novelThe Star Comes Later (3)
| ← Ch.059 | Ch.061 → |
[Jin-hyuk from Red Team. You're out. ]
"Crap...!"
Jin-hyuk quickly got up after I dropped him onto the floor, but he was already out.
"Sian! You...ugh!"
He clearly had more to say, but two men who wore black clothing had already appeared to take him to the "prison." They began to drag him away. Even as he was being taken, he continued to shout curses at me. I gave him an innocent wave as I watched.
"Wow...that was close, " Ha-jeong said, letting out a long breath.
She had lost one name tag to Jin-hyuk, but luckily, only the one on her back.
"Are you okay?" I asked, quickly giving Ha-jeong a once over.
Ha-jeong gave a bright smile with a nod.
"I'm fine."
"Why did you just come out like that?"
"I was scared for you."
"Geez."
She was worried about me? Where's the girl who spoke so rudely to me over her bento?
"Let's go. We have to get Guk-jong."
Oh, that's right. Guk-jong and Min-joon are still left.
"Oh, I still have to go."
"You haven't gone yet?"
"No..."
"Okay, then go."
"Thanks."
Ha-jeong immediately went back into the bathroom.
***
"Why isn't she coming out?"
It's been ten minutes and Ha-jeong was still in the bathroom.
"Is she pooping?"
If she was just going to do a number one, she would've been out by now. She's either pooping or fixing her makeup. I peeked inside and saw that she wasn't standing by the sink. That meant that she was going for a number two. A certain odor wafted towards me and I nodded.
"She must have digestive issues."
If she's sitting on a toilet for ten minutes, that has to mean she has issues with her bowels, right? Like with me, I'm done in one go. Of course, everyone is different so I'm not judging. But then there are people like Ji-hyun, who had been born into a rich family, who was so worried about hygiene that she took her clothes off before going number two. I asked her if it wasn't bothersome, and she said it was both bothersome and uncomfortable. But if she doesn't take off her clothes, then nothing comes out. Because she can't have anything on her body when she does her business. I expressed my sympathies but she told me it was okay since she only feels the need to go number two every three days. And that's why her farts smell so bad. You wouldn't think so when you see her face. Also, I didn't want to say anything about it, but girl group members have a serious gas problem. You think that's the only thing? They also...well, if I say any more, it'd be impolite so I'll just leave it at that.
Anyways, ten more minutes passed. And Ha-jeong still wasn't coming out.
"Is she building the toilet bowl herself?"
She was taking such a long time, but then it happened. Two men suddenly appeared around the corner at the end of the hall. They looked up and we met eyes. There was some distance between us so they wouldn't have been able to see me, but I could see them. They were staring at me and suddenly, my mood lifted. It was like Christmas had come early.
"It's them. Guk-jong and Min-joon."
This was awesome. To be honest, if Ha-jeong had been here, I would've dragged her away in order to protect her. But now, it was just me. And I was very eager for a warm-up.
I opened the bathroom door slightly... ugh, the smell...
"Ha-jeong, take your time, okay~ I'm going to visit the prison for a bit."
"Okay. I'm sorry, Sian... I have some stomach problems..."
"Okay."
I closed the door and stepped further into the hallway. They came closer and were both smiling. But Min-joon's smile seemed a little uncomfortable. Did he need the bathroom?
Well anyways, soon, we were standing in front of each other.
"Hi, Guk-jong, " I greeted first.
I wasn't about to act cute in front of him so he could just accept my standard hello.
"Hi, Sian. It's nice to meet you in person, " Guk-jong said.
He gave a slight bow and in doing so, shifted his body, ready to take off my name tag. But Min-joon looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. I noticed him giving me apologetic looks. I mean, he does have a crush on me. Didn't he tell me before we started filming? That he would protect me at all costs? But since we ended up on opposite teams, I can see why it would be conflicting for the poor guy.
"But Sian, did you really get everyone's name tags?" Guk-jong asked.
"Yeah. It just happened that way, " I said casually.
Guk-jong nodded.
"That's amazing. I can't wait to watch the episode to see how you did it."
"Thanks."
"But you're not going to be able to get me easily. I don't care if you act cute. I don't become lenient just because you're a girl."
"Act cute?"
Well, it was very clear how he thought I had gotten those name tags.
"Yeah. But if you want to try it out... maybe I'll go easy on you."
Guk-jong sounded incredibly confident. Then again, he was a martial artist himself. And from what I hear, he was pretty good at it. So I guess he would see me as a weak opponent? Probably even more so because I'm a woman.
"Just come at me, " I said, smiling brightly.
For a split second, Guk-jong seemed thrown off by this. Anyone else would've missed it. The shock was there for only a split second before he composed himself.
"Okay. Let's just finish this quickly then."
And with that, Guk-jong began to approach me slowly, but Min-joon continued to hesitate. Guk-jong noticed this immediately.
"Min-joon, what are you doing? Is something wrong?"
"Um, n-no..."
Min-joon's na?ve response made Guk-jong smile and he started to approach me again. I eyed him as he moved. Guk-jong is a man of muscle, built from years of practice and hard work... but that's all there was to him. Soon, he would see the difference between his strength and mine. And that's when it happened. Suddenly, Min-joon ran behind Guk-jong and wrapped his arms around the guy in a tight backhug.
Then he shouted, "Sian! Run!"
As soon as he shouted that, Guk-jong managed to break himself out of Min-joon's hold. He in turn grabbed Min-joon's arms and twisted them behind Min-joon's back. Guk-jong overtook Min-joon in a flash. The martial artist in him was showing through. Min-joon was in no ways a weakling, but he didn't stand a chance against Guk-jong.
"What the hell? Are you a spy?" Guk-jong asked, looking sincerely hurt.
Min-joon immediately said no, shaking his head. But I was confused too. Was he really a spy? Does he have another secret mission of his own? Nah. He was probably doing this because he liked me.
"Then why are you trying to get my name tag?"
Min-joon had no answer. In response, Guk-jong immediately ripped off Min-joon's name tags.
Rip! Rip!
His hands were so strong that the shirt ripped as well.
And that signalled Min-joon's magnificent end. Yet even as the men in black came to take him away, he continued to look worried for me.
'Should I punch him?'
I could understand that he was acting this way because he liked me, but it was getting to me. It's very annoying.
Anyways, it was now just me and Guk-jong. One on one. Ha-jeong was still in the bathroom.
"He's not even a spy. So why would he do that?" Guk-jong asked, chuckling. Then he smiled at me.
"I'll end you quickly, I promise."
"Okay."
"But where is Ha-jeong... ?"
"She is p... in the bathroom."
"Oh, " Guk-jong said with a nod.
He added, "But still, no matter how much I think about it, attacking a girl with both hands doesn't suit well with me. I'll use one hand."
With that, he slipped one arm into his T-shirt. Well, he sure lives up to his words.
"You might regret it, " I said.
At that, Guk-jong snorted.
"Should I just go on one foot?" he asked.
"Uh...do what you want, " I said, now feeling irritated.
Sure enough, Guk-jong lifted his foot. He was now hopping on one foot in front of me with only one arm out.
"Alright, come at me."
By this point, Guk-jong's smirk was just oozing with arrogance, and I smiled. This guy was hilarious. I was going to enjoy this.
"Okay, I'm going to start, " I said, taking a step closer.
"Okay, " Guk-jong answered with a nod.
"Oh, but Guk-jong."
"Yeah?"
"Can I kick you just once?" I asked sweetly.
Judging by the guy's muscles, I bet it would feel awesome to hit him.
"Pfft, alright then. Are you sure you'll be okay though? You might break your leg. My bones are like steel, and your legs are so skinny."
He just didn't know when to stop, did he?
"I appreciate your concern, " I said as I shook out my legs.
After Jun-jin, it really has been a while since I hit another guy. But I would like to point out again that I never hit anyone just because. That is, I always make sure they give me a reason first. Guk-jong gave me permission, so I was in the clear.
"But really, be careful. I'm on a higher level than Eun-soon. You could really get hurt."
"Thank you for worrying. Is it okay if I hit you twice then?"
"Sure, you can do what you want. I'll take it all. It's the least I can do, all things considered, " Guk-jon said, looking excited.
I'm sure the public would be, too. They would want to see how strong my kicks were to bring down a champion like Eun-soon. Would it have the same effect on a strong, muscled, ex-martial artist?
"Okay. I'm going to start."
With a smile, I brought my leg, aimed, and kicked his middle.
Thwack!
Boom!
Guk-jong suddenly flew back and hit the wall behind him. But instead of passing out, he immediately straightened up. I aimed to give him another kick...
"W-wait! Hang on!"
Guk-jong held both of his hands out, and I lowered my foot. I pouted in confusion. Didn't he say I could do whatever I wanted?
"H-hang on, Sian..."
Then suddenly, Guk-jong pulled out his arm out from the inside of his T-shirt. He also lowered his foot.
"Why?"
I gave him the sweetest smile. Wow, that felt amazing. Better than kicking a sandbag. I wanted to keep going.
"Well...no...wait...hang on...."
Guk-jong gingerly fingered the arm that had taken the blow of my kick.
So I asked him, "Oh, does it hurt?"
"Oh, no! Of course not! It doesn't hurt at all! What are you talking about.."
He shrugged as he continued to spew out lies, a fake smile plastered on his face.
"Then, I'll do one more..."
"Uh, n-no. Let's just end it here. I don't think this is appropriate for a family show like this. They'll probably cut this part out anyway, " Guk-jong said rapidly.
I was disappointed, but I nodded.
"If you're hurt, you can just say so..."
"I told you it doesn't hurt!" Guk-jong snapped.
And that's when the name-tag ripping started, but it ended just as quickly. As soon as Guk-jong came at me, I grabbed his collar and jumped onto his back. Then I quickly grabbed both of his name tags and ripped them off. His VJ couldn't move because he was so filled with shock. Of course, the one who was most surprised was Guk-jong. He just got beat by a young girl.
[Guk-jong from Red Team. You're out. ]
And that's how my blue team won.
Suddenly, Ha-jeong came out of the bathroom.
"What? Are we done already?" she asked.
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