Untying the Knot (4)
“……”
“……”
A heavy silence stretched on in a standoff.
Kang Hyung-woo had closed the distance first, brimming with confidence, but now he couldn't move a muscle. He didn't want to admit it, but he was utterly overwhelmed.
This bastard... has he always been this big?
No. Sure, he'd bulked up with muscle, but his height was the same. 174cm. A full 20cm shorter than Kang Hyung-woo, who stood nearly 190cm tall. And as someone who loved working out, Kang Hyung-woo had the edge in muscle mass too. But...
It's that look from back then...
Kang Hyung-woo gritted his teeth, recalling third grade. Truth be told, Yun-seok hadn't been a loser kid. Far from it—he was actually pretty great. Unlike the gloomy Kang Hyung-woo, Yun-seok was cheerful, good-looking, and well-liked by everyone in class. Kang Hyung-woo envied him for it. Yun-seok never hesitated to pull the loner into the group, but deep down, Kang Hyung-woo seethed with jealousy.
That jealousy exploded when a girl confessed to Yun-seok—the one Kang Hyung-woo secretly liked. From that day on, he started needling Yun-seok relentlessly. But Yun-seok, either too young to notice the malice or just that nice, always laughed it off good-naturedly. As Kang Hyung-woo's barbs grew harsher, their relationship crumbled, eventually erupting into a fistfight.
Kang Hyung-woo had been confident. Laughable now, but he'd taken taekwondo and knew he had good athleticism. It didn't matter. Yun-seok was on another level entirely. Like he'd been born for it, he dodged Kang Hyung-woo's punches with pro-boxer precision. And in the fight, Yun-seok showed no mercy—he utterly demolished him.
When it came to fighting, Yun-seok was like a machine with broken safeties. Kang Hyung-woo was terrified. He really thought Yun-seok might kill him. So he begged for his life. It was the most humiliating memory of his life, the one he desperately wanted to forget but never could. Even now, he'd jolt awake in cold sweats from nightmares of that gaze.
“How the hell did I forget that?! You dare give me that look again?!”
Fear conquered fear. No other way to explain it. That was what let Kang Hyung-woo swing at Yun-seok.
Whoosh!
His punch was sharp and swift, near-professional. But Yun-seok's agility was F+ rank, beyond any normal human. And with four life-or-death battles under his belt, his combat experience gave him the edge too. He dodged effortlessly. And not by luck—he proved it, over and over.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck! You motherfucking shiiiit!”
Kang Hyung-woo swung wildly, cursing up a storm. He was losing his mind. How hard had he worked to ensure this day never came? And yet here it was.
“You goddamn dog! Who the hell do you think you are?!”
That fight ten years ago ended when the teacher showed up. Both sets of parents were called in, and that's when Kang Hyung-woo learned about their families' hierarchy. From then on, Yun-seok backed off on his own, and Kang Hyung-woo tormented him mercilessly. It was the only way to erase that branded sense of defeat.
Those days continued. Perfect for self-centered Kang Hyung-woo. He'd stolen Yun-seok's popularity and reduced the guy who'd once made him feel inferior to a puppet. But deep down, he was anxious. The Yun-seok from that day was an untamable beast. What if the leash snapped? That fear grew as puberty hit and their bodies matured.
So as a middle schooler, Kang Hyung-woo picked petty excuses to keep Yun-seok from eating lunch. At night, he forced him to level up game characters he didn't care about, depriving him of sleep. Whether it worked or not, Yun-seok's growth stalled at 174cm. Meanwhile, Kang Hyung-woo started boxing and threw himself into it to escape his anxiety. Shockingly, he had talent, and with effort, he improved fast.
But in high school, the tamed Yun-seok rebelled for the first time. He firmly stated his intent to stay away—no threats of revenge, just that. It terrified Kang Hyung-woo. The power dynamic might flip. It wouldn't, but what if Yun-seok finally spat back his vengeance? So he burned it all down. Yun-seok's father's factory. To leash him again. Forever underfoot.
“And yet why do you keep rising, you weed bastard?!”
Kang Hyung-woo roared and swung again. Yun-seok, who'd only dodged minimally till now, caught the punch mid-air.
Thud.
“Let go! Let the fuck go?!”
“So it was you?”
“I said let go!”
Yun-seok released the flailing arm. Then he grabbed Kang Hyung-woo's collar, yanking him close, eyes blazing with genuine killing intent.
“Did you burn my dad's factory?”
“W-Wh-Wh-What if I did?! Gonna k-k-kill me over that shit?!”
Maybe the intent was too thick. Kang Hyung-woo's face twisted in blind rage. Yun-seok smirked.
“Kill you? Why would I bother? You just gotta cough up what you owe us. Plus compensation, nice and thick.”
“I didn't do it! Got proof, you dog?!”
Regaining some composure, he'd half-admitted but now denied it flat-out. Yun-seok had come prepared with a recorder, but it probably wouldn't hold up in court. Too ambiguous, even to him. Time to push harder.
Thud.
No need for a full swing. Yun-seok shot out his hand and gripped Kang Hyung-woo's throat.
“Gack!”
Despite the massive height gap, Kang Hyung-woo couldn't even resist. Their muscle masses were close, but Yun-seok's pressure blanked his mind.
“Tell me. Did you set the fire?”
“Kek! Gek!”
Gagging sounds bubbled from Kang Hyung-woo's mouth. His hands on Yun-seok's arm went limp. Normal people could survive five minutes without air. But not even ten seconds in, his eyes were rolling back. Yun-seok had precisely pressed the carotid.
Yun-seok loosened his grip, and Kang Hyung-woo collapsed to the dirt.
“Guhk! Heuk! Hahk! Hahk! Haa...”
But Yun-seok wasn't done. He reached out again—this time with both hands. Kang Hyung-woo scrambled back in horror, too panicked to care how pathetic he looked, clawing at the ground.
Yun-seok approached slowly, closing the gap. Kang Hyung-woo screamed in terror.
“D-Don't! Stop! P-Please! I was wrong... okay?!”
“You didn't answer my question.”
Yun-seok extended his hands silently. Slow enough for Kang Hyung-woo to see, hear, feel. This wasn't just a brawl. It was blatant, absurd violence—strangling. Yet Yun-seok's eyes were chillingly calm, serene.
Kang Hyung-woo thought: I might really die here.
“I-I did it! It was me! I burned your house's factory! Sorry! Forgive me!”
Yun-seok halted. He stared down for a moment. He'd suspected it deep down, so hearing confirmation barely fazed him.
He pulled the recorder from his pocket and hit stop in plain view. Then, laced with past resentment, he murmured:
“I wanted to kill you. For real. Not once or twice, but thousands of times...”
“……”
The raw sincerity silenced Kang Hyung-woo. He just stared, holding his breath. Any word might set Yun-seok off for real.
“But I won't. You're not worth it to me, even if you might be to yourself.”
Not intended as a killing blow, but it might as well have been. They'd obsessed to the point of arson, dividing into winner and loser. But Yun-seok hadn't cared about the game at all. He'd lost—not to violence or status, but purely as a human. To the Choi Yun-seok he'd so desperately wanted to beat.
“……”
Yun-seok turned away without regret. Relief? Lingering pride? A shout chased him.
“You think this is over? Think that coerced 'evidence' holds up?!”
It wouldn't. He'd never thought it would. No sane judge would convict on that alone. But...
Yun-seok paused, glancing back slightly.
“Your dad will. It's enough to show him what you are.”
Step by step, he crossed the ochre dirt of the makeshift arena and left the schoolyard. No need to look back to know Kang Hyung-woo's thoughts or expression.
* * *
Rrrrr.
His smartphone buzzed. Caller: Kang Hye-in, Kang Hyung-woo's little sister.
—Hey, bro! Long time no see?
“Yeah. Been a while. What's up?”
—Just... my idiot brother—not bro, I mean—brought up Yoon-seok oppa today, so I thought of you. Wanna grab a meal for old times' sake?
Yun-seok pondered briefly and agreed. Places and time were set lightning-fast.
Sitting blankly at a bus stop far from the elementary school—one he didn't even know the route for—he finally stood.
Because it's not fully over yet? Doesn't feel as refreshing as I'd hoped.
Not grand enough for 'revenge.' Just tying off a tangled grudge properly. And it was still ongoing.
Chairman's probably busy... Guess I'll tell Hye-in instead.
That's why he hadn't refused her invite amid his complicated mood.
“Oppa! Over here! Here!”
At the restaurant, Kang Hye-in, who'd arrived first, waved him over. He'd seen her in casuals plenty, but out of high school now, she radiated adult vibes. Still just a fresh twenty, though.
“Six months? You're even prettier, Hye-in.”
“You too, oppa! Did you dress up just to meet me?”
It'd been barely an hour since they set it up. Impossible, but Yun-seok played along affirmatively, and she beamed.
“Oppa, you've changed a lot.”
“Me? Yeah, I guess.”
“Not looks—your vibe? The way you talk. Old oppa would've never teased me like that so smoothly.”
“Maybe. All the crap weighing me down just vanished today.”
“Whoa, really? That's awesome. But what was so bad it changed you this much?”
The food arrived then. Not ideal dinner talk, but...
“Eat first before it gets cold. I'll tell you slow.”
Yun-seok started eating calmly, recounting everything to Kang Hye-in. Naturally, her face drained white as the story went on; she couldn't even take a proper bite.
He didn't push. She'd probably choke.
The long, heavy meal ended with his tale. Unable to hold back, Kang Hye-in slammed the table.
“Kang Hyung-woo, that fucking piece-of-shit bastard?!”
Yun-seok learned then just how foul-mouthed she could be. He tried calming her, flustered.
“H-Hye-in?”
“He needs to die... Yeah, rip his limbs off and kill him...”
She wasn't hearing him. Yun-seok thought quietly.
Telling Hye-in might've been the best revenge after all...