Chapter 2: 2

“Ugh, I don’t wanna go,” Yoon-seok grumbled. The first thing he’d seen as soon as he woke up was a text message glaring at him through his smartphone screen. The message was from someone he could never consider a friend, even though they were of the same age.

Rather, it would be more appropriate to call him his enemy. He had been harassing Yoon-seok since childhood, after all.

‘I’ll pretend I didn’t see it because I’m still asleep, but…’

-Kang Hyung-woo: I know you’re awake. Come out in thirty mins or else. You know, right?

Yoon-seok hurriedly put on his clothes and ran outside to catch a taxi. It was 1:30 A.M, a long time since the last train for the day had left. He sighed.

He couldn’t help but go.

‘Or else, life will become even more hellish…’

Yoon caught a taxi and left for Gangnam. The address Kang Hyung-woo had texted him was a popular spot in Gangnam, the M Club. It was famous for its hardcore parties, and a long line of young men and women stood waiting outside its doors.

“Ha!”

All eyes were fixed on him as Yoon-Seok joined the end of the line.

“Who is that? Is it his first time?”

“What is he wearing? Haha!”

“Ignore him. He isn’t worth wasting your time on.”

Yoon-seok pretended he couldn’t hear them and focused on the ground.

‘Do they think I can’t hear them?’

This place had its own set of unspoken rules. One couldn’t just waltz around wearing an old pair of jeans and a padded coat. Gradually, the line shrank, and eventually, it was Yoon-seok’s turn. The bouncer at the entrance looked him up and down.

“Your outfit is against our dress code.”

“I have a friend inside waiting for me.”

The bouncer couldn’t help but burst out with laughter. The M Club was an exclusive club for the Gangnam elites; only those who could afford to eat and sleep in Gangnam were allowed in. This man before him looked like someone who would say anything just to get in.

“Then your friend will have to meet you outside. You can’t enter.”

Yoon-seok nervously looked at his watch. He had less than five minutes before Kang Hyung-woo noticed his absence. And with his nature, Yoon-seok didn’t think he would let it go so easily.

‘I’m sure he’ll blame me for being late.’

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Desperate, Yoon-seok continued to plead with the bouncer as time ticked on. Fortunately, the club manager, who came out for fresh air in the nick of time, recognized Yoon-seok.

He immediately yelled out to the bouncer, “Hey! Let him in!”

“Huh? But why…?”

“He’s a friend of Kang Hyung-woo!”

“Ka-Kang Hyung-woo? The second-generation chaebol heir?”

“Yes, so let him in.”

The man looked at the shabby Yoon-seok with disbelief. It was inconceivable that this man was linked to Kang Hyung-woo, but with the manager’s order, he had no reason to stop him.

“He’s in room seventeen; go ahead.”

The club manager and Yoon-seok briefly shook hands before they let him enter the club. A group of female students who had been standing behind Yoon-seok heard the full conversation. Their jaws dropped as they watched him get inside.

“Wow, did you hear that? He’s friends with Kang Hyung-woo!”

“Does that mean he’s also a chaebol heir?”

“Look at his clothes, isn’t it obvious? Of course he is.”

“A lot of rich people prefer not to dress up.”

But that bunch of girls didn’t know that Yoon-seok was neither a chaebol heir nor a friend of Kang Hyung-woo. For Hyung-woo, Yoon-seok was nothing more than a plaything.

* * *

“Ah, finally!” Kang Hyung-woo exclaimed as soon as Yoon-seok opened the door. Yoon-seok looked around, noting the strong smell of alcohol mixed with perfume and the shattered glass on the floor. The room was empty except for Kang Hyung-woo; he must have had everyone sent out.

Kang Hyung-woo glanced at his watch before hissing at him, “You’re late!”

‘No, I’m not,’ Yoon-seok thought.

Despite the slight delay he’d experienced at the entrance, he’d managed to arrive at exactly 1:59 A.M. But…

Kang Hyung-woo took a long look at his wristwatch once more: it was a famous luxury brand that everyone knew. Finally, he took off his watch and placed it on the table.

“Don’t you know my watch is five minutes ahead? Do you or do you not?”

Kang Hyung-woo, obviously drunk, wobbled as he approached Yoon-seok. Then, he raised his hand aggressively.

“S-sorry… but right now, I have no choice but to punish you for being late.”

Yoon-seok reflexively shrank at the raised hand. Looking at his pitiful appearance made Hyung-woo pause for a moment. Then he clenched his fist and brought his arm down.

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“Geez! What’s the point of hitting you? Here, take the keys. It’s in the parking lot, pay the valet and get me out of here.”

“Yes.”

Kang Hyung-woo was talking very calmly, and Yoon-seok, who had been with him for a long time, knew how he did things.

‘Something good must have happened to him.’

Maybe that’s why he hadn’t been beaten up even though he was late. But if he made one more mistake, the result would be something different. Though he was in a good mood right now, it didn’t take much to make Kang Hyung-woo lose his temper and start talking with his fists. Yoon-seok hurried out of the club and brought Hyung-woo’s car to the entrance before bringing Hyung-woo out.

“Where are we heading? Your home?”

“No, I’m going to sleep in a hotel tonight. And right now, I have a headache, so shut up and go.”

“Okay.”

Yoon-seok drove carefully. Thanks to his veteran driving skills, Kang Hyung-woo soon fell asleep in the back seat.

***

The car soon reached its destination, the JC Hotel in Jongno-gu. The hotel was one of the affiliates of JC Group, whose chairman was Kang’s father.

“Hyung-woo, we’re here. Get up.”

“…You idiot. Why do you live like this? Ugh!!”

“Here, I’ll help you. Get up.”

Kang Hyung-woo slapped Yoon-seok’s hand away as if it were dirty before rising on his own and stumbling his way into the hotel. Yoon-seok kept his distance behind him and followed to check that he made it inside his room in one piece.

Hyung-woo repeated the same thing over and over again on the way to his suite. “This loser… you know that, right? You’re a loser! You dirty little loser….”

Yoon-seok already knew; he didn’t need Hyung-woo to chant it over and over. He knew that he was a loser. As he stared at the bright night sky, he clenched his fist so hard that it shook.

***

Yoon-seok lit a cigarette as soon as he walked out of the hotel; it was one of those vices he’d learned in the military. He sat on a bench in a now-deserted park.

Time waited for no one. Yoon-seok planned to do odd jobs until he had his own house. But right now, he couldn’t stop thinking about how bad he was at everything.

“Should I have bet my life on the army career?”

His colleagues may have hated their time in the army, but for Yoon-seok, it had been the only time he felt alive, free for the first time. Moreover, Kang Hyung-woo hadn’t been there to torment him.

‘Otherwise, it would have been a mess,’ he thought.

Yoon-seok had known Kang Hyung-woo ever since they went to the same elementary school. Then they went through middle school and even the same high school together, too. They were classmates for seven years. Unfortunately, luck didn’t favor him. If Yoon-seok’s father hadn’t been a subcontractor for JC Motor, life would’ve been different for them. He and Kang Hyung-woo might have been actual friends.

“I shouldn’t have tried to fight back then….”

A servant had to follow his master faithfully. However, he and Hyung-woo weren’t like that at the start. They had been quite good friends when they just entered elementary school. They laughed and played together and talked with each other the whole time.

Then, he and Hyung-woo had gotten into a massive fight at the school, and both their parents were called immediately. That was when things had changed. Destiny played its trick: the two children saw the relationship between their parents. Yoon-seok’s father had immediately begged on his knees, and Kang Hyung-woo’s father had smiled and forgiven him.

From the outside, it seemed that things had been smoothly resolved, but that wasn’t the case. There was no resentment between their parents after the incident, but it had been different for Kang Hyung-woo. From that point forth, Kang Hyung-woo started to harass Yoon-seok. Although he was too young to remember, the young Yoon-seok had thought he had to endure it, recalling how his father had to kneel in front of Hyung-woo’s father.

He had been enduring it for a long time now. By the time they reached adulthood, he had become Kang Hyung-woo’s servant. He did whatever he was asked for, even acting as a punching bag. In middle school, he had been one of those bright kids who were filled with facts and knowledge. But now, Yoon-seok had become lethargic and timid. He had no will to do anything, and thus, he had nothing.

Kang Hyung-woo’s abusive remarks, which he had to listen to every day, wore him out. Little by little, Yoon-seok had lost all of his confidence. He was filled with negativity, and he accepted that no matter what he did, he would be nothing but a failure. So, Kang Hyung-woo wasn’t wrong when he said Yoon-seok was a loser.

He had no desire to win anymore. However, there was something that had stayed with him since childhood: the determination to endure and overcome the hardships he faced.

***

「You have been chosen by The Tower of Sky.」

‘Huh? Did I fall asleep on the bench?’

Yoon-seok felt confused at the message that had formed before his eyes. Just then, a tower appeared that seemed to reach the sky. All his senses felt numb, as if he were fully submerged in water. However, there was a voice that whispered nonstop in his ears.

“Open the door. Enter the tower….”

After a few moments of hesitation, the timid Yoon-seok did exactly what he was told. Then…

「Please select a trial.」

Beyond the door were four statues standing upright in a spacious room. Yoon-seok carefully read the letters carved underneath each statue.

[Experience], [Exploration], [Mission], [Duel].

Each statue emitted a brilliant light. However, one of them seemed to be pulling at his soul. Yoon-seok found himself approaching the [Duel] statue as if he were possessed. At that moment, he had no idea what his special talent was.

Or how things would unfold for him.

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「Get ready. The duel will begin soon.」

His decision changed his life forever.

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