Byeoto said naturally.
"Of course, that's why I came to this place."
Hansu smiled, satisfied.
"Alright. Then I guess you're officially students now."
After that, Byeoto and Dowoon began practicing the basics. The first steps, stances, simple strikes… nothing complicated, but still exhausting. A couple of hours passed until Dowoon's phone rang. Someone had come to pick him up.
"See you tomorrow" he said while giving a small bow and leaving quickly.
Taehun watched him as he walked away. Byeoto, with a mischievous smile, commented.
"Do you already miss him?"
"Huh? You wanna die, bastard?" Taehun replied immediately.
"I'm joking, relax."
"Tch…" Taehun looked away. "I was just thinking that guy looks rich, so it's good he supports the dojang."
Then he yawned without energy.
"And don't talk to me like we're close, idiot. We're not friends."
He left without waiting for a reply. Byeoto just shook his head, smiling. Taehun is a tsundere, he thought. After that he went back home, showered, and went straight to sleep.
Days passed… and then weeks. In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.
Communication between the three improved a lot. Even Taehun and Dowoon, who at first seemed like water and oil, were getting along better and better.
So much so that one day Taehun showed up with his hair dyed the same color as Dowoon's. Byeoto obviously made fun of him. They ended up fighting, again, though both knew they were holding back.
Byeoto was also working hard to fight using Taekwondo, and in that Taehun had a big advantage. But he didn't mind. It was part of the process. Besides, thanks to his body, he wasn't falling too far behind.
Also, Byeoto was thinking more and more about what would happen "later." In the original story, Taehun and Dowoon would be attacked… and he would not allow a tragedy like in the canon to happen.
Something he himself had changed was that Dowoon showed his talent earlier: that almost absurd ability to copy anything just by seeing it. When he showed it, Hansu was speechless. The only problem was how shy he was about demonstrating it, but with time he loosened up a bit.
Taehun's reaction wasn't good at first. His pride was hurt, understandable at that age, but after a few distant days, they reconciled as if nothing had happened.
And so, things went back to normal.
...
The arcade was full of flashing lights and electronic noises. Byeoto was focused on the game when, without stopping pressing the buttons, he commented.
"By the way, Dowoon… don't they tell you anything at home for having your ears like that?" he said that because now Dowoon had piercings in his ears.
Dowoon gave a nervous smile.
"Taehun took me to get them done today…"
Taehun snorted, crossing his arms.
"It's your life. But if you're worried, just tell them you tripped."
Dowoon gave him a "seriously?" look and replied.
"That doesn't make any sense…"
The three laughed. Byeoto put the controller down and said.
"I'm going to the bathroom. Don't cheat."
"We won't" Dowoon replied sincerely.
Taehun clicked his tongue.
"Who needs to cheat to beat you if you're a loser?"
Byeoto only raised his middle finger without looking back and walked away.
A few minutes passed. Taehun, leaning back in the chair, let out.
"Tch… Dowoon beat me…"
He got up, stretching.
"I got hungry. I'm going to get something to eat. Wait for the idiot, he should be back any minute."
Dowoon nodded while still playing.
.....
Byeoto was in a narrow alley, it was a lie that he went to the bathroom; he had felt someone following him for a while, so he wanted to see what it was about. Now he was leaning against the wall.
In front of him, several bikers stared at him. The one leading the group was smoking, exhaling the smoke slowly.
"Where's Taehun?" he asked coldly.
Byeoto knew exactly who this piece of trash was. In the original story, Chan Jeong was part of the group hired by the school bullies to destroy Taehun… and also one of the ones responsible for Dowoon's death.
He looked at him expressionlessly. Since arriving in this world, he already knew that even if they were students, there were people who were simply evil and wouldn't change for anything.
Chan Jeong frowned.
"Bastard… answer quickly. You wanna waste my time? Attack!"
The bikers rushed toward him.
The first threw a punch. Byeoto tilted his head to the side, letting the punch pass by. Then he grabbed him by the face with one hand and smashed him against another who was running toward him. Both fell like dolls.
The next tried to grab him, but Byeoto simply lifted his leg and crushed him with his heel, slamming him into the ground.
"What are you waiting for?" shouted Chan Jeong, furious. "Go! Bastards, are you more scared of him than of me?"
More thugs rushed in, but it was useless.
Byeoto kicked one straight in the face, making him stagger back several steps. He jumped and drove a knee into another's face, dropping down immediately and twisting his hips. With a clean movement, he launched his heel backward, striking another directly in the solar plexus.
He turned again, bent his body, and traced an arc with his leg, hitting the jaw of the thug in front of him with his instep. The power of the kick was such that the thug collapsed immediately, dragging down the two behind him.
Then Byeoto positioned himself sideways, adjusted his stance, and fired a straight kick with his heel into the chest of another, knocking the air out of him.
He moved forward and swept the legs of the next one, finishing with a sharp strike to the ribs using the outer edge of his foot.
In seconds, all the bikers were on the ground, agonizing.
Only Byeoto and Chan Jeong remained.
The leader was sweating. He pulled out a knife with trembling hands.
"You wanna die? Don't get any closer!"
Byeoto advanced anyway, his shadow covering Chan Jeong.
As soon as he was in range, he kicked him with his shin directly in the face. The impact was so brutal that Chan Jeong spun in the air.
Before he hit the ground, Byeoto grabbed him by the hair and smashed him against the wall repeatedly, disfiguring his face. Then he threw him to the floor.
Chan Jeong, covered in blood, cried while muttering apologies.
Byeoto leaned down, getting close to his ear.
"I don't want to see a piece of trash like you again. I'm just doing what's necessary… though if you think about it, it's doing society a favor. Don't you think?"
He stood up. He grabbed Chan Jeong's right leg and, with one movement, bent it the wrong way, stomping on his knee.
Chan Jeong let out a gut-wrenching scream.
Byeoto turned around.
"If I see you again, you'll end up worse. Don't show your face around here again."
....
Meanwhile, Taehun was in front of a vending machine. Around him were bodies of other thugs. Only one was left, tall, bulky, almost a beast.
Taehun spoke as he approached, without a hint of fear. He was actually annoyed, because of these idiots provoking him.
"Who paid you? Are you the ones who've been following us? Well… whatever."
He cracked his neck.
"I just have to mess you up and this gets solved. But tell me… who are you?"
Taehun didn't care at all about his name, but it was obvious this guy wasn't like the loser idiots he often beat up.
The young man replied in a deep voice.
"Kim Moonsun."
Taehun didn't waste time and launched a high kick, but Kim Moonsun blocked it with his forearms. Taehun jumped and spun in the air, striking Kim Moonsun's face with his instep. Then he spun again and kicked him with his shin on the other side of his face.
Kim Moonsun didn't step back even though he suffered from the blows, and rushed straight toward him, but Taehun simply dodged easily. Then he twisted his hips violently and launched his leg in an arc, hitting his face with the instep. Kim Moonsun's head snapped backward.
Taehun, without stopping, spun again and delivered another kick, striking directly on the face with his heel. From the force of the blow, Kim Moonsun crashed into the wall.
Taehun looked at him, somewhat puzzled, since Kim Moonsun got up again.
"What are you? A fucking zombie?" he muttered.
Kim Moonsun let out a scream and charged desperately. He threw a punch. Taehun crossed his arms, but the hit pushed him back, and Kim Moonsun continued swinging wildly and desperately.
Taehun fired a straight kick, driving his heel into Kim Moonsun's torso while saying.
"Alright… I get it. You wanna die, huh?"
Then he delivered an upward kick to his jaw. Taehun stepped back, took strong steps, and rose using his supporting leg.
In the air, his body began to rotate. He completed three full spins, and at the end of the last one he extended his leg and struck Kim Moonsun's face with his instep.
Kim Moonsun was sent flying, landing unconscious with blood on his face.
Taehun simply scoffed and walked back into the arcade.
When he entered, Dowoon was still playing and Byeoto was eating next to him.
"Hey, Taehun, didn't you go get something to drink?" Dowoon asked.
Taehun sat down and said.
"I lost the urge. Hurry up, I'm going to beat you now."
"Sure, whatever you say… that's the fourth time this week you've said that" Dowoon replied.
"Shut up and hurry" Taehun growled.
Byeoto commented.
"Wait your turn, it's my turn."
In the end, Taehun and Byeoto played together against Dowoon… and the result was a defeat. Dowoon won.
Now they were walking through the city, while Dowoon said innocently.
"By the way, counting the scoreboard… I have 20 wins, Byeoto has 7 and Taehun has 5."
"Huh? I just let you win!" said Taehun. With that he pushed Dowoon's head while saying.
"You've gotten pretty arrogant to speak like that to your master."
Dowoon, with an expression of pain but smiling, replied.
"Sorry, master…"
Byeoto laughed and stepped between them. With his hands around both their shoulders, he said with a cynical smile.
"Alright, alright, don't fight… we all know that if I wanted, I could beat both of you."
"Arrogant bastard" Taehun muttered, looking away with a small smile. "You're not better than me."
"Sure, whatever you say" Dowoon said, rolling his eyes with a smile.