Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 42

Coming down to the first floor, I saw the faculty office.

My heart pounded, wondering what Lee Young-min was saying to the homeroom teacher. I felt a strong urge to rush in right away.

But only for a moment.

Forget it!

I didn’t want to get involved in that fight. Hyun-sung figured getting involved just out of curiosity would be too mentally draining.

Hyun-sung, who had been walking for a moment, asked.

“By the way, what did the homeroom teacher say?”

“He didn’t say much, just apologized.”

“That’s it?”

“He said he would pay more attention in the future. I wanted to say something to him, but the words wouldn’t come out. Hehe….”

Hyun-sung smiled at Lee Jung-woo.

The two of them had almost reached the main gate.

Someone was standing at the main gate. It was none other than Kim Il-soo’s lackeys, Park Chul-min and Lee Soo-chul.

‘I thought it was going too smoothly,’ I thought.

Kim Il-soo didn’t disappoint.

I had expected it to some extent anyway.

Now that I’ve started, I have to see it through to the end.

Then Lee Jung-woo spoke first.

“Those, those guys… what should we do, Hyun-sung?”

Lee Jung-woo stuttered, already nervous. Hyun-sung said to Lee Jung-woo.

“Jung-woo, go to the store first. I’ll be there soon. Don’t come back, no matter what.”

“What are you going to do?”

“What else? I have to finish this anyway. Don’t worry too much. I have a plan.”

That’s a lie.

What plan could I have?

It’s 3:1. And they’re supposedly the toughest fighters in the school.

Lee Jung-woo asked again, anxiously.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Don’t worry and go quickly. I’ll be at the store soon.”

I told another lie while I was at it.

I was prepared for this anyway.

If I run away because I’m scared, this life will be no different from my previous one. I can’t allow that.

Let’s just take down one of them. There’s no way I can handle all three. Of course, even taking down one won’t be easy, but that’s the only way right now.

Of course, it would be best if that one was Kim Il-soo.

Hyun-sung turned and walked towards Park Chul-min and Lee Soo-chul.

“Lead the way!”

“This bastard is completely crazy. It’s not too late now. If you kneel now, we might let you off….”

“Too much talk. Where’s Il-soo?”

Hyun-sung’s expression was quite serious as he answered.

Then Park Chul-min and Lee Soo-chul shook their heads from side to side.

“Don’t regret it.”

“Shut up and lead the way.”

“Crazy bastard.”

Park Chul-min sneered at Hyun-sung. Then he gestured for him to follow and walked ahead. Hyun-sung followed right behind him, and Lee Soo-chul followed behind him.

After a while.

Kim Il-soo was visible in the distance.

The opponent I must overcome.

In the morning, I was lucky enough to grab his balls first, so I was able to win. But this time, that method is obviously not going to work.

He’s not going to fall for it twice, and I have no intention of doing it.

Hyun-sung surveyed the surroundings.

He was looking for anything that could help him in the fight.

The ground was mixed with sand.

As he walked, he subtly kicked the ground with his foot. It was a bit slippery because it wasn’t just bare dirt. I need to avoid too much movement.

Swish.

This time, he turned his gaze to the right.

Weeds grew so thickly that they reached his waist. And on the left, there were two cherry trees.

This was an empty lot next to the school, but I had never been here before. The students who came here were mostly the same ones. It was a hangout for the so-called tough kids in school.

Perhaps that’s why there were cigarette butts everywhere.

“You came?”

Kim Il-soo said with a smirk as Hyun-sung approached.

“You little punk, aren’t you going to put out that cigarette?”

A curse word came out of Hyun-sung’s mouth first.

It was part of a method to push away his fear.

Then Kim Il-soo stared at Hyun-sung for a moment, as if he had forgotten what to say, before finally opening his mouth.

“Hey, Kim Hyun-sung, what are you relying on?”

“Shut up and get a grip, you bastard. How long are you going to live like this? You’ll be a senior in high school soon, and then what?”

“Oh, are you worried about me now?”

“I’m not worried, I’m just pathetic, you bastard.”

Suddenly, Kim Il-soo seemed to remember something and immediately continued.

“Wait a minute. You said something about an ‘Okmae mat’ [cheap straw mat] this morning, right? What the hell was that about?”

“What the hell? It’s not ‘what the hell,’ it’s your future after graduation. It’s you scamming your friends.”

“Crazy bastard.”

There was no way Kim Il-soo would understand even if I said this.

Hyun-sung didn’t want to waste any more time like this. He knew very well that this wouldn’t end with just words.

If that’s the case, I should start preparing.

Hmm….

When I think about it, Kim Il-soo isn’t a professional fighter either. So there must be a weakness somewhere.

Where could it be?

‘That’s it!’

Hyun-sung remembered what happened in the morning.

Kim Il-soo’s second punch was definitely visible. The first punch was too fast, so I just got hit, but the second one wasn’t.

I definitely saw it and dodged it. But I still got hit.

I dodged it, but I still got hit?

In the end, I was too slow. In other words, if I had dodged a little faster, I might not have been hit.

And who is Hyun-sung?

A sergeant in the army.

Of course, I got it later than others, but I’m a certified 1st dan [degree] recognized by the Kukkiwon [World Taekwondo Headquarters].

And my stamina is much better than before.

Then….

I think it’s worth a try.

Was that why?

Hyun-sung’s mouth opened first.

“Hey, how are your balls?”

“You cowardly bastard. A real man wouldn’t do something so cheap….”

“What, cheap? Do you even know what ‘cheap’ means? Who’s the one who picks on the weak, and even does it with three guys, how pathetic.”

“Why are you talking so much today?”

Kim Il-soo couldn’t understand Hyun-sung’s behavior no matter how hard he tried.

This had never happened before.

He was always quiet, and even if you provoked him, he wouldn’t make a sound and just get beaten up.

But today, he feels like a completely different person, which is just absurd. And in the morning, he was humiliated in the classroom like never before. It makes me tremble just thinking about it.

Then, Hyun-sung revealed his true colors as he looked at Kim Il-soo.

“Hey, let’s finish this between the two of us without those losers.”

“What?”

“Why don’t we settle this like men in a 1:1 fight instead of dragging it out? If I lose, I’ll admit defeat cleanly.”

This was Hyun-sung’s plan from the beginning.

The best way was to settle things with Kim Il-soo in a 1:1 fight. I thought it would be better to face one guy rather than all three.

But that was just Hyun-sung’s idea.

He got caught up in an unexpected word.

“What, losers?”

Park Chul-min, who was next to him, got angry. Park Chul-min was upset by Hyun-sung’s word ‘losers’.

I screwed up.

I didn’t even think about that.

But Park Chul-min, who wouldn’t let it go, stepped forward.

“Yeah, you bastard. I’ll show you what a loser tastes like.”

With that, the 1:1 structure with Kim Il-soo was broken. I didn’t expect Park Chul-min to come out like that.

It was a shame, but it was my mistake, so I couldn’t blame anyone.

That means I have to deal with Park Chul-min first.

Then I need to find Park Chul-min’s weakness.

After thinking for a moment, Hyun-sung looked at Park Chul-min and shouted.

“Park Chul-min, get a grip, you bastard. Don’t be a lackey for this gangster.”

“What, a lackey?”

“What are you going to do after graduation? Are you still going to be this bastard’s lackey? You idiot.”

Hyun-sung deliberately provoked him.

Park Chul-min in my memory was simple.

When people get excited, they tend to leave openings. Fortunately, Lee Soo-chul next to him hasn’t stepped up yet.

Did it work?

Park Chul-min reacted immediately.

“You’re dead today.”

“You crazy bastard, is that what a real man should do? That’s why you’re going to end up selling Okmae mats [cheap straw mats] with that guy, you moron.”

Hyun-sung deliberately increased the intensity of his insults.

Then Park Chul-min’s face turned red and he continued.

“Il-soo, I’ll take care of this bastard. Is that okay?”

“Just finish it quickly.”

“Okay. This bastard will be done in one hit anyway.”

Hearing those words from the side, Hyun-sung interrupted their conversation as if he was dumbfounded.

“You guys are full of crap. Stop talking and come in, Park Chul-min.”

As soon as Hyun-sung finished speaking, he lightly clenched both fists and took a basic stance.

Then Kim Il-soo, who was watching Hyun-sung, said.

“Oh, look at this bastard, did you learn something during the vacation?”

“I went to the army, you bastard!”

“What? Anyway, you’ve changed strangely. Hey, Park Chul-min, stomp on this bastard.”

“Okay!”

Park Chul-min started shaking his body as if he had been waiting for it and started approaching Tae-soo.

“Hey, Kim Hyun-sung. You know it’s your death anniversary today.”

“I’ve already eaten my death anniversary meal, you bastard.”

“What was that? Pfft….”

That’s it!

The moment Park Chul-min’s front was completely disarmed by Hyun-sung’s absurd answer.

Whoosh!

Hyun-sung didn’t miss the opportunity and stretched out his right hand.

He struck Park Chul-min’s eyes with the back of his hand. The purpose was to block his vision.

Whack!

“Ugh!”

Park Chul-min screamed and started backing away, covering his eyes with both hands.

Hyun-sung, who had seized the opportunity, moved once again.

Whoosh!

This time, Hyun-sung’s fist rushed towards Park Chul-min’s right jaw.

Crack!

With the sound of his jaw breaking, Park Chul-min, unable to come to his senses, staggered and fell to the ground.

‘Huh?’

Hyun-sung himself was surprised to see Park Chul-min falling.

‘This works.’

I saw an opening, so I struck his eyes with the back of my hand, and when he staggered, I threw another punch. But surprisingly, both of them hit Park Chul-min’s face accurately.

“What? It’s nothing.”

At that time.

Lee Jung-woo was sitting in the snack bar with an uneasy heart.

I looked at the clock and it was 5 minutes. 5 minutes felt like 5 hours.

‘What should I do?’

Hyun-sung might be in trouble by now.

He’s a friend who stood up for me. I left him alone and came here like an idiot because he told me to go.

I’m the one who has been thoroughly ignored until now. No one ever stepped up and said a word whenever Kim Il-soo and his gang bullied me.

But today, for the first time, someone threw himself for me. Of course, that someone is Hyun-sung.

What am I doing here right now……?

I’m crazy.

Lee Jung-woo jumped up from his seat.

This is not right.

Then Lee Jung-woo’s mother, Shin Myung-soon, said.

“Jung-woo, what’s wrong?”

“Mom, if my friend is getting beaten up instead of me, what should I do?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I can’t just sit here like an idiot, right? This doesn’t make sense. But I’m scared to go. What should I do?”

Shin Myung-soon approached Lee Jung-woo, who was feeling uneasy.

“Jung-woo, why are you suddenly like this?”

“I can’t do this. No matter how I think about it, this is not right. If I keep hiding behind fear, I’m really going to be a cripple. Both physically and mentally.”

“Jung-woo!”

“I don’t want to! I’m not going to live like this. Even if I get beaten to death, this is not right. This is not right.”

With those words, Lee Jung-woo left the snack bar and started running towards the empty lot.

It happened in an instant.

Kim Il-soo’s eyes widened as he watched the scene.

“What? Kim Hyun-sung, why are you so fast?”

“I told you, I went to the army, you bastard!”