Reality Quest: Strike Back

Jinho's POV

Jinho Choi leaned back against the counter, rubbing the edge of his ring. The place was much quieter than usual, most of the others having left and his friends gone to find that guy.

He swirled the amber liquid in his shot glass, watching as the light caught the edge

Seong Daehyun. That guy was… weird. 

Most people like him folded after a taste of what he had to offer. A little pressure, a little humiliation, and they'd slink back into obscurity. But Daehyun had surprised him. He'd stood his ground. Not well… Jinho chuckled to himself, thinking of the pitiful fight Daehyun had put up the other day, but he'd still done it. The guy had no idea what he was doing, but he stood his ground anyway. Stupid, yeah. But bold.

Bold could be shaped. Molded.

The door creaked open, and Jinho's gaze shifted lazily. He straightened slightly when he saw Daehyun step in.

His gaze swept the room, lingering on Jinho before finally settling into something resembling normalcy.

"Hey man, you're good, yeah?"

Daehyun didn't respond, just took a seat opposite him.

Daehyun slid into the seat opposite him, his expression unreadable.

Good.

Jinho let the silence hang for a moment, studying him. The others didn't get it… they thought this was all about control, about keeping people in line. But for Jinho, it was more than that. He didn't need Daehyun to back down. He wanted Daehyun to understand. To see the bigger picture.

The world wasn't fair. Gwanak wasn't fair. And if you didn't carve out a place for yourself, someone else would do it for you. Jinho had learned that the hard way, watching his older brother climb to the top, brick by bloody brick. If you didn't fight back then you weren't meant to do anything. Simple as that.

"You've got a lot of p-"

But before he could say anything more, it happened.

Daehyun moved fast. Faster than Jinho expected.

The punch came out of nowhere, connecting squarely with his jaw. Pain exploded across his face, and he staggered back, his hand flying to his mouth.

"What the-" he hissed, tasting blood. His eyes shot up to meet Daehyun's, blazing with anger. "Are you out of your damn mind?!"

The room went silent. 

Jinho straightened, his face darkening. His jaw throbbed, but the pain was nothing compared to the fury building inside him.

Daehyun didn't flinch.

For the first time in a long time, Jinho felt something he wasn't used to.

Doubt.

Daehyun's POV

My fist ached from the impact, but I didn't care.

Jinho's shocked expression, the flash of anger in his eyes. It was worth it.

My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm.

"You're insane," Jinho spat, wiping the blood from his lip. "You've got no idea what you just did."

Why's this fucker acting more like a cliche villain every single day. I wanted to grin, to fire back with a snarky comment, but nothing came to mind so I just stayed silent. Watching.

I knew I'd never been in a fight before. I knew I'd never punched someone before. I knew I'd probably lose. 

But that possibility just didn't scare me as much anymore. 

This may have been a course of action taken on a whim but that didn't mean I wasn't putting my all into it.

Jinho didn't rush me right away. He stood a few feet away, rolling his neck like he was warming up for a fight he knew he'd already won. His lips curled into a faint snarl as he watched me shift uncomfortably on my feet.

"You sure you wanna do this?" he asked, voice smooth and casual. "It's not too late to back down. Save yourself the embarrassment."

My fists clenched at my sides. Every instinct I had was screaming at me to apologize, to laugh it off, to run. But I didn't move. I couldn't.

"Just shut up and fight me," I said, my voice cracking slightly at the end.

Jinho's eyes shone with rage. "Alright, tough guy. Your funeral."

He was fast. One moment, he was standing there, and the next, his fist was flying straight at my face.

I barely managed to duck, the punch grazing the top of my head. Panic flared in my chest as I scrambled backward, nearly tripping over my own feet.

Jinho didn't give me a chance to recover. He was on me again, throwing a wild hook that connected with my shoulder. Pain flared, sharp and immediate, and I stumbled, hitting the edge of the drinks table.

"C'mon, Dae," he taunted, shaking out his fist. "You're gonna have to do better than that."

I lunged at him, my movements clumsy and desperate. My fist swung wide, completely missing its mark, and Jinho laughed, sidestepping me easily.

"Fucking loser," he said, shoving me hard in the chest.

I went down, landing awkwardly on my side. The carpet burned against my palms as I pushed myself back up, my breaths coming in short, ragged gasps.

This wasn't working. I was outmatched in every way. Fuck.

Then the blue window flashed in front of me, hovering just over Jinho's shoulder.

ACTIVE SKILL: STRAIGHT

The words barely registered in my mind. All I knew was that I needed to do something, anything, before he knocked me out for good.

Jinho moved in again, his fist aimed at my stomach this time. I twisted to the side, my body acting on pure instinct, and his punch skimmed past me. Before I could second-guess myself, I threw my own punch, aiming squarely at his chest.

It wasn't pretty. My fist wobbled mid-swing, and I didn't have nearly enough strength behind it. But somehow, it connected.

Jinho staggered back, a look of mild surprise crossing his face. He rubbed his chest where I'd hit him, then looked at me like I was insane. Which I probably was.

"Alright," he said, his voice low. "Now I'm pissed."

Again with the villain lines?!

He charged at me, and this time, I didn't try to dodge. I braced myself, planting my feet as best as I could. A heat emerged, surging through my chest and down my arm.

"STRAIGHT!" I shouted, the word leaving my mouth before I even realized I'd said it.

-100MP

My fist shot forward, faster and harder than I thought possible from my arm. It slammed into Jinho's jaw with a sickening crunch, and he went down like a sack of bricks, collapsing onto the floor in a dazed heap.

I stood there, my chest heaving, staring down at his crumpled form. My hand throbbed from the impact as I realised.

JUDGE OF NEW BEGINNINGS 

COMPLETE

You have defeated Monster JINHO CHOI

Reward: Silver Skillstone, 20 EXP

The room was dead silent, save for my ragged breaths echoing off the walls. My fists were trembling, though I wasn't sure if it was from adrenaline or sheer disbelief.

Holy shit. Did I just win?

I stared down at Jinho, his bloodied lip and dazed expression proof that, somehow, I had. My first fight… and I'd actually won. Granted, it wasn't pretty. He'd barely been trying, and yeah, maybe I'd cheated a little, but a win was a win, right?

A shaky laugh bubbled up in my chest.

Straight. That was the skill. Straight.

"How the hell was I supposed to know you meant straight as in straight punch?!" I hissed under my breath, glaring at the glowing blue window that had conveniently disappeared the second I started talking.

And I said it out loud?! I shivered in the cringe.

Predictably, the Administrator didn't reply.

"Thanks anyway," I muttered, half-sarcastic but still grateful. My lord of cryptic guidance, my savior of oddly specific skills. 

Looking down again, I stared at Jinho's bloodied face. I raised my foot, thinking.

It's okay to hit a bully when he's down right? He doesn't deserve normal rights? Or was that a bully's way of thinking.

Before I could make my choice, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out, still breathing hard. It was a text from Minseok.

Minseok: What u doing?

I blinked at the screen, then glanced down at Jinho's unconscious, bloodied body. Without thinking, I crouched down, angled the camera into a selfie, and snapped a quick photo, my hand held up in the peace sign. My thumb hovered over the send button for half a second before I shrugged. Screw it. I hit send.

A reply came almost instantly.

Minseok: WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT????

I chuckled, the adrenaline making everything seem funnier than it should have.

Me: Just beat up Jinho.

The typing bubble appeared immediately. Then disappeared. Then came back.

Minseok: WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU BEAT UP JINHO??? ARE YOU INSANE??? WTF IS GOING ON WHERE ARE YOU???

I stared at the screen, imagining his panicked expression and how he was probably pacing his room right now.

The laughter came before I could stop it, bubbling up uncontrollably until I was clutching my stomach. 

I leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling as the laughter came to a slow stop. Was that a marker on that table over there?

Stretching forward, I grabbed the marker, popping the lid off with my thumb.

"This is for you Inrang," I muttered as I turned to Jinho's face.

The ink flowed smoothly as I worked, drawing lopsided shapes and scribbles over his face. "And for calling me a fucking loser. Real creative, by the way."

I added a mustache that curled at the ends, then drew mismatched eyebrows so thick they looked like they were about to jump off his face.

My lips twitched as I leaned back to admire my work. But something was missing.

I snapped my fingers. "Ah, I know."

On his forehead, I carefully wrote in blocky, uneven letters: "FUCKING LOSER."

Satisfied, I stood up and capped the marker with a sharp click, tossing it onto the nearby table. I glanced at my phone again, seeing Minseok's messages still piling in.

Minseok: SERIOUSLY WHAT ARE U DOING

Minseok: DAE I'M CALLING U RIGHT NOW ANSWER ME

I chuckled, shaking my head. I pulled out my phone again, aiming the camera at Jinho's new look, and snapped another picture. The angle was perfect, his mouth slightly open, marker scribbles covering his face like he'd lost a bet with a group of toddlers.

I sent it to Minseok without any caption, and then Inrang, telling him to leave through the back exit.

Another groan reached my ears, and I froze.

I turned slowly, heart skipping a beat, and saw one of Jinho's friends standing in the doorway. His mouth was slightly open as he stared at the scene: Jinho unconscious on the floor, his face a mess of marker doodles, and me standing there like the world's worst artist caught in the act.

The guy's expression twisted into a mix of shock and rage. "What the hell did you-"

Before he could finish, I grabbed the first thing my hand landed on, a karaoke mic, and hurled it at him.

It wasn't graceful. It wasn't impressive. But it worked.

The mic smacked into his chest with a loud clang, making him stumble back with a startled grunt.

"Not today!" I yelled, bolting past him before he could recover.

I didn't stop running until I was out of the building, my lungs burning and my legs screaming for mercy.

As I rounded the corner, I finally slowed to a stop, pressing my hands to my knees as I tried to catch my breath. My phone buzzed again.

Minseok: WHAT. DID. YOU. DO.

I couldn't help it, I laughed, wiping the sweat from my brow.

Me: I'll explain later.