Chapter 395: Self-defense
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 395: Self-defense
Naturally, no matter how much of an epiphany I’d had, I couldn’t win every single game.
However, the atmosphere wasn't nearly as hostile as it was when it was just me and Seo Ye-rin.
“Hey, what the hell is that guy doing?!”
Yoo Ah-rin shouted, grabbing my shoulder.
She was venting her fury after seeing one of our teammates start throwing the game because he suddenly "had to go eat."
Having watched me play for a while, it seemed she’d picked up a thing or two.
“Woo-jin, this one looks tough.”
Choi I-seo let out a sigh, looking just as disappointed.
In cases like this, it was best to just consider it a natural disaster.
“Move, let me at the keyboard. I’m gonna rip this guy a new one.”
I hurriedly stopped Yoo Ah-rin as she tried to hijack my keyboard to type in chat.
“I’m the one who’ll get a chat ban!”
“Ugh, why is he like that? Seriously! If you’re going to play a game, shouldn’t you at least do it right?!”
Seo Ye-rin and Bae Ji-hye seemed to have given up as well, looking on with regret.
By playing together like this, we shared the frustrations and the joys alike.
And then, finally.
[VICTORY!]
[You have been promoted to Gold Tier!]
The moment I saw those words flash on the screen, a surge of emotion hit me, and I felt a lump in my throat.
Honestly, I’d thought it wasn't that big of a deal.
I’d wondered if I really needed to work this hard for something as trivial as a game rank, but now that I’d actually reached the goal, I felt overwhelmed.
“Ah, finally.”
The tension left my body, and my hands dropped to my sides. Choi I-seo and Yoo Ah-rin hugged me from both left and right.
“You did it, Woo-jin! You worked so hard!”
“That last play was freaking awesome!”
“Haaaah...”
Is this paradise?
And so, my Gold run, which began Friday at lunch, finally concluded on Sunday evening.
Having practically lived at the PC Bang with minimal sleep, I felt like parts of my body were starting to malfunction.
The only reason my condition wasn't worse was that the girls had forced me to stretch periodically and made sure we ate our meals outside to get some fresh air.
“This is actually touching.”
“I can't believe it took this much effort to get to Gold.”
Choi Jin-ah and Bae Ji-hye sympathized with us in their own way. After all, both of them could claim a fair share of the credit for my promotion.
“I didn't think it was that important at first. But doing it with you guys... it’s surprisingly moving.”
I felt a sense of pride knowing that when I went to the military, I wouldn't be teased for being Bronze anymore. I could proudly say I was Gold.
“Let’s go. I’m buying something delicious today.”
Everyone was exhausted, but we had to have a celebration, right? Since it was dinner time, I suggested buying them something expensive like steak, and they all cheered.
Just as we were finally about to escape the PC Bang...
“W-Wait, wait! Wait a minute!”
Seo Ye-rin, who was still glued to her seat, called out to us desperately.
“I’m still Silver!”
Naturally, no one looked back.
I think we were all thinking the same thing.
Ye-rin.
That’s exactly where you belong.
A few days later, I received the tragic news that Ye-rin had been demoted back to Bronze.
* * *
Two items on my bucket list were checked off at once.
One was staying up all night playing games at a PC Bang.
The other was hitting Gold rank.
Since I’d accomplished both simultaneously, I drew a line through them in my phone’s memo app.
Scribble.
[Hit Gold Rank]
[All-nighter at a PC Bang]
“Oh, right.”
[Go to a hotel with the four of them]
The one I thought would be the hardest turned out to be my first major success.
It hadn't been that long, but I still felt like I’d see that night in my dreams.
It was, quite literally, a nexus of carnal desire and pleasure.
Wasn't that place basically Sodom and Gomorrah?
Anyway, I’d spent the weekend very productively. So much so that I was smiling even now while sitting through a Monday lecture.
It was hilarious seeing the guy who used to hang out with girls the most acting like this just because he was heading to the military.
Unfortunately, I’m quite a busy man now.
Ever since I announced I was enlisting, I’d been flooded with appointments, and today was one of them.
“Hmm.”
After thinking for a moment, I sent another message to Chan-woo.
It shouldn't be a problem. It seemed better to go as a pair rather than alone.
* * *
I’d called it "fighting" to sound grand, but in reality, we were going to learn self-defense.
And it was arranged by none other than my Big Hyung.
At first, I’d refused, asking why I needed to learn self-defense.
But he told me that as a father of three, I needed to know how to protect myself. He said I had the kind of personality that would get me stabbed on the street...
I didn't bother telling him that the pregnancy was a lie.
I’d hesitated at first, but then I realized I just had to make it the truth eventually.
Anyway.
I figured learning some self-defense wouldn't be a bad idea.
“Dude, are we really here to learn this?”
“I’m actually a great fighter.”
“Stop bullshitting.”
Jeong Chan-woo, who was bored being alone.
Ahn Hyun-ho, who was so bored he even canceled his plans with his girlfriend to follow us.
And me.
We blustered and bragged to each other as we headed toward the gym Big Hyung had mentioned.
“Guys, you’re misunderstanding something. I go to the gym all the time. I’m famous there.”
Jeong Chan-woo bragged, showing off his arm muscles.
I knew that much. Choi I-seo and Jeong Chan-woo were a famous pair of "handsome man and beautiful woman" at that gym.
But I wasn't about to lose.
“Hey, haven't you heard of Home Training Kim Woo-jin? My core muscles are insane.”
“How would anyone know if you do it at home, you moron?”
“You’re like a frog in a well.”
These guys were always so sharp when it came to insulting others.
Unlike the two of us, Ahn Hyun-ho just shrugged and shook his head.
“Guys, you know Ho-hang High, right? If I just mentioned the name Ahn Hyun-ho there, everyone would line up.”
“Ho-hang High? Sounds like if I poked you, you’d just go 'Ho-hang-hang, ho-eee.'”
“Bragging about being a school bully, you idiot. Aren't you embarrassed?”
“Ahem.”
“But seriously, isn't it obvious I have the best physique here?”
“Ha. You’re flexing balloon muscles. Look at me. This is a toned body.”
“Guys, talking about fighting in terms of muscles is for amateurs. Experience, grit, fists, and romance. That’s everything—”
We continued our pathetic posturing until we stepped inside the gym.
The moment we saw the person waiting for us, our mouths shut tight.
“You’re here?”
The familiar Dragon Padded Jacket.
Senior Ju-hee, who was wrapping black hand wraps around her knuckles, greeted us.
“Oh, hello?”
“Senior?”
While the other two were stunned and confused as they walked in, I was frozen at the entrance.
Senior Ju-hee?
Why is she here?
While various questions swirled in my head, she gestured toward a door with her chin.
“Go grab gloves and headgear that fit your size.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“We’ll be right back!”
The two of them rushed inside.
I stood there blankly until she glanced at me and asked, “I heard you were coming alone?”
“Ah, yes... originally, I was. But I thought it would be good for these guys to learn too.”
“I see.”
She didn't have much of a reaction.
‘Because I’m a competent bodyguard.’
The words she’d said at the pension came back to me.
Come to think of it, I hadn't had a chance to face her like this since then.
I awkwardly followed the guys into the room.
“I’m actually a little excited.”
“This place is legit.”
The two of them headed out just as I entered. Once I was alone in the room, I pulled out my phone and called Big Hyung.
— Hello?
“Was the teacher you mentioned for self-defense Senior Ju-hee?”
— Yeah. I talked to the security team leader, and he said Min Ju-hee would be perfect since she’s close to you.
“...”
— I had her contact info from when we went to Hawaii, so I asked her directly, and she agreed.
“...”
— Don't worry. I’m paying her a generous fee.
That wasn't what I was worried about.
“Ha... if I end up getting divorced, it’s your fault, Hyung.”
— ...What?
Click.
I hung up, grabbed some gloves and headgear, and headed back out.
Senior Ju-hee and the others were waiting.
She was already making them do warm-up exercises, so I quickly joined them and started loosening up.
“Alright, everyone pay attention.”
Once the warm-up was over, she immediately gathered us.
I’d been worried something might happen, but seeing her indifferent expression, it seemed my fears were unfounded.
“Originally, I was only supposed to teach Woo-jin.”
The guys started looking around nervously.
But she calmly continued her explanation.
“But since you’re all here, I’ll do a quick test to gauge your skill levels.”
She took a few steps back and made a proposal.
“Let’s spar. Just a short one-minute round each, and I’ll know what I need to teach you.”
“Oh.”
“She definitely feels like a pro.”
The other two were fascinated and eager to go first.
I, however, felt strangely uneasy and kept my mouth shut.
And so, the one-minute sparring match began.
The first opponent was Ahn Hyun-ho.
“Senior, honestly, I was a bit of a fighter back in high school.”
“...”
“You’re about to see that I’m on a completely different level than these losers.”
Ding!
The moment it started, Ahn Hyun-ho’s fist flew out.
Thwack!
And then he fell.
Ahn Hyun-ho, that is.
“Huh?”
“What just happened?”
What did we just see?
Chan-woo and I rubbed our eyes with our gloved hands, but Ahn Hyun-ho was definitely lying there on the floor.
“Next.”
She casually kicked Ahn Hyun-ho out of the ring.
Since I’d stayed still, it was naturally Jeong Chan-woo’s turn.
“W-Wait a second, Senior. Did you really gauge his skill with that? It wasn't one minute, it was one second!”
“I gauged it.”
She nodded indifferently, glanced at Ahn Hyun-ho, and gave a blunt evaluation.
“He’s a scrub.”
“...”
Ding!
The bell rang again.
Thwack!
Thud!
Jeong Chan-woo landed neatly right next to Ahn Hyun-ho.
“Two scrubs.”
As I blinked at the scene, she caught her breath and gestured with her chin.
“Next.”
“Is this, like... some kind of stress relief for you, Senior?”
“No.”
“Then why did you do that to them?”
“...Because they’re in the way.”
“Pardon?”
“Enough talk.”
Zip!
She pulled off her Dragon Padded Jacket.
Underneath, she was wearing only a black tank top that left her midriff exposed.
As she suddenly ramped up the level of exposure and took a stance, I asked, “Why did you take that off all of a sudden?”
“It’s hot. Sparring makes you hot.”
“You only threw two punches, though?”
“Enough. Get in the ring. I’m going to teach you properly.”
“...Teach me what?”
She didn't give me an answer.