Lookism :The True King

Suho's POV.

I carefully observed Isu Baek, who's playing the role of his twin brother, Dokyung Baek.

This former spy knows how to get inside someone's head, and thanks to him, things are going exactly as I hoped.

"M... Mr. Baek, you want to make enemies of all of us?!" Haesung Han's usually calm and confident voice wasn't so assured anymore.

Anyone here could see that the power dynamic had shifted.

"I'm gonna be straight with all of you. Listen up carefully," declared Isu Baek in an even colder voice, looking at everyone this time.

"Taesan won't be attending the Major Organizations Assembly meetings anymore," he said seriously before trying to leave.

"Hey old man, you can't just walk away so casually after indirectly causing an era of chaos in Seoul, can you?"

I stood between him and the exit.

Me and the man who would later be known as 'the invincible' in Seoul, we face each other without flinching.

"What do you mean?" Although Isu Baek was giving off an extremely murderous aura, it's clearly inferior to that of my mentor Hansu, who also experienced life as a spy in North Korea.

"I'm just saying that now that the Assembly of Organizations controlling Seoul is destroyed because of you, why should Chunwoong wait to take over Taesan's territories?" I said without hiding my intention to fight.

"Hehe, you're funny, kid," replied Isu Baek's companion trying to defuse things with a bit of humor, but I kept a serious face.

For now, I haven't seen any sign of misfortune while observing these two's stance. So, I've got a chance against them.

As the tension rises, Ision made the first move.

He attacked me with a knife strike aimed to cause serious injury, but not fatal.

He seems to underestimate me.

I could easily see his movement, and my Eyes of Misfortune made it even easier.

I grabbed Ision's grip before flipping him using an Aikido technique.

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Surprisingly, Ision launched a kick at me while in the air which I blocked before pushing him back with a kick to the stomach.

The exchange of blows happened quickly after the Aikido technique.

"You're really gonna let your subordinate do all the work?" I said, looking back at Isu Baek who remains calm watching the scene.

He's not giving off any killing intent anymore.

"*Cough* What's with this insane strength?" Ision, who just went through a wooden wall, gets up with a trace of blood on his lip.

I didn't hit with all my strength, but I put good power in that kick.

"You can still get up?" I didn't hide my surprise at Ision's resilience.

You have to understand that the characters in the Baek XX universe are clearly physically inferior to those in Lookism.

I conducted a small experiment with Joonwoo to see if characters from other manhwas can reach the abnormal physique of those in Lookism.

For now, Joonwoo hasn't really reached the abnormal strength displayed by Lookism characters.

I've concluded for now that there's some kind of genetic barrier possessed by people in this universe.

In simpler terms, characters from different manhwas have different potentials depending on the level of strength shown in their manhwa.

So, Joonwoo and my tormentor, aka Myeong-seong, will never be able to reach a truly useful level in the long run.

I can't definitely confirm this theory yet, but my brief clash with Ision pushes me to believe it more.

"You little..." Ision was interrupted by Isu Baek before he positioned himself between us.

"What do you want?" he asks directly, without flinching.

"I want Seoul," I said as a smile spreads across my face.

...

Isu Baek's POV

"You sure we can trust the Chunwoong organization?" Ision asked me this question while settling uncomfortably in the vehicle seat.

"I don't really have a choice..." I said honestly.

This kid named Suho Kang, he was just too strong.

Everything about him is on another level, whether it's his technique, strength, speed, and even his control.

I don't think I could beat Ision so easily, but he did it in seconds.

It was like he saw through all of Ision's movements and had everything under control from start to finish.

"I see, but I don't think Taesan's people will appreciate you promising control of the city to someone else," says Ision while observing Jinwoong Ha's bad mood, but that's not my first priority.

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I need to take down that scumbag Mr. Yang, regardless if Seoul is controlled by this kid.

"They don't really have a choice. Nobody in Taesan can really handle this kid from what I've seen." A good spy needs to know how to evaluate the whole situation and have good judgment, that's how you survive long in this job.

"I just hope this variable for my objectives will be positive." I couldn't help but let my concerns slip out.

I need to get information about this variable to avoid a possible future problem.

...

Narrator's POV

"What's Chunwoong playing at?" asks Haesung Han frowning at Suho Kang.

"Didn't you hear?" replies Suho looking at the blonde man with glasses.

"We decided to accept Taesan's offer," he says smiling as he heads toward the restaurant's exit.

He had decided to block this place with Xiuren.

Suho Kang had signaled Cha Yu-hwa to leave shortly after Isu Baek withdrew.

So, he had no burden currently.

"Does Chunwoong really want to plunge Seoul into chaos like back then?" Haesung Han refers to the transition period between generation 0 and generation 1.

After Gapryong Kim started getting into politics, he neglected his... questionable activities in Seoul.

Thus, Seoul went through a period of conflict for a few years, but it was stopped by the former head of the Yilhak organization.

Unfortunately, the former head of Yilhak met a tragic fate while trying to improve things.

He also went into politics like Gapryong Kim, but he died tragically, with his reputation ruined.

Some of this information is unknown to Suho Kang, but the people present turned pale remembering this conflictual period.

"Suho..." Xiuren's voice resonated behind him as the coldness of a blade was felt against his neck.

"Xiuren, never use a weapon to threaten someone. It's an object created to kill," said Suho calmly, without even turning to face his colleague.

He felt no fear of being hurt by Xiuren, as he sensed no misfortune coming from her.

"Cut the crap!" she threw out, this time with a stronger voice.

"You clearly want to plunge Chunwoong into a war for your own interests!" she added, trying to contain the anger in her voice.

"Yes," replied Suho without blinking and without trying to lie.

'It's time to try to assimilate Chunwoong, but also all the criminal organizations in Seoul' thought Suho as he opened his mouth once more.

"You know Xiuren, we're similar, you and I," said Suho, imitating a famous ninja from his past life.

"We were both abandoned by our parents, but fortunately, fate gave us mentors who offered us a roof over our heads and a purpose to keep us from thinking about the past." After these words, Suho turned to face her, ignoring the kukri blade still pressed against his neck.

"What did we do to thank them for their kindness?" he added, staring into Xiuren's eyes, visibly disturbed by his words.

Suho knew that Wang Hao must have investigated him, so he decided to exploit this initiative from his temporary teacher to convince Xiuren to follow him.

"Shut the fuck up!" she shouted, stepping back before smashing the dinner table.

"Stop fooling yourself. You're not happy with Wang Hao anymore, but with your friend Cha Yu-hwa." He moved closer to her.

"You know well that Cha Yu-hwa will never be happy with the current Chunwoong.

So, let me create a Chunwoong that will make her happy... no, that will make *us* happy."

Suho Kang caught Xiuren, who seemed slightly reluctant, in an embrace.

Xiuren was a strong woman who had never known emotions like kindness without ulterior motives or physical contact with a boy.

She had spent her whole life fighting to help the only person who had given her a chance in this pitiful life, aka Wang Hao, but later, she met Cha Yu-hwa.

A girl like her, who had no control over her destiny.

This girl managed to offer Xiuren a different kind of love than Wang Hao's and, eventually, Xiuren would choose Cha Yu-hwa over her benefactor in the manhwa.

Suho Kang used all the knowledge he had about this girl, known as the "butcheress," to draw her to him.

The key to success in this attempt relied on two things.

First, Cha Yu-hwa's wellbeing.

Second, the similarities between him and this woman.

'Judging by this crazy girl's surprisingly vulnerable expression, I've succeeded in my gamble.'

Suho was relieved not to need to use plan B.

"*Sniff* if you're lying to me, I'll kill you," she mumbled in the arms of the young man, younger than her with a slightly red-tinted face.

"Blah blah blah, I was willing to play the nice guy and wait for the end of your mushy stuff, but..." Ryu Taehyung didn't have time to finish his sentence before intercepting a kukri knife strike with his brass knuckles.

"Bastard, can't you see we're talking!" shouted Xiuren before projecting the former professional boxer into the hallway with a violent punch to the temple.

'Note to self: don't forget to avoid dipping my cookie in this crazy woman.' thought Suho Kang while observing poor Ryu Taehyung being projected through the traditional restaurant's wooden wall.