Chapter 1: Am I Really Hajun Gu from Questism?(this chapter was rewritten)

"…" = dialogue

'…' = thoughts

[…] = AI

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"Wake up…" murmured a calm voice.

I felt light taps on my cheek as the voice repeated itself, but I simply tried to ignore it.

I was just too exhausted after last night's party.

"Are you sure you want to wake him?" asked another voice, with a doubtful tone.

"Idiot, why not?" replied the first voice, which had been trying to wake me for a while.

"Because… he must be angry right now," whispered the other. I could clearly sense that he was nervous.

I slowly opened my eyes, my head still heavy from the hangover caused by my night at the bar with friends. I should have been more cautious with the alcohol.

I had definitely overdone it this time. I should refuse the next time someone challenges me to finish a bottle of vodka.

'I just hope the homeless didn't steal anything from me while I slept… or rather, while I was passed out,' I thought as I painfully stood up.

As I regained my senses, I realized my back was sore, and my mouth was bloody, but fortunately, I still had all my teeth.

I stood up, slightly staggering. In front of me, a group of panicked teenagers, some of whom were running away for reasons I couldn't comprehend.

"Why does my back hurt?" I muttered while touching my sore back, only to notice I was speaking in a foreign language.

"What the…" I wanted to ask the remaining teenagers in front of me how I had ended up here, but suddenly, a wave of information flooded my brain.

It was a strange but familiar sensation. I could compare it to the moment when you suddenly remember where your car keys are after losing them.

In short, I was currently in South Korea, more specifically in Seoul, and I was Hajun Gu, a high school student and gang leader at West Gangbuk High School.

'I think I know a character named Hajun Gu in a manhwa called Questism. If I remember correctly, he's a secondary character who later becomes an important ally to the protagonist,' I recalled, absorbing the flood of information in my head.

While lost in thought, I had completely forgotten I wasn't alone.

"How are you doing, boss?" said a skinny young man without eyebrows, named, if I remembered correctly, Hyeondong Lee. I'll just call him Lee or Hyeondong.

(Image)

I'm not racist, but Asian names are a nightmare to remember for me.

"Yes… I'm fine. And where are the others?" I asked to gather more information about my current situation.

Even though I still found it logically impossible to be inside a work of fiction, everything around me felt too real, proving otherwise.

I'd better avoid making stupid mistakes that could be irreversible due to doubts that could cause me trouble later.

I'll verify all this once I get to Hajun Gu's house, but for now, I need to go through the day as normally as possible.

"The others… left," he said, lowering his head, accompanied by a few young men behind him.

I could read some shame on his face, but it wasn't his fault, nor that of my other subordinates.

The current situation was caused by the former Hajun Gu. He had simply underestimated Suhyeon Kim and had unfortunately lost the fight.

"I see… Tell them I'll no longer be your leader, but that Suhyeon Kim will be."

I informed them of my decision without paying attention to their protesting voices. I didn't want them around me for the time being.

I went to the restroom to make myself more presentable and spent the rest of the day ignoring the whispers about me and Suhyeon Kim's frightened looks.

I understood why he was scared; he was the best person to know the real difference in strength between us.

He just got lucky. I know I can beat him easily.

After class, I quickly headed back to Hajun Gu's apartment, which wasn't far from West Gangbuk High.

The apartment was simple. I didn't see any trace of Hajun's father.

'Anyway, my new dad doesn't care about me,' I thought with amusement, though the former Hajun Gu didn't like coming home early due to his complicated family situation.

The classic story of an incompetent father and a mother who leaves her son in the hands of a madman.

I settled into my new room. I must say it wasn't very tidy, but I wasn't in a position to criticize.

'I was single, so my apartment was only used for sleeping, nothing more,' I thought bitterly.

"Activate the AI," I said, sitting on my bed with my phone.

I wanted to learn more about myself. I had regained the memories of this body and other information like the existence of this AI, but I wanted to deepen my understanding of my overall situation.

[AI activation in progress…]

[Activation successful, welcome Mr. Hajun Gu.]

"Who are you?" I asked in a neutral tone.

[AI: I am an AI, a tool without consciousness or emotion that "he" gave you…]

[AI: Unfortunately, I cannot provide you with more explanations about my nature or origins beyond that.]

Regaining the memories of the former Hajun Gu also meant I had acquired this AI with basic knowledge about it.

It should normally be able to perform various tasks, such as analyzing and storing data gathered through my five senses and memory.

The AI can assist me efficiently and quickly. For example, it can analyze me during training sessions, correcting my mistakes using the gathered information. It can also help with my homework.

"Can you analyze all of Hajun Gu's boxing techniques and improve them using the data from his and my memory?" I asked patiently.

[AI: Affirmative, it is possible to use the combat experiences and boxing knowledge from the memories of the one you call Hajun Gu, along with yours, to improve his boxing style.]

"Excellent, do it," I said immediately.

[AI: Memory analysis in progress…]

[AI: Analysis complete.]

[AI: Launching boxing style improvement project…]

[AI: Estimated time to task completion: 6 hours.]

Excellent. In 6 hours, I would be stronger than the original Hajun, and at this point in the story, only the North Gangbuk members and the other gang leaders would be problematic.

Even if I'm not entirely sure whether all this is real or fictional, there's no harm in taking things seriously.

As a great martial arts master once said: "Better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in the middle of a battle."

'I might have preferred to be a random character in this fictional universe,' I said to no one in particular, an old habit from my long, solitary life.

Of course, I quickly dismissed the idea. Hajun is a problematic high schooler, but he has several advantages.

After my little discussion with the AI and some personal reflection, I spent a good part of the evening gathering information on the current situation at Jaewon High or J High and The Gangbuk through various phone calls.

As I expected, Johan Seong had disappeared since his team "God Dog" dissolved. There was also the return of Yugyeom Na, the number two at South Gangbuk High.

If that guy is back, then Jack Kim, the leader of Big Deal, is probably out of the juvenile detention center or about to be.

I easily gathered all this information thanks to Hajun Gu's contacts in the north, although I now owe them a small favor.

Of course, I don't plan to fulfill my part of the deal. I'm not foolish enough to accept requests from thugs like them.

"Given my current strength, I'd better avoid characters from Lookism or Manager Kim for now," I concluded after sorting through the gathered information, but I quickly changed my mind.

I had forgotten that there was a character from Manager Kim who could train me easily, and with the help of the AI, I would quickly learn from him.

It would even be possible for me to catch up to the other district crew leaders after uniting Gangbuk.