Fist Bump 51

Chapter 51

I opened my eyes with difficulty, feeling something gently tapping my cheek.

The world was already blood-red, a loud ringing noise echoed in my ears, and it felt like the world would soon be destroyed by thunder and lightning. No matter how hard the falling raindrops tried to wash away the blood, it only spread further without providing any solution. Amidst all this, I searched for you.

I called your name. I wanted to see your smiling face. And I regretted it. Regret for not saying what I desperately wanted to say in that moment.

So if I could go back, I would… hug you with all my might and say:

Please don’t forget me. I’m begging you. Never forget me.

◆

“Honey, want to come to my place today? I’ll be in my heat cycle soon…”

The omega’s voice resonated loudly through the dark alley filled with shadows.

“Are you sure? I might not be able to control myself today and end up getting you pregnant.”

“What are you talking about, seriously.”

The content of their conversation might make some feel embarrassed, or think it’s childish and cringe-worthy. Actually, it did. The problem was that the ones cringing were the participants themselves. They continued their awkward conversation with exaggerated tones as they walked through the alley. And when they arrived in front of the omega’s house.

“Hey, you slut!!”

One of the ominous black shadows filling the alley suddenly jumped out and charged toward the omega. The alpha who had been walking arm in arm quickly blocked the way, grabbed the shadow’s arm, and twisted it. There was a clang as the knife the shadow had been holding fell to the ground, and seeing this, the alpha laughed in disbelief.

“This loser even has a knife.”

He quickly kicked the knife away and then struck the abdomen of the shadow who was making strange choking sounds while being held. The black shadow collapsed to the ground with a squealing sound like a pig, and under the streetlight, his ugly appearance was revealed. A chubby man with a face full of malice struggled to get up, wheezing. Watching this, Igeon pressed his foot firmly on the man’s stomach.

“Fuck, who are you? Why are you with Eunseok? Huh?!”

Eunseok was the omega trembling behind them. It seemed like he had followed Igeon’s instructions to call the police immediately if the man showed up, as his hands were clutching a phone while shaking.

“Who are you to harass this person here?”

“I am Eunseok’s alpha! I’m Eunseok’s alpha!!”

“What nonsense, you stalker. Don’t you know how severe the punishment is these days for stalking omegas and chasing them with knives?!”

“Eunseok is mine, so how am I a stalker?! Eunseok, say something. I’m your alpha, right?”

“No, I don’t know you. I don’t know who you are. So please leave me alone.”

“Hey!!”

The trash shouted. Thanks to that, when the omega flinched again, Igeon slightly blocked the trash’s line of sight.

“Mr. Eunseok, please go inside the studio apartment entrance. The police will be here soon.”

“Yes. Yes.”

As the omega entered the studio apartment entrance as Igeon said, he was no longer visible to the trash. The trash started to go wild. He crawled like a leech, grabbing onto Igeon’s body, demanding that he hand over Eunseok. Igeon beat him up thoroughly, careful to hit only places that wouldn’t show, turning him into a mess. Shortly after, a police car arrived with sirens blaring, and the police officers who got out greeted Igeon.

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, Athlete Seo Igeon.”

“I’m retired now, so please drop the ‘athlete.'”

Igeon greeted the police officers with a smile while releasing the trash’s collar from his grip. The trash fell to the ground with a thud, and seeing him unconscious, the police officers shook their heads.

“What has this guy done now?”

In response to the police officer’s question, Igeon handed over a USB and several photos from his pocket.

“Stalking. The victim is inside, and there’s evidence of harassment through regular text messages on his phone. Also, on this USB, I’ve included dashcam footage from cars that have been watching the victim for days, and the day before yesterday, he even attempted to pick the lock of the studio apartment. I’ve secured the CCTV footage of that scene as well. If you need a witness, call me. You know my contact information, right?”

“Yes, we do. Thank you.”

“Not at all. Please make sure this bastard gets a severe punishment.”

While the police were dealing with the trash, Igeon approached the omega who was carefully coming out. The omega thanked Igeon.

“It’s nothing. Thank you for being brave. Thanks to you, we caught him.”

“I’m really grateful. I’ll definitely repay you.”

“You already repaid me with money. It’s fine. More importantly, I hope you can now walk through alleys comfortably without worries.”

“Yes. That will happen now.”

When the omega said he would contact Igeon again if anything happened, Igeon waved his hand dismissively. It would be better if there was no further contact. He said today would be their last meeting. After watching the omega, the police, and the trash disappear together, Igeon dusted off his clothes. It seemed like everything had been wrapped up easily. Above all, there were no injuries. At times like this, when everything was resolved well, he always craved a cigarette. Igeon walked leisurely to a nearby park’s smoking area, took out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth. He started smoking as soon as he quit taekwondo. Instructor Jin didn’t seem pleased about it, but not wanting to scold a disciple who had already won a gold medal, he only said once, “Smoke in moderation,” and never touched on the subject again.

“Whew…”

After exhaling the cigarette smoke, Igeon sat on a bench and looked up at the sky beautifully spread with stars. He chuckled, grumbling that he almost missed seeing this beautiful sky because he was focused on following that trash-like guy. Just then, his phone in his pocket rang. It was his instructor.

“Yes, Instructor.”

[Where are you?]

“I just finished work and was heading home.”

[Then stop by the office for a moment.]

“Why?”

[Just come when I tell you to.]

“Yes, it’s on my way anyway. It’ll take about 30 minutes.”

[Alright. I’ll wait.]

Although he said he would come, Igeon stared at the screen displaying “Call Ended” for a while. He wasn’t the type to call like this at this hour. Rather, if Igeon had said he would stop by the office, he would have told him to go home and rest first because he was tired… Is something wrong? Worried, Igeon extinguished his cigarette and got up from the bench.

◆

Seo Igeon quit taekwondo at the age of 27, six years after winning the Olympic gold medal. In between, he swept gold medals in domestic and international competitions, including the Olympics, and became famous enough that people everywhere knew his name. However, once he retired and new promising talents emerged, that attention completely faded, which Igeon found comfortable. After retiring, despite receiving offers to be a national team coach or director, as well as calls from broadcasting stations, he declined them all, saying there was something he had wanted to do all along. With the prize money and savings he had accumulated, he prepared to become a bodyguard, graduated from a related department, obtained qualifications, and achieved high scores not only in taekwondo but also in shooting. As soon as he received his gun possession permit, he opened a private security office. Seo Igeon was the only employee. Naturally, it didn’t go well at first. There were no clients, and even Igeon himself honestly didn’t know why he had opened this office. So for a few months, he just went to work and lived thoughtlessly, rolling around like an unemployed person. Then, through the quite expensive and impressive website he had created, a consultation request came in. It was from an omega who was being harassed by an alpha, asking for protection, and Igeon coldly told them to report it to the police. However, the omega cried, saying they had reported it to the police, but the man was repeatedly released due to insufficient evidence and lack of witnesses, and continued to harass them. Although he wondered if it was right for him to get involved, he couldn’t ignore someone desperately asking for help—and who must have been so desperate to contact him, someone on the periphery. So he helped them. That case was resolved well, and the omega introduced him to many people, leading to more requests. One introduction led to another, and gradually, he got to know many detectives and police officers. He earned enough money to live comfortably on his own. Instructor Jin, who was quite displeased at first, didn’t say much when he saw Igeon living a proper and righteous(?) life. He just silently supported and watched over him.

However, Igeon still had one question. Why did he reject all those good conditions and offers to do this work? He was almost 30 now, and he wondered when he would find the answer.

“Instructor, I’m here. Thought you might be hungry, so I bought some sundae.”

Igeon opened the door, carrying a black plastic bag.

“You’re here?”

Instructor Jin raised his head to look at Igeon. Igeon was yawning as he approached Instructor Jin, but he was startled. Because on the office sofa… besides Instructor Jin, someone else was sitting. Moreover, it was a male omega who seemed strangely familiar. As soon as his eyes met with Igeon’s, he smiled brightly.

“Hello, Athlete Seo Igeon.”

He stood up quickly and reached out his hand for a handshake as soon as Igeon approached. Igeon shook his hand, taken aback.

I’ve definitely seen him somewhere before. But I can’t remember. Who is this man?

“I’m not sure if you remember me. I’m Han Jae-woo.”