NOVEL NEXT Chapter 75
May has arrived unexpectedly.
The national youth boxing tournament was receiving an unprecedented level of attention.
Normally, this competition would only attract about three sports journalists, yet now at least twenty people were lining up and waiting.
“Haha, this amount of attention is quite overwhelming.”
Choi Seok-chan, the president of the Korean Boxing Association, showed his bewilderment while observing the journalists wandering around.
“True that. This tournament isn’t usually this popular…”
The board members also expressed their awkwardness at being in front of the cameras.
“Kim Donghu really is something else.”
“But we haven’t leaked any names from our side. How do they know about this?”
“Seems like there are some selfish folks just trying to make a living.”
While having widespread interest in the tournament could lead to more enjoyment for everyone, Choi Seok-chan frowned at the thought of kids being exploited for fame and fortune.
If it were an adult competition, it wouldn’t be a problem for journalists to show up, but with kids involved, the incessant shutter sounds made him uncomfortable.
‘Did I make a mistake by allowing this?’
If he had known it would come to this, he would have chased all the attention away. But, for Choi Seok-chan, denying coverage wasn’t really an option.
With the so-called “nation’s prince,” Kim Donghu, participating, would reporters really refrain from clicking their cameras just because he didn’t grant permission?
‘Those stubborn reporters would stop at nothing to get their shots.’
Thus, to avoid any disruptions in the tournament, Choi Seok-chan tried his best to manage the situation.
‘This is the limit of what I can handle right now.’
Fortunately, the news of Kim Donghu’s participation hadn’t officially spread yet.
Just dealing with the journalists was already cumbersome; what if his fans showed up too?
He could already envision the labor shortage they would face.
Anyway, after all the twists and turns, the national youth boxing tournament began.
After a brief opening ceremony, the competition kicked off.
The rules were simple:
2 minutes per round, with a 1-minute break, for a total of 3 rounds to determine the winner after battling through 32 rounds.
Participants were divided by age and weight class, and except for special cases, middle school and high school divisions were strictly separated.
‘But this time, something special happened.’
Choi Seok-chan gazed at Kim Donghu, who was slowly entering the high school division.
One thing was for sure: he was incredibly handsome.
He looked even better than his youngest son, which was saying something.
Could he be the most perfect-looking person among those who had seen him in person?
It was hard to believe he was a boxer with that appearance.
‘What’s most unbelievable is he applied to the high school division on purpose.’
Looking at his physique alone, it was clear that Kim Donghu belonged in high school.
But the difference in physical development due to experience and age was enormous.
Even the most skilled middle schoolers rarely applied for high school competitions.
Was it because such cases were extremely rare?
Choi Seok-chan had forgotten about this rule until Kim Donghu applied.
Is that why?
“I can’t wait to see what he’ll show.”
But that didn’t mean he could focus solely on Kim Donghu’s match.
As soon as he confirmed Kim Donghu was in the ring, Choi Seok-chan quickly turned his gaze away.
Moments later, the match began.
Exactly four seconds later.
Boom!
The sound of a cannon exploded in his ears.
“…What the?!”
Startled, he searched for the source of the noise, and there it was.
His opponent, shocked, sprawled on the floor, and the coach urgently throwing a towel.
And standing still after hitting the post was Kim Donghu.
+++++
Skills are usually invisible.
You can’t tell just by looking if someone is a Go master or a martial arts expert.
Skills acquired physically don’t show on the surface.
The techniques I learned back then were all of that nature.
“Piano, swordsmanship.”
These two didn’t cause any changes in my body.
Because they were purely skills.
But with boxing, things changed a little.
Agility to move like a butterfly and precision to strike like a bee.
That couldn’t be solved by mere technique.
It was the realm of physicality.
So after gaining my second boxing talent, I felt a bit scared.
It sounds funny, but I truly had no idea how strong I would be.
So, I practiced with the gym owner until the competition began,
and came to one conclusion.
“Donghu, that’s not a fist; it’s a cannon. You could kill someone with that.”
Destructive power that can be perfectly unleashed from any angle.
And precision to direct that power at the optimal angle.
The synergy between these two was beyond imagination.
The gym owner and I devised a new strategy.
“Let’s force a surrender.”
“Surrender?”
“Yeah, pressure them with jabs, push them into a corner, and threaten with the post.”
At first, I wondered if this would actually work.
But there weren’t many options available.
With explosion sounds coming from the punching bag, how could I hit someone with this?
So as soon as the match started, I moved according to the plan.
Doubtful about how this would even force a surrender.
But then.
Bang!
“Eep!”
As soon as I hit the post, the opponent was instantly stunned and fell over.
“Uh, I quit!”
Right then, a white towel dropped into the center of the ring.
‘Is this actually happening?’
From that moment on, the match felt incredibly easy.
I finally understood why [Sims – The Real Life] had an additional application to download.
‘If it has this kind of destructive power, then no variables will even occur.’
If you shoot someone out of a cannon, there wouldn’t even be a trace left.
There’s no way to find an opening for a counterattack.
‘Thanks to that, I don’t have to exhaust my stamina.’
Though the matches take place once a day, if such a match drags on, accumulated fatigue would build up.
But without those worries, I comfortably made my way to the finals.
And what a twist of fate!
‘Is this the highway to success?’
My opponent was someone I had a fleeting connection with before, Kim San-soo.
+++++
‘What in the world am I watching?’
Boxing reporter Kim Jindae concluded that what he was witnessing was a fantasy.
There were simply too many parts that couldn’t be explained otherwise.
‘Could I really write a piece claiming a fighter won by just hitting a post and forcing an opponent to quit? Would anyone believe it?’
Before even getting published in the magazine, I’d probably be torn apart by the editor-in-chief.
It was that fantastical of a situation.
‘Kim Donghu, what on earth are you?’
The nation’s prince,
The genius who raised the Golden Bell from single digits back to double digits,
The epitome of the perfect son—so many titles.
But at this very moment, he was showing an entirely different side.
‘Is he a boxing prodigy?’
Since the moment the round of 32 began, I felt an oddity.
Why would someone quit just from a strong hit on a post?
It was a scene that no one could understand unless viewed up close.
‘The density is different.’
It was like bringing a real gun to a group of kids playing with toy guns.
Just hitting the post hard makes him strong? Gotta quit now! It’s not that simple.
The other athletes predicted their futures the moment they laid eyes on Kim Donghu’s fists.
‘If I get hit, I die.’
Moreover, Kim Donghu’s intent was clear.
At first, he absolutely didn’t intend to hit anyone on purpose.
He wanted to intimidate them into quitting.
But that intent was clearly communicated to his opponents.
How is that possible?
‘It’s terrifying.’
When your opponent is pointing a real gun at you, what reckless person would think, ‘It might not be a real gun?’
To make matters worse, the post Kim Donghu hit looked slightly warped, whether it was an optical illusion or not.
Would his opponent’s coach even wonder if he had put plaster on the bandages?
Even knowing that such things shouldn’t happen in kids’ matches, it was punch power strong enough to make someone wonder.
So is that why?
“Are you serious?”
Kim Donghu’s opponent began to withdraw quickly.
There was no reason to force a match they wouldn’t win anyway.
And thus, the finals unfolded in a truly entertaining manner.
A spotless, sweat-free Kim Donghu,
And a hopeful Kim San-soo, who must have gone through a brutal battle to get here.
The stark contrast between the two evoked a tension that didn’t even exist before.
Based on the match records, a Kim Donghu victory was a sure bet.
Yet, there were still those who held onto hopes for Kim San-soo, who had shown a fierce spirit.
Just when everyone was eager to see what kind of duel would unfold…
“…Donghu, I’m really sorry about what happened before. I wanted to say this… I’m going to withdraw too.”
Suddenly, Kim San-soo bowed his head and apologized.
‘What?’
Is this a joke? Is there a hidden camera?
Is the middle school kid trying to ease a high school player’s nerves just because he made it this far?
As these questions floated in everyone’s mind, Kim San-soo stepped down from the ring after his heartfelt words.
“…National Youth Boxing Tournament, high school division winner Kim Donghu.”
The referee’s unbelievable declaration rang out.
And in the most anticlimactic fashion, an odd champion was crowned.
This news quickly spread online, becoming a buzz.
The reason it didn’t explode in popularity was simple.
Boxing isn’t exactly a mainstream sport.
So, the news about the national youth tournament became a story known only to a select few.
However, that didn’t mean the story had ended completely.
Those who witnessed Kim Donghu’s anticlimactic victory all uttered the same phrase.
“If only Kim Donghu, the actor—I mean, the player—had just a bit more passion for boxing…”
It seemed like there could be another Olympic gold medal in boxing for our country.
++++++
When did things go wrong?
“Kim Donghu, so you’re okay with seeing me naked, right?”
“What? Are you crazy?”
Why is Ye-rim suddenly saying this to me?
“Why, what’s wrong? I don’t mind showing it to you.”
Why are we having this conversation?
I was confused.
What was the issue here?
Where did things go off the rails?
“If you’re going to model, you need to have a nice body, right? You even said I could show you… my nakedness.”
“I did say that.”
“I’d prefer it if you saw me first before anyone else.”
No, no, that’s not it.
This is definitely not it.
I frowned and recalled the past.
It was June.
Back when I seriously consulted Ye-rim about a modeling career.
“I believe you could be an amazing model.”
That one sentence was the start of the problem.