The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

I designated Wang Ja-hyun as my sparring partner.

“Me?”

Wang Ja-hyun, the person in question, reacted as if he was completely taken aback.

He shrugged his shoulders slightly while looking at Seo Ga-eul, almost as if he were deliberately feigning surprise.

“Ga-eul, what should I do? That guy just picked me.”

“Pfft, Ja-hyun, you’re really popular. Do your best.”

It was a great chance to humble Wang Ja-hyun, who disliked me, and score some points with Seo Ga-eul.

But one of the boys raised his hand to express his objection.

“Instructor Wi Seon-ah, it seems a bit odd for Ja-hyun to suddenly spar. His skills are on par with current explorers, and now having him fight a student doesn’t seem fair.”

Swoosh.

The boy who stood up was much larger than I had realized when he was seated.

Was he about two meters tall?

On his chest, a golden knight brooch gleamed proudly, identical to the one worn by our class leader.

“May I spar in Ja-hyun’s place?”

“You’re from Class F…”

Instructor Wi’s gaze flickered between me, the large boy, and Wang Ja-hyun.

Her eyes, visible through the goggles, seemed to consider something briefly before she made her decision.

“Sparring with a 4th-grade concept holder so suddenly does seem off. You’re the transfer student, right? Then instead, face Jang Geun-seong, a 2nd-grade concept holder.”

Jang Geun-seong?

It sounded like the name of a Chinese restaurant.

The boy cracked his shoulders and muscles as he stepped forward.

Behind him, other boys, who seemed to be part of Wang Ja-hyun’s group, began cheering.

“Good luck, Geun-seong!”

“No way you’ll lose to Class D, right?”

The atmosphere heated up.

I looked around, wondering if I had any supporters, but all I saw was Baek Yeoul trembling with a pale face.

“I’m Jang Geun-seong. My concept is ‘Muscle’. As the instructor mentioned earlier, I’m a 2nd-grade holder. By the way, my three-lift total is close to a thousand kilograms.”

The way he spoke, like a bodybuilder who had overdosed on steroids, made me shiver.

His burning eyes were unnervingly intense, almost like a predator.

“Instructor, I’m still not great at controlling my strength, so how about we go with no-foul, real battle rules? The one who remains standing after the other is incapacitated wins.”

“Hmm, well… What do you think, on your side?”

At this point, the rules didn’t matter.

I had lost interest since my original opponent, Wang Ja-hyun, was replaced.

No matter what, I just wanted to get this over with quickly.

“Real battle sounds good. I’m Han Nam-jin, and my concepts are ‘Leap’ and ‘Emotion’. I’m not sure of my grade.”

“Dual concepts…?”

At my introduction, Jang Geun-seong’s face briefly flashed with a peculiar expression.

Even the elite students from Class F seemed surprised by the rarity of a dual concept holder.

It made me appreciate just how extraordinary Seo Ga-eul, who could transfer concepts to others, really was.

“Emotion?”

Seo Ga-eul’s eyes sparkled with interest as he looked at me, intrigued by the new information.

That spark signified mild interest.

Thinking about how I could turn that interest into attraction, I felt a little thrill and grew curious.

“Instructor, sometimes people mention grades when introducing their concepts. How high is a 4th-grade concept?”

Swoosh.

The instructor adjusted her goggles.

“This isn’t a theory class, so I’ll explain briefly. Each concept has a level, from Level 1 to Level 5. Researchers created a scale.”

“So, does that mean a 1st-grade concept is Level 1, and a 4th-grade concept is Level 4?”

“That’s right. Most of you students typically possess Level 1 concepts. This special class aims to help you raise those concept grades.”

I was curious about the criteria for dividing concepts from 1st to 5th grade, but I figured I could look it up later.

# # #

“Now, face each other.”

Following the instructor’s words, Jang Geun-seong and I stood about two meters apart.

“Hey, Class D transfer student. How about we make this more interesting with a bet?”

“A bet?”

“You’re attending the party at the headquarters tonight, right? Let’s bet our invitations. If you win, I’ll give you mine. But if I win, your invitation is mine.”

Losing this match would mean that my plan to announce my engagement to Seo Ga-eul at the party would be ruined.

The risk was huge, but it also sounded fun.

And if I got another invitation, I had someone in mind to give it to.

“Deal.”

“No backing out! Everyone heard, right? We’re betting our party invitations!”

Swoosh.

Jang Geun-seong braced himself, bringing his palms forward.

Was it judo?

Jujitsu?

His stance looked similar to those martial arts.

What would happen if this guy, who could lift 1,000 kilograms, grabbed and threw me?

My name would probably change from Han Nam-jin to “pancake”.

In other words, his technique would be a one-hit kill for me.

It reminded me of when Manager Kim Jang-dong chased me with a bulldozer.

But, strictly speaking, I was in better shape now.

Back then, I had been limping from an injured leg.

“Begin!”

Paba-bat!

At the instructor’s signal, I quickly retreated.

The distance widened in an instant.

“Whoa, fast.”

The doctor-instructor admired my speed.

But the real admiration should come now.

Shush-shush-shuk.

I swiftly stripped off my school uniform.

Before anyone knew it, I was down to just my underwear.

“Kyaaa!”

“What, what’s this?!”

The girls screamed, their faces turning red, and even the boys stared at me, wondering, “What’s that guy doing?”

Instructor Wi Seon-ah frowned.

“What are you doing? Why did you take off your clothes?”

“It’s a strategy. That guy looks like he’s learned judo or jujitsu, so if I take off my clothes, there’s less chance he can grab me, right?”

The instructor didn’t seem convinced and didn’t relax her frown.

What about my opponent, Jang Geun-seong?

A smirk spread across the giant’s face.

“You think taking off your clothes will make a difference?”

They all didn’t know.

Shed-skin techniques are essential survival skills in a post-apocalyptic world.

Swoosh.

I grabbed my uniform jacket from the floor.

Circling around Jang Geun-seong, I found my angle and tossed the jacket at his face.

“Nam-jin’s secret move—blindfold!”

“Hey! That’s such an obvious trick!”

Swoosh.

Jang Geun-seong caught my jacket mid-air, almost tearing it apart with his hands.

「Name: Jang Geun-seong
Status: 《Dumbfounded》 – Feels discouraged by his opponent’s absurdity but is pleased to see an opportunity to solidify his standing within his group.」

A slight crack opened in his mental defenses.

That brief moment was all I needed.

I darted forward at lightning speed, diving between Jang Geun-seong’s legs.

“Nam-jin Kick!”

Thwack, wham!

With the force of my speed, my foot connected directly between Jang Geun-seong’s legs.

Every man’s weak spot.

The two gems.

My attack struck with precision, and Jang Geun-seong floated into the air as if weightless.

“Hieek…!”

The scream that escaped his massive frame was surprisingly high-pitched.

He collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, obviously incapacitated.

But I didn’t let my guard down.

“A real man is someone who can kick his opponent’s balls without hesitation!”

Thud-thud-thud.

“Guaaaah! Stop! Please! Guaaaaah!”

After a few more kicks to the same spot, Jang Geun-seong foamed at the mouth and rolled his eyes back.

The match was truly over.

With my flawless victory, all the boys in the room winced, clutching their groins.

“That guy is brutal!”

“Isn’t that against the rules?”

“But wasn’t it Jang Geun-seong who suggested the no-rules real battle?”

Instructor Wi Seon-ah removed her goggles and massaged her forehead, deep in thought.

“I was planning to use this sparring match to demonstrate the difference between a 1st-grade and 2nd-grade concept holder. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this. You effectively led your opponent to drop his guard and exploited his weakness well.”

The special lecture room was filled with an awkward atmosphere.

I wondered if it was wrong for me to win this match.

Why was everyone acting so weird?

Of course, I didn’t care about anyone’s reactions.

From start to finish, I was only interested in Seo Ga-eul’s expression.

“Pfft. This is the first time I’ve seen such a fight.”

Seo Ga-eul finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing, covering her mouth.

When she laughed, even Wang Ja-hyun, who had been stiff-faced beside her, began to laugh.

“Puhaha, Geun-seong, what were you doing? I mean, I know you let your guard down, but still. Hey, stop joking around and get up. Stop messing around.”

I wasn’t joking, though.

My “Nam-jin Kick” was a technique that mercilessly targeted weak spots.

I thought he’d have to lie down for at least two days.

“Hey. I said stop joking.”

At Wang Ja-hyun’s cold words, the dazed Jang Geun-seong, who had been foaming at the mouth, slowly came to his senses.

He shakily stood up and limped back to his seat, muttering an apology to Wang Ja-hyun.

“Ja-hyun, I… I’m sorry. If I hadn’t let my guard down, I could’ve won…”

“Why? Why apologize to me? You’re the one who lost. You’re the one who lost the invitation, too. But it’s such a shame. It would’ve been more fun if you were at the party, Geun-seong.”

Wang Ja-hyun smiled slightly.

Jang Geun-seong, the human tractor, trembled more from the tension in front of the handsome Wang Ja-hyun than from getting hit in his groin.

Maybe he really was gay.

Swoosh.

At that moment, Seo Ga-eul approached me from where she was standing beside Wang Ja-hyun.

She picked up my scattered uniform from the ground and handed it to me, her kindness making her seem like an angel.

“You’re Han Nam-jin, right? I have something to ask—why are you wearing tiger-print underwear again today?”

“I change my underwear once a week.”

“…What?”

“I’m kidding. Actually, I bought a bunch of the same ones. When I like something, I stick with it. It’s the same when I fall for a girl.”

“Oh, I see. By the way, here’s the invitation to the party at the headquarters. I was wondering when I could give it to you, and luckily we ended up in the same class. Maybe it’s fate?”

Seo Ga-eul handed me a small envelope.

She leaned in close to my ear and whispered in a voice that was tickling.

“One invitation is for one person, but you have two now. You can bring a friend or a girlfriend if you have one, or you could sell it at the school market. If you sell it, you could get─.”

As she whispered the price in my ear, I felt my hair stand on end.

What?

Was this invitation really worth that much?

For a moment, I calculated how many days of meals I could buy if I sold both invitations and bought ramen instead.

“Still, you have to come. Got it? I’ll be waiting.”

With those words, Seo Ga-eul patted me on the shoulder.

Did she really want to see me at the party that much?

She must be planning an emergency marriage announcement with me.

I carefully placed the invitation in my pocket and, at the same time, took something out of my pocket and handed it to Seo Ga-eul.

“This is yours, right? Why’d you throw it away?”

“Oh, that’s my handkerchief! I’ve been looking everywhere for it. You found it for me? I was really upset when I lost it. Thank you so much!”

Seo Ga-eul smiled as innocently as a seven-year-old girl meeting Santa Claus on Christmas.

But those ruby-like eyes weren’t looking at me, who returned the handkerchief, nor at Wang Ja-hyun, who seemed annoyed as we whispered to each other.

“……”

“……”

For a brief moment, the gaze of Baek Yeoul, who had been acting like a robot throughout the special lecture, met with Seo Ga-eul’s composed eyes.

It was a fleeting moment, but it felt like sparks were flying more fiercely than during any duel today.

“Well then, Han Nam-jin, see you tonight. I’ll be waiting.”

In the end, I managed to score points with Seo Ga-eul and gain an extra party invitation.

Lucky me.

It felt like I had the goddess of fortune by my side.