Don't Run

The referee hoisted Geum Hyuk's arm into the air.

The arena erupted in a roar that threatened to tear the roof off. Cheers poured down from the stands loud enough to leave his ears ringing.

Seo Minjae still lay on the canvas. The ring doctor and staff rushed over to check on him. He'd come around, but it didn't look like he could stand just yet.

Kinda feel bad, though.

Lee Woojin apologized inwardly. It wasn't guilt over putting an East Asian Champion on his back. This was the world of serious competition, and a winner had no reason to feel sorry for a loser. The reason the feeling lingered anyway was something else entirely.

Because I'm not actually Geum Hyuk.

If the original Geum Hyuk had been the one in this body, it might not have ended this one-sidedly. From Seo Minjae's point of view, he'd gotten a raw deal.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on that.

The MC climbed into the ring, microphone in hand, two cameramen trailing behind him.

"Geum Hyuk! Congratulations! You've just become the new East Asian Champion by TKO over Seo Minjae — any words for us?"

The MC held out the mic.

What am I supposed to say here.

Lee Woojin froze. In the real world, Lee Woojin had been a YouTuber. He'd stood in front of cameras before, but those were recorded videos he could edit after the fact. A live interview was a completely different animal.

And on top of that, he had to speak as Geum Hyuk.

If I were Geum Hyuk... how would I even talk.

That was when it happened.

Something stirred deep in his chest.

A beast's instinct. A fighter's blood. The primal impulse baked into the character of Geum Hyuk shoved Lee Woojin's reason aside and surged to the surface.

His mouth opened on its own.

"Kyakya."

Ah, shit. That laugh again.

"Seo Minjae? Not a bad warm-up."

......The hell?

Lee Woojin's rational mind screamed. What had just come out of his mouth?

The crowd stirred.

"What'd he just say?"

"Did he call that a warm-up?"

"He called the East Asian Champion a warm-up?"

The murmur spread through the entire arena. The MC looked thoroughly rattled.

"W-warm-up? Against East Asian Champion Seo Minjae..."

Geum Hyuk cut him off.

He snatched the microphone like he was ripping it out of the man's hands, then stared straight into the camera.

The arena froze.

Leon Cardenas.

The current unified World Middleweight Champion across boxing's four major organizations. Record: sixty-four fights, sixty-four wins, sixty-two KOs. Pound-for-pound number one on the planet.

The absolute powerhouse known as Emperador Rojo — the Red Emperor.

He'd just spoken that name.

"You watching?"

The corner of Geum Hyuk's mouth curled up.

"You're supposed to be the strongest in the world, right?"

Gasps erupted from the stands.

"Keep that belt nice and safe. I'll be coming to pick it up soon."

You couldn't even hear anyone breathing. The entire arena held its breath, waiting for what he'd say next.

The arena exploded.

"WOOOOOOO!!!"

"He's insane!!!"

"Yo, this bastard's for real!!!"

"He's calling out the number one in the world?!"

"Geum Hyuk!! Geum Hyuk!! Geum Hyuk!!"

Cheers and jeers tangled together until the place was pandemonium. Some people were losing their minds with excitement. Others were laughing in sheer disbelief.

In the corner, Hwang Jinsu clutched his head in both hands.

That lunatic......!

But Geum Hyuk wasn't done.

"Ah."

He picked the microphone back up.

"And the rest of you boxers watching at home."

Geum Hyuk crooked a finger at the camera.

"Take a number and come at me, anyone. I'll take you all on."

He dropped the mic on the canvas with a dull thud.

Then he walked out of the ring.

The arena was still boiling. Cheers and boos, laughter and screams — a cauldron of pure chaos.

Geum Hyuk didn't look back.

Hey... hey, hey, hey.

The second he stepped into the locker room, Lee Woojin's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason came flooding back.

What did I just say out there.

His heart was pounding like crazy — for a completely different reason than before.

A call-out on Leon Cardenas, the number one in the world? Telling every other boxer to get in line? On a nationally broadcast live interview?

What a reckless idiot.

Lee Woojin dropped onto the bench. As the adrenaline drained away and his head cleared, the scale of what he'd just done finally hit him.

This Geum Hyuk bastard... his ego is way too strong.

It was exactly as the game had written him. Geum Hyuk was the Wild Genius — a character who lived by instinct. The type who, when a fight was on the table, let instinct run ahead of reason.

And that setting was applying itself to reality, beat for beat. In the ring, in front of the cameras, Geum Hyuk's instinct had steamrolled Lee Woojin's reason completely.

The thought had barely formed when the locker room door burst open.

"Geum Hyuk!!"

Hwang Jinsu stormed in, his face flushed a furious red.

"Have you lost your mind?! Leon Cardenas?! You called out the number one in the world?!"

"......Kyakya."

Ah, there it is again.

"You're laughing?! You think this is funny?!"

Hwang Jinsu clawed at his own hair.

"What are you gonna do now?! When Leon Cardenas sees that interview...!"

"When he sees it?"

Geum Hyuk tilted his head.

"Then we fight."

"We fight...... we just fight?"

"Doesn't that just make it more fun?"

Hwang Jinsu had nothing. Silence hung in the air for a beat.

Then Hwang Jinsu snorted.

"......Ha."

The laugh grew.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Hahaha."

And then it broke into a full belly laugh.

"Hahahaha!! You lunatic!! You're actually insane!!"

Hwang Jinsu slammed a hand into Geum Hyuk's shoulder.

"But damn, that felt good. Honestly. Hahaha!!"

"......?"

"TKO the East Asian Champion and call out the number one in the world. That's actually peak!!"

Hwang Jinsu couldn't stop laughing.

"Ah, screw it. We'll deal with the fallout later. Tonight, we celebrate!! Champion."

Hwang Jinsu took him to a barbecue joint near the gym. A spread of pork belly and soju landed on the table. Hwang Jinsu kept draining his glass, bellowing the same toast over and over.

"To the champion!"

Geum Hyuk knocked back a few himself. Greasy meat and the sharp bite of soju slid down his throat. The moment the tension let go, the fatigue of his entire body crashed in all at once. It was past eleven by the time they parted ways, and Geum Hyuk caught a cab home.

In the back seat, he pulled out his phone. The combat sports boards were exploding.

Lee Woojin scrolled through the reactions. It was running hotter than he'd expected.

The provocative interview, the overwhelming KO, and Geum Hyuk's distinctive looks on top of it. Every viral ingredient had lined up perfectly.

Having been a YouTuber in my original world might actually come in handy.

How content spread. What elements grabbed people's attention. Lee Woojin knew that terrain well.

Of course, the interview hadn't been planned. Geum Hyuk's instincts had just gone haywire. But the result was the best possible viral content, born by accident.

A new notification lit up his phone.

......This video just went up and it already has this many views?

He opened it.

The body shot into the uppercut. Seo Minjae launching into the air. Then the post-fight interview, calling out Leon Cardenas.

All of it had been cut together into a short clip.

The comment section was losing its mind.

Lee Woojin huffed a quiet laugh and slipped his phone into his pocket. The cab pulled to a stop in a familiar alley.

He was home.

A small studio apartment, furnished with the bare minimum.

Geum Hyuk's place.

Lee Woojin looked around the space properly for the first time, and a dryness crept into his throat.

He made his way to the fridge.

He was about to open it when his eyes stopped.

Something was stuck to the door.

A photograph. An old one, held in place by a magnet.

.......

Geum Hyuk peeled it off and held it up.

It was a childhood photo. A blond boy who looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about twelve or thirteen, smiling. Next to him stood a girl the same age.

Black hair, big eyes, a bright, open smile. She had the boy's arm in both hands and was throwing up a peace sign at the camera.

He flipped it over.

There was writing on the back.

Ije?

Data replayed in Lee Woojin's mind.

Ha Ije.

A character from Geum Hyuk's story mode in Fighter of Legend. His childhood friend — she'd lived next door since they were kids, and they'd gone to the same school from elementary through high school.

She hadn't been a major presence in the game. A few mentions across Geum Hyuk's story chapters, the occasional cheering message. She wasn't playable, and she wasn't a core figure in the plot.

But she'd had presence.

The character who stood beside Geum Hyuk and cheered him on when things got hard. The only person the taciturn Geum Hyuk ever opened his heart to. Among fans, there had always been a chorus of complaints about how little screen time she got in his main story.

So she exists in this world too.

He looked at the photo again.

Young Geum Hyuk and Ije, both smiling so brightly.

Cute.

So even Geum Hyuk used to smile that innocently when he was a kid.

The moment Lee Woojin was about to huff a laugh—

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang.

......?

Hwang Jinsu?

No. Hwang Jinsu went home blackout drunk...

Geum Hyuk went to the front door.

And opened it.

"Hyuk!!"

A woman stood in front of him.

It was the girl from the photograph, all grown up.

Long black hair spilled down to her waist. Porcelain-pale skin, dark lashes, full lips. Every feature was so sharply, unmistakably beautiful that it wouldn't have been strange if she got scouted on the street several times every time she stepped outside.