Yu-ri and the Dojang People # 3
Yu-ri and the Dojang People # 3
Anyway, I tagged along behind Yu-ri.
That horror movie already put me on the back foot. No way I could mess with my master Yu-ri. And she's stronger than me, isn't she? Pretty much feels like I've become her personal gofer.
"Ah, you little shit, it's so damn funny. Was oo widdle scawed? Hmm? Was oo widdle scawed? Did oo watch da scary movie and get widdle scawed?"
Yu-ri was grinning ear to ear, getting right up in my face and mocking me like she was talking to a toddler. No, but seriously, this is humiliating.
Do I seriously have to take this from a girl?
I'm gonna train so goddamn hard and beat this phobia, for real.
"I was weally weally scawed, goddammit."
"Ah, shit. Don't you do the baby voice. It's creepy as hell."
"You started it!"
"Are you and me the same? Anyway, this is your problem, Kim Geun-cheol."
"Problem my ass... anyway, seriously, this stings the pride. Yu-ri. No matter what, I'm gonna train my ass off and beat this phobia, so just you watch."
"Ooh, you made up your widdle mind?"
She's baby-talking me right to the end.
"Yu-ri. One more word and I'll just plop down right here and start sobbing."
"Yeah, go ahead. I don't give a single shit."
—Plop!
I immediately dropped to the ground and cried.
"Waaaaah! Waaah! Boo hoo hoo! Hngk!"
"Hey, you crazy fuck! You actually did it! Get up!"
"Boo hoo hoo!"
"I won't do it! I won't, so get up!"
"Oh, okay."
At her promise, I got up straight-faced and dusted myself off.
She should've just led with that.
"You insane psycho bastard... but seriously, it's so damn funny. Heh heh."
"No, but why do you look so happy today?"
"Just 'cause it's so funny. Anyway, hey. So is it really that scary?"
She must've found it hilarious because she's still asking.
"Hm."
I recalled the horror movie we just watched.
"No, I mean."
It's not scary now, but when I'm alone at night, it gets scary...!
That's exactly the terrifying thing about horror movies. It's fine in the light, but the fear amplifies as it gets darker.
Kim Geun-cheol's not getting any sleep tonight.
Should I hang out with Si-hoo until late at night?
"It's not scary now."
"But it gets scary at night? Heh heh. Hey, you're a guy holding a sword, why the hell are you scared of ghosts? You crazy coward. Honestly, watching you literally plop down and cry just now was scarier than any horror movie, you bastard."
"Honestly, even I think it's a bit scary. There's nothing scarier than a grown man throwing himself on the ground and having a crying tantrum."
Feels like I'd show up as a Souls-like game mob.
"But for real, you aren't scared?"
"You think I would be?"
Yu-ri snorted as if the question was absurd.
"Hey, Yu-ri. You say it's fine now, but your tune might change when you're actually standing in front of a ghost."
"I suppose that's possible. Have you actually seen one?"
I haven't really seen one.
"No, not exactly. Though, I guess anyone can say they aren't scared of something they haven't seen."
"What a load of crap. Heh heh."
Yu-ri laughed, amused, and poked me in the ribs as she spoke.
"Aw man, you cowardly little shit. From now on, huh? I've gotta drill more guts into you? You're scared of stupid ghosts because your spirit is empty. Let's do some mental training from now on, too."
"You're seeing a mental training angle here?"
"You don't wanna?"
"Hell yeah!"
Always yes!
So we walked along, snickering with Yu-ri and shooting the breeze. But she just wouldn't get tired of it, kept asking if I was scared.
If she asks any more, I'm really gonna be thinking about it tonight.
"Hey. Kim Geun-cheol."
"What."
"What do you think would happen if I sent you scary pictures at night?"
Yu-ri wore a wicked smile and whispered an ominous prophecy! No, that is seriously way over the line! Shit, just thinking about it gave me chills!
"Ah! Seriously! I said don't!"
"Hehehe! Kekeke."
She's just absolutely dying of laughter...!
There's a limit to looking down on people! I'm this terrified and she's treating it like a joke!
"Please, just spare me!"
For now, I'm the disciple and weaker, so I'll bend, but I'll definitely show her one day. Let's see. I'm gonna find out what Yu-ri's weak to.
"What if I don't wanna?"
"This is school violence!"
"Go report it then. Instructor! Woo Yu-ri keeps sending me ghost pictures every night! Waaah! If I do that, the instructors would, huh? Be real happy about it."
"That's literally the most pathetic thing in the world."
I cannot handle that future.
Should I just ask Leona for a picture? If I hang a picture of Leona in my room, ghosts wouldn't be able to enter. Archangel Leona is that kind of being. A being whose mere existence can send ghosts to the afterlife.
"Please. Yu-ri. I'll work hard, so cut me some slack."
"Should I cut you some slack then?"
"Yeth."
"Oh. You said 'yeth.' Wrong. Now I won't cut you slack."
"Why the hell do you hate that so much!"
"'Cause it's freaking creepy."
Anyway, Yu-ri looks like she's in a seriously good mood today. The vibe is definitely different from school. Is it because we're out and about?
"I'll decide whether to let you off based on how you do. Based on how you do."
"Starting now, I'll show you the hardest-working Kim Geun-cheol in the world."
—Trudge, trudge.
Chatting and laughing, we arrived at Yu-ri's dojo.
"This is a whole building?"
It was clearly a grand building. A huge sign, and the building itself seemed to tower up and down with layers upon layers. Seriously, such a building actually exists.
"No, why is this building so huge? Don't tell me, you use this entire building as a training facility?"
"It's the largest dojo in the country, so obviously. Let's go in."
No matter how big Taekwondo gets, you'd never dedicate a whole building to a Taekwondo dojang.
"Ah, shit. I'm feeling intimidated. Yu-ri. I'm just gonna stick right behind you."
"Whatever."
So I stuck right behind Yu-ri and entered the building. We went into an elevator. Looking at the floor guide, it seemed like every floor had a different training facility.
"A hologram sparring hall? You've got this too? No, there's even a shooting range? And an ability training room. There's even a swordsmanship dojo in here?"
"You could call it a comprehensive martial arts center. The main thing is swordsmanship, but since it's practical martial arts, we teach a bit of everything."
"Yu-ri, do you shoot too?"
"Damn good. Want me to show you later?"
"Yeah! Show me!"
"Bastard. Guess you are a guy at heart, liking guns and all. Sure, let's go shooting once we're roughly done."
"Yu-ri, you're so cool!"
"Bullshit."
And so the elevator stopped at the swordsmanship dojo on the 8th floor. At this point, I was feeling a kind of pounding excitement.
This place is quite literally a place to learn practical martial arts. A space where active heroes and hunters pay good money to sharpen their skills.
I was scared and tense about stepping into such a place, but a huge sense of anticipation was building up. What would a professional martial arts dojo in this world be like?
"Alright, let's see what kind of place this is!"
The moment I stuck right behind Yu-ri and stepped through the door.
"Oh. I'm here."
As Yu-ri casually greeted them—
—Swish!
—Swish!
—Swish!
Every single person in the dojo fixed their eyes on me.
"What?"
What's this?
Are they wary of an outsider?
That thought only took one second.
—Whoosh!
The muscular men doing swordsmanship training suddenly appeared in front of me, performing inhuman windmill spins and violent dives that you could never attribute to a human being!
"Are you the one they call 'Kim Geun-cheol'?"
"Are you the one they call 'Kim Geun-cheol'?"
"Are you the one they call 'Kim Geun-cheol'?"
And these students were speaking like some kind of triplet masked brothers!
"Wha, what? What's with these guys! Help!"
In just two seconds, the crazy muscleheads had me surrounded!
"Somebody save me!"
Panicked, I immediately spun around to run, but—
—Grab!
"Huge, brutish hands are grabbing my body!"
Brutish hands grabbing my shoulders, arms, and wrists!
"Let, let go! I said let go!"
Some middle-aged guys were even face-down on the floor, grabbing my ankles...! What the hell is this situation! Did I pass out during the horror movie and now I'm having a nightmare?
This can't be real!
"So this is the one they call Kim Geun-cheol."
"I hear from Little Master that he has some talent?"
Little Master?
"His body looks pretty solid. But he'll need more bulking up."
"That's about welterweight. Should at least build him up to middleweight."
"A strong body breeds strong mana! Gahaha! The mana itself seems pure!"
The superhumans surrounding me each tossed out a word, getting right in my face. It felt like some monster with a thousand faces was casting an illusion spell on me.
"This place is insane...! Run! I have to run!"
Since when does this happen the second you walk into a dojo with people you don't even know!
I have to escape!
But I was already trapped in a prison made of superhumans. Even while I was panicking, like zombies, every single person inside the dojo had taken long strides and surrounded me.
"Let me go! I'm leaving!"
I shouted for them to release me, but—
"He's using a regular sword. Is he not interested in blades?"
"That's because he hasn't seen real battle yet. Once he gets field experience, his interest in weapons will naturally go up."
"Hyper LG weapons are decent."
"Oh, yeah. Forget everything else, Mars Company makes the best swords."
"Isn't Neo Muramasa better?"
These crazy superhuman bastards! They aren't even listening to me!
"Hey! What are you doing over there! Get over here, quick!"
That's when I heard Yu-ri's voice!
"Saved! Yu-ri! Yu-ri, save me! I'm trapped!"
"Ah shit, what are you doing getting caught and sitting around there again! Get over here, quick!"
That moment.
—Stomp, stomp!
Yu-ri walked right through the wall of superhuman old-timers as naturally as anything, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me out.
"What are you all doing! He's my guest! Go do what you're supposed to!"
A savior incarnate!
"Come on, Little Master. You brought him, shouldn't we get to see?"
"I mean, the kid looks a bit scrawny..."
"And he's using a plain old sword. Just, you know?"
The superhumans cowered before Yu-ri as they said that, but—
"Cut the crap!"
With one sharp word from Yu-ri, they instantly tucked their tails.
"I'm saved...!"
I was finally freed from this mad prison! Whoa! Yu-ri, you're so cool!
"And what the hell were you doing getting surrounded and grabbed by strangers the second you walk in? Ugh, you pathetic little shit, seriously."
"How was I supposed to beat that..."
No joke, that was genuinely terrifying.
