Tiger Boy Topples the Bear
Should I be your son? Even I, who's died once before, had never felt anything like this. A ferocious death. Intense savagery. My goddamn vocabulary failing me. Just... fucking terrifying. That beast of a kid. Is that bastard really only three years older than me?
“Raaargh! Grrraaah!”
Seong-bae was showing off his bear-like bulk to everyone—especially the girls a few years his senior—for all sorts of reasons.
“Oh my!”
“Eek!”
“Mommy!”
By modern standards, they were middle or high school age, but here they were prime marriage material. They screamed in surprise at Seong-bae's antics but smiled like they didn't hate it one bit.
“Hahaha!”
Having soaked up the reactions, Seong-bae turned to me with a smug grin. I could guess why he'd dragged me into the ssireum ring.
“Yun Seong-bae! Kim Si-jin! Enter the ring!”
“Lord Kim Si-jin! You're up! Lord Kim Si-jin! Where are you?!”
“You're Kim Si-jin, aren't you? Quit messing around and get in here!”
Ah, busted. Well, duh. Topless with my ssireum belt on—who wouldn't notice?
I slunk into the ring like a cow heading to the slaughterhouse, shoulders slumped.
“Yes, sir! Yun Seong-bae entering!”
Seong-bae, on the other hand, strode in brimming with confidence. Planning to crush the famous Haetae Boy and score some popularity points.
“Mr. I-bang.”
Clutching at straws, I appealed to him. One of Kim Hui-un's bullying crew was his son, but desperation makes you try anything.
“Can't I just forfeit?”
“Tch! You see this crowd? And you're saying that after they've gathered to watch you and Seong-bae go at it?”
“Yes.”
“Sigh, no can do. I've got money on you.”
Ooh, kinda touching?
“You know how high your odds are paying right now?”
What the hell.
“Alright, grab those belts.”
My last hope vanished.
I had no choice but to bend down and reach for Seong-bae's ssireum belt. But our arm length difference was insane—my face buried in his shoulder didn't even get me close.
“My arms won't reach? Doesn't this mean I can't wrestle?”
“Won't reach? Like hell. Just do it like this.”
“Agh! Ow! My neck! Mr. I-bang! My neck!”
I-bang twisted my head sideways until Seong-bae's shoulder pressed against my ear. Only then could I grab the belt.
“Hey, grab on.”
Gripping it like I was aiming for my next life, Seong-bae whispered in his thick voice.
“Whatever bullshit you pull, I won't do a thing. Just... don't headbutt me.”
“Who headbutts in ssireum...”
Seemed like he was spotting me a handicap since he figured he'd win anyway.
Of course, thanks anyway.
The second I-bang yelled “Start!”, I let go of the belt. Instead, I grabbed both his knees and yanked while shoving his shoulders with all my might.
The result was instant.
Thud!
“...Huh?”
Seong-bae crumpled in a blink, still clutching my belt, mumbling blankly.
I shook off his limp hands, straightened up, and griped.
“Hey, what if you really do nothing? I was counting on that strength of yours.”
“You little...!”
“Woooah! Haetae Boy! Haetae Boy!”
Seong-bae's face flushed red as he grasped the situation and tried to say something, but the crowd's cheers drowned him out.
I bowed deeply to the audience.
“Hahaha! Thank you! It's all thanks to your cheers and support! Without you, I never would've claimed the top spot—”
Grab!
“Where do you think you're going?”
I-bang seized my shoulder and yanked me upright.
“Gapbyeongjeon is best of three—win two out of three for the real victory. You didn't know?”
I knew. The match deciding first-place gap and second-place byeong was three rounds, two wins. I just didn't want to believe it.
“Back to positions!”
“You're dead meat...!”
“Mr. I-bang! He's threatening to kill me! Is it okay for the opponent to intimidate like that?”
“Shut it! Just win one round! Go!”
Whining like some national MC didn't help. I had to face off again against Seong-bae, who was grinding his teeth like he wanted to murder me.
“Start!”
“Hngh!”
No way he'd fall for the same trick twice. The instant I-bang called it, Seong-bae charged like a plow turning soil, kicking up sand.
Naturally, I was the plowshare getting flipped.
“Urgh...!”
Splat! Splatter!
I kicked sand to resist, but it wasn't enough. I tried sidestepping to redirect his force, but his grip on my belt was ironclad.
“You... fuck. Pathetic little shit...! I'll... toss you out right now...!”
His words were turning real. A sidelong glance showed the boundary line creeping closer to my feet.
Suddenly, a memory flashed: some politician flipping his bodyguard with a judo throw.
Fuck it!
Something I'd never do normally, but my excitement and competitive fire burned away any hesitation.
I stopped resisting, released the belt, and flopped onto my ass in the sand.
“?!”
Seong-bae lost balance from my sudden drop and toppled forward. No fetish for burying my face in that fluffy chest of his.
Splat!
I wedged his warm, fuzzy armpit like a victory pose, then—bam!—kicked his hips hard with both feet, like giving a kid an airplane ride.
“Whoa?!”
A judo urae-nage, or monkey flip in pro wrestling. Seong-bae flipped through the air and crashed ass-first beyond the line.
Boom!
“Aaaagh! Ungh... grrr...!”
Whoa. It worked?
Seong-bae writhed on the ground, unable to rise easily, his groans the only sound in the ring.
“Wh-what? What happened?”
“Did the Haetae Boy win?”
“Haetae Boy suddenly lay down and kicked—hey, he's out of bounds!”
“Haetae Boy wins!”
“Wooooah!”
The murmurs swelled into massive cheers. But I-bang ruined the party.
“Kim Si-jin! Loss!”
“What?! Why did our Haetae Boy lose?!”
“Why? Si-jin hit the ground first!”
He was right. In ssireum, anything but your soles touching first means loss.
I lost, but pulling off a pro move from a video felt damn good. I stood proudly.
“Thank you! A heartbreaking defeat, but thanks to your cheers and support, I gave it my all—”
“Enough! One round left! Seong-bae, you okay? Can you stand?”
I-bang scolded my attempt to bail and checked on Seong-bae.
Grimacing, Seong-bae barely stood and nodded.
“Y-yes, Mr. I-bang. I can... do it...!”
He said he was fine, but he looked wrecked. Even walking to center, he clutched his waist, face twisted.
“You good? A man's back is important, y'know.”
“Grr, shut up...!”
“What do we do? Sorry. Hurt your back, no grandkids. Hmm? Should I be your son?”
“You... fuck...!”
“Dad, he's swearing... it's scaryyy...!”
Couldn't tell if his red face was from me or the pain. Either way, I was the cause.
“Grab belts and get ready!”
Anyway, final round. Bending my heavy body from back-to-back matches, I pondered victory.
Seong-bae was pissed now. Why? I'd embarrassed him twice, beaten him sloppily, mocked him.
What would he do? Crush me clean. Like before—lift and hurl with brute force.
“Start!”
“Hngh!”
Nailed it. He hoisted me up full power right away. My face plunged into that fluffy chest.
Aaah! Warm! Smells! Dirty! Cozy!
“Hngh! Hrngh!”
His back injury was biting hard. Unlike with that poor first opponent, he couldn't fling me cleanly. Plus, I clung desperately to his belt.
“Let go! Let go, you bastard!”
“Fuck off! Pffft! Ptui!”
Shit! Fur in my mouth!
Even as curly hairs invaded my mouth, I bided my time. Strong as he was, injured back meant he couldn't hold me forever. He'd either drop me or...
“Die, you dog!”
...crush me under his weight!
Seong-bae toppled while lifting me. The moment my feet hit sand, I twisted my hips with everything I had.
“Hraaaagh!”
Crack!
Less than a second, but propping up a head three times my size with my waist. Ominous sound from my back, but the payoff was worth it.
“You fu—ngh?!”
Splat!
Twisting flung Seong-bae's face and shoulder into the sand first. I collapsed right after, landing on him.
“Grk! Hey! Get off! Heavy! Off!”
I shoved his body away after releasing the belt. By the time he pushed up first, I wriggled free, jumped up, and threw my arms high.
“Woooah! I won! The Haetae Boy beat the ssireum prodigy! Woo—huh?”
First time saying “Haetae Boy” myself, but no cheers followed.
Not even from Mom, Eori, or her family.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“Fuck. Fuck. I fucking won. Fuck.”
The ring was dead silent except for Seong-bae's cursing. So quiet, you couldn't hear breathing.
“Mr. I-bang?”
“Ah, y-yeah. Right.”
I-bang snapped out of the same stunned look as everyone and strode past Seong-bae. Grabbing my wrist, he raised it high.
“Kim Si-jin! Victory!”
The crowd's roar shook the ssireum ring.