Chapter 162 Even the Almighty is New to Being a Dad Chapter 163
Absolute One, First Time Being a Dad - Chapter 163
Go Du-yeol, unable to shake off his drunken stupor, tossed and turned in his sleep, his brow furrowed.
His head throbbed, his stomach churned, and amidst the turmoil, a distant noise kept reaching his ears.
"Apologize to my brother."
A familiar voice.
"Apologize to my brother right now."
A voice he missed so desperately.
"I said, apologize to my brother!"
His dark, blurry vision suddenly cleared.
As expected, it was Doo-jun.
His younger brother, the one he longed to see more than anything.
Go Doo-jun.
The boy had someone by the collar, their face battered to a pulp, and all he kept repeating was, "Apologize to my brother."
Ah, he remembered now.
The guy Doo-jun had by the collar was undoubtedly the same schoolyard thug who used to torment him relentlessly.
"Doo-yeol, I'm sorry..."
The guy, still gripped by the collar, forced out an apology in a voice so weak it barely carried.
"If you ever mess with my brother again, it won't end like this. Got it?"
With those final words, Doo-jun slammed the guy onto the ground with full force, then turned his head slightly to look at me.
"Hyung, let's go home."
In the dream, Go Du-yeol answered softly.
"Yeah..."
Looking back, our school days were always like this.
Whenever I got bullied somewhere, he'd step in.
He'd beat the crap out of anyone who messed with his scrawny older brother.
Doo-jun was a dependable younger brother.
At the time, Go Du-yeol was just a scrawny high schooler who avoided anything to do with "exercise" like the plague.
He was below average in both height and weight, and he had absolutely no talent for any kind of physical activity.
But his brother was different.
He was the very embodiment of masculinity—so much so that if the word "man" were personified, it would look like him.
From a young age, he excelled in all kinds of sports, and he couldn't stand injustice.
"Hyung, you should really start working out."
The boy walking ahead of him scolded.
"People look down on you because you're so scrawny."
"You know I have zero talent for sports."
"But you should at least try to change."
He grumbled again.
"Of course, the guys who pick on you for being small are the ones in the wrong, but..."
"Yeah."
"Still, I wish you had a little more manliness in you."
He often urged me to "be more manly."
Whenever he did, I'd act annoyed, pretending to be fed up...
But deep down, I was truly grateful for having such a dependable younger brother.
In the dream, Go Du-yeol stared at his brother's broad back as he walked ahead.
He studied his thick arms and legs, sturdy as logs.
The truth was, he admired his younger brother.
He admired the boy's ironclad discipline—how he went to the gym every single day, rain or shine.
"I'll pass."
"Why?"
"Too much fat."
He admired his brother's self-control—how he wouldn't even touch anything other than chicken breast or lean red meat, 365 days a year.
"Hyung, what do you think?"
His brother's body, which had started growing rapidly, soon became so massive it was hard to believe he was still a high schooler.
"You look really strong."
While contemplating his future, his brother suddenly became obsessed with "combat sports."
A sport where he could unleash and flaunt his strength to his heart's content in the ring...
A sport that could be called the pinnacle of masculinity.
"It suits you."
I genuinely cheered for him.
I wanted to be of help...
So I studied the field obsessively.
"I'll study hard and become your personal trainer someday."
"You?"
"I'll learn everything—exercise physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition."
At the time, Go Du-yeol was confident that if there was one thing he could excel at, it was "studying."
He planned to go to medical school.
To become someone who could train his brother professionally, he intended to master every related field.
"Yeah, sounds good."
His brother's smile, fresh as summer grass, flickered in his memory.
Doo-jun was...
A boy whose nature was as gentle as a Doberman's, despite his massive size.
"Congratulations on being valedictorian."
As planned, Go Du-yeol entered the most prestigious university in the country, "Korea University's College of Medicine," as the top student.
True to his promise, he studied not only his major but also various other fields to become his brother's coach.
"Hyung, I got my first match!"
Meanwhile, his younger brother Doo-jun...
Was about to have his first fight.
"If I win this time, will you grant me one wish?"
"What is it?"
"It's nothing too big, but still..."
Well, how big of a wish could it be?
Thinking that, he nodded casually.
"Anything you want."
He remembered his brother's first match.
The first...
And the last.
- Go Doo-jun is overwhelming his opponent like a wild beast!
- Unbelievable! He's just knocked out his opponent!
- Go Doo-jun has made the most spectacular debut!
When his brother returned, his face swollen and bruised, he was grinning from ear to ear, begging him to fulfill his promise.
"What is it?"
His wish was laughably simple...
"I want you to start working out."
"Working out?"
"Not combat sports—weight training."
He wanted me to exercise.
"Why?"
His brother answered carefully.
"I've always said this, but I wish you'd become a little more manly."
Though he never showed it, it was clear his brother had always wanted me to embody some form of "masculinity."
"Fine, I'll do it."
Since it was such a trivial wish.
I decided to grant it.
But part of me regretted it.
'If I'd known you wanted it this badly...'
I would've started working out ages ago.
The very next day...
That regret deepened even further.
"Hyung!"
It happened as I was on my way to work out with him for the first time.
He suddenly rushed at me and shoved me aside, sending me tumbling to the ground...
CRASH!
Right where I had been standing just moments before, a steel rebar from a nearby high-rise construction site came crashing down.
"Hyung..."
The rebar that had been meant for me now pinned Doo-jun, who hadn't been able to dodge in time, crushing him beneath its weight.
"D-Doo-jun!"
Half of his body was trapped under the rebar, and he spoke in a strained voice.
"Hyung, it hurts..."
Du-yeol scrambled toward him in a panic.
"I-I'll get you out right now..."
With trembling hands, he dialed 119 and immediately tried to lift the rebar with all his might.
"Please, please, please..."
It was too heavy.
So heavy...
He couldn't lift it.
"Hyung, it hurts so much..."
"I'll get you out, I swear..."
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge it.
His palms were torn and bleeding...
But his strength was simply too weak to move the rebar even an inch.
"Doo-jun..."
Helplessly, Go Du-yeol had to watch as his brother slowly died under the crushing weight.
He lost his brother because he was too weak.
Later, he learned that the rebar that had crushed his brother weighed about 200 kg.
"If only I had been the one pinned..."
If it had been Doo-jun, he would've lifted that rebar without breaking a sweat.
"It should've been me..."
Regret for the irreversible past washed over him like a tidal wave.
"If only I could've lifted that..."
At the very least, he wouldn't have lost his brother.
From that day on, Go Du-yeol's entire focus was fixed on 200 kg.
He began living with the sole goal of being able to lift that weight.
He abandoned his reclusive lifestyle and threw himself into the gym.
Huff—
From that day forward, Go Du-yeol never missed a single day at the gym.
Growth through overcompensation.
Human muscles grow stronger by tearing, rupturing, and healing.
So gaining muscle is an act of self-inflicted pain.
It hurt.
But not as much as watching his brother die under that rebar.
So he gritted his teeth and lifted dumbbells and barbells with vicious determination.
Rain or shine, he repeated his workouts and training every day.
To speed up his growth, he never neglected his studies either.
He studied muscle movement, efficient recovery methods, and nutrition.
"I have to get stronger faster..."
All his priorities had flipped.
His life...
Eventually, even his physique changed.
"I have to become manly..."
He became someone who pursued extreme masculinity...
"I have to become tougher..."
And so, the scrawny medical student became obsessed with "manliness" and the pursuit of strength.
Then, one day.
The day he finally deadlifted 200 kg for the first time in his life.
THUD!
Go Du-yeol set the barbell down, then dropped to his knees and sobbed.
"If only I could've lifted this back then..."
If only he could've lifted this weight that day.
"Just because I couldn't lift this..."
He cried like a child, his sorrow overwhelming.
"Just because of this weight..."
They were tears born from regret—regret for the "weakness" that had cost him his brother.
That day.
He sat on the gym floor and wept bitterly for hours.
S-Rank Hunter, Rank 5.
The Iron Man, Go Du-yeol.
This was the reason he became so obsessed with manliness, strength, and the word "brother."
Go Du-yeol woke up in a cold sweat.
"You're awake?"
When he came to his senses, he saw his brothers all preparing to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Something urgent came up."
Du-yeol shook his head left and right to clear his mind, then asked.
"Are you going somewhere dangerous?"
"Maybe."
"As your hyung, I should lead by example."
Kang-jun then asked in return.
"You want to come?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Du-yeol answered.
"Yeah, of course."
Then he added.
"Because I'm your hyung."
With that, Go Du-yeol also got up from the bed and began preparing to leave with his brothers.
"Fine, come if you want."
Kang-jun took the lead and spoke...
"Marbas, guide us."
Marbas sniffed the air repeatedly and began moving, tracking the scent of his brothers.
Baal.
His brother wasn't far.
Among all their countless brothers...
The eldest, the most dangerous of them all.