Chapter 272
“Huh?”
Han Yaseong's right foot shot high into the air, kicking twice before coming down.
The moment Choi Seongcheol saw it, he was left dumbfounded. What the hell kind of foot is that? It was so fast, like watching something at double speed—two crisp kicks slicing through the empty air before landing. The angle was insane. This wasn't some sloppy amateur swing. It was the mark of a pro fighter. Hell, even pro fighters couldn't pull this off. He knew because he'd trained at gyms before. He'd never seen a kick this blindingly quick and precise in his life.
“What the hell was that just now?”
Wondering if he'd seen it wrong, he stared at Han Yaseong. No way this kid actually did that, right? Doubt crept in. It was just too unbelievable.
Seeing that look, Han Yaseong lifted his right foot again.
Papapak!
Three consecutive kicks in rapid succession. His body didn't waver even slightly, and each one followed the exact same trajectory.
What kind of speed is this...? This was straight-up elite martial artist level.
“Was that really you just now?”
“Yeah, I'm pretty decent at it.”
“......”
Pretty decent? Bullshit. Choi Seongcheol knew his stuff from years of combat sports training. You couldn't develop kicks like that in a year or two. Minimum ten years—hell, probably twenty. And even then, who knows if you'd ever get there. Han Yaseong's kicks were beyond imagination. They were so precise and fast, it felt like a machine had fired them off. No way to block something like that.
Only then did a chill run down his spine. This bastard's...
“You're a master, aren't you.”
He hadn't seen it coming at all. The guy's build suggested he worked out a bit, but this blew every expectation out of the water. This wasn't “works out a little”—this was someone who'd lived for training.
He'd been completely fooled.
“You train professionally?”
“A little.”
Choi Seongcheol was wondering if that was enough to settle things when Choi Yujin suddenly jumped in.
“Yaseong, take off your shirt. Once Dad sees your upper body muscles, he won't be able to dismiss you.”
“Should I?”
Wondering what the hell she meant, he watched as Yaseong stripped off his top. What emerged was pure beast-mode muscle. His upper body was a savage symphony of striated power. Even pro fighters didn't have builds like this. Choi Seongcheol forgot all about the guy stealing his daughter and let out an involuntary gasp of admiration.
“Whoa, that's insane!”
It was the exact wild, ripped physique he'd dreamed of in his student days. He'd trained like a maniac for it but never quite reached this level. No matter how hard he pushed, his muscles plateaued. So he'd bulked up instead, chasing size over definition. But this kid had perfected the dream—raw, ferocious cuts. In clothes, he looked ordinary. Shirt off? Total beast mode.
Seeing her dad's shocked reaction, Choi Yujin smirked triumphantly.
“See? Now you get how amazing Yaseong is, right?”
“The body's incredible. You must've lived for training your whole life.”
“Nah, it's not like that. I told him I'd date him if he built some real muscle, and in just two months, he did this.”
“What? Two months?”
Lies. No way you sculpt something like that in two months. Choi Seongcheol didn't buy it.
“Muscles like that take at least ten years. And that's with perfect dieting. What, two months to build this?”
He figured she was exaggerating to hype her boy up. If you could get this ripped in two months, you'd be superhuman.
“It's true. He had a decent base, but not beast level. I told him to do it, so he hit the gym hard over break. He's kept it up, and it's even better now.”
In just a few weeks, his muscles had ballooned to perfection. Choi Yujin was still shocked herself from seeing it earlier. Every fiber screamed overwhelming power. No wonder she'd submitted so easily in bed. His insane full-body build crushed any will to resist. On muscle alone, he was demon king tier—intimidating as hell.
Han Yaseong had spent those weeks in that other world equivalent to years, swinging pickaxes and shovels endlessly. No surprise his body had transformed. Training muscle fused with manual labor grit, forging ultimate combat physique. No wonder Choi Seongcheol was backing down. He'd assumed he'd win in a fight. Wrong. This guy was in a whole other league. One look at those upper body muscles told him everything. Stronger. Way stronger.
Clothed, he seemed average. Exposed? Polar opposite. A lion in sheep's clothing. It hammered home how stupid it was to judge by appearances.
Choi Seongcheol waved his hands.
“Alright, enough. No point fighting—even if I did, I'd lose. A guy who builds muscles like that is one-of-a-kind freak.”
Even pro athletes, gangsters, special forces, or fighters struggled to achieve this. Upper body alone put him top 1% worldwide. Nah, top ten fingers' worth. That level of greatness forced acknowledgment.
“Still, dating's a no-go. You don't date someone just for muscles, right?”
Choi Seongcheol figured they'd already slept together. How else would she know the muscles were this epic? Probably right here in this room. Feeling wronged and pissed, he glared at Han Yaseong pulling his shirt back on. If she weren't his bio daughter...
He'd have claimed Yujin by any means. But she was blood. If only a stepdaughter—he'd never let go. He regretted his ideal type being his own flesh and blood. Ancient kings wedding their daughters? Jealous as hell.
“No one dates just for muscles. It's 'cause Yaseong really likes me and looks out for me. We've talked it over—if I say no, we break up immediately. He won't make upper crust? He'll walk away himself. But now he's practically there. About to be a multi-hundred-billion won capitalist. So he wants your blessing to date openly.”
“Money alone doesn't make upper class. You need lineage, connections. Just cash? You're nouveau riche. Upper society won't accept you.”
“We can build that over time. He's only twenty. With you and me helping? Easy.”
“Sigh...”
Choi Seongcheol sighed and shook his head. That was basically approval. Her words had sway. Kid was just twenty—endless potential. And soon a hundred-billion-won tycoon. Semi-upper-class women would swarm him. Young and loaded? They'd pounce. No more objections.
But still lacking.
“Fine. What about your parents? What do they do?”
Maybe family background would shift things. But he hemmed and hawed. Not impressive folks, clearly.
“Dad's a company man. Mom's a housewife.”
Han Yaseong didn't mention his dad was an exec at a major securities firm—just “company man.” They might know each other. No need for details. Minor deduction, but whatever. He'd date Yujin regardless of Choi Seongcheol's say.
Parents talk turned the mood against them, so Choi Yujin stepped up.
“Dad, we're still young. Not marriage—just dating. Why grill so hard? We might last months or break up tomorrow—who knows?”
“True enough.”
She never dated long. Always split within a year. Longest? Six months maybe. She got bored easy. Hard to see this lasting. Objecting seemed pointless—wasted energy on something temporary.
“Alright. Date then. But keep it secret.”
“Why?”
“If word gets out you're with him, tongues wag. People'll ask me why Yujin's slumming it with some nobody. They let it slide 'cause it was Seo Taeha. Go public with Yaseong? I'll catch heat, you'll catch heat. You're popular in upper circles. Tons of guys prepping to swoop post-Taeha. You know that.”
Indeed, senior Choi Yujin was a hot commodity. Suitors on deck. But not surprising—she was stunning. Pretty girls draw crowds; it's nature. They'd watched from afar for Seo Taeha. But announce a new guy like this? Chaebol heirs wouldn't sit idle. They'd crush with wealth, power, or pedigree. That's all they had, after all.