Chapter 303: Autumn (4)

Bang. The bullet pierced through the tattooed man’s head, shattering his brain. At least, that’s how it looked from Kang Woojin’s perspective, and it was the same inside the tattooed man’s head. The man, with his head shattered, collapsed. Woojin, as if unsatisfied, fired two more shots into the fallen man’s chest.

Kang Woojin’s indifferent expression did not change.

In an instant, despite his comrade being taken down, the bearded man charged forward without hesitation.

“Hup!”

The bearded man rushed in. He grabbed Kang Woojin’s gun with his left hand. From the start, things went off-script, so it was more like freestyle than the original sequence. The bearded man quickly swung the knife he held in his right hand. He was aiming for Woojin’s neck. However, the knife only sliced through the air. Kang Woojin slightly pulled his body back, easily dodging it. Woojin moved his fingers.

He removed the magazine from the seized gun and caught it with his free hand.

-Thwack.

and lodged the magazine into the man’s right eyeball.

The bearded man, who was the second to rush at Kang Woojin, was also taken down.

“Argh!!”

At first, he was full of determination to show Woojin a thing or two, but now he realized something.

This Korean actor is no ordinary person.

Why? The way he had smoothly removed the magazine from the prop gun had been too natural.

‘What the hell? Why is he handling the gun so naturally? Guns are illegal in Korea.’

But Woojin’s act of removing the magazine with one hand showed the skill of someone who had handled guns for decades.

How was this possible? The bearded man started to forget that this was just a test. He felt like he had entered the realm of ‘Beneficial Evil’.

Whatever the case, a magazine was lodged in his eye.

Though it wasn’t real, the flow suggested so. The bearded man was a pro as well. He assumed the current state of the scene. He had lost one eye but wasn’t dead. First, he needed to remove the magazine. The bearded man, holding a knife in one hand, moved his left hand to remove the magazine lodged in his eye. Kang Woojin also moved.

-Swish.

He grabbed the bearded man’s right hand, which held the knife, with both of his hands. His strength was gone. Because the man’s focus was entirely on the magazine lodged in his eye.

-Thud!!

The knife plunged into the bearded man’s heart.

“Ugh.”

The man who had been struck in the heart threw a punch. It was his final desperate struggle. It was slow and ineffective. Kang Woojin lightly deflected his arm. At the same time, he pulled out the knife embedded in the man’s chest. To finish him off for sure, he struck once more into the man’s chest, and then again into the side of his neck. The bearded man collapsed onto the floor like a hunk of meat.

It was judged to be a fatal blow.

30 seconds.

That was the time it took to take down the two large men.

The dozens of martial arts team members who filled the periphery of the action school, having witnessed the multiple exchanges in such a short moment, had their jaws dropped.

“Wow…… What the hell was that? That was insane.”

“K-Kang Woojin isn’t being overpowered; those Hollywood guys are getting wrecked! Doesn’t it look like a real fight?”

“…Why is Kang Woojin so good? He’s insanely fast.”

“Barehanded combat, weapon skills, situational judgment. He’s incredibly proficient in ‘CQC’. What’s going on? Does anyone know about Kang Woojin’s past?? Could it be that he actually learned ‘CQC’ professionally?”

“Does that even make sense?”

“No, the current situation doesn’t make any sense at all.”

Shock spread among the dozens of martial arts team members. The actors standing among them were the same. Especially, those like Ha Gang-su, who already had a connection with Woojin.

‘Martial arts— Could it be that Woojin-ssi served in a special forces unit during his military service??!’

The expression on Jo Moo-chan, who looked up to Woojin as an idol, was something to behold.

‘So…… cool. No, Teacher Jeon! How am I supposed to surpass that?’n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

By then, Kang Woojin, holding a knife in one hand, raised his head. He saw the remaining two opponents. The man with a buzz cut with a solid body and the bear-like guy with the largest build among the team.

“……”

Kang Woojin’s gaze toward the two was cold. There was no sign of tension. It was as if he was doing something he had always done.

On the other hand.

“!!!”

“……?”

The tension was even more intense for the two remaining opponents. They hadn’t practiced this. It was their first encounter. On top of that, things had deviated from the original sequence. Yet, despite all that, the two earlier colleagues seemed to have moved toward Kang Woojin as if they had rehearsed it dozens of times, despite their intention to put up a good fight.

How intense must the realism have been for those agitated colleagues to match with Woojin’s movements?

No, was it really them aligning?

Among the remaining two, the man with the buzz cut thought,

‘Wait a minute, this wasn’t part of the plan.’

Even as he widened his eyes, he drew the knife from his waist. Originally, he hadn’t even intended to pull out his knife. In the first place, it wasn’t supposed to reach his turn. But here they were.

‘Stay calm, just stay calm.’

The buzz-cut man gripped the knife tightly in his right hand and exhaled deeply. He wasn’t sure why the situation had turned out like this, but he had to make a move. Staying still in this situation would be truly embarrassing.

“Hoo—”

With the knife in one hand and his other hand raised to his chest, he glared at Woojin, who was standing straight. Kang Woojin held the knife with the blade pointed backward, while the biggest man among the Hollywood stunt team, the bear-like figure, stared intently at Kang Woojin.

‘Does he think he can take ‘CQC’ lightly?’

His face was full of shock. Yet, he remembered the words of Ethan Smith, the team leader. He had said that Kang Woojin was taking ‘CQC’ lightly.

‘That can’t be right. It’s not that he’s taking it lightly, but that it’s genuinely easy for him.’

At that moment.

-Thud, thud.

Kang Woojin quickly closed the distance. His target was the buzz-cut man. It felt like a ferocious monster was approaching. The buzz-cut man also rushed toward Woojin. He aimed to stab Woojin’s face with the knife in his right hand but suddenly switched the knife to his left hand and aimed for Woojin’s side.

It was unconventional, but Woojin reacted.

-Pak!

He kicked the man’s leg. It was more of a push than a kick, but it was precise. The buzz-cut man’s stance wavered. Woojin tucked the man’s wrist, which held the knife, under his own armpit. Soon, a solid punch came flying. The buzz-cut man, whose left arm was now wrapped, threw a punch with his remaining hand.

-Whoosh!

Woojin deflected the punch with the back of his hand holding the knife.

With the force applied, Woojin’s knife sliced horizontally across the man’s throat. Blood splattered onto Woojin’s face. Or rather, that was the intended portrayal. Kang Woojin grabbed the softened neck with both hands. He twisted and broke it. There was a crackling sound of bones breaking. Of course, only Kang Woojin could hear it. But the buzz-cut man, aware that his neck had been broken, thought,

‘……What the hell!’

He had no choice but to first kneel and then collapse to the ground faced-down. Dying felt natural.

‘How does he know such techniques!’

Three down, the total time taken was about 1 minute.

Kang Woojin looked down at the man whose neck he had broken and calmly muttered,

“One minute, not bad.”

It was an impromptu performance in line with the script. But it wasn’t over yet. One opponent remained. The man with the biggest build among them.

The bear-like man was already in a fighting stance, fists raised. His seriousness was evident. Based on what he had witnessed so far, he acknowledged that Kang Woojin was far beyond ordinary.

Kang Woojin stared at him with a cold gaze.

“……”

He quickly assessed the man’s stance. It didn’t take long. He finished his calculations within seconds. The bear-like man had adopted a boxing stance. Although Kang Woojin held a knife in one hand, both his hands were lowered. It was almost like a standing-at-attention posture. There was no sign of preparation. He exuded confidence.

It was as if he was saying he could subdue the opponent without any preparation.

The bear-like man furrowed his brow.

‘What, is he going to do whatever he wants even with his stance?’

An unguarded state was neither part of the script nor within his common sense. Yet, the bear-like man felt an inexplicable aura emanating from Woojin, who was casually staring at him.

It was only natural.

The bear-like man had no way of knowing about the “freedom of the role”.

He couldn’t approach Woojin, who had his arms lowered, so recklessly. Then he realized—what was this? Was he being overwhelmed by someone who hadn’t even taken a proper stance?

The distance between them was short.

Soon, there was a thudding sound. The bear-like man charged at Woojin.

-Whoosh!

The man threw a fist as big as a face. It was swift despite his large frame. He intended to stop just before hitting Woojin’s face, and this too deviated from the original script.

So what? That actor had also made changes, hadn’t he?

However, even though it was an unplanned move, Kang Woojin responded quickly. He slightly tilted his head to avoid the punch. At the same time, he picked up the knife that had fallen to the ground. The man’s brow furrowed further.

‘…He dodged that so easily?’

The bear-like man, whose pride was hurt by his hesitation, threw another punch. Woojin, with his arms still down, reacted. He blocked with his right hand, while the knife in his left hand swiftly stabbed in and out of the man’s side.

“Ugh!”

The man took a step back. Kang Woojin resumed the same unguarded posture as before, similar to standing at attention. But he took a step closer to the man. The man flinched and then threw a heavy jab. Woojin blocked it lightly. He pushed the man near his groin with his foot. The man staggered back a few steps with a grunt. Kang Woojin took two more steps toward him. There was no stopping or hesitation.

The entire sequence was more of a live performance than sticking to the script.

‘But why does he dodge so easily as if he knows everything?’

The bear-like man couldn’t understand. If they were moving according to the script, it would be possible, but that wasn’t the case now. Both he and that Korean actor were improvising.

Yet none of his attacks landed.

The bear-like man raised both fists and assumed a boxing stance with difficulty. But his heartbeat grew louder. The bear-like man was already overwhelmed by Woojin’s aura. Soon, as Woojin, who was now only a couple of steps away, approached him confidently, the bear-like man thought of defending himself.

However.

“……”

Woojin, who had closed in on the man, did not attack.

He just calmly watched the man in front of him, who was breathing a bit heavily. Woojin maintained his unguarded, at-attention-like stance. He was waiting, with a gaze that seemed to say, “Come at me.” The bear-like man gritted his teeth. From here on out, defense was secondary—recovering his pride was the priority.

As a professional, he summoned all his combat knowledge.

The bear-like man, in his boxing stance, crouched even further and rushed at Woojin. Given his large size, he looked like a truck. But to Kang Woojin, he was light. Woojin simply dodged to the side. The man’s jab aimed at Woojin’s side. Woojin grabbed the man’s punching arm and used his strength against him, pulling and tripping him.

The bear-like man, letting out a grunt, lost his balance but somehow managed not to fall.

He turned his head.

‘Huh? Where did he go?’

Kang Woojin, who should have been there, was gone.

At that moment.

-Thud.

Something touched the back of his head. Something hard. The bear-like man, who was awkwardly standing, couldn’t move his face. Instinctively, he knew Woojin was behind him and guessed what he was holding.

What touched the back of his head was likely the muzzle of a gun.

Then, the man muttered quietly.

“……Fuck.”

Behind him, Kang Woojin fired the gun with an indifferent expression. The bear-like man collapsed. It must have felt like the bullet had indeed pierced his skull. However, even as he fell, his thoughts were in turmoil.

‘Why the hell am I falling?’

Moreover, why had his fellow veteran colleagues been overpowered? And by a Korean actor, not even someone from Hollywood.

Yes, the biggest reason was.

‘Complacency.’

The biggest factor was underestimating Kang Woojin, who stood behind him. Complacency was dangerous even in real combat. But both the bear-like man and his colleagues had underestimated Woojin. As the bear-like man lay on the mat, he replayed the ‘CQC’ moves Woojin had displayed so far.

It became even more baffling.

‘Who the hell is this Korean actor?’

Meanwhile, Kang Woojin, who was looking down at the bear-like man’s prone back, raised his wrist. According to the script, he was supposed to check his wristwatch. It was amusing that he was now following the script, but whatever the case, Woojin muttered softly.

“2 minutes 48 seconds.”

It was a line from ‘Beneficial Evil’, spoken by ‘Jang Yeon-woo’.

Afterward.

When all four members of the foreign stunt team were lying on the ground, a deep silence filled the entire action school.

“……”

“……”

The souls of everyone present, including the dozens of martial arts team members who had been watching from the sidelines, seemed to have left their bodies. Half of them had their mouths hanging open, but no sound escaped. There was no movement. No one even twitched.

They could only stare intently at Kang Woojin, the sole figure standing in the center.

It was as if Kang Woojin was the only one moving in this action school. As he lowered the wrist he had raised, the cold, calculated air around him seemed to dissipate. It was understandable. He had just poured out everything—‘Jang Yeon-woo’, ‘martial arts’, ‘CQC’. In other words, he had returned to being Woojin with his concept on.

‘Okay, not bad.’

The first thing Kang Woojin did was.

-Swish.

He reached out to the bear-like foreign man from the stunt team who was lying right in front of him.

“Are you okay?”

The bear-like man, who was lying face down, slowly turned his head at the sound of Woojin’s voice. He saw Woojin’s outstretched hand, offering to help him up. The nuance was clear—grab the hand and stand up. And the fluent English that Woojin had just spoken also stood out. It wasn’t a simple “well done” or “good job” but a concerned “are you okay?”

As the bear-like man grabbed Woojin’s hand, he couldn’t help but let out a small, self-deprecating laugh.

‘Hah— I can’t deny it.’

He had been thoroughly defeated. Of course, it had been a very short sequence, but he was the one who ended up on the ground. The man took Woojin’s hand and slowly got to his feet. Then he responded to Woojin.

“I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

Then a question came at Woojin.

“I heard you only took a quick look at the ‘CQC’ sequence.”

“Yes.”

“But then, how… how are you able to do ‘CQC’? And at a level above that of a professional?”

Woojin, with his usual calm expression, paused for a moment before replying.

“Taking a quick look was enough.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Ah—did you perhaps learn it in the military?”

He was asking if Woojin had learned it in the military. Kang Woojin thought it wasn’t a bad thing to let him believe that. After all, it wasn’t the right time to say he had learned Hapkido or something like that, right? Besides, in the military, you do learn things like bayonet fighting and shooting.

‘It’s not an outright lie.’

Of course, Woojin answered in a somewhat vague manner.

“It was helpful to some extent.”

The bear-like man’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“……Hmm.”

He smiled slightly.

“I didn’t know that. We had some misunderstandings—so I apologize for deviating from the script.”

“It’s not a problem.”

After giving Woojin a slight bow, the man turned around. His three teammates were gradually getting up. The bear-like man, who approached the nearest teammate, murmured.

“That Korean actor, he must have served in special forces unit.”

The two eyes of the previously dejected buzz-cut man widened before he slowly nodded.

“Ye-yes, so that’s how it was.”

Meanwhile, Ethan Smith, the leader of the stunt team, who had been watching his wrecked teammates from a distance, was in a state of shock. Ethan had his mouth slightly agape. Soon, his gaze slowly shifted to Kang Woojin. And without realizing it, he muttered to himself in English.

“……Do they even need us?”

****

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