Only Extroverts Find Parties Fun #4
I pointed at Wang Ja-hyun as my sparring opponent.
“Me?”
The man himself reacted as if it were the last thing he expected. He glanced at Seo Gaeul and gave a small shrug, though it looked like he was deliberately exaggerating his surprise.
“Gaeul, what now? That guy just picked me.”
“Pfft, Ja-hyun, you’re so popular. Knock him out.”
It was the perfect chance to flatten the nose of Wang Ja-hyun—who hated my guts—and score some points with Seo Gaeul. But one of the male students raised his hand and voiced an objection.
“Instructor Wi Seon-a, suddenly making Ja-hyun spar seems a bit much. His skills are already on par with active explorers. Throwing him against a student now doesn’t even match the level.”
Schwip—. The male student stood up. He’d looked normal while seated, but once upright the guy was massive. Had to be around two meters tall. A golden knight brooch identical to our class president’s gleamed proudly on his chest.
“Can I take Ja-hyun’s place in the spar?”
“You’re from F-class…”
The doctor’s eyes flicked between me, the giant, and Wang Ja-hyun. A hint of hesitation showed behind her goggles before she made her decision.
“Jumping straight into a match with a 4th-grade concept holder does feel off. You’re the transfer student, right? Skip Wang Ja-hyun and spar with Jang Geun-seong, our 2nd-grade concept holder.”
Jang Geun-seong? The name sounded like a Chinese restaurant. While I was thinking that, the guy rolled his shoulders with loud cracks and stepped forward. From behind him, the cluster of boys who seemed to follow Wang Ja-hyun started hyping him up.
“Geun-seong, you got this!”
“You’re not actually gonna lose to a D-class kid, are you?”
The mood was getting fired up. I glanced around to see if I had any supporters and found Baek Yeoul—the one with the bread butt—standing there with a face drained of all color, shaking like a leaf.
“I’m Jang Geun-seong. My concept is Muscle. Like the instructor explained, it’s Grade 2. Just so you know, my combined max on the big three lifts is close to a thousand kilos.”
The way the steroid-pumped bodybuilder-looking guy said he’d fold me in half sent a chill down my spine. Those burning eyes looked way too gay and honestly terrifying.
“Instructor, I’m still bad at holding back my strength. How about we use real-combat rules with no fouls? Whoever’s still standing when the opponent is incapacitated wins.”
“Hmm… well. What does the other side think?”
Who cared about rules at this point? I’d wanted to fight Wang Ja-hyun, but now that I was stuck with someone else my interest had cooled. Whatever. Just end it fast.
“Real combat’s fine. I’m Ha Namjin. I hold the Leap and Emotion concepts. No idea on the grades.”
“Multiple concepts…?”
A strange glint flashed across Jang Geun-seong’s face the moment I introduced myself. Even the so-called elite F-class students looked shocked, which told me multiple-concept holders were extremely rare. It only proved how incredible Seo Gaeul was for being able to transfer concepts to others.
“Emotion?”
Even Seo Gaeul seemed interested now; her eyes sparkled as she looked at me. That sparkle meant mild curiosity. The thought of turning that curiosity into favor made me happy, but it also made me curious about something else.
“Doctor, when people introduce their concepts they often add the grade. Exactly how high is 4th-grade?”
Schwip—. The doctor adjusted her goggles.
“This isn’t a theory class, so I’ll keep it short. Every concept has levels ranging from 1 to 5. The researchers created the scale.”
“So a 1st-grade concept is Level 1 and a 4th-grade is Level 4?”
“Correct. Most students possess Level 1 concepts. The goal of this special class is to raise your concept levels!”
I wondered what exactly separated 1st-grade from 5th-grade, but it would probably be faster to look it up myself later.
###
“All right, face each other.”
At the instructor’s command, Jang Geun-seong and I stood roughly two meters apart.
“Hey, D-class transfer student. Plain fighting is boring—how about we make a bet?”
“A bet?”
“You’re coming to the party at the headquarters building today, right? Let’s wager our invitations. If you win, I’ll give you mine. If I win, yours belongs to me.”
If I lost this spar, my entire plan to announce my marriage to Seo Gaeul at the party would go up in smoke. The risk was lethal, but it was also fun. Having an extra invitation made me think of someone I could give it to.
“Deal.”
“No take-backs! Everyone heard that, right? We’re betting our invitations to tonight’s party!”
Swoosh—. Jang Geun-seong thrust both palms forward and settled into stance. Judo? Jiu-jitsu? Some martial art along those lines. If a guy who could lift a thousand kilos grabbed and slammed me, I’d be turned into a human pancake. His techniques were essentially one-hit kills against me.
It reminded me of the time I fought Section Chief Kim Jang-dong when he chased me on a forklift. Strictly speaking, this was an improvement. My leg had been injured and I was limping back then.
“Begin!”
Pababat—! The instant the doctor gave the signal I quickly backpedaled. The distance opened in a flash.
“Oh, he’s fast.”
The doctor instructor sounded impressed. The real impressive part was still coming.
Shushushuk—. I stripped off my uniform faster than anyone else. All that remained was a single pair of panties.
“Kyaaak!”
“What the—?!”
The girls screamed with red faces while the boys stared at me with expressions that screamed What the hell is this guy doing? Even Instructor Wi Seon-a frowned.
“What are you doing? Why are you taking your clothes off?”
“It’s strategy. Looks like he’s trained in judo or jiu-jitsu. If I take my clothes off, the chance of getting grabbed should drop at least a little, right?”
The instructor didn’t seem convinced and kept frowning. I wondered how my opponent felt about it. A sneer formed on the elephant-sized guy’s face.
“You think stripping changes anything?”
Didn’t they know? Molting was a vital survival skill in a ruined world.
Schwip—. I picked up the uniform top I’d dropped on the floor. Then I circled Jang Geun-seong, looking for the right angle, and hurled the garment at his face.
“Namjin Secret Technique: Eye Cover!”
“Hey! That’s such an obvious trick!”
Pat—. Jang Geun-seong snatched my uniform out of the air like he was about to rip it apart.
Name: Jang Geun-seong
Status:Baffled
He’s completely fed up with how pathetic his opponent is. On the flip side, he’s in a good mood thinking he can seize this chance to solidify his position inside his crew.
A momentary gap appeared in the opponent’s mind. For me, that single moment was more than enough. I had already dashed forward like a cockroach at maximum speed and slipped between Jang Geun-seong’s legs.
“Namjin Kick!”
Whoosh—thud—! My instep, powered by acceleration, slammed perfectly into the space between his legs. The universal male weakness. Two precious orbs. The moment my attack landed dead center, Jang Geun-seong floated into the air as if levitating.
“Hieeeeek…!”
It was such a thin scream that it didn’t seem like it could come from such a massive body. He collapsed forward and trembled violently. Anyone could see he was combat incapable. But letting your guard down is forbidden.
“Men! Are divided into those who can sincerely kick the opponent’s balls! And those who can’t!”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Guwaaak! S-stop! Guwaaaaaak!”
After kicking him between the legs a few more times, Jang Geun-seong foamed at the mouth and his eyes rolled back white. The match was truly over. At my flawless victory, every male student in the room instinctively covered his own crotch and backed away.
“Y-you cruel bastard!”
“Isn’t that a foul?”
“No, Jang Geun-seong was the one who suggested real-combat rules with no restrictions…”
Instructor Wi Seon-a removed her goggles and pinched the bridge of her nose. She looked like she had a lot to think about.
“I originally planned to use this spar to demonstrate the difference between a 1st-grade and 2nd-grade concept. Who knew it would turn out like this? You induced the opponent’s carelessness and accurately targeted his weakness, huh?”
An awkward atmosphere filled the special lecture room. Had I won a match I wasn’t supposed to win? Why was everyone reacting like that? Of course, their reactions didn’t matter to me. From start to finish, the only thing I cared about was Seo Gaeul’s expression.
“Pfft. I’ve never seen a spar like this before.”
Seo Gaeul finally couldn’t hold it in. She covered her mouth and burst out laughing. The moment she laughed, Wang Ja-hyun—who had been stiff-faced beside her—started laughing too.
“Puhaha, Geun-seong, what are you doing? Even if you let your guard down, this is ridiculous. Hey, get up already. Stop joking around and stand up.”
It wasn’t a joke, though. My Namjin Kick mercilessly attacks only the opponent’s weak point. I figured he’d be bedridden for at least two days, but—
“Hey. I said stop joking.”
At Wang Ja-hyun’s icy tone, the eyes of the foaming, unconscious Jang Geun-seong regained focus. He shakily stood up, limped back to his seat, and quietly apologized to Wang Ja-hyun.
“Ja-hyun… I-I’m sorry. If I hadn’t let my guard down, I could’ve won…”
“Why would you apologize to me? You’re the one who lost. You lost your invitation too, didn’t you? Ah, but it really is a shame. It would’ve been more fun with Geun-seong at the party.”
Wang Ja-hyun smiled brightly. The human tractor Jang Geun-seong trembled harder than when I’d kicked him in the groin. Seeing him nervous in front of a handsome guy, he really did seem gay.
Schwip—. At that moment, Seo Gaeul, who had been standing beside Wang Ja-hyun, walked over to me. She picked up my scattered uniform from the floor piece by piece and handed it to me. Her kindness was angelic.
“Your name was Ha Namjin, right? I have one question. Why are you wearing tiger-print panties again today?”
“I only change my underwear once a week.”
“…What?”
“Kidding. I actually bought a bunch of the same ones. Once I get hooked on something, I go all in. Same when I like a girl.”
“Ah—I see. This is an invitation to the party at the headquarters building. I was wondering when I’d get to give it to you, but it’s perfect that we’re in the same class. Are we destined?”
Seo Gaeul handed me a small envelope. Then she leaned in close to my ear and whispered in a voice so ticklish it made my skin prickle.
“Only one person can enter per invitation, but you have two now, right? You can bring a friend or a girlfriend, or you could sell it at the Eunsa High Market. If you sell it, the points—”
Whisper, whisper. The amount she murmured in my ear made my hair stand on end. Wait, these invitations were that expensive? For a second I calculated how many days of ramen I could buy if I sold both of them.
“But you absolutely have to come. Got it? I’ll be waiting.”
With that, Seo Gaeul gave my shoulder a couple of light pats. She wanted to see me at the party that badly? It had to be because she was planning to make the emergency marriage announcement with me.
I carefully tucked the invitation into my pants pocket, then pulled something else from my pocket and held it out to her.
“Isn’t this yours? Why did you throw it away?”
“Oh, that’s my handkerchief! I lost it and searched everywhere. You found it for me? I was really upset and sad about losing it. Thank you!”
Seo Gaeul smiled with the pure joy of a seven-year-old meeting Santa on Christmas. However, those ruby eyes weren’t looking at me—the one who returned the handkerchief—nor at Wang Ja-hyun, whose face had turned red with anger while we whispered. They were fixed somewhere else.
“……”
“……”
Baek Yeoul, who had been moving like a robot the entire special class, and the relaxed Seo Gaeul locked eyes. It was only for a brief moment, but the sparks that flew between them were more intense than any spar that had happened today.
“Then, Ha Namjin, see you tonight. I’ll be waiting.”
In the end I scored points with Seo Gaeul and gained an extra party invitation. I really am lucky. It feels like the goddess of fortune is stuck to me.