(Saturday 08:12 a.m. – Home)
The next day, Namsoo woke up with some soreness in his body. But if he wanted to be strong, this was necessary.
With that idea in mind, he had breakfast. Then he got ready to go train at the Cho Institute.
After that, the day went by normally. Except he started cleaning the house, since his mother would soon return from her trip.
(Sunday 10:00 a.m. – Park)
On Sundays, Namsoo didn't train with Master Cho. He used Sundays to relax. That's why he went out for a jog.
Then he took a shower and sat down to eat something nutritious.
(1:47 p.m. – Home)
The door opened. It was his mother.
"I'm back."
"Welcome," said Namsoo, helping her with the suitcases.
His mother looked around the house with an incredulous expression.
"Impossible… you cleaned? How is this place so tidy?"
Namsoo, scratching his neck, replied:
"Is it weird that I did this?"
"Yes, very. You never used to do anything. I guess you're growing up. That's a good thing."
Then his mother stretched out to rest for a while on the couch.
Namsoo sat back down to eat, enjoying his day off.
After that, a few days passed. Namsoo now trained at the Cho Institute, did pull-ups, and jogged in the park. And some days, he fought thugs to gain more experience. Afterward, he tried to sneak back in quietly so his mother wouldn't notice what he was doing.
Now, on Sunday, Namsoo was sitting at his desk, in front of his computer, lost in thought, since vacation had come to an end. Tomorrow would be Monday.
And that meant the first day at J High School.
Namsoo spent the day normally.
(Time: 8:11 p.m. – Namsoo's Room)
I lay down without turning off the light. I stared at the ceiling for minutes I didn't count. They were going to be there: Daniel Park, Zack Lee, Vasco, Vin Jin —who I hope I don't run into—. His attitude must be terrible now. "I just hope nothing happens."
And in the middle of them, I'd be there.
Namsoo Lee. The background guy. The one who barely had lines in the canon.
Now with a notebook full of plans, a weak body to train, and a mind that remembers every twist of the manga as if they were prophecies.
"I just hope nothing goes wrong..."
(Monday, April 1 – 7:28 a.m.)
The uniform fabric hung a little loose on his shoulders. The collar bothered him more than he remembered. He looked one last time in the mirror: square glasses, neutral expression, brown hair. Nothing worth noticing.
Namsoo sighed and said, "Here we go."
He walked toward J High School. The building rose before him, like a stage where he already knew the script… but didn't know what it felt like to live in it.
(7:51 a.m. – Campus Entrance)
Students were starting to gather. The first thing that caught Namsoo's attention was their appearance: handsome, almost all of them. In the superficial sense—stylish, confident, as if they knew they were the protagonists of something important. Some looked like they'd just stepped out of a photo shoot, even while discussing trivial things.
They walked in groups. The girls chatted, but their eyes drifted toward the boys passing by, evaluating who was the most attractive.
"So this is how they are…?" he thought. "If high school students look like this, how perfect must Daniel Park be?"
He walked down the central hallway to the second floor. He found the Fashion Department. The door was open. Inside, everything looked like a showcase of personalities: a silent scene, like a living catalog.
(7:59 a.m. – Fashion Department Classroom)
Doo Lee and his cronies were sitting in a circle, talking about unimportant things —brands that were already out of style, who thinks they're better than who. Easy, superficial laughter filled the room, but the substance was empty.
Zack Lee, arms crossed, watched everything with an imperturbable expression. His gaze was intense, but silent.
Jay looked out the window, with a relaxed, almost elegant posture. Seeing him sent a chill down Namsoo's spine. He wondered:
"If this is reality… will he speak here?"
He sat in a corner, not looking at anyone, not making a sound.
Then, the atmosphere changed.
Doo Lee stood up and looked at Jiho Park, who remained on the floor, as always, submissive.
"Hey, it's hot, isn't it?" said Doo, smiling smugly.
Jiho nodded nervously, grabbed a notebook, and started fanning the group, kneeling. The scene seemed absurd… until Mira complained:
"Now it's cold," she said, frowning.
Doo let out a chuckle and kicked Jiho's notebook.
"Well then, cut the nonsense."
Jiho froze, still kneeling, unsure whether to continue or stop.
Namsoo watched it all and thought:
"This place is a hierarchy… If someone's good-looking, they're treated differently, or if they're strong. Everyone's at the top of some hierarchy."
Suddenly, someone shouted from the hallway:
"The teacher's coming!"
The group quickly straightened up. Silence. Expectation.
The teacher entered with a sheet in hand and announced:
"Today we have a new student with us."
The murmurs began.
"Boy or girl?" they whispered.
"Good-looking?" they asked.
"Famous?" they inquired.
"Come in," said the teacher.
The door opened, and at that moment, no one said a word.
A tall, elegant boy walked in. Black hair, perfectly styled, blue eyes, symmetrical face, defined jawline. He walked calmly. He stood in front of the board and said:
"My name is Daniel Park."
"Please treat me well."
A tense silence filled the classroom.
The girls had their eyes wide open, amazed, fascinated. Some had hearts in their eyes. The boys, with stiff faces, held their breath. Out of awe, and also a bit of envy.
Namsoo looked at him and understood:
"Now I get it… Why in the Webtoon the girls are so… out of their minds for him."
The teacher pointed:
"You can sit in that empty seat."
Daniel walked calmly. Some whispered his name, others looked at him as if measuring his worth. He sat next to Zack.
"Hi," said Daniel, in a soft, cordial, kind voice.
Zack just replied, without looking at him:
"Yeah, hi…"
Zoe Park approached Daniel almost immediately, eyes sparkling, trying to flirt. But Zack told her to stop being annoying and leave.
(Time: 12:47 p.m. – Cafeteria)
The girls kept watching Daniel. Some spied on him from other tables, others pretended to walk by with silly excuses. He ate calmly, showing no discomfort. Although in this charged atmosphere, he seemed serene… in reality, Daniel must have been a bit nervous.
Namsoo, on the other hand, was sitting alone—or well, he was, there were two classmates whose names he couldn't remember, but the problem was that these guys were materialistic and rich, quite boastful, and above all, show-offs. Namsoo preferred to respond only out of politeness.
(Time: 6:03 p.m. – Cho Institute)
The sun had already set when he arrived. He changed in the locker room: gray t-shirt, flexible pants. He entered the tatami. Master Cho was standing, adjusting his dobok.
"You're here," he said without turning around.
"Yes. I'm ready."
He observed him for a second.
"Today I won't teach you techniques. I want to see how your body moves. And which part needs to wake up."
"Alright," Namsoo replied.
The master told him to stretch, then watched him walk, crouch, attempt a kick.
"Your body is full of fear," he commented without harshness. "Not panic, but restrained reaction. That's the first thing you need to work on—your body must listen to you before the world hits you."
Namsoo nodded, focused.
There were no compliments. Just floor, breath, and a voice that knew what to look for.
(Time: 7:09 p.m.)
He finished panting, with pain in his ankles and tension in his neck. But also with something good and new, as if his body was starting to recognize it had an owner.
He said goodbye and returned home.
(Tuesday, April 2 – 5:04 a.m.)
The sky was gray, heavy. His steps felt slower than yesterday, but firmer. He went out jogging, thinking he should do this every morning from now on. After forty minutes, he was already panting, but didn't stop. It wasn't just for the body… it was for the habit that was starting to form.
After the jog, he reached a park. He threw himself to the ground and began doing push-ups. After a while, sweat ran down his neck, as if trying to escape before he could.
When he finished, he sat down, breathing heavily, as if that were the only way to stay upright.
He returned home, showered without wasting time, and put on his school uniform. He looked in the mirror:
"I feel some improvement, but I don't see anything new. No presence. Just a small guy with crooked glasses. I just hope I can grow… because unfortunately right now I'm measuring about 1.60 or less."
(J High School – Time: 8:06 a.m.)
The classroom was already noisy. Doo Lee and his cronies were on top of the desks, as if rules didn't exist. Zoe Park chatted with them. Zack Lee, in his usual spot, with a bored expression, as if school were a sentence he accepted out of habit.
"We beat up that pig yesterday," said one of the guys. "Doo has pictures."
"And look at this," Doo showed the screen. "He's crying like a bitch."
Zack didn't even react, glancing sideways. His attention only activated when it was about Mira.
"His mom must be a pig too…" mocked another.
"If she was going to have that pig, she shouldn't have had him at all," added another, laughing.
Then, Daniel Park entered the classroom.
All eyes fixed on him, like magnets caught in an invisible field. Before he could sit down, the comments continued:
"Zack hit so fast yesterday… like he had springs in his arms."
"That kid didn't even see the punch coming. What a pig!"
"That pig's mom should've been more careful, giving birth to a kid like that."
Daniel sat down, with a calm expression, and said:
"Hey, don't speak badly about mothers."
The classroom fell into absolute silence.
Zack slightly turned his head, eyes narrowed.
Then he kicked the desk hard, breaking the silence.
"Hey… you think you're funny, huh? Stand up, bastard."
The guys started shouting:
"Fight!"
"The new kid versus Zack!"
"Seriously? The handsome guy?"
The girls whispered and crowded at the door.
"Kya!"
"He's so gorgeous!"
Daniel stood up slowly. His gaze wasn't aggressive, his posture relaxed and natural.
Zack got into a boxing stance, with impeccable form.
"Come at me," he said in a dry tone.
Just before the first punch, Jay silently crossed the room, like a ghost, and grabbed Zack's arm. Without saying a word.
"Let go of me!" Zack shook off the arm and freed himself roughly.
Zack threw a fast straight punch toward Daniel's face. The blow sliced through the air, but Daniel tilted his head to the left, dodging it.
The murmurs exploded in the classroom.
"He dodged it…?"
"That was super fast!"
Zack threw another punch, and another. All aimed at Daniel's face. But he moved as if he already knew where they were going. Each dodge, clean and precise.
Zack feinted with the left and threw with the right. When the fist was about to hit, Daniel caught his wrist with one hand.
"What…?"
Zack tried another punch. Daniel dodged it easily.
And, for the first time, counterattacked.
A straight punch to the solar plexus. The impact was brutal, as if the air vanished from Zack's body. The boy lifted off the ground with that punch, then dropped to his knees, coughing, unable to breathe.
The crowd erupted in screams.
"One single punch!?"
"Incredible!"
"Daniel Park is amazing!"
The girls squealed, eyes sparkling.
On the ground, Zack trembled.
"What are you looking at…?" he growled. "You think something's funny?"
He half stood up, furious.
"I remember you. Your smiling faces… I'll find you. I'll destroy you."
But he couldn't continue.
The teacher entered the classroom.
"What's going on here?"
Everyone fled, scattering as if nothing had happened. The teacher, with a simple tired smile, seemed used to these episodes.
Namsoo said nothing.
He just watched. And thought:
"Daniel Park… his talent is truly terrifying. His body, his intuition. Even though Zack also evolves in the future, what Daniel has… can't be learned. You're born with it. And that, envy or not, is something that can't be imitated."
(Time: 12:35 p.m. – Lunch)
He sat alone. He sighed in relief, since he didn't see the two boastful guys. He ate in silence, without hurry, without noise. Then, someone approached.
Jiho Park, nervous, with his tray trembling.
"Can I… sit here…?"
"Of course," he replied without hesitation. "We're classmates."
Jiho sat down, quiet, eating carefully, as if afraid of being seen.
"This is awkward…" he thought.
He decided to break the silence.
"I'm Namsoo Lee."
Jiho looked up for a moment.
"I… I'm Jiho Park."
They didn't say anything else. They just ate in silence.
But something struck Namsoo's mind:
"Jiho Park and I… we're in the same social class. No one looks at us. But he… will have a dark, tragic protagonism. And if I can influence that… could I change his fate?"
Namsoo gave a few furtive glances at Jiho Park, then sighed and stopped thinking, since currently he can't do anything for him, he's not in a position to help others. Maybe later he can change something. But for now, he should focus on himself and improve.
(Time: 5:58 p.m. – Cho Institute)
He showed up at the tatami, wearing comfortable clothes.
Master Cho greeted him without words, just with a look.
"Let's go," he said. "Today you'll work on your foundation. Without that, you won't improve."
Stretching, basic techniques, body control. Cho corrected with firm pats on the arm or shoulder. He didn't praise. He just taught.
(Time: 7:06 p.m.)
After finishing, exhaustion wrapped Namsoo's body. He felt pain in muscles he didn't even know he had. But he just kept telling himself it was all for his future, to become stronger. He decided to shower at the dojo, said goodbye calmly, and returned home, ready to sleep after a long and demanding day.