The rooftop was a battlefield, smeared with blood and the echoes of our breathless struggle. The moon cast a pale glow over the carnage—two brothers, born of the same monster, locked in a final, merciless fight.
Taesung staggered back, his chest rising and falling, his knife trembling in his grip. Blood seeped through the fabric of his shirt, staining his side where my blade had found its mark. But he was still standing. Still fighting.
I licked the taste of iron from my lips, my own wounds screaming with each movement. But pain was irrelevant. The thrill of it, the sheer rightness of this moment, consumed me.
"You're slowing down," I murmured.
Taesung chuckled, a rasping sound. "And you're getting reckless."
He lunged—faster than before, his desperation making him unpredictable. I twisted to avoid his strike, but his blade carved a sharp line across my side. The burn of it was immediate, but I used the momentum, spinning behind him.
A single second. That's all I needed.
My knife plunged into his back, slipping between ribs.
He gasped, his body jerking in shock. For a moment, I felt his heartbeat against my hand—rapid, erratic, then slowing.
Taesung's legs buckled, and I lowered him to the cold rooftop, watching as the life drained from his eyes. His lips parted, as if to speak, but no words came.
I leaned in close, my voice barely above a whisper.
"You were right, hyung. There was never room for both of us."
A final breath. Then nothing.
I sat there for a moment, watching as the wind carried away the last warmth from his body. There was no regret. No grief. Only a quiet satisfaction, the kind that came with knowing I had won.
The weak died. The strong survived.
That was the only rule that mattered.
A World Without Rivals
By the time the sun rose, I had already erased the evidence. Taesung's body would never be found. His existence would fade into rumor, a mystery that no one could solve.
At school, I played my part flawlessly. Concerned friend. Shocked student.
"Have you seen Taesung? He wasn't in class today."
"Maybe he transferred out?"
"That's weird… he never even said goodbye."
I listened to their whispers, hiding my smile behind a mask of confusion.
There would be no legend of Choi Taesung. No whispers of his name.
But me?
I was still here. Still untouchable. And now, there was no one left to challenge me.
I walked down the hall, blending into the crowd, just another perfect student. The world still saw me as Seong Jiwon, the golden boy. The ideal son.
But behind my mask, I knew the truth.
I was the monster they never saw coming.
And this was only the beginning.