfiltered evil.

  A man he never wanted to meet again — because the moment you were on the wrong side of him,

  your destruction was already sealed.

  And when Jihyun had seen the man’s data hovering above his head,

  certain words had burned themselves into his mind:

  Human trafficking.

  The intended victims — his mother and his younger sister, Jisoo.

  The thought alone made his blood run cold.

  But that wasn’t all.

  Organ trafficking.

  He didn’t need to guess whose organs were being discussed.

  A chill of anger settled deep inside Jihyun — the kind of cold fury that made a man sharper, not reckless.

  If he wanted to survive, he had to strike first.

  If he hadn’t awakened this strange power, he would’ve been their next victim.

  But now… things were different.

  He possessed a force that no one else did — a power that could be shaped in endless ways.

  And tonight, he would put it to the test.

  “Alright… let’s see how far this goes.”

  He connected his smartphone to the charger — just in case the connection got cut midway.

  This device was now the bridge between his mind and the infinite expanse of the internet.

  Through it, he would claim the knowledge buried in that vast ocean of data.

  To any normal person, that thought alone would’ve sounded insane.

  Something out of a science fiction movie.

  But to Jihyun, it was reality now. He could do it.

  And he would.

  Of course, there was danger.

  He remembered vividly the first time his power had awakened —

  the unbearable flood of information that had nearly drowned his mind.

  It had felt like suffocating under an invisible sea,

  each wave of data slamming into him harder than the last.

  Only those who had tasted such a thing could understand how terrifying it truly was.

  And connecting directly to the internet could be even worse.

  But sometimes, a man has to take risks.

  This was one of those times.

  To protect his family — and himself — Jihyun had to push forward, no matter the cost.

  At least now, he had the power to fight back.

  And power unused was power wasted.

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  He needed to practice, to test it, to learn how far it could go.

  Luckily, this was a hospital. Unlimited Wi-Fi, minimal interruption —

  and if he collapsed, at least there were doctors nearby.

  Of course, the hospital bill would rise.

  But that didn’t matter. What mattered was destroying those monsters

  and keeping his family safe.

  Opportunity only comes to those who take it.

  And Jihyun was ready to take his first step.

  He gripped his phone and connected to the ?5,000-per-day Wi-Fi.

  “Faster than I expected,” he muttered.

  Then, slowly, he linked his consciousness to the internet.

  A spark flickered from his hand — tiny streaks of blue light,

  and the phone screen began to distort as if reacting to his will.

  He hid his hands under the blanket, praying no one would notice.

  After all, this wasn’t a private room.

  But soon, even that worry vanished.

  “Kh…!”

  Pain.

  The torrent of data struck like lightning, crashing directly into his skull.

  A line of blood trickled from his nose.

  His body trembled under the weight of the incoming flood.

  But Jihyun smiled.

  Because this was the price he had expected to pay.

  It was the line between life and death — to either be devoured by this power,

  or endure it and grow stronger.

  He had already made his choice.

  For his family.

  So he embraced the pain.

  “This is nothing. Let’s do this.”

  He focused, narrowing the flow of information, filtering it,

  learning to breathe inside the chaos.

  Piece by piece, he began to separate what mattered from the noise.

  It was like learning to swim for the first time — terrifying, exhausting,

  but worth every moment.

  Gradually, his breathing steadied. The bleeding slowed.

  And at last, a faint smile curved his lips.

  He was learning.

  He was evolving.

  Every kind of work required an office —

  a place designed to suit the purpose of the job.

  The scammers’ office was no exception.

  At first glance, it looked like any normal businessman’s workspace.

  But beneath the polished surface, it was filled with tools of fear.

  The golf clubs in the corner were a perfect example —

  props for intimidation, not leisure.

  The room was a masquerade — clean, organized,

  but only to hide the rot underneath.

  To those who knew the truth, it was nothing more than a torture chamber.

  Only its owner knew how many victims had cried within these walls.

  That owner — the scammer himself — was a master of human fear.

  Even his desk had been arranged to maximize psychological pressure.

  A luxurious lacquered nameplate gleamed on the table —

  except for the jagged crack across one edge.

  Whoever had caused that crack had surely paid for it with blood.

  Everything in the room reflected its owner:

  expensive, gaudy, vulgar —

  a fragile mask stretched over depravity.

  And behind that mask was only one truth:

  Ruin.

  Profit.

  He had built his wealth on blood and tears.

  And he enjoyed every moment of it.

  The twisted faces of his victims were his favorite reward.

  He loved his job.

  He always smiled while doing it.

  That smile, however, was pure cruelty.

  But tonight, the smile was gone.

  Because his pride — his face — had been broken.

  He had gone to the hospital intending to terrify a boy named Jihyun,

  to crush him and his entire family in one move.

  Instead, it was he who had been shaken.

  In front of his men, no less.

  And in this business, losing face was death.

  If you didn’t strike back twice as hard, you were done.

  So he would repay that humiliation —

  with a ruin so complete, the boy would beg for death.

  Jihyun’s calm words, his warning — none of it mattered.

  The scammer would destroy everything Jihyun cared for.

  That was the only way to restore his pride.

  That was how he’d always survived —

  how he’d earned his reputation in the underworld.

  And yet… something about that boy’s eyes wouldn’t leave his mind.

  They weren’t the eyes of a scared kid.

  They were cold. Calculating. Dangerous.

  For the first time in years, the scammer had felt something unfamiliar —

  fear.

  He didn’t understand why.

  He couldn’t accept it.

  “What’s wrong, boss? You’ve been quiet…”

  A lackey’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  The scammer’s eyes snapped open.

  He grabbed the nearest tissue box and hurled it across the room.

  “What the hell do you care what I’m thinking!?”

  The henchman froze, terrified.

  The smooth-talking mask their boss wore before victims — gone.

  This was the real man — a tyrant.

  “S-sorry, boss!”

  “Sorry? Sorry for what!?”

  He struck the man again and again, each blow heavier than the last.

  The others watched in silence, too afraid to intervene.

  “Damn it… That bastard’s already pissed me off,

  and now you’re making it worse!”

  He kept hitting until his rage cooled.

  By then, his knuckles were bleeding — and the room was silent.

  Finally, he spoke.

  “Get ready for tomorrow.”

  The men exchanged uneasy looks.

  They didn’t know what he meant — and they didn’t dare ask.

  He smirked. “What? You idiots deaf now?

  We’re going after the kid’s little sister.”

  The room went still.

  It was too soon, too reckless.

  Everyone knew it.

  But no one said a word.

  “B-boss, are you sure that’s—”

  Slap!

  The sound echoed through the office.

  “Don’t make me say it twice.”

  The warning was final.

  No one spoke again.

  They all knew — when the boss was like this,

  reason no longer existed.

  And this time, there would be blood.