Can I Give It a Try?
Having returned from the mountain path he’d discovered, Jun-ho gave a subtle nod to Baek Ha-il. The two stepped aside, continuing their conversation in low voices.
“Hyung-nim. The total length of that mountain path is a little over 10 kilometers. It leads all the way to the highway near Gahyeon-ri. But...”
Jun-ho shared the details of the path and the ideas he’d been mulling over during his scouting trip. Baek Ha-il, who had been nodding along, added his own opinion once Jun-ho finished.
“...You’re right. But if we want to build something like a guard tower, wouldn’t we need city hall permits? I mean, we could build it in secret, but if we get caught, it’ll be a headache... Ah, I’ve got it.”
“Do you have a good idea?”
“We negotiate with city hall and secure the lease for the mountain behind us. It won’t cost much. A hundred or two hundred million won a year for the lease would be more than enough.”
“That’s a good point. I’ll ask Attorney Lee Dong-cheol about it.”
“I’ll handle it. If I tell them we’re building a log cabin retreat or a shelter for VIPs, the officials will give us the green light.”
Jun-ho nodded in satisfaction. High-performance surveillance cameras could identify targets up to a 400-meter radius even at night. If they built guard towers every 700 to 800 meters along the path and installed cameras, they could monitor not just the path he found today, but the entire mountain range surrounding the rear and sides of the shelter 24/7. If they added a system where high-performance drones automatically launched to track and monitor from the air whenever a camera detected an anomaly...
“It’s perfect. At the very least, a 5-kilometer radius around the shelter will be safe.”
“That’s right. If we pick spots here and there to lay down concertina wire, neither people nor beasts will be able to cross.”
That was a method Jun-ho had already been considering. While such installations were illegal in these peaceful times, those distinctions would become meaningless once the apocalypse began. Especially in the early stages of the apocalypse, the population of wild animals would surge, making barbed wire essential.
“We’ll wrap the shelter grounds in a concrete wall and install a double layer of electric barbed wire on top of that. We’ll put motion sensors and concertina wire on top of that, too. Then it’ll be impenetrable.”
“Exactly. We’ve got plenty of time, so let’s do it right, one step at a time. I’ll make sure it’s done properly.”
“Yes. I trust you, Hyung-nim.”
Now that the shelter construction had begun in earnest, Jun-ho knew that Baek Ha-il’s role was far more important than his own. Moreover, since he had already shared the shelter’s structure and functions perfectly with Baek Ha-il, Jun-ho knew that, honestly, it would be built correctly even without him. But as the ‘owner’ of the shelter, Jun-ho had to see the site through to the end.
“We’re starting the foundation work next week. Oh, and like you said, I’ve already hired all the laborers from Busan. The ratio of foreign workers is high, but their identities are verified, and they’re all guys who have worked in Korea for years, so they’re incredibly diligent and skilled.”
“That’s reassuring. I’ll leave it to you, Hyung-nim.”
“Alright, get going. You’ve got a tight schedule today, don’t you?”
“Yes. There’s so much to do, and a mountain of things to learn. I’ll be off then.”
“Go on, say your goodbyes.”
“Everyone’s busy, so I’ll skip the formal goodbyes. Just tell them I had to head out first.”
After a brief farewell to Baek Ha-il, Jun-ho put Purdy in the car and left the site. He would have liked to stay until the end, but as he’d said, he had a lot to do. Besides, he had business in Gangnam today.
* * *
True to a gym where people learned combat sports, the air was filled with the scent of light sweat, but the Krav Maga academy was bright and clean.
“Oh, Hyung. You’re here?”
Jun-hyeok, who had arrived early and was warming up, waved with a bright face.
“Yeah.”
After giving Jun-hyeok a nod, Jun-ho’s gaze shifted to the side.
Thud-thud!
A young man with a much larger build than Jun-hyeok approached with somewhat frantic, quick steps.
“Jun-ho Hyung-nim! You’ve arrived! It’s been a while!”
Jun-ho offered an awkward smile at Choi Hyun-woo, the massive youth who bowed at a 90-degree angle like a gangster.
“Oh, yeah. Long time no see, Hyun-woo. You seem to be... doing well.”
“Yes, thanks to you, I’ve been doing well. Thank you, Hyung-nim.”
What on earth was he thanking him for... Jun-ho felt slightly burdened by his brother’s best friend, Choi Hyun-woo, who was bowing his head deeply again.
“Right, I heard from Jun-hyeok that you wanted to learn Krav Maga too?”
Hyun-woo, who had never shown any interest in mixed martial arts, had suddenly followed Jun-hyeok last week, claiming he wanted to learn Krav Maga, and registered.
“Yes, Hyung-nim. I’ve always had a lot of interest in military stuff, right? That’s why I joined the Marine Corps.”
“That’s right. You were a Marine. That must have been tough.”
Jun-hyeok’s assessment that Hyun-woo had a ‘cushy time’ in Jeju Island as a Marine crossed his mind, but Jun-ho played along, pretending not to know.
“Yes. But I once did joint training with the U.S. military while I was in the Marines, right? The American soldiers used this strange fighting style. It looked cool, but back then I just thought, ‘Oh, okay.’ Turns out, that was Krav Maga. They say it’s a useful self-defense skill for daily life, so I thought I’d give it a try, Hyung-nim.”
“I see. But you...”
“Yes?”
Jun-ho swallowed the words, ‘Who would dare pick a fight with a guy who’s 188 centimeters tall and weighs over 90 kilograms?’ and shook his head.
“No, it’s nothing. Anyway, let’s work hard.”
“Yes, Hyung-nim! I’ll work hard!”
The gym floor seemed to vibrate at the booming response of Choi Hyun-woo, who had the physique of a giant bear. A few members couldn’t help but giggle and glance over at the sight of the massive man bowing and scraping, but Jun-ho tried his best to ignore it. After all, he thought very highly of his brother’s best friend, who had stayed through his father’s funeral until the burial and was always extremely polite.
“But Hyung-nim, it’s a bit of a shame. I wanted to learn in the advanced class with you and Jun-hyeok.”
Unlike Choi Hyun-woo, who was only on his second lesson, the Jun-ho brothers had moved up to the advanced class starting from their fourth lesson. The brothers’ skills, which were at a semi-pro level in mixed martial arts, were on a different dimension compared to the general members, and the advanced class was a system where the director and instructors taught directly, as the tuition was more than twice as expensive.
“Hey, your fundamentals are good too, so you’ll be able to move up to the advanced class soon. But man, this is super expensive.”
“Really? How much is it?”
“1.6 million won for the two of us.”
“Are you crazy? That’s insanely expensive.”
“Right? But the director and instructors are so good that it’s worth the money. Hey, the class is starting over there.”
“Oh? Jun-ho Hyung-nim, then I’ll see you after class!”
Choi Hyun-woo, who had been chatting with Jun-hyeok, bowed deeply again and ran toward the group class area. Perhaps because his uniform was black, the way he waded through the smaller female members looked like a sea lion suddenly appearing among a group of penguin chicks.
“Choi Hyun-woo is hilarious. It’s even funnier because none of the uniforms fit him.”
Jun-hyeok giggled, glancing at Choi Hyun-woo, who was wearing a uniform where both the top and bottom were half a span too short.
“It must be hard for Hyun-woo to find clothes that fit, too.”
“Yeah. He says everything he wears ends up being ‘forced skinny’ style. He’s just too big. That’s why he always wears sweatpants.”
“Is that so? But today, and when you came to my house to meet me, didn’t you dress normally?”
“Ah, that’s... maybe he just wanted to wear decent clothes for once that day. He’s a bit of a character, you know.”
Jun-hyeok, unable to bring himself to say, ‘He did it because he wanted to show respect and look good for you, Hyung-nim,’ shook his head and mumbled vaguely. Then, suddenly, Jun-hyeok’s eyes widened slightly.
“Oh?”
“Why...?”
Following Jun-hyeok’s gaze, Jun-ho turned his head. The instructor, who was set to take charge of Jun-ho and Jun-hyeok’s personal training starting today, was walking toward them, talking with someone else in a crisp uniform. And the moment he saw that person, Jun-ho couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
“Manager Yoon Seol-hee...?”
Yoon Seol-hee, Kang Baek-ho’s bodyguard and aide, who had made eye contact with Jun-ho while walking over, also rounded her eyes.
* * *
“Alright then, Seol-hee, you work with Jun-hyeok. Jun-ho, let’s work with me.”
As it turned out, the director and instructor of the Krav Maga academy had a connection with Yoon Seol-hee from her days in the Special Forces. So, she would stop by whenever she was off-duty to warm up and train, and today happened to be that day.
“Now then, Jun-ho.”
The instructor, a former Special Forces NCO from the 707th Special Mission Group, stood in front of Jun-ho holding a rubber knife.
“Jun-ho, your fundamentals are so well-established that I’m going to teach you practical techniques not taught in civilian Krav Maga. These are techniques specialized for CQB, close-quarters battle.”
“Yes.”
Jun-ho nodded, as he had been given a heads-up after class last week. The instructor handed Jun-ho a military-grade rubber knife and closed the distance.
“Now, what do you do if an opponent with a knife closes the distance?”
“You have to create distance.”
“Correct. But that’s the standard for general self-defense or police arrest techniques. It’s different when you need to definitively eliminate—no, neutralize—an opponent sharing the same space as you. Try stabbing me. Slowly.”
When Jun-ho thrust the rubber knife in a straight line, the instructor deftly parried his wrist with his left hand, twisted it, and simultaneously pressed precisely against the side of his neck with the edge of his right hand.
“This is the sympathetic nerve point below the carotid artery. If hit properly, the head goes dizzy and muscle response slows down. It’s a sensitive area, enough to cause even trained people to temporarily lose their stance. How is it? You get the difference between civilian and military techniques, right?”
“Yes. It’s definitely different.”
“Good. Now let’s repeat it. For now, slowly like this, and then we’ll increase the speed little by little.”
This time, the instructor took the role of the attacker with the rubber knife. The areas of attack became increasingly varied, shifting to the face, ribs, and abdomen, but Jun-ho responded accurately every time. The series of movements—parrying the wrist and following up with a hand-edge strike targeting the nerve point—were completely fluid.
Even then.
Whoosh!
The instructor, without any warning, swung his deflected arm and thrust the rubber knife again. Jun-ho responded without hesitation. Simultaneously with parrying the instructor’s wrist with his left hand, he brought his right hand-edge toward the neck, while wedging the opponent’s elbow under his own. It was a technique to collapse the body’s center of gravity.
“Oh?”
Although he had intentionally pulled his strength, the instructor’s eyes widened the moment his knee touched the mat. He already knew Jun-ho was exceptional, but that was truly surprising. He had intentionally ignored the trained pattern to catch him off guard, but Jun-ho had responded instinctively, never taking his eyes off the blade.
“Are you okay? I tried applying something I learned while doing mixed martial arts...”
“It’s good. Very good. You don’t waste strength, and your movements are precise. Honestly, if it’s Jun-ho, unless you’re up against someone who formally learned close-quarters combat in the special forces, you won’t have a match.”
The instructor, genuinely impressed, continued speaking, his eyes fixed on the raw gem he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“At this level, we don’t even need to go step-by-step. I’ll teach you practical techniques right away. Once you learn a few, Jun-ho, you’ll probably be able to combine them and use them on your own.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Alright then...”
Just as the instructor was about to explain the next technique, Yoon Seol-hee’s voice was heard.
“Senior, can I give it a try?”
Jun-hyeok, who had been soaked in sweat in that short time, was sitting on the mat with an impressed expression, and Yoon Seol-hee, who had been sparring with him, approached with a neat appearance no different from when she first arrived.