NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72
“Hey bro, how’s the gym doing these days?”
“Just scraping by, you know.”
“Huh? Why? Wasn’t it supposed to be doing great?”
Coach Geum-jin felt puzzled by Coach Baek Sang-ha’s words.
This was the gym where the hottest child actor, Kim Dong-hu, trained.
Of course, he thought it would be packed to the bursting point!
Then it hit him—what kind of person Baek Sang-ha was.
“Bro, you’re not seriously keeping it a secret from everyone, right? That Kim Dong-hu goes to your gym?!”
“Hey! Quiet down, the kids will hear you. Speak softly.”
“What? Are you crazy? Why wouldn’t you tell people?!”
In an era where gyms were popping up all around, promotion was the ultimate marketing tool.
Even if it’s just handing out flyers, casually dropping that Kim Dong-hu was a member would be a sure hit.
So why wasn’t he doing that?
You couldn’t hide it anyway!
Once a few members joined, word of mouth would surely lead everyone to the gym Kim Dong-hu attended.
Honestly, it was a miracle that the news hadn’t spread yet.
“Seriously, keep your voice down.”
“…Why are you even doing this?”
“What if it distracts the kids while they’re training?”
“Bro, you know beliefs won’t pay the bills, right? And you’re sticking to this?”
At Coach Geum-jin’s words, Coach Baek Sang-ha just shut his mouth tight.
He knew that this difference in perspective could never be bridged.
‘This guy really never changes.’
Coach Geum-jin found Baek Sang-ha frustrating.
It had always been like this—ever since he decided to take charge and run around trying to enforce some discipline.
“Classic you, bro, classic.”
Under strict principles, Baek Sang-ha operated, without any compromises allowed.
So, thinking it was time to make things clear, Baek Sang-ha opened his mouth again.
“Dong-hu is my student, my prized disciple. I’ve been raising him since he was a kid.”
From the time Kim Dong-hu was a snot-nosed elementary school student until now, it had been nearly nine years.
“He’s like a nephew to me! How could I use him? He came here to train, not to show off his face, right?”
“Yeah, I know… but you know what I’m saying, so why act like this?”
“My gym is for people who come to train. It’s not a place for celebrities to hang out.”
“…Seriously.”
Coach Geum-jin stared at the kanji on Baek Sang-ha’s T-shirt.
Martial Arts
Is there anyone more suited to the word ‘martial arts’ than Baek Sang-ha?
He was a true martial artist to the core.
To run a gym, you need a bit of a businessman’s mindset.
But he was just a rigid martial artist without any of that.
That’s why Baek Sang-ha was seen as inflexible and—
‘He really doesn’t change.’
He was also a respected senior among the juniors.
Anyway, that’s that.
“Are you sure this is okay? Dong-hu doesn’t have much sparring experience, does he?”
“Huh? Donghu, you said you don’t have much sparring experience.”
“Right, it’s just been with me, right? I haven’t sparred with anyone my age.”
The topic quickly shifted to the main point.
They were planning the sparring because their weight classes and skill levels were somewhat similar.
However, looking at them side-by-side, Gold Jin suddenly felt a pang of worry.
“I’m starting to worry, this isn’t really something to brag about. Our San-soo has a bit of a punch.”
Upon hearing this, Baek Sang-ha immediately put on his best poker face.
“Uh, uh… yeah…”
Sorry, there’s something I haven’t said properly. I lost in sparring against Kim Donghu.
He couldn’t bring himself to say those words. But wasn’t it high time he said them?
“Director! Right now, I mean, let’s spar with that brat, no, Kim Donghu! Now!”
“Hey, what’s with that language?”
“That’s not the point! Just let me spar with Kim Donghu already!”
“This punk…”
Kim San-soo’s rough tone continued.
Golden Jin was startled and hurriedly tried to silence him, but it was too late; it had already reached Baek Sang-ha’s ears.
‘Did he just almost call our Donghu a brat?’
Even if he’s a brat, he’s my brat, not yours.
Is this punk out of his mind?
‘Want to show some love to your junior after a long time?’
Just then, Kim San-soo locked eyes with Kim Donghu.
Nod.
As soon as Kim Donghu made eye contact with Baek Sang-ha, he nodded silently.
His expression clearly showed he had a valid reason.
Seeing that, Baek Sang-ha’s face brightened.
“See, he wants it that badly, let’s just let him do it.”
“Eh, eh? Why are you getting in on this too, hyung? We need to warm up!”
“Those kids can handle it; it’s weird not to start right away when he wants it so bad.”
“Hmm… So, should I really get ready?”
“Yes, hurry up.”
Golden Jin scratched his head and moved to set up, with Kim San-soo trailing behind.
As soon as Baek Sang-ha was out of sight of the two, he immediately.
Swish.
He pointed at Kim San-soo with his finger and made a cutting motion across his neck with his thumb.
There was no clearer way to express his intentions.
As soon as Kim Donghu saw that, he couldn’t help but laugh heartily.
+++++
The set-up was done in no time.
Wrapping his hands, putting on gloves, and wearing headgear.
They went through the rules about fouls before the sparring began, swearing to fight fairly.
‘I just want to get this pointless crap over with and start fighting!’
Thud thud!
Kim San-soo showcased his strength by pounding his gloves together.
‘What? This punk who’s two years younger than me thinks he can call me scared? What a load of crap!’
If age means anything, having just one year difference in your teens is like a mountain compared to the sky!
“The difference in weight is higher than the sky.”
I could never forgive Kim Donghu for carelessly disregarding that and throwing himself into the fight.
“I’ll stomp on that crazy little punk like a dog.”
I’ll show you what it feels like to be hit by rain like dust.
Huff huff.
Raspy breaths filled the arena.
Ding!
In that moment, the bell ringing announced the start of the round.
Swish.
With a light sound of wind.
Thwack!
The sound of a whip cracking suddenly echoed in the arena.
“…Huh?”
Unlike Kim San-soo, who was still dazed and couldn’t figure out what hit him.
“Crazy!”
As soon as he saw that, referee Kim Jin lost all sense of duty and gasped in horror.
“W-What? Was that a flicker jab?”
If it had just been a clumsy imitation, he wouldn’t have been surprised.
“That was perfect.”
It was truly an ideal flicker jab.
If there was a textbook for boxing, they could use Kim Donghu’s flicker jab as a perfect example.
His long arms, long legs, and the pinpoint accuracy of his rapidly launched punches—nothing had a flaw.
“San-soo, this guy is unbelievable. You need to keep your cool, really keep your cool!”
If he had been able to see his corner, he might have said something like that.
However, since Kim Jin’s role was that of the referee right now.
“Is this insane?”
Referee Kim Jin could only helplessly watch as Kim San-soo got worked up.
And from that moment on,
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The hell began.
Kim San-soo, all pumped up, tried to close in.
While Kim Donghu toyed with him, lightly whipping at him like a matador.
The remarkable thing was Kim Donghu’s calmness and footwork.
“Why is his footwork like that?”
Even rating it as just light seemed ludicrous.
Funny enough, referee Kim Jin unconsciously thought of Muhammad Ali.
As if that legendary boxer had possessed him.
Kim San-soo’s fists filled with rage didn’t even have a hint of connecting with Kim Donghu.
“Huff… huff…”
The rage that felt like it would burn forever extinguished in an instant.
It was inevitable.
Having not land a single punch and losing his energy in his fury, it was no wonder he’d tire out.
Glance.
Referee Kim Jin unconsciously checked the remaining time.
“Only 30 seconds have passed.”
In that brief moment, Kim Donghu had completely drained Kim San-soo’s stamina.
It wasn’t just good exercise; it was chillingly calculated.
Remaining time: 2 minutes 30 seconds.
Kim Donghu began to move in earnest.
But.
Tap, tap, tap-tap.
Despite perfectly sapping his stamina, Kim Donghu was still applying pressure only with jabs, without a rough movement.
Like he didn’t know how to do anything else.
And that action sparked a glimmer of hope in Kim San-soo.
“Yeah, he just focused hard on that little trick, huh?”
“Did you just focus hard on that one skill, huh?”
“There’s no way I’d be this drained otherwise.”
“Since your jab isn’t exactly threatening, I can manage.”
“For now, I’ll just take a beating, and once I recover my stamina, I’ll look for another opportunity.”
Contrary to that thought, Kim San-soo’s body was rapidly wearing out.
Like a mouse drowning in water.
Like a beast slowly dying in a swamp.
Like a beast who doesn’t realize that the more it struggles, the tighter the noose gets.
Kim Donghu’s jab was slowly tightening around Kim San-soo’s throat.
Brrrrrrr.
“Huh? I just have to hold on, right? So why are my legs shaking?”
Kim San-soo found it strange that his legs were trembling.
What could this harmless jab possibly be doing to him?
Rational thinking was difficult.
As oxygen ran low and breathing became unstable, his thoughts slowed.
Therefore.
Suuuuuuuuuuu.
As he watched the incoming punch again.
“Slow. This is definitely a counter!”
Kim San-soo sluggishly reached out with his fist.
In that moment Kim Donghu had been waiting for, he dove into Kim San-soo’s space in an instant.
And for the first time, Kim San-soo got a good look at Kim Donghu’s face.
Chills!
A completely expressionless face.
Eyes filled with cold rage.
“Sa, sav…”
Just before the desperate plea for mercy slipped from his lips.
Kim Donghu’s hook landed squarely on Kim San-soo’s liver.
Not just a simple liver shot,
A perfectly timed counter liver shot.
Thud!
His body twisted against his will, following the path of Kim Donghu’s punch.
“Ugh…!”
Stomach contents surged, making breathing difficult.
No, he could hardly even assess that.
Because of that one hit.
Thud.
Kim San-soo fainted instantly.
Drip drip drip.
As the tension released due to his fainting, a yellow liquid spilled out.
Kim Donghu looked calmly down at the scene,
‘…What have I just done!’
He belatedly realized what he had done.
‘I didn’t even get an apology.’
He had meant to make him say sorry before knocking him out.
When he wakes up, I’ll make sure to get that apology.
++++++
A scene of one-sided slaughter.
Director Baek Sang-ha stared blankly at Kim Donghu, who was still leisurely breathing.
‘…Did I really raise that?’
He couldn’t remember teaching him anything like that.
For a moment, such doubts crossed his mind, but Director Baek Sang-ha quickly reached a neat conclusion.
‘Well, he grew up well, so it’s all good.’
Kim Donghu, no problem!