Friends next to him were surprised and sat with their mouth dropped open.
A fly could’ve flew into Choi SangJoon’s mouth.
Since martial art major students with healthy body build bowed, they could do nothing else but become confused and surprised.
And although it seemed like Lee Hyun didn’t like it, he was taking their bow very naturally.
The four people there were so surprised, they took turns to look at Lee Hyun and then at the martial art students.
Lee Hyun responded to the bow as he sighed.
Lee Hyun and his friends relationship changed. Since an upperclassman bowed to him, he had to be the same age or older. Not 20 like he had claimed.
Finally the martial art students walked away from Lee Hyun.
“SangChual Hyung, who is he? Just who was he, for you to bow like that?”
Truthfully, most of the students bowed without knowing why. Since their senior Han SangChual suddenly bowed, they bowed along with him.
Han SangChual had sweat running down his forehead.
“I told you before.”
“Huh?”
“I told you which dojang I go to right?”
“Yes. Don’t you go to that one?”
The one they were talking about was the dojang where Ahn Hyun Do was working as the master.
The famous dojang that produced world swordfight competition winners.
It was a place where monsters that had nothing to be afraid of with a sword gathered. Not counting the official trainees, just the beginner trainees numbered over 5000.
Han SangChual was one of the beginner trainees.
“He is the place’s trainee, no, he´s master’s official best disciple.”
“Gasp! The best disciple?”
“Probably. Almost sure. Mostly the instructors teach him, but sometimes he fights against the master, so it should be.”
“But he looks younger or similar to our age, there shouldn’t be any need to be as formal as you were, is there?”
The students tilted their heads.
Those who train the martial art have a very strong sense of pride.
Even if someone was higher in status in a dojang, there was no need to bow one’s head to him.
Han SangChual shook as if he felt a sudden chill.
“You should’ve seen it. You think I treated him like this from the beginning? In the beginning I didn’t admit his strength. Just one year. It felt very unfair for a person who only learned sword for a year to become master’s best disciple. Even I, who went to Kumdo dojang for over 3 years, couldn’t become an official trainee. I thought he was an arrogant bastard.”
“Then shouldn’t you have beat him up to put some sense into him?”
“I was going to! Seeing how a newcomer was pushing aside all original trainees. But I saw him fighting with a wooden sword.”
“Just what was it like....”
“He fought, fought, and fought. Even in front of the wooden sword that could easily break his bones, he showed no fear. And the sword he swung had life stored inside.”
“Is it that great? Isn’t it normal to not be afraid of a sword when swinging and to bet one’s life on it?”
“It’s great. It’s very great. I realized then. Although physical strength could be build up by training, mental strength you have to be born with. Truthfully, just how many would really fight with their life on the line in a world like this?”
"........"
“A person who can throw one’s life away for a belief. A mentally strong person. Leaving physical conditions behind, I then realized that his heart was the strongest in the world. After that, my sword skill became much stronger.”
Han SangChual’s freshman finally understood.
A sword swung with sincerity.
If it was a person who could swing such a sword, leaving the time spent for learning aside, they could bow to him.
‘A ridiculously strong minded person.’
‘Memorize the face and never touch him.’
Han SangChual told the freshman to pledge to him.
“There has been word from the dojang’s Sahyung. From now on, if you meet him, bow to him. If you don’t, I’ll be killed.”
“Yes, sir.”