Hunting time. 2
Hunting time. 2
A gym located in the basement of an old building on the roadside.
The entrance is plastered with all sorts of signs like UFC, Road, and mixed martial arts.
I opened the door and walked in, greeting the Gym Director-nim and the only two or three members there with vigor.
"Good morning!"
"Oh, you're here? You're late."
"Yes, sir."
"Go change quickly and get ready for sparring."
I went into the locker room, took off my clothes, and put them in a cabinet.
I had already worn everything underneath, so there wasn't much to it.
I came out wearing only short pants and lightly warmed up my body.
I grabbed a jump rope, did some double-unders, and loosened up my arms and shoulders.
I had already warmed up once with shadowboxing at home, so I didn't need much more.
It was two weeks ago, while wandering the streets after leaving home, that I discovered this gym.
Drawn in like a magnet, I felt scared when I saw the Gym Director-nim's menacing expression, but I eventually mustered the courage to speak.
'Do you teach fighting here too?'
The Gym Director-nim, who had been looking dumbfounded, immediately scowled deeply.
His menacing expression turned even scarier.
'You little shit. Do you think working out is a joke! Where does a little runt like you get off trying to learn how to fight...'
I don't know why I did what I did back then.
Watching the Gym Director-nim spew curses and shouts, I silently took off my clothes.
The moment I pulled down my pants in front of the flustered Gym Director-nim, he was rendered speechless.
My thighs, visible below my underwear, were covered in bruises.
When I took off my shirt, a look of pity even flowed into the Gym Director-nim's eyes.
My chest, stomach, and shoulders were bruised blue.
The Gym Director-nim, who had been spitting out that he didn't teach fighting, recognized the marks left on my body at a glance.
'Did your friends hit you?'
'Yes.'
'So what are you going to do with learning how to fight.'
I was tempted to lie with a nice excuse, but my mouth was honest. Though, it was a bit seasoned.
'Because I don't want to just stand there and take the hits anymore.'
After leaving home and skipping school, I spent my days hunting and my nights living at the gym ever since that day.
My fists and feet pounded the sandbag.
The Gym Director-nim's eyes, which initially held pity, were now filled with expectation and desire.
The Gym Director-nim approached me and asked casually.
"You're truly a natural. Are you really sure you don't want to be a pro athlete?"
As my body, which he had seen as just a chubby weakling, saw its physical stats explode within two weeks, the Gym Director-nim started drooling at some point.
Talent, my ass. It's all thanks to the Status Window.
Well, if the Status Window is a talent, then I guess it could be.
But I don't really want to do anything that draws people's attention.
Above all, to live as I please, the further I am from people's gaze, the better. Because a gaze is also a kind of prison, just a boundary line that restricts me.
"I really have no intention to. I'm going to do business."
"Business, my foot. There's a truckload of guys who went bust trying to do business. And with talent like yours, what business are you talking about? Don't be like that, think about it carefully. Seriously, with you, even winning the UFC isn't impossible."
"Gym Director-nim. Don't be like that. I'm ready."
"Is that so? You're fast today. Then let's get ready. Hey. Sparring is ready."
I dragged my sweat-soaked body and climbed onto the octagonal ring.
He's supposedly a Gym Director-nim from another gym who is close with our Gym Director-nim, but listening to the conversation between them, it feels like they have more of a love-hate dynamic than a friendly one. Still, since this circle is so small, you can't just cut ties completely with someone you dislike if you want to train.
I heard the sparring partner is an amateur athlete about to make his pro debut.
I heard he's 180cm tall, but with his huge muscles and strong impression, he feels even bigger.
He's 22 years old.
I heard he just got discharged from the military and has been preparing to be an athlete for a little over a year.
He's a former Special Forces soldier, so maybe that's why his physique is no joke.
His reach seems to be about 10cm longer too.
Looking at the opponent's face, it's full of dissatisfaction.
He probably doesn't like that I'm his opponent.
I clenched my fists and raised my guard.
Ding!
With the cheerful sound, I bounced around loosely and went to the center of the ring, lightly bumping fists with my opponent.
And.
Lying on the ring floor, my whole body was drenched in sweat.
My whole face is throbbing, so it looks like I'll have bruises.
Looking up from the floor, it's blinding.
I squint, and the Gym Director-nim's face suddenly pushes into view.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
An unfamiliar voice kept ringing loudly behind the Gym Director-nim, but my ears are ringing, probably because I got hit wrong.
I grabbed the hand the Gym Director-nim offered and pulled myself up.
"Do you know him?"
"Yes? No? How would I know him?"
"Fuck. Then why did you rush at him like a madman, like he's your sworn enemy?"
"Ah. I have something to do tomorrow, so I guess I got a bit excited."
"What do you have to do tomorrow?"
After hesitating for a moment, I spoke honestly.
"I'm going back to school starting tomorrow."
"What?"
The Gym Director-nim made a dumbfounded expression, then a moment later, slapped the back of my head with his palm.
Smack.
"Hey, you punk! Just because you don't want to go to school, you beat a guy to a pulp like that! You little shit, didn't I tell you to quit working out right now if you're just going to go around fighting! Huh! You little shit."
"Ayy, it's not like that. That's not it."
"What do you mean it's not like that! You're the one who made your opponent look like that!"
I turned my head and looked to the other side.
Only then did I see my opponent.
The opponent lying on the floor seems to have regained consciousness and is nodding his head.
His face is covered in bruises, and his nose and the area around his eyes are torn and bleeding.
Seeing the opponent's face, I remembered mounting him and throwing constant ground-and-pound punches until just a moment ago.
Ah! I feel sorry.
Still, it's not like I don't have an excuse.
"No. The referee didn't stop it."
"What? Hey! Where is there a referee in a practice match! The match was so absurd I couldn't even speak! And if you've beaten him enough, you should have stopped on your own! What are you, a pro? Is this the UFC!"
Feeling embarrassed, I approached the athlete.
The opponent, who had come to his senses, flinched in surprise when he saw me.
"Um. I'm sorry. I got excited. Are you okay?"
It wasn't until May passed and June arrived that I returned to school.
As I opened the classroom door and walked in, I felt the awkward gazes pouring in from all around and went to sit in my seat.
The guys looked at me with wary eyes, and the girls looked at me with curiosity.
My increased physical stats didn't just boost my muscles, but my overall abilities as well, and one of them was that both my eyesight and hearing improved.
Thanks to that, it was good that I could take off the glasses I'd worn since elementary school, but at the same time, all the whispering of the classmates came into my ears.
"What's up with that guy? He's completely changed."
"He lost so much weight. The white pig. How much did he work out?"
"His biceps are no joke. Has he been hiding them all this time?"
"I can't tell since he took off his glasses. Is he wearing contacts?"
"He really lost a ton of weight. Should I ask him how he lost it?"
No one came up to talk to me directly.
They say if you're next to a jagged person, you get hit by the same rod; well, I'd been an outcast and a bread shuttle since freshman year, so that was to be expected.
Come to think of it, there was a reason why I didn't have a single guy I could call a friend in my past life.
I had no intention of making friends now.
It's not like I'm going to graduate anyway.
But for now, I returned to school.
It's because of my mom's wish and the knot in my heart that I haven't fully untied yet.
Before class started, the homeroom teacher came in.
The pretty female homeroom teacher was in her mid-20s and had a petite build.
With hair cut above her shoulders, a cute appearance, and a smiling gaze around her eyes, she was popular among the students.
Of course, in my eyes, she just looks disgusting.
Because I'm the one who has already experienced the nauseating true colors hidden behind that cute appearance.
In my past life, when the School Violence Committee was held, the person who defended the perpetrators, including Ma Dong-su, the most diligently was that very female teacher, Han Ye-seul.
Back then, I thought she was doing it because she was burning with a sense of duty as a teacher.
Although in reality, it was filled with trashy intentions.
"But you... oh my! Is that Young-jin? You've completely changed. You've lost so much weight. How have you been all this time? Do you know how worried I and your friends were while you were gone? Where on earth have you been going?"
At the homeroom teacher's words, the classmates' gazes turned toward me.
Being on the receiving end of eyes full of curiosity, my face flushed.
Even though I've come back through a long time, being the center of attention is still not something I'm used to.
I want to get past this situation quickly.
"Yes. I'm sorry."
I stood up, bowed my head, and then sat back down with my head bowed low.
"Alright. Let's talk later. Then, listen well in class today. See you all in the afternoon. Fighting today too!"
The way she left, clenching her fist, is cute.
The students, deceived by that, smiled back, and a harmonious atmosphere bloomed.
That's how the first day of returning to school began.
Recess.
With my hands in my pants pockets and my eyes closed, I felt a presence behind my back.
As my physical stats increased, my senses became sharper.
Drrrk.
The sound of a chair being pulled came from the front.
I opened my eyes.
I see the guy sitting in front of me.
A skinny body with a mean expression. It's Lee Seong-min.
He was originally like Ma Dong-su's lackey.
It seems he naturally took the position of the class Iljin after Ma Dong-su disappeared.
The guy spoke to me.
"Long time no see. White pig. No, I guess I can't call you a pig anymore. Did you work out a bit during that time?"
Lee Seong-min's lips were curled up in a mean way.