56. Festival (4)
Yeon Si-mun hated defeat.
All humans are like that, but he was more aware than anyone else that he was unique.
The reason I hated defeat was simple and clear. It’s because I’ve already suffered too many defeats that this world gives me.
The death penalty was killed by the villain.
No matter how you think about it, he died because he himself was weak.
So he worked hard on himself.
I have to be strong.
Revenge is inevitable. However, he knew very well that there was little at the end of that inevitable revenge.
I felt that clearly the last time I finished avenging the man who beheaded the death penalty.
So he didn’t want to walk alone in that insignificant wasteland. Life was to be enjoyed in its own way.
So Yeon Si-mun was serious about eating.
Because eating something delicious makes me feel better.
Agjak-
I ate pork cutlet. The crispy batter and the meat melted together in the mouth.
Slurp-
I didn’t even eat breakfast today, so I even inhaled ramen.
“Isn’t it delicious?”
Lee Do-jin ate pork cutlet while facing the grinning Yeon Si-mun.
“Yes, it’s delicious.”
Yeon Si-moon liked the existence of Lee Do-jin. Unlike himself who faced a terrible defeat, the appearance of a man who continued his winning streak. She seemed virtuous, to use Rachel’s favorite phrase.
‘It’s not like I used my fist once or twice. It doesn’t even feel like being hit once or twice.’
Even considering her sword power alone, she was not short of being called a genius. However, she had a little bit of experience in Dalian, and she also had a good understanding of martial arts.
“Come often.”
Lee Do-jin felt the energy of a hunter who caught the prey in Yeon Si-mun’s words and eyes.
“Next time, let’s be sincere with both of us. Let’s each do our best. We pray.”
“…I see.”
But she was one of the people I was thankful for, Yeonsi Moon, who was too cold to refuse.
***
The weekend passed and it was Tuesday.
It was the first day of the three-day Iroas Academy festival.
It was still lunchtime, so it was a long way for celebrities to come. The cadets were busy participating in the events held by the club.
“Someone come to arm wrestle?”
What appeared in front of Lee Do-jin, who entered the martial arts club, was the tall male senior he saw on Saturday.
“Hey, your friends are here.”
Park Sung-gu and Kang Chan-hyung were holding each other’s right arms in an arm wrestling position.
Yeon Si-mun was supervising the women’s arm wrestling.
Lee Do-jin approached Park Seong-gu and Kang Chan-hyung.
“Hey, buddy!”
Park Seong-gu smiled and stared at Lee Do-jin.
“Did you come, Lee Do-jin?”
Kang Chan-hyung also stared at Lee Do-jin with fighting spirit in her eyes.
Park Seong-gu and Kang Chan-hyung looked at each other again.
“Where is the windmill kid going? Huh?”
Park Seong-gu immediately opened his mouth at Kang Chan-hyung’s provocation.
“The anchovies definitely lick their mouths.”
Both of them were far from windmills and anchovies. The bodies of the two were slightly different in shape, but they were masses of muscle with almost no body fat. That’s why we stopped meaningless accusations against each other and started to arm wrestle properly.
Kwa-ak!
Arm wrestling began tensely.
The two radiated each other’s strength without making any concessions.
The tight gap, which had not been disturbed for a minute, gradually tilted. It was Park Seong-gu who had the upper hand.
Boom!
In the end, the back of Kang Chan-hyung’s hand touched the floor.
Kang Chan-hyung, who was defeated, grabbed his blonde hair.
“Ahh! A muscular bastard!”
Park Seong-gu laughed heartily.
“You can’t even admit defeat! Man, man!”
Park Seong-gu’s eyes turned to Lee Do-jin again.
“It’s you this time! Friend! I hope the freshman representative won’t avoid the showdown!”
Lee Do-jin smirked at Park Seong-gu’s obvious provocation.
“Today, I’m just telling myself to play. The 500,000 won tournament is tomorrow. Stop working hard today and do it tomorrow.”
500,000 Won.
Among the academy cadets, it was quite rare for cadets to be hungry for 500,000 won. Because I needed money to bloom and nurture that talent. It was in this world that even cadets born in disadvantaged families eventually got into the eyes of their sponsors and had a decent environment to live in.
Those who had talent but didn’t have a plausible background or were influenced by the touch of the underworld often became villains.
Because the reality of this world is that even if you have the same talent, the results are divided according to luck.
Rather than the usual prize money of 500,000 won, the honor of first place will be more important.
“Stop stocking up, friend. Do you think you’ll lose?”
Seonggu Park laughed, opening his mouth wide enough to show off his neat teeth.
I was going to ignore Lee Do-jin because he wasn’t the type to get caught in such a provocation, but the surroundings suddenly became noisy.
“Looks like the freshmen representative and that big kid are going to arm wrestle.”
“Can you beat that size with pure physicality without using prayers?”
Twelve male and female cadets gathered together. Most of them were first graders who started to enjoy the festival period that started with a worldly face.
Lee Do-jin clicked her tongue inside her.
I didn’t expect that there would be so many people. And Lee Do-jin’s fighting spirit wasn’t low enough to avoid the fight he had to face in such a crowded situation.
Lee Do-jin, who suffered from mana alexia, was able to reach the level of the transcendental realm because of his desire to prove himself.
“Good.”
In the end, Lee Do-jin sat down and grabbed Park Seong-gu’s right hand.
There was only one thought in Lee Do-jin’s head.
‘Quick fight.’
There was no reason to procrastinate against Park Seong-gu, who had given up on Kang Chan-hyung earlier.
Kang Chan-hyung, who was next to us, put their right hands together over the center board.
“Ready.”
Chin!
Park Seong-gu felt an ominous feeling from the moment his grip was wrapped around Lee Do-jin’s hand. It was because the feeling of being wrapped up so perfectly passed through her brain.
“Start.”
As soon as Kang Chan-hyung’s words finished, Park Seong-gu’s right arm tilted. By Lee Do-jin’s right hand.
Boom!
And soon, the back of Park Seong-gu’s huge hand touched the board.
It was a game that ended too quickly.
Ohhhhh!!
The cheers of the cadets echoed in front of the martial arts club.
Lee Do-jin patted Kang Chan-hyung on the shoulder and stood up.
“You won because you lost your strength.”
And then, ignoring the gazes of peers staring at him, he left. Anyway, the day I decided to help properly was tomorrow, where I would bet 500,000 won on the contest.
Lee Do-jin sat on the bench. True to the name of the festival, male and female cadets clung to each other and wandered around. Of course, almost half of the male and female cadets formed pairs of friends.
Lee Do-jin, who has become half of his daily life bumping into villains, so he felt a sense of stability in the scene of a festival worthy of a university.
“Lee Do-jin!”
Lee Do-jin sat on a wooden bench and faced something running towards him.
She was Choi Bitna wearing an apron.
Choi Bit-na, who ran to her bobbed hair and fluttered her hair, grabbed Lee Do-jin’s right hand and stood her up.
“Follow me!”
“Where are you going?”
“Enough!”
Choi Bit-na ignored Lee Do-jin’s questions and only harmed her crowd and dragged Lee Do-jin away. With her wavy bobbed hair. She saw a diamond earring swinging from her earlobe.
‘Fortunately, gifts are well used. I thought I wouldn’t use it because I was angry.’
When Choi Bit-na heard it herself, her furious words came to Lee Do-jin’s head as she was furious to the ends of her head.
The place where Choi Bit-na stopped was at a food stall where her bright red color caught her eye.
“Cooking club! It’s a snack bar!”
Choi Bit-na shouted with both her fists on her waist. Her imposing posture felt like a specimen of elation.
Bitna Choi’s bright eyes stared straight at Dojin Lee.
“But it’s not sold!”
… Did you mean to spend money?
Lee Do-jin took out his wallet.
Her bear-like man, who was stirring the tteokbokki on her grill, shook her head with her tired face.
“…Shine, no strong selling. Do you want to be referred to the student council? Yes. I heard a lot. Nice to meet you. Freshman representative junior. I’ll just give you a cup for free, so taste it. It doesn’t stand.”
Choi Bit-na quickly told me the identity of her man.
“Ah, this is the club president! Senior Kim Taek-seong.”
Lee Do-jin felt the sincerity in his man’s words.
“Okay, senior.”
She looked at the cup of tteokbokki that her man had prepared for her.
At this moment, he decided to possess Yeon Si-moon, the best gourmet among his personal connections.
She thought so and she ate a piece of tteokbokki.
“Hmm.”
It doesn’t taste good.
Lee Do-jin barely suppressed the honest feelings that filled his throat.
“That’s a bit too much.”
The man tousled her shaggy hair at Lee Do-jin’s words.
“Sweet? I’ll have to add more sauce and make it again. Ha… It will take a few more hours. Well, is it worth it if I sell the proper one for the remaining two days? Thank you, junior Dojin Lee.”
The man disappeared toward her kitchen.
Lee Do-jin looked at Choi Bit-na again.
“Didn’t you make anything?”
Bitna Choi answered firmly.
“I don’t know how to cook.”
Lee Do-jin laughed at a very confident answer.
“Then why did you join the cooking club?”
“I tried to become a family woman. But after joining the club, there was a mock dungeon test! I met you then. Thanks to that, I became Changwang-nim’s disciple and became a bit busy.”
You talk too much about not doing anything in the club.
A family woman.
Lee Do-jin couldn’t tell her that she could become such a woman, even as a joke. Because Choi Bit-na’s temperament was far from domestic.
“Is there any other menu?”
“Hmm, chicken skewers. And makgeolli.”
“Makgeolli?”
“Oh, no one has tried it yet. The vice president of the club brought in a large amount. Do you want to try it?”