The next morning, Seung Min woke up earlier than usual.
The morning air was still cold, but that didn't stop him.
After rolling up his sleeves, he began his warm-up routine, the same one used in Riberal martial arts—stretching movements, controlled breathing, and a series of basic exercises.
"This body's muscles are still stiff..." he thought.
The original Seung Min rarely exercised, but thanks to his father's genes, this body remained tall. He just needed to unlock its hidden potential.
As he positioned himself in a stance, preparing to practice his striking techniques, the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention.
"Seung Min?"
Seung Min turned to see his father, Kang Dae Hyun, standing there with a surprised expression.
The man was tall and muscular, with sharp, piercing eyes like a seasoned fighter. His outfit was simple—a sleeveless shirt and workout pants—but his posture radiated the presence of a disciplined man.
"You're training?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Seung Min rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to respond.
"Yeah, I just… wanted to try something new."
Dae Hyun crossed his arms, carefully observing Seung Min's movements.
"Interesting. You usually don't even bother waking up early."
Seung Min gave a small, knowing smile. "People can change, right?"
Dae Hyun remained silent for a moment before letting out a small smile of his own.
"Good. Keep going."
Meanwhile, inside the house, his mother, Han Soo Mi, was busy cooking in the kitchen.
But her way of cooking… was anything but normal.
Seung Min glanced inside and froze in shock.
His mother moved like a professional chef on a TV show!
The pan in her hand flipped through the air, flames rising dramatically.
She threw a kitchen knife up, caught it effortlessly, and then chopped vegetables at lightning speed.
Chop! Chop! Chop!
The knife moved so fast that it was almost invisible.
Then, she grabbed two eggs, cracked them mid-air with one hand, and poured them directly into the pan.
Seung Min stood frozen at the doorway, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"What… is this?"
Han Soo Mi finally noticed Seung Min's gaze and smiled warmly.
"Why are you just standing there? Breakfast is almost ready."
Seung Min was still in shock.
"Eomma… since when did you cook like this?"
His mother chuckled lightly. "Since always, of course."
"…"
Seung Min felt like he had stepped into a bizarre world.
His father was built like a martial artist.
His mother cooked like a circus performer.
But their son… was a weak bookworm?
"Something doesn't add up here…" he thought.
Was this really Seung Min's family?
Or was there something he had yet to discover?
After finishing his training, Seung Min prepared to take a shower before heading downstairs for breakfast.
However, something was strange that morning.
He seemed cheerful and playful, completely different from his usual self.
Seung Min, who was normally quiet, rarely spoke, and often skipped breakfast, was now eating with enthusiasm.
His unpredictable behavior surprised his family, but they chose not to question it.
After breakfast, Seung Min left for school, as usual, driven by the family chauffeur.
Upon arriving at his classroom, he opened the door and was immediately greeted by a chaotic scene.
A group of students was playing cards, some were chatting about hired women at clubs, others were discussing drugs and fights.
In the corner of the room, a young man with a buzz cut hairstyle was fast asleep, despite the noisy classroom.
Seung Min had just taken his seat when suddenly…
BANG!
The door slammed open violently.
A scrawny student was kicked into the classroom.
It was Do Jin, Tae Hwan, and Ki Seok.
Do Jin and Ki Seok cursed at the helpless student, while the entire class cheered, egging them on and hurling insults at the poor boy.
They laughed mercilessly.
But in the midst of this chaos, Seung Min simply smiled.
His sharp gaze gleamed, as if he was watching an entertaining show.
"Wow… this is quite the spectacle." he muttered to himself.
However, his expression suddenly turned serious.
He stood up from his seat and shouted loudly.
"Hey! Have you all lost your minds??"
The classroom instantly fell silent.
Do Jin and Ki Seok turned to look at Seung Min, confused.
Without hesitation, Seung Min grabbed the beaten-up student's hand, helping him stand up.
Do Jin narrowed his eyes, offended.
"Do you have a death wish?" he sneered.
"Let's see who dies first," Seung Min replied casually, a sly grin forming on his lips.
Do Jin was the first to strike, throwing a straight punch at Seung Min's face.
But with a single light step, Seung Min dodged, swiftly pivoting to the side.
THUD!
A solid punch landed straight into Do Jin's stomach.
He let out a choked gasp, coughing hard.
Ki Seok and Tae Hwan were shocked, but they rushed to attack together!
Seung Min remained calm.
He dodged to the right, then kicked Ki Seok's knee, making the guy stagger.
BAM!
A second punch struck Ki Seok's jaw perfectly!
Tae Hwan, still standing, attempted to attack from behind, but…
Seung Min spun around, locked his arm, then drove his elbow into Tae Hwan's temple.
CRASH!
The boy collapsed to the floor instantly.
Now, only Do Jin was left.
His face flushed with rage and humiliation.
He charged forward, throwing one last desperate punch with all his strength…
But just as the fist was about to land…
"Sorry, but this fight is over."
With a swift and precise movement, Seung Min struck Do Jin's neck, directly targeting a pressure point that caused instant unconsciousness.
"UGH—!"
Do Jin dropped to the ground, completely knocked out.
The entire classroom fell silent, staring at Seung Min in shock and horror.
**The quiet kid they used to know… had just taken down Do Jin in only four punches!
Seung Min let out a calm breath, not a single drop of blood on him.
With a relaxed expression, he glanced around the classroom and smirked.
"Anyone else want to try?"
No one dared to answer.
The moment of silence in the classroom was broken when the young man who had been asleep in the corner suddenly woke up.
His eyes widened in shock as he took in the chaotic scene before him.
"Wahhh!!!"
He blurted out in amazement before flashing a thumbs-up toward Seung Min.
Seung Min glanced at him, slightly amused, before smirking in response.
The entire class was still too stunned to react.
Their so-called bullies had been taken down in mere seconds—and the one who did it was none other than the usually quiet Seung Min.
But before anyone could say anything, the classroom door creaked open again.
A presence far more terrifying than Seung Min entered.
It was their homeroom teacher.
As Seung Min casually turned to leave, he suddenly came face-to-face with the teacher.
His steps halted for a brief moment.
His heart skipped a beat.
The teacher was a woman.
With sharp eyes and an authoritative presence, she exuded confidence despite her relatively young age.
Seung Min's mind went blank for a second as a single thought crossed his mind.
"Noona…?"
The teacher narrowed her eyes.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.
Seung Min's lips curled into a mischievous villain-like smile.
"To the infirmary," he replied casually.
Without waiting for a response, he brushed past her and walked away.
The teacher, slightly taken aback, glanced at the classroom.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Inside, she saw:
Do Jin, completely unconscious.
His lackeys, bloody and barely able to stand.
The rest of the students, silent and too afraid to speak.
It was clear.
There had been a fight.
And the only one completely unharmed…
Was Seung Min.
Her brows furrowed.
"Just what the hell happened here…?"
During lunch break, Seung Min made his way to the cafeteria. As he walked through the hallways, he noticed students from various majors hanging out in groups, chatting and laughing. He could hear snippets of conversations and the occasional burst of laughter.
He passed by a few students who had formed circles, some of them too absorbed in their own worlds to notice him. But when he reached the corner near the classrooms, he saw a group of gang members smoking outside.
Seung Min felt a surge of irritation rise within him, and his smile curled into something more bitter and annoyed.
"Tch, always the same," he muttered under his breath as he walked past them toward the cafeteria.
The group didn't even acknowledge his presence, too busy with their own issues.
Once inside the cafeteria, he found a seat in a corner and began eating. Just as he was halfway through his meal, the nerdy guy—the one who had witnessed his fight earlier—approached him hesitantly.
"Hey, Seung Min... thank you for earlier."
Seung Min glanced up and replied in a low voice, "No problem..." but he seemed somewhat uncomfortable, like he didn't really want to talk about it.
The guy seemed to notice his unease and tried to push through it.
"By the way, what's your name again?" the guy asked, clearly confused.
Seung Min blinked, caught off guard.
"Wait... you don't remember me?" the guy asked, eyes widening in disbelief. "We're in the same class, man. It's me, Jin Ho..."
Seung Min, trying to play it off, scratched his head. "Oh, right! I totally forgot." He quickly tried to cover it up with a forced laugh.
Jin Ho looked at him for a moment, clearly skeptical but not pushing the issue.
As Seung Min finished his meal, he stood up, ready to leave. He was about to head out when suddenly Jin Ho called out to him again.
"Hey, Seung Min, maybe we could hang out sometime?"
Seung Min paused for a moment, nodding briefly before heading toward the door.
Later that afternoon, as Seung Min walked home alone, he noticed several geng members talking behind his back as they passed by. They mentioned his name, calling him a "gelandang," mocking him for his unexpected victory in the classroom fight.
Seung Min couldn't help but smirk to himself.
"I guess I'm starting to get some attention around here…"
Just then, his chauffeur-driven car pulled up. He casually walked toward it, then suddenly, flipping his middle finger at the group of gang members, he climbed into the car.
The group, clearly irked by his audacity, shouted obscenities and cursed at him as the car pulled away.
But Seung Min didn't care. He had already made his point.
That night, Seung Min lay in his room, wrapped in a thick blanket. He stared at the ceiling, trying to calm his thoughts. Occasionally, he glanced at the dim room light, watching the shadows shift slowly across the walls as light filtered through the window.
The quiet atmosphere of the night brought a peace he rarely felt. Seung Min reflected for a moment, trying to process everything that had happened that day. The incident at school, the fight in class, and the awkward young man who had suddenly come to thank him. It all felt strange, as though the world around him was starting to change, even if just a little.
But, as the stillness of the night took over, his eyes grew heavy. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep, and soon, the world around him faded away, replaced by a soothing dream. Unbeknownst to him, his body sank deeper into a peaceful slumber, leaving behind the complexities in his mind.
The quiet room was filled only with the sound of his calm breathing, as tranquility took over his rest.