#original choi han

[zorlovinghue]

Being Beaten To A Pulp

tw: depiction of injuries

Okay, just a small question or curiosity I have. Og!Choi Han beat Og!Cale to a pulp in tboah, right? How much force would Choi Han exerted in his unstable state of mind? If he delivered precised punch on Cale's philtrum, how high is the chance for Cale to experience fracture, breaking the alveolar process up to his nasal spine at the same time? No, really. Is it possible? If Choi Han did not stop with philtrum alone, going as far as to punch him on either sides of parietal bones, mandible, and frontal bones (pardon me if I got the name wrong)... with swordmaster's strength, uncontrollable anger, and little to no self-control. At this point, honestly Cale might not be so weak. I mean if we cast aside the existence of potion and holy power, 'fantasy' factors that may contribute to Cale's physical endurance, severe blood loss, and assuming Choi Han went all out.

This might be a stupid thought but I'm genuinely wondering. And at the same time it's unnerved me that tboah Vicross decided it was a breathtaking display of power...? Towards an 18-years-old? I'm not trying to be biased but please, let's see it this way for a bit. How could Deruth forgive Choi Han enough? Why did Ron finalised his decision to resign at the same time?

Me here quite frankly thought 'being beaten to a pulp' is an understatement of Cale's potential injuries, his head might as well pummeled and mashed. And the emphatic sense of people around is fairly questionable, or is it just for the fact that Cale is trash? Character bashing aside.... I'm, I'm crying because now I feel so guilty. And it just 'head', what if Choi Han beat the 'body' too...?

[unluckycactus]

Preview:

His older brother huffed, turning away from the mischievously smiling swordsman and disappeared into the kitchen. He came back a moment after, the ladle no longer in sight and— was that his wallet?

Oh no.

Kim Rok Soo jumped to his feet, but it was already too late.

“You guys go have fun.” Kim Soohyun smiled warmly, handing a couple of bills to a slightly embarrassed-looking Jung Soo.

‘That makes two of us, damn it!’

“Hyung! What are you doing?! Giving pocket money to high schoolers you barely know?!”

“My money is mine to give to whoever I want, brat.” Soohyun quickly turned around, expertly flicking Rok Soo’s forehead and then faced back front as if nothing happened. “It’s chilly outside so buy something to warm up. Ah, here. Go watch a movie too.” 

His brother put yet again another couple of bills in Choi Jung Soo’s hands.

“God. You’re embarrassing.” Kim Rok Soo hissed, without really meaning it. “Hey, let’s go.”

Grabbing the elbow of the dazzled Choi, Rok Soo made a beeline for the door. 

“What? Uh, w-wait!” He did not wait, so Jung Soo resorted to writhing like a worm in his hold. “Thank you, pretty hyung!”

Soohyun chuckled as the door closed with a loud bang.

“How is such a cute kid related to you?” He asked Choi Han.

“Ha. Biased much?”

[stanhailet]

Choi Han

Recently I came across an interesting reflection by a man that it is very strange that there is such a strong difference between our Choi Han and the original one.

They say the original version is some kind of mentally unstable, but our version looks like a puppy and is quite adequate.

I also started thinking about it and came to the conclusion that it was not at all strange.

First of all, no one told us that Choi Han's original always behaved aggressively. We know that he snapped when meeting the original Cale and that he was a pretty private person, but that's it.

And now look. He went through a terrible experience, losing his home and his family. He was forced to kill many people. He was desperate. And here we see two scenarios:

The original: He met an arrogant nobleman who claims that the lives of people close to him are worthless. This is what he got instead of the help with the graves he was hoping for. Let's be honest, this situation is terrible. And in this situation, I feel sorry for both Cale and Choi Han. Cale shouldn't have taunted him even by playing the role of trash, and Choi Han shouldn't attack people even if he doesn't like what they say. In this situation, the only thing that pisses me off is Ron, who left.

The alternative: Choi Han met a man who helped him. Who brought him to his house, fed him and gave him a place to sleep. It's not so much to start experiencing such puppy devotion, but Choi Han has a special situation. When we are in deep grief, we really need help and care. It can change everything. (It's the same with the original Cale. If he had received more support from his father when his mother died, he would not have chosen such a self-destructive way to protect his new family. But it's more a matter of trust in adults, not mental health.)

So yes, I think such a difference between our version of Choi Han and the original one makes sense. I know that we love the original Cale very much, but please let's not hate the original Choi Han so much for a situation in which he is not the only one to blame.

[mypromptlair]

TCF Prompt 27

TBOAH AU - OG Cale and OG Archie

Cale Henituse died by the hands of the WS. In one universe he made a deal and exchanged souls with one Kim Rok Soo. In this one, instead of making a deal, GoD sends him to another timeline to be able to rest and not have to worry about anything ARM or WS related. In this world, he regressed to when he was 16(and was in the process of escaping the Empire. Perhaps he had been kidnapped? Was his family ok and why did he have ancient powers, including his moms??).

Somewhere along the way, he ends up running into Archie, who also like him, was on the run and had his soul sent to this world after he was killed(and oh, it was a horrifying death. turning blood into pure mana burning him from the inside out. Who knew a specific weapon was made just to take him down. Witira fully snapped after witnessing her last family members/commanders death/. She was so scary, that even the WS didn't enter those waters for a couple years).

Eventually, they learn that they had been considered missing(and MIA in Archie's case). Both had been captured 2 years prior and experimented on at some point during that time(Archie had terrible scars on his back, along with part of his phin missing in his whale form he had also had patches that showed some of his hide had been taken at some point. Just wait until Cale found out who on the black market bought whale hide...if Shickler didn't get to them first anyway. Cale had Ancient Powers forced upon his very thin plate. Luckily he and Archie had come across a water power that settled his plate, but he was will very weak. Both their immune systems were gone too.)

A couple months later, they run into the Molans. And all hell breaks loose.

----

Overprotective Henituse's/allies/Molans

Overprotective Whales

Archie and Cale whump

No Raon and kids(they either don't exist in this universe or live happily with their families)

Cale had acted as trash, but him getting captured and missing at 14 caused everyone to find out the truth, Cale is disappointed(Archie finds it hilarious)

Archie went missing on a mission(which was later found out caused by a mole/traitor). The whale's missed their chaotic commander. Especially his two childhood friends the royals Witira and Paseton.(Shickler sees him as his bratty kid too)

In tboah timeline, Cale and Archie teamed up on certain missions and to cause chaos. They got along surprisingly well after their first meeting, drove the heroes*cough Choi Han cough* mad.

In this AU, Cale and Rosaly are cousins. Choi Han is a knight protecting Crown Prince Alberu. They all become allies/friends eventually.

Archie became friends with Witira and Paseton when they were kids. Archie is a orphan, and does not get along with the other killer whales(some of the Whales are divided up into different tribes, the killer whales are not loyal to Shickler and do not get along with most other whales. They discarded and harmed Archie when he formed a friendship and later loyalty with Shickler's kids, His parents are unknown, but there are rumors his mother is a Lunar Whale and he is a half blood like Paseton..and that was why he was captured/betrayed in the first place).

The Lunar Whales were said to be able to swim amongst the stars. Blessed by the goddess of the moon, they are strong in mana, and were thought to be the best healers in the world, even more than those chosen by the sun god. None have been seen is so long they are thought to be nothing but a fairy tale. but perhaps it isn't?

The Molan family was never attacked and are still going strong. They and the Thames family have worked together for centuries, and Jour asked them to look after her son after she she passed away. They failed when he was captured, but Ron has made it his duty to insure he and his family never fail Cale again.

The Empire is the main 'enemy' but fighting is not the main plot. it's mostly just Cale and Archie learning to heal and rest, etc.

Cale and Archie still cause too much chaos tho. And lots of misunderstandings!

no romance, just lots of family feels, healing and shenanigan's.

[zharaely]

On the topic of birthdays...

We don't know the Original Cale Henituse's birthday, but just imagine the Henituse Family celebrating Cale's birthday. And Cale has to awkwardly play along even though he knows it isn't HIS birthday they're celebrating. While the Henituse Family is also awkward because it's been years since they got to celebrate Cale's birthday properly, but they wanted to take the chance this time now that they've gotten closer (except it's too late now). But they notice Cale's discomfort throughout the entire celebration even though he tries to hide it. Things snowball from there.

Or maybe when the day comes, Cale isn't aware that it's his body's birthday. So while everyone else is dropping hints about it being a special day, Cale is just confused about why they're acting so weird. It eventually leads the Henituse Family to misunderstand thinking Cale got so busy during or after the war that he forgot his own birthday.

(After Cale realizes, he'd also send Kim Rok Soo a gift via the God of Death. Fortunately, no churches were harmed after that conversation, but only a god's pride.)

This also works vice versa with the Original Cale Henituse in Kim Rok Soo's body. Maybe the Original Kim Rok Soo wasn't known to celebrate his birthday (with other people, or at all). So Kim Rok Soo doesn't even realize anything weird that day, except the increasing glances sent his way by his team members and other people from the company ("The team leader still went to work today even though it's his birthday…sighs"). Kim Rok Soo only finds out by the end of his shift, when he's about to go home to his niece but is stopped by someone unexpectedly giving him a small gift.

(The next time he meets with Choi Jung Soo, he asks the guy to send his birthday greetings to the man he swapped bodies with, along with a birthday card drawn by his niece. ("I don't know about over there, but I found out it was your birthday here on Earth. Happy Birthday, Cale.")) (Extra: Choi Jung Soo becomes nostalgic after remembering all his shared birthdays with Kim Rok Soo, before remembering all the birthdays Kim Rok Soo spent by himself after their deaths.)

Or, the other characters find out it was Choi Han's birthday (not knowing it's also Cale's birthday). Everyone helps to plan a birthday party, with Cale even giving Choi Han a gift during the celebration ("I wasn't able to give you a gift last time, so…Happy Birthday, Choi Han.").

Once the celebration was over, or maybe when everyone else was too busy to hear or disturb the two of them, Choi Han was the first to greet Cale a happy birthday ("…Happy birthday to you too, Cale-nim. Kim Rok Soo."). Of course, Alberu does not forget to secretly give both his instructor and his dongsaeng gifts as well, aka, "a happy birthday to the two punks who gave me headaches".

((There's also an easy solution to this entire thing: Original Cale Henituse's birthday was ALSO on November 8. Now we have 5 people sharing the same birthday.))

[sadlynotthevoid]

Okay but in a Gravity Falls AU, Rok Soo and Choi Jung Soo would be the Pines twins + Lee Soo Hyuk as their oldest brother (whose role doesn't exist in GF but I say so). Choi Jung Soo is seeking someone to fall for in basically every chapter and, since Rok Soo is too aro for crush shenanigans, Lee Soo Hyuk is the one with a big ass crush— on Cale, the cute red haired guy.

Why? Because, look at the Thames and tell me they wouldn't do the shit Wendy's family does. So, yeah, since his mom is alive and he has a happy family with three parental units (they're poly), we have a more laid-back Cale who doesn't need to keep a facade 24/7. He's still a badass, tho. Is in part a Thames thing and in part living through Lily's first steps (literally).

The Grunkle is, of course, Choi Han.

[mytragedyperson]

So I've been thinking and I'm pretty sure, if cale does become a god and there's not already a god of hope (I'm still far behind so idk if there is one) Cale will become the god of hope. Because what does Cale represent if not hope?

First, in the first book, the god he's against is the god of Despair and Cale (hope) wins, not easily but he does win in the end.

And then there's Kim Rok Soo, the man he was before coming to this world. If he became the leader and after that, whenever he was at a battle none of his team members die, would that not give the team members hope? Kim Rok Soo's here, we might actually survive it. Its not enough to make them arrogant but it is enough that they don't simply give up

Then there's Choi Han. He's lost everything, and then he meets Cale. He's lost his family, his home, everyone he knew and cared about, and then there's Cale, offering him a safe place to stay, a family, friends, and helping him get revenge for those he lost. He inspires hope in him

Ron gets infected by dead mana, he's dying, he and Beacrox both believe he will due, but he doesn't, because Cale finds a way to save him, restores their hope that they too can get back what they lost.

Originally, all of Lock's family were killed, or at least believed to be killed, but this time Cale sent Choi Han so it can be assumed, everything happened just that little bit quicker, so Choi Han and Rosalyn got there a little bit earlier and we're able to help them, save them, and then Cale helped him through his first time turning berserk and gave them a new home.

This is just a few of the people he's given hope, there's many more, Raon, On, Hong, Alberu. He's given all of them some kind of hope

He was Original Cale Henituse's last hope.

Ugh, just Cale inspiring hope in so many people and defeating the god of despair only to become the god, the embodiment, of hope.

[jasmineaoi]

THIS, THIS IS EVERYTHING!

When it comes to OG!Cale ships I like both OG!AlCale and OG!ChoiHan but it really depends on the scenario

For example, I like OG!AlCale in both regression aus and TBoaH adjacent timeline things because I think a huge thing I like in their dynamic is how mysterious they both are to the other party. The fun of their dynamic is them discovering more about each other and the various miscommunications they have cause of their own personalities, and I think that works very well no matter the universe.

But with OG!ChoiCale, I feel like I can really only enjoy it in TBoaH adjacent things or if they both have the memories of the first life.

To me, a big thing about OG!ChoiCale is about the life they lived together, how they hated eachother, how they both didn’t know eachother for years, how they could have spent time together during the war due to unfortunate circumstances(there not being enough people left)

Like, I think OG!ChoiCale can be such a cool dynamic, such a sad, but comforting one at the same time. It’s a little bitter how the man you thought you would hate forever became a close companion, how he’s more similar to you than your younger self woild have ever thought, but do you really hate it?

Can you really hate having a person who understands you, when so many people have died? When so many are gone?

Something about the sadness of it all, how it was tragedy that brought them against each other at first, but now it brings them together. How they could only ever grow to understand eachother because of the pain they face, the pain that they shared. At some point, can you really hate him, even until the end? After all those years? After coming to understand him? No, you cannot.

Like, it adds in extra layers when they both care about each other at some point mid-way through the war, but they still can’t really talk to eachother properly. They care, but they frustrate one another, anger each other. Choi Han doing increasingly more risky and self sacrificial things because ‘I’m a hero’ ‘I have to do it.’ ‘It is justice to save people’, despite the fact that it’s at the expense of himself

And Cale’s frustration at Choi Han’s attitude. He can never wrap his head around the fact that Choi Han destroys himself for the sake of other people, and believes it’s heroic(He knows Choi Han doesnt, he know Choi Han hates it too, but he doesn’t know what else to say to himself other than the fact that ‘it’s for the greater good’, because he will go crazy if he doesn’t)

He’s mad, but there’s some twisted sense of understanding in there too. Cale understands, because he became trash for his family, he became trash to protect them, he had to do it.

But that’s only what he thought.

He was older now, he had lost them all, and he had seen how his trash act hadn’t done anything to protect them. It only distanced him from them, and now they were gone, and he could never see them again, he could never make amends.

Cale is mad at Choi Han for sacrificing himself because while Choi Han is hurting himself, the people who he loves, and the people who love him, watch him do it over and over again and he doesn’t listen to their worried cries.

He’s mad, but he understands. It was frustrating to be on the other side, watching someone destroy themselves for the sake of others when the people who cared about them wanted the exact opposite. The only difference between him and Choi Han was that Choi Han was never a good liar, he could never hide how much pain he went through.

In a way, Cale thought it was better that way.

At some point, there is love that is there. Love that follows them, and it’s so painful because they both know the tragedy edy to it that is how they are doomed, how they can never be happy in the first time line where they knew each other.

Because as Cale and Choi Han, they can’t be happy. Not when so much has been lost, not when the world is falling apart, they may love each other, but loving each other as they are means being in a world where everything else they love is gone.

It is a cruel kind of love.

Like let’s say they do pursue these feelings, even though knowing those two I don’t think they’d ever say anything in that scenario. If they did it would probably be Cale going like:

“Choi Han, do you love me?”

Choi Han doesn’t say anything, but his silence in place of adamant refusal is enough of an answer.

“Do you love me, Cale?”

Cale doesn’t say anything either, only smiling at Choi Han with his signature, cynical and bitter smile.

He didn’t deny it either.

It was a confirmation of feelings, but unlike the confessions from romance novels and stories, the main character and lead do not end up together and live happily ever after.

They stay together, but the world around them is not happy, not at all. They are together, but not as partners or as lovers, but two people who live in their suffering because all they can do is live.

I feel like anything they do together would always have an air of melancholy to it. Maybe they kiss, once, and no more, because there is no point in making it a regular thing. Not when everything in their world will end, even if they keep on fighting for it to not be that way.

They kiss, and it’s short, but in that short moment, the world is nothing but Cale and Choi Han.

Isn’t that selfish? If it’s like this, then they could ignore how everything has gone so badly. But that is exactly why they cannot be together, there is no ignoring the reality of their situation, no matter how sweet it would be to live in a false dream and never wake up.

I like my OG!ChoiCale a little doomed.

[inked-night]

Rok Soo: You said kissing would heal you, yet you're still hurt.

Cale: My heart and soul healed.

Rok Soo: *He gives her a blank look* You are idiot?

Choi Han: Maybe it's not effective with you *He points with an overly serious expression, positioning himself in front of the redhead* Cale, let me kiss you.

Cale: I would let you give me more than a simple kiss.

Rok Soo: Cale!

Cale: Don't worry, honey, I'll reward you later.

Rok Soo: That's not the point! *He rubs his face, suppressing a pitiful whimper at being ignored*

[galaxygirl8880]

They switch like every week or so and just before Krs turns 25 they stop, letters that were written for him by someone he'll never get the chance to meet face to face. Someone who's life he's lived and vice versa.

And then apocalypse and he reads the books, is stunned, and passes out when he tries to get past the fifth volume.

He's back when they Cale was 18, he's in his body but this time it seems to be permanent as the days go by.

---

Cale is awake again.

But he seems off.

He gets up off the bed, ignores Raon and the cats asking him to lay back down, and goes straight to Ron.

His eyes seem.. different. Actually, how he holds himself just seems off. What's wrong with him?

With a surprising amount of strength, he grabs Ron's tie and pulls him closer to yell.

He seems angry.

It is not cold like they are used to. Something is wrong.

"What happened!? We weren't supposed to switch again, he was supposed to be happy here, he shouldn't be hurt!"

Choi han moves to put a hand on his shoulder but is shoved off aggressively, Cale looks angry but there's a hint of fear in his eyes and Choi han stills.

Eruhaben steps forward to question him and is met with the same furious gaze.

After they finally get cale- Rok Soo?- to calm down and explain, he moves to go back to sleep.

With a final glare full of hostility towards Choi han that he'd never expected on Cale ever, he says one more thing.

"If the God of death is right and I wake up here again because Cale needs more time to heal, then I'll know you failed again."

And almost everyone flinched.

Because he was right, they failed. Everyone there is stronger than Cale but they keep letting him run into danger. He's the one who coughed up blood, fell unconscious, did the most because they couldn't do more.

How shameful.

---

Another old one :D

Scrapped because I thought it was too out there? Idk lol. I just remember I hesitated and just never ended up posting

[ringoahiru]

After the KRS!Cale eating flowers headcanon, I couldn't help but think about this:

TCF headcanon: Depression Meals edition

KRS!Cale: Toss every leftovers with some gochujang and some rice to make bibimbap (back when he was still Kim Rok Soo), now he had Beacrox to cook anything for him.

Choi Han: Instant noodle (when he was still in Korea). Now he would just stay starved. Cale would force him to eat, though.

Alberu: Leftovers cookies and tea (if he had brew it before). Refused to eat anything else (unless someone forced him to).

Rosalyn: Mana potions.

Lock: This is weird but, raw meat (I mean, Lock is from the Wolf tribe, right? They gotta eat raw meat somehow).

Eruhaben: Also meat, but cooked with magic fire.

Ron & Beacrox: Nothing, really. Maybe some leftovers.

Mary: Death mana.

Toonka: I don't think he is ever depressed-

Clopeh: Too busy simping for Cale to be depressed.

Bud: Alcohol.

Lee Soo Hyuk & Choi Jung Soo: Just like Cale before, but with more effort (add more vegetables and seasoning if they could).

Cale!KRS: Only ate when he was too hungry, usually leftovers from the meal before, and wine (before becoming Kim Rok Soo). Now, leftovers from his reincarnated mother (He was too tired too cook, but he had to feed his niece somehow, right?).

.

.

.

God of Death: Coffee (Gods doesn't need to eat, but he still cooks from time to time)

Sun God: Anything God of Death cooked (just there for the company).

[unluckycactus]

Preview:

Choi Han fucked up.

If you were to point out his two major character flaws, the first would be that he couldn’t act. The second would be that he had a short fuse.

He was not a brute, thank you. He knew how to use words. But if words didn’t work the first time, Choi Han wasn’t the type to bother with a second attempt.

When words failed, he issued a warning.

After that, it was a ‘fuck around and find out’ situation.

… and that’s how Choi Han ended up rubbing his temples and cursing in the middle of an alley after beating up two professional athletes.

Truth be told, he hadn’t expected them to be so weak, so now it looked as if the whole thing had been premeditated on his end.

‘Youngest korean gold medallist secures win by dishonorable means,’ the oh-so-predictable articles would say. His relatives would never let him live down this one, either; they would bring up this story every damn family gathering, teasing him for making this kind of mistake at twenty-five. He just knew it.

But more importantly, Choi Han could get suspended or banned from tournaments if this situation came to light, so he had to clean up this mess before he got caught.

As the martial artist thought this—

Creak.

One of the back doors leading to the alley opened.

The light hurt Choi Han’s eyes momentarily, but they quickly adjusted and a third person appeared in his field of vision.

… so much for not being found out.

“...”

“...”

He stared at the stranger in despair, silently torn between knocking him unconscious —no, what the hell, Choi Han?— or pleading his case before the other man reported him to the police.

The other person seemed to swear at Choi Han with his eyes.

[cindythecyclops]

I think it would be interesting (angsty) if the OG! ChoiCale from Cut Yourself On My Glass Plate met themselves from [In the Borderline].

thoughts?

[ohmycale]

I am #TeamFoundFamily

I am #TeamFoundFamily for Kim Rok Soo in his modern and TCF life

I am also #TeamFoundFamily for Og!cale in the world where he transmigrated.

I am #TeamFoundFamily for anyone who has any unpleasant experiences/memories with their supposed 'family'. Moreso, if that somebody experienced trauma and trying to heal something that is not their fault.

Blood family and ties are not worth it if your 'blood' doesn't understand you or give you a reason to alienate yourself from them

Found families are for keeps. Often than not, there is no obligation/duty or even grudging respect. Mutual respect is even the foundation of some. KRS has shown that twice over. Sometimes I wonder why some insist on blood family for og!Cale when he can also have what KRS did - his own found family.

KRS gang, sorry I didn't include all of you - hashtags in any social media are not my forte...but you are all in there - I promise! If you could also adopt og!Cale that would be so so so and an absolute awesome - sincerely no pressure from me!

[youngyoo-apologist]

Average OG Cale and Choi Han argument , sparks are flying, who is winning this time?!

[zharaely]

The Birth of a Hero was weird...

Putting aside the fact that it was actually written to be a guidebook for Kim Rok Soo, it was so obvious how weird The Birth of a Hero was as a 'novel' looking back, especially when you re-read the early chapters of TCF. It was weirdly detailed and descriptive about what should've been minor or unnecessary information if it was actually a novel.

For example, The Indestructible Shield, which was an ancient power that wasn't owned or found by anyone in the novel but just so happens to be in the Henituse Territory. It wasn't related at all to the main characters, but TBOAH went into detail about the ancient power's history, its original owner, its location, how to obtain it, and the response to expect once you feed the man-eating tree. I wonder whether Kim Rok Soo ever questioned why Nelan Barrow would write so much about something 'not important' while reading TBOAH, if whether or not the author just decided to ramble about world lore he made up but couldn't tie into the main story. Kim Rok Soo is better than me because I would've gotten really bored.

Also, TBOAH didn't just get into detail about the Ancient Powers either, since it also had a LOT to say about the Original Cale Henituse, his family, and the territory in general. From the very beginning, when Kim Rok Soo wakes up in the body of Cale Henituse, he goes to the bathroom to find the full body mirror the Original Cale Henituse had that was mentioned in the novel. That is INCREDIBLY random information to mention about a minor villain whose sole purpose was to get beaten up by the protagonist. But it doesn't happen just once. When Cale asks Deruth for an allowance, he recalls that the Original Cale also received a large allowance but the exact amount was never mentioned in the novel. Later on, when Ron serves Cale lemonade instead of cold water, he recalls again how the Original Cale hated sour things just like himself.

If he really was inside of the novel, he knew that there should be a large mirror inside.

As expected, the full body mirror was inside the bathroom. Cale Henituse, who had a lot of interest in his appearance and physique, had this mirror set up in here. Nobody else in the household had such a mirror.

The novel did mention that Cale received a large allowance, but it did not mention the exact amount. However, he could realistically understand how large it was based on the amount listed on the cheque.

He really is an insidious man. He knows that, just like Kim Rok Soo, the original Cale hates sour things. But he still chose to bring lemonade, which would take more work to prepare than cold water. [...]

It's pretty obvious by now that TBOAH went deeper into the Original Cale Henituse's character than a normal novel should have in just the first volume, like how he despised gangsters and scammers or how he had horrible aim when drunk, and his relationships with Ron and his family. Kim Rok Soo would recall reading about flashbacks to Cale being woken up by a servant that wasn't Ron which led to a ton of swearing, Cale breaking everything at his spot in the bar once, and Cale getting a scar on his side while drinking the night before meeting Choi Han. The novel also mentioned things that no one else but the Original Cale Henituse knew about, such as how he had high alcohol tolerance but just flushed easily which made people assume he was lightweight. if I were the one reading TBOAH, I would've started to wonder whether the author was planning to make Cale Henituse an important character later on (and maybe he was, but there were only 5 volumes).

The Henituse Family wasn't mentioned as much as Cale was, except for how people pushed the 15-year-old Basen to be the head of the family and how Basen started acting as the family's successor since 2 years ago, but it's odd enough that Nelan Barrow decided to describe characters that Choi Han never even meets (if we assume he only encounters Cale and Deruth and no one else in the family). There were even descriptions of the slums in the Henituse Territory and the Henituse Family business, like???

All of it further cements the fact that The Birth of a Hero was very much a guidebook written for Kim Rok Soo, who was going to swap bodies with Cale Henituse, and to help him adjust to his new life and plan for the future. The novel was fucking suspicious from the start!!!