Chapter 9: The First Secret Operation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 9: The First Secret Operation
A crowd of reporters had gathered.
Shin Kang-heon, hands on his hips, was passionately speaking in a voice brimming with confidence.
“Of course, many of you might find Grade 3 a little disappointing, especially given how much you’ve all anticipated this! After all, my Musculature is so exceptional, it’s rare to see its like again in the Korean Martial world!”
He seemed proud of himself, but for some reason, it made those watching feel more embarrassed.
‘He’s saying that about himself...’
It was an undeniable fact that Shin Kang-heon’s Musculature was outstanding.
He was tall, easily 190cm, with long limbs.
His broad shoulders and body, honed with solid muscle, were such that he was said to have the potential to become a national athlete in any sport.
Purely in terms of physical talent, he was rated higher than me, even though we were the same generation.
‘Though in overall assessment, I was slightly superior.’
Ultimately, I, who had been deemed constitutionally unfit, faded from memory and became an Underworld Vagrant, while Shin Kang-heon lived up to people’s expectations and became Korea's Greatest Swordsman.
Though that very Korea's Greatest Swordsman would later emerge as the main perpetrator of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's attack on the National Assembly, shocking the world.
“Actually, the doctor told me that while it’s Grade 3, the detailed figures are comparable to Grade 2. My Qi accumulation and speed are a bit lacking, but the robustness of my Qi and blood, and my explosive power, are far superior to others of the same Constitution Grade.”
But that was far in the future.
The current Shin Kang-heon was nothing more than a child, reveling in the barrage of questions and camera flashes directed at him.
I remembered him not only doing personal YouTube activities but also giving all sorts of interviews to the media when he was young.
He’d often make provocative remarks, saying that all the guys considered his rivals, including me, were nothing special if you actually fought them.
I ignored him and focused on my training, but a few others fell for the provocation, and actual practice sword duels were arranged...
I don’t remember the details, but Shin Kang-heon probably won all of them.
“Am I disappointed with the results? Of course, it would’ve been better if I got Grade 1 or 2. But if the path to the top is too easy, where’s the fun in that?”
Shin Kang-heon answered each reporter’s question in a bright voice, seemingly tireless.
“Oh, and among the Five Elements, my Fire Affinity came out very high. The doctor even emphasized that I absolutely must learn martial arts suited to that affinity! Hahahaha!”
He was a bit obnoxious, but he certainly possessed the talent to be recognized as Korea's Greatest Swordsman someday.
However, the words that followed truly grated on me.
“My goal is to be Korea’s Greatest! And someday, I’ll conquer the World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament too!”
“...Says who?”
Perhaps he heard my unconscious mumble, as my father put an arm around my shoulder and comforted me in a serious voice.
“Son. There’s no need to be discouraged.”
“...Huh?”
“Shin Kang-heon might be getting more attention than you right now, but you never know what life holds.”
My father was someone who looked up more Martial-related news, channels, and communities than I did.
Clenching his fist, my father glared at Shin Kang-heon through the window and rattled off a rapid-fire rant.
“Just one grade higher and he’s already showing off! If he got lucky, he should learn some humility. What’s that arrogant brat doing, gathering reporters and showing off already? It’s not even Grade 1 or 2, what’s so great about Grade 3 that he has to be so conceited...”
“Dad, calm down a bit.”
I found myself calming my father, whose face had turned red with anger.
“Mu-hyeok is staying calm, so why are you suddenly getting so worked up?”
My mother, on the other hand, offered me practical advice.
“Mu-hyeok. He’s him, and you’re you. Don’t worry about other people’s business; just focus on your own path from now on.”
“I know. I don’t really care anyway.”
Even if my re-examination results were revealed to the reporters right now, it wouldn’t cause much of a stir.
A few might show interest, but since my Constitution Grade wasn’t particularly high, it would quickly fizzle out.
And that level of attention was exactly what I wanted.
“But... there isn’t a huge difference between Grade 4 and Grade 3, right?”
“Of course not, there’s hardly any difference. Grade 1 or 2 are special, but from Grade 3 onwards, they’re all pretty similar! Our son and that kid, they’re practically the same!”
“Right? I knew it!”
“...Mom, why are you like this too?”
Even after that, my parents continued to praise me, saying things like, “He’s too big, he must be clumsy,” or “His face isn’t as good as our son’s.”
‘It seems they’ve misunderstood something.’
Contrary to my parents’ misunderstanding, I felt neither inferiority nor jealousy towards Shin Kang-heon.
There was no reason to, in the first place.
‘Sorry, but my Constitution is actually much better.’
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them enough to tell them the truth.
If I started explaining, I’d have to tell them everything: getting an illegal procedure in the Underworld, and why I had to do it...
I wasn’t confident I could convince them by telling them about my regression to the past, an event I myself found hard to believe.
But there was one thing I could say with confidence.
“Why would I care about someone weaker than me?”
“Hahaha! That’s my son!”
“Oh, you... Well, it’s better than being gloomy.”
After giving my parents a wide grin, I looked back at Shin Kang-heon.
I held no ill will towards him.
In fact, since he was the opponent I had my final life-and-death duel with in my previous life, I even felt a slight fondness for him.
I could say with certainty that it was the greatest fight of my entire life.
‘I’d planned to meet him again someday, but I never expected it to be in a place like this.’
Seeing his young, almost boyish face, I even felt a sense of nostalgia.
But this was not the place to acknowledge him.
“Shall we go through the back entrance? It might get troublesome if someone recognizes us.”
While Shin Kang-heon was hogging the spotlight in front of the reporters, we quietly slipped out through the back entrance and headed to the parking lot.
“I’m in a good mood! Let’s eat expensive steak out tonight before heading home!”
On the way home in my father’s car, feeling good.
I sat in the back seat and glanced behind me.
Reporters were still gathered at the hospital’s main entrance.
The continuous flashes suggested Shin Kang-heon was still giving interviews.
Suddenly, a question popped into my mind.
‘That guy who so confidently declared he’d conquer the World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament... why was he like that twenty years later?’
I knew Shin Kang-heon from twenty years in the future, when he was part of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and attacked the government building.
He looked incredibly weary, a completely different person from the boy standing there now.
Back home, I searched for information related to Shin Kang-heon.
As expected for someone with a known name, trivial details were listed: his current high school, family relations, fighting style, hobbies, and habits.
After spending a considerable amount of time researching Shin Kang-heon, I came to a conclusion.
“This guy’s nothing but a brat.”
The current Shin Kang-heon was truly going through his rebellious phase.
If the man who would later gain fame as Korea's Greatest Swordsman was a martial artist with a rather bold yet serious personality, then this young punk in the YouTube video, shirtless and swinging a sword, was no different from a monkey.
[Anyone confident enough, come find me anytime! I’ll crush you all!]
He was over 190cm tall, with a muscular physique, swinging a heavy sword like a windmill, and the comments below had more sarcasm than praise.
‘If he’d focused on training instead of seeking attention, he wouldn’t just be Korea’s Greatest Swordsman, but Korea’s Greatest Person.’
I personally felt grateful to Shin Kang-heon.
He willingly faced me when I abruptly sought him out for a fight, and even during our life-and-death duel, he could have ordered his subordinates to attack me, but he didn’t.
No one could easily do that when their life was on the line.
Shin Kang-heon was a man worthy of respect as a Martial Artist.
-Haha... I wish we could have a drink...-
-Let’s do it when we meet in the afterlife.
But why did a guy like that end up joining a group like the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?
If there was some coercion or unavoidable circumstance, I felt I’d want to help him if possible.
But if it was due to childish curiosity or a desire for the Unorthodox Faction's Demonic Arts, simply to become strong easily...
“Maybe a good beating would knock some sense into him?”
Well, either way, I planned to make contact with him.
If things went well, I might even get some information about the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
As I clicked through various search results, I stumbled upon a post in a community.
“Hmm?”
[Chat] Seoul Creative Sword Dance Competition lineup this year, seriously? Lol
Did everyone see the participant list?
Shin Kang-heon. Pi Seung-hwa. Kim Hyeon-seung... Damn.
Isn’t this an all-time legend lineup for the High School Division?
I read the comments below it too.
└ All the bastards who got their Constitution Test after their birthday are out in full force.
└ This year is the worst generation ;;
└ Where’s Ki Mu-hyeok?
└ Heard that bastard failed his Constitution Test and went into hiding?
└ Seriously? That’s hilarious ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Do you even know what you’re talking about? Ki Mu-hyeok hasn’t participated in the Competition since last year.
I quickly skimmed through and scrolled down.
In the past, I would have been hurt by comments mentioning me, but now I felt nothing.
I immediately checked Shin Kang-heon’s personal SNS to confirm, and there was a photo of him verifying his registration in a post from a few days ago.
[Your bro’s entering the Sword Dance Competition. Thinking of moving because there’s no more room for trophies in my room.]
“Is he insane?”
At any rate, it was confirmed that Shin Kang-heon was participating in the Competition.
“A Creative Sword Dance Competition, huh...”
I had participated in quite a few competitions myself in the past, but I hadn’t since my second year of high school.
The awards I’d accumulated before that were already enough, and at the time, I thought it was more important to train according to my daily routine than to spend time preparing for competitions.
<Seoul Creative Sword Dance Competition Information>
I accessed the official website to check the details and confirmed one more fact.
“The registration period... ends today?”
It seemed an opportunity to naturally make contact with Shin Kang-heon would arise soon.
The day of the <Seoul Creative Sword Dance Competition> arrived.
I pulled my cap low and put on a mask before arriving at the Competition venue.
Many participants were already there, some with their parents, others with friends.
“They’ll be disappointed when they find out later... but I can’t help it.”
I hadn’t told my parents about participating in this Competition.
If my parents were with me, I wouldn’t be able to move as freely as I wanted, and they might also be exposed to unforeseen dangers.
However, investigating alone had its limits.
Since I was also a Competition participant, I couldn’t do anything else while waiting or when I was on stage.
‘There might be someone from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult among Shin Kang-heon’s associates, or watching from the audience.’
So, I specifically recruited an assistant suitable for such shady business.
I clicked my tongue, thinking of the assistant who still hadn’t shown up despite the appointed time.
“Still late for appointments, as usual.”
And just as they say, ‘speak of the devil,’ I saw a red-haired figure in funky attire walking from afar.
Kim Bok-ja, who, unfazed by the curious glances of others, looked around and then, seeing me raise my hand, immediately yelled out.
“Hey!”
Unlike Shin Kang-heon, who enjoyed attention, she was someone who didn’t care much about what others thought of her.
“Why the hell are you calling out a busy person?”
I knew she wasn’t that busy.
That’s why she secretly liked it when I called her out like this sometimes.
I had already explained the general help I needed via messenger.
“Why should I help you?”
To Bok-ja, who was grumbling despite having come to help anyway, I promised a reward after the job was done.
“I’ll buy you tteokbokki afterward. There’s a cook-at-your-table tteokbokki place nearby that I guarantee is delicious.”
“Huh? Just tteokbokki? Do you think I’m some school kid like you?”
She said that, but just swallowed hard.
‘I’ve never met a girl who dislikes tteokbokki.’
Kim Bok-ja, in particular, was crazy about red food, as red as her hair.
Spicy and sweet foods—tteokbokki, among them, could be called Kim Bok-ja’s soul food.
“...So what do you want me to do?”
I handed Bok-ja the materials I’d brought about Shin Kang-heon, along with an extra baseball cap I’d packed, and said.
“Keep an eye on Shin Kang-heon’s associates. Check for any noticeable movements from his family or friends who came with him, or anyone during his turn. If possible, get their faces on camera too.”
“You’re asking for a hell of a lot. Just you wait if that tteokbokki isn’t good.”
Grumbling, Kim Bok-ja tied her hair back and pulled the cap I gave her low.
That alone made her flashy appearance much less conspicuous.
Sitting in the dimly lit audience, she’d be almost invisible.
“Heh heh. So this is our crew’s first secret operation, huh?”
“...Alright, I’m going in. See you later.”
Leaving Bok-ja, who was muttering something about Red Rabbit’s spy debut, behind me, I entered the Competition venue.