[ He watches Silco carefully, expression unreadable. There's a slow burn in his chest, the familiar weight of irritation curling around his ribs. He hates guys like this— smooth, clever, untouchable in all the ways that matter. They always talk like the world's already broken, so why not break it a little more if it means they come out ahead.

And the worst part? They're usually not wrong.

Jinwoo knows how this plays out. He's seen it before. The strong stepping on the weak, calling it inevitability. Silco's little speech about "perpetuating rot" doesn't sound like regret. It sounds like justification. ]

... That's a nice way to dress it up.

[ There's an edge to his words that he doesn't bother hiding anymore. ]

You're not wrong. This city probably won't change if nothing is done. [ He's always taken it upon himself to do what is right, even if he has to do it alone. But— ] But I'm not interested in being part of it.

[ He rolls his shoulders, as if to shake off the tension. ]

Maybe later. When I know the game better.

[ He isn't not naive enough to think he can avoid this kind of work forever. But now's not the time to pick fights he doesn't need. Not when he's still learning the rules of this city. ]