I Became the Sickly Eldest Son - Chapter 15
Chapter 15
“If he keeps winning rounds up to this one, the prize money is a whopping 180 million won. Did you know? Jin~ is really amazing. I’m afraid I might really lose all my money! Ah… Rookie, go easy on me. I need to make a living too, you know.”
As Go Sinji cried out while holding the microphone, the audience cheered. They shouted his younger brother’s name and bought even more betting tickets. It’s so ridiculous… Ju-kyung snorted.
‘He talks well for someone who’s doing this as a set-up.’
No matter how good he is at fighting, he’s a high school student. His skills are probably not even at the level of a clumsy amateur, but the selected fighter from the fight club lost? It doesn’t make sense. They probably just went through the motions and let it pass. Because that way, the stakes will pile up higher.
Then, when it reaches a certain target amount, they hire a pro that the challenger absolutely can’t beat. Then the club operators gobble up all the accumulated betting money. That’s the kind of place this is. Adding words like rookie, rising star, or newcomer is also to incite people.
“The opponent for this round’s match is!”
Beep-! Beep! The electronic board blinks loudly. Ju-kyung also fixed his gaze on it. And gasps broke out at the name that appeared.
“How can he beat that guy…?”
Someone muttered.
[Seok Chang-hyeon]
Ju-kyung also knew the name on the electronic board. He is a (former) professional martial arts fighter known as a troublemaker. Until recently, he wore his criminal records for drunk driving and assault like medals. He’s so crazy that he even swung his fists in front of awakened ones. He always boasted, “I’ll show a regular person beating an awakened one!”
‘These scumbags…’
There’s a bare minimum that needs to be kept even at the bottom, but this is like throwing a baby rabbit into a cage of hyenas that haven’t eaten for a month, isn’t it?
“Whoa~ Don’t get too angry! Okay? Our rookie can do it too! If you placed a bet, you have to believe in him, folks! What’s so scary about Seok Chang-hyeon? He’s just a washed-up old man now~”
As expected, Go Sinji gestured for the booing audience to calm down. At his sudden criticism, Seok Chang-hyeon raised his hand and threatened him.
“You little punk.”
“Am I wrong?”
The atmosphere freezes in an instant. From a third-party perspective, it looks real enough to misunderstand that the two don’t get along well.
‘These con artists are really putting on a show.’
The reason for bringing a thug like Seok Chang-hyeon was obvious. His cruelty and violence are vulgar without needing to be mentioned. On top of that, he also has the showmanship to overwhelm the audience, so they will show a stimulating show to make them forget the despair of losing money.
‘By brutally violating the opponent…’
It precisely targets the needs of the crazy bastards gathered here. Because whether they lose money or not, they’ll come to enjoy the show again.
Especially the more stark the difference before and after the beating, the hotter the reaction will be. It’s better if the opponent is pretty and sturdy. And there’s a fitting example right in front of his eyes. Right, that’s it. Yang Woo-dam. Ju-kyung’s younger brother.
“Now, let’s start the count! One, two-!”
Woo-dam and Seok Chang-hyeon take a fight stance. The difference starts from their physiques. Seok Chang-hyeon’s muscles were savagely huge. Yang Woo-dam was also impressive for a high school student, but… Well. Should I say he’s relatively slender? To evaluate more coldly, they’re not even in the same league.
However, Ju-kyung’s assessment was different.
‘He’s drugged up.’
You can tell at a glance. Ju-kyung shook his head and turned to walk away. Change of plans. It can’t be helped. He can’t reveal his presence when his younger brother has his eyes wide open.
“Fight!”
Instead…
‘Dirty play isn’t my style. But they crossed the line first.’
Ju-kyung stared at the iron bars. More precisely, at his brother who was cornered.
Now, get out of the way. The PVP veteran is coming out.
* * *
Thud!
“Uh… I don’t know if I should really do this properly.”
Seok Chang-hyeon said while scratching the back of his head. His smirking face was full of mockery. In contrast, Woo-dam was panting heavily. It was a moment that clearly showed the difference in weight class between the two.
“Ptooey!”
Woo-dam staggered to his feet. He grins with a face that could be described as battered without exaggeration. That guy is really handsome. But is he only good looking? Yang Woo-dam was even worse on the inside.
“Yeah. Your punches are like cotton.”
He stands firm despite being covered in blood. His spirit hasn’t died one bit. Rather, it’s even grotesque to see him grinning while baring his blood-stained teeth.
“You little punk…”
Seok Chang-hyeon snorted at the brazen provocation. The audience was also indifferent. In a way, it’s too boring of a game. Is that why cold reactions burst out from here and there? Seok Chang-hyeon glanced over and exchanged signs with Go Sinji. He got permission that it’s okay to move on to the highlight now.
“Hey, kid. You know what my favorite game is? It’s making pretty boys like you into pig noses. The more hideously distorted, the more thrilling it is.”
It was a declaration of war that he will now seriously humiliate him. Judging by his half-crazed eyes and insane history, he’s a person who can do that and more. So, usually, they get scared and back down.
However, unfortunately, Woo-dam was not someone who fell into the ordinary category. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
“What, are you upset that you’re the only one with a pig nose? Were the kids not playing with you because you’re ugly? It’s okay. It’s not your fault that your face is messed up. It’s your mom and dad’s fault.”
Then he snickered and retorted, making Seok Chang-hyeon wiggle his eyebrows and warn him.
“You’re gonna get your face slashed up today.”
“Oink oink?”
“You little shit…!”
“Haha!”
He looked carefree on the outside, but the reality was different. Woo-dam was in a state where it wouldn’t be strange if he fainted right away. He was about to become a regular at a plastic surgery clinic. But he can’t back down in this situation.
In the end, just as Woo-dam was swallowing his saliva and preparing for the attack, Seok Chang-hyeon rushed at him.
“Aaah!”
A scream rang out.
“Aaargh!”
And another one.
Was that handsome face really smashed up? Will it lead to such a horrifying development? If you want the answer, it’s half right and half wrong.
One. A face did get smashed. But not the handsome one.
Two. It led to a horrifying development. But not the picture everyone expected.
Then what is it? Person A sitting in the audience will let you know. She stared at the hefty body that flew up into the air in astonishment.
“Wow, he ended up like that…”
She blinked her eyes slowly.
“What… What is this…?”
The guy next to her, Mr. B, also muttered. After a brief moment of silence, the body that flew up crashed to the ground, and only then did the audience stir. It was truly the rebellion of the underdog. A sixthsen level plot twist!
“Wh… Whoa, amazing!!”
“That’s crazy!!”
A huge cheer poured out at once. The layered voices full of excitement created a spine-chilling thrill. It was deserved. Because Yang Woo-dam had KO’d Seok Chang-hyeon.
Even someone ignorant of martial arts could see it was a very clean upward kick. His impressive skills made one doubt if he was really a high school student. The intense stimulation it gave to the viewers stood out. The cheers did not stop because they saw an unapproachable spirit from the disheveled boy, even if for a brief moment. It was natural. Because it was a dramatic victory adding stimulation upon stimulation.
However, the most surprised of them all was Yang Woo-dam himself.
‘What was that just now?’
His expression was strange. It was not at all that of someone reveling in victory.
“……”
Woo-dam threw a glance towards the fallen Seok Chang-hyeon. He KO’d that hulk with just one kick? Did he have such explosive power?
Nonsense. Woo-dam is not stupid. He clenched and unclenched his tingling fist.
‘Clearly… it wasn’t me.’
His gaze quickly swept across the audience. Because he felt like he had to, for some reason. Even though he thought it was a ridiculous idea, his eyes moved busily. He can’t explain it in words, but… yes. It’s clear. The one who smashed Seok Chang-hyeon wasn’t himself.
‘Who the hell…?’
Who, when, where, what, how, why. Even if you attach the 5W1H, there is no answer he can give.
“Ha…!”
Woo-dam’s face contorted.
‘Who are you?’
He sharpened his eyes, thinking that if they could take over his body, reading his thoughts would be a piece of cake. Well, there was no reply back.
‘…I will definitely find you.’
His heart was beating fiercely as if he had run a 100-meter sprint.
To begin with, the biggest reason he frequented fight clubs. That was because he pursued strength. He needed money as well, but he was more thirsty for primal strength. To live in a world free without a leash, he needed the power to not be oppressed by anyone.
He had seen and met countless strong people so far. He had victories and defeats. However, this was the first time he was this impressed. He will never forget it. The strength that dominated his entire body.
Yes, it was truly overwhelming.
‘Did you hear? I said I’ll definitely find you.’
It was the beginning of a furious obsession.