IF LOVE HAD A NAME

---

1. A Name From the Past

Hana couldn't stop thinking about what Ji-hoon had said.

"Because it's the only thing I was ever good at."

Why did that feel so… tragic?

Min-ah noticed.

"You're spacing out again," she said, waving a hand in front of Hana's face.

Hana blinked. "Sorry. Just… thinking."

"Thinking about Kang Ji-hoon?"

Hana stiffened. "No!"

Min-ah smirked. "Liar."

Hana groaned. "I just—something about him feels… off."

Min-ah shrugged. "He's a fighter, Hana. It's what guys like him do."

Hana frowned. "But why? No one fights like that without a reason."

"Maybe he enjoys it."

Hana didn't believe that.

Ji-hoon didn't fight because he liked it.

He fought because he had to.

And she was starting to wonder why.

She didn't have to wonder for long.

Because that same afternoon—she heard a name.

A name that made her heart stop.

"The Red Kings."

---

2. The Gang That Ruled the Streets

It happened during gym class.

A group of boys were whispering near the lockers.

Hana wasn't paying attention—until she heard it.

"The Red Kings are looking for someone," one of them said.

Her blood ran cold.

The Red Kings.

She knew that name.

A gang. Ruthless. Dangerous. A name spoken in fear.

Her older brother had once warned her about them.

"Stay away from those kinds of people, Hana. They don't forgive. And they don't forget."

But why were these boys talking about them now?

And then—

A chill ran down her spine.

Because she heard the next words.

"They're looking for Kang Ji-hoon."

---

3. The Shadow That Follows Him

Hana couldn't shake the fear curling in her chest.

Ji-hoon was connected to them?

No. That wasn't possible.

But as she watched him sit alone at lunch—casually scrolling through his phone like nothing was wrong—

She knew.

Something from his past was coming back.

And it was coming fast.

Did he know?

Did he care?

She had too many questions.

And no answers.

So after school, when she saw Ji-hoon walking toward the old alley near the main road—

She did something stupid.

She followed him.

---

4. A Dangerous Encounter

The alley was quiet.

Too quiet.

Hana stayed behind a stack of crates, heart pounding.

Ji-hoon leaned against the brick wall, hands in his pockets.

Waiting.

Then—a group of men appeared.

Not students. Not kids.

Men.

Rough. Older. The kind that had seen too much of the world.

One of them stepped forward.

"Long time no see, kid."

Ji-hoon's expression didn't change. "I was hoping never to see you again."

The man chuckled. "Still got that smart mouth, huh?"

Ji-hoon didn't respond.

The man's smile faded. "You know why we're here."

Ji-hoon sighed. "Yeah."

"So let's make this simple. You know the rules. Once a Red King, always a Red King. You don't just leave."

Hana's breath hitched.

Ji-hoon was one of them?

A Red King?

A part of the most feared gang in the city?

No. No way.

He was just a high school student.

Right?

Then Ji-hoon spoke.

"I left a long time ago."

The man smirked. "That's the thing, Ji-hoon. You don't get to decide that."

The tension in the air was suffocating.

Hana's hands shook.

She needed to move. To run.

But before she could—

The man lunged.

A flash of metal—

A knife.

Aimed straight at Ji-hoon's chest.

Hana's eyes widened.

"Ji-hoon!"

But she didn't need to warn him.

Because Ji-hoon was already moving.

Fast.

Like he had done this a hundred times before.

---

5. The Fight That Shouldn't Have Happened

Ji-hoon twisted, dodging the knife by a breath.

Then—he struck.

A sharp kick to the man's ribs. A quick step back. Another attacker. A punch that sent him staggering.

Hana had never seen anything like it.

This wasn't just fighting.

This was survival.

Every move was precise. Lethal.

The men were bigger, stronger—but Ji-hoon was smarter.

Faster.

More dangerous.

But then—

The leader pulled out something else.

A gun.

Hana's heart stopped.

Ji-hoon froze.

For the first time—he looked caught.

The man smirked.

"Not so tough now, huh?"

Ji-hoon's jaw clenched.

And that's when Hana moved.

She didn't think.

Didn't hesitate.

She just acted.

Grabbing the closest thing—a wooden crate—and throwing it.

It crashed against the man's arm—knocking the gun aside.

Ji-hoon didn't waste a second.

He attacked.

A kick to the wrist. The gun fell.

Another strike—and the man hit the ground.

Silence.

Only Hana's heavy breathing filled the air.

She had just—

She had just—

Ji-hoon turned.

Their eyes met.

Hana swallowed hard.

He looked… furious.

Then he grabbed her wrist—pulling her close.

His voice was low. Rough. Dangerous.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Hana's throat went dry.

"I—I was just—"

"Following me?"

Hana winced.

Yes.

Ji-hoon exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.

"This is bad," he muttered. "This is really bad."

Hana's stomach twisted. "Why?"

He looked at her then.

A look she had never seen before.

A look that scared her.

"Because now you're involved."

And that was when she knew—

Her life would never be the same again.

---

End of Chapter 3

(Next Chapter: The Price of Knowing Too Much)