Chapter 8: Carrot and Stick

Choi Seung-tae put on his gear and glanced at Dohyun.

‘Why am I being told to spar with this scrawny newcomer?’

As someone who had been learning boxing for over two years, Choi Seung-tae couldn’t understand what the gym director was thinking.

Boxing was by no means an easy sport.

It required basic physical strength, skills, and persistence to even step into the ring.

‘They must just want to test his basics.’

He took pride in the two years he had dedicated to learning boxing.

Determined to show off his skills in front of everyone at the gym, Choi Seung-tae tensed up.

After finishing his gear setup, he stepped into the ring and began to stretch lightly.

However, when he saw the opponent putting on his equipment, something felt off.

‘What? His movements seem familiar…’

The way Dohyun wrapped the bandages and put on his gloves wasn’t clumsy at all.

What had initially seemed like an ordinary impression of him started to shift.

‘Why am I getting nervous?’

Taking a deep breath, Choi Seung-tae got into position.

The director’s voice echoed through the gym.

“Ready, start!”

Choi Seung-tae immediately threw a light jab, intending to gauge his opponent’s level.

The sound of the punch hitting empty air felt hollow.

‘What?’

In a split second, Dohyun had twisted his body slightly, dodging the punch even within that short distance.

Although surprised, Choi Seung-tae tried to maintain his composure.

‘Was it luck? Or is he just that quick? Well, some people are naturally talented.’

‘Most beginners would freeze when hit by a jab, unsure how to respond.’

‘But Dohyun stepped casually, maintaining distance as if it were second nature.’

‘Looks like I need to take this seriously.’

This time, Choi Seung-tae moved swiftly, changing angles with quick footwork.

He used an upper-body feint to disrupt timing and aimed for a straight punch.

But just before his attack could land—

Thwack!

A counterpunch hit him squarely before he could even react.

‘What the…?’

The sharp pain from the direct hit left his head spinning.

‘I got hit? Me?’

As he struggled to refocus, he looked up to see Dohyun grinning.

His expression wasn’t just excited—it was brimming with wild exhilaration.

‘What the hell is this guy?’

Choi Seung-tae felt a surge of anger.

Allowing a beginner to land a hit on him was a blow to his pride.

‘Fine. Let’s see how you handle me for real.’

Recognizing that his opponent wasn’t just any beginner, he gritted his teeth and charged again.

This time, he launched a powerful hook with all his strength.

But then—

Thud!

A massive impact left his vision blank.

That was the last thing he remembered.

He lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

His breathing was labored, and his head throbbed.

‘I lost?’

The director’s voice reached his ears faintly.

“Seung-tae, are you okay?”

Of course, he wasn’t.

Struggling to turn his head, Choi Seung-tae glanced at Dohyun, who was still standing in the ring with that wild grin.

The director, folding his arms, nodded in admiration.

“That kid’s the real deal.”

At that moment, Choi Seung-tae realized this wasn’t just an ordinary defeat.

‘Damn it… Why did I agree to this? I’m not some punching bag.’

Slowly rising to his feet, he hung his head low.

‘That guy… He’s a monster.’

***

After finishing practice and heading home, I found Kim Harin standing in front of the doorway.

Her arms were crossed, and her lips were pursed out dramatically.

‘Oh, great. Here we go again.’

Not that I couldn’t understand her frustration.

These days, my routine was all about going to school, changing clothes to hit the PC café with Lee Jinyoung, and heading straight to the gym for training.

From her perspective, I barely spent time with her or showed any attention, so of course, she’d be upset.

Though, to be fair, I was actively avoiding her.

“Brother,” she called out coldly.

“…What?”

“You’re late again today.”

“I was just working out.”

“It’s always about working out. You’re hardly ever home.”

She frowned slightly as she stared at me.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but find her pouty face strangely cute.

‘Am I the weird one for thinking this psycho looks adorable?’

In-game, Harin had always been like this—part childlike and part overly dependent on her brother.

The problem was when her behavior went overboard.

‘As long as she doesn’t turn full yandere, it’ll be fine.’

I thought to myself as I took off my shoes.

After dropping my bag in my room, I headed to the kitchen, where dinner was already set on the table.

“Wow, a feast again today?”

I picked up a bowl of rice and grabbed some side dishes with my chopsticks.

“This is delicious. Did you make it yourself?”

“If I didn’t, you’d starve to death,” she replied flatly.

“It’s amazing. This is the best rolled omelet I’ve ever had.”

Her pout softened slightly, suggesting the compliment worked.

Among the heroines, Harin was the easiest to raise affection points with.

I had been all stick and no carrot lately, so it was time to change tactics.

“How about we watch a movie tonight? It’s been a while,” I asked casually, trying to shift the mood.

Her eyes lit up slightly.

“With you? Really?”

“Yeah, let’s watch together.”

After finishing dinner, we sat on the living room sofa and started the movie.

The movie was riddled with clichés.

A typical disaster film where the male lead struggles to protect his family.

The protagonist was kind and devoted, so he was always conflicted, even during moments of crisis.

And then… that scene appeared.

The male lead’s wife and sibling fell into the water at the same time.

A desperate situation where only one could be saved.

“Brother.”

Suddenly, Harin called out to me.

“Yeah?”

I got a bad feeling.

Please don’t ask that question…

“Who would you save first, Brother?”

‘…Shit.’

My mind went blank for a moment.

‘No matter how I answered, I’d die.’

‘If I said I’d save my wife, the sibling would die.’

‘If I chose the sibling, the wife would perish.’

‘In other words, it boiled down to me or her.’

Harin was already staring at me intently.

“Brother?”

Her eyes were glistening slightly, as if about to shed tears.

‘This is a trap. A perfectly laid trap.’

I cleared my throat deliberately and averted my gaze.

“Wouldn’t it depend on the situation? Like, who’s closer at the time…”

The atmosphere grew heavier.

Harin, who had been smiling brightly a moment ago, now looked grim.

This is a death flag.

Sweat formed on my skin, even though I hadn’t broken a sweat during intense jump rope sessions.

Biting my lip, I wiped it off.

Harin continued to stare at me.

Her gaze grew darker, and a dangerous aura began to emanate from her.

‘Damn it, can’t you look a little less terrifying?’

Swallowing nervously, I forced myself to speak.

“Obviously… it’d be Harin.”

Her eyes widened immediately.

“Really?”

“Y-Yeah….”

Though I tried to sound casual, Harin’s face blossomed into a radiant smile.

“Ahahaha… heehee…”

She flung herself onto the sofa, grabbing my arm tightly.

“I’m so touched! Then you’ll protect me forever, right, Brother?”

‘Forever?’

‘I felt like I’d just said something I shouldn’t have, but there was no turning back now.’

‘Whatever. I’ll just run away as soon as we graduate from the academy.’

“Yeah… sure.”

Harin’s cheeks flushed as she smiled brightly.

She looked adorable, but at the same time, chills ran down my spine.

‘Managing her affection is a pain in the ass….’

‘How could one wrong word lead straight to a death flag?’ Sighing, I turned back to the movie.

***

The next morning.

When I opened the classroom door, a familiar voice greeted me.

“Dohyun, hey.”

It was Lee Jinyoung, as lively as ever.

But today, his energy seemed lower than usual.

I glanced at him.

‘Is this because of yesterday’s sparring?’

It wasn’t unreasonable.

I had started boxing later than him, yet I defeated an intermediate boxer during our sparring session.

The shock must have hit hard.

Jinyoung looked like he was lost in thought, so I patted his shoulder lightly.

“You okay?”

Jinyoung gave an awkward smile.

“Yeah… I’m fine.”

“You’ve got talent for boxing,” I said.

“Really?!”

“Yeah. Watching you practice yesterday, you were pretty good.”

As if the gloom never existed, Jinyoung’s face brightened instantly.

‘Simple-minded guy.’

From another corner of the classroom, I could hear girls giggling.

“They say confessing under the cherry blossom tree at the school gate means you’ll be together forever!”

“Really? No way!”

“I heard a senior couple actually got married after doing that!”

“So romantic!”

Before I knew it, Jinyoung had wormed his way into the girls’ conversation with an excited look.

“Hey, did you hear about the shrine story?”

“You mean the shrine ghost story? About the weird noises at night?”

“Yeah! Some people say they’ve heard crying nearby!”

“At night? So creepy!”

The girls huddled closer together as they whispered, as if they were talking about ghosts.

Leaning against the windowsill, I quietly listened to their conversation.

“You’re such a scaredy-cat.”

“Me? Scared? Are you serious?”

“I saw you pretending to sleep when Choi Gihoon’s gang showed up.”

Clearly offended, Jinyoung raised his voice.

“Fine! Let’s do a courage test! I’ll prove I’m a real man!”

“Really? That’s scary….”

“What’s scary? We’ll all go together, so it’s fine.”

Jinyoung suddenly turned toward me.

“Dohyun! You’re joining, right?”

“No.”

My flat response made him pout.

I had no intention of getting involved in such childish antics.

“Chicken?”

With an annoying smirk, Jinyoung began to provoke me.

“I’m just not interested.”

“Scared, aren’t you?”

“I’m not.”

“Scaredy-cat. Scaredy-cat.”

This little punk…

In the end, I gave in.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

Jinyoung grinned like he had been waiting for that response.

I sighed deeply.