Chapter 176 – What Happened on the Beach (1)

Ian stretched…

The sea stretched out before him. He was currently on a beach in Gangwon-do, facing the East Sea. Ian had been stuck in his house all day playing Elder Lord, so his body was a bit stiff. He’d gone on a solo trip in order to rejuvenate himself, and he’d picked this place because he missed the sea. Just looking at the blue sea made him feel better. He stretched his body and took in the fresh air. The sunshine was also pleasant.

“You have to tilt your upper body. You shouldn’t bow. Don’t touch the board.”

On one side of the beach, a surf class was in session. Brightly dressed men and women were repeatedly lying down and standing up on the surfboard. It seemed moderately amusing.

Surfing… Ian should learn it once. He had never learned any sports apart from martial arts. Turning his gaze away, Ian saw surfers splashing in the water. Most of them weren’t able to stand properly, but they didn’t get tired, and some managed to slip nicely towards the beach.

“I don’t like the rashguards.”

Ian turned his head as he unexpectedly heard a voice. A man was standing there. He wore glasses, and his hair was strangely gray. However, he didn’t seem old. In fact, he was in his mid-30s.

As he stared into the sun, the man spoke with furrowed brows, “It is annoying. People should go into the sea with bare skin. That is real. But the clothing companies make all these things, and they cover up their body unnecessarily. Youth is just a fleeting moment. Don’t you think so?”

The man looked at Ian. It was the first time they’d met.

Ian started laughing. “That’s right.”

This might be the attraction of traveling. He had accidentally met an interesting person.

The man nodded. “Take your clothes off. The sun should see you.”

Then the person in question took off his coat, revealing a body without any obvious fat. He was wearing aloha shorts. He walked forward with clear eyes.

“You.”

“Huh?”

“Do you know how to surf?”

“I don’t know.”

“Indeed, you look like you don’t know how.”

Ian’s eyebrows twitched. He looked like he didn’t know how? What did that mean? Ian had never failed at any exercise. Even when he played with a ball during his childhood, his natural athleticism meant he could easily get the ball past his peers.

It was like Cristiano Ronaldo with a soccer ball, Stephen Curry with a basketball, and Roger Federer with a tennis ball. They were different. Although it was true that Ian didn’t know anything about surfing, it was unacceptable to be seen as a desk-bound person.

The man didn’t sense Ian’s anger as he spoke casually, “Then do you want to learn from me?”

Ian made a questioning sound and laughed. “You can surf?”

“Didn’t I say it? This friend, you should learn how to look at people.” The man draped his jacket around his neck. “Follow me. I’ll teach you one on one. This opportunity isn’t common.”

Ian was interested… in surfing, as well as this person. The man left the white sand with Ian and headed to the surf store across the road. There was a man with a suntanned body and a reggae hairstyle sitting on a rocking chair. He raised his sunglasses to his head and waved. The eyes behind the sunglasses were unexpectedly innocent.

“Hey, Hyung-nim.”

“You look good.”

“Hah, I was active until dawn…”

“I’m teaching him how to surf, so please give me a few things.”

“I understand. Jinchul! Get me one set of equipment! One set!”

“Yes!”

An answer called out from inside. Then a charming young man appeared. He greeted Ian with blurry eyes as if he had also been awake until dawn.

“Ah, hello. It must be your first time.”

“Yes.”

“Do you want separate clothing or rashguards? If not, there is this suit. Your height is similar to me, so the size should be…”

Ian received a full body suit which appeared to be used for scuba diving. Then when Ian tried to pay for the rental, he was rejected.

“This is fine. Hyung-nim’s guests always receive it for free.”

Ian looked at the man outside the store and the store owner. The man outside was looking at the sea with his hands behind his back.

He asked, “What is that person like?”

“Hyung-nim? I have no idea.” The young man laughed. “He is just close to the boss. Shouldn’t you know?”

“We met for the first time today.”

“Really? How strange. Well, it is like this. You can change inside.”

Ian put on the equipment, received a big surfboard, and exited the store. Ian’s board was thick and felt like a sponge, while the man’s was nice and waxy.

“This surfing equipment sucks.”

“It isn’t good?”

“That isn’t the main part. Surfing is. It’s cool.”

The man said before looking at Ian. Ian jumped with surprise. The man now had blue makeup on his face which drew across his cheekbones and nose. It was like seeing the battle makeup barbarians wore in movies.

“What is it? Do you want some?” The man handed the tube to Ian. It was sunscreen. Unlike other clear sunscreens, this one had a vivid color. “Just put it on your nose. It is expensive, so I am saving it.”

Surfers seemed to pursue their own beauty, so Ian tried it as well. Thus, they headed towards the sandy white beach.

“We can only surf in this area, so be careful.”

A separate surfing area was designated on the beach. They headed there. In addition to them, there were other people receiving surfing lessons. Most of the people on the surfboards weren’t able to ride the waves properly and hung on like seaweed.

“I am harsh, so you should be prepared.”

***

Unlike his harsh words, the man was a really shabby teacher. He just said that Ian had to move his arms on the board and get up. Then he demonstrated once or twice before immediately pushing Ian into the sea.

Ian couldn’t even practice and had to try it out on the waves. Of course, that was enough. Ian did well with his natural athleticism. He waited for the waves before gently getting up at the right time. Then he balanced himself.

lan was satisfied. He was like Ronaldo with a soccer ball, Curry with a basketball, and Federer with a tennis ball. Now, he took on the board… like Phelps with swimming.

“Well done.”

The man spoke. Ian replied, “You are really good.”

The man was skillfully riding the waves. His hair barely got wet, unlike most of the people who couldn’t ride or balance.

“Kyaaak!”

During a moment of waiting, a woman slipped on her surfboard and slid towards Ian. Her board hit Ian’s back…

And he was pushed by it.

Ian and the woman tangled together, and the two of them fell below the surface of the water. They struggled for a moment before reaching the surface. The woman with wet hair apologized to Ian,

“Wah! I’m sorry. Are you okay? I’m so sorry.”

Ian touched his back. It was fortunate that the woman’s board was for beginners. So, this was why they used a sponge-like material. If it were the board, which the man teaching Ian had, that hit him, his flesh would’ve been torn.

Ian smiled as he touched his back.

“I’m fine. Please be careful.”

“Ah…” The woman was speechless at Ian’s gentle reaction. Then she grabbed Ian’s arm as he moved away. “Are you sure you’re okay? That would’ve hurt. What can I do?”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m really sorry.”

Ian shrugged, saying that it was okay. Then the woman grabbed her board and said,

“Please tell me if you get any problems later on.”

“I will.”

“If you need a number…”

“No. It’s really fine. Have fun surfing.”

“Ah, yes. You too.”

The woman bowed and pushed her board towards the other side of the beach.

“You didn’t notice.”

Ian flinched. The man had approached.

“You surprised me,” Ian said.

“No. You noticed.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look.” The man shouted, “Hey, you over there! Come here! What are you doing just hitting someone?”

The woman turned around in surprise at his shout. She looked at Ian and then at the man. The man beckoned and she returned.

“Girl, you were wrong.”

“Huh?”

“You shouldn’t hit people with your board. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right. I’m sorry…”

“You are a very dangerous girl.”

“……”

“So, give me your phone number.”

“Huh?”

“I need a phone number to contact you if there are any problems later.”

“Ah, yes. Yes. Then my number…”

She gave her number. Then he spoke to Ian, “Tell me your number as well.”

“Why?”

“Do you really not know? Quickly.”

“That…”

“Give your number to the other person so they will know it is you.”

Ian gave his number. The man repeated it a few times for the woman to remember.

“Girl, you do remember it?”

“Yes. I remember.”

“That’s great. Did you come here for a few days to play? Is it a vacation?”

“Yes, I leave the day after tomorrow.”

“This boy as well.”

The man winked. The woman laughed.

“Then I’ll be going. Have fun.”

“Yes, I’m sorry. Have fun.”

The woman smiled and pushed away on her board. The woman’s group were watching her anxiously, and she waved.

Ian laughed and asked, “What are you doing now?”

“This is youth. Eat a lot, pray a lot, and love a lot.”

“But my situation…”

“You don’t have a girlfriend?”

“……”

“Then it’s okay.” He tapped Ian’s shoulders. “Let’s get out. I did a lot. I’m thirsty. I’ll buy you a beer.”

The man spoke informally to Ian, but Ian didn’t feel any anger towards this unknown man.

“Understood.”

Ian smiled and followed him.

***

They put their equipment away and found a homemade beer store not far from the beach. There were surfboards and equipment displayed inside the beer store. Surfing was famous at this beach, so it had a lot of influence.

The man ordered beer and fries for himself.

The screen in the store was showing Elder Lord.

“There was an uproar.”

The man leaned back in his chair and pointed to the screen. The headline was ‘Shocking Heaven and Earth Clan.’ It was a coverage about the Heaven and Earth Clan’s crime.

“It is a scary world. Drugs to put people into a game world.”

“Yes. Their actions have eventually come back to them.”

Ian told the Rehabilitation Brothers the information he received from Rommel. Then Edgar’s former lover, Robina, reported it to the police, and the prosecution started working with the Rehabilitation Brothers.

The ‘sleeping room’ was formerly a workshop. There, they were able to find countless people who had disappeared, and Edgar was also rescued. They had started voluntarily for money. However, they testified that they hadn’t been able to quit even if they wanted to as they were subjected to intimidation.

‘Keynes’ Choi Sunggil, who planned all of this, and his right-hand man, ‘Luin’ Kim Hyunchul, were arrested. Public opinion turned against them. The Heaven and Earth Clan turned from South Korea’s pride to their disgrace. The overseas community was also shocked at this situation, and it was a rude awakening for some people.

“What happened to Rommel?”

“I don’t think it will be hard to check if he participated or not.”

“He was the commander? Right?”

“That’s correct. The War Maestro.”

“How was it? Is he like the rumors say?”

“He was definitely great…”

Ian stopped talking. He looked at the man. The man smiled at him quietly. He looked to be in his mid-30s, and the glasses gave him an intelligent air. The man’s black eyes seemed to pierce through Ian.

“What did you say?”

The man chuckled.

Ian leaned back in his chair. His mind felt like a mess as he opened his mouth, “You…”

“It has arrived. Please enjoy.”

At that moment, the employee served the beer, and the conversation between Ian and the man was suddenly halted. The employee put a beer down in front of both of them. There were cold water droplets on the surface of the bottle, and Ian touched it with his fingers.

Then the employee went away. Ian sipped the beer. It was cool, and he felt his mind calm down.

The man also drank his beer. Then he asked Ian, “How was Rommel, Crockta?”

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