Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: 5. A Trivial Misunderstanding (3)
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Park Jin-woo's expression hardened.
It was unexpected.
He had assumed Kim Hyun-seong was scared of him, so he hadn't anticipated a situation like this at all.
'No way he's not scared?'
Either way.
The water was already spilled.
Park Jin-woo shoved Kim Si-woo aside and stood up, revealing his massive frame.
"What, you got a problem?"
The atmosphere turned menacing.
Kim Hyun-seong scanned his surroundings as Park Jin-woo glared down at him fiercely.
'Kim Si-woo.'
He was in a pitiful state.
His handsome face was covered in blood, and Kim Si-woo, who had sworn to stick by his friend to the end, now had unfocused eyes. He was a brave friend. Just like how he had confronted Park Min-cheol's gang head-on in his previous life despite knowing the consequences, he had spoken up even though it meant getting on Park Jin-woo's bad side.
After that.
Kim Si-woo had plummeted into hell.
He hoped this life wouldn't repeat the same outcome.
'There's only one way to protect Kim Si-woo. A solid reputation that makes it impossible for them to touch him.'
This was actually perfect timing.
He had been pondering how to deal with Park Jin-woo ever since hearing the rumors about himself.
Kim Hyun-seong spoke.
"I've got plenty of gripes. The kids said my messed-up state last week was because you beat me. You know damn well it's not true, so why've you kept your mouth shut all this time?"
"Th-that..."
Park Jin-woo panicked.
He hadn't expected him to bring it up so directly, so he spat out the most plausible excuse to his friends.
"I just didn't care. Kim Hyun-seong. I can crush you anytime. Why waste my breath explaining rumors about trash like you? What, want me to do it now? I'm ready whenever."
The bathroom was packed.
With Park Jin-woo's gang.
It was intimidating.
The onlookers shrank back under the piercing stares from all sides, but Kim Hyun-seong reacted aggressively instead.
"Fine by me. I was already pissed that you touched my friend."
He spat the words out curtly.
Before his opponent could react, Kim Hyun-seong smashed Park Jin-woo's face.
* * *
Crack!
Thud!
Park Jin-woo crashed to the floor.
As his friends lunged forward in an instant, Park Jin-woo yelled with a furious face.
"Fuck, all of you stop! Kim Hyun-seong, this bastard's mine to kill."
He shot up.
Bristling with rage, Park Jin-woo charged straight at Kim Hyun-seong.
Bam!
"......!"
It was an enormous impact.
Park Jin-woo weighed 100kg.
Charging with the intent to knock him down, it felt like being rammed by a bull. But Kim Hyun-seong didn't fall. Falling onto the hard bathroom floor would mean he couldn't withstand Park Jin-woo's attacks, so he absolutely had to prevent being dragged down.
It wasn't easy.
Most people couldn't handle Park Jin-woo's charge, but Kim Hyun-seong had trained for this.
'Takedown defense training.'
Mixed martial arts.
It wasn't just about exchanging punches and kicks; it included grappling on the ground, so defending against tackles was essential. Drawing on his training experience, Kim Hyun-seong blocked Park Jin-woo's charge. As he dove for his legs to take him down, Kim Hyun-seong stabilized his center of gravity and hammered down on his back repeatedly.
Crack!
Smack, smack!
"You little shit."
Park Jin-woo released Kim Hyun-seong.
When shoving didn't work, he swung a fist at his face.
It was sloppy.
Just one week.
Kim Hyun-seong hadn't trained long.
But his sessions with Jeong Du-cheol had created a world of difference, and facing punches from a UFC champion made Park Jin-woo's fist visible. Park Jin-woo specialized in grabbing and taking down, not striking. Before his fist could connect, Kim Hyun-seong blasted his face first.
Thwack!
His head snapped to the side.
He immediately smashed the other side, then grabbed the pain-twisted head and drove a knee into his gut.
Smack!
"Ugh."
Park Jin-woo's eyes bulged.
This was beyond expectations.
In high school fights, raw physicality usually got you far enough. And with wrestling takedowns, even skilled fighters could be subdued. But not only did Kim Hyun-seong not go down easily, he even dominated in strikes. Kim Hyun-seong thought his training with Jeong Du-cheol was effective, but that alone couldn't explain it.
After his regression.
He had taken down Park Min-cheol's gang.
Could you do that without holding back?
No.
The difference from his previous life was mental fortitude.
His body was the same, but his mind had been tempered through pain, and in this new life, he inherited that unbreakable will. He feared nothing, no matter the situation. Whether Park Min-cheol's gang swung fists or Park Jin-woo charged to take him down. Even if excruciating pain came, he watched their movements to the end.
Same now.
He dodged all of Park Jin-woo's punches and planted one in his face.
Thwack!
Smack!
Blood sprayed.
Park Jin-woo staggered.
Only then did he realize his mistake.
Kim Hyun-seong hadn't been scared; he'd just been indifferent to him.
'I can't lose like this.'
Park Jin-woo gritted his teeth.
From then on, it was all or nothing.
Regardless of the hits from Kim Hyun-seong, he pushed forward with his size.
He endured the pain.
His face was soon drenched in blood, but Park Jin-woo didn't stop pressing Kim Hyun-seong.
That was when.
Park Jin-woo twitched.
"It's over now."
Just like with Kim Si-woo.
This was a cramped bathroom.
With Kim Hyun-seong cornered, Park Jin-woo hurtled forward with his full weight.
* * *
A few days ago.
Jeong Du-cheol had said this.
"If you wanted to go pro, I'd have you repeat the same basic drills for a month or a year until they stuck. But you want street fighting skills. In unpredictable situations where fights can erupt anywhere, you need to learn to handle countless variables."
Back in his youth.
Street fights were commonplace.
If a quarrel started on the street, fists flew immediately—no CCTV everywhere like now, and a bloody nose wasn't worth reporting. Jeong Du-cheol was part of that world. With his personality that never backed down, he traded blows with so-called street fighters.
Dozens of fights.
Dozens of wins.
Realizing his talent, he turned fighting into a career and became a UFC champion.
"Streets and schools. Untrained fighters follow similar patterns. They charge in, trade punches, and the first to drop loses. Simple. But who's strongest in that dogfight? Good puncher? Good kicker? No. Regular people can't beat someone who just overpowers with physicality."
Judo, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, freestyle—didn't matter.
Even without training those, sheer physical dominance was threatening.
On the street.
Not a ring with safety in mind, but hard pavement—once slammed down, no one survives unscathed. That's why they say avoid grapplers on the street. Once caught, surviving the concrete is near impossible.
Jeong Du-cheol said.
"Your goal isn't pure sport. It's fighting, so you'll face harsh environments like streets often. Blaming physicality every time means you won't achieve what you want. Remember: no rules on the street."
"So how do I handle it?"
He cut straight to the point.
He was curious.
Future opponents.
Many would outmatch him physically; he couldn't blame that gap every time.
Jeong Du-cheol grinned.
"I told you. No rules. If they overpower you physically, use the environment around you."
* * *
Park Jin-woo's plan was obvious.
If the opponent wouldn't go down, corner him and charge with body weight.
Hard wall.
A cliff's edge.
Like all his past wins, Park Jin-woo barreled toward Kim Hyun-seong.
Thud-thud-thud.
The sight.
His heart raced.
This was the essence of school bullies.
They didn't care what happened on hard floors—minors, consequences seemed light. A 17-year-old's punishment was bearable. Watching Park Jin-woo, facing pure malice, Kim Hyun-seong's eyes boiled with killing intent.
People who drove him to death.
He loathed them.
In this life, he'd get revenge without mercy, whether they lived or died.
Whoosh.
He twisted his body.
Anticipating the charge, he sidestepped first.
To Park Jin-woo, Kim Hyun-seong seemed to vanish.
Momentum from charging prevented stopping, and where Kim Hyun-seong had been was a hard wall.
In that instant.
Kim Hyun-seong didn't just dodge.
Using Park Jin-woo's charging speed, he grabbed his hair and slammed his head into the bathroom wall.
Thwack!
Crunch!
"Argh!"
A chilling sound.
With his nose bone cracking, Park Jin-woo screamed as his legs gave out.
Blood gushed thickly.
No matter the physique, a hard wall was unavoidable, and added to his own speed, the impact nearly knocked him out. Park Jin-woo face-planted, spilling blood. He hadn't lost consciousness yet, but before lifting his head, something filled his vision.
Smack!
"Gah."
His face was kicked.
A soccer kick.
Banned even in UFC for danger.
Kim Hyun-seong kicked Park Jin-woo's face mercilessly, then stomped his head repeatedly to keep it down.
Bam!
Thud, thud, thud!
The air froze cold.
Brutal.
Violence unseen in high school, freezing even Park Jin-woo's friends who couldn't intervene. The boiling killing intent pressed on everyone's hearts. Kim Hyun-seong showed no mercy, kicking until Park Jin-woo's face was soaked in blood.
"S-stop! I was wrong!"
He screamed desperately.
Unlike Park Jin-woo.
The king of Cheonil High School freshmen begged earnestly for mercy.
The kicks stopped.
The bathroom floor was drenched in blood.
Once Kim Si-woo's, now Park Jin-woo's.
Park Jin-woo looked up at Kim Hyun-seong with his ruined face.
No, as he tried, Kim Hyun-seong grabbed his hair.
Yank.
"Hey, say it."
He forced his head around.
He felt like vomiting.
Through the shattered bathroom door, first-years crowded.
"Whether you set me up. Say it again, right here in front of everyone."
Slowly.
Above him.
Kim Hyun-seong's devilish face loomed, demanding an answer with his gaze.