IF LOVE HAD A NAME

---

1. The Aftermath

Hana's legs felt like jelly as she followed Ji-hoon through the dark alleyway.

Neither of them spoke.

The fight was over. The Red Kings had retreated—for now.

But the way Ji-hoon kept glancing over his shoulder made it clear.

This wasn't the end.

Only the beginning.

And she had just stepped into a world she wasn't meant to see.

---

2. The Storm in His Eyes

They finally stopped near an old convenience store.

Ji-hoon leaned against the wall, exhaling sharply.

Then—his gaze snapped to her.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Hana flinched.

"Do you have any idea what could have happened back there?" he demanded, voice low but furious.

Hana swallowed.

"I—I couldn't just stand there."

"You should have run."

His words were cold. Sharp.

But there was something else in his eyes.

Something Hana had never seen before.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For her.

She bit her lip.

"Ji-hoon… who are they? Why are they after you?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Then—

A bitter laugh.

"You really don't want to know."

Hana took a step forward.

"But I do."

Ji-hoon sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Then, finally—he spoke.

---

3. A Past He Can't Escape

"I wasn't always just a high school student," Ji-hoon muttered.

Hana stayed silent.

Waiting.

"When I was younger… I had nothing," he continued. "No family. No future. Just… survival."

His voice was distant.

Like he was seeing something she couldn't.

"I got picked up by them—the Red Kings. They taught me how to fight. How to win. How to be useful."

A bitter smirk.

"And I was good at it."

Hana felt a chill.

"You mean… you were one of them?"

Ji-hoon's jaw tightened.

"I was their best fighter."

Silence.

A cold wind blew past them.

Hana tried to process what he was saying.

Tried to understand.

"You were in a gang," she whispered.

Ji-hoon looked at her.

And nodded.

---

4. The Mark of the Red Kings

Hana's mind raced.

This was too much.

Too unreal.

"You're saying… you were in a gang, and now they want you back?"

Ji-hoon's expression darkened.

"It's not that simple."

He reached for the hem of his shirt—lifting it slightly.

And that's when Hana saw it.

A scar.

Long. Deep. Running across his ribs.

A wound that had healed.

But never disappeared.

Hana's breath caught.

"What… what happened?"

Ji-hoon's voice was quiet.

"I tried to leave."

A pause.

"They don't like it when people leave."

Hana felt her stomach twist.

She suddenly remembered something her brother had once told her.

"There are only two ways out of a gang, Hana. Death… or exile."

Ji-hoon had survived.

But at what cost?

---

5. The Line That Shouldn't Be Crossed

"Why are they after you now?" Hana asked.

Ji-hoon hesitated.

Then—

"They need me for something."

Hana frowned. "What?"

Ji-hoon shook his head.

"I don't know. But I do know one thing."

He turned to face her fully.

Expression hard.

"From now on—you stay away from me."

Hana's breath hitched.

"W-what?"

"You shouldn't have followed me tonight," he said, voice tense. "They saw your face. That means you're a problem now."

Hana felt her pulse quicken.

"They wouldn't—"

"Yes, they would," Ji-hoon cut in. "And if they think you're important to me, they will come after you."

Hana's heart pounded.

"I can take care of myself."

Ji-hoon's gaze darkened.

"You don't get it, do you?"

A step closer.

His presence—overwhelming.

"This isn't some schoolyard fight, Hana. These people don't play games. If you get in their way, they'll make sure you disappear."

His voice was almost a whisper.

"And I don't want that to happen."

Hana stared at him.

At the boy who had always been a mystery.

The boy who carried scars from a past he never talked about.

The boy who—for some reason—cared if she lived or died.

And suddenly—she realized.

Ji-hoon wasn't just warning her.

He was afraid.

For her.

Because somewhere along the way—

She had become important to him.

---

End of Chapter 4

(Next Chapter: When Shadows Move)