─── Every Hunter Han-yul Military Academy ───
Free Board
<Subject>
Breaking News))) The list for the evaluation match is out!!!!
Cleveland, OH
-Lloyd Hintz
-Mason Panning
-Dick Kreider Jr.
vs
Han-yul Military Academy
-Kang Tae-hoon
-Shin Yoon-seong
-Kim Dae-sik
───
└Anonymous7024: Really? Arna’s not on it?
└Anonymous4961: Not Arna, but why Kang Tae-hoon?
└Anonymous5074: When did Kang Tae-hoon come back?
└Anonymous1332: Kang Tae-hoon is fine, but the others…
└Anonymous6358: Look at this lineup, lol.
└Anonymous5379: We’re gonna get crushed by those Yankee kids.
└Anonymous3644: Who the hell is Kim Dae-sik, lol.
└Anonymous2657: Dae-sik lulz.
└Anonymous0412: Kim Dae-sik, lol, this is a troll post.
└Anonymous8840: But it’s real, check this out.
└Anonymous8840: m.news.kaie.com/aK3d1
└Anonymous1025: What’s with that?
└Anonymous4751: Shit, it’s real, lol.
└Anonymous9366: Who the hell is Kim Dae-sik?
└Anonymous7573: Was there even someone like that in the school?
└Anonymous6109: lulz.
“Excuse me? Kang Tae-hoon is participating?”
While resting in the waiting room after wrapping up all the day’s events, Arna suddenly jumped, startled, upon looking at her smartphone.
“Where has he been disappearing to lately….”
The international evaluation match held on the last day of the event. Arna herself already knew she wouldn’t be participating that day.
But she never imagined that Kang Tae-hoon’s name would be on the list.
Moreover…
“Why is this person in the evaluation match….”
Among the names on the list, one name caught her attention—Shin Yoon-seong.
“….”
What kind of pairing is this? Kang Tae-hoon and Shin Yoon-seong on the same team? Seriously, they can’t stand each other, can they?
“No…! He isn’t even qualified to be in the evaluation match…!”
This is not something directed at Kang Tae-hoon but rather at Shin Yoon-seong.
In reality, Shin Yoon-seong is not skilled enough to participate in an international evaluation match. Probably everyone in this school would agree with that.
How can someone with just a C-grade even think about competing against an NCAA championship team? It’s like putting a rookie-level, or even a single-A player, on the mound in a Major League game.
“What is the school thinking…?”
While Shin Yoon-seong deciding to participate is a problem, the school agreeing to it is an even bigger issue.
Inviting prestigious American players for such an important world event, held on the last day as the main attraction, only to send out Shin Yoon-seong…
“Ugh… my head….”
She felt a sudden wave of dizziness. Imagining Shin Yoon-seong enduring the jeers from the audience made her feel sick.
What possible confidence did Shin Yoon-seong have to choose to participate in this evaluation match? And, to top it all off, with arch-rival Kang Tae-hoon.
“Alright… whether he participates or not… it’s none of my business….”
That’s right. It’s just an exhibition match after all—it’s not like someone’s life is on the line. Arna doesn’t need to worry about this.
Who cares about Shin Yoon-seong anyway? Just pretend this never happened and move on.
“Arna!”
Just then, a reporter entered the waiting room.
“For the last day’s interview—how about the evening? Around the time the international evaluation match starts?”
“…”
On the final day, instead of the showcase, there was a short scheduled interview to wrap up the event.
A brief 15 minute affair, but…
“I’m sorry, but I have to cancel the last day’s interview! I have another important engagement.”
—Hey, isn’t that Kang Tae-hoon? What’s up at the school?
—It’s festival time, maybe he just visited once. Let’s just ignore it. We might accidentally catch his eye and start a conflict.
Under normal circumstances, Kang Tae-hoon wouldn’t have ignored those words and quietly walked away. A punch would have probably come first—that was Kang Tae-hoon’s usual demeanor.
But this time, Kang Tae-hoon just pretended not to hear and walked quietly away, ignoring the cynical stares and whispers as he left the school.
Clatter—
The first place Kang Tae-hoon headed to after leaving the school was a bar. He sat in the same spot as before in the bar he had visited earlier, drinking alone.
Clatter—
“Huff…”
Currently, there was no other place Kang Tae-hoon could be at besides here. After all, sticking around the school would only bring him hostile glares.
Besides, he hated festivals. They were chaotic, noisy, and just irksome. He’d rather just drink alone at his own pace.
—Kang Tae-hoon? Isn’t he just a mean guy with nothing to show for? It’s only his teeth that work, right.
—All he’s done since he came to Han-yul Military Academy is throw tantrums.
—He may be all bluster.
While drinking, they say one can escape the moment. But no matter how much Kang Tae-hoon drank, the words he had heard earlier at school and the criticisms directed at him continued to linger in his mind.
“Hmm…”
None of those words were wrong. It was all true. Kang Tae-hoon hadn’t proven anything since he came to this school.
He just kept causing trouble.
—He might as well leave the school if that’s how he’s going to behave. Isn’t he rich enough anyway?
—Exactly. Even without doing that, if he just inherited his father’s company, he could live comfortably.
What is he trying to achieve?
What does he want to become, really?
Or has he ever even seriously pursued anything?
Ever since Kang Tae-hoon was young, he had never found an answer to these questions. He just let time flow, only ever wandering aimlessly without finding his place.
Because of that, he often sought reasons elsewhere when things didn’t go his way, and would act on impulse because of his frustration.
“Seems like you’re quite troubled.”
Slur—
At that moment, someone sat down on the right side. A young man in a sleek suit who resembled a corporate salesperson.
“What do you want?”
Kang Tae-hoon responded curtly, wanting to gauge the other person’s intentions.
The man looked at the glass on the table and spoke while gazing at it.
“You’re drinking alone. I apologize for disturbing you.”
“Then leave quickly.”
“Haha, don’t be so harsh.”
Currently, the man had not a trace of alcohol on him. Only a brisk aftershave scent lingered.
“…”
Not drinking but visiting a bar in broad daylight? This couldn’t just be because he had time to kill. He clearly sought something specific by finding and speaking with Kang Tae-hoon.
Might as well hear him out since Kang Tae-hoon was bored anyway.
Clack—!
The man showed his intentions through actions instead of words. He took something out of the inner pocket of his suit and placed it on the table.
It was a small transparent ziplock bag.
“What’s this?”
“The Lord’s Feast, to enhance the flavor of your drink.”
“The Lord’s Feast?”
Inside the ziplock was a small amount of reddish powder. Mixed into alcohol, it would indeed give a color similar to wine.
Kang Tae-hoon smirked upon seeing this.
“Huh. Not content with being a pimp, now you’re a drug dealer too?”
It was clear that this man was approaching Kang Tae-hoon purely to take advantage of his wealth. Snare him well and you’ve got yourself a loyal customer, right?
In short, to him, Kang Tae-hoon was an inexhaustible fountain.
“So, what’s the real name of this thing? The cocaine or meth I know doesn’t have this color.”
Kang Tae-hoon took the ziplock bag, pretending interest.
The man grinned, clearly satisfied.
“It doesn’t have a proper name yet. But in our industry, we call it ‘Grape Juice.’”
“Grape Juice? What a terrible name.”
Kang Tae-hoon stared intently at the ziplock bag. Where did this come from?
Definitely not synthetic stuff. Normal synthetic drugs wouldn’t have color added.
Maybe it’s derived from natural ingredients, but what were they?
“So, what’s the price?”
“It’s a sample. Try it out.”
“Really giving it for free?”
Using this wouldn’t make him drunk like alcohol, but it would let him forget his current miserable feelings in no time.
Besides, if it’s a small amount, trying it once won’t draw much attention.
However…
“Unnecessary.”
Cluck.
Kang Tae-hoon placed the ziplock bag back down where it was.
The man furrowed his brows and tilted his head.
“Are you really uninterested? It could be a great experience, you know.”
“Great experience my ass. Go take your kicks yourself, old man.”
No matter how terrible his mood was, there were still things he shouldn’t do. If he touched drugs here, wouldn’t he be just like that damn Lloyd kid?
He had no intention of becoming anything like that damn junkie kid. Rather, he’d keep getting smashed on booze.
“I see. Then I’ll leave my number behind. Feel free to contact me if needed.”
The man left a note on the table before standing up and made his final remark.
“Alright, have a great time with your colleague.”
“What? Colleague?”
What nonsense was this? Kang Tae-hoon had come here alone. He turned his head to the left out of caution.
“Shit, you bastard! What a scare?!”
He nearly fell backward in surprise. The seat that was empty just a moment ago now had Shin Yoon-seong sitting there.
Clatter—
Shin Yoon-seong silently drank as he maintained his usual expressionless face.
“You piece of crap, when the hell did you get here?! At least make some noise when you come!’
“Tomorrow afternoon, 1 PM. Come to the indoor training center. Bring the Moon Festival bread and a Let’s be when you come.”
“What, are you making me do odd jobs? Tell me to bring bread and coffee! And who the hell drinks Let’s be anymore? Get lost, you bastard!”
