Even Without Alcohol (3)
─── Everyhunter Hanyul Academy ───
*Free Bulletin Board
Title
Breaking News))) Evaluation Match Roster Announced!!!!
Cleveland, OH
-Lloyd Hintz
-Mason Fanning
-Dick Cryder Jr.
vs
Hanyul Academy
-Kang Taehoon
-Shin Yunseong
-Kim Daesik
───
└Anonymous7024: Really? No Arna?
└Anonymous4961: Not Arna, but who is Kang Taehoon?
└Anonymous5074: When did Kang Taehoon come back?
└Anonymous1332: Kang Taehoon is okay, but the rest…
└Anonymous6358: Look at this lineup lol
└Anonymous5379: They’re gonna get wrecked by the Yankees lol
└Anonymous3644: Who the heck is Daesik lol
└Anonymous2657: Daesik, seriously lol
└Anonymous0412: Daesik lol, this is just a bait post
└Anonymous8840: But it’s true, look at this
└Anonymous8840: m.news.kaie.com/aK3d1
└Anonymous1025: Why is this happening?
└Anonymous4751: Seriously, it’s true lol
└Anonymous9366: Who is Kim Daesik lol
└Anonymous7573: Did we even have a guy like that at school?
└Anonymous6109: Hahahahahahaha
“What? Taehoon Kang is coming out?”
While resting in the players’ waiting room after finishing all the events of the day, Arna was startled and shrugged her shoulders when she saw her smartphone.
“I was wondering where he disappeared to these days….”
The international evaluation match held on the last day of the event. Arna knew she wouldn’t be participating that day.
But she never imagined that Taehoon Kang would be on the list instead….
Moreover….
“Why is this person in the evaluation match….”
There was a name on the list that caught Arna’s eye.
It was none other than Yoonseong Shin.
“….”
What kind of combination is this? Taehoon Kang and Yoonseong Shin on the same team. Frankly, aren’t they at each other’s throats?
“No…! He doesn’t even have the skills to come out in the evaluation match…!”
This isn’t directed at Taehoon Kang. It’s about Yoonseong Shin.
In fact, Yoonseong Shin doesn’t have the skills to come out in the international evaluation match. Probably all the students attending this school would think so.
How dare a C-grade compete against the NCAA championship team. Frankly, it’s like putting a single A player… no, a rookie player on the mound in a Major League game.
“What is the school thinking….”
The problem isn’t just Yoonseong Shin deciding to come out in the evaluation match, but the school approving it is a bigger issue.
In a big event visited from all over the world, on the last day, inviting high-profile American players, and the person they send out is Yoonseong Shin.
“Oh my head….”
Suddenly, dizziness rose. Imagining Yoonseong Shin being ridiculed by the crowd made her head spin.
What confidence did Yoonseong Shin have to choose to come out in the evaluation match?
And with his nemesis, Taehoon Kang.
“Whatever… whether he comes out in the evaluation match or not… it has nothing to do with me….”
Right. It’s just an event match. It’s not like he’s going to die, so why bother. Arna doesn’t need to care.
What does Yoonseong Shin matter? Just pretend it didn’t happen.
“Arna!”
At that moment, a reporter entered the waiting room.
“About the interview scheduled for the last day! How about that evening? Around the start of the international evaluation match?”
“….”
On the last day, instead of a showcase, a simple interview is scheduled to wrap up the event.
It’s a short schedule that won’t even last 15 minutes….
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to cancel the interview on the last day! I have an important appointment!”
*
─Hey, isn’t that Kang Tae-hoon? What’s he doing at school?
─It’s the festival, so he must have come to check it out. Just ignore him and move on. We might get into trouble if we make eye contact.
Normally, Kang Tae-hoon would have let those words slide. He would have thrown a punch first. That was his usual behavior.
But Kang Tae-hoon pretended not to hear and quietly passed by. He left the school, ignoring the cynical glances directed at him.
Clink─
As soon as he left the school, Kang Tae-hoon headed to a bar. At the same bar he had visited before, he sat in the same seat and drank alone.
Clink─
“Sigh….”
This was the only place Kang Tae-hoon could be. Staying at school would only earn him more scornful looks.
Besides, he hated festivals. They were crowded, noisy, and annoying. He felt more at ease drinking alone.
─Kang Tae-hoon? He’s just a toothless tiger with a bad temper. What has he ever shown?
─Since he came to Hanyul Academy, all he’s done is throw tantrums.
─He might be all talk.
They say drinking can make you forget the present moment for a while.
But no matter how much he drank, he couldn’t erase it. The words he heard at school earlier, the criticisms directed at him, were still vividly in his mind.
“Sigh….”
They weren’t wrong. It was all true. Kang Tae-hoon had proven nothing since he came to this school.
He was just busy causing trouble.
─If he’s going to act like that, he might as well quit school. Doesn’t he have a lot of money anyway?
─Yeah. He could just inherit his dad’s company and live comfortably.
What does he want to do?
What does he want to become?
Had he ever been passionate about anything?
Kang Tae-hoon had never found the answer to that question. He just let time pass by. He was still wandering in place, unsure of where to step next.
Maybe that’s why. He kept looking for reasons elsewhere. He acted according to his feelings, driven by his frustration.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
Sluuurk─
At that moment, someone sat down in the seat to the right. A young man in a neat suit. He looked just like a company sales representative.
“What do you want?”
I wonder what brought him over. Kang Tae-hoon spoke curtly, observing the other’s reaction.
The man looked at the glass on the table and opened his mouth.
“You were drinking alone. I apologize for interrupting.”
“Then you should just leave quickly.”
“Haha. Please don’t be so harsh.”
Currently, there was no smell of alcohol coming from the man. Only a refreshing scent of cologne tickled the nose.
“….”
To come to a bar in broad daylight without even drinking. It couldn’t be that he was just bored. Given that he suddenly approached to strike up a conversation, there must be some ulterior motive.
Let’s see what he has to say. It was a bit dull anyway.
Tap─!
The man showed instead of telling. He pulled something from the inside pocket of his suit and placed it on the table.
It was a small transparent ziplock bag.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the Lord’s Supper that will enrich the taste of your drink.”
“The Lord’s Supper?”
Inside the ziplock bag was a small amount of reddish powder. If mixed with alcohol, it would definitely resemble the color of wine.
Kang Tae-hoon scoffed at the sight.
“Ha. Now it’s not just drug addicts but also peddlers coming after me.”
Indeed, there was a reason the man approached Kang Tae-hoon. He was after the money Kang Tae-hoon had. If he played his cards right, he could gain a loyal customer.
In other words, to this man, Kang Tae-hoon was an unending wellspring.
“So what’s this called? The meth or cocaine I know doesn’t look like this.”
Kang Tae-hoon pretended to be interested as he picked up the ziplock bag.
The man smiled broadly, as if he had hit the nail on the head.
“We don’t have an exact name yet. However, in our industry, we call it ‘grape juice.’”
“Grape juice? What a ridiculous name.”
Kang Tae-hoon stared at the ziplock bag intently. Where on earth did he get this?
One thing was certain: it wasn’t a synthetic substance. If it were an ordinary synthetic drug, it wouldn’t have color added.
From noble mtl dot com
It seems like it was taken from nature. What could the raw material be?
“So, what’s the price?”
“It’s a sample. Please try it.”
“Oh, you’re giving it for free?”
If I use this, I could really get intoxicated, unlike with alcohol. I could quickly forget this filthy feeling I’m experiencing now.
Besides, if it’s a small amount, no one would notice if I used it once.
However…
“I don’t need it.”
Thud.
Kang Tae-hoon put the ziplock bag back in its place.
The man furrowed his brows and tilted his head.
“Are you sure you don’t need it? It would be a good experience.”
“A good experience, my ass. You go ahead and enjoy it.”
No matter how shitty I feel, there are things I shouldn’t do. If I touch drugs here, how would I be any different from that stinking Lloyd bastard?
I would never want to become like that junkie bastard. I’d rather keep drinking alcohol.
“Understood. Then I’ll leave my number. Contact me anytime if you need it.”
The man left a note on the table and stood up. And he left his final words.
“Then, have a good time with your colleague.”
“What? Colleague?”
What nonsense is he talking about? I came here alone. Kang Tae-hoon turned his head to the left just in case.
“Shit, you scared the hell out of me…!”
I almost fell backward. It was an empty seat just a moment ago. Now, Shin Yoon-seong was sitting there.
Clatter─
Shin Yoon-seong was drinking with his usual expressionless face.
“When did you get here, you bastard! At least turn on your blinker when you come in!”
“Tomorrow at 1 PM. Come to the indoor training ground. Bring a Full Moon Bread and a Let’s Be coffee.”
“What, are we going to do some labor work! Why should I bring bread and coffee! And who drinks Let’s Be these days! Get lost, you bastard!”