The King Falls: Auxiliary Volume 001
Chapter 1: The King Falls
The city roared around him, engines blaring, neon lights flickering, but underneath it all, something else stirred in the air tonight. Fear.
Akio stood in the middle of the street, unbothered by the chaos around him. Lollipop hanging from his mouth, headphones draped lazily over his neck, his school uniform half-buttoned, blazer thrown over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
A dozen grown men, all gangsters armed with brass knuckles and wooden bats, encircled him. Their hands shook, not because of the weapons they held, but because of what they knew he was not doing.
He hadn't moved.
The air felt tense. Akio rolled his neck, the crack echoing in the silent space. He shrugged his shoulders, loosening up. The moment he looked up, his eyes caught the gang's.
A soft smile played at the corner of his lips.
"You're wasting my time," he muttered.
Then, chaos.
Akio moved like a shadow. The first punch landed, breaking ribs, and the second man stumbled back before he even touched him. His presence alone had a few men backing off, their confidence shaking.
People watched from the alleyways, whispers floating through the air like smoke.
"That's him.""That's the King…""He beat the mafia last time…"
By the time it was over, the gang lay scattered on the ground like discarded trash. Akio walked away without a second glance. His swagger was undeniable, but his eyes? Empty. Hollow.
The sun began to dip below the horizon as Akio crossed the street, his head low, music filling his ears. Just another day. But then—
Screech.
A girl stepped out onto the road, her eyes fixed on something she'd dropped. She didn't see the red light.
Without thinking, Akio yanked her back just in time, pulling her out of the path of an oncoming car. The screech of tires and the blare of horns filled the air.
"What the hell?!" he snapped, his voice harsh. "Are you insane? Wait for the damn signal!"
The girl blinked, startled, before a soft, genuine smile spread across her face.
"Thank you," she said.
For the first time in his life, time seemed to stop.
Her face caught the fading light. That smile—it was real. Unpretentious. Akio's heart skipped a beat. His normally unreadable face flushed with something he hadn't felt in years.
She turned and ran, catching a bus just as it arrived. Gone.
Akio stood still. Frozen. His hand still hanging in the air where she'd been, his mind unable to process what had just happened.
Later that night, Akio lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Why can't I stop thinking about her?
He couldn't sleep. The hours dragged on, every thought tangled with the image of her smile, her soft eyes, the way she had looked at him. Something inside him stirred, something buried long ago.
By morning, he was already making calls. Pulling favors from people he hadn't spoken to in years. It didn't take long for him to track her down.
He found her address.
He went straight there.
An old lady opened the door.
"She dropped this," Akio said, holding out a bracelet that he had grabbed off the street—a random excuse. "I wanted to return it."
The woman, tired and worn, blinked at the bracelet. "Ah, she moved. Her and her parents. Korea. Gangbuk District."
Akio's heart beat faster. "Her name?"
"Soo Yeon."
He stood still, the weight of her name sinking in. For the first time in years, he felt something he thought he had lost.
Heartbreak.
That night, Akio dreamt of his past.
A younger version of himself was standing in the schoolyard, fists flying as he beat down a bully who had been harassing a classmate. His fists were justice.
But justice never mattered at home.
His father, Kim Jun, had heard about the fight and had punished him worse than the bully ever did.
"You want to be a thug?" his father had yelled, rage in his voice. "You want to rot like them?"
Akio had stood there, blood dripping from his lip, confused, angry, and hurt. His father had apologized to the harasser, not him. That was the moment Akio had broken.
That night, he ran.
What he never knew was that his father, Kim Jun, had cried in the quiet of their home, his fist pounding against the wall until his knuckles bled.
Kim Jun swore he would never lose another son.
He poured everything into his younger son, Daniel. But he never stopped searching for Akio.
Now, years later, Akio stood in front of his old home.
His hair was darker, his wild curls tamed. His uniform was crisp, his posture straight.
He knocked.
The door opened. His father—older now, with streaks of grey in his hair—stood frozen, eyes wide with shock.
The air was thick with silence.
Then, without a word, Kim Jun pulled Akio into a crushing embrace.
"I'm sorry," he choked, his voice shaking. "I was too hard on you… I should've protected you, not pushed you away…"
Akio, his voice barely a whisper, spoke the word that had been stuck in his throat for years. "...Dad?"
Then—
SLAP.
His mother, See soyun, struck him so hard across the face that he staggered back. Then, without hesitation, she pulled him into a hug, her arms tight around him.
"Where the hell have you been?!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "Three years, Akio! Do you know how much we worried?"
Akio didn't answer. He just held them both. For the first time in years, he felt like a son again.
"I'm sorry, Mom," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you'd be better off without me…"
Behind them, a figure stepped forward. A boy with sharp eyes, cold and controlled, stopped in his tracks when he saw Akio.
"Who's this?" he asked.
"Daniel," his mother said softly. "This is your brother. Akio."
Daniel stared at him for a long moment, silent. Then he scoffed.
"Don't expect me to call you Hyung just yet."
Their father, breaking the tension, added, "Daniel's the top fighter at Gangbuk High now. Respected by everyone."
Akio met Daniel's gaze without flinching. "Being strong is good," he said, voice calm but his eyes dark with something unspoken. "But being kind is better."
Later that night, as they sat around the dinner table, his mother asked, "So, what are you going to do now, Akio?"
Akio stared out the window, his thoughts far away. He thought of Soo Yeon. Of the girl with the warm smile.
"I'm going back to school," he said. "Gangbuk High."
The table fell silent. Even Daniel stopped chewing.
"Gangbuk, huh?" Daniel smirked. "Dangerous place. You sure you're ready for that?"
Akio looked at him, calm as ever, a faint smile on his lips. But deep in his eyes, something dark shimmered.
"I'm not planning to cause trouble," he said.
"But if trouble comes to me… I won't run."
End of Chapter 1.