Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: High School Girl VS Dance Team (1)
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Prep school student Kim Min-su.
Trapped in a cramped cram school like a chicken coop, grinding away at his studies.
His days were monotonous, but he still had a small outlet to breathe.
'High School Fighting King 3 teaser dropped.'
High School Fighting King.
A combat sports variety show scouting rookie fighters.
He'd loved Seasons 1 and 2 so much that he was looking forward to the new season.
But his excitement wasn't quite as high as before.
'It's girls this time, so it's kinda iffy...'
Seasons 1 and 2 had featured boys.
Season 3, however, targeted girls.
Once that info leaked.
The public's reaction went from cold to outright frigid.
'Women's bouts aren't entertaining.'
That was the prevailing view among MMA fans.
It wasn't baseless hating.
The most exciting moment in combat sports?
Obviously, a KO.
But women's divisions rarely delivered those explosive KOs.
Women just didn't have the same raw power as men.
That naturally led to more point-fighting matches.
'Well, every now and then you get some bloody wars.'
Kim Min-su was a die-hard MMA fan.
He even found enjoyment in women's bouts.
So he was more interested in this season than most fans.
And the moment the video started playing.
He forgot all his biases and got completely sucked in.
It was due to the overwhelming visuals.
'Who's that? How is she that pretty?'
He thought some idol had come on as a panelist.
Her looks were more than enough to cause that misunderstanding.
She could outshine most idols.
'New idol debut? Prettiest celeb I've seen lately.'
Her face was so stunning it felt unreal.
Like gazing at a perfectly proportioned work of art.
But the face was just bait.
-Pop! Pabab!
The sparring scene kicked in right away.
The idol-like girl was wearing gloves, facing off against a male fighter.
'Not a panelist—she's a fighter?'
Shock number one.
'And her striking form is insane.'
Shock number two from the ominous striking form.
This wasn't amateur level.
To Kim Min-su's trained eye, it looked pro-grade.
'The verification sparring partner's An Seung-ho? Even for sparring, landing clean shots like that on him is impressive.'
In the sparring, An Seung-ho looked pushed back.
Of course, hard to judge from a short edited clip.
But she was just a high school girl.
The fact they could even edit in scenes like this was mind-blowing.
The climax came at the video's end.
A precise knee strike in the clinch.
An Seung-ho staggering.
'No way he's going down...?'
The moment the question arose.
"How do you just cut it off there...!"
Kim Min-su yelled before he knew it.
It left him smacking his forehead in frustration.
He'd seen everything there was to see, so he should put down his smartphone, but the aftertaste lingered.
In the end, he headed to the community.
The vibe was shock at her beauty and unexpected skills.
Plenty of users pushed back against the hype.
The instant split into fans and haters proved her star power.
"Haven't had hot bait like this in ages."
Who was Go Eun-ha?
Why was her boxing so good?
Did An Seung-ho really get dropped?
Could a girl beat a male fighter?
The bait overflowed.
Galleries were most fun when the flames raged.
Just as Kim Min-su was enjoying the drama.
One pro-fan anon caught his eye.
"Groinkick's extra pissed today. He really Eun-ha?"
Kim Min-su had his suspicions too.
.
.
.
At that moment.
Garlam High School, Class 3 sophomore classroom.
Park O-yu-na was shaking with rage~.
Clutching her smartphone tight.
'What do you know...!'
She started typing a post right away.
"Phew. All done."
After unleashing 5,000 characters of fury, her mood lightened a bit.
Then a voice from behind.
"Whatcha doing?"
It was Go Eun-ha.
"Kieek!"
Hairs stood on end all over her body.
No way she got caught, right?
"What were you doing to make a demon-exorcism screech like that?"
"Uh, nothing... Just being my usual sleazy, useless self..."
Shh.
She quickly hid her phone.
Being a gallery pro-fan wasn't something to brag about.
Besides, she wasn't trying to stir aggro.
She just wanted to talk fighting.
But her posts unintentionally pissed people off.
'Otaku trait. Otaku even online...'
Anyway.
Time to return to reality.
"Heading to train this weekend?"
"Uh...?"
O-yu-na liked training.
But not seven days a week.
"I wanna rest at least one day..."
But Go Eun-ha's permission didn't come.
"You not going for UFC?"
"Unless you're Eun-ha, can my talent even get to UFC...?"
Lately, O-yu-na felt conflicted.
Happy to be friends with Eun-ha,
But depressed thinking about Eun-ha's fighting talent.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't surpass her.
Eun-ha seemed to sense it.
"Shut up and follow."
"Yes, ma'am..."
So she dragged her along anyway.
'Eun-ha's way tougher than she looks...'
In the end, Eun-ha got a partner, O-yu-na learned techniques—win-win.
I took down a male pro fighter.
School should have flipped.
Daily life got a bit annoying because of it.
Like Pyo Hye-in suddenly grabbing my collar, yelling, "Did you have to do that to my Seung-ho oppa?"
Or the fighting boom leading to boys sparring in breaks, taking bone shots, and carted to the nurse.
Girls blushing changing into gym clothes, or bringing snacks for no reason increased.
But that wasn't important.
The important thing was in my head.
'Couldn't drop An Seung-ho with the counter.'
I kept replaying the last spar.
Everyone praised it as amazing.
But I thought differently.
'Accuracy, timing—both perfect. Yet An Seung-ho didn't go down. Why?'
Plan was counter punch ends spar.
An Seung-ho no headgear even.
Still tanked my counter.
'Good chin?'
No.
He'd wobbled in past fights.
Glass jaw was his noted weakness.
'My power lacking?'
Somewhat convincing.
But still hard to swallow fully.
Precision beats power.
My counter was more precise than math formulas.
'Punch was perfect. Perfect means power was plenty.'
Power wasn't lacking.
Yet failed to drop him.
'So it wasn't perfect.'
I was mistaken.
Why?
Why the mistake?
Lost my feel?
"Hey, Eun-ha. Want this? Homemade chocolate."
"Not big on sweets, but gift's a gift. Thanks."
"Thank you for eating it...!"
I pop the shyly offered chocolate in my mouth.
Sweetness melts my brain.
'Maybe snacking? Gained weight?'
Eaten lots of sweets lately.
But by scale or eye, body condition top-notch.
Then it hits me.
Crunch.
"Hm?"
Realize I'm propping chin on hand eating chocolate.
Such awkward posture.
Old me would never.
So it's body-engrained habit, not soul.
'Right. Habit.'
Maybe not 100% adapted to this body.
Movements I remember trained in male body.
'Woman's body—everything different.'
Height, weight, reach.
Bone length, joint flexibility, muscle softness, natural range.
Fought in another's body till now.
Enough for error in fighting sense.
'Need to get more familiar with this body.'
Remembered moves not optimized for high school girl's body.
How to optimize?
Just repeat motions?
'That'll take too long.'
Sense not easily gained.
At least years.
Decades worst case.
Needs long-accumulated body data.
'Normal thinking won't solve.'
I'm in special situation.
Needs paradigm shift, not straight path.
'Think reverse.'
Instead of injecting my sense into body,
Inject body's remembered sense into my mind?
Fine-tune via motions high school girl Go Eun-ha used daily?
'Like a ting-tok challenge or something.'
...Absolutely not buildup to dance.
♪- ♬- ♩-
Last bell rang.
Kids about to leap up.
Class rep steps forward, shouts.
"Guys. Sports day soon, right? Everyone must do at least one event, decide by this week and tell me."
What a hassle.
So thinking.
Pyo Hye-in blocks me, pouty.
"Go Eun-ha. Trying to sneak away again?"
"Sneak?"
"Sports day's right around the corner. We gotta prep too, you know."
"Prep for what?"
"Stop playing dumb? Dance team performance."
Essential for pretty popular girls: Dance Team.
If America's cheerleaders, Korea's dance teams—not exaggeration.
Alpha girl Eun-ha could've been on one.
Honestly tempting.
Legal chance to practice dance.
Though dancing idol choreo front of others humiliating for ex-pro Eun-ha—
'Best way to awaken this body's senses maybe.'
This too is training.
That mindset, doable.
No effect? Quit then.
"Stage outfits decided too. Look. Epic, right?"
Hye-in shows phone pic.
Naval-baring black crop top, tight hot pants.
Cat ears, tail accessories, leather gloves.
Ridiculously high stiletto heels too.
"Sexy cat concept!"
"I'm quitting the club."
I'd choose death over wearing that.