Fighters of the Wild's
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Girls of the Wild's, that right is reserved for Hun and the illustrator Kim Hye-jin.
Author's Note: The only thing I have claim to is my Original Character (OC) and any original ideas I have.
Please take note that Girls of the Wild's is a manhwa, not a manga so there will be some language differences that I will define at the end of the chapter.
I also have no problem that this manhwa was fucking amazing for me.
Manga = Japanese
Mahnwa = Korean
Life was always a strange mystery, it was always a fight for survival. Some took it in stride, few looked down upon life with contemptuous ease whilst other struggled to make it through to the next day.
Me?
Well, I'd call myself life's little play toy or pet? Yes, I'll admit that most don't have the prettiest of lives, however, for the most part, when people die they tend to stay dead.
It seems life or death didn't give me the memo since after getting in a climbing accident and dying from shock, they decided I was worthy of rebirth or something like those lines.
Yup, you heard that right.
Rebirth.
And no.
I didn't actually talk to some avatar or embodiment of life or death.
I sort of just… popped out.
Like, I was born and then the next thing I know I'm three-years-old and Korean, I did make sure I had my coconuts and sausages of course. However, for some reason or the other I couldn't remember the first three years of my life and for that I'm glad.
I was an orphan.
I found out around two years later that I was placed on the front steps of a police station due to the fact my mother couldn't support me while my father was dead. After that I was sent to the local orphanage before being sent through a foster home or two before being placed back in the orphanage on the basis that 'I couldn't seem to connect with them'.
Honestly, they were right. I was a barely legal adult mind in the body of a 5-year-old infant making it so hard to actually make any true bonds with both children and adults. It was absolutely… frustrating is the aptest description. Frustrating because I couldn't tell anyone or make connections.
I couldn't tell anyone since I'd either be told 'that's nice, now have a lollipop and go play' or be the youngest person to be sent to a mental asylum and I quite liked life no matter the fact this was my second time running. I also couldn't connect to others because of my mental maturity, it's so difficult to act like a child with brimming energy without any productive use, much less constantly playing with blocks or toys with other children.
But I didn't mind.
For me that was fine, it was going to happen either way. I was different, more so than most and after a while, the caretakers began to understand that I was different, a good type of different.
I'd help with cleaning around the orphanage. I'd fix the beds of other children and dust them off with the dirt that accumulated each morning. I'd sweep the floors and mop each floor, level, and room till everything was sparkling clean. I'd prepare ingredients with the orphanage matrons that would prepare the food for the morning, lunch and evening meals.
I was ambivalent, going through familiar motions and routines for two years till I was seven-years-old.
However.
I'm human, and human make mistakes.
Mine came in the form of an accounting booklet.
On a cool autumn morning in October, the head matron left her accounting booklet open on the mess hall table as she was called over to help one of the younger matrons clean one of the newer orphans, a small wriggling baby. I'd made the mistake of looking at the booklet, riffling through and writing on a nearby napkin and using the pen that was left with the booklet to fix some mistakes.
That was how the head matron found me. A deer-in-the-headlights looks plastered over my seven-year-old face as I held a pen in one hand, an accounting booklet in the other, and a napkin full of suggestions on how to better maximize the efficiency of the orphanages' bills and taxes.
She'd taken three looks at the pen, booklet, and napkin and took them away. I looked at her as she walked away in lengthy strides and shrugged as I left to help the cooks get started on lunch.
Six and a half hours later as I was cleaning the bathrooms for the night I found myself being grabbed by the collar and brought to the reception desk at the front of the orphanage.
Standing in the foyer of the reception area was the head matron, a woman dressed in a form fitting black dress and a middle-aged man.
"Is this him?" the middle-aged man inquired to the head matron with a curious air.
"Indeed," the head matron beckoned me over as the matron holding me dropped me to my feet, "Come introduce yourself please."
I walked over as I took a good look at the man. 'Middle-aged, maybe around his forty's, close to nearing his fifties, a bush of greyed hair neatly combed and slicked back, lean build and not slouching like most men his age, common almond brown eyes. A stereotypical black government suit, nor form fitting like the man beside him but more fit for a government or business worker, meant to look smart and neat but in the form of a different suit in comparison to what a younger person would wear.'.
Total analysis?
Completely normal but clothing suggested high ranking within an office of some sort.
I stopped before him and bowed.
I could feel three bewildered stares drill through my body. Then… I spoke.
"Good evening gyeong, my name is Hygh-win Kain," I finished before standing straight again.
…
…
Crickets chirped in the spring air.
…
"Ahem," the middle-aged man coughed into his hand as he schooled his features back to normality. I could still see the bewildered face on the head matron whilst also feeling the stare from the matron behind me. The woman in the black dress, however, seemed nonplussed.
"It's wonderful to meet you Hygh-win, my name is Chung-hee Chul," the now aforementioned Chung-hee greeted me with a disarming smile.
A smile meant for kids, meant to express that something good was going to happen and that they want to break it to the slowly so they fully understand.
"Sir…" I called out catching Chung-hee, "Would this have anything to do with the incident I had earlier today with the head matron's accounting booklet?"
Almond brown eyes widened before crinkling with amusement, "You'd be right with that. You see, this orphanage is government approved and run as such, it's been placed under a program that we call the 'Children of the Future' where we find academically talented children such as yourself and place them in an institution till they turn the age of 16 to nurture their talents to be used back in society.".
I looked at him incredulously.
'He does realize a normal eight-year-old wouldn't have a clue of at least three fourth of what he just said, right?' I wondered before he continued.
"I'm afraid, however, that we can't just admit you based on the words of one person," his brown eyes turned to focus on the head matrons, "As such, I propose we place young Hygh-win under the standard children's IQ test to gain a better understanding of his intelligence before deciding which institution is best to place him under. As long as this is okay for the both of you, of course?" he questioned the matron before looking at the both of us at the end.
The head matron voiced an "Of course," while I merely gave a simple nod.
Chung-hee gave an appreciative smile to the both of us before holding a hand out to the woman beside him who handed him a thin pile of paper-
Wait…
What…?
Where the hell did she keep those?
She doesn't even have a suitcase or anything!?
My whirling mine concentrated on the woman. 'Tall, maybe around 5'6" or 5'7" without her heels, tight dress with a slit down the right side exposing a large amount of pale skin no… for practical usage, maybe fighting?'.
That sent my mind down a different path as I began to inspect her closely, unused gears and cogs slowly whirring to life in my head, "Lean body with densely packed but not bulging muscles, posture suggests training? Maybe military?" I wondered as I looked at her tight posture, back, and spine straight but legs languid and calm with her hand behind her back, shoulders relaxed.
Complete analysis?
There was no way I'm gonna fuck with her. No way in hell.
All of that happened in the span of three seconds.
Chung-hee handed me the sheets of paper along with a pen which I grabbed and counted, there were around ten sheets of paper.
"You have two hours to complete these sheets which will then be graded by myself. Depending on the results you may or may not be admitted into the program, and also indicates which institution you'll be placed under," He rattled out almost as if he'd given the speech many times before, something I wouldn't have been surprised to find. "You may begin when you're ready." He finished before stepping off to the side.
I stood there with the sheets of paper and pen in my tiny hands with one thought going through my head which I eventually voiced.
"Am I allowed to use a desk for this? Cause it seems a bit difficult to do it on the floor…"
I could feel my brain turning to mush. Not because the questions were hard or anything like that.
No.
The questions were so easy.
It was a much more sinister reason.
Tests were so. God. Damn. BORING.
"Uuuugh," I barely uttered out as I hit the one-and-a-half-hour mark and finished the last question.
The woman in the black dress collected my papers from my place at the receptionist's desk and swiftly handed them to Chung-hee who plucked a red pan from the inside of his suit and started marking the papers, the lady resuming a bodyguard-like position beside him.
I ignored the both of them and looked at the clock behind the reception desk.
9:43 PM
I could feel my eyelids become heavy, my young body slowly losing energy as the night waned. It would only be sooner or laterbefor-
(With Chung-hee)
*THUD*
Chung-hee looked up from his marking as he noted the sudden noise before turning to his bodyguard, "Saeko, would you please check on that please?" he asked as he returned to marking the test, referencing another pile of papers with the correct answers.
As he continued marking, Saeko went searching for the mysterious noise, her body loaded like a spring, each of her steps light but ready for action. As she rounded the reception area she found the source of the noise, one which so happened to be one slightly snoring Hygh-win Kain.
"Sir? I seem to have found the source of the disturbance." She notified Chung-hee who looked up again from his marking.
"Hm?"
"It's Hygh-win sir, it appears he's fallen asleep," She explained as she stood up with the young boy in his arms, his face buried in the crook of her neck.
Chung-hee let out a mirthful chuckle and placed down the papers, "It would seem we've forgotten that while our young friend here is quite intelligent, he's still just a child," a small smile graced both of their features.
"Saeko would you please ask the matron to put him to bed please? I think we'll have to return tomorrow morning to finish this," he enquired Saeko merely dipped her head in acknowledgment but blushed as the young boy burrowed closer into the crook of her neck, lengthy frost blue hair covering her neck and bosom.
"Oh, and Saeko?"
"Yes sir?" she turned around to give him a questioning glance.
"It would seem you Wild Guard's aren't only good with fighting but also with children as well," Chung-hee's eyes had a teasing glint to them.
Saeko's blush gave away all too much of her feelings on the situation as she walked away to find the nearest matron.
Chung-hee, on the other hand, looked down at the papers with an intrigued glance, a question so lightly asked it wouldn't have been heard by anyone else, "Where on earth will we be placing you, young High-win?".
Placing down the papers he gave them one last look before placing them in his briefcase. But the marks on it left a notable impression on his mind.
'196 marks out of a possible 200… This kid will be going places… but only the future will tell.'
(With Hygh-win)
The next morning, I was directed to a spare room after breakfast wherein both Chung-hee and the lady-bodyguard from yesterday were waiting. I couldn't look at either Chung-hee or the woman beside him, my cheeks flaming with childish embarrassment.
Sue me I'm like eight-years-old, my mind may be mature but my emotions sure aren't.
"Well, young Hygh-win, I hope you had a restful night's sleep?" Chung-hee questioned with a playful lilt, damn him.
I did what came naturally to me.
Or I should say what came naturally to my body.
"Hmph…" My body instinctively crossed my arms and my nose turned away from him into the air and my eyes closed shut. Damn this childish body and all its quirks when I'm embarrassed.
*Squee*
What the hell? What was that?
My eyes shot open, searching for the noise but all I could find was Chung-hee and the lady beside him as per usual.
Unfortunately, Chung-hee used that chance to continue talking.
"As of yesterday, you finished the test at 9:43 PM before we were forced to cancel the rest of the marking portion due to…" Chung-hee gave away a fake cough as he eyed both myself and… the lady beside him? "unexpected setbacks."
He took a deep breath before his almond brown eyes bore into mine.
'What color are mine anyways? There aren't any actual mirrors around here… Actually, what do I even look like? Hell, the only reason I know my hair is actually blue is because it's grown so long I can actually see it.' I wondered as my mind got quickly derailed from the usual train of thought.
"Your marks on the test was 196 marks out of a possible 200. Congratulations, you've been happily accepted into the 'Children of the Future' program." he finished with a wide smile.
I merely looked on with indifference, I knew I'd do very well. It was almost impossible for me to fail, and if I had well… I'd be a disgrace to all eighteen-year-olds reborn.
Which is to say I would've been a disgrace to myself.
Chung-hee continued on, "If you give your consent, you'll be starting your next school year in the Busan Public School starting the beginning of March along with accommodations and board from the moment you accept till you become 18," His eyes continued to bore into mine with the utmost seriousness.
"So… do we have your consent and agreement to join the "Children of the Future" program?" he asked as he extended a large hand.
It took me all of two seconds to decide my decision.
I slapped away his hand.
"Wha-" he began to utter out before my body slammed into his and my tiny arms tried to wrap around his waist.
"Yes… I accept." those words escaped my lips.
Curse this childish body of mine.
*Squuuuuueeeee*
There it is again! My arms swiftly dropped as I searched for that damnable but the search was left unfruitful.
"Ahem… otherwise, do you have any questions that I could answer for you?" Chung-hee enquired.
I shook my head but turned towards his bodyguard.
"Am I allowed to ask you questions?" I asked her.
She looked over to Chung-hee who gave an indulgent nod in return. Looking back to me she gave a small nod in acceptance, "Very well, you may ask me some questions, however, I do have the right to skip any questions I deem to personal."
I nodded in return, the conditions themselves were fair. "What's your name miss?" I asked her, it felt pretty rude to constantly be calling her 'the woman' or 'the lady'.
"Himejima Saeko," she responded curtly, but a glimmer of something in her eyes.
'Himejima Saeko? That sounds more Japanese than Korean…' I pondered but pushed it to the back of my mind and continued to question her.
"What are you?" I asked, my question seemingly startling both Chung-hee and Saeko.
"Um… what do you mean?" She asked in return, more confused than anything else.
"You're a bodyguard but not," I began to explain my analysis of her, "Most bodyguards are tense when protecting their assigned targets, you, on the other hand, you're relaxed, languid but at the same time, you're also somehow tense and coiled like a spring. In addition, most bodyguards aren't female meaning you must have been hired due to a prior or current reputational status.".
I let out a long breath before I looked at her eye-to-eye, "So I ask, what are you?"
Out of everything, her response definitely wasn't what I'd expected.
*SQUUUUUEEEEEE*
I could faintly make out a body glomping onto mind as the ringing slowly faded away from the high-pitched squeal.
"OHYMIGOSH he's absolutely adorable when he's all serious-like," I scarcely made out the rapid-fire sentence as my cheek was smooshed against something very soft, "Yes you are! Ohhh yes you are!"
I sent a glance to my only hope against this- this thing.
Chung-hee merely looked away as if everything was fine.
"Traito- HRMPH!" my rage was swiftly cut off from two pillowy hells.
"Awwww he's so cuuuuute!" the damnable continued to gush as I tried to escape her bosom, my air supply slowly being cut off.
"Umm… Saeko?" I could crudely make out Chung-hee speaking as my eyesight began to fade in and out. Abruptly air rushed into my lungs causing me to cough.
"N-Never…. Never again," I spluttered out as my breathing was still rapidly going in and out of my chest. I looked up to see a clearly embarrassed Saeko and one traitorously amused bastard.
Saeko soon managed to get her blushing under control and answered my question thankfully, the air in my lungs slowing down to a more regular pace.
"I'm what is known as a 'Wild's Guard', an S-rank alumni from Wild's High School, a school specialising in martial arts," she took a breath as she finally got her blush completely under control and resumed her previous stance, "We work both within and outside Wild's High as either security, referee's or judges within school grounds, or as national VIP guards, instructors for security institutions or the military. We are also exempt from the country when taking down hostiles and are immune from any repercussions as far as legal action is concerned." she finished with a breath.
I couldn't stop the childish shine in my eyes as I listened. 'That sounds absolutely badass!' I couldn't help but think as my view of her slightly changed from 'slightly deranged bodyguard' to 'slightly deranged absolute ass-kicker'.
"Would it be possible for me to eventually get admitted into Wild's High?" I asked her.
She shook her head in the negative, "I'm afraid not. Wild's High School is a female only school and has been for the last 31 years since its founding."
"Sex change?"
"…what?"
"What if I get a sex change?" I asked her since I could clearly see how much the topic discomforted her.
"Ummm…. maybe? You wouldn't go th-that f-far would y-you?" she queried, her eyes shifting away from mine as she adjusted the collar of her neck, her calm countenance fading away as unease began to show.
"Of course I wouldn't, I like my peanuts just where they are," I responded in fashion leaving her dumbfounded.
Chung-hee quickly diffused the situation by stepping in for Saeko, "Do you have anything else you'd like to ask?"
I thought for a moment before two came to mind.
"I only have two, one for the each of you." I said as I directed my attention to Saeko first, "Where did you start learning martial arts?"
I immediately garnered her attention with that question, "Um… I learned at a local dojo which taught Taekwondo before I incorporated different fighting styles to create a mixed martial arts form. You're not going to ask me to teach you, are you?"
I waved her off, "Of course not, you'd be much too busy for an eight-year-old like myself," I said before my attention turned to Chung-hee.
"I have only one condition for joining the program," I spoke as his brown eyes looked into mine with curiosity.
"And that would be what exactly?" he responded his eyebrows quirking upwards in slight interest and surprise.
"I want my accommodations to always be fully stocked with ingredients and groceries."
…
…
"That's it?" his eyebrows seemed to have shot up in surprise.
I snorted at him, "of course, what on earth did you expect? A billion won or something?" I asked him sarcastically.
He quickly threw off the surprised look before schooling his features and held out a hand.
"Deal."
Our hands met in a shake, his large hands dwarfing mine.
"Squee"
Five months passed since I'd been accepted into the 'Children of the Future' program and for the first time in seven years I felt… I felt free.
That'd most likely have something to do with the fact I lived in my own apartment and I didn't have to go to school for another month. Chung-hee even gave me a license card or something when I moved in that when showed to any police that asked why I wasn't in school that I was in the program and didn't start till March.
I found out that I'd have an apartment regardless of which school I went too, so if I went to a high school in another city, the government would set up an apartment for me there. This admittedly shocked me when Chung-hee explained it to me.
The apartment was in Busan so it meant it was only a two-kilometer or so walk to the school when the semester starts, o that in itself was awesome.
I did have to follow a curfew however which was basically along the lines of 'make sure to be home between 8:00 PMand 4:00AM which admittedly wasn't too much to ask for, especially considering I usually slept from 8:00PM till 6:00AM so it didn't bother me all too much.
Another thing that made me ecstatic was the apartment itself. It was a three-room apartment, one room had the kitchen and living area, the second had my bedroom which was only slightly bigger than the one I had at the orphanage and a connecting bathroom.
The other thing that made me happy was the giant refrigerator in my kitchen along with the walk-in pantry. Chung-hee when he found out what I was actually doing with all the food I got from my 'condition' for joining the program eventually conceded to giving me a bigger fridge and pantry.
Honestly the lengths the Korean government went for their 'children of the future' was truly mind-boggling.
It also didn't help that Chung-hee was my temporary guardian. A legal guardian he only really had to check up every few days to make sure I'm doing well. However, I would've preferred him over my soon-to-be permanent guardian, who turned out to be Saeko. The only reason she wasn't my actual guardian right now was because of the fact she was still a Wild's Guard till the end of the school year.
Yeah, as it turns out there's only ever three Wild's Guard per year and this year would be her fourth year of being a Wild's Guard before she can happily live of the stupidly tremendous amount of wealth she amassed over the four years. That is, along with pestering me for food.
With my fridge full of food, I'd cook for at least three hours a day, an hour making myself breakfast lunch and dinner along with some for Chung-hee on the days he'd check up on me as my legal guardian. The other two hours I'd spend cooking food that wouldn't spoil easily in humid heat or left out for longer than three hours such as meats and vegetables, and even oatmeal protein biscuits.
What for?
Well for this.
"Thank you so much, Hygh-win, bless your soul." a small old lady thanked me as she waddled slowly back to her tent, a small smile gracing my lips as I grabbed another container full of meat and vegetables and another full of biscuits before handing them to a man lying on the sidewalk, a small bag underneath his head and a small tattered blanket covering him.
He gave a small happy smile and an uttered "Gamsa" in return before he slowly walked off to somewhere else.
In my large amounts of free time I'd either spend my time practising Taekwondo and other martial arts at a local martial arts centre or cooking for the homeless or poor.
In a way, it was my way of being grateful for the opportunity. If you receive, you should give back in return and along those lines. I'd spend at least an hour or two going around the neighbourhood of Busan and giving meals to any poor or unfortunate people I come across till I ran out of takeaway containers of food.
Then for five hours a day I'd spend in either the martials arts centre training or the gymnastics centre learning basic gymnastics to take up my time. All before returning home to my apartment where I'd eat, rest and read, then sleep.
Soon this became my routine for the five months I'd been in Busan, all the way to February. Soon it'd be March and I'd have my first day at the Busan Public School.
This was going to be interesting, I wouldn't know this but it'd be interesting in more ways than one.
It came all too quickly.
It'd been February and suddenly it was March and I found myself in a classroom full of eight-year-old kids, myself sitting near the window, watching as everyone went up seat by seat and introduced themselves.
I looked up at the person seated next to me, a boy considering he was wearing the male uniform of Busan Public School, blonde haired with amethyst-coloured eyes, as he went up and introduced himself.
"Good morning, I'm In-Gyi Yoon, it's a pleasure to meet you." he gave a bow as the class gave a polite clap and returned to his seat sending me a slight nod in acknowledgement as I stood up and walked to the front of the class an introduced myself.
I stood their lackadaisically as I introduced myself.
"Hello, my name is Hygh-win Kain, I hope we get along well." I introduced myself before finishing with a flourish bow.
Another round of polite claps reached my ears as I walked down to my seat and sat down.
'This is going to be a curious four years,' I couldn't help but think as the next person went up to introduce themselves.
Author's note: Well here's my first chapter of the Manhwa series 'Girls of the Wild'.
Translations (note I used google translator for these:
Gyeong = Sir
Gamsa = Thanks