Chapter 5: An Anatomy Lecture on the Grass

The world is a massive collection of data made up of tens of millions of frequencies.

Yet sometimes, even among those precise numbers, something appears that cannot be explained by logic alone.

Yesterday afternoon was one of those moments.

***

The steep streets of Seoksu-dong.

Old villas stood crowded together, their paint peeling away like fish scales.

Into that shabby landscape, a snow-white Porsche 911 glided smoothly down the alley.

Its engine sounded like the low growl of a well-trained beast.

Its polished body reflected the sunset, giving off an unnatural glow.

It was like a brilliant diamond accidentally dropped into a damp alley that smelled of mold.

[Environmental Scan in Progress]

[Location: Old Villa District, Seoksu-dong, Anyang, Gyeonggi Province]

[Pollution Level: High concentration of airborne moisture and fine dust. Numerous particles from peeling paint detected on aging buildings.]

[Contrast Analysis: Difference in visual brightness between Porsche 911 and surrounding environment exceeds 450%. Visual noise detected.]

“We’re here. You can stop here, Se-young.”

As soon as I stepped out of the passenger seat, I ran into Tae-ho, who was walking home after finishing his night shift at a convenience store.

The triangle kimbap in his mouth fell to the ground.

Thud.

The sound of the plastic wrapper hitting the pavement echoed clearly in my sensitive hearing.

[Target Identified: Kim Tae-ho]

[Biological Status: Heart Rate 132 BPM. Pupil Dilation 48%. Adrenaline Levels Rising Rapidly.]

[Emotional State: Shock and Awe]

Tae-ho’s eyes were locked on Se-young’s cold profile through the Porsche’s window.

Without paying attention to him, Se-young casually turned the steering wheel and drove away.

Tae-ho continued staring after the car.

Only after the Porsche disappeared and its luxurious engine sound faded into the air did he finally grab me by the collar.

“Hey! Hey! Han Ji-hoon! You just got out of that car, right? That white monster?”

His voice echoed throughout the alley.

His hands were trembling uncontrollably.

“Well… we happened to be going the same direction, so I got a ride. Small world, I guess.”

“Same direction? Are you kidding me?! Who was that girl? Is she even human? She looked like some princess straight out of a comic book! You become the top student at medical school and suddenly your life turns into this? A goddess like that drove you all the way here? To Seoksu-dong?”

Tae-ho stared at me in disbelief.

To him, Se-young wasn’t simply the daughter of a hospital director.

She was an unreal existence that didn’t belong in his world.

Against the backdrop of the old apartment buildings, her pale face truly had seemed inhuman.

“She’s just a classmate. Her name’s Lee Se-young. She’s a little cold, but she’s not a bad person. She even gave me a ride, didn’t she?”

“Cold? If she looks like that, I don’t care if her personality is completely broken! Seriously, Han Ji-hoon… you’re terrifying. First you get a perfect exam score, now your standards for women have reached god-level too? No, seriously. Why would someone like her care about you?”

Tae-ho laughed helplessly while picking up his dropped kimbap and brushing the dirt off it.

His exaggerated reaction made me feel a little better about my completely empty bank account.

Yeah.

This was one of the good things about life.

The sincere amazement of a foolish friend couldn’t be converted into ones and zeros.

I patted his shoulder and headed up the stairs to my apartment.

***

The Next Day, Lunch Break

Baekgyeong University Central Field

The sunlight was intense.

The field buzzed with students preparing for the upcoming sports festival.

As I left the medical school building and headed toward the cafeteria, a huge shadow blocked my path.

[Target Analysis: Kang Seok-jin (Department of Physical Education)]

[Height: 185 cm]

[Weight: 82 kg]

[Muscle Density: Top 1%]

[Quadriceps: Exceptional Explosive Power Expected]

[Special Note: Captain of Baekgyeong University’s Football Club. Former Regional Star Player.]

[Current Emotional State: Arrogance 85%, Resentment Toward Top-Ranked Freshman 12%, Interest 3%]

Kang Seok-jin.

Back in high school, everyone in the region knew his name.

Meanwhile, I had been a substitute player warming the bench.

He casually juggled a football on his foot while staring down at me.

The football club members stood around him like wolves surrounding prey.

“Hey, Han Ji-hoon. You’ve been hiding in the medical building so much your skin’s gotten pale.”

His voice dripped with mockery.

In his eyes, I was still the benchwarmer who carried water bottles.

The past was frozen reality to him.

The current me was simply a lucky nerd.

“So what if you got a perfect score? So what if you’re top-ranked? None of that matters in front of a football. Seeing some benchwarmer become a medical-school valedictorian and appear in the school newspaper doesn’t sit right with me. Our football club has pride too. You’ll probably go around telling people you used to be a football player.”

He kicked the ball hard toward me.

Thud.

The ball stopped at my foot.

The vibration traveling through my shoe was powerful.

His ankle snap was still excellent.

“Let’s settle this. One-on-one. First person to score wins. If I win, you’ll be the football club’s drink delivery boy until graduation. Sound good? Time for the benchwarmer to return to his real job.”

Students quickly gathered around.

Even my medical-school classmates stopped on their way to lunch.

Then a familiar lavender scent entered my sensory layer.

Lee Se-young.

Standing with her arms crossed.

Watching quietly.

Her eyes seemed to say:

Let’s see what you’ve got.

I scratched the back of my head and laughed awkwardly.

Pretending to avoid conflict had become my second nature.

The best way to crush someone’s pride was to let it rise as high as possible first.

“Come on, Senior. You’re the football club’s ace. I’m just a former substitute player. This matchup isn’t fair. I’ve been studying too much and I’m out of shape. I probably won’t last a minute. Can’t you just let me off? I’m a busy top student, you know.”

Seok-jin’s confidence only grew.

“Looks like the medical-school genius is scared.”

“How can a substitute compete against an ace?”

The crowd murmured.

My seemingly humble attitude pushed his arrogance even higher.

“If you don’t want to play, kneel down and apologize right now. Say, ‘I’m sorry for acting cocky because I’m good at studying.’ Say it loud enough for everyone to hear. Then I’ll forgive you. Stay in your place like the benchwarmer you are, and I’ll cancel the drink-boy punishment.”

The football club members laughed.

I sighed as if I had no choice and put down my bag.

[Calculation Engine Activated]

[Field Physics Data Synchronized]

[Opponent Muscle Fatigue and Tendon Strength Analysis Complete]

“Fine. First person to score wins.”

I smiled.

“But if I win, the football club has to stay quiet when passing by the medical-school building. Our students get pretty sensitive during exam season. Some of them get high blood pressure just from hearing footsteps.”

“Hah! Look at this guy. Fine. Let’s do it. I’ll crush you today.”

***

In the middle of the field, Kang Seok-jin stood with the ball at his feet, glaring at me like a predator.

The sound of his muscles contracting for explosive movement reached my ears like metal grinding against metal.

[Multidimensional Calculation Layer Activated]

[Data Scan Complete]

[Center of Gravity: Shifted 3.2 Degrees Left]

[Ground Friction Coefficient: 0.12]

[Wind Direction: Westerly, 1.5 m/s]

[Biological Analysis: Right Calf Muscle Approaching Cramp Threshold. Fatigue Accumulating.]

Instead of fancy tricks, Seok-jin relied on brute physical strength.

His large body charged toward me like a tank.

The instant he loaded power into his right shoulder, I moved forward instead of backward.

I stepped directly inside his balance point.

The human body becomes most unstable at the exact moment it generates maximum force.

Like a massive building whose entire weight rests on a single support point.

“Senior, I think there’s a design flaw in your ligaments.”

I lightly aligned my hip against the point where his pelvis rotated.

A simple application of leverage.

Seok-jin stumbled wildly.

The eighty-kilogram giant lost balance from the force of his own attack.

As he desperately stretched out his leg to protect the ball, I heard the fascia around his right knee tightening.

I didn’t run.

I simply nudged the ball to the exact position where his next step should land.

Unable to overcome his own momentum, he tripped over himself and rolled across the grass.

Bang!

Dust rose into the air.

“Y-You bastard!”

He jumped up and charged again.

But to me, every one of his movements was already outlined in glowing lines.

This time he launched a sliding tackle.

Instead of performing a flashy dribble, I simply stopped the ball beneath my foot.

His leg slid past the stationary ball.

Like someone running across ice, he was betrayed by his own speed and anger.

He crashed to the ground again.

“Senior, if you force that movement any harder, you’re going to rupture your Achilles tendon. Your fourth lumbar nerve is already compressed, which is slowing your reactions by about 0.2 seconds. You probably didn’t notice, but your spine is screaming.”

Without even touching the ball properly, Seok-jin found himself running in circles around me.

Eventually, exhausted, he dropped to one knee.

His face was covered in dirt and humiliation.

Fear appeared in his eyes.

I hadn’t laid a hand on him.

Yet he probably felt as if an invisible scalpel had dissected every nerve and muscle in his body.

I casually rested my foot on the ball and yawned.

“Football isn’t about muscles. It’s about understanding the limits of muscles.”

I spoke quietly.

“Can you hear it? Your body is begging you to stop. As a future doctor, my advice is simple. Go home, put on a pain patch, and get some rest.”

***

Silence spread across the field.

The defeated captain lay on the grass, breathing heavily.

The spectators stared at me in shock.

A benchwarmer had dismantled an ace player without even touching him.

This wasn’t sports.

It looked more like magic.

Or some bizarre form of science.

I picked up my bag and walked past Se-young.

The lavender scent around her seemed stronger than usual.

Her eyes were fixed on my wrist, where my pulse beat beneath the skin.

“…You didn’t even sweat. What you just did wasn’t football. It was surgery on a living person.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“Han Ji-hoon. What exactly are you? What did you do to yourself?”

“Come on, Se-young. I’m just a classmate who’s good at finding weaknesses.”

I winked.

“If we become lab partners someday, maybe I’ll teach you. I’ll even show you exactly where it hurts the most.”

Then I left the field.

But my steps weren’t as light as they appeared.

A disturbing pulse echoed deep inside the left side of my chest.

A mechanical vibration.

Something that didn’t feel like my own heartbeat.

At that moment, my phone vibrated inside my pocket.

[Caller: Manager Kim]

The moment I read the message, the relaxed smile disappeared from my face.

Ji-hoon, did you enjoy your first classes?

But don’t forget.

Those godlike senses you’re enjoying don’t belong to you.

The foundation merely lent them to you.

The LB-2 System was designed to shut down completely unless you receive additional treatment every six months.

Just like an engine running out of fuel.

Unless, of course, you want to return to being the ordinary failed student from Seoksu-dong.

Then Manager Kim’s cold voice echoed in my ears like a hallucination.

“Come to the hospital’s underground special ward at 11 PM tonight.”

“Before your abilities disappear…”

“It’s time for your second injection.”

I looked up at the darkening sky and swallowed hard.

This overwhelming power was both a gift and an invisible leash fastened around my neck by the foundation.

Six months.

That was its expiration date.

After that, I would return to being the ordinary, weak substitute player from Seoksu-dong.

Could a man who had once seen through the eyes of a god ever return to the darkness of an ordinary human?

No.

That would be more terrifying than death.

I shoved my trembling hand deep into my pocket.

The legend was about to begin again at the tip of a second needle.

And with every injection, I had a growing feeling that some kind of price would eventually have to be paid.