Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 84

When Hyun-sung didn’t respond, Seo In-hye suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Oppa, let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“I said, let’s go. Is there anything else to do here?”

*Ugh.*

The awkwardness was all on Hyun-sung.

He couldn’t just leave her there, but he also had nothing to say to her if he stayed.

That’s when it happened.

“Kim Hyun-sung!”

All eyes snapped toward the voice.

At the end of that gaze stood Han Myung-soo.

Han Myung-soo repeated himself.

“Let’s do it!”

It was the moment Kim Il-soo’s efforts paid off.

Things had shifted.

Perhaps it was his youth, but Han Myung-soo was losing his cool.

The atmosphere had completely changed in just five minutes, a masterful play orchestrated by Kim Il-soo the moment Seo In-hye appeared.

He had accurately targeted Han Myung-soo’s Achilles’ heel.

Now, Hyun-sung’s final choice was all that remained.

Naturally, all eyes were glued to Hyun-sung.

After a moment.

*Thud.*

Hyun-sung shook off Seo In-hye’s hand.

“Oppa…”

By the time Seo In-hye called out, Hyun-sung was already walking toward Han Myung-soo.

Avoiding this wouldn’t solve anything. If he didn’t resolve it here, somehow, several people could be in danger.

Among them, his younger sister, Kim Ji-yeon, might face a terrible situation. The same went for Seo In-hye.

Because Han Myung-soo was unpredictable.

He was the type who wouldn’t hesitate to resort to extreme measures if he couldn’t have what he wanted.

Moreover, he was just a middle schooler.

What did he have to fear?

That’s why Hyun-sung had to end it here, no matter what.

Hyun-sung approached Han Myung-soo and spoke first.

“What are the conditions?”

“My condition is simple: Don’t meet Seo In-hye.”

“That’s not going to happen!”

Hyun-sung refused firmly.

It was the condition he’d expected, and he’d already made up his mind, so he answered immediately.

“Huh…!”

Han Myung-soo, on the other hand, was dumbfounded.

The reason he had gathered these kids and set up this whole situation was solely because of Seo In-hye, so Hyun-sung’s immediate rejection didn’t compute.

If that was the case, the confrontation itself was pointless.

But the fact that Hyun-sung was still willing to fight meant there was something else at play.

Han Myung-soo looked at Hyun-sung and asked again.

“Why?”

“A person’s heart can’t be a condition. Besides, you can’t manipulate emotions between people like this. Instead…!”

Hyun-sung paused before continuing.

“If I lose, I’ll grant you whatever you want. No matter what…”

“Does that mean you’ll even be under my command?”

Hyun-sung nodded.

It was his only card. He figured it was the only way to reel Han Myung-soo in.

The corner of Han Myung-soo’s mouth twitched upward.

His prediction was right, after all.

The guy had a definite condition that could replace Seo In-hye.

Han Myung-soo chuckled and said.

“Interesting. The guy who defeated our leader will be under me…”

Kim Il-soo flared up at those words.

“Han Myung-soo, you son of a bitch, watch your mouth!”

“Why are you doing this? Old soldiers should step aside now…”

“This bastard, really!”

At that moment, Hyun-sung looked at Kim Il-soo and raised his palm, signaling him to stop.

Then he said.

“You were the leader?”

“…”

“Right! You too…”

Hyun-sung stopped himself from saying more.

Either way, Kim Il-soo deserved the most credit right now.

He didn’t know how he found out, but if Kim Il-soo hadn’t come here in the first place, no one knew how this situation would have turned out.

In the worst-case scenario… he didn’t even want to think about it.

Moreover, Kim Il-soo was from the same gang as these guys.

Nevertheless, he had willingly come to Hyun-sung’s aid.

Even if Hyun-sung didn’t know the details, it was clear that getting here hadn’t been an easy choice.

Then Han Myung-soo said.

“I accept those conditions. And what conditions do *you* want?”

“What, ‘*you*’? I don’t know who taught you to talk like that, but you’re really just full of it.”

“Don’t be so old-fashioned and complain about the words now; just tell me your conditions quickly.”

“Conditions? I don’t have any. Just leave me alone to live quietly.”

“Leave you alone… I will.”

Han Myung-soo smiled mockingly and nodded.

It was the moment the 1:1 confrontation between the two was set.

Shortly after.

*Swish!*

As expected, Han Myung-soo’s movements were extraordinary.

The only flaw was that his power seemed lacking compared to his speed, perhaps because he was young.

Hyun-sung lightly clicked his tongue.

“Too bad.”

“Damn it, what nonsense are you talking about!”

Han Myung-soo was furious, having failed to land a single hit despite several attacks.

Looking at Han Myung-soo, Hyun-sung spoke again.

“Your speed is second to none, but what’s with that power for a young punk?”

“Keep talking trash…”

Han Myung-soo’s expression twisted even more.

He had attacked three times, but all had failed.

He had clearly seen an opening and gone in. Yet, Hyun-sung effortlessly avoided his attacks every time.

Han Myung-soo had always thought he was unmatched when it came to speed, but this time, it was useless.

This was the first time this had happened.

And what was even more infuriating was that Hyun-sung was pointing out his weaknesses on top of that.

He knew better than anyone that power was always a concern.

That’s why he had been focusing more on strength training lately.

What was hard to understand was Hyun-sung’s ability to find the opponent’s weaknesses at once while enduring several attacks.

According to the investigation, Hyun-sung was such an insignificant presence that no one even knew if he existed until the first semester.

But he had changed since the start of the second semester.

What on earth had happened during the summer vacation?

At that moment, Hyun-sung nodded and said.

“I understand now.”

“Always talking nonsense…”

“I understand now why you were hiding in the back. You couldn’t step forward because your power was weak. Of course, your speed must have worked against your peers. So that’s all you are.”

“What nonsense!”

“Why? Are you afraid that your limits are being revealed in front of your friends even now? Am I wrong? If not, then show me your skills properly now…”

Hyun-sung deliberately provoked Han Myung-soo’s pride.

He thought it was time to finish things.

*Smirk.*

After thinking for a moment, a bitter smile spread across Han Myung-soo’s lips.

“If that’s your wish…”

With those words, Han Myung-soo’s movements changed completely.

‘What is it?’

Hyun-sung tilted his head.

Because an unexpected scene had unfolded.

‘Kickboxing?’

Watching Han Myung-soo’s steps, Hyun-sung thought of kickboxing.

He was taking a working step, moving as if walking, shifting his weight back and forth one foot at a time.

Hyun-sung had once been interested in kickboxing.

It was probably in the mid-2000s.

It was because of Tony Jaa, a Thai actor and director.

He had been fascinated by the Muay Thai [a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques] martial arts shown in the movie and had briefly attended a kickboxing gym nearby.

He had learned the basic steps at that time.

Hyun-sung looked at Han Myung-soo and asked.

“Did you learn kickboxing?”

“That’s none of your business, so be prepared. I won’t go easy on you this time.”

It wasn’t just Hyun-sung who was surprised.

Kim Il-soo and the other friends around him were also looking with curious eyes, as if seeing it for the first time.

That meant he had been hiding it until now without ever showing it.

Han Myung-soo must be that desperate right now.

In the end, provoking his pride a little while ago was effective. If this was the case, this attack would be even more fierce.

*Whirr, whirr.*

As expected, Han Myung-soo’s movements were definitely different.

Han Myung-soo was testing Hyun-sung’s reaction with a short jab.

It was clear that he had learned kickboxing.

Han Myung-soo’s steps had already changed.

Unlike before, he was taking a running step, moving both feet forward and backward at the same time to shift his weight.

The speed of the attack had also increased that much.

*Whoosh!*

This time it was a low kick.

Han Myung-soo’s foot came in low, aiming for the shin area.

Hyun-sung stepped back slightly, avoiding Han Myung-soo’s attack. Normally, in this situation, Han Myung-soo would have immediately followed up with a secondary and even a tertiary attack.

That’s the basics of kickboxing: continuity of attack.

The first movement is to gauge the opponent’s reaction, and then the attack must follow immediately. The basic is to attack with two or three moves in short bursts, and up to four or five moves in longer sequences.

Of course, that’s not just kickboxing, but other combat sports as well.

But Han Myung-soo didn’t do that.

It was basic, so he must have learned it, but the fact that he didn’t meant that there was some purpose hidden.

In a fight, there is only one purpose: to win.

He would be trying to gauge Hyun-sung’s reaction in order to win.

The jab and the low kick served the same purpose. By this point, he would have grasped Hyun-sung’s reaction to some extent. If so, then Han Myung-soo’s real skills would come out from now on.

It was the moment when Hyun-sung’s fist gained more strength.

*Swish.*

As expected, Han Myung-soo’s footwork was definitely different. He was taking steps overall without staying in any one place, forward, backward, left, or right.

Then Han Myung-soo’s right foot stretched out into the air.

*Shuk!*

This time, the point of impact was the thigh, which was higher than before. But Hyun-sung avoided Han Myung-soo’s attack again, stepping back slightly as before.

*Whoosh!*

This time, a short left fist flew in immediately.

“Not so fast!”

As Hyun-sung lightly dodged to the side, a right fist flew in long and straight.

It was a one-two punch.

It was an attack method that lightly disrupts the opponent’s balance by hitting a jab with the lead arm, and then striking strongly with a straight punch.

It was Han Myung-soo’s third consecutive attack.

As expected, it was a sharp and fast attack that couldn’t be compared to his earlier attempts.

Hyun-sung was about to step back slightly to avoid the final straight when—

*Shuk!*

Han Myung-soo’s knee suddenly appeared in front of him.

It was a knee kick, a technique that could inflict considerable damage if successful.

But there was something Han Myung-soo didn’t know.

Hyun-sung had been waiting for this moment, too.

Han Myung-soo must have expected Hyun-sung to step back this time as well, and he would have had his next attack planned accordingly.

But Hyun-sung didn’t step back.

Instead, he pulled his right fist back.

Then he shot it straight out toward Han Myung-soo’s flying knee.

*Shuk!*

The fist flew in a straight line and accurately hit its target without a single error.

*Crack!*

The sound of bones colliding in the air echoed in the open space, and the eyes of everyone watching the scene couldn’t help but focus on that one spot.