1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 92



Only Noblemtl

Episode 92 – Hot Fist

Jeon Seok-hwan, a first-year high school student, hated summer vacation.

It wasn’t like this until last year. I always waited for the vacation to come, and I was so sad that it was ending.

But things changed when I became a high school student. It was now time to focus on college.

Even though it was vacation, I woke up early in the morning and headed to the academy just like I did when I was going to school. The only good thing about it was that I got there an hour later than the school start time.

After eating lunch at the academy and attending classes until the afternoon, I ate dinner at home and then headed back to the reading room.

Originally, there was a TV and a Jemix V in his room, but when he entered high school, even those were moved to the living room. Now, summer vacation is almost over, and he hasn’t even turned on Jemix once.

“You’re a high school student now. Just hold on for three years. Can you do it? Then, you can do whatever you want, whether it’s dating or playing games.”

Jeon Seok-hwan, who was sentenced to three years in chains until he entered college, decided to accept his fate. There was no way to rebel against him anyway.

Should I drop out of school? Or should I run away from home?

What will you do if you drop out of school, and where will you go if you run away from home?

The path I had to take was so clear that I couldn’t even think of another way.

It’s only three years. I thought I could just study as if I were dead. I was originally good at studying.

But when I actually got to high school, everything was different. In middle school, I was always in the top five in my class, but when I got to high school, I was nowhere near the top ten.

There were already many friends who had dropped out of high school halfway through middle school. Seok-Hwan also often felt afraid that he would be pushed out of the competition in an instant.

In the end, half by choice and half against my will, I had no choice but to spend all day at the academy and in the study room during the vacation.

“Let’s think of the vacation as a month of death and work hard. Then, we will definitely be able to bounce back in the second semester. I promise.”

Seok-Hwan simply nodded in response to the academy teacher’s words, which were much more enthusiastic than his.

After the vacation, it was doable at first.

The enthusiasm of the top students studying in the front row was hotter than the midsummer sun, and it was also stimulating.

However, two weeks later, Seok-Hwan was shocked when he saw the results of the summer vacation mid-term self-evaluation conducted by the academy.

I said I was trying my best, but the gap with the top ranks didn’t narrow at all. No, it actually widened.

“What kind of big change can there be in just two weeks? And you’re not studying alone, are you? This is just to check your current level. Don’t waver and keep going. You have to build up steadily from now on. That’s the only way you can really shine on the college entrance exam.”

“Yes, sir.”

The academy teacher said there was no problem, but Seok-Hwan’s heart was not like that at all.

It was a lie to say that they were only checking the current level. Everyone knew that the academy did not conduct self-evaluations to understand the students’ level, but rather to ‘show’ the students’ level.

After the test, the students’ seats were changed.

The academy assigned students seats based on their grades. The higher the grade, the closer to the front the seat, and the lower the grade, the closer to the back the seat.

This made it obvious at a glance who was higher than whom.

Seok-Hwan, who had moved back two rows from yesterday, had a hard time concentrating in class.

He was just sitting on the conveyor belt of the academy, at the end of which was the college entrance exam.

As I sat down, the best teachers the academy had prepared for each subject appeared in rotation every hour.

During each class, the teachers at the academy generously oiled Seok-Hwan’s head, poured in test-specific knowledge, and then tightened the screws in his head so that he would not forget it.

However, the conveyor belt that was supposed to lead to prestigious universities and a bright future seemed to move at different speeds on each line.

Seok-Hwan was clearly moving forward, but since the other lines were moving faster, he felt like he was falling behind.

Every time the teachers tightened the screws for Seok-Hwan’s sake, Seok-Hwan felt like his brain was shrinking even more.

I was learning all sorts of things, but I didn’t really know why I had to learn them. I had no idea how they would connect to my future life.

‘Why am I studying like crazy when I’m going to forget everything once I take the test anyway…?’

The moment I started to have doubts, it became even more difficult to concentrate in class.

All I could see was a green chalkboard, a teacher holding a microphone, and the backs of many of my friends ahead of Seok-Hwan.

“Whew…, gulp! gulp!”

One time, during break time, I left the academy and went to a dark alley to smoke a cigarette. I mustered up a lot of courage and borrowed a cigarette.

But cigarettes didn’t suit him. The moment he inhaled the smoke, his throat felt like it was being clogged and burned.

“Ugh, you little brat? Give it to me. It’s a waste of cigarettes.”

Seok-Hwan returned the cigarette without even taking a few puffs and left the alley.

There are friends in front of me whose backs I can only see, and there are friends behind me who smoke cigarettes in a secluded place.

But the stone ring didn’t fit anywhere, and I couldn’t find even a small breathing hole.

Summer vacation passed day by day, but to him, it was a meaningless day. His body was sitting at the academy, but his mind was nowhere to be found.

“I just want to smash everything···.”

He occasionally sighed and muttered in a voice too small for anyone to hear.

Now summer vacation was coming to an end. It was Liberation Day, a holiday, but there were no holidays at the academy.

“Well, there are only a few days left until the vacation. That means there are only a few days left to improve your grades. Today is Liberation Day, right? If you guys study hard, our country will never fall into the hands of others again. Knowledge is power, and it is national strength. So let’s study hard for the sake of our country.”

“yes.”

Even to the absurd and forced logic, the students responded in a soulless voice, saying that no one would care anyway.

The conveyor belt started to turn as usual on Liberation Day. But today, Seok-Hwan couldn’t help feeling strangely suffocated.

In the end, he left the academy during lunchtime without even eating lunch. He started walking without any plan. He usually never went beyond a few meters from the academy, but today he was walking down an alley he had never seen before.

There was no destination. I had nowhere to go anyway, and I didn’t know where to go. I just walked wherever my legs moved, feeling frustrated.

A hot breeze rose from the asphalt. Sweat beaded on his head and ran down his cheeks.

“There was an arcade here?”

Seok-Hwan, who felt like he had been walking for quite some time but was actually just circling around, stopped in front of an arcade. It wasn’t that far from the academy, but it was an alley he had never been to before.

He checked the dolphin digital watch on his wrist. If he went back now, he might be able to make it to his afternoon classes just in time.

But Seok-Hwan opened the door and went into the arcade.

As soon as he entered, a cool breeze and all kinds of exciting electronic sounds greeted him. Numerous screens were flashing and calling him.

When I first visited the arcade as a high school student, there were many games I had never seen before.

“What is this? Why is the atmosphere so dark?”

Seok-Hwan put a coin in out of curiosity and started playing the game. It was a shooting game called. The game started in space and soon went into a place that looked like the inside of a strange spaceship.

The game was familiar, but somehow strange. Blue lasers hit the walls and bounced off of enemies. The enemy bosses were either robots or monsters, and they looked kind of creepy.

“Wow, this is so hard.”

Seok-Hwan, who barely cleared Stage 1, died not long after completing Stage 2. He got up from his seat without any regrets.

It was a game with a unique feel, but the graphics were a bit weird and not to his taste. Still, it felt a lot better after playing the game for the first time in a while.

“What else is there? Huh?”

While looking around for the next game, there was a crowd of people inside. Seok-Hwan went to see what game it was out of curiosity.

It was difficult to even see because there were so many people surrounding the game console that it looked like a barrier.

He had to lift his chin to see the half-obscured game screen. A large man and a woman holding an umbrella were fighting with Japanese police officers.

– Plop! Plop! Plop!

– Hmm! Aren’t there any bigger ones?

“What? Did that sound just come from a game?”

Seok-Hwan was surprised. It was clearly a large character in the game, using some kind of skill and speaking clearly in Korean.

I’ve seen Korean spoken occasionally in games, but this was the first time I’ve seen it spoken so clearly.

Shocked, Seok-Hwan looked closely at the game. The background and characters felt sophisticated and familiar. It was nice to see a game with a familiar background, rather than a space or fantasy world.

The game’s action was also unusual.

The women moved nimbly and fought using umbrellas, while the sturdy men grabbed their enemies as if they were wrestling, knocking them down and throwing them.

The game cabinet had [Fist of Jongro] written on it. The person next to me was playing the same game.

Next to him, a man in a suit was fighting men in judo uniforms in what looked like a burning theater. The game player was just randomly pressing buttons.

Still, he used his own combination of punches and beat up his enemies. Just watching him fight so vigorously made my heart feel refreshed.

Seok-Hwan quickly took out a coin and tried to place it on the machine. However, the coins were already piled up like a tower on top of the machine.

“How many coins are there?”

As I was hesitating whether I should bet a coin and wait or not, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“Hey, aren’t you Seok-Hwan?”

“Huh? You···, Yongsu? Are you Yongsu?”

Seok-Hwan unexpectedly met an old school friend at the arcade.

“It’s been a while. Are you here to do this too?”

“No, that’s not it, but I came to the arcade and it looked fun. What about you?”

“I came here because of . I heard it was going to be released on Liberation Day, so I went around a few places and finally found it. Do you live around here?”

“No, because the academy is nearby.”

“School? What? Are you a dwarf too? Hey, you can do that too, right?”

His friend laughed and patted Seok-Hwan on the back.

“I also just dropped my bag in the reading room this morning and left. But I met you here. Did you bet a coin?”

“No, I was going to hang up, but there are so many I can’t even think about it.”

“Really? I’m Dadam’s number one. Do you want to join us?”

“Really? Is that okay?”

“What’s wrong with that? But do you play games? If I die, I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait.”

“I don’t think it’s impossible.”

“Really? Then follow this hyung well. I’ve already done it three times since this morning.”

“But you’re doing it again? While waiting like this?”

“Hey, you can’t tell just by looking at it. You have to try it yourself to really feel the fun of this game.”

Soon it was his turn. Thanks to his friend, Seok-Hwan also sat down in front of the game.

Behind me, there were more people than before, watching the game. For some reason, my heart started pounding.

“There are four to choose from.”

Seok-hwan chose Kim Do-kwon, a character who uses his fists that we saw earlier. His friend Yong-su was New York, wearing a leather jacket.

“Hey, fight well. Don’t hold on to my ankles.”

As the game started, Seok-Hwan seemed to understand what his friend had meant.

It was different from watching from behind.

Every time he pressed the button and punched his enemy, it felt like a real fight. The speed of the punch and the thrill of the impact as small sparks flew with each impact were thrilling.

“Hey, look at this. Isn’t that roundhouse kick really cool?”

Yongsu, who is now in his fourth time today, showed off his signature New York move, a back kick. Seok-hwan also asked him how to do it, but the technique didn’t work out well.

“Hey, stop using techniques that don’t work and just fight. You’ll die if you keep doing that. Eat this! Eat this!”

“okay!”

Seok-Hwan died once while trying to use his skills. He regained his senses and fought again, focusing on basic attacks.

“The first round is easy. Be really careful from the second round onwards.”

The stage for Stage 2 was a theater called Umi-gwan. The judo players were much more demanding than the drinkers. If they got caught, they would be thrown on the back.

However, if it was dangerous, Yongsu would come running and fight alongside me. Thanks to Yongsu, I was able to safely get to the Stage 2 boss.

“Hey, you shouldn’t deal with the boss. Instead, go clean up the mess around. You don’t have much blood. I’ll deal with the boss.”

“Oh, okay.”

Seok-Hwan also wanted to fight, but it was a game he played thanks to his friend, and just like he said, he didn’t even have half of his stamina left.

It was more beneficial to play the game as long as possible according to plan rather than just showing off and ending the game quickly.

The second boss, the judo expert Hashimoto, was wearing a large, bright red belt. While Yongsu was fighting the boss, Seok-hwan was busy dealing with the small fry that appeared around him.

“Hey, the ondol is coming up from the floor! Get out of here!”

As soon as he finished speaking, flames rose from the floor, and Seok-hwan barely managed to escape. Now, both Seok-hwan and Yong-su’s lives were in danger.

“This is definitely more difficult when two people do it. Just a little more and we’ll catch it. Just a little more. Just a little more!”

While the two were struggling, Seok-Hwan, Yong-Su, and the second boss Hashimoto were also almost at the end of their stamina.

Both Seok-hwan and Yong-su were on their last legs. Seok-hwan struggled to not die. At that moment, the second boss suddenly rolled over and appeared in front of Seok-hwan, who was far away. It was almost like teleportation.

“Hey! Seok-Hwan!”

In an emergency situation where his life was at stake, Seok-Hwan instantly remembered the command Yong-Su had given him. His left hand moved unconsciously and tilted the lever.

One diagonal turn down to the right.

Once to the right.

And punch!

– There’s still one left!

Seok-Hwan’s Kim Do-Kwon twisted his body vigorously and delivered his signature punch to Hashimoto’s stomach as he spat out his line.

– Ohhhhhhhh!

The screen started to slow down, and the boss fell down clutching his stomach. Seok-Hwan, who had only dealt with the underdogs, Seok-Hwan, who had not been able to properly use his skills throughout the game, had defeated the boss in style.

“Ohhhhh~, Jeon Seok-hwan! Did the technique work properly?”

Seok-Hwan was momentarily unable to come to his senses despite his friend’s praise. He didn’t even know how he had acquired the skill. If he were asked to do it again, he didn’t think he could do it.

A feeling of exhilaration, as if his blocked chest had been cleared, ran through his entire body.

After defeating the boss, the entire Umi-gwan was engulfed in flames. Kim Do-kwon took Hashimoto, who had been fighting for his life in the burning theater, and jumped down from the second floor, breaking the glass window, to escape the flames.

A blackened Hashimoto tearfully admitted his defeat and told them where the yakuza boss was.

The two moved on to Stage 3. But that was it.

Seok-Hwan was suddenly caught off guard when he was riding a motorcycle. He didn’t even have time to enjoy the refreshing speed, and was busy avoiding the flying grenades. Then, he was caught in the black smoke and was hit by the bombs that exploded one after another.

My friend Yongsu held on a little longer. He seemed to be doing a good job of dodging the truck while shooting at it, but then the truck suddenly slammed on its brakes and he crashed into it.

“Wow~, what a shame. I can’t get past this. I made it to round 4 earlier. It’s different when two people do it.”

“Is it because of me? Sorry.”

“What’s wrong with being sorry? It was more fun when we did it together. What do you think? Should I finish this?”

“Oh, this game is really different. It feels refreshing. If it weren’t for you, I would have just watched and left, but thanks to you, I feel like I’ve gotten some relief.”

“What? Did you check it out?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then what? One more round?”

“I want to, but it seems like I have more coins now than before···.”

“Right. I should probably go back to the study room now. But I have a conscience, so I’ll study for an hour and then go. What about you? Are you coming back next time?”

“That’s right. I just found out today that there’s an arcade here. I should hurry up and have lunch.”

“Then I guess I should come around lunchtime. See you tomorrow.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow~.”

After his brief outing, Seok-Hwan parted ways with his friend and returned to the academy.

My chest, which had been so stuffy that morning, felt fine, as if it were a lie.

The time I spent playing games with my friends at the arcade was only about 10 minutes, but it was enough.

It seemed as if Kim Do-kwon had blown away with his fist all the grudges that had been buried deep in my heart.

Now I have a game I want to play every day, and I have a friend I can play it with.

Until this morning, I was wishing summer vacation would end quickly, but now the remaining vacation has become so precious.

Seok-Hwan, who arrived at the academy, waited until class was over and then returned to his seat during break time. No one asked where he had been.

He finished his packed lunch in the break room in three minutes and sat back down as if nothing had happened.

Classes started again.

Knock knock.

Seok-Hwan prepared to write by pressing the tip of the pencil twice with his thumb to slightly pull out the lead.

He finally saw the blackboard beyond the back that had been blocking his view. He could see the teacher’s face again, and he could hear his voice.

1988 Retro Game Tycoon Episode 93