Chapter 36

36. Action Movie Special Exhibition

“Wow--!”

Osaka Universal Studios.

As befits one of the world's largest theme parks, alongside Disneyland, impressive buildings lined up from the entrance, eliciting gasps of admiration from the students.

The buildings were so splendid and colorful that they made one feel as if they had entered a movie set.

“Where should we go first?”

“I want to go to Jurassic Park first.”

“Let’s start with WaterWorld and go around from there?”

“Okay.”

The students formed groups and each made their own route, and Jinhyuk’s group was one of them.

“Wowww--!”

Soon, the screams of Do Min-woo and Lee Young-jun echoed through the theme park.

“Huh, huh. Hey, are you guys okay? Why are you so fine?”

Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders, and Kim Min-young patted Do Min-woo’s shoulder.

“Come on, don’t make a fuss over something like this. We need to move quickly; we don’t have time.”

“Hey, wait a moment. Let’s take a break. Hey! Hey! Oh, come on. Hey, let’s go together.”

After Do Min-woo and Lee Young-jun’s screams echoed a few more times, the group headed to a restaurant. The line for ordering was quite long.

“It’s going to take a while.”

“Yeah, the line is longer than expected.”

Do Min-woo said to the group.

“I’ll wait with Jinhyuk and place the order. You guys go ahead and find a seat.”

As Jinhyuk and Min-woo were standing in line, a small girl tapped Jinhyuk’s leg.

Jinhyuk looked down to see a small girl standing there. She had sparkling blonde hair and blue eyes, looking like a doll.

The girl stretched out her arms toward Jinhyuk.

“Huh?”

“What? She seems to want a hug. Ah, she’s cute. Should I hug her?”

Jinhyuk shook his head and grabbed Do Min-woo’s arm.

“You shouldn’t hug children so casually. It could be misunderstood, especially abroad.”

“Huh? Is that so?”

Jinhyuk bent down and asked the girl.

“Hi, little lady. Where are your mommy and daddy?”

The girl blinked her big eyes and smiled sweetly, an angelic smile.

At that moment,

“Sophia, you shouldn’t bother people.”

A very elegant, beautiful blonde woman stood where the voice came from.

The moment Jinhyuk joined the line, the already gathered crowd’s attention became even more focused.

“Sorry, the child was a bit mischievous.”

“It’s fine. Children are like that. No problem.”

Jinhyuk’s response made the woman smile.

“Oh! You’re not Japanese, are you?”

“I’m Korean. Do I look different?”

“Ah, your English is so fluent.”

“Ah.”

The woman glanced at the child, who was still staring at Jinhyuk, and said,

“But our child doesn’t just go up to anyone.”

“Ah.”

“She must really like you.”

Jinhyuk smiled at the little girl.

“Thank you. It’s nice to be recognized by a beauty.”

“You do have a face that deserves recognition. You look like an actor.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The woman, who smiled sweetly, looked like an actress herself.

Come to think of it, she looked familiar...

“Sophia, you should say hello. Mommy has to go.”

As the mother lifted the child, the girl waved at Jinhyuk and opened her small mouth.

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Jinhyuk smiled and waved back. Do Min-woo whistled.

“Wow, the mom is also incredibly beautiful. The child will probably grow up to look like her, right?”

Do Min-woo tilted his head as he watched the mother and daughter walk away.

“But, that mom. Doesn’t she look familiar?”

***

In the afternoon, at the Action Movie Special Exhibition.

In the bustling crowd, two boys with sparkling eyes were constantly looking around.

“Wow, those are the cars from Fast & Furious.”

“Wow, it’s amazing, isn’t it?”

Do Min-woo and Lee Young-jun couldn’t contain their laughter.

“What’s amazing? The cars? The models?”

“Both... Huh?”

Kim Min-young smiled at Do Min-woo.

“Oh, you like that style.”

“What style? They’re just really beautiful, aren’t they?”

“No, tall and glamorous style.”

“Oh, misunderstanding. I’m not the type to nitpick about styles. Being beautiful is enough.”

“Ah, yes. You are very excellent.”

Min-woo and Min-young started bickering again. Jinhyuk, who had been watching them, stopped.

“...”

Lee Young-jun’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Jinhyuk. Young-jun approached Jinhyuk and said,

“Sure enough. I knew you’d like this. Have you seen ‘Warrior in the Dark’?”

Jinhyuk nodded at Young-jun.

Warrior in the Dark.

A recent work by the renowned Hollywood action director, Steve Gerald. It was an action-packed revenge story with an Oriental dark fantasy storyline, showcasing various martial arts.

On stage, people dressed as characters from the movie were demonstrating action sequences.

“Shall we go?”

As Jinhyuk was about to move towards the stage at Young-jun’s suggestion,

“Ugh! I can’t hold it anymore. I’m going to the bathroom. Don’t go anywhere. Stay nearby.”

Do Min-woo quickly disappeared to take care of something.

“I’m going to the bathroom too.”

“Me too.”

As if waiting for this, Min Seo-yeon and Kim Min-young also turned to find the bathroom.

“Hey, let’s go to that stage!”

“...”

“Did you hear me?”

It was unclear, but one thing was certain: Jinhyuk and Young-jun needed to go to the martial arts demonstration stage.

The two headed towards the nearby demonstration stage.

Whoosh—!

Punch!

Kick!

The audience was mesmerized by the performers’ dazzling actions.

“Wow—!”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

“Thank you!”

After the performers tidied up the stage, a solemn piece of music began to play.

It was the OST from the movie “Warrior in the Dark.”

With the music, a bulky man appeared from behind the stage.

“Wow—!”

The audience’s cheers erupted.

“Amazing! It’s Fujiwara Shigeru!”

Fujiwara Shigeru.

Jinhyuk also knew him. A Japanese actor who made a special appearance in “Warrior in the Dark.” A world champion in Kyokushin karate, he was almost unmatched globally, despite the lack of weight classes in Kyokushin.

Standing at nearly 190 cm and weighing 120 kg, he possessed an incredible explosive power, capable of running 100 meters in 12 seconds.

Even in the era of mixed martial arts, he was a martial artist Japan was proud of, adhering to traditional Kyokushin karate.

Fujiwara appeared on stage in an old black karate uniform, exuding an overwhelming presence.

“Wow—!”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

He greeted the cheering audience and began a kata demonstration. The audience held their breath.

“Whoosh—!”

Whoosh!

Precision movements.

“Ugh!”

His punches, accompanied by a roar-like kiai, felt incredibly powerful.

After completing the kata demonstration, Fujiwara briefly greeted the audience and moved on to a combat demonstration.

Swoosh.

Five men surrounded him, but it looked like five hunting dogs surrounding a black lion.

“Ugh!”

With a kiai, the five men attacked, and Fujiwara, with agility that didn’t match his large build, quickly subdued them.

“Wow—!”

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The audience’s cheers and applause erupted again, and Fujiwara, holding a microphone, greeted them.

“Hello, I’m Fujiwara Shigeru.”

Amid the continuous applause, Fujiwara smiled and said,

“Since you’re cheering so much, I’d like to make an interesting proposal.”

The audience looked at him with interest.

“I’ll give three people the chance to spar with me.”

“Haha!”

Laughter erupted from the audience, thinking Fujiwara was joking. Who would dare to challenge Fujiwara?

“Hahaha. I’m not really proposing a real spar. I’ll give you a chance to attack me for 2 minutes. I’ll only defend.”

Fujiwara scanned the audience with a smile and continued,

“If anyone can land a proper, effective hit, I’ll give you a small gift. However, former athletes are not allowed. This is an event for ordinary audience members.”

At that moment, three hands shot up in the audience.

“Oh, it’s like it was planned. Exactly three people have volunteered.”

Two well-built adult men and Jinhyuk. That’s how it was.

“Jinhyuk, are you going to do it?”

Lee Young-jun’s eyes widened. It wasn’t because he didn’t know Jinhyuk’s skills, but because he didn’t expect Jinhyuk to be so proactive about stepping forward in front of people.

Jinhyuk had never stepped forward in front of people, but it was always because someone had pushed him. Like in theater and busking.

Jinhyuk wasn’t naturally proactive.

“It’ll be interesting.”

Jinhyuk’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Warrior in the Dark” was a movie Jinhyuk had enjoyed very much.

Even though it wasn’t a proper spar, the chance to spar with one of the movie’s main characters, Fujiwara, was not something that came around often. Moreover,

Fujiwara was really strong. Jinhyuk couldn’t guarantee he could win in a real fight, even without weapons.

Jinhyuk couldn’t miss the chance to face such an opponent, even if it was just a taste.

That’s why Jinhyuk’s instinct quickly raised his hand.

“Alright, then the volunteers, please put on protective gear behind the stage.”

Jinhyuk followed the guide to the back of the stage.

“Hehe. Sparring with Fujiwara, I’m looking forward to it.”

A well-built Japanese man said excitedly. Another younger man also looked quite excited.

“Haha. Landing a proper hit doesn’t seem that difficult, does it?”

The younger man said to Jinhyuk.

“Are you a student?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, you’re enthusiastic. But don’t overdo it. It’s difficult for ordinary people. I did a bit of boxing, but I wasn’t a professional. It’s not against the rules. Haha.”

The younger man imitated some clumsy shadow boxing.

***

“Alright, 2 minutes are up. Unfortunately, no proper hits were landed.”

The young man received encouraging applause and went backstage.

“Huh, huh—.”

“Hehe. I told you it wouldn’t be easy.”

The young man, out of breath, waved his hand.

Jinhyuk