NOVEL WEB Chapter 52 - Gotcha
Chapter 52: Gotcha
TL: Aniea
‘…Indeed, both of them are far from ordinary people.’
Kang Dae-ho clicked his tongue as he looked at Kang Woo-ju and Kim Eun-ha, who had changed into blue and white uniforms respectively.
It was impressive in many ways that Kim Eun-ha, who suddenly suggested a one-on-one sparring match, and Kang Woo-ju, who accepted it seriously, were both extraordinary.
‘They even have strong competitive spirits.’
Seeing Kang Woo-ju’s eyes blazing, he couldn’t help but nod.
Students with strong competitive spirits tend to improve quickly because they find it hard to accept that they are lagging behind others.
Sometimes, if it’s too excessive, it can be problematic. But if there’s someone who can adjust their motivation and guide them in the right direction, it’s beneficial.
‘With his natural physique, sense, and competitive spirit, it’s hard to find a better talent than him.’
Kang Dae-ho’s desire to teach Kang Woo-ju sincerely began to grow. At the same time, he felt regret that he couldn’t do so.
‘…He won’t be able to beat the young miss.’
Seeing Kim Eun-ha neatly dressed in her uniform made him nod again.
Kim Eun-ha was second to none in competitiveness. Moreover, she had been honed under Kang Dae-ho’s personal guidance for nearly 20 years since she was a child.
She had mastered everything from practical combat techniques focusing on striking and combat sports to various grappling techniques, ground fighting, and joint locks.
‘The young miss is always impressive, no matter when you see her.’
Even among the bodyguards of Mirae Group, there aren’t many who can guarantee a victory against her.
That’s including men who are superior in weight class. Among women, she has no match.
‘A half-hearted weight difference won’t be enough to win.’
Of course, Kang Woo-ju is several weight classes above her, but he is a total beginner when it comes to martial arts.
If it were a street fight with no rules, it might be different, but in a sparring match with set rules, Kim Eun-ha’s chances of winning increase dramatically.
‘…Still, it’s a pity to leave it as it is.’
Hmm—
Kang Dae-ho, predicting the outcome of the two, let out a groan. After contemplating for a while, he decided to give Kang Woo-ju a slight advantage.
“Seo Baek-ho, Han Yeo-ryeong, step forward.”
At his call, a man and a woman walked forward. They were members of Kim Eun-ha’s security team and had been working with Kang Dae-ho for several years.
Their weight classes were similar to that of Kang Woo-ju and Kim Eun-ha. If he had good eyes, he could learn a lot from watching them.
“Team Leader Kang.”
Shiver-
Kang Dae-ho shivered silently at the voice that contained both slight displeasure and sharpness.
Just by calling Seo Baek-ho and Han Yeo-ryeong, Kim Eun-ha had noticed his intention and showed her discontent. But there was no turning back now.
“Since Kang Woo-ju probably doesn’t know the rules well, I’m just going to show him a demonstration match with a simple explanation.”
“Is that really all?”
“…Of course. That’s really all.”
Hmph—
He felt like he heard a snort by his ear, but there was no way the great Kim Eun-ha would have done that.
So it must have been an illusion, thought Kang Dae-ho, as he avoided Kim Eun-ha’s gaze.
“Considering the weight class difference between the two, standing strikes are prohibited. Also, excessive joint locks that could severely injure the opponent are excluded.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Since you’re probably not warmed up yet, the first match will be considered practice. Warm up properly while moving around, and then we’ll decide the winner in a best of five. Any objections?”
“None!”
“Good, then get up there.”
With short answers and a nod, the students moved to the center. Watching their backs, Kang Dae-ho made a simple prediction about the outcome.
Although Han Yeo-ryeong was superior in terms of skill, Seo Baek-ho was likely to win due to the weight difference.
‘Let’s see how good his eyes are.’
When Kang Dae-ho turned his gaze, there was Kang Woo-ju, watching his fellow trainees with a burning look in his eyes.
He, too, immediately understood Kang Dae-ho’s consideration and seemed to light a fire within himself to refer to the match of the two ahead.
‘…Of course, I don’t think he can fully follow everything just by watching once or twice.’
Regardless of all victories and defeats, he wanted to see purely how much potential Kang Woo-ju possessed as a martial artist.
“Seo Baek-ho, Han Yeo-ryeong. Are both of you ready?”
“Yes!”
“Good, then get ready… Start!”
“Hoo-!”
As Kang Dae-ho raised his hand high, the demonstration match began.
Both of them didn’t take it lightly just because it was a practice match and did their best in the game. The result was as Kang Dae-ho had predicted.
“Seo Baek-ho wins.”
Phew—
As the decision was made, Seo Baek-ho stood up with a deep sigh, and Han Yeo-ryeong bit her lip in frustration from her defeat.
Since standing strikes were restricted, they had to rely mainly on grappling, such as judo, jiu-jitsu, or wrestling, to subdue their opponent.
It started with a fight to grab each other’s collars. Naturally, Seo Baek-ho, who had a longer reach due to his weight class, had the upper hand.
This was the same on the ground. No matter how skillfully Han Yeo-ryeong escaped, it was ultimately difficult to overturn the result.
“Take a deep breath again. Ready. Start!”
“Hoo-!”
The matches continued afterward.
The result was a 3:1 victory for Seo Baek-ho.
Although she lost, Han Yeo-ryeong was not easy to defeat. She managed to score a point by cleanly throwing Seo Baek-ho after luring his attack.
Though still looking unhappy about her defeat, she appeared better than when she lost two matches in a row.
“Team Leader, it’s our turn now, right?”
At that moment, Kim Eun-ha stepped forward and spoke. She seemed unable to wait any longer, her body heated from watching the previous match.
In response, Kang Dae-ho glanced sideways to check Kang Woo-ju’s condition. A faint smile formed on his lips.
‘He’s ready too.’
Kang Woo-ju, with a more serious expression than before, seemed to have thought about something from watching the earlier match.
His eyes, cold and composed unlike before, didn’t mean his passion had cooled down.
The burning desire to win inside his deep eyes was even more evident than before. It was just that his mind had become cooler for the sake of victory.
‘…This is a big deal.’
Kang Dae-ho suppressed a wry smile as he found himself liking Woo-ju’s demeanor more and more.
*
‘This is what I like about Woo-ju.’
Kim Eun-ha nodded inwardly as she looked at Kang Woo-ju’s serious eyes facing her.
You could tell just by looking at his eyes. He had no intention of holding back just because she was a woman.
Rather, he acknowledged his lack of skill, carefully watched the previous matches, and even now, he was planning to give it his all from the start.
‘He’ll actively utilize his weight class.’
Using reach for standing strikes is against the rules. And he hasn’t mastered ground techniques either.
Therefore, the most rational choice for Kang Woo-ju would be to charge at her like a bull, using his weight to overpower her without giving her a chance to use her skills.
This method is actually difficult to counter even if you know it’s coming. Seo Baek-ho, who demonstrated earlier, also won two matches in this manner.
‘In that case, I’ll…’
She imagined Kang Woo-ju charging at her in her mind. She planned when, where, and how to use her hands and feet.
Of course, it’s impossible to expect everything to work out perfectly like a math formula, but the more she narrowed down the possibilities, the more advantageous it would be.
Meanwhile, Kang Dae-ho approached the two and spoke.
“Are both of you ready?”
“Ready.”
“Me too.”
“Then let’s begin.”
Chak-!
As Kang Dae-ho’s hand went up, adrenaline started coursing through her veins.
“Ready…”
As she focused intensely, time seemed to split and stretch, making each second feel like ten.
Sss- Hoo-
She calmed her rising excitement with deep breaths and maintained her body’s tension just right. She waited for the signal.
“Start!”
Tat-!
As soon as the match started, Kang Woo-ju charged like a bull, just as she expected.
His sturdy build, which usually felt reassuring, now came at her like a tidal wave.
But Kim Eun-ha’s body didn’t shrink back. Instead, she lowered her stance and stepped forward, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
‘A high wave is a disaster in itself…’
To a surfer waiting for the wave, it’s just a mere plaything.
She swiftly moved inside Kang Woo-ju’s body, extending her arms.
With her left hand grabbing his sleeve and her right hand slipping under his armpit, she used her pre-positioned foot as a pivot to rotate her entire body.
Puh-uck-!
Using her body like a lever, she redirected Kang Woo-ju’s charging force and threw him to the ground.
“Guh-!”
Kang Woo-ju let out a cry.
If it hadn’t been for the special mat used in international competitions, designed for safety, he would have been seriously injured from the impact.
It showed how much force he had put into his charge. If she had misjudged the timing even slightly, she would have been knocked down like someone hit by a truck.
“Hoo- Woo-ju ssi, are you okay?”
“…”
Kang Woo-ju didn’t respond.
At first, she was startled, thinking he might be seriously hurt, but he gently shook his head with his eyes closed.
Lying flat on the ground, he seemed to be deep in thought, likely reviewing the situation that just happened.
“Hm…”
After a short while.
Kang Woo-ju suddenly sprang up. He adjusted his disheveled uniform as if nothing had happened and returned to his place.
Then he faced Kim Eun-ha again. His gaze was unchanged, just as before, with not a hint of defeat in his eyes.
In response, Kim Eun-ha silently assumed her stance. The arena fell silent at the sight of the two.
“Ready.”
Kang Dae-ho, with a much more serious expression than before, raised his hand. Then, he gave the signal.
“Start!”
Thump-!
As if to prove that his choice wasn’t wrong, Woo-ju charged in at the same angle as before.
However, his speed had increased even more, and his momentum had become overwhelmingly ferocious. It felt as if a dump truck was bearing down on her, rather than a tidal wave.
In contrast, Kim Eun-ha remained calm. Like a deep lake, she didn’t move from her spot and waited patiently for her opponent to come at her.
Boom-!
The result was the same as before. Kang Woo-ju was once again thrown to the ground, while Kim Eun-ha stood firmly in place. But there was one difference.
“…Huh?”
“Did something feel off just now?”
“So, it wasn’t just me?”
The bodyguards began to murmur. Kim Eun-ha, too, looked down at her hand with a peculiar feeling.
When she reached out, Kang Woo-ju had slightly tilted his shoulder, trying to slip past her grip.
That part could be understood as an instinctive movement, but there was something unsettling about it.
“…Hmm. It felt like this, I think.”
In the meantime, Kang Woo-ju had already gotten up again, muttering to himself as he returned to his spot and assumed his stance once more.
But watching him gave her a strange sense of déjà vu. Something had definitely changed from before.
“Ready.”
Just as she was about to grasp it, Kang Dae-ho raised his hand again. Kim Eun-ha shook off her distracting thoughts and focused her gaze straight ahead.
“Start!”
Ta-ang-!
It felt like she heard an echo. Kang Woo-ju’s speed as he lunged forward was on a different level than before.
Gone was the clumsy figure. He had fully utilized the strength from his feet to propel himself forward, making it possible.
‘Could this be…!?’
In her surprise, she reflexively reached out her hand, but astonishingly, Kang Woo-ju twisted his shoulder slightly and deflected her hand.
Everyone watching the match widened their eyes at that movement. They realized what Kang Woo-ju had done.
“…Seo Baek-ho!?”
His movements were exactly the same as those in the match where Seo Baek-ho had won.
Breathing, movements, even his gaze. For a moment, everyone present saw Kang Woo-ju and Seo Baek-ho’s figures overlap perfectly.
The mysterious déjà vu was finally explained. Kang Woo-ju had ‘acted out’ Seo Baek-ho from the earlier demonstration match.
‘This is ridiculous…!!’
As Kim Eun-ha was stunned by this incredible feat, Kang Woo-ju had already reached her, grabbed her shoulders, and pinned her to the ground.
With a thud, the two fell to the floor, lying side by side. With their faces so close they could feel each other’s breaths, Kang Woo-ju, like a child, smiled and said,
“Gotcha.”
Gulp-!
Facing his black eyes, which resembled those of a beast, Kim Eun-ha involuntarily swallowed dryly.
*****
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