Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
63. Surveillance (5)
In Han Yi’s young days, she didn’t have a friend of her age for a long time.
At the point when her ego formed, Han Yi’s entire world was just the Eungwang Brilliant Light Orphanage and there were no children of Han Yi’s age there.
“Now that I think about it, there are no children of Han Yi’s age, huh?”
“It’s okay as long as unnies and oppas take good care of her, right?”
“Han Yi may be able to make a friend one day.”
However, even when Eungwang Brilliant Light Orphanage changed the name to Eungwang Brilliant Light Children Home, and even after Han Yi entered the Gwangli Elementary School, no children of Han Yi’s age came to the children home.
Even after she enrolled in the elementary school, she didn’t make a friend for a while.
Han Yi, who just became an elementary school student, wasn’t as quick to sense presence as she was now, and wasn’t able to read lips very well.
Most of the parents didn’t want their precious children to become friends with a child with a disability, and the children didn’t want to get close with Han Yi, who was difficult to communicate with.
In addition, the teachers of the Gwangli Elementary School at the time didn’t have passion for education and pretended not to know about this situation, leaving Han Yi unattended and quickly isolated.
The one, who supported Han Yi at the time was the children home’s volunteer, Gong Cheonghwon.
“It must not be easy to read lips and detect presence at the school where there are many people. Let’s train together.”
Even while Gong Cheonghwon, who was a student at the time, was pressed by the classes, he often came to volunteer, and personally learned lip-reading to teach Han Yi.
However, even after becoming completely proficient in lip-reading, she didn’t make a friend.
People were amazed that Han Yi, who didn’t hear, understood their words, but that was it.
‘… The possibility of having a conversation is enough.’
Thanks to Gong Cheonghwon’s teaching and the care of the children home’s people, Han Yi was able to somehow endure even without a friend.
Then, when she changed a grade, Han Yi made a friend of her age for the first time.
It was Dokgo Miro, who was isolated in the class for a different reason than Han Yi.
— I’m going to be an idol! Han Yi, what is your dream?
— I’m not sure.
— Then let’s think together!
Dokgo Miro was so bright and cool, it was difficult to think of her as a child, who endured bullying.
The school life wasn’t really enjoyable, but thinking she was going to attend to meet and talk with Dokgo Miro made it worth enduring.
However, that time passed as quickly as a dream.
Just when she was happy they ended up in the same class again when they changed grades, Dokgo Miro distanced herself from Han Yi.
— I — have a goal of debuting as a solo idol, so I want to be alone now!
— It’s scary on stage, but if I learn to stand alone in front of people, I may be fine.
— I wish you wouldn’t greet me in front of other kids.
— Don’t sit beside me. Go somewhere else.
Han Yi didn’t know why Dokgo Miro was suddenly behaving so strangely, or how she could become friends with Dokgo Miro again.
Like this, the two became isolated from each other, and Han Yi, who was left alone, had a hard time, as she lost the first friend of her age.
She needed a lot of time to accept that Dokgo Miro was no longer her friend.
And after she entered the Eungwang School and met Dokgo Miro again, she belatedly felt that there was something strange about the events from that time.
When Dokgo Miro participated in Playlist, there was an elementary school SNS account, which circulated old rumors about her.
‘It seems that something happened to Miro at the time when she distanced herself from me.’
Han Yi didn’t follow the accounts of those classmates or accounts following them.
Because she couldn’t read the posts limited to followers, she didn’t know the details, and the accounts, that she caught trying to spread rumors, disappeared one after another.
The ones that disappeared were the accounts of the people, who were hooked by the bait Hwang-ho threw, after accepting Jo Uisin’s idea.
Those people were dealt with thanks to the Hwang Myeong Group’s hands, but Han Yi had no way of knowing it.
Because Han Yi’s human network was extremely small, she had no avenue to dig deeper.
The one who threw her a clue[1] was Dokgo Miro’s homema, Jeong Haeon.
“You — you were attending the Gwangli Elementary school, right?”
“Yes.”
At Han Yi’s answer, Jeong Haeon started talking almost without taking a break to breathe.
She had a tone that showed she worried about it for a long time.
“Please tell me what happened to Miro at that time. If my thoughts are right, wandering taking pictures of Miro, would be disturbing for Miro.”
“Yes?”
“Even though I have a strong conviction and situational evidence, I have no witness or definitive evidence.”
Jeong Haeon seemed to have found a clue, but Han Yi had almost no information.
Han Yi decided to first honestly reveal that she didn’t know anything.
“… I don’t really know.”
“What? You don’t know anything? It doesn’t seem like you’re pretending not to know.”
Before Jeong Haeon left disappointed, Han Yi grabbed her.
“If senior-nim tells me about the conviction and situation evidence that She has, I’ll find out.”
It seemed like Jeong Haeon hesitated.
It seemed like she was worrying whether she would become a trigger for spreading rumors about Dokgo Miro.
To persuade Jeong Haeon, Han Yi said the truth, which she never put in her mouth before.
“Miro was my first friend. I want to know what happened!”
Jeong Haeon worried for a while, and then opened her mouth:
“It seems that Miro is afraid of cameras. And the reason is probably…”
Jeong Haeon took out a picture that was taken with an old polaroid camera.
“Because she was harassed using cameras when she was young.”
In the picture was a young Dokgo Miro with a completely frozen expression.
It appeared that it was taken at the school, as the children looking at Dokgo Miro and snickering behind her back caught her eye.
She was told that this picture was sold on a second-hand deals site, after Dokgo Miro appeared on the Playlist.
“… The person who sold it?”
“Not long after, she caused a big incident and went to the reform school. I tried to borrow GeunChan’s power to find out anything, but no clues.”
By GeunChan, Jeong Haeon seemed to be talking about the 2nd year class 0’s president Geun Chansol.
‘Senior Geun Chansol is an outstanding Player, and isn’t from an ordinary family. But she couldn’t find a clue?’
Reaching that thought, she recalled an acquaintance, who had an exceptional power as a Player, and whose social status made him a member of family even more powerful than Geun Chansol’s.
The classmate, who was brought up as the Hwang Myeong Foundation’s successor and laughed a lot.
However, she erased that thought right away.
‘No, there is a more certain way than borrowing his power.’
It was to directly ask Dokgo Miro.
First day Dokgo Miro attended school, Han Yi executed this plan right away.
However, because Dokgo Miro was unwilling to open her lips, Han Yi took out her last card.
“If you hate to talk so much, then spar with me!”
Han Yi raised her voice in front of the class children, who came to stop them.
The children, who saw Han Yi shout for the first time, made surprised faces.
Dokgo Miro also had a surprised face for a moment, but she nodded.
“Okay. Han Yi wants to fight, so I’ll accept.”
Dokgo Miro’s eyes when she said that were overflowing with a fighting spirit.
* * *
When the signal dropped and the number changed to zero, Dokgo Miro and Han Yi kicked the ground and dashed at each other.
Bam!
Faint heat and traces of superpower wave spread over the ground of the gym, facilitated to endure students’ superpowers.
It seemed that both people ran adding their superpower wave.
“Haap!”
Han Yi entered the taehokwon’s basic move ‘Tiger Step’ right away and dug into Dokgo Miro’s chest.
Han Yi, who showed off her footwork that took advantage of her leaping power — like a tiger pouncing towards its prey — struck with a sharp fist.
Clang!
The sound of protector and morning star clashing reverberated loud.
Han Yi’s fist, which aimed at Dokgo Miro’s chest, was blocked by the morning star’s shaft.
“It seems she practiced a lot, eh? Han Yi’s attack moment and footwork’s linking improved quite much.”
Hwang Jiho praised Han Yi from the side, while his pretty eyes curled up.
But Hwang Jiho’s commentary didn’t end on praising Han Yi.
“However, Dokgo Miro is a capable person, who could breach a police station… no, a watchhouse[2], without leaving a trace.”
Not all police stations had Players, but every public facility had countermeasure against the attacks of Enemies or criminals with superpowers, matching the era when the Clash of Different Worlds occurred.
What’s more, wasn’t the Gwangli Police Station’s captain a Player and an elite, who graduated from the police academy?
Even in such a situation, Dokgo Miro was a person capable of overpowering the police station alone.
Peuk!
Just when Hwang Jiho finished his words, Dokgo Miro kicked Han Yi’s stomach with lightning-quick movement.
Han Yi swallowed a scream and flew backwards.
“…!”
Rather than a trained special technique or martial art, it was a kick that targeted opponent’s weakness in close combat.
Dokgo Miro’s attacks didn’t stop there.
Dokgo Miro made a big swing with a morning star towards Han Yi, whose balance crumbled and was sent flying.
“Dangerous!” [3]
“Han Yi-ah, avoid!”
“Hey, what are you doing?! Block!”
In the midst of it, the class children stood up from their seats and shouted.
Dokgo Miro swung the morning star, drawing an arc[4], and tried to pinch Han Yi down.
Just before the morning star’s heavy hit touched Han Yi.
“… Haap!”
Han Yi shouted with a fighting spirit, as she blew a punch into the air.
Using its wind pressure, Han Yi forcibly twisted her body to avoid the morning star, and landed on the ground with a perfect falling technique.
Han Yi hoisted her body up right away and dashed at Dokgo Miro again.
Puk! Claang! Clang!
The two people exchanged hits without rest.
The sound of morning star’s spiked head and protectors filled the gym without a break.
“What to do, I don’t see what’s happening…! Is Han Yi or Miro hurt?”
“No one seems to be bleeding!”
It seemed that Kwon Lena and Sawol Seeum’s eyes almost couldn’t see the flow of the battle.
In contrast to that, the children, who had the eyes to see the battle, didn’t spare their praises for the two’s violent spar.
“Miro fights really well…”
“The atmosphere feels different from when she was dancing. I want to draw it too!”
On the other hand, there were also children who were extremely flared up.
“You have to take a step back there and gather superpower wave!”
“Don’t block it directly with the protectors, let it pass you!”
Especially Song Daeseok and Maeng Hyodon were making a fuss, while throwing their fists in the air.
As the two spent relatively more time with and knew more about Han Yi, they threw many hints in her direction.
As Han Yi was focused on Dokgo Miro and couldn’t read lips, it didn’t reach her, but they seemed to forget about that fact.
Peuk!
While Dokgo Miro swung the morning star with one fist, guiding it to block Han Yi, her other fist hit Han Yi’s solar plexus.
Han Yi belatedly tried to avoid, but Dokgo Miro’s speed to follow her was faster.
“Keuk…”
A moan escaped Han Yi’s lips for the first time.
She wore protectors over her vital points, so she was protected, but it seemed she accumulated quite the damage, perhaps because she took a few hits.
The two were in a tight match with each other, but the victory was gradually tilting towards Dokgo Miro.
Even the children, who didn’t have eyes to see the battle, were slowly realizing that Han Yi was at a disadvantage.
‘Is it a gap of actual combat experience? As a street king, Dokgo Miro would have to break through scenes of chaos.’
Dokgo Miro’s blows against Han Yi were almost never seen in ordinary spars, but were irregular attacks that would be seen in close combats.
It seemed that the street king, who had experience of fights, where most of them one didn’t know where from and when a fist would fly, had an advantage over Han Yi, who trained herself through the Taehokwon Small Group’s activities.
As the spar continued, the gap originating in that experience gradually got bigger.
Peuk!
“Keuk!”
Dokgo Miro’s morning star slammed into Han Yi’s back.
It was the first direct hit from morning star in the place that didn’t have a protector.
‘… Dokgo Miro is looking out for Han Yi, eh?’
Instead of the dangerously shaped spiked head made out of jagged supernatural metal, she hit Han Yi with the smooth hilt part.
Looking at Han Yi, who stood clenching her teeth, Dokgo Miro said:
“Han Yi-ah, I won. Forfeit.”
Even though she was staggering, Han Yi shook her head.
“I can still fight!”
After adjusting her posture, Han Yi launched her foot again.
Paat!
Deep blue superpower wave, close to ultramarine[5], spread over Han Yi’s foot tips.
A skill that every Ho tribe member possessed, but was rare among humans, the Leap skill activated.
Seeing Han Yi jump forward using the Leap skills, Hwang Jiho mumbled:
“… Nothing really changed, eh?”
But Han Yi’s momentum was very tangled up.
Light of superpower wave coming from Han Yi’s feet, was gradually waning.
It seemed that if Dokgo Miro made a big hit with her morning star, the spar would end here.
However.
“Darn it!”
Clang!
The ground dent in when Dokgo Miro dropped her morning star.
Dokgo Miro blew a fist with a hand out of the other’s vision.
Peuk!
Dokgo Miro burrowed into Han Yi’s stomach with a bare fist.
She moved quickly behind Han Yi’s who let out a ‘Heuk’ and gasped for breath.
“…”
In front of Han Yi, who exhausted her strength, Dokgo Miro hesitated for a very short moment — but finally she hit her neck with a hand strike.
Han Yi swayed, and collapsed on the ground.
“Stop!”
Teacher Ham Geunhyeong-nim’s voice rang out loud.
A victor appeared.
“Dokgo Miro wins!”
*~*~*
[1] clue — literally ‘beginning of a thread’
[2] watchhouse — Hwang-ho uses an older name for police which translates to ‘land watching post’.
[3] “Dangerous!” — Sawol Seeum’s sentence.
[4] arc — is ‘호(ho)’ in Korean.
[5] ultramarine — 군청(gun-cheong) in Korean.
Translator’s note: As per ancient tradition set by Captain Kirk and Commanding Officer Spock, all bottled up emotions must be resolved through intense combat. You have fought well.
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