'178 cm, 93 kg.'
Baek Sangha steadied his stance, recalling his height and weight.
Compared to Kim Donghu, he had about 7 kg on him.
In terms of weight class, they were two divisions apart.
And yet, he didn’t feel like he had the upper hand at all.
‘Looks like I’ve finally caught up to you... just a little.’
Baek Sangha’s eyes fixed on Kim Donghu’s frame.
It was a physique that seemed almost impossible for a normal human.
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Long arms, long legs, and a short waist.
A sturdy build with proportions close to perfection.
Large hands supported by thick, solid wrists.
If someone maxed out their genetic gifts,
would this be the result?
While thinking that, Baek Sangha kept moving.
He had to—because stopping meant death.
Measuring the distance with jabs,
he carefully closed the gap between himself and Donghu.
‘Donghu, I know I said to treat me like a punching bag,
but I think this might actually turn out to be a decent fight.’
Despite joking about being a punching bag,
Baek Sangha had trained relentlessly for this day.
He had reached the point where he could confidently spar with professional boxers.
He had done everything he could to be a solid sparring partner for Kim Donghu.
But—
Shuffle.
In just two steps,
the gap between them vanished in an instant.
And then, the barrage began.
Left hand. Left hand. Left hand. Left hand.
Sharp, snapping jabs rained down.
They seemed light and fast, leaving openings—
but Baek Sangha’s attention was locked onto Donghu’s right hand.
‘If that thing comes out, I’m dead.’
He knew because he’d already been hit by it once.
Under no circumstances could he let Donghu’s right hand land.
To be precise,
he had to watch the opposite hand from whichever foot stepped forward.
‘Donghu’s ambidextrous.’
Not just a sloppy ambidextrous fighter.
A monster who could switch seamlessly into a southpaw stance.
That meant there were countless things to watch out for.
Boxing was already a game of split-second calculations in close quarters.
But knowing Donghu only made it even more complex.
‘I’ll close the distance little by little.’
It was fine to take hits from his jabs.
Even though his jabs felt like getting smacked by a rock,
Baek Sangha had taken enough of them to keep pushing forward.
‘I’ll slip inside in an instant.’
He had already memorized Donghu’s rhythm.
Left hand. Left hand. Left hand.
The jabs kept coming.
And when the fourth jab stretched forward—
‘Now!’
Baek Sangha ducked low and drove himself inside.
Pivoting intentionally to Donghu’s right,
he cut off the angle for Donghu’s right hand
and aimed to land a decisive shot.
‘Huh?’
Or so he thought.
He was certain this maneuver would hit its mark.
‘Why is his left hand next to my face?’
Donghu’s left hand—
which Baek Sangha had assumed was coming in a straight line—
had curved mid-flight.
It was an impossible reaction speed.
‘Did he change the punch’s trajectory the moment I rushed in?’
‘Is that even possible? Can a human even do that?’
To make it worse,
the right hand Baek Sangha thought he’d blocked—
was already free and moving.
‘What the—?’
Suddenly, time slowed.
He could clearly see Donghu’s movements.
In mere seconds, Donghu:
Used his forearm as a pillar to pin down Baek Sangha’s gloves.
Pivoted left, changing his position.
And then powered up the left punch already extended—
aiming straight for Baek Sangha’s temple.
Clench.
Instinctively, Baek Sangha braced for impact.
“This is just sparring, so I’ll stop here, okay?”
Donghu’s voice brought him back.
A fist hovered right in front of his temple.
“...Thanks for sparing me.”
Baek Sangha meant it.
And then, he noticed something else—
‘Wait... there’s another punch?’
Donghu’s right hand,
which had pinned Baek Sangha’s arm just moments ago,
was now cocked like a hammer aimed under his chin.
If this had been a real match—
‘I’d have taken a hook to the temple,
then an uppercut straight to the chin.’
Wouldn’t that be fatal?
Baek Sangha could almost see the aftermath.
Stunned from the hook.
Then having his jaw shattered by the uppercut.
‘Blurry vision, broken jaw—’
It wouldn’t just be a knockout.
He’d be carried out on a stretcher straight to the ER.
And it made sense.
‘Donghu’s punches sound like cannon fire when they hit a sandbag.’
He knew better than anyone how terrifying Donghu’s punches were.
“Donghu... you really did spare me, huh?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“I mean... I wasn’t too bad, right? I held my own for a moment, didn’t I?”
“Oh! That dive-in move was impressive! I’ll have to practice countering that next time.”
Baek Sangha froze.
“...You’re going to block that next time?”
“Yeah. Sparring without headgear really opens up a lot of possibilities.”
Donghu started shadowboxing, replaying the earlier exchange.
And as Baek Sangha watched, his eyes widened.
‘He’s getting sharper.’
Was he still improving?
How far could this monster go?
“Oh, Donghu.”
“Yes?”
“For the upcoming Nationals, you should compete in the adult division instead of high school.”
“Huh? Is that allowed?”
“Yeah. I checked. Since you’re aiming for the national team, the association approved it.”
Normally, high schoolers couldn’t fight in the adult division.
But thanks to Donghu’s record and the boxing association’s backing,
the rules had been bent in his favor.
"With championships from his youth and a steady record of wins, the rule change made it possible."
"That’s me to a T."
"Yeah, exactly. Honestly, unless you’re at that level, it wouldn’t even make sense to pit you against adults."
Baek Sangha laid out the schedule in more detail.
"The National Sports Festival is likely mid-October, and the national team trials are at the end of December."
If he qualified for the national team there,
he’d earn a spot in the Olympic qualifiers set for March 2016—
right after he turned 20.
After going over the timeline, Baek Sangha lightly shoved Donghu’s shoulder.
"That doesn’t mean you have to throw your whole life into this."
"What?"
"You looked so tense just now that I had to say something. It’s okay to take it slow."
"But I have to do this no matter what."
"Just stick to your usual pace, Donghu. Pushing too hard can ruin your body. If I ever think it’s too much, I’ll tell you right away."
Baek Sangha liked seeing Donghu so motivated,
but he was also worried it might overwhelm him.
‘I don’t know what’s driving him.’
He genuinely wanted Donghu to succeed,
but more than that,
he wanted him to grow up strong, healthy, and grounded.
He didn’t want Donghu to chase a goal while losing everything else along the way—
sacrificing too much and burning out.
"I’ll make sure you’re completely supported this year, so try to ease up a bit."
Pushing too hard could lead to serious injuries.
Just as he finished that thought—
"Let’s take a short break and then go again. I’ll give it a little more effort this time, too."
Baek Sangha cleaned the ring and prepared for the next round.
"Coach."
"Yeah?"
"I got an interview request from a sports journalist."
"Oh? And?"
"Would it be okay if I mentioned the gym?"
"Huh? What? Oh, sure. Wait—weren’t you against interviews before?"
"Since I’ll be boxing until next spring, I thought this could be a good way to update fans."
Baek Sangha nodded at Donghu’s explanation.
"Yeah, no problem. Honestly, it’d be great publicity for the gym."
"Just promise me you’ll keep looking out for me, even if things take off."
"Donghu, if I can’t keep up, I’ll just kick everyone else out of the gym."
Donghu waved his hands frantically.
"No, no, don’t do that, please."
Knowing Baek Sangha, he might actually follow through with that threat.
*****
『<One-Two Punch>
A Celebrity in Boxing?! Interview with Kim Donghu!
■ Host: Kim Inseok
■ Guest: Kim Donghu
Q: Hello.
A: Hello.
Q: First, thanks for agreeing to this interview. And wow, you’re really as handsome as they say.
A: Thank you.
Q: I’d love to talk more about that, but let’s jump straight to the point. Is it true you’re dedicating this year to boxing?
A: Yes. I’m training with the goal of becoming a national representative in the heavyweight division.
Q: What made you decide to pursue this? Was it something you planned for a long time?
A: I’ve thought about it before, but the timing never felt right. This time, it just lined up perfectly.
Q: What’s your nearest goal?
A: The National Sports Festival in October. I’ll probably enter a few local competitions before that.
Q: Are you competing in the high school division?
A: No, the rules changed recently, so I can compete in the adult division instead.
Q: You’ve been winning every competition you enter. What’s your secret?
A: Haha... maybe you should ask my coach about that.
Q: Oh? Promoting your gym already? I guess we can’t end this without hearing the name!
A: We just updated the sign. It’s Baek Sang MMA Gym—please check it out.
Q: Wait, MMA? You’re learning boxing at an MMA gym?
A: That’s right. My coach’s skills aren’t limited to just one style.
Q: Oh, so that’s the secret!
Crash!
"The hell is this punk spouting? Cocky little shit."
The man slammed the magazine down,
ripping it apart before tossing it to the floor in frustration.
Just because the kid got a little fame,
he was acting like he owned the world.
"Does he think heavyweight boxing is a joke? Sure, Korea doesn’t have a lot of big guys,
but come on."
The man flexed in front of a full-length mirror.
His irezumi tattoos blended with his bulging muscles,
radiating an intimidating aura.
"Coach! I need to spar with this kid."
"What? You’re going to face him at the Sports Festival anyway."
"Yeah, but he’s too damn cocky. I need to put him in his place before then."
A sinister grin spread across the man’s face as he looked at Donghu’s ripped photo.
"There’s nothing sweeter than crushing some punk who thinks he’s untouchable."
Some high school brat was running his mouth?
One taste of the adult division’s brutality, and he’d be begging for mercy.