Chapter 37

37. The Astonishing Boy

'Hmm.'

Fujiwara Shigeru looked at the boy standing in front of him, his posture impeccable.

He himself would not attack, meaning the boy did not need to defend. Yet, the boy still maintained such a flawless defensive stance.

Only a seasoned martial artist with a deeply ingrained fighting stance could display such movement.

If a high school student could have such a solid stance, he must surely be a seasoned practitioner, Fujiwara thought.

'This kid. I told him he couldn’t be a practitioner.'

But Fujiwara understood the boy’s heart.

After all, the roots of the Kyokushin Karate he practiced were like this.

The founder, Choi Young, traveled to various karate dojos, defeating them one by one in what was known as "dojo breaking," establishing Kyokushin Karate.

A practical martial art that still refuses to wear protective gear during sparring, maintaining the tradition of real combat.

Of course, with the rise and development of mixed martial arts, Kyokushin Karate no longer holds the same status it once did, but its philosophy has always been about extreme practicality.

Fujiwara, who had a special attachment to this martial art, naturally had a strong desire to test his skills against a formidable opponent.

In his youth, he would have jumped into any opportunity for a fight without hesitation.

This kid must feel the same way.

Even if it’s just a mock sparring, the desire to exchange blows with this 'Fujiwara Shigeru.'

'Shit.'

Fujiwara found such a boy rather admirable. A true man’s dream still lived in him.

Fujiwara adjusted his stance even more firmly. Even if he couldn’t attack, it was the martial artist’s etiquette to give his all against such a boy.

Nod.

Fujiwara nodded briefly, signaling for the boy to come in.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Jinhyuk’s middle kick flew towards Fujiwara.

Thud!

Immediately, the opposite foot.

Thud!

Thud.

Jinhyuk stepped back.

'Huh. Look at this kid.'

He deliberately avoided further combinations, showing his skills.

He wouldn’t win by taking advantage of a moment of complacency.

Even a light attack was heavy. Speed, power, nothing to criticize.

Thud!

Having demonstrated his abilities, Jinhyuk quickly stepped in and launched a lightning-fast kick.

A crescent kick?!

A compact and fast kick with a wide angle, a Kyokushin Karate technique that is hard to see coming.

Fast!

Thud!

Using his forearm, Fujiwara deflected the kick, which came at him again.

From the defender’s perspective, it might look like a series of high kicks, but it was just an illusion.

A crescent kick aimed at the lower ribs.

Thud!

Fujiwara barely deflected the attack again.

'What, what! This kid!'

Fujiwara’s eyes widened in surprise.

A 16-year-old Korean, about 180 cm tall, with a lean and almost perfect body, was freely displaying Kyokushin Karate techniques against the world champion in Kyokushin Karate!

Had he ever seen a high school student in Japan with such a physique and skills? No one came to mind.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Before Fujiwara could fully react, Jinhyuk’s one-two punch aimed for his head.

Thud! Thud!

Fujiwara’s thick guard, formed by his forearms, blocked the punches. And through the gaps in his guard, Jinhyuk’s figure was visible.

Jinhyuk’s eyes suddenly dropped.

In that instant, Fujiwara didn’t miss the glance.

Lower body.

The lower body, exposed when raising the guard, was targeted by Jinhyuk’s kick, but Fujiwara’s defense, reading the move from Jinhyuk’s eyes, was a step ahead.

But at that moment, Fujiwara saw an unbelievable sight.

Fake!

Jinhyuk’s leg, which seemed to be aiming for the lower body, whipped like a whip and aimed for Fujiwara’s neck.

Brazilian kick!? Oh my God!

The skilled feint and the flexible Brazilian kick were unbelievable! Fujiwara couldn’t believe it.

A kick derived from the Kyokushin Karate crescent kick, a technique requiring immense flexibility and precise control of force.

Without long-term training in various kicking techniques, it would be just a mimicry, not a practical skill.

But this kid’s kick!

"Ugh!"

Fujiwara barely blocked Jinhyuk’s attack.

If he had been hit, it wouldn’t just be a problem of allowing a clean hit; it would have been a disgraceful KO scene.

As Jinhyuk’s kick was blocked, Fujiwara’s eyes lit up.

Jinhyuk, slightly off-balance after missing the kick, stepped back.

The larger the movement, the bigger the opening if the attack misses.

It was an opportunity. If this were a real fight, he could have attacked.

Fujiwara, without realizing it, had become an equal opponent. Instinctively, he took a step towards Jinhyuk.

But he couldn’t throw a punch. Fujiwara hesitated and stopped his fist just as it was about to extend.

At that moment.

Taking advantage of the loose guard from the attack, Jinhyuk’s body, which seemed to have lost balance, shot out like a rocket.

Flying knee kick.

The moment Jinhyuk’s knee, launched from his airborne body, struck Fujiwara’s face accurately.

'Is such movement even possible?!!'

With that surprise.

Thud!

Fujiwara’s massive body collapsed.

***

"Wow!"

The audience erupted in a near-adoring cheer, and Director Steve Gerald jumped to his feet.

His face was flushed, his breathing rough, and his trademark reaction clearly showed his extreme excitement.

'No, what is this!'

Director Gerald doubted his own eyes.

The boy’s movements, free of any unnecessary actions, and the moment he seemed to lose balance, he shot out like a rocket.

Clearly a highly practical movement, yet the boy’s actions were beautiful.

Fujiwara, who seemed to have been hit by the flying knee kick, almost fell but managed to regain his balance and step back.

"Wow!"

The excited voice of the announcer echoed through the speakers.

"The referee's hand is up. A clean hit! The high school boy has cleared the mission!"

Fujiwara, who had been standing there in a daze, shook his head and then approached Jinhyuk, lifting his hand high.

"Wow!"

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The audience's cheers and applause filled the square.

"Whoa, what just happened? His body shot out like a rocket. Wow, I don’t know much, but that student’s movements are not just those of an ordinary person, right?"

"Exactly. That last attack was like Jamie Bonsee."

"Right, right. I had the same thought."

Even after Jinhyuk descended from the stage, the audience around Director Gerald continued to buzz.

Director Gerald, with an excited face, said to his secretary standing beside him,

"I need to meet that boy!"

***

While Fujiwara was giving his final greetings to the audience, Jinhyuk came down to the back of the stage.

"Fujiwara will give you a gift soon. Please wait a moment."

"Okay."

While Jinhyuk was taking off his gloves and headgear and adjusting his clothes, Fujiwara called out to him with a deep voice.

"Hey!"

"Amazing, Korean boy."

Jinhyuk lightly bowed to Fujiwara.

"But why didn’t you finish the last attack? Such consideration can be seen as disrespecting your opponent."

Jinhyuk smiled.

"No, who would dare disrespect the great Fujiwara? It wasn’t a formal sparring session, so that was the appropriate point to stop."

Fujiwara was taken aback by Jinhyuk’s calm demeanor.

Who would dare talk about an appropriate point with Fujiwara? It was a way of saying he showed consideration.

In fact, Fujiwara was a bit grateful. If he had fallen there, it would have been a disgraceful scene for the "Black Bear."

It was truly unbelievable. A first-year high school student showing consideration in a sparring session.

"Ha ha!"

Fujiwara burst into hearty laughter.

"Well, what can I say. You also committed a foul, so let’s call it even."

"Foul?"

"Ha ha. I can be honest. I’m not trying to argue. Do you practice in Korea?"

Jinhyuk shook his head.

"No, not at all. I’m not a practitioner."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Hmm."

Fujiwara looked at him with disbelief.

"Then, if not a practitioner, did you learn as a hobby? What martial art did you learn?"

It was a difficult question for Jinhyuk. He had never formally learned a named martial art.

What Jinhyuk had learned was the "Death Mercenary" combat techniques.

A combination of various practical martial arts aimed at killing as quickly as possible, making it hard to categorize into any specific style.

There was no official name, but among his comrades, it was known as "Kaslap."

Kaslap means "death" in Khmer. One of his comrades would shout "Kaslap, Kaslap" during training, and the word stuck.

It was rhythmic and easy to say, so eventually, his comrades started using it.

Thus, the martial art name "Kaslap" was born, known only among a few of Jinhyuk’s comrades.

"I’ve just tried a bit of everything."

"Hmm, just a bit…"

Fujiwara was very curious about this boy. But they couldn’t have a long conversation here.

"Since we’ve met, let’s exchange contact information. If there’s a chance, I’d like to invite you to our dojo."

Just as Jinhyuk and Fujiwara had exchanged contact information,

"Fujiwara!"

"Director!"

Director Gerald, who had approached, embraced Fujiwara, like two bears entangled.

"Ha ha. I showed a poor performance in front of the director."

"Hehe. It wasn’t you who looked poor, but that boy was impressive."

Director Gerald’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Jinhyuk.

"Yes, that’s true. Ha ha."

"Still, it’s Fujiwara! Only you could withstand such an attack without falling! Ha ha."

Fujiwara shook his head.

"No, it was because the boy showed consideration."

"Ha ha! Indeed, Fujiwara, you are very humble!"

It was true.

Fujiwara wanted to say it but missed the timing.

"Hey, Korean Wonder Boy, that was amazing!"

Director Gerald’s attention was already on Jinhyuk. He let out a low exclamation in front of Jinhyuk.

"Oh!"

The director’s eyes sparkled even more.

"Do you speak English? I’m Steve Gerald. I’m a film director in Hollywood. Have you heard of me?"

"Yes, Director. I know. I’m Jinhyuk."

Despite being told he was a Hollywood director, or even knowing him, Jinhyuk showed no sign of being shaken.

'Unbelievable that he’s only sixteen.'

Even while shaking hands, Steve Gerald’s eyes didn’t leave Jinhyuk.

A mysterious young Eastern beauty, or rather, a handsome young man.

In the boy’s eyes, there was sadness and loneliness, but also a dormant volcanic heat and an unknown anger.

Gerald’s intuition caught fire.

"Have you ever acted?"

"I’m still learning."

"Oh."

The director’s lips curved into a smile.

"If you’re learning acting, do you want to become an actor?"

"I’m trying to see how far I can go."

"Good, then."

Gerald was the type who trusted his intuition and acted on it without hesitation. His gaze turned to his secretary.

"Pen, paper."

The secretary handed him a pen and paper, and Gerald wrote something and gave it to Jinhyuk.

"What is this…?"

"It’s my signature. It will be a keepsake. Take it."

Huh?

Jinhyuk didn’t particularly want Gerald’s signature, but the way it was offered made him wonder if he had asked for it.

"And…"

Gerald rummaged through his wallet and pulled out a business card.

"It’s my business card."

Jinhyuk took Gerald’s business card. It had only the name 'Steve Gerald,' a phone number, and an email address.

Fujiwara’s eyes widened.

He knew. This was Gerald’s personal business card. And giving it meant…

"Jin. Hyuk."

Gerald pronounced Jinhyuk’s name clearly. Jinhyuk was a bit surprised this time.

"I have a promise to make to you."

Gerald, despite his massive build, had a childlike smile.