Exchange Meeting
Five minutes before Matsuna Hiyori heard the blast, Jin Seo-hee frowned.
A dull pain tingled as a blunt weapon brushed her shoulder.
Her opponent was Hosaka Rena, the eldest daughter of Japan's Ronia Corporation— a player who used a club-like blunt weapon that matched her hulking frame.
"Oh my. Seo-hee, already finished? Jenex seems to be getting pathetic by the day." Rena curled her lip in derision, and Jin Seo-hee ground her molars.
She wanted to retort, but she couldn't.
Before Seo-hee had stepped in, Jin Seo-jeong and Jin Seo-jun had already been beaten badly by a single Hosaka Rena.
Screeeech!
A club swung for the legs. Seo-hee stepped back, narrowly avoiding it.
"You did better than last time. Practiced a bit, have you? Still got a long way to go, though." Rena swung the club roughly while Seo-hee desperately parried and searched for an opening.
'I'll crush that pretty face of hers.'
Hosaka Rena disliked Seo-hee. No matter how much stronger Rena was, Seo-hee had been hogging popularity from the public's eyes. That alone grated on her. And today she was especially annoying. Last year she hadn't even dared to touch Seo-hee's collar.
This year, she had already allowed Seo-hee several openings.
Her once overwhelming skill had been chased down to some degree— and that infuriated Rena beyond endurance.
Crack! Wham! Thud!
Club and wooden sword collided violently.
From a short distance, Jin Tae-gon watched with a tight-lipped sigh. Next to him, Hosaka Judo, the head of the Hosaka family, curled the corner of his mouth.
"Chairman Jin, shouldn't we stop here? Your granddaughter looks pretty exhausted." Judo said.
Jin Tae-gon met Judo's eyes. Not everyone in the Hosaka family was outstanding. Aside from Rena, the others were roughly on par with Jin Seo-jeong and Jin Seo-jun. It was normal for Hosaka to send someone of similar caliber first— that way both sides could introduce their martial styles and trade blows.
But Judo had sent Rena out from the start. The intention was obvious: sweep all the Jin family members with a single person to flaunt their might. And maybe, in this way, finally beat the rival corporation Jenex.
Of course, it wasn't only Hosaka to blame. Other Japanese families, apart from the host Matsuna, had shown similar behavior every year.
Boom!
Perhaps from multiple strikes to her lower body, Seo-hee's knees gave out. Kyuto, who was standing by the center, looked at Jin Tae-gon.
Kyuto asked if he should stop it, and Jin Tae-gon shook his head. Seo-hee was a child with more pride than anyone. If they forced her down before she'd fallen herself, it might wound her more. 'You tried hard, Seo-hee.'
Though she was being pushed back, she'd improved considerably since last year. He had heard she'd been trained by Jin Hyuk on the New Kali. Since then her skills had been rapidly rising.
'If only the exchange meeting had been a little later.'
He knew it was meaningless, but he still felt the sting of regret. If they'd had more time, the outcome might have been different.
Smack!
Seo-hee's posture collapsed when she was struck in the waist. Exhausted, she even dropped her wooden sword. Jin Tae-gon let out a small sigh. That should have been the end of the match.
It should have been.
A club flew toward Seo-hee's face.
Smack!
She reflexively twisted her head away, but she didn't avoid it entirely. The blow split her forehead and blood spurted forth.
"Seo-hee!" Jin Tae-gon rushed forward. "Stop! What are you doing!?" Kyuto barked and wrested the club away from Rena.
"Ah! I'm sorry! I got too absorbed in the match and— Seo-hee! Are you okay?!" Rena performed a superb act and rushed forward with a worried face.
Rena said she was sorry while Jin Tae-gon supported Seo-hee away.
The cut was fairly deep; she was bleeding heavily.
"Rena, come back." Judo called.
"I'm sorry, grandfather!" Rena stuck out her tongue as she returned to Judo. The old man seemed pleased with his granddaughter.
"Well done. Sometimes you have to show it properly. Tell them who's above and who's the master." Jin Tae-gon supported the blood-soaked Seo-hee as they left the ring. He couldn't bring himself to ask if she was okay. Even drenched in blood, Seo-hee bit her lip tight. The faint tremor told him the depth of his granddaughter's humiliation.
The family head, Matsuna Gyuto, glared at Judo and Rena with terrifying eyes. 'It was obvious to anyone who watched.'
Whatever business or corporate rivalry they had didn't matter here. At the very least, courtesy should be observed at this exchange meeting. They had openly violated that; they would pay the price.
"There's an injured participant, so today's matches—?" Gyuto's voice trailed off, the question mark written across his face. Others who had been watching the matches showed similar looks. All eyes focused on one place.
"Jin Hyuk…?" Seo-hee and Jin Tae-gon, leaving the exchange hall, stopped and turned back.
For some reason, Jin Hyuk had raised his hand.
"What is it?" someone asked.
"If you don't mind, may I participate in the match as well?" he said.
"Why? I thought you weren't here for the exchange meeting." someone replied.
"The exchange meeting is a place to introduce and share the arts one possesses. I have a sword technique I want to show as well." Jin Hyuk answered.
Snickers and scoffs rose here and there.
"He came just to gawk at Jenex, right? The kid doesn't know the point of this." "Yeah. Jenex is a joke— let the brats swing sticks and call it swordsmanship."
Gyuto, who had been looking at Jin Hyuk, shook his head. The boy had spirit, but he didn't want more injured people. "It fits the spirit of the exchange, but—"
"Gyuto." Gyuto turned in surprise when someone called his name.
Gaigen smiled kindly and spoke up. "Let the young man do as he wishes. It doesn't go against the purpose of the exchange, does it?"
Gaigen had not once interfered in the family head's affairs ever since stepping down from his seat. He knew better than anyone that interfering diluted the authority a head needed. For that reason, Gyuto could not refuse him.
"Put on protective gear and come up." Gyuto said.
"Thank you." Jin Hyuk quickly strapped on protective gear and climbed into the sparring ring. He met Hosaka Rena's eyes.
"Huh?" Rena, unbelieving, pointed at herself with a finger as if to ask, You mean me? When Jin Hyuk nodded as if to say yes, Rena burst into laughter.
"So you're Seo-hee's boyfriend after all." She picked up her club again and walked to the ring.
"This is going to produce more injuries." "Chairman Judo, you'll need the settlement money today." "Heh heh. If it's that kind of settlement, I'll pay any amount." Old men chatted as Rena and Jin Hyuk faced each other.
Gyuto approached Rena and warned her. "One offense is enough. The second time, be prepared."
"I'll remember." Rena said.
Gyuto stepped back and announced the start of the spar.
"Don't flaunt showiness without regard for opponent and place." Rena lifted the club nonchalantly.
"You attack first. I'll defend ten times and then strike. Show me that shabby swordsmanship of yours." she said.
"Shall we?" Jin Hyuk smiled, gripping the wooden sword with both hands. He raised it high.
"Pfft. That sword you call a showpiece?" The scoffing echoed again.
Let them laugh.
Ssssss—
Jin Hyuk inhaled and brought the raised wooden sword down with all his force.
Kraaaaaaak!!!
A deafening roar filled the air. The blast of wind swept across the area, and people reflexively shielded their eyes. When they opened them again, only Jin Hyuk remained standing in the ring.
Hosaka Rena had been the only one on the other side— and she was gone, blasted through the opposite wall and vanished.
A heavy silence settled over the exchange hall.
Even those who had seen it up close couldn't accept it. This had to be reality.
"Re— Rena!!" Judo was the first to come to his senses and shouted.
The Hosaka family's young heirs sprinted out the door. Their pride and poster child, Rena, lay frothing with her eyes rolled back.
The wall had been blown clean through. Jin Hyuk swallowed dryly.
'I did it. I did it, didn't I?'
He had been angry at the Hosaka family for laughing when Seo-hee had been injured. He had intended to rough her up for it. But he hadn't expected she would fly out like that from a single blow. He'd just swung as he usually did with Seira.
"You bastard…! How dare some nobody lay a hand on our Hosaka's eldest daughter—!" Judo glared at Jin Hyuk, his eyes bulging.
Jin Hyuk calmed himself. The damage was already done. There was no need to make it worse. Besides, his father's words came to mind.
"Hyuk. Always respect your elders. Give up your seat on the subway. Especially to grandparents."
His father had valued filial piety as one of the five cardinal relationships. Recalling that, Jin Hyuk opened his mouth.
"Your family tree is nothing special either. Seeing that you go down from a single blow to someone like me is telling." He finished with a smug smile that rubbed salt in the wound.
'Dad. I'm already talking informally to someone who's 3,271 years old. Filial piety is done for this life.' He thought.
Judo's face flushed red as he trembled and grabbed the cane beside him. If he couldn't thrash that brat a few times with it, he felt as if he might burst.
"Y— you…!!!" Judo stalked forward, and Jin Hyuk raised his wooden sword as he had before. Judo made it to within a step, then, terrified, collapsed onto his rear with a thud.
"Why are you like that? I was just stretching." Jin Hyuk smiled, and Judo's eyes danced with terror.
He could feel it instinctively. It wasn't a stretch. That man was truly intending to smack him.
After staring down at Judo for a long moment, Jin Hyuk turned and walked away.
"I won't apologize. You didn't apologize earlier either." He said.
Judo's strength drained away; he even dropped his cane as he breathed raggedly and watched Jin Hyuk recede.
Born into the prestigious Hosaka family and having never faced such peril, Judo had just experienced the first deathly fear of his life.
Step. Step. Step.
Jin Hyuk walked on as if nothing had happened and then glanced back.
'What should I do.' He squeezed his eyes shut.
He had left a huge hole in what had otherwise looked like a venerable building.
He ran through in his head the cost of repairing it. After living in a semi-basement, he was almost back to bankruptcy.
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T/N:
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