Chapter 70
He still vividly remembered the expression on his face when he opened his mouth wide in the sauna.
-You, you…
-Ah, my body? I’ve been working out lately.
-Huh? Oh, oh… I see.
He looked away at the distant mountains after scanning Yoo-hyun’s body up and down.
He also sighed from time to time.
He even avoided eye contact when he spoke.
It felt like he was seeing him right after the incident with the delinquent.
Even Yoo-hyun could tell that his body was much better than before.
He ran in the morning and worked out at the gym in the evening, training his body.
He also ate well, so he had a high muscle mass compared to his body fat.
He wasn’t a pro, but his muscles were quite visible.
It was no wonder that Park Seungwoo, who only saw pot-bellied office workers, was surprised.
Park Seungwoo came out of the restaurant and sat on a bench, smoking a cigarette while Yoo-hyun went to buy a drink.
“Phew…”
There were definitely things in the world that couldn’t be done by effort alone.
The feeling of defeat when facing such reality was not easy to shake off.
The body could be made by exercise.
‘But…’
Park Seungwoo sighed deeply as he recalled Yoo-hyun’s body in the sauna.
“Ha.”
11 a.m.
Yoo-hyun entered the 3rd factory, which was connected to the 2nd factory, with Park Seungwoo.
It was to check the development event line for HPDA3.
At the entrance, Son Minhan, the deputy of the process team, was waiting for them.
He was also Park Seungwoo’s colleague and said with a smirk.
“What are you doing here in a suit?”
“Just curious.”
Park Seungwoo came to the line because of Yoo-hyun.
Son Minhan, who was introducing the line, asked him.
“You must have been in a lot of trouble. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. It’s all settled. But how is it? Do you think it will pass the event?”
“Well. There are a lot of problems here and there. Maybe, what’s reported is only a fraction?”
“Hmm, I see.”
Yoo-hyun nodded his head and walked beside Park Seungwoo, looking around.
Dozens of modularized panels moved on the conveyor belt.
People in work clothes inspected the panels with screens and checked for defects.
Elsewhere, panels that filled one wall flickered red, blue, and green screens in turn.
‘It’s been a while.’
He saw the scene that he had occasionally seen when he was dispatched in the past.
His blurry memories came back to him bit by bit.
-What’s the point of wearing a suit if you don’t go to the line? You have to follow our team rules when you come here.N0v3l--B1nnn hosted the first appearance of this chapter at N0vel.B1n.
The team leader had made him do a lot of things when he was dispatched.
He soldered, experimented, searched for parts, and worked on modules.
He was a scapegoat when curses flew, but he learned a lot thanks to that.
He realized that sitting at a desk and fighting with numbers was different from being on site.
Looking back, it was a good experience.
It helped him achieve great results, and he couldn’t deny that it was very helpful for his career.
“What are you doing?”
Yoo-hyun came back to reality at Park Seungwoo’s question.
“Oh, I’m just curious.”
“Haha, it’s understandable to be curious when you see the line for the first time. Do you want to see more?”
“No. I think it’s okay to go.”
“Will it help you prepare for the seminar? You can’t take pictures of the site, so I’ll get some for you later.”
“Thank you.”
Yoo-hyun answered dryly.
He said goodbye to Son Minhan and left the line.
Yoo-hyun came out of the company and glanced at the gray car parked on the roadside.
It was a common car that could be seen anywhere.
Except for the trays stacked on the trunk with panels in them.
Vroom.
He heard the sound of the engine starting.
The two men in the driver’s seat and the passenger seat had already buckled their seat belts.
‘What? Are they going to leave like that?’
They seemed oblivious.
If they drove like that, the trays would spill and broken panels would scatter on the street.
Yoo-hyun was not so cruel as to leave someone’s mistake alone just because he didn’t know them.
In a split second, he ran forward and knocked on the closed window.
“Excuse me.”
The window opened and a man’s face appeared.
“Yes? What is it?”
Yoo-hyun flinched for a moment.
It was because he was someone who was etched in his memory.
His face was the same even after time had passed.
He must have been old-eyed from the start.
“Uh, there are trays on your trunk.”
The man looked back through the rearview mirror at Yoo-hyun’s words and yelled at the driver’s seat.
“Hey! Kim Seondong, you crazy bastard. Why didn’t you put the trays in?”
“Oops! I’m sorry, sir. I’ll do it right away.”
Clang.
Kim Seondong, who was in the driver’s seat, ran to the trunk and the man in the passenger seat got out of the car and opened the door.
He shouted at Kim Seondong, who was trying to open the trunk door in a hurry.
“Get a grip, man! You’ll spill them!”
“I’m sorry.”
Kim Seondong was flustered.
The man then politely greeted Yoo-hyun.
“Haah… Ah, I’m sorry. And thank you very much.”
“No, I just saw it passing by.”
“You almost caused a big accident. Thank you…”
Bang!
“Hey! You bastard! Don’t close it so hard, you’ll break the panels!”
“I’m sorry.”
A man who was angry, and another man who was cowering in front of him.
The two men overlapped with Yoo-hyun’s memory.
They were exactly the same as before.
After the gray car passed by, Park Seungwoo clicked his tongue.
“Geez, no wonder they get scolded.”
“Do you know them?”
“Of course. They’re from the 4th Product Team. I worked with them briefly last time. Geez, thinking about how hard it was then…”
“They’re not very good?”
“They seem to have some skills, but they need to listen to orders. Even their supervisor can’t control them there.”
That makes sense.
That team itself was not ordinary.
“They look like troublemakers, don’t they?”
“Hahaha, you should try working with them.”
He still had a long way to go before his dispatch, but he had a feeling that he might meet them sooner.
No, he had to make it happen.
When he arrived home from his business trip, it was already dark night.
Yoo-hyun put down his laptop bag and took off his jacket, hanging it on a hanger.
He was about to tidy up the rest of his clothes when his phone vibrated.
Beep.
-Are you home? Good job. Sleep well and see you tomorrow.
Yoo-hyun smiled at Park Seungwoo’s text.
He immediately opened the notebook on his desk.
There were the short-term plans for the next three months that he had planned, listed by items.
What would Park Seungwoo’s expression be like when all these items were filled with circles?
What kind of reaction would he show when he achieved what he had worked for?
Yoo-hyun was genuinely curious.
Saturday afternoon.
Yoo-hyun stopped by the gym at the director’s request.
He wanted to loosen up his body since he hadn’t been able to exercise lately due to frequent dinners and business trips.
But he never dreamed that his opponent would be Kim Taesoo, a pro.
“I don’t think I’m ready for your level yet.”
“It’s okay. Just think of it as warming up and try it once.”
Just warming up?
Yoo-hyun looked at Kim Taesoo, who was facing him on the ring.
His body shuddered at the fierce aura.
He flashed back to the scene where he knocked out his opponent in the first round of his pro debut match.
The serious look in his eyes now was no less than that of then.
He wasn’t joking around on the ring right now.
“You can stop whenever you want. I just have something to test, that’s all.”
“Do I help you?”
“Yes. Taesoo needs your help right now.”
“…”
At the director’s words, Yoo-hyun tapped his gloved hands lightly.
The feeling at the end of his fist was not bad.
Regardless of the outcome, Yoo-hyun wanted to confirm it.
How much he had grown compared to when he first came to the gym.
As he made up his mind, his nervousness subsided as if it were a lie.
Thump. Thump.
His heart was beating calmly.
The spirit of challenge that had been dormant in Yoo-hyun’s body stimulated him.
‘Yes. Let’s do this!’
Yoo-hyun decided and said with a glint in his eyes.
“Director, let’s go.”
“Kid, you’re fearless. Alright. Let’s do this.”
The director nodded and stepped out of the ring.
Ding.
The bell rang and the practice match began.
The director watched their movements from outside the ring.
Yoo-hyun’s skills had improved a lot recently, but he was only half-baked.
He hadn’t taught him how to kick properly yet.
There was no way he could compete with Kim Taesoo at that level.
But there was a reason why the director called Yoo-hyun in a hurry.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, Kim Taesoo’s long arm flew at Yoo-hyun.
His combination of punches and kicks hit Yoo-hyun.
But Yoo-hyun dodged them all.
“Huh, wow. I’m amazed every time I see it.”
The director exclaimed as he saw it.
Yoo-hyun’s style was exactly like Kim Taesoo’s next opponent.
The opponent, who came from an outboxer background, was good at fast reaction and distance control.
He used his feet to circle the ring and manage the match, just like Yoo-hyun now.
It was perfect for draining Kim Taesoo’s stamina, who had a large build.
But Kim Taesoo had a countermeasure for that.
Swoosh!
You can’t avoid it forever.
He cornered Yoo-hyun and threw a flurry of punches.
Yoo-hyun blocked the unavoidable fists with his guard, but he soon reached his limit.
As if to prove it, Yoo-hyun’s guard was gradually lowering.
Swoosh!
Yoo-hyun tilted his head back in an instant, predicting Kim Taesoo’s movement that he saw for a moment.
The fist that grazed his nose created a fierce wind.
It was thrilling, but he felt more excitement than fear.
‘I can see it.’
He could see it more clearly than before.
He could now dodge his body by just the right distance.
Punches and kicks.
He had countless combinations of patterns in his head.
Of course, knowing them didn’t mean he could win.
He had to hit at least once, but if he moved rashly, he would fall into Kim Taesoo’s trap.
He couldn’t win.
But he could definitely hit him once.
For that, Yoo-hyun set a trap.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
Kim Taesoo’s favorite right hook grazed Yoo-hyun’s guard.
It was a strong fist that hurt even when it grazed.
But Yoo-hyun endured it and deliberately made a gap.
Like a snake twisting its tail and waiting for its prey, he lowered his guard little by little.
So that Kim Taesoo could misunderstand.
Thud thud thud thud thwack!
Kim Taesoo, who had cornered Yoo-hyun, threw another combination.
Then Yoo-hyun’s left hand came down further.
‘Got him!’
It was when Yoo-hyun’s chin was exposed above his guard.
Kim Taesoo faked to the left and threw a right hook.
He eased up a bit because he shouldn’t hit too hard even on the headgear.
At that moment, Yoo-hyun’s figure disappeared like an afterimage.
‘What?’
Thud!
And the strange sound in his ear.
It was the moment when Yoo-hyun’s left hit his face precisely.
Chapter 70
He still vividly remembered the expression on his face when he opened his mouth wide in the sauna.
-You, you…
-Ah, my body? I’ve been working out lately.
-Huh? Oh, oh… I see.
He looked away at the distant mountains after scanning Yoo-hyun’s body up and down.
He also sighed from time to time.
He even avoided eye contact when he spoke.
It felt like he was seeing him right after the incident with the delinquent.
Even Yoo-hyun could tell that his body was much better than before.
He ran in the morning and worked out at the gym in the evening, training his body.
He also ate well, so he had a high muscle mass compared to his body fat.
He wasn’t a pro, but his muscles were quite visible.
It was no wonder that Park Seungwoo, who only saw pot-bellied office workers, was surprised.
Park Seungwoo came out of the restaurant and sat on a bench, smoking a cigarette while Yoo-hyun went to buy a drink.
“Phew…”
There were definitely things in the world that couldn’t be done by effort alone.
The feeling of defeat when facing such reality was not easy to shake off.
The body could be made by exercise.
‘But…’
Park Seungwoo sighed deeply as he recalled Yoo-hyun’s body in the sauna.
“Ha.”
11 a.m.
Yoo-hyun entered the 3rd factory, which was connected to the 2nd factory, with Park Seungwoo.
It was to check the development event line for HPDA3.
At the entrance, Son Minhan, the deputy of the process team, was waiting for them.
He was also Park Seungwoo’s colleague and said with a smirk.
“What are you doing here in a suit?”
“Just curious.”
Park Seungwoo came to the line because of Yoo-hyun.
Son Minhan, who was introducing the line, asked him.
“You must have been in a lot of trouble. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. It’s all settled. But how is it? Do you think it will pass the event?”
“Well. There are a lot of problems here and there. Maybe, what’s reported is only a fraction?”
“Hmm, I see.”
Yoo-hyun nodded his head and walked beside Park Seungwoo, looking around.
Dozens of modularized panels moved on the conveyor belt.
People in work clothes inspected the panels with screens and checked for defects.
Elsewhere, panels that filled one wall flickered red, blue, and green screens in turn.
‘It’s been a while.’
He saw the scene that he had occasionally seen when he was dispatched in the past.
His blurry memories came back to him bit by bit.
-What’s the point of wearing a suit if you don’t go to the line? You have to follow our team rules when you come here.N0v3l--B1nnn hosted the first appearance of this chapter at N0vel.B1n.
The team leader had made him do a lot of things when he was dispatched.
He soldered, experimented, searched for parts, and worked on modules.
He was a scapegoat when curses flew, but he learned a lot thanks to that.
He realized that sitting at a desk and fighting with numbers was different from being on site.
Looking back, it was a good experience.
It helped him achieve great results, and he couldn’t deny that it was very helpful for his career.
“What are you doing?”
Yoo-hyun came back to reality at Park Seungwoo’s question.
“Oh, I’m just curious.”
“Haha, it’s understandable to be curious when you see the line for the first time. Do you want to see more?”
“No. I think it’s okay to go.”
“Will it help you prepare for the seminar? You can’t take pictures of the site, so I’ll get some for you later.”
“Thank you.”
Yoo-hyun answered dryly.
He said goodbye to Son Minhan and left the line.
Yoo-hyun came out of the company and glanced at the gray car parked on the roadside.
It was a common car that could be seen anywhere.
Except for the trays stacked on the trunk with panels in them.
Vroom.
He heard the sound of the engine starting.
The two men in the driver’s seat and the passenger seat had already buckled their seat belts.
‘What? Are they going to leave like that?’
They seemed oblivious.
If they drove like that, the trays would spill and broken panels would scatter on the street.
Yoo-hyun was not so cruel as to leave someone’s mistake alone just because he didn’t know them.
In a split second, he ran forward and knocked on the closed window.
“Excuse me.”
The window opened and a man’s face appeared.
“Yes? What is it?”
Yoo-hyun flinched for a moment.
It was because he was someone who was etched in his memory.
His face was the same even after time had passed.
He must have been old-eyed from the start.
“Uh, there are trays on your trunk.”
The man looked back through the rearview mirror at Yoo-hyun’s words and yelled at the driver’s seat.
“Hey! Kim Seondong, you crazy bastard. Why didn’t you put the trays in?”
“Oops! I’m sorry, sir. I’ll do it right away.”
Clang.
Kim Seondong, who was in the driver’s seat, ran to the trunk and the man in the passenger seat got out of the car and opened the door.
He shouted at Kim Seondong, who was trying to open the trunk door in a hurry.
“Get a grip, man! You’ll spill them!”
“I’m sorry.”
Kim Seondong was flustered.
The man then politely greeted Yoo-hyun.
“Haah… Ah, I’m sorry. And thank you very much.”
“No, I just saw it passing by.”
“You almost caused a big accident. Thank you…”
Bang!
“Hey! You bastard! Don’t close it so hard, you’ll break the panels!”
“I’m sorry.”
A man who was angry, and another man who was cowering in front of him.
The two men overlapped with Yoo-hyun’s memory.
They were exactly the same as before.
After the gray car passed by, Park Seungwoo clicked his tongue.
“Geez, no wonder they get scolded.”
“Do you know them?”
“Of course. They’re from the 4th Product Team. I worked with them briefly last time. Geez, thinking about how hard it was then…”
“They’re not very good?”
“They seem to have some skills, but they need to listen to orders. Even their supervisor can’t control them there.”
That makes sense.
That team itself was not ordinary.
“They look like troublemakers, don’t they?”
“Hahaha, you should try working with them.”
He still had a long way to go before his dispatch, but he had a feeling that he might meet them sooner.
No, he had to make it happen.
When he arrived home from his business trip, it was already dark night.
Yoo-hyun put down his laptop bag and took off his jacket, hanging it on a hanger.
He was about to tidy up the rest of his clothes when his phone vibrated.
Beep.
-Are you home? Good job. Sleep well and see you tomorrow.
Yoo-hyun smiled at Park Seungwoo’s text.
He immediately opened the notebook on his desk.
There were the short-term plans for the next three months that he had planned, listed by items.
What would Park Seungwoo’s expression be like when all these items were filled with circles?
What kind of reaction would he show when he achieved what he had worked for?
Yoo-hyun was genuinely curious.
Saturday afternoon.
Yoo-hyun stopped by the gym at the director’s request.
He wanted to loosen up his body since he hadn’t been able to exercise lately due to frequent dinners and business trips.
But he never dreamed that his opponent would be Kim Taesoo, a pro.
“I don’t think I’m ready for your level yet.”
“It’s okay. Just think of it as warming up and try it once.”
Just warming up?
Yoo-hyun looked at Kim Taesoo, who was facing him on the ring.
His body shuddered at the fierce aura.
He flashed back to the scene where he knocked out his opponent in the first round of his pro debut match.
The serious look in his eyes now was no less than that of then.
He wasn’t joking around on the ring right now.
“You can stop whenever you want. I just have something to test, that’s all.”
“Do I help you?”
“Yes. Taesoo needs your help right now.”
“…”
At the director’s words, Yoo-hyun tapped his gloved hands lightly.
The feeling at the end of his fist was not bad.
Regardless of the outcome, Yoo-hyun wanted to confirm it.
How much he had grown compared to when he first came to the gym.
As he made up his mind, his nervousness subsided as if it were a lie.
Thump. Thump.
His heart was beating calmly.
The spirit of challenge that had been dormant in Yoo-hyun’s body stimulated him.
‘Yes. Let’s do this!’
Yoo-hyun decided and said with a glint in his eyes.
“Director, let’s go.”
“Kid, you’re fearless. Alright. Let’s do this.”
The director nodded and stepped out of the ring.
Ding.
The bell rang and the practice match began.
The director watched their movements from outside the ring.
Yoo-hyun’s skills had improved a lot recently, but he was only half-baked.
He hadn’t taught him how to kick properly yet.
There was no way he could compete with Kim Taesoo at that level.
But there was a reason why the director called Yoo-hyun in a hurry.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, Kim Taesoo’s long arm flew at Yoo-hyun.
His combination of punches and kicks hit Yoo-hyun.
But Yoo-hyun dodged them all.
“Huh, wow. I’m amazed every time I see it.”
The director exclaimed as he saw it.
Yoo-hyun’s style was exactly like Kim Taesoo’s next opponent.
The opponent, who came from an outboxer background, was good at fast reaction and distance control.
He used his feet to circle the ring and manage the match, just like Yoo-hyun now.
It was perfect for draining Kim Taesoo’s stamina, who had a large build.
But Kim Taesoo had a countermeasure for that.
Swoosh!
You can’t avoid it forever.
He cornered Yoo-hyun and threw a flurry of punches.
Yoo-hyun blocked the unavoidable fists with his guard, but he soon reached his limit.
As if to prove it, Yoo-hyun’s guard was gradually lowering.
Swoosh!
Yoo-hyun tilted his head back in an instant, predicting Kim Taesoo’s movement that he saw for a moment.
The fist that grazed his nose created a fierce wind.
It was thrilling, but he felt more excitement than fear.
‘I can see it.’
He could see it more clearly than before.
He could now dodge his body by just the right distance.
Punches and kicks.
He had countless combinations of patterns in his head.
Of course, knowing them didn’t mean he could win.
He had to hit at least once, but if he moved rashly, he would fall into Kim Taesoo’s trap.
He couldn’t win.
But he could definitely hit him once.
For that, Yoo-hyun set a trap.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
Kim Taesoo’s favorite right hook grazed Yoo-hyun’s guard.
It was a strong fist that hurt even when it grazed.
But Yoo-hyun endured it and deliberately made a gap.
Like a snake twisting its tail and waiting for its prey, he lowered his guard little by little.
So that Kim Taesoo could misunderstand.
Thud thud thud thud thwack!
Kim Taesoo, who had cornered Yoo-hyun, threw another combination.
Then Yoo-hyun’s left hand came down further.
‘Got him!’
It was when Yoo-hyun’s chin was exposed above his guard.
Kim Taesoo faked to the left and threw a right hook.
He eased up a bit because he shouldn’t hit too hard even on the headgear.
At that moment, Yoo-hyun’s figure disappeared like an afterimage.
‘What?’
Thud!
And the strange sound in his ear.
It was the moment when Yoo-hyun’s left hit his face precisely.
