Chapter 99
Chapter 99
99.
A Leech-like Uninvited Guest (1)
Shinwoo finished the discussion at TSF and headed straight to the basement of the headquarters.
The elevator arrived at the 4th basement floor, where the KITE headquarters had recently moved. He then went to the KITE guard training center inside the office.
Thwack— Pow—
Through the glass window of the hallway, applicants were sparring as part of the KITE's new guard recruitment test.
Everyone was wearing training uniforms temporarily provided by KITE, instead of the suits they had initially worn.
"You're here quite early. Did the TSF matter go well?"
Lillian, who he had spoken to on the phone earlier, came out to the hallway and asked. Shinwoo took a deep breath.
"It was fine. But what's the situation?"
In the middle of the sparring ring, two men and women were exchanging punches and kicks frantically, wearing gloves and headgear.
But the sparring didn't last long. The female applicant dodged her opponent's punches with quick movements, then leaned back and kicked his chin with her heel, finishing the match.
"I was just watching the test and found out. You didn't know at all?"
"How can I keep track of recruiting new guards?"
"Didn't you check the resume either?"
"The HR team and Instructor Jeong Gang-ho were in charge of the resume, the first physical test, the second interview, and the third sparring."
Shinwoo frowned as he looked at the female applicant standing in the middle of the sparring ring.
She stepped back after knocking down the man.
"This has become a real headache. Can't we just disqualify her?"
"What about her resume and the results of the first and second tests?"
"Just a moment."
Lillian went inside for a moment and received the resume from Jeong Gang-ho, who was observing the sparring.
Shinwoo began to check the resume and sighed again.
【Resume】
▷ Meian / Mei Yan
▷ Born on △△/△△/2001 (Age 22)
▷ Nationality: China
▷ Special Skills: Wushu Sanda, Weaponry
▷ Certifications: Driver's License (China)
.
.
The female applicant's identity was Yakusa Weishuan's adopted daughter, Yaksa Meian.
There were no major problems with the first physical test and the second interview. Of course, her clumsy Korean due to being Chinese was a concern, but it was covered by her excellent performance in the first physical test.
"She applied without hiding anything. And her scores aren't bad either."
"Didn't Yakuza send her to monitor the boss?"
"If the purpose was monitoring, would she have come this way?"
Of course, it was a suspicious assumption. However, if Yakuza Weishuan had wanted to monitor Shinwoo, he would have chosen a more discreet method than the conspicuous Meian.
"If that's not the case, then her goal is only the boss."
"...Probably."
Shinwoo also had a headache. At the same time, the voice he heard in China, asking him to marry her out of the blue, seemed to echo in his head.
"So, what are you going to do? You're not going to accept her, are you?"
"What do you think of her skills?"
At that question, Lillian's expression became serious.
"Honestly, I acknowledge her skills. She was great before, and even though she's young now, she's probably experienced more actual combat than the current KITE guards. The boss fought her in China, right?"
"She almost chopped my head off with her Handaxe."
"So, you're going to take her? She's a Yaksa. You can't predict where she'll bounce. That's why she showed up here, too."
If Weisuan knew, he would have contacted him. But the fact that he's been quiet so far means she definitely came to Korea secretly.
"If we disqualify her, will she quietly go back?"
"That's... a bit difficult, right? Or should we knock her out and put her on a smuggling ship to China?"
Lillian's expression was more serious than ever.
"We need to find another way. And even if we do that, she's the type to fly back."
"So, we accept her for now?"
"How about you test her yourself? When I saw Meian earlier, it seemed like she was toying with her opponent before knocking him down."
As Shinwoo said, Lillian also noticed. On the other hand, the others who watched the sparring would only think that Meian was simply great because she didn't show her true skills.
Lillian stepped away from the sparring ring and glanced at the back of Meian, who was lined up.
"If I do it, it might get a bit excessive. Is that okay?"
"Do as you please. Just don't kill her."
"Ok―!"
With that answer, Lillian went back into the sparring ring.
In the meantime, the sparring was mostly finished, and Jeong Gang-ho, the supervisor, was scoring with another supervisor.
"Instructor Jeong Gang-ho. I'm going to do an additional FFC (Free Fight Competition) style test."
"Yes? Suddenly?"
"I couldn't accurately assess the skills of one of the applicants earlier."
"But..."
All the scheduled tests had been completed. Now, all that was left was to proceed with the final representative interview based on the results.
"The CEO has approved it. And it won't take long since we only need to check one person."
"Ah."
Jeong Gang-ho followed Lillian's gaze and made eye contact with Shinwoo, who was standing beyond the window in the hallway. At the same time, Shinwoo nodded to him.
It meant that he had approved as Lillian said.
"May I proceed? Of course, it won't affect the previous scores."
"I understand. Let's do that."
Lillian turned her head and faced Meian, who was lined up with her back to the hallway, and said in Chinese.
"Meian applicant. You didn't get to warm up properly earlier, did you? Can you do it one more time with me? Of course, you can refuse."
At that question, Meian smiled brightly, then slightly hardened her expression and answered.
"Okay~!"
"Good, it's refreshing. Bare hands? Weapons? You can choose whatever you want."
"I'll go with weapons."
She picked up two Tonfa from among the various equipment placed on one side of the sparring ring and held them in both hands. However, she held them upside down, with the horizontal and vertical handles facing up.
She took a stance like she was holding a Handaxe, her favorite weapon from China.
"The type is the same as mine. Aren't you wearing protective gear?"
"You're not wearing it either."
Lillian took off her jacket and took out two folding Tonfa from inside, grabbed the vertical handles, and gestured to Meian.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Shall we start then?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Meian kicked off the floor with force and rushed in.
The Tonfa in her right hand was swung strongly towards Lillian's head while being held upside down.
Whoosh―
An attack that was too obvious. In a normal situation, she would have leaned back.
But Lillian raised the Tonfa hanging long on her forearm and blocked it. Following that, Meian swung her arm, which had been wrapped inside, towards Lillian's torso, but it was blocked as the initial defense fell to the bottom.
Clang―
"I thought you were just bluffing when you suddenly asked to fight, but you're pretty good?"
Lillian laughed at Meian's casual remark muttered quietly right in front of her.
"You're pretty good too. I guess the nickname Yaksa wasn't just for show?"
"...Do you know me too?"
Even in the midst of that, the Tonfa that had been colliding were in a power struggle. However, Lillian also used her other hand to endure because Meian's strength was considerable.
"How could I not know?"
"Did LOX tell you?"
The reason Meian rushed in with a quick preemptive attack was because she saw Shinwoo and Lillian talking in the hallway earlier.
"I'd appreciate it if you were careful with that name here."
With that answer, Lillian swung her elbow towards her neck.
At the same time, Meian rolled back and rushed in again.
Whoosh― Clang, Clang―
The renewed offensive and defensive battle continued simply and quickly. Up, down, left, and right, the Tonfa held in each hand clashed noisily in the air.
Perhaps because both of them specialized in agility, their hands and feet moved busily. Those who watched the situation from the surroundings could not help but be surprised by the complex entanglement.
In particular, the male applicant who had sparred with Meian earlier felt that he was far behind.
Then, Meian aimed for Lillian's ankle and swung the Tonfa.
In response, Lillian jumped to the side, and as if to bite at it, Meian also rotated her body and continued with the next strike.
'As expected, her skills are innate.'
Lillian was not lacking in skills either, but she might have been pushed back if it weren't for the regression, previous experience, and the mysterious increase in her five senses. In that respect, Meian was far superior to Lillian in terms of pure talent.
Clang― Clang―
The Tonfa collided again between the two, and a loud noise rang out.
At that time, Lillian pulled Meian's attack as far inside as possible, then grabbed her elbow as if wrapping around it and thrust the handle of the Tonfa towards her chest.
Thwack―
"Ugh―!"
A rough groan erupted from Meian's mouth as she was pushed back by the impact.
"It feels like at least one rib is broken. Are you thinking of continuing?"
"?Mouth! (Shut up!)"
Meian's attacks, who was excited, could only become rougher than before. At the same time as the Tonfa, which was held upside down, was swung while cutting through the air, Meian's toes and knees were thrust out following it.
Pak― Clang― Clang―
Despite the louder sounds than before, Lillian did not back down at all. Rather, she moved even faster and dodged or blocked her attacks, then stabbed the Tonfa into her thighs, sides, and shoulders, where gaps had formed due to her excitement.
"?of! (Damn it!)"
Meian, who paused for a moment, gritted her teeth even harder and did not stop rushing in. The two people's offensive and defensive battle became even more intense as time went on.
Jeong Gang-ho had thought about stopping them at such a sight, but he realized that it was difficult to stop them with shouts alone. He couldn't put his body between the Tonfa that were being swung like a storm either...
It was then.
Someone intervened between the two people as Jeong Gang-ho had thought. He quickly dodged the Tonfa and snatched the wrists of the two people who had fired the attack, making them stop.
"That's enough."
It was Shinwoo who stopped Lillian and Meian's attacks.
At Shinwoo's words, the two people could not help but take the strength out of their hands.
"Lillian, how can you get excited too?"
"Sorry―!"
At that answer, Shinwoo released the two people's wrists.
"You should have done it moderately. Or you should have finished it properly."
"You have to have a decent endurance. She's rushing in like crazy. But I can't really use my skills in a deadly way."
Lillian had seen Meian's real gaps several times, but she held back because her life could be in danger if she stabbed the attack into those places.
Of course, Shinwoo knew that well because he had been watching such a situation from the hallway.
"Anyway... and Meian applicant, calm down now..."
Shinwoo was about to speak while looking at Meian, but he paused at the unpleasantly sparkling eyes.
"??of, ?Is it?Look at me?? (Honey, did you come to see me?)"
It was a quiet mutter in Chinese, so it seemed that others did not hear it.
Shinwoo, who became embarrassed, distanced himself from such Meian.
"Let's talk separately during the interview. Instructor Jeong, please continue with the entrance test. And I'm sorry for creating an unnecessarily uncomfortable situation."
"It's alright, CEO."
He had no choice but to leave the place with Lillian while ignoring Meian as much as possible. Fortunately, she seemed to have the sense to grasp the atmosphere, so she stood quietly without following Shinwoo.
Lillian said to Shinwoo teasingly.
"Oh my! He called you honey."
"Shut up. I had no choice but to step in because you didn't do it moderately."
"As I said earlier, I couldn't help it. Who would have known that she would rush in to that extent even after her ribs were broken."
Lillian had used a strong move to kill her momentum at once.
"She was amazing."
"She's a tough one. There's a reason why she's called Yaksa. But what are you really going to do? If we leave her as she is, she'll pass."
"Anyway, I called Yakuza before I intervened earlier. It seems like they're in a mess there too because Meian suddenly disappeared."
"Are they taking her?"
"They can't stop her there either. Rather, they're asking me to take good care of her."
Weisuan had thrown the troublemaker to Shinwoo.