Chapter 33
“Where do they keep appearing from? Hmm? How much effort have they put into watching me, this worthless and insignificant person?”
Provoking like this wouldn’t do any good. It wasn’t good for Han Taekyung himself either. What controlled him was his peaceful mind and stability. The moment that shattered and the balance broke, the monster inside might wake up. That’s probably what they wanted.
Since it seemed the man wouldn’t talk, Taekyung kicked him in the waist with his foot, and with a choking sound, the man fell forward. Placing his shoe on the man’s head, Han Taekyung pressed a button built into the key on his wrist. With a beep signal, bodyguards soon rushed in.
“Taekyung!”
And since this signal was also set to be transmitted to his fathers, they inevitably rushed over as well. After pulling the man up and handing him over to the bodyguards, Taekyung dusted off his clothes.
“Judging from his attire, it seems you should check the list again.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“Hah…”
Jaekyung rushed over and embraced his son. His father’s arms, even though smaller than his own now, still felt large and wide, giving him a sense of security. Taekyung also hugged Jaekyung tightly.
“Father, I’m fine. So let’s keep this a secret and handle it quietly. It’s a rare good day, so let’s make it pass quietly. If we cause a commotion here, it’ll be exactly what the person who sent them wants.”
“Okay, I understand. Don’t worry.”
After tidying up the inside and instructing the bodyguards to check the interior thoroughly once more, Taekyung and his family all returned to their places, acting as if nothing had happened. But Jae-woo and Tae-eun were quick to notice, so they approached Taekyung and asked what happened, and Taekyung had no choice but to tell them about what had just occurred.
“That’s crazy. Who do they think they are to do this here?”
“You both be careful for a while too.”
“Okay, Oppa. Don’t worry about us. I’m more concerned that they’ve started to attack you directly. They hadn’t shown themselves for a while, then suddenly targeted Jae-woo, and now they’ve come after you. It feels like they’re testing different approaches to see what works.”
“I think so too, Hyung.”
Tae-eun’s words seemed right. They seemed to be looking for the best method right now. What was more troubling was that what they wanted wasn’t Han Taekyung’s death. Just a drop of blood or semen, or even a few strands of hair. That alone would mean they achieved their goal. It was an incredibly easy quest for them, but a very difficult task for Taekyung. He had to prevent them from touching his body. He couldn’t shave his head, couldn’t drain all his blood, and certainly couldn’t cut off his genitals.
Still, right now he had to pretend to be fine and not worry. He couldn’t burden his fathers with more concerns.
Soon, the bodyguards came with a report. They had found and caught about three more people in the building with similar attire who were using signal receivers to communicate with each other. With three people, they could probably wipe out the remaining faction. But that was just like killing one egg sac of cockroaches, not the main body. He was worried that those assigned to follow Seo Igeon might contact him, but fortunately, no news was good news, and no contact came.
After the banquet ended, an emergency family meeting was held. Han Taekyung told his family about the premonitions and ominous feelings he’d experienced at school, and Han Taeseok called the president of the National Sports University to get permission to deploy more bodyguards. This was all they could do for now. The rest was up to Han Taekyung to be careful.
“I’m tired.”
After being constantly on edge, his fatigue was sky-high. He really wanted to go back to the dormitory and collapse into sleep. And he wanted to close his eyes while listening to Seo Igeon’s trivial stories. He needed to get back quickly.
◆
“Oh, Igeon!”
Arriving at the samgyeopsal restaurant where he had arranged to meet Instructor Jin, the instructor had already ordered plenty of food and was waiting for Igeon. It was still good to see Instructor Jin after a long time. And somehow, it felt as though his father was sitting there waiting for him, which made the tip of his nose tingle with emotion.
“Wow, Instructor. You’ve aged since I last saw you.”
“Hey, I’m still an energetic forty-something! By the way, have you grown taller?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve gotten taller. I keep growing.”
“You’re not shorter than Han Taekyung, are you?”
“Of course not. I’m exactly the same height as Han Taekyung.”
“Good, don’t lose to him in height either.”
When Instructor Jin picked up the tongs to grill the meat, Igeon quickly stopped him. After arguing back and forth about who would grill the meat, Instructor Jin eventually won and ended up grilling.
“I want to grill meat for you after a long time.”
“I wanted to do that too.”
“It’s still too early. Maybe when you’re a bit older. Ah, can you drink alcohol now?”
“Maybe a glass of beer.”
“What? Your capacity is only that much?”
“Yes, I found out I’m quite weak with alcohol. I think I have a weak liver.”
“You must have taken after your dad.”
“My dad?”
“Yes, when your father was alive, he talked about your dad and said he was very weak with alcohol.”
“Ah.”
I didn’t expect to hear traces of my dad like this. Sometimes when I realized how weak I was with alcohol, I would grumble, wondering why my tolerance was so low, but now I shouldn’t do that. This weak liver is also an inheritance from my dad, so I have to accept it.
Instructor Jin ordered beer, and for the first time as master and student, they toasted and drank in one go.
“Wow, it feels so strange to be drinking with you like this.”
“For me too.”
“It seems like just yesterday when you were still small.”
“Haha. That’s true.”
“So, are you doing well? How’s school life?”
“It’s fun. My classmates are nice, I’ve made some friends, and training is enjoyable in its own way… I’m doing everything I want without worry.”
“There’s the national team selection in the latter half of this year, so prepare well. Drink only for today, and then you need to start taking care of your body.”
“I’m taking good care of my body. I don’t think my weight class will change either.”
“Good. Just by looking at you, it seems like you’re taking care of yourself well. Rather, you seem more solid and balanced than last year. At this rate, the national team! It’s possible!”
“Why are you stating the obvious!”
Igeon and Instructor Jin toasted again and shouted ‘For the national team!’
Instructor Jin seemed very curious about university life and wanted to hear a lot of stories, so Igeon told him everything he could remember since enrolling until now. As they talked, they had to change the grill plate, and after finishing all the meat they had ordered, they ordered four more servings and another bottle each of beer and soju. Naturally, the conversation turned to Sunbae Kang Yuhan, and Igeon suddenly felt self-loathing as he recalled how he had blacked out after drinking recently. The next day when he woke up, Han Taekyung handed him hangover medicine and he asked if he had made any mistakes, but Taekyung told him not to worry, that he hadn’t. But he couldn’t believe it. He’s always the kind of guy who says nice things. Besides, he vaguely felt like he had said everything, both appropriate and inappropriate… Actually, he was so embarrassed that he wished he couldn’t remember, and fortunately(?) he still couldn’t remember until now. Naturally, Instructor Jin, who couldn’t read people’s minds, was surprised that Igeon was experiencing something akin to love and made a mischievous expression.
“This kid, you seemed completely uninterested, but finally! Your first love.”
“Yes… but they say first loves don’t work out. I think that’s how it is.”
“Still, keep trying. ‘No tree falls with just one strike,’ right?”
“Sunbae Yuhan likes Han Taekyung too much.”
“Well… that’s unavoidable. It’s a fact that Han Taekyung is impressive. But this is not just favoritism! In my eyes, you’re much better. First of all, you have a good personality. Yes… a good personality! Yes!!”
In other words, personality is all I’ve got. No, even having one good point is something, I guess.
“Han Taekyung isn’t interested in that senior?”
“Seeing how he remained silent even after receiving a confession, it seems that way… though it’s a bit ambiguous. It seems like he’s keeping some possibility open.”
“That’s unlike him, being indecisive. Tell him to make his stance clear. That way, either the senior will give up or you will.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
But I wonder if I have the right to say that. It doesn’t seem right to do that for the senior’s sake. Yes, that’s right. This is all because Han Taekyung isn’t making a clear decision. When I get back today, I should have another serious talk with him.
“By the way, there’s some event at NI today, right? Instructor Kim was in a frenzy this morning, saying he was going there.”
“Ah, yes. Han Taekyung went there too. That’s why I came to meet you, Instructor.”
“Hmm?”
In the middle of the conversation, Instructor Jin’s phone rang.
“Well, speak of the devil.”
Saying that, Instructor Jin pressed the call button and explained the location of the meat restaurant to the caller before hanging up.
“Who was it?”
“Instructor Kim. He says he’s coming now. He’s nearby.”
“Ah.”
Indeed, he was so close that Instructor Kim arrived in less than five minutes.
“Hello!”
As soon as Igeon saw him, he quickly stood up and greeted him, and Instructor Kim patted Igeon’s shoulder and asked how he had been.
“Why are you coming here all dressed up? Aren’t you going home?”
“I wanted to have a drink because it was stuffy. Those kinds of places are uncomfortable from the start. Coming here makes me feel alive. Excuse me! A bottle of soju here!”
Saying that the taste of wine remaining in his mouth was too sweet and he didn’t like it, Instructor Kim winced and soon opened a bottle of soju placed in front of him and drank two shots in succession.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
