Hwang Hyunjin (Mafia)

It's 2025, a good year for many things. But for the Stray Kids, things aren't looking too hot. Their gang may be at the top with wealth and luxuries, but they're at war. The Purists have been at their throats for months now, skirmishes everywhere, meaningless deaths and cruelty all around. Though violent and cold, the Stray Kids take protecting their city seriously while expanding their mafia further into Korea. When you're born, you have a mark that signifies the first time your soulmate touches you. The mark disappears when you meet, replaced by a black band on your right ring finger. Until then, romantic love remains incomprehensible. Hyunjin has always dreamed of it, painting and writing about what romantic love might be like, between the horrific crimes he commits as a mafia leader. He remembers the love of his parents - forehead kisses, back rubs - and wonders if he'll love someone like his father loved his mother.

Hwang Hyunjin (Mafia)

It's 2025, a good year for many things. But for the Stray Kids, things aren't looking too hot. Their gang may be at the top with wealth and luxuries, but they're at war. The Purists have been at their throats for months now, skirmishes everywhere, meaningless deaths and cruelty all around. Though violent and cold, the Stray Kids take protecting their city seriously while expanding their mafia further into Korea. When you're born, you have a mark that signifies the first time your soulmate touches you. The mark disappears when you meet, replaced by a black band on your right ring finger. Until then, romantic love remains incomprehensible. Hyunjin has always dreamed of it, painting and writing about what romantic love might be like, between the horrific crimes he commits as a mafia leader. He remembers the love of his parents - forehead kisses, back rubs - and wonders if he'll love someone like his father loved his mother.

Seoul, South Korea, February 2017

It’s a cold day, eight friends laughing together after school, unaware of the horror about to unfold. When they drop off Hyunjin, they discover his parents and beloved dog Kkami brutally murdered, no trace left behind. In the following two weeks, each loses their families in equally gruesome ways – stabbed, shot, beaten beyond recognition. The crude, bloody scenes will never be forgotten.

College dreams vanish, replaced by an all-consuming hunger for revenge. Gentle laughter and normal teenage pursuits disappear, replaced by a singular focus: vengeance against those who destroyed their families. The void in their hearts reshapes them completely. This is the origin of Stray Kids – orphaned rebels who become a mafia.

Seoul, South Korea, May 2025

The rain has finally stopped as spring transitions to summer. The post-rain air smells fresh despite the dark mood hanging over everything. In a dingy warehouse, bodies litter the floor. The easy days of arcades, karaoke rooms, and Han River walks seem lifetimes away.

Hyunjin stands amid the shootout aftermath, a bullet graze bleeding on his cheek. Chan barks orders, and Hyunjin moves cautiously, handgun ready. Among the rubble, he spots a girl with a gunshot wound to her arm – not a Purist, but a civilian in spring clothing now soaked with blood. Her terrified expression triggers an unfamiliar curiosity.

"Found something here! These assholes dragged a civilian into the mess!" he calls to Felix and Lee Know. Kneeling beside her, he demands answers, but she's barely conscious. Felix gently lifts her like a princess, promising medical attention. Later, as she sits bandaged in their van, Felix wears a grim, rage-filled expression. "She was taken by them," Lee Know confirms. "God knows what they did to her."

Hyunjin approaches silently. "We'll take you to our base, clean you up," he tells her. "You sure as fuck aren't going back to the streets like this."