Chapter 52:
Translator: MarcTempest
Chapter 52
He couldn’t back down now, not after coming this far.
The thug pushed his companions back and clenched his teeth.
“You don’t think I’ll let you go if you just endure, do you? I have to pay you back for that day.”
“Ah, shut up. You talk too much.”
Yoo-hyun taunted him and watched his expression.
It was hilarious to see him flustered by such a simple remark.
“What, what did you say?”
“Hey, are you going to fight with your mouth? Just hit me already.”
“Y-you!”
The thugs didn’t intend to hit him hard, they just wanted to scare him a bit.
But when they were provoked, they couldn’t hold back their fists.
Thud.
His thick fist landed squarely on Yoo-hyun’s face.
But something was wrong.
He clearly hit his face, but he felt nothing in his fist.
At that moment, Yoo-hyun, who had been touching his cheek with both hands, spoke.
“See, you hit me first, right? There’s a CCTV over there in the garbage dump. It’s watching us. I have enough evidence. You know what I mean?”
It was not something that a person who had been hit would say.
His appearance was creepy and the thug stuttered.
“W-what are you talking about?”
“No, just... You’re done for. You messed with the wrong person.”
“...”
“H-hey, what do we do? Shouldn’t we call Hyun Chul hyung?”
“What do you mean, what do we do? J-just beat him up!”
Yoo-hyun smirked and looked at the men who were rushing at him.
He had been taking punches from a pro every day in the gym.
He could see the movements of those punches, but these slow fists looked like slow motion to him.
It wasn’t that they had any sense, they just swung their hands in the air.
He didn’t even need to use his fists.
He dodged the flying fists and tripped them with his feet.
Crash.
“Ugh.”
One of them fell to the ground.
He avoided the others who tried to grab him and pulled their collars with his outstretched hand.
Bang.
“Kugh.”
He smashed their heads together.
It wasn’t just that he saw the movements in front of him.
He could also predict their next actions.
It was the result of training with the pros in the gym.
“Ouch.”
Thump thump.
They didn’t even touch Yoo-hyun, but they kept rolling and falling and bumping into each other.
But Yoo-hyun looked rather relaxed.
He felt an overwhelming power that he had never experienced before, making this situation seem like a scene from a game.
“Huff, huff.”
The thug who had been leading the others was completely fed up with Yoo-hyun’s ghost-like movements.
You bastard!
He gasped for breath and tried to reach out again.
But he lost his direction and his eyes were shaking.
He felt a strong fear.
He sensed the difference in power that he couldn’t overcome.
He had thought he was good at fighting, but he was totally humiliated.
And that was when three of them attacked him together.
On top of that, his relaxed attitude and condescending gaze showed an insurmountable level difference.
He remembered what Han Min Ji had said to him.
-Oppa, that guy looks dangerous. I think it’s better not to mess with him.
He had snorted at her words, but he felt a chill as he looked at his smiling lips.
“And also...”
“There’s more?”
Jin Sun Mi nodded her head vigorously and said.
“Yes. And I heard someone say that they heard from the training center staff that he’s really good at golf too.”
“Golf? A newbie?”
The unexpected word made the atmosphere more focused again.
That’s how the rumors about Yoo-hyun grew like snowballs.
It’s natural for seniors to want to reduce their burden by giving orders to newbies who don’t have much to do.
They usually pass on things that are not really work-related, but rather annoying things that they can do and are doing themselves.
Things like this:
-Yoo-hyun, can you book the meeting room for me?
-Yoo-hyun, can you take this card and buy some paper cups and coffee?
-Yoo-hyun, can you research some supporting data and email me?
-Yoo-hyun, Yoo-hyun, Yoo-hyun.
Like this.
At first, Yoo-hyun was also one of those targets.
But strangely enough, there weren’t many people who bossed him around anymore.
He did his best to fit in with them, but they seemed to think of him as difficult.
It wasn’t because he had done anything special or impressive at work.
He didn’t act arrogant either.
Yoo-hyun was very respectful to his seniors.
Then why?
It was because of what happened at the dinner yesterday.
No one had seen it directly, but the rumor that he had subdued some thugs spread quickly.
The rumor grew out of control and became a heroic tale that even reached Yoo-hyun’s ears.
People look at others with an imprinted image.
Someone who does well at work will continue to look like that, and someone who is rude will always look rude.
It’s not easy to change an established perception.
That’s how important reputation is.
But what about this time?
He had an image of being brave and strong, and also caring and warm.
He had gained a positive reputation that he had worked hard for years to build in an instant.
Of course, Assistant Manager Shin Chan Yong’s face was full of displeasure whenever he saw Yoo-hyun.
But he had no choice.
Even Assistant Manager Go Jae Yoon, who had a bad temper, lowered his tail in front of Yoo-hyun.
Yoo-hyun was lost in thought for a moment.
Park Young Hoon, who was sitting across from him, lifted his beer glass and asked.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just some nonsense.”
“Cheers.”
Gulp.
His throat felt cool as he drank.
The beer tasted different after sweating.
His whole body felt refreshed.
“Ah, this is killing me. Don’t you think so, Yoo-hyun?”
“It’s even better because you’re paying for it.”
Yoo-hyun smiled and Park Young Hoon sighed and shook his head.
“Ah, I’m an idiot for betting with you.”
“You can do it again.”
Yoo-hyun’s words made Park Young Hoon frown.
“Forget it. And are you possessed by an exercise demon or something?”
“No, why?”
“Then why are you improving so fast?”
Yoo-hyun gave a clichéd answer to Park Young Hoon’s question.
“I’m just working hard.”
“Why are you working so hard? Are you going to compete or something?”
“No? Are you crazy? Why would I go to such a thing and hurt myself? I just do it because it’s fun.”
He was absolutely sincere.
He had lived a life without any personal hobbies.
Lately, he had been leaving work early on purpose and going to the gym.
It was an exercise to train himself, not to show off to anyone.
He could forget his worries and focus when he sweated and worked out.
His skills also improved at a fast pace.