Chapter 10: Not Here
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: Not Here
The Martial Arts Competition was quite finely divided by event and age group.
Among them, the Creative Sword Dance division I entered involved 'composing self-created forms using a sword or saber into a single, flowing dance.'
Physical ability, fundamentals, creativity, and adaptability were the evaluation criteria, with officials from the Korean Martial Alliance and prominent figures from various sects serving as judges.
"It's been so long, I can barely remember..."
The hallway was filled with students aspiring to be Martial Arts Practitioners and their families. Everyone was chatting before heading into the waiting rooms.
"Take a deep breath. You can do well without getting nervous, right?"
"Let's take Cheongsimhwan now. Do you remember your routine?"
"If you don't place this time, you're giving up. That's what you promised your father!"
From elementary to middle to high school divisions, participants were divided by grade level and event, so the number of competitors was considerable.
It also meant there were many students dreaming of becoming Martial Arts Practitioners.
‘Out of all these, less than 5% will remain until adulthood, though.’
Like me, some would have poor Constitution Test results, or feel their limits after seeing geniuses far superior to themselves, or suffer injuries, or face financial problems.
For various reasons, not a few would give up their dream of becoming a Martial Arts Practitioner or fall into the Underworld.
In the past, I felt everyone in the competition hall was a rival, but after living for 20 years and returning, each student striving for their dream seemed admirable.
‘Keep at it, youngsters.’
I passed through the crowded hallway and arrived in front of a waiting room.
<Creative Sword Dance / High School Division, 3rd Year Waiting Room>
A security guard standing in front of the waiting room stopped me, his expression suspicious.
"Excuse me, but only competition participants are allowed inside."
"I'm a participant too. Here's my ID and registration slip."
A moment later, the security guard, after checking my ID and registration slip, snapped his head up with a surprised expression.
"Ki—!"
I subtly lowered my mask, showing my face to the security guard.
"I'd prefer to go in quietly."
At that time, I was quite famous among my peers, so quite a few people recognized me.
The quick-witted security guard nodded, as if understanding what I meant.
"Yes! Confirmed. Oh? But your division is..."
I smiled amiably at the security guard, who was tilting his head while looking at my registration slip, and made a request.
"A friend of mine is inside. Could I just go in for a moment to cheer them on?"
The security guard hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.
"You can't stay too long."
"Thank you."
The security guard glanced around, then subtly opened the door for me. As I passed by, he gave me a thumbs-up.
"I'm a fan. I'm looking forward to this competition too."
I returned his thumbs-up and stepped inside.
The competition waiting room was a spacious hall, like an auditorium.
Participants who had arrived earlier had taken their spots, lightly warming up or practicing the sword dances they had prepared.
A few people looked at me, but because of my mask and hat, no one recognized me.
‘About thirty people, I guess. Doesn't look like everyone's here yet.’
I scanned my surroundings, looking for Shin Kang-heon.
His presence was as imposing as his build, so he quickly stood out.
"Huuuh..."
Having seemingly finished a round of sword dance practice, Shin Kang-heon had thrown off his top and was resting in a corner, catching his breath.
‘He looks like a hungry tiger.’
Seeing Shin Kang-heon up close again, he was different from how he'd appeared in front of the reporters.
His face, focused with a rather serious expression, made it hard to tell what his true self was.
What was certain was that with his overwhelming physique and fierce expression, no one dared to approach him.
‘How should I start this?’
Just as I was recalling a few greetings I'd prepared and walking towards Shin Kang-heon.
"Hey, did you guys hear that Ki Mu-hyeok flunked his Constitution Test?"
"..."
I subtly turned my head at the sudden voice, seeing a group of people gathered, gossiping.
A sharp-faced boy with a ponytail was mentioning my name.
Whether on purpose or not, his voice was loud enough for everyone in the waiting room to hear.
"My dad has a reporter friend, see. He said that bastard ran out crying after getting his test results."
...Gossiping about others' misfortunes was human nature, and since they were still young kids, I figured it was understandable.
"It is weird, though. He hasn't even participated in the competition since last year. Didn't you get a feeling something was up back then?"
"But what grade did he get that made him run out like that?"
"If he got a Grade 9 or 10..."
"Then his life's ruined. No matter how good your musculature is, if your constitution sucks, it's over."
So I was going to just let it go, but...
"What's he gonna do to make a living then?"
"Dunno. All my relatives are Grade 6 or higher. His musculature is good, so he could probably make money with his fists. A gangster or a thug?"
"Wow, what about his parents who poured all that money into him? They messed up by having the wrong kid, totally wasted their lives."
Despite the words full of malice directed at one person, no one stepped forward; everyone just snickered or ignored it.
‘...This crosses a line.’
I stopped in my tracks and looked at the ponytail boy and his friends, who were diligently badmouthing me.
"Hey, kids."
I called out quietly, as if admonishing them, but why they flinched the moment they heard my voice was a mystery.
"Just wondering, but does Ki Mu-hyeok flunking his Constitution Test actually help your lives in any way?"
As I approached and asked, the whispering boys stumbled backward with flustered expressions.
I felt the gazes of the other competition participants slowly focusing on me.
"...Who are you to pick a fight?"
"I'm not picking a fight. It's just that listening to you, I couldn't understand."
I slowly took off my hat, then my mask.
The boys immediately recognized my face and gasped!
"It's... it's Ki Mu-hyeok..."
I heard murmurs of my name from all around.
I felt Shin Kang-heon's gaze, which had been quietly focused, turn towards me, and I also saw a few other familiar faces.
"You shouldn't badmouth someone so carelessly just because they're not present. That all comes back to you as karma later, you know?"
To the ponytail boy and his gang, who were staring at me with utterly flustered expressions, I offered some advice as a senior who had tasted both the bitter and sweet of life.
"Have you heard stories of people whose mouths were torn for speaking carelessly? It's common in the Unorthodox Faction, especially insults related to family—they deal with those very harshly. They burn it with fire, tear it multiple times, and once it heals, they do it again..."
If I were a hot-blooded, ordinary teenager, I might have thrown a punch right away.
But I didn't want to do that to kids whose mental age was so far below mine.
‘I should try to persuade them with words as much as possible.’
If words didn't work, then I'd have to consider a different approach, but...
"S-sorry."
"We just heard rumors..."
"Really sorry! We won't do it again!"
The pale-faced ponytail boy and his gang all apologized, avoiding my gaze.
‘Hmm. Guess they're not that bad after all.’
I'd worried about what to do if they didn't understand gentle persuasion, but fortunately, they seemed like good students, getting it right away.
But what were they whispering about behind my back?
"D-did you see that guy's eyes?"
"He just threatened to tear our mouths, didn't he?"
"Ki Mu-hyeok. He's even scarier than the rumors said..."
When I turned around to tell them it was a misunderstanding, most of the students whose eyes met mine quickly averted their gaze.
And the few who didn't avert their gaze were looking at me with expressions of displeasure.
"Hey, Ki Mu-hyeok."
A tall boy with a lean, dancer-like physique stepped forward and spoke.
"Are you using the waiting room all by yourself? Can you cut it out?"
It was a face that lingered slightly in my old memories. His name was quite unique, too.
"Pi Seung-hwa... right?"
A peer who was skilled with the Fast Sword, he was scouted by one of the Major Sects right after graduating high school and later rose to a rather high position, if I recall correctly.
"Cut what out, though?"
Pi Seung-hwa, with headphones around his neck, glared directly at me and said.
"Be quiet. You're disturbing my concentration."
His face, clearly showing his sensitive personality, was full of irritation.
I smiled warmly and chatted with my old friend, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
"My apologies. But it's strange. My voice bothers you, but the voices of kids gossiping about others didn't?"
"What the..."
"By the way, whose headphones are those? The noise-canceling seems to be selective; I'd like to try them out myself."
"..."
Pi Seung-hwa, his lips pressed tightly together, glared at me silently before turning sharply and heading to a secluded spot.
"Pfft..."
Shin Kang-heon, who had been quietly observing the situation, could be seen shaking his shoulders, trying to suppress his laughter.
‘I thought he'd jump in and say something, but maybe because it's the competition venue, he's surprisingly well-behaved.’
Instead, a new voice chimed in.
"But you know..."
It was a boy with a small, rock-solid build and twin swords strapped to his back, another familiar face.
He asked, his small eyes gleaming like a snake's.
"Is it true your Constitution Test results weren't good? So, what grade did you get?"
"You're Lee Hyeon-seung, right?"
"...It's Kim Hyeon-seung."
Like Shin Kang-heon and Pi Seung-hwa, he was a fairly famous name among my age group.
Given that I don't remember anything else about him, he must have retired early or died quickly.
"My bad. It's been so long since we last met, I got confused."
"...You've met me in competitions more than five times."
"Ah, I remember winning all of them."
Kim Hyeon-seung glared at me and muttered, "Bastard," under his breath.
But I couldn't exactly curse back at him.
I looked at my friend with a mature demeanor and a gentle smile.
"...Just you wait."
For some reason, Kim Hyeon-seung huffed, then went to a corner and started practicing.
I swept my gaze across the participants gathered in the waiting room and spoke.
"Hey, everyone. I apologize if I caused a disturbance right before an important competition. I hope you all do your best in the competition and achieve great results on stage, commensurate with your efforts. I'm genuinely rooting for you."
Shin Kang-heon. Pi Seung-hwa. Kim Hyeon-seung.
Besides them, the other boys of my age group participating in the competition were staring at me with dumbfounded expressions.
"Hahahaha—! This guy's completely insane, isn't he?"
Finally, Shin Kang-heon stepped forward.
Unlike the other participants, who were wary of me, Shin Kang-heon approached me first with an excited expression and spoke.
"You're an even bigger attention-seeker than me. Didn't you deliberately wear that mask and wait until someone started badmouthing you?"
"...Why would I?"
"You bastard, playing coy..."
Shin Kang-heon didn't believe a word I said.
He slowly scanned me from head to toe with eyes that looked ready to devour me.
It was as if a predator was assessing the strength of its prey before a hunt.
Once his assessment was roughly complete, Shin Kang-heon grinned and spoke.
"But your name, Ki Mu-hyeok, wasn't on the competition participant list. What are you doing here?"
"I was just passing by and thought I'd say hello. And I am a competition participant. Just not this one."
"...What are you talking about?"
The moment Shin Kang-heon asked me with a bewildered expression.
Knock, knock—
With a knock, the security guard who had been waiting outside entered with another security guard.
"Participant Ki Mu-hyeok. Are you here?"
"Yes, that's me."
I raised my hand, and the security guard's gaze turned to me.
He pointed at his watch and said in a businesslike tone.
"The General Division Competition is about to begin. If you don't move to your waiting room now, you'll be disqualified."
"My apologies. I'll go right away."
The students who had been listening to my conversation with the security guard stared at us alternately with blank expressions.
"...General Division?"
"What did he say?"
"He's not, surely..."
Then I took out a necklace-style registration pass from my pocket and put it around my neck.
<Creative Sword Dance / Ki Mu-hyeok / General Division (Under 25)>
While it was true I'd entered the competition to meet Shin Kang-heon, I had no intention of playing at the same level as them.
Because where I was looking was a place far higher than these guys.
I figured I'd made quite an impression with this first meeting.
"Alright, everyone, good luck. If I have time after the General Division competition, I'll come watch, so show me your best. Fighting!"
After giving my final encouragement to my dumbfounded peers, I left the High School Division competition hall and headed for the General Division.
From behind the closed door, I heard Shin Kang-heon's booming laughter, mixed with all sorts of curses.