Chapter 9

Chapter 9. One Punch Man

From the next day, Kim Jinsung’s life in the underground changed noticeably. Indeed, from the moment he spoke with Go Junkyung, his gang stopped harassing Kim Jinsung. They treated him as if he didn’t exist, which was an improvement, regardless.

With the gang no longer approaching Kim Jinsung, other boys began to cautiously approach him one by one.

“Hey, hi Jinsung? I’m Oh Junhwan.”

“Do you want some chocolate? I got it from a spectator earlier.”

“Could you show me how you train, if that’s okay…?”

These boys had been too intimidated by Go Junkyung’s gang to approach Kim Jinsung before, but now they felt free to do so. Above all, Kim Jinsung’s defeat of Kang Kyungmo, one of the top-ranked fighters, had made a significant impact. With just two punches, Kim Jinsung had taken down the former champion, and he was now seen by the other boys as a formidable force, almost on par with Go Junkyung.

“Hey, give me that chocolate first. It’s not poisoned, is it?”

Park Seongtae was the happiest about the change. As Kim Jinsung’s fellow newcomer and the only one who had been bullied alongside him, this turn of events was a blessing in disguise. After all, wasn’t he the one who had taken down Choi Hangil, a top ten fighter, without a single moment of crisis?

Naturally, the boys began to see Park Seongtae as Kim Jinsung’s right-hand man and started to follow him.

“Hmm, it’s fine. Hey, brother! I’ll put the chocolate in your drawer!”

“Why am I your brother…?”

Kim Jinsung sighed involuntarily at Park Seongtae’s loud voice.

‘Because of him, I can’t even get a moment of peace these days.’

The life Kim Jinsung had wanted after signing the contract was one free of harassment, where he wouldn’t bother anyone and could live in peace. Not like now, where he was followed around by kids 24/7 as if he were the leader of some school gang. For the introverted Kim Jinsung, being surrounded by people every day was more stressful than anything else.

‘This is why I don’t go out of the incinerator.’

The only place where he could be alone was inside the incinerator. The boys who wanted to impress Kim Jinsung didn’t follow him to this place, reeking of burning flesh. So, when he was here, he could have the solitude he so desired.

“This is my eternal space. I can’t give it up to anyone else.”

When Kim Jinsung insisted on using Room 99 and taking on the incinerator duties, everyone in the waiting room was puzzled.

– Why does he keep doing that horrible job?

– He doesn’t need to do that anymore.

“Hey, brother! Pass that job to the newbies! It’s embarrassing for someone who’s top two in the waiting room hierarchy to be doing that!”

In fact, Park Seongtae openly tried to persuade him to stop every day. But Kim Jinsung had no intention of handing it over to anyone else. His unique trait required him to kill evildoers to become stronger, and this illegal underground fighting ring was full of them. In this place, where those who lost in the ring were as good as dead and were burned alive instead of being treated, it was the perfect place for Kim Jinsung.

‘Just wait and see. I’ll be here until the end of the two-year contract!’

With this resolve, Kim Jinsung put the last remaining boy’s body into the incinerator. As he adjusted to his changed life in the waiting room, he would step into the ring every couple of weeks. His opponents were promising fighters ranked around 20th to 30th. Representative Jo had indeed kept his promise, only matching him with opponents much weaker than Kang Kyungmo or Lee Hyungjun.

Kim Jinsung was faithful to the contract.

‘I’ll let myself get hit a bit for 2 or 3 rounds…’

At the start of the match, he would ‘act’ as if he was being overpowered on purpose. When he exaggerated his punches, the opponent would confidently land a punch on Kim Jinsung’s face. However, he never allowed a clean hit, only allowing glancing blows that sounded impactful.

Crack!

“Oooh!”

“He’s down!”

And as he fell, the audience would rise to their feet, excited by the sight of the strongest fighter struggling under his opponent.

After 2 or 3 rounds, the audience would murmur among themselves.

“Is he really going to lose this time?”

“Look at him gasping for air! He’s completely out of stamina!”

“Damn it! I shouldn’t have bet on a guy who only relies on one punch!”

When the audience’s reactions flowed like this, deceived by the ‘act,’

‘Now I can finish this.’

Kim Jinsung would think to himself as he moved towards his opponent, continuing to ‘act’ as if he were exhausted. Seeing Kim Jinsung’s sluggish response, the opponent would attack aggressively, confident of victory. That’s when Kim Jinsung would dodge and deliver a powerful counterpunch to the opponent’s jaw.

It was a risky move.

Snap!

“Wowwww!!”

With just one punch, the opponent would often be knocked out cold, their jaw shattered.

After finishing them off with a chokehold, the match would end. Kim Jinsung, who had been on the back foot the entire time, would achieve a dramatic comeback victory with just one punch.

The audience couldn’t help but cheer at this thrilling moment.

“Nice!!”

“Kim Jinsung’s punching power is really something…!”

“I told you! No matter how tough it gets for him, it’s that one punch that makes him so scary.”

“Damn!! I was counting on you, Kim Jinsung!”

Kim Jinsung responded to their cheers.

“Uaaaaah!”

He jumped onto the octagonal ring and roared, another ‘performance’ to win the audience’s favor.

After the match, past midnight.

“Come on, let’s have a drink! Cheers~!”

In the company cafeteria, where only employees go, Representative Jo, Go Junkyung, and Kim Jinsung were the only ones grilling meat and drinking, with armed employees standing guard outside, visible through the restaurant’s glass windows.

“You worked hard today! Lately, Jinsung, your acting skills have been improving day by day. I really thought you were knocked out in the 3rd round!”

“Hahaha….”

“Thanks to you, we hit the highest viewership ever today! The betting money also reached a record high, excellent! Just keep doing this! You’re doing great!”

“Yes.”

“Here’s to our club’s biggest star, ‘One Punch Man’ Kim Jinsung! Have another drink!”

One Punch Man,

A nickname born from Kim Jinsung’s fighting style of being on the back foot throughout the match only to end it with a single punch. Kim Jinsung, always delivering dramatic victory scenes, had long surpassed the popularity of the champion Go Junkyung, and now the gap between them was incomparable in terms of performance, popularity, star quality, audience, and betting money mobilization.

For Representative Jo, Kim Jinsung was like a goose that laid golden eggs.

“Hey, Junkyung, bring some soju. Ah, this guy didn’t grill any meat even though I told him to!”

Naturally, from Representative Jo’s perspective, he had no choice but to treat Kim Jinsung better than Go Junkyung, who was soon to… well, leave.

With a stern face, Go Junkyung got up and walked to the fridge, but Representative Jo didn’t even glance at him, continuing the conversation with Kim Jinsung, arm around his shoulder.

“How’s life in the waiting room these days? The gang isn’t bothering you or anything, right?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, right! I heard that these days your ‘Kim Jinsung gang’ is more popular than theirs?”

“What?”

Kim Jinsung looked confused.

“Ah, don’t play dumb! The employees are all saying you’re the ‘actual leader’ dominating the waiting room!”

“No, that’s not it…”

Kim Jinsung was flustered and involuntarily glanced at Go Junkyung.

However, he couldn’t see Go Junkyung’s reaction as he was turned away, missing the spark in Go Junkyung’s eyes as he grabbed a bottle of soju.

“You’re doing great! After all, Junkyung will be leaving in a month, and then you’ll have to take over his role, so getting some leadership experience now isn’t bad!”

“I didn’t do anything though…”

Kim Jinsung was annoyed by the kids always following him, making him escape to the incinerator to be alone, and now he’s being credited with leadership?

“Junkyung, you should start preparing to leave too. You’ve been the boss for almost 2 years, it’s time to step down quietly, right?”

“Jinsung, continue to treat Junkyung well, and keep giving him the leader’s respect until he leaves! You know what I mean, right?”

“Yes.”

“Junkyung, pour us some drinks!”

The drinking session continued with Representative Jo talking, Kim Jinsung responding, and Go Junkyung feeling left out.

“Shall we have the last round and call it a night? I’ve invited some girls over for the first time in a while.”

“Really~!”

Go Junkyung’s expression brightened for the first time, but Kim Jinsung immediately looked troubled.

“I think I need to go back and rest. I feel like I’ve taken some damage to my head today…”

“Oh dear, then you should go rest! Go on, you head in! And Junkyung too…”

“Me too?”

“Um, no. Since I’ve already called them, it would be rude to send them back, so come along!”

Go Junkyung’s expression, which was about to turn serious, relaxed once again. Soon, the three of them left the cafeteria, and along with the waiting employees, they split up and walked in different directions. Representative Jo, walking towards the office with Go Junkyung, felt a vibration in his pocket and immediately took out his smartphone. There was a text message on the screen.

From Lee Dong-shik:

—

Let’s meet tomorrow around 6 PM. My master has a gift for you to deliver directly.

—

– I’ll come to your office myself.

‘A gift…’

He knew what kind of gift it was. When he first received Kim Jinsung, Lee Dong-shik called the bundle of money he gave as a ‘gift.’

***

The next day.

Lee Dong-shik, who visited the office, immediately presented the ‘gift’ to Representative Jo.

“This is a gift prepared by my master. He’s put a bit more thought into it this time.”

A large box, not a bag, filled with banknotes. All were million-won bills issued after the ‘Great Change.’

Representative Jo estimated the amount with a glance.

“10 billion?”

“Sharp as always with numbers.”

“What do you want?”

At Representative Jo’s question, Lee Dong-shik answered immediately.

“Hand over Kim Jinsung.”

“Jinsung?”

“Yes. We’re planning to take care of him ourselves. There’s no point in leaving him here if he just keeps winning…”

Effectively, Lee Dong-shik was declaring that they had given up on the strategy of letting Kim Jinsung die a natural death at the club.

“Kukukuk, you’ve made a good decision. Who would have known Kim Jinsung would be this strong?”

Lee Dong-shik’s eyes filled with murderous intent at Representative Jo’s response. However, Representative Jo remained calm.

“Don’t look at me like that, friend. Do you think I knew that fact? And I can’t match him with another star of the club, Go Junkyung, can I? The moment one of them dies, do you know how much I lose?”

“And what if Kim Jinsung wins? Then you’ll get beaten by your master again, won’t you?”

“That’s why we want to take care of it.”

Lee Dong-shik stood up immediately.

“I’m busy, so let’s end the conversation here. Where’s Kim Jinsung?”

“He’s in the underground waiting room.”

“Bring him here. Or should I go get him myself?”

“Who said I’d hand him over?”

“…What?”

Lee Dong-shik, doubting his own ears, watched as Representative Jo scoffed and continued.

“Do you think I’m crazy? To just hand over a superstar who brings in over a billion in betting money per match for a mere 10 billion?”

Representative Jo pushed the box back towards Lee Dong-shik.

“At least 300 billion. Non-negotiable. Pass that on to your master.”