Homecoming Hero and Tattoo Turmoil
That was easy enough that even a mistake would've been fine. I won the finals even more handily than the semis. Landed a deep kick, pressed him against the fence, and hammered punches using my long reach. The ref stopped it quick since he was just a kid, but the guy ate a few of my shots and his face was wrecked. Shame I didn't get to show elbows, but someone else will turn them into a ban soon enough.
After claiming victory like that, I treated Whittaker and Tahar to steaks. Then I took a month off and flew back to Korea.
It'd been ages since I'd set foot in Korea. I savored that peaceful vibe for a bit before spotting Mom waiting to pick me up at the airport. She greeted me with a smile, but suddenly froze.
"You little shit..."
"...?"
Suddenly, I felt her killing intent. I racked my brain for what I'd done wrong, but nothing came to mind that would piss her off this bad.
"You... what's this tattoo?"
"Huh?"
It'd been almost half a year, so I'd forgotten. I hadn't told Mom about getting inked yet.
"You some kinda thug!? Get rid of it!!!"
"M-Mom?"
"You're fucking crazy. Who told you to get a tattoo!? Your dad can't even look at it!!!"
Our tough-as-nails mom didn't give a damn about the stares from the crowd. And I wasn't embarrassed either—I dropped to my knees on the spot.
"Grandpa made me do it!"
"....."
"He said how can you block your kid's dreams just 'cause Mom might scold him..."
Throwing Grandpa under the bus worked; Mom was at a loss for words. Just like that, I didn't even get to catch her up on things and meekly climbed into her car.
Back home, I saw Harin for the first time in forever. She was home for school anniversary day.
"Eek, who's this lady!?"
"Heh."
"How'd you get so big~?"
"You're bigger, oppa."
Harin with her blonde hair and blue eyes—she had that full-on exotic vibe now. Subtly resembling Mom, she definitely screamed "daughter."
"Brought you a present."
"A present...?"
I pulled out a gaming console—one of her old hobbies.
"Nintendo. Whaddya think?"
"Ah... I already have one."
"Cool. Use this if it breaks. I'll get you something else next time~"
"Thanks~!"
She hugged me tight anyway. Mom cracked a smile at the sight. She'd always loved how close Harin and I were.
But she wasn't that simple. Her glare at my tattoo was still full of disgust. Still, the clean Viking compass on my left hand? That was Grandpa's masterpiece—no arguing that. He'd been proud we were Viking descendants.
If she found out about the tiger and pistol on my chest, I might actually drop dead.
"Got a girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend? Nah."
"Get one. Guys who stay single too long got no charm."
"....."
It hit like a gut punch, sounding just like my pre-regression life. But marriage? No thanks. Once you're champ, even celebs line up. With my looks now, even more so.
I'd had a few girlfriends before regression, but they were all short flings. This time, becoming champ early might bring them anyway. Guess I'd just enjoy and move on.
"Booked dinner out tonight. Wanna go?"
"Dinner? Tonight?"
"Yeah, table for six. My stocks blew up."
I'd cashed out all my mined Bitcoin—plenty of spare cash in the bank. Bought back in when prices dipped, still had some left. Stocks were making even more now, though.
"Nah, even if you struck it rich, how much could it be..."
"Ten grand."
"...?"
"Dollars. It's sitting in my account right now."
Her eyes widened, then she freaked. Guess a cool hundred million won in cash was unreal.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg—pocket money, really.
Evening came, and we headed to fine dining. Mom and Dad secretly loved this stuff. The kids got age-appropriate meals.
After, I bought clothes for Mom, Dad, Harin, Beom-jun, and Hayun. Beom-jun hated shopping, but he was still in kindergarten. Hayun was currently riding on my arm.
"This is what they call a golden homecoming."
"You didn't make that from fighting."
"Fighting's my seed money~"
"Heard you worked your ass off part-time in the States."
"Just a hobby. They paid me."
Truth was, the cash from part-timing with Might dwarfed it all.
We snapped food pics and enjoyed the meal. Mom ordered wine—she loved the stuff.
After paying up, we headed home.
"Gotta wait till next year for my license so I can drive Harin to school too."
"I wanna ride in oppa's car!"
"Right? You'll love it!?"
Harin was extra bubbly today. I gave her my SNS handle.
"Let's take a pic together."
"Why?"
"If anyone bullies you, show 'em my pic."
"Ooh... but no one bullies me?"
"Might come in handy someday."
I hoisted Harin up with my right arm and asked Mom to snap it. I shook out my left arm to make veins pop, clenched a fist to show the tattoo, and thrust it forward.
She didn't love it, but figured it'd help Harin. Mom took the shot of Harin copying my pose.
Weekend rolled around, and we hit the zoo with the family. Gifted Beom-jun a ride-on car—he went nuts riding it everywhere. Told him seriously he'd lose riding privileges if he hit anyone; he nodded and kept cruising.
After that quality family time, I caught up with Kang-chan and Min-hyuk. No real hanging out 'cause of their college entrance prep, but we demolished all-you-can-eat pork ribs.
They were swamped with studying but knew every wild thing I'd done in the States. Their chill vibe never changed. Keeping them as friends? Top decision post-regression, hands down.
Seen everyone I needed in Korea, so back to the States. Three months of training, then a month at Whittaker's gym.
Kept SNS low-key, shifted to YouTube. Had to drop early fight breakdowns for WFC fighters.
Turned out my IMMAF clips blew up in Korea too. Mom—who'd sworn off watching in case I got hit—called me up.
"Mooom~"
"You little bastard! Wanna die!? What the fuck, Grandpa!?"
"Cool, right?"
"Cool my ass! What's that trashy tattoo on your gut!!! You didn't erase it!?"
Hearing Mom's classic screech after so long? Kinda missed it. Sorry, but "screech" fits—no other word.
Desert Eagle does scream "anyone can hit this," bragging my junk's hot. Whatever.
Good thing she wasn't on SNS—discovery was delayed.
"Love you, Mom."
"Hang up and see what happens."
"Love you tons~ You're all I got, you know?"
"Bullshit?"
"Training starts—call ya later!"
I hung up quick and saw her text pop up.
Gave me chills, but future me's problem. Grandpa's advice rang true: forgiveness beats permission.
Mom loved me more than anyone—she wouldn't ditch me over one screw-up.
Probably...
IMMAF was a bigger hit than I thought. In an amateur org, teen fights going this viral? All me.
Stylish striker with pinpoint accuracy. WFC fans screamed at Brown to sign me before I got snatched. They said grab me quick unless my boxing record sucked.
TV exposure helped—SNS followers spiked. YouTube too.
Made an account on Taimit too—the future giant—for potential lives. Promoted my streams on SNS and YouTube first.
Next day, went live. Proved it was me by flexing arms crossed. Cam caught my left-hand tattoo clear.
Viewers trickled in, chatting in English at first.
"The real deal~"
Authenticating brought instant follows. Lots of Korean interest, so I switched my location to Korea.
Sunglasses on, I yawned and waited for more to join.
"Fast birthday, so friends say '93, but GED counts me as 17? Don't look old tho?"
"Anyway, dying to join WFC, and they reached out?"
"Yup. But they say full 18, straight to fights. Didn't wanna miss out—contract incoming? One-year deal tho. Max two fights a year."
"Dad's American. I'm Korean citizen."
Curiosity about me was sky-high. Even interview requests—I shot 'em all down. I'd prove my worth in WFC.