She was no different from a beast

Chapter 19

—–CROW—– 

“Hmm.”

It felt a little awkward.

A bit clumsy, but I managed to twist my waist, generate power, kick quickly, bring my foot forward, and take a step back, ready for another kick, just like the middle and high schoolers did.

But my supporting foot wasn’t pivoting correctly, so the kick lacked power and didn’t connect properly with the top of my foot.  Honestly, it was far from perfect.

This is harder than it looks.

It seemed easy enough when I watched them, but actually doing it required a lot more attention to detail.

Still, it felt like I could generate an even more impressive sound if I corrected my form.

“Heehee. This is hard~ I think I’ll get the hang of it after a few more tries…  *Gah!*”

“Yuna!!”

*Grab!*

Before I could finish speaking, the master’s large hand grabbed my shoulder.

His slightly wrinkled face and experienced eyes were sparkling like a child’s…  Whoa. What’s with that look, mister?

“Do you want to learn Taekwondo starting next week?”

“Huh? B-But I haven’t paid the registration fee, and I’m already using the study room… I don’t want to impose…”

“You don’t have to pay! Of course not!  I’ve never seen anyone kick like that on their first try!”

The master was getting excited, saying I could compete in tournaments and that no one in my age group, or even in the elementary division, could match my kick.

Hmm.  Is it that good?

‘Isn’t he exaggerating? Bigger kids should be able to do this.’

I realized while kicking that there’s a reason why they say weight classes are important in combat sports.

Since you use the momentum from your body rotation to generate power, the bigger you are, the stronger your kick.

You might have a larger target area, but the power increase is significant.

I bet a chubby kid with a physique like Burari could kick as hard as me.

“A-Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course!  Many of those older boys can’t kick as well as you!”

“Huh??”

What?  How can those guys who train even on weekends be worse than me, a complete beginner?

My image of Taekwondo was getting a bit… tarnished.

‘Should I actually learn it?’

Learning properly and turning Jeongwoo and Yuri into human weapons to fulfill my Taekwondo fantasies…  Hmm. Probably not.

Studying is one thing, but physical skills are innate.

Anyone can learn elementary school level material with enough repetition and the occasional spanking, but physical activity requires not only perseverance but also muscles, weight, flexibility, stamina, and many other factors.

Besides, I’m not planning on becoming an athlete.

Still, I’m curious.

I want to try those fancy kicks from demonstrations and performances.

I want to try breaking an apple in half with a backflip kick and smashing boards with a triple axel… wait.

‘Come to think of it… I think I can do that already.’

Even with clumsy form, I could probably pull it off with pure physical ability.

“Um, can I try other things, like backflips and those one-legged spins?”

“!! Of course! Our instructor here was on a demonstration team when he was younger. He can teach you anything!”

“No, I mean… can I try it now?”

“…?”

I’ll try it, so just give me some feedback.

I don’t think I need to formally learn it at the dojang.

It’d be better to learn a few cool moves and leave.

The master tilted his head, looking worried, but he instructed the older students to bring some boards.  I almost missed the one-legged spin on my first try, but nailed it on the second.  The backflip was a success on the first try.

Without a running start, I flipped in the air, landed in a superhero pose, bending my knees, lowering my body, and placing one hand on the ground for support, then stood up… huh?

“*Giggle!  Hee hee hee!  Ho ho ho!!*”

“…”

The master’s eyes rolled back, and he clapped with a delighted expression…  Uh.  Um.

An adult man making that face… unsettling.

“Hey, hey. You’re not leaving anything for the other kids.”

“Huh?  But I’m eating the leftovers! What’s wrong with that?”

After I started tutoring at the Taekwondo dojang, Jeongwoo started talking to me more and acting friendlier.

He was also a bit more mature and reasonable for an eight-year-old.

He’d become something like my only friend in class, the only one who talked to me.

We bickered, joked around, and sometimes laughed together, but he’d still flinch and run away if I tried to touch him.

We had a complicated relationship. We could talk, but he avoided physical contact.

Look at him now.  I’m a growing kid, and I’m hungry, so I’m eating the leftovers, but he’s sitting next to me, nagging me with a disgusted look on his face!

“But what if other kids want to eat more later?”

“I’ve never seen anyone ask for seconds of namul (vegetable side dishes).”

“Well, yeah, but…  Hey, this is too much!”

Ugh! What’s too much?!  You frustrating little…

It’s nice that we’re closer, but why is he picking on me?

They say you shouldn’t even bother a dog while it’s eating.  Does he think I’m less than a dog?

Should I give him another spanking?

“Even so, eating straight from the container… really?!”

“The tray is too small!”

“Argh!  Don’t talk with your mouth full! It’s getting everywhere!”

“Then don’t talk to me!!!”

They served bracken and spinach namul today, so I’d snuck some gochujang (red pepper paste) and sesame oil from my fridge. I scraped the leftover rice and namul into a container and mixed it all together.

Ah, mix it well~  Right hand, left hand~

Why is he talking to me while I’m enjoying my special bibimbap?!

“…”

Jeongwoo stared at me silently, his face splattered with the rice that flew out of my mouth.

Hmph.  What are you going to do about it~?

Jealous, huh?  Well, even eight-year-olds with Korean DNA can’t resist delicious bibimbap.

But I’m not sharing. I might have given him a bite if he’d been quiet, but I’m not sharing with a cheeky partner who’s nagging me…

“Are you a pig?”

“…What?”

The classroom suddenly fell silent.

The kids who were chatting and laughing froze, staring at Jeongwoo and me.  Even the teacher, who was absently stirring her food, dropped her spoon onto her tray.

“Only pigs eat that much.  Or do you eat even more than a pig?”

“…”

Ha, haha.  Jeongwoo?  You’ve grown up, haven’t you?  Looks like Han Yuna’s study sessions are working.

His vocabulary has become quite impressive for a first-grader.

I didn’t expect him to say something like, “Are you a pig? You eat so much.”

Huh? Am I angry?  No way~

My body might be a child’s, but my mind is that of an old man.  Do you think I’d get angry at the provocation of an eight-year-old?

I’m not angry.  Nope.  Not angry at all.

‘I’m pissed.’

I tried to brush it off with forced positivity, but…

Rage bubbled inside me. The spoon in my hand started to bend, and ten different ways to punish Jeongwoo flashed through my mind.

Jeongwoo, seeing the spoon bending like my trembling fist, seemed to realize his mistake and covered his mouth, looking at me nervously.

“…Are you going to hit me? N-No, right?”

“…”

“…You’re not angry, right? I-It was a joke. J-Just kidding between friends! Right?”

“Are those your last words?”

Jeongwoo, who had been trying to appease me with a nervous smile, flinched at my chilling question.  He closed his eyes and sighed in resignation.

He jumped up and tried to run out of the classroom.  Jeongwoo, do you think I’d let you escape?

This calls for more than just a spanking.

As soon as he stood up, I grabbed the back of his neck and threw him over my shoulder.

“You little…!!!”

“Uwaaagh!!!”

Jeongwoo flew through the air, landed on the floor with a loud thud, and screamed.

The teacher fainted, and the other kids huddled in the corner, trembling and watching me nervously.

Haha. Hahaha…

‘My school life is ruined.  For real.’

After disciplining Jeongwoo with a clean seoi nage (shoulder throw), I regained my composure, looked around, and laughed inwardly.

My image, my reputation… all gone down the drain.  Damn it.

But it wasn’t entirely my fault!  Jeongwoo started it!  Calling a girl a pig!  Yes, that’s right.

It’s not my fault!

…Probably.

—–CROW—–