Chapter 51
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Did You Stop?
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Scene.51
Did You Stop?
As Kang Man-dong climbed into the ring, Han Mi-ra and Yeon Jeong-suk, who were watching from behind, gasped and covered their mouths.
It wasn't because of the muscles hidden beneath his clothes, but because of the scars clearly etched all over his body.
"Yu-hyeon... President Kang's body."
Han Mi-ra looked at Yu-hyeon as if to ask what they were.
Yu-hyeon spoke with a bitter expression.
"It's not really my place to say. Perhaps you could ask him yourself when you get the chance."
"....."
At Jimmy's gesture, Lee Jae-yoon and Kang Man-dong stood in the center of the ring. Lee Jae-yoon, who had already been intimidated by Kang Man-dong's powerful physique, felt his expression harden once more at the sight of the revealed scars.
'What the hell kind of place is this? Why does a farm owner's body look like that...'
As Lee Jae-yoon nervously scanned the scars, Jimmy briefly explained the rules of the match.
"Since both parties have agreed not to hold the other responsible for the outcome, we will not intervene no matter what happens."
At Jimmy's words, not only Lee Jae-yoon but everyone from HS Group wore expressions that said, 'What?'
Lee Jae-yoon shot Jimmy a look that screamed, 'What... does that mean?'
"It means that if someone is killed or injured during the match, neither side will hold the other legally responsible for what happens in the ring. Regardless of the process. It will be considered self-defense."
"No. That's absurd!"
As Lee Jae-yoon was about to protest Jimmy's words, the lawyer, Alex, waved the signed waiver from beside the ring.
It was the very document he himself had signed, agreeing not to hold the other party responsible. But he had never imagined it meant that even death was on the table.
Lee Jae-yoon looked to his legal team and Director Jeong, pleading for them to do something, but Jimmy simply declared the start of the match and stepped aside.
As Kang Man-dong moved to the center of the ring, Lee Jae-yoon quickly backed away. The moment the match began, he found himself cornered.
"President Lee! To the left! Circle to your left! You can't just stand there!"
Park Gyu-hyeon's urgent shouts rang in Lee Jae-yoon's ears.
"It's three minutes! Just survive for three minutes!"
At Park Gyu-hyeon's repeated cry, Lee Jae-yoon gritted his teeth. They say even a stray dog is king in its own backyard. He had been far too complacent from the start.
He should have remembered he wasn't in Korea, but in a foreign country. And in this man's backyard, no less.
Regret washed over him, but it was too late. As Park Gyu-hyeon said, he decided to somehow survive for just three minutes.
"Running is part of the fight! Don't hesitate!"
'I'm not hesitating!'
Lee Jae-yoon scrambled to his left, trying to escape along the ropes. But Kang Man-dong's movements were faster than he anticipated, and the square ring he was in felt much smaller and tighter than he had realized.
'Damn it! Why is this ring so small? Is it a miniature!'
Seeing Kang Man-dong already blocking his path with a smirk, Lee Jae-yoon reflexively threw a punch.
His confidence shattered and his body tense, his elbow flared out and his fist was far too rigid.
Kang Man-dong casually bent at the waist, dodging the punch, and drove his fist into Lee Jae-yoon's exposed side.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
It wasn't a terrifying blow like the ones he'd landed on the sandbag, more like a light tap, but the moment it connected with his ribs, his breath caught in his throat.
'He hit me that lightly, and this is what happens?'
He raised his guard and took a step back, but Kang Man-dong charged forward, slamming his body into Lee Jae-yoon's.
Thwack!
"Kugh!"
Lee Jae-yoon's body lifted slightly before crashing back down, his fall broken by the ring post behind him.
"President Lee! The corner! I told you not to get trapped in the corner!"
Park Gyu-hyeon, startled, shouted again. What was the point of blatantly running away only to end up right back where he started just a few seconds later?
Lee Jae-yoon tried to escape once more. Just as Park Gyu-hyeon said, if he got trapped like this, he would be a punching bag for the rest of the round. This time, however, Kang Man-dong seemed intent on giving him no such chance, spreading his arms to block Lee Jae-yoon's path.
"President Lee, attack! Attack!"
"His guard is open! Punch your way out!"
As Kang Man-dong stood before him, guard down, Park Gyu-hyeon and Kim Byeong-seok screamed at the top of their lungs.
Having received a call from Chairman Lee Won-cheol, Lee Jae-eun rushed over to Yu-hyeon.
"Excuse me."
"?"
"Could you give me an account number? The compensation. He wants to process it immediately."
"Is that 15.4 billion after taxes?"
"Pardon?"
Lee Jae-eun looked at Yu-hyeon, confused.
"If you want the account number, you should confirm that first."
"Aunt Mi-ra."
"Uh..."
Han Mi-ra, who had overheard Executive Director Lee Jae-eun discussing compensation and bank accounts with Yu-hyeon, stared at him with a bewildered expression.
"Give me an account number. Right now."
"Uh..."
After Lee Jae-eun's report, Lee Won-cheol let out a disbelieving "Ha!" but then saw Jae-yoon trapped in the corner and nodded, telling her to handle it.
When Lee Jae-eun returned and confirmed that they would handle the taxes, Yu-hyeon provided his father's and Han Mi-ra's account numbers.
"5.4 billion. And 10 billion."
"I'll relay that. And my father said..."
"Yes."
"To go easy on him."
"I'll consider it once the deposit is confirmed."
Yu-hyeon turned his gaze back to the ring.
"If the deposit is late, something might happen before it arrives."
He was ridiculously handsome, and his voice was exactly her type. But the words that flowed from his mouth were dripping with cold indifference. Yet, for some reason, she found that incredibly cool.
Even if she hadn't been ordered to watch and observe him, she felt a personal curiosity bubbling up.
'It would be amazing if I could get him on my show.'
"Are you still here? The longer this takes, the worse it's going to be for Mr. Lee Jae-yoon."
"Ah! I'll... I'll handle it right away!"
Han Mi-ra and Yeon Jeong-suk, who had only seen Yu-hyeon's playful, charming side, were shocked in a whole new way.
Was he fearless? Or was this his true personality?
He stood before Executive Director Lee Jae-eun, casually saying whatever he wanted. He almost seemed to be ordering around a subordinate.
What was even funnier was that Lee Jae-eun couldn't say a word back and was just running around at his command.
Instructions to throw punches or to clinch and grapple with his opponent rained down, but Lee Jae-yoon remained frozen in the corner as if he were a statue.
He'd boasted about his training, but that was all just amateur talk. Now that he was in the ring, facing his opponent, his mind felt completely blank.
Every time he showed the slightest sign of doing something, Kang Man-dong's body, standing before him, would twitch in response.
Cornered, his instincts and intuition were screaming at him.
From outside the ring, they were yelling at him, wondering why he was just standing there, but he had a feeling that the moment he moved, something terrible would happen.
Strangely, though, the man just stood there, blocking and pressuring him, but not actually attacking.
'What? Why is he just glaring at me!'
He didn't know the reason, but he felt a mixture of fear and relief.
'For now, I'll just watch his moves and...'
As Lee Jae-yoon solidified his guard, preparing to wait it out, Yu-hyeon approached the ring and said a word to Kang Man-dong.
"Father. This is a message from Mr. Lee Jae-yoon's father. The Chairman of HS Group."
At Yu-hyeon's words, Kang Man-dong's face, which had been glaring at Lee Jae-yoon as if to devour him, flinched.
Lee Jae-yoon had caused this mess, so he could be dealt with harshly, but even Kang Man-dong couldn't easily ignore the Chairman of HS Group.
Of course, if he knew what Yu-hyeon had actually orchestrated, his reaction would have been completely different.
"He has accepted our requested amount and will be processing the payment immediately."
At Yu-hyeon's words, Lee Jae-yoon's face lit up.
"I expect the deposit to take one minute at most. Until then, feel free to do as you please."
Kang Man-dong, who had looked thoroughly disappointed, broke into a wide grin, while Lee Jae-yoon's bright expression turned to one of sheer horror.
"Really? I was going to let him really feel what it's like to be cornered before I hit him. But we don't have time?"
Yu-hyeon smiled at Kang Man-dong's words.
"Wait! Wait a minute!"
Lee Jae-yoon shouted frantically, as if to say this wasn't right.
"You said the payment is being processed! Then there's no reason to fight like this!"
At Lee Jae-yoon's desperate cry, his sister, Lee Jae-eun, popped her head out as if on cue.
"It's deposited! The payment has been processed! He said he'll settle the tax issue separately!"
At Lee Jae-eun's shout, Kang Man-dong's face fell again, while Lee Jae-yoon looked as if he'd witnessed a miracle, throwing his arms up in the air.
Yu-hyeon checked his banking app, confirmed the deposit, and nodded.
"Yes. It's been deposited."
As soon as Yu-hyeon confirmed it, Lee Jae-yoon waved his arms repeatedly, as if he had reclaimed a lost nation. He started to leave the corner and jog triumphantly to the center of the ring, but then Yu-hyeon spoke again.
"The Chairman said it's fine as long as you don't kill him."
"Huh?"
"What?"
Both Kang Man-dong and Lee Jae-yoon stared at Yu-hyeon, wondering what he meant.
"Just no hard punches. Let's see. There's about 1 minute and 20 seconds left. That should be enough for you, right?"
"Oh yeah! More than enough!"
"What kind of bullshit is that! You said the money was deposited!"
Lee Jae-yoon roared, yelling that it was nonsense and a scam.
"Executive Director Lee Jae-eun?"
Yu-hyeon gestured to her with his eyes.
"Brother. What he's saying is true. Dad... he's really angry."
"No! Even so. I'm his son!"
"Yeah. He said if it were someone else's kid, he would have just sent them to prison. And the money that was just deposited... you're going to have to pay it back. He said he processed it as a loan from the company."
"....."
Lee Jae-yoon stared at his sister with a dumbfounded expression.
Lee Jae-eun, unable to meet her brother's gaze, turned her head away.
Lee Jae-yoon tried to flee from the approaching Kang Man-dong, intending to get out of the ring entirely.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Kang Man-dong grabbed Lee Jae-yoon's shoulder and swept his ankle with a light low kick.
Tap!
"Ack!"
Kang Man-dong had kicked lightly, but the location was so sensitive that a scream escaped involuntarily. It felt as if his ankle had been sprained, and as he stumbled to one side, Kang Man-dong's left hook slammed into his ribs.
Losing his balance, Lee Jae-yoon fell flat on the mat.
"President Lee! Get up!"
Park Gyu-hyeon shouted urgently as he saw Kang Man-dong dive onto Lee Jae-yoon.
"Hiek!"
He scrambled away, crawling on the mat, but Kang Man-dong immediately caught him by the legs.
He kicked his feet like he was splashing in water, but Kang Man-dong paid him no mind and slid between Lee Jae-yoon's legs. Then, he slammed his knee down on his thigh.
"Aaaargh!"
Lee Jae-yoon writhed in agony from the sudden, sharp pain, but he was already in a full mount position.
Lee Jae-yoon's earlier taunt about finishing the fight with ground and pound instead of a submission had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The unfortunate part was that the one on the bottom wasn't Kang Man-dong, but him.
Kang Man-dong locked his legs tightly around Lee Jae-yoon's sides and pressed down on his throat with his left hand.
"Kugh!"
"Alright, now it's your turn to experience it."
"What are you talking about! Get off!"
"What it's like to be under a force stronger than you."
Thwack!
"Gack!"
"To be helplessly pinned down."
Thwack!
"Guek!"
"Against your will!"
Thwack!
"Aaargh!"
"To feel what it's like to be toyed with!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Cough. Gack! Kugh!"
"What it feels like!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Ack. Kugh. Hhck! St... Stop. Gack!"
Lee Jae-yoon struggled desperately to pry Kang Man-dong's hand from his throat, but his opponent didn't budge an inch.
Kang Man-dong leaned in, his face so close their breaths mingled.
"There are still three left."
"St... Stop. Stop."
"Han Mi-ra probably said the same thing. So did you stop back then?"
"......"
"Are you insane? Why the hell did you torment her like that?"
"What do... you know!"
"Did Han Mi-ra commit some mortal sin?"
"....."
"If a woman says no, you should try to win her over by being better. If that doesn't work, a real man knows when to back off gracefully. What's with the 17 years? You're not some crazy stalker. You clueless bastard."
Thwack!
"Ack! I said stop hitting me!"
"President Lee! 20 seconds! 20 seconds left! Just hold on a little longer and it's over!"
'Damn it! Hold on to what! I can't even move!'
Hearing that there were 20 seconds left, Kang Man-dong released Lee Jae-yoon and stood up.
"Get up."
Lee Jae-yoon, looking dazed for a moment, slowly pushed himself up.
"Pathetic bastard. You drink?"
"What?"
"President Lee! 15 seconds!"
"Don't you understand me? I asked if you drink."
"...."
"Alright, decide. The last one. You wanna take it as a drink, or take it to the face?"
"What? What does that..."
"9 seconds!"
Kang Man-dong got into the same hard punch stance he had demonstrated during his warm-up.
"6 seconds!"
"If... If I drink?"
"Speak clearly."
"3 seconds!"
Kang Man-dong raised his shoulder and pulled back his fist. Lee Jae-yoon had to choose: run out the remaining time, or...
Whoosh!
"A drink! I'll take the drink!"
Shwaaak!
The punch flew with terrifying speed, grazing past Lee Jae-yoon's ear.