Several months had passed, and now the holidays had begun.
The weather in the city felt lighter, but for Byeoto it was quite the opposite; his mind was busier than ever.
That morning he was walking through a sporting goods store, trying on different ankle weights. He felt like his body was stagnating. He was too strong, too efficient… and he knew it.
That's why he decided to train with extra weight. He needed more stimuli, something that demanded a bit more. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to improve.
"Hmph… these five-kilogram ones are trash," he muttered as he adjusted one on his ankle. "I need something that at least makes me sweat…"
He ended up buying the heaviest weights he could find and put them on right then, leaving the store wearing them.
As he walked, he thought about how this time had been calm, and now, since the holidays had started, it was just more hours at the dojang and playing in the video game rooms.
The only interesting thing these days was Taehun, who no longer acted like a troublemaker, or well, not as much, but that was because he now trained with a clear goal.
He was now competing in youth tournaments. He wanted to show that taekwondo worked.
Dowoon, on the other hand, also competed, though for different reasons. For him, it was almost a hobby, since he only did it in his free time, which was scarce because he had to study. But even so, he won small medals.
And in his own words, he also participated because he found it fun, saying it was a way to learn more moves… and also to get a little closer to Taehun.
Byeoto supported them, of course. He sometimes accompanied them to tournaments, but he himself didn't take the step to compete.
It wasn't because he lacked strength. It wasn't because he doubted his ability.
The reality was much simpler: it didn't entertain him.
The fights were repetitive. The tournaments had absurd rules, or well, normal rules… but for someone who had spent a lot of time fighting in the streets, those things were absurd.
Judges sometimes favored certain participants. And the idea of getting into a system where people lined up, filled out forms, and waited hours for a five-minute fight… seemed like torture to him.
And also, there was that thought that haunted him like an echo.
"Anyone who's seen the battles in Lookism would see these tournaments as simple games. Even if I participated, it wouldn't matter, because I fight to get stronger, and the participants are weak as hell."
Besides the idea of always fighting, that was bothering him. After all, before arriving in this world, he was a normal person. With normal worries, normal plans, ordinary routines, a monotonous life.
And suddenly, he was in another world. Even though his current body was a damn anomaly, his mind was still that of someone seeking stability, a real future… not fighting every day as if there were no tomorrow.
Being an idol… well, that was just a dream of the previous owner of this body; he just wanted to live well and break out of the routine.
But now he had to decide how he wanted his future to be, in this world that could be an opportunity to achieve what he never could… or end up a failure, just a thug.
With that, Byeoto sighed.
"How hard it is to make a decision… but I'll just have to move forward."
He had ideas, but the problem was they still hadn't taken shape. But he decided to stop thinking about those things and enjoy these moments that would be fun.
Byeoto finally smiled and said, relieved.
"Agh… yes, this feels better… I'll just go with the flow."
Even if he didn't fight in tournaments, he would keep training as always. That way he would stay strong.
…
They were at the dojang, sitting in their uniforms, talking. Hansu arrived with his kind, almost paternal face, holding a flyer. Then he said.
"There's going to be a tournament, where talented people will gather."
Taehun scoffed.
Hansu, unfazed, continued.
"It's a unique opportunity. There are various martial arts, judo, karate, boxing…"
Taehun said arrogantly.
"Doesn't matter, taekwondo is better."
He stood up and asked.
"When will it be?"
"In four days," Hansu replied.
Then Taehun looked at Dowoon.
Dowoon, as his senior or whatever that meant to him, scratched his cheek and said.
"I have to see… I don't know if I'll have time that day."
Taehun kicked him on the head with his heel and said.
"I'm not asking you."
Dowoon quickly said.
"Alright…"
Meanwhile, everyone looked at Byeoto. Taehun clicked his tongue.
"You're really not interested, huh? Seems like you came to take advantage of my old man. We have to build fame for this dojang so more people come."
Byeoto smiled and said.
"That was pretty mature of you."
But he was thinking that what he said was true. Hansu had taught him well. It wouldn't be bad for more people to come to this place, since he seemed to enjoy teaching.
With that, Byeoto stood up and added.
"But are you sure? It would be a shame if you won the tournament, considering you've put a lot of effort into staying number one."
Taehun had a smile, but the veins on his forehead were visible.
"Seems like you're a bit arrogant," he said.
Hansu sighed.
"Why don't you leave that for the tournament?"
He also had doubts about why Byeoto had agreed.
Byeoto simply stretched and said.
"Well, why don't we train? You need to get stronger to reach the finals."
Taehun made a "tch".
Then they trained as usual. In the end, Taehun went to have fun with Dowoon. Byeoto stayed, saying he had something to do.
Now he was putting away his things when Hansu spoke.
"Do you have any doubts about anything?"
Byeoto replied.
"Actually, yes. Like I said before, my neighborhood was dangerous, and I almost always had to fight, not competitively, but to survive. No offense, but tournaments don't interest me."
Then, Byeoto made a somewhat melancholy face and said.
"Before all this, I had a dream, and that dream wasn't to be a fighter. Even back then, I felt excitement when fighting, but I only did it to protect myself. I've been thinking if in the future I'll only dedicate myself to fights, but I'm stopping that thought now. Now, I'm just going to do what I really want to do."
Finally, he scratched the back of his neck and confessed.
"With all that said, it's true that I didn't want to participate, but I agreed because I thought about it a lot. Taehun's words, I can't deny that truth. Since I arrived, I'm supposed to, as a student, uphold the name of this dojang. But I've only been training, and as you said, it's a tournament where talented people go. That means it's a unique opportunity to show how great your taekwondo is, right?"
Hansu was a little surprised. He didn't expect this kid to have so much stored inside, and also be so considerate. He sighed.
"Well, that's very considerate of you. But what I like is teaching. I have no problem teaching you, since in this time I've seen that you're good. I'm also grateful to you two. Dowoon and you, in a way, have improved Taehun's attitude, even if just a bit."
He touched Byeoto's shoulders and added.
"So, as a teacher, I like my students to follow their goals. I won't force anyone to do what they don't want. And also, even if I can't help you with what you're going through, I can say that as your teacher, I'll try to guide you on a good path."
Byeoto smiled.
"I think I needed to hear that. But teacher… it's my decision. To be honest, I have many doubts. I don't know how to develop my body, I feel stuck. But I also have another reason to go to that tournament. And it's because I've been practicing a move for quite some time, but I lack practice to execute it or rather I lack opponents."
Hansu looked at him and finally nodded.
"If it's not too much trouble, can I see that move?"
Byeoto said.
"Mm… do you want to receive it? Do you want me to attack, teacher?"
He said that, but he felt excitement, since currently he was the strongest person he knew, but he was also sure that if he attacked, he wouldn't accomplish anything.
Hansu stepped to the center.
"Come."
Byeoto advanced, but before he did, he crouched and put his hands on his ankles. Hansu raised an eyebrow.
"Ankle weights?"
Byeoto took off the weights while saying.
"Alright… here I go."
He placed his left foot forward, right foot back. Bent his knees slightly. He had a normal guard, nothing exaggerated.
But Hansu narrowed his eyes; he could see that something had changed.
And it was.
Byeoto was compressing the muscles of his right thigh and calf. Sweat started to drip. His abdomen was tight, veins showing on his body. His leg seemed to vibrate while the veins branched like roots.
With that, Byeoto took a short step forward.
Suddenly, Hansu clearly saw the top of Byeoto's foot moving toward his face.
It was a clean trajectory. He stayed still because he knew that wasn't the full move. He was curious to see how the strike would be.
But in the next instant…
Byeoto's leg changed direction.
The momentum was cut and twisted backward, like a whip bending halfway.
The top of the foot that was going forward disappeared from Hansu's view. In the blink of an eye, the leg swung over his shoulder.
"What…?" Hansu managed to think.
Byeoto tried to rotate his hips precisely, aiming for the shin to complete the downward arc toward the opponent's neck.
It was a move too complex for his level.
And he failed.
The control slipped through his muscles. The shin passed several centimeters from Hansu's neck, who felt a gust of wind hit his skin.
The spin continued due to inertia, forcing Byeoto to recombine his stance to avoid falling.
Hansu said, coming out of surprise.
"I see… you almost made it. But that kind of move isn't something a beginner can pull off. I'm impressed by how close you were. I was even surprised myself."
And he wasn't lying. After all, Byeoto was fifteen. Pulling that off, even failing, was impressive.
Byeoto's leg was numb. He sat on the floor, rubbing his right leg. He couldn't keep his muscles compressed for that long.
Hansu approached.
"…so you compressed your leg to the extreme so that the strike would be faster and stronger, giving it an almost invisible effect."
Hansu adjusted his glasses and, curious, tilted his head slightly.
"But… why not do it normally? I'm sure it would work with a little less compression. Right?"
Byeoto let out a short laugh.
"That won't work. If I do it normally, it's just another kick. I might as well use the ones I already know."
Hansu looked at him more closely.
"This technique I'm creating for when I face enemies much stronger than me," Byeoto continued. "Even if it works only once, that one time will be enough. If I put all the power straight to the neck… they won't come out unscathed. Or at least that's what I hope."
Hansu was silent for a few seconds. Then he smiled.
"Makes sense."
Then he got serious.
"Alright, get up."
"Eh?"
"I'll help you. You said it was hard for you to reach your limit, right? You won't have to worry about that."
Byeoto smiled, complicated. Maybe he would receive the beating of his life.
He rubbed his leg a little more and stood up.
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I'M SORRY FOR THE DELAY OF THE CHAPTERS, BUT I'VE BEEN VERY BUSY. I WILL STILL TRY TO UPLOAD 4 CHAPTERS A WEEK. BY THE WAY, THIS CHAPTER MAY BE SOMEWHAT BORING, IN A WAY, BUT I WANTED TO GIVE SOME CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, BECAUSE, IN A WAY, HE WAS A NORMAL PERSON BEFORE AND NOW HE IS IN A DARKER WORLD. WHAT I WANTED WAS FOR HIM TO THINK MORE ABOUT WHAT POSITION IN THE WORLD HE WANTS TO HAVE AND WHAT DREAMS TO PURSUE. IT'S ALSO TO PREPARE HIM, AFTER ALL, HE WILL INEVITABLY BE INVOLVED IN DANGEROUS THINGS IN THE FUTURE.
WELL, THAT SAID, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU WANT CANON CHARACTERS TO APPEAR IN THE TOURNAMENT, LIKE JOHANG OR ZACK LEE. EVEN THOUGH THEY PARTICIPATED IN BOXING TOURNAMENTS, I THINK IT WOULD BE INTERESTING. THERE ARE ALSO ABOUT TWO CHARACTERS FROM QUEST SUPREMACI WHO PARTICIPATED IN YOUTH TOURNAMENTS, OR, IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN CREATE CHARACTERS IN THE COMMENTS, AND I WILL ADD THEM AS ENEMIES FOR THE UPCOMING TOURNAMENT.
THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!