Disciple of The Heavenly Demon(7)
The effect of the manager contract was apparent the very next day.
The taekwondo gym where we agreed to meet.
It was noisy even before the meeting started as unrelated people flocked in.
"What are you doing here!"
"You cannot film here."
"Who gives you the right...!"
"Kang Moon-soo does not want to be filmed. If you try to film him without his consent, there will be legal consequences..."
"Why do you get to decide that!"
The self-proclaimed genius shaman Yoo Il-am and his disciple holding a camera.
They were unable to enter the taekwondo gym as they were stopped by men dressed in black suits.
"Moon-soo!"
"......"
"When an adult calls you, you shouldn't ignore them!"
"......"
I ignored Yoo Il-am completely, just as Jeon Ji-eun had advised.
The moment I acknowledge him, he could skillfully edit the scene and turn it into him being my "disciple."
Modern video editing technology was that terrifying.
Beep-
"Please leave the hidden camera in your pocket as well."
"What the hell is going on!"
Yoo Il-am, who had been allowed to enter on the condition of turning off the camera and not filming, exploded with anger.
It was because his last resort, the hidden camera, was also caught by the 'electronic detector' brought by the people of the family.
'Amazing.'
The most surprising thing was that Yoo Il-am, who had been doing whatever he wanted at school, couldn't do anything and was defeated.
The sight of him flustered by the unexpected appearance of reinforcements who had underestimated me.
I felt it was worth signing the contract just by seeing that.
"How is it?"
"I really like it."
I answered Jeon Ji-eun's question honestly. Although I thought it was a bit excessive.
"......"
"......"
Behind me and Jeon Ji-eun, bodyguards dressed in black suits were lined up.
An intense intimidating presence.
I could feel how powerful the family I had signed a contract with was.
As for the side effects,
"Moon-soo?"
Coach Jang Seon-young, with a very uncomfortable expression, folded her arms and glanced at me.
I contacted her after the contract was done. I did contact her, but...
"I'm sorry, Coach!"
I bowed 90 degrees to her and apologized.
"I think I told you not to report after causing trouble..."
"I'm sorry!"
"...I won't blame you this time since it's related to your main job, but still, consult with me on big matters."
"Of course!"
"I'm afraid I'll receive a wedding invitation in the middle of the night at this rate."
Coach Jang Seon-young glanced at Jeon Ji-eun and spoke.
"That won't happen."
"Can I believe you?"
"Yes."
At that moment, Jeon Ji-eun interrupted.
"Coach Jang Seon-young, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but as a manager, I have to point this out. Marriage is a personal matter for the athlete. There is no obligation to report or get permission from the coach."
"Oh my! Manager Yang is so naive. There are so many cases of young athletes causing trouble and getting pregnant."
"Kang Moon-soo is a male athlete."
"It's the same thing if you impregnate an unmarried woman. You'll be ethically criticized."
"...It seems like there is some overlap in our duties."
"That's true. We might need to coordinate separately later, don't you think?"
"Yes. If you set the appointment place and time, I'll adjust my schedule accordingly."
"Oh my! Are you being considerate?"
"Of course. I'm just a rolling stone."
A strange atmosphere seemed to flow between the two women.
'Is it okay? It must be my fault for not worrying about the free service.'
I should buy Coach Jang Seon-young a meal later as an apology...
There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
"You have to beat that arrogant bastard!"
"Yoon Kyung-ah! I believe in you!"
"Cheer up! Senior Go Yoon-kyung~!"
We were on the opposite side.
Men and women dressed in white taekwondo uniforms, contrasting with the black suits of the bodyguards, were bustling.
And at the forefront,
"Il-chung oppa, don't forget the promise to buy me a luxury bag after the match."
"Of course!"
"Two if I win."
"What?! That promise..."
"Two bags. If you don't like it, I’ll quit now."
"No, no! Of course, I'll buy them!"
Yoo Il-chung, who had been massaging his girlfriend's shoulders, had a sad expression.
Anyway,
"It's interesting. He doesn't look strong."
The female taekwondo world champion ignored her boyfriend and observed me.
I did the same.
'She seems like the reincarnation of Gomusin Grandmaster as a woman.'
She was less intimidating because she was a woman, who was physically disadvantaged compared to men, and because of her arrogant attitude, but she wasn't someone I could ignore.
Her physique?
Long legs that were not inferior to Song Seon-young's. However, her calves and thighs, which were trained with muscles as befitting a taekwondo athlete for whom leg strength was important, were quite intimidating.
This was a common feature of all women with the aptitude for being 'taekwondo athletes'...
'Something's different.'
My instincts were screaming.
Could I lose if I get distracted?
I would only know for sure if I sparred with her directly, but that was my current judgment.
"Both athletes, step forward."
"......"
"......"
We walked to the center of the gym after hearing the referee's serious call.
"Bow."
"I am Kang Moon-soo."
"I am Go Yoon-kyung."
After slightly bowing our heads in greeting, we stood apart.
Beep-
The sound of a horn signaled the start of the sparring,
'She's fast!'
Pat!
Go Yoon-kyung boldly entered my attack range without any prior probing.
'In that case!'
My choice was the spinning kick that Gomusin Grandmaster loved to use!
As expected of a technique learned while being beaten one-sidedly, its reliability was very high.
Thud!
"1 point!"
A light shock hit my side along with the sound of my kick missing. And then I heard the referee's excited shout.
"What-?"
"Surprised? But that's the expression I want to see."
Go Yoon-kyung said as I lost my balance and staggered slightly.
"What does that mean?"
"That back kick of yours. It's a technique that only my father and I can use. It's not a trick that you can imitate just by watching a video recording."
"...What an incredible coincidence."
It's not a coincidence.
Gomusin.
Go Yoon-kyung.
I had suspected it since they both had the same 'Go' surname, but she seems to be a direct descendant.
"But it seems like you don't know the counter to it."
"......"
Of course I don't know it. Nam Hae-soo's dream ended before I could learn it.
The only fortunate thing was?
'She's weak.'
That's because when I tried to use a back kick on Grandmaster, I lost my balance and fell over from just one counterattack.
On the other hand, what about her?
All she could do was land a valid hit.
'Although the impact was quite significant to call it just that.'
The atmosphere around us showed that.
"Go Yoon-kyung is amazing!"
"Eun-kyung-ah! I love you!"
"I knew you could do it!"
Taekwondo athletes and their masters cheered in joy at the fact that Go Yoon-kyung had taken the lead against me.
I'm not even a villain...
I was speechless.
"Let's continue."
"Be careful of your face."
"I should be the one saying that. I don't go easy on my opponent just because they're a woman."
"That's what I was hoping for."
Go Yoon-kyung remained composed.
...I don't like it.
Pat!
I put the 'killing intent' that Grandmaster had scolded me for into my approach and resumed the sparring.
* * *
"If I hadn't been killed by that bastard thief...!"
I lost.
Although there was nothing at stake, my pride was severely damaged.
When I lost to Song Seon-young in swimming recently, seeing her happy expression lifted my mood, but...
This time, it wasn't the case.
"That was close."
"She just dodged and dodged like a coward and only aimed for points!"
"Well, Moon-soo, I'd like to take your side, but if a woman got hit by your kick seriously, she'd die..."
"Ugh!"
At Coach Jang Seon-young's remark, I looked back at Doctor Seo Hye-joo.
"Coach is right."
But she wasn't on my side either.
"Have you gotten weaker?"
"If I was a missile before, I'd say I'm a cannon now. It's still deadly if it hits a person."
"......"
From a missile to a cannon.
It was a concise analogy to show how much weaker I had become.
'It's not the time to be complacent.'
Because the humiliation I suffered in taekwondo was just the beginning.
Swimming, track and field.
If my records are measured again, they will noticeably drop compared to before. And if this fact becomes known to the outside world, there will surely be gossip.
That would be a problem.
"Coach, I'll take a break from all external activities, including training, for the time being."
"Alright."
Coach Jang Seon-young, who understood the seriousness of the situation, agreed without any objections.
Ding-dong!
At that moment, the doorbell rang at Doctor Seo Hye-joo's private room.
"Looks like they're here already."
As the doctor opened the door, Jeon Ji-eun, dressed in a neat gray office suit, entered.
More like a secretary at a large corporation than a college student?
Her professionalism and mature feminine beauty, slightly older than her age, were striking.
"Hello, Doctor, Coach, and Moon-soo. You did a great job."
"But the books...?"
"Here."
Jeon Ji-eun handed me a memory chip the size of a pinky finger.
"An e-book?"
"Having 215 paper books would take up too much space in the dormitory, and it would be difficult to carry and read them. The bigger problem is that the spelling is slightly different from the modern one, so the readability is low."
"Ah!"
"The e-book is a revised edition, so it'll be easier to read. I've also made it so that a reading program is automatically installed when you connect it to your smartphone."
"Thank you."
"It's what I should do. Still, I'm a little happy."
Coach Jang Seon-young, who was listening to our conversation with a slightly displeased expression, spoke.
"Moon-soo, what's the title of that 215-volume novel?"
"It's a martial arts novel called <Is This Heavenly Demon Real?>."
"Really? I know a little about martial arts novels because my husband likes them. I should take this opportunity to read it too."
"Yes? Yes. But you don't have to..."
"I want to avoid situations where we can't have a conversation later. I'm sure Manager Yang feels the same."
"......"
Jeon Ji-eun didn't deny it but answered with silence instead.
"Anyway, with 215 volumes... I won't remember the beginning later, will I?"
"That's true. But the patients will feel the same. They didn't know they'd be trapped in a dream."
Kim Eun-jung, who entered the world of the romance novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count>, was completely unprepared. She hadn't even read the final volume.
It wouldn't be much different.
'Is it a completely different dream world after all...?'
I was a little worried.
"When are you going to start?"
At Doctor Seo Hye-joo's question, I shrugged my shoulders.
"I'm not sure. It's 215 volumes... I don't know how long it will take..."
<I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count>, which I had read before, was a long novel consisting of a total of 5 volumes, but it was nothing compared to this one.
"Then, at least let me know the day before you finish reading. I need to free up time and prepare in advance."
"Yes. I will."
As soon as I answered, Coach Jang Seon-young also spoke.
"Moon-soo, this time you should let me know too, right? No, let me know two days in advance."
"I will."
Since it wasn't a difficult task, I promised.
And lastly,
"Although it puts a strain on your brain, I recommend the virtual reality reading room, which shortens time and doesn't cause eye strain."
"Ah..."
At Jeon Ji-eun's recommendation, I wanted to slap my forehead with my palm.
Virtual reality reading room.
Reading a book in virtual reality, where a day is longer than in real life, can drastically reduce the time spent on reading.
'The aftereffect is the problem.'
Although it has a good short-term effect, fatigue accumulates extremely, so in the end, it's a loss.
So I don't use it unless I really don't have time.
"How about it?"
"I'll put that option on hold. The patients won't die if I'm a few days late."
"That's... true."
Jeon Ji-eun seemed slightly disappointed by my refusal.
"Why?"
"It's nothing. I just thought that Moon-soo, who has good stamina, might be okay with it. Sorry."
"Ah, that might be true."
However, my choice and decision remained unchanged.
Why?
'If I want to use a virtual reality reading room, I have to buy a virtual reality machine, right?'
It's a waste of money.
"I'll get going now."
From now on, I have no freedom until I've read all 215 volumes of the martial arts novel!
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