Chapter 25
How much time had passed?
"Huff, huff! Huff..."
Hell's Morning Run had already reached the highest hill of the mountain.
Even the warriors who ran this hill every day were gasping for breath.
Today's run was even more grueling than usual.
This was because the squad leader leading the run had chosen only the most dangerous and rough paths.
'What on earth is wrong with him!'
'Someone please stop that guy, please!'
'This is too much, even for him!'
They knew No Il-bong had steeled his resolve today, but no one imagined he would go this far.
As a result, only the warriors doing the run were getting more and more exhausted.
It was such a difficult course that if you didn't stay completely focused, you could fall behind in an instant.
"Huff, huff, gasp..."
It felt like their hearts might burst.
But then,
'How is this possible?'
'No, how can this be?'
'Is that guy really the scholar who only studied?'
Among them, only Yeo Un-hwi was running comfortably without showing any signs of fatigue.
He even leisurely enjoyed the scenery throughout the steep uphill and downhill paths.
'This is enough to make ghosts wail!'
Everyone felt as if they were bewitched.
And one more person who saw this.
Grind.
No Il-bong, running at the front, twisted his face fiercely.
He had been drenched in sweat for a while now, but seeing Yeo Un-hwi's relaxed demeanor made him snap, and he kept running down even more treacherous paths.
But even until the moment they finished circling the mountain and came down, he never once saw Yeo Un-hwi gasping for breath.
Meanwhile, the run was nearing its end.
The Peng Family estate came into view in the distance.
Once they entered the estate and returned to their starting point, today's run would be over.
That's how it had always been.
"Haaah, haaah haaah..."
Amid the wheezing sounds coming from all around, even more labored than usual, No Il-bong, who had planned all this to torment Yeo Un-hwi, looked back with a deeply flustered expression.
'It can't end like this...'
This was completely different from what he had imagined.
Just then, Yeo Un-hwi's eyes met No Il-bong's, and he flashed a grin.
Crack.
That was what made No Il-bong, who had been leading the run, lose his mind.
From Yeo Un-hwi's perspective, he had simply smiled lightly out of gratitude for being invited to this morning's run.
The warriors, their bodies drenched in sweat, no longer cared whether Yeo Un-hwi was being tormented or tired.
They were just grateful that the run was almost over.
'I need to drink some cool water as soon as we get back.'
'I'm going to take a cold shower. That'll feel so good.'
'I'm going to drink some water and lie down the whole break. Nobody better disturb me.'
But then.
"One more lap."
"Pardon?"
Thinking they must have misheard, the warriors turned to look at No Il-bong questioningly, and he shouted:
"One more lap! Let's go!"
"Whaaat...?"
Everyone turned pale at his words.
'No, that crazy bastard...?!'
'What the hell did he eat to act like this!'
But no one could stop him.
Not even the other squad leaders.
Their rule was to unconditionally follow the orders of the squad leader leading that day's run.
Though this wasn't what the rule was meant for.
'Nnnnno, this can't be happening!'
Everyone screamed internally.
But No Il-bong, who had lost his mind, simply turned his head and started sprinting back towards the mountain.
'Oh? One more lap? Sounds good.'
But Yeo Un-hwi alone remained relaxed amidst that hellish pandemonium.
He looked as if he was out for a morning stroll.
And so... the true Hell's Morning Run began.
How much more time passed?
"Urrrgh..."
"Wa... water..."
They were now finishing their third lap.
Thud, thud.
Warriors collapsed one by one in front of the Peng Family's main gate.
Truly pitiful sights were sprawled here and there.
It was far too miserable a scene to have resulted from a simple run rather than some life-or-death battle.
"Urrrgh... o-one more..."
"E-Enough! Everyone's going to collapse at this rate!"
With nearly a third having dropped out or collapsed, and the rest vomiting, no one looked normal anymore.
Unable to bear it any longer, one of the warriors shouted at No Il-bong, who had turned the morning run into a living hell.
His face was gaunt, and his legs were trembling like aspen leaves.
It wouldn't have been strange if he fainted and collapsed at any moment.
But,
"Don't talk nonsense... That bastard is still... fine, isn't he? I, I... absolutely... can't accept this."
He still hadn't come to his senses and was stubbornly persisting for no reason.
Just then, Yeo Un-hwi approached.
"Phew, I'm finally starting to break a sweat. This is great. Though I haven't done morning runs like this very often. Haha!"
He spoke while lightly jogging in place.
"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow morning too. Everyone worked hard."
"What? T-Tomorrow, you say? Wait a moment..."
But Yeo Un-hwi had already disappeared into the distance after saying his piece.
He still looked full of energy.
Everyone was dumbfounded at the sight.
"Th-This can't be... Bleeurgh!"
In the end, even No Il-bong, who had been stubbornly persisting until the last moment, couldn't hold on and fell forward, vomiting everything in his stomach.
Meanwhile, everyone was thinking the same thing.
'Just who on earth is this guy...?'
They should have known then.
That Yeo Un-hwi never spoke empty words.
He really showed up every day after that.
The next day, the day after that, and the day after that too.
The problem was that he had enjoyed that first day's insane, hellish level of running so much that he kept demanding to run like that.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Bleeeeurgh!"
"S-Save meeeee!"
Thanks to this, the warriors were experiencing true hell every morning.
To the point where their previous runs felt like child's play in comparison.
In the end, all the anger was directed at No Il-bong, the culprit who had caused this disaster.
"Acting all high and mighty, and now look! Someone kill him, save us!"
"How can we bury that bastard so deep in the ground that we'd be praised for it? Huh?"
Even the other squad leaders turned on him with fire in their eyes, saying he should take responsibility.
"...Alright, alright, I get it."
Finally unable to hold out any longer, No Il-bong went to find Yeo Un-hwi that day and begged profusely.
And,
"Please, you don't have to come to the morning run anymore. Please, I'm begging you."
He pleaded earnestly, over and over.
'Tsk, I was quite enjoying it. What a shame.'
Yeo Un-hwi reluctantly agreed.
Years later, the warriors would recall that time and say:
Running with Yeo Un-hwi was truly Hell's Morning Run.
And rumors about the morning run spread throughout the entire Peng Family.
"What happened?"
Paeng Seo-yeon looked at Yeo Un-hwi with an expression of utter disbelief.
She too had heard about what her husband had been doing every morning lately and the rumors circulating about it.
"Hm? What do you mean, what happened?"
"What do I mean? Since when did you get such good stamina? You used to gasp for breath after running just a little bit."
"Haha, did I really?"
Yeo Un-hwi scratched his head and gave an ambiguous answer.
Paeng Seo-yeon's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean, 'did I really?' Look at this guy. You've gotten even slicker lately."
"Haha. Actually, I've been secretly doing a lot of running without you knowing."
"That doesn't happen just from doing that."
"Doesn't it?"
"What's with you? This guy is getting more and more..."
"Hahaha! I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Paeng Seo-yeon laughed as she watched Yeo Un-hwi laugh heartily.
She knew better than anyone how fit the Hebei Peng Family warriors were.
It was hard for her to believe that her weak husband had beaten them in a long-distance run.
Honestly, her husband had been acting strange lately.
There were more than just one or two suspicious things.
But even so, she decided not to pry for now.
She decided to wait for him to bring it up himself someday.
Because she trusted her husband more than anyone.
She felt that if he wasn't talking about it now, there must be a good reason.
And above all, this situation was a hundred times better than her husband being bullied and insulted.
So she decided to let it go for now.
But it still didn't feel quite right to just leave it at that.
So,
"Ow!"
Yeo Un-hwi looked at his wife with a pained expression after she pinched his arm with all her might.
"Honey. That hurts. Why, why did you do that?"
"Hmm. I don't know. You're just annoyingly smug somehow?"
"What?"
"Daddy. Mommy says you're annoying!"
"Huh?"
Yeo Un-hwi rubbed his arm with a confused look on his face, while Yul giggled, finding the sight amusing.
Only then did Paeng Seo-yeon's expression soften a bit.
"...Hahaha! Is that really true?"
"Yes. They say the warriors never mention the word 'run' in front of him again and avoid him whenever possible."
"Hahahahaha!"
Peng Seo-jin burst into laughter at Heo Uk-il's report.
"How interesting, how interesting."
To be honest, even Peng Seo-jin had thought Yeo Un-hwi might have a hard time this time.
But he never imagined things would turn out like this.
Who would have thought that their attempt to torment his brother-in-law would backfire so spectacularly?
'Still, it's quite strange.'
He had heard that Yeo Un-hwi only studied hard, so how did this happen?
He seems to be a more interesting person than expected.
Peng Seo-jin stroked his chin, thinking he should arrange a private drinking session with his brother-in-law soon.
Without Father knowing, of course.
Just then,
There was a sound from outside.
"Young Master. It's time to depart."
"Is it that time already."
As Peng Seo-jin nodded and stood up, Heo Uk-il spoke.
"Is it alright if I don't accompany you?"
Peng Seo-jin smirked at Heo Uk-il's words.
"Don't you have something to do today?"
The White Tiger Unit's training was about to begin soon.
"And I can't always take the Deputy Commander with me. Who would train and manage the White Tiger Unit then?"
"But still."
"It's fine. Anyone would think I'm heading to dangerous territory. As I always say, you worry too much."
Peng Seo-jin patted Heo Uk-il's shoulder with a smile, and Heo Uk-il nodded.
"I understand."
"Well then, I'll be off."
With those final words, Peng Seo-jin set out.
Even then, he didn't know.
What would happen to him that day.