Chapter 78 – Reaction – Part 6

Chapter 78 – Reaction – Part 6

It took less than a candle’s flicker for his darkened vision to brighten instantly.

One corner of Woojin’s mouth subtly lifted, and his bright white fangs seemed to shine particularly brightly.

Then his right hand moved.

Wham!

The sandbag swayed violently, but Woojin extended his left hand as if he wouldn’t allow it to return to its original position.

Bang! Bang!

Every time Woojin extended his arm, the sandbag began to dance.

The gym owner’s eyes widened slightly as he watched.

He had thought of him as an ordinary person who didn’t professionally act, but he felt completely deceived.

With each strike, his body twisted, and his weight was heavily applied.

This was a movement that couldn’t be clumsily imitated by watching videos.

Bang! Bang! Bang-bang!

The gym owner watched for a while with his arms crossed.

Five minutes passed like that.

He had been hitting the sandbag without rest for that entire time.

Woojin, who was breathing heavily, smiled broadly.

“After being cooped up, punching for a while really helps release stress.”

Then he looked at himself reflected in the large mirror with satisfaction, as if admiring himself.

“I look even sexier when I’m sweating.”

The gym owner opened his mouth.

“Didn’t you say this was your first time?”

Woojin nodded and turned his body towards him.

“Yes. Gym owner, I’d like to try sparring. The ring is empty, so is that possible?”

The gym owner couldn’t help but chuckle at his bold demeanor and tone.

More than anything, it seemed like Woojin was deceiving him.

It was definitely not his first time.

“It doesn’t seem like your first time, but to gauge your skill level, sure.”

The gym owner, who had his arms crossed, quickly scanned the surroundings.

The Gym Owner’s gaze soon fixed on the person stretching in a tank top.

He was a man who looked to be in his mid-20s, with a full-sleeve irezumi tattoo, and seemed to be similar to Woojin in height and weight.

The Gym Owner thought Jang Jiwook would be a good sparring partner for Woojin.

He had been learning boxing for two years now, and he had also recently been released from a three-month prison sentence.

“Jiwook.”

“Yes.”

As Jang Jiwook approached, Woojin looked at his tattoo and said, as if impressed,

“Wow… Are you a gangster?”

Jang Jiwook’s eyebrows twitched.

“Yes. I’m a gangster. Why?”

“Hey, I’m just kidding. Kidding. It’s a joke, so don’t look at me so scary. Gym Owner, can we go straight to the ring?”

The Gym Owner chuckled and nodded.

“Alright. Headgear…”

Woojin shook his head innocently.

“I hate anything that feels constricting.”

As Woojin nimbly got into the ring, the Gym Owner said to Jang Jiwook,

“He’s new, and he seems to have some kind of baseless confidence, so you can put him in his place a little. Don’t go too hard. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Jang Jiwook, who had entered the ring, put on his gloves and fixed his gaze on Woojin.

He was a guy whose smile he didn’t like.

Even though he was standing there so conspicuously, Woojin wasn’t meeting his gaze, but instead looking around as if sightseeing.

In Jang Jiwook’s eyes, Woojin seemed to be deliberately putting on an air of confidence.

Jang Jiwook muttered,

“Well, everyone has a plausible plan… until they get hit.”

With that, he swiftly took off his shirt.

The tattoo that started from his wrist continued up to both sides of his chest.

Woojin smiled faintly at the sight.

“Showing off is a deficit. So, should I try to show off a bit too?”

Woojin also took off his shirt.

Suddenly.

Jang Jiwook’s eyes widened.

It was because terrible-looking scars covered Woojin’s body.

There was even a scar that looked as if a beast’s claws had raked across him.

Words from older friends he knew flashed through Jang Jiwook’s mind.

‘In this line of work, if someone has a lot of scars, it’s best not to mess with them. Those guys are truly insane.’

As Jang Jiwook thought that, he wondered if Woojin’s ten fingers were intact.

The female gym member watching was equally surprised.

“Oh my goodness…”

Woojin winked at her and said,

“I used to hang out with some mischievous people. Gym Owner, when do we start?”

The Gym Owner, who had been staring blankly at Woojin’s upper body, snapped out of it.

The Gym Owner gathered Woojin and Jang Jiwook in the center and briefly explained the rules.

Woojin then went back to his corner and spoke as if to someone.

“Woojin, watch closely what this older brother does.”

“Fight!”

As the bell rang, Woojin extended his hand and touched gloves with Jang Jiwook.

And it was Jang Jiwook who extended his hand first.

It was a left hook.

Woojin deftly dodged with a ducking motion, and at the same time, threw a left jab in a similar way to Jang Jiwook.

But.

Wham!

Woojin twisted his body to the side as if to avoid a person.

And Jang Jiwook fell right where Woojin had been.

Thud!

Woojin looked at him with an expression of disbelief.

“No, he couldn’t dodge that?”

He saw the guard slightly shift when he threw the left jab.

And with a weave, he put his weight into an uppercut between the elbows, and it landed squarely.

Woojin shook his head and returned to his corner.

He smiled and waved to the female member who had winked at him.

Jang Jiwook, on the other hand, was different.

With his brain still rattled, his instincts constantly trying to make him stand up again was grotesque.

The Gym Owner approached, laid Jang Jiwook flat, and removed his mouthpiece.

“Don’t move, just lie there.”

“I’m, I’m okay.”

As Jang Jiwook, now somewhat clear-headed, got up, Woojin’s expression brightened.

“Seven, nine… Oh, a persistent thug, aren’t we?”

Jang Jiwook kept nodding at the Gym Owner.

It meant he wanted to continue.

After a brief moment of thought, the Gym Owner resumed the sparring.

“Fight!”

This time, Woojin threw the first jab, tapping at Jang Jiwook’s guard as if knocking on a door.

“Not yet.”

It sounded like he was trying to confirm something, but Jang Jiwook couldn’t understand.

Woojin stopped his movements and raised his guard, but Jang Jiwook remained cautious.

A moment ago, when I was knocked down, I couldn’t see how it happened. But that thought was only for a moment.

Thinking that his carelessness had led to the mistake, his confidence surged again.

His confidence was immediately expressed, and he began to pound Woojin’s guard.

Woojin responded to the various incoming attacks in kind, with a variety of movements.

He blocked with his shoulders and elbows, including ducking and weaving, as well as shoulder blocking, elbow blocking, and arm blocking with his forearms.

That’s how Jang Jiwook pushed Woojin into the corner.

It was then.

Woojin suddenly lowered his guard, spread both hands, and grabbed the ropes.

Provoked by Woojin, Jang Jiwook bit down on his mouthpiece and threw a punch as if wishing him dead.

But it didn’t land.

Woojin was dodging all his punches just by moving his head.

It was like watching a scene from a famous video, as if he was imitating Muhammad Ali.

For Woojin, Jang Jiwook’s movements weren’t just slow; they were completely predictable.

“You fucking bastard…”

Jang Jiwook cursed and grabbed Woojin’s head with both hands.

And he threw a knee kick.

Instantly, in a flash, Woojin escaped his clinch and got behind Jang Jiwook.

“Hey, that’s a foul.”

Jang Jiwook quickly twisted his body.

Woojin’s fist was already coming at him, huge.

Thwack!

Thump!

Jang Jiwook fell once again, and just then, the bell rang.

The Gym Owner quickly rushed to Jang Jiwook as before, and Woojin put his shirt back on.

And he said.

I’m too scared of that person to come here anymore. Good luck with your business.

Woojin packed his belongings and headed for the exit without looking back.

The members silently watched Woojin’s retreating figure.

***

Woojin walked out of the gym with a pleasant smile.

Suddenly, Woojin flinched and looked at his reflection in the clothing store window.

Hey, wait! It’s not over yet. I still have something to show you, over there.

The place Woojin gestured to was a Judo Gym.

I’ll show you a cool shoulder throw. What? You can do it? It’s not just any shoulder throw. When you throw an opponent, the line is important. The line! You have to throw them beautifully. Wait! Wait!

People walking by glanced at Woojin, who seemed to be talking to a mannequin in a clothing store.

Some people looked at him with pity, even though his face was fine, no, handsome.

Just then, two men and women carrying bags approached.

I’ve been watching you for a while, and you seem to have a really good impression.

Woojin looked at his reflection in the window and said, regardless of what they were saying.

If it weren’t for me, you might be meditating with these people right now, you know?

Oh, we’re not those kinds of people, we’re students…

Woojin turned his head to look at them.

Instead of studying ghosts, study life. Why your lives turned out this way.

Woojin turned his head back to the window and said seriously.

Then how about this? It’ll be different.

Woojin walked down the street again, taking in the people.

No, yes. Yes. No. Yes…

In less than a few minutes, Woojin muttered.

Brain Food would do well if they opened a chain here. Even considering the bus and subway routes, it’s true. There’s a high foot traffic of academy students and office workers too. And with private education, there are also the overprotective parents…

Woojin chuckled as he spoke.

“My Woojin, you’ve followed me quite a bit.”

Woojin slowly nodded his head.

“But you know what? You still have a long way to go. The reason you called me out is proof of that.”

Woojin said, staring straight ahead.

The Masked Man was walking over.

Woojin opened his mouth again with a chilling smile.

“Alright, shall we play a Deduction Game for old times’ sake? Just like back then.”

Woojin turned his body towards the man who was passing him.

As the man went straight into the Convenience Store, Woojin watched the situation from outside.

“What kind of person is that guy?”

[Someone unrelated to me]

“That’s why you can’t succeed. You always have to control your surroundings. Even if it’s not necessary, you have to perceive and react.”

Woojin called the Police Station on his Cellphone.

“I saw someone whose appearance is very similar to the composite sketch I saw on the Wanted Poster. I don’t remember the name well. This is… I’ll call you back.”

Woojin began to follow him as he came out of the Convenience Store.

“Sight can deceive hearing, smell, taste, and touch. It’s this eye that plays with the brain.”

Just as you might think a non-spicy red soup is spicy, or infer a different word from silent lip movements, the same applies to smell and taste.

All of these phenomena occur because humans like to make quick judgments.

“Therefore, just by looking at the eyes, you can tell what someone fears, what they like, and what they’re thinking.”

Woojin’s feet, which had been chasing after the unfamiliar man, stopped.

It was a Motel.

“Someone who looks like a Wanted Fugitive has entered a Motel. The location is…”

After finishing the call, Woojin smiled faintly and said,

“Alright, our People’s Staff. Let’s see how long it takes them to arrive?”

The Police stormed into the Motel in 10 minutes.

Oh, that was quick.

Woojin, who was watching, headed to the back of the motel.

Because the light turned on on the third floor.

Just then. The third-floor motel window slid open with a screech!

The man seemed to be deliberating, looking alternately at the window below and inside the motel, then he jumped down.

Ugh!

As the man groaned and tried to get up, Woojin pressed his knee into his back and twisted one of his arms behind him.

And he waved to the police officers looking down at him from the third floor of the motel.

Suddenly.

Woojin’s expression hardened.

[I figured it out. The method to use you perfectly.]