After finishing greetings with Hwang Hyungcheol, I began loosening up lightly.
‘I feel like I’ve experienced this before.’
Memories from the past surfaced one by one.
What happened back then? How did I deal with my opponent?
So this is why Sangha hyung was so worried.
But why does this keep happening?
For a moment, my thoughts came to a halt.
‘Do I look weak?’
Actor Kim Donghu never heard such things from anyone.
As an actor, he had accomplishments and accolades that no one could dismiss.
But what about Kim Donghu as a boxer?
Some thug dared to talk recklessly about people around him.
That only meant he needed to grow even more.
‘Then I’ll just show them.’
Show them my position.
What kind of training I’ve done and what kind of matches I can pull off.
All I need to do is let them know.
Once I do, no one will ever say such things again.
And this time, I planned to make it clear to my opponent directly.
“...Donghu, are you okay?”
“Huh?”
“No... It’s nothing. Yeah, I trust you.”
Sangha hyung started to say something but stopped midway.
I knew what he meant, so I maintained a smile and answered.
“Hyung, I’m really fine. I’m not angry.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Sangha hyung glanced at my fist for a moment before abruptly ending the conversation.
After warming up a bit more,
I stepped straight into the ring.
“...Donghu, did something really happen?”
“Huh? No? Why?”
“Uh... No, it’s just... Never mind.”
Yerin also seemed like she wanted to say something but held back.
Why is everyone acting like this today?
“I’m really fine. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Oh... Okay.”
That was the end of the conversation.
I slowly rotated my wrists and ankles, waiting for my opponent to step into the ring.
“Wow, look at that expression. Terrifying. I’m scared, I might piss myself.”
I heard the mocking remark.
Right, Kim Donghu the boxer is still lacking.
That’s why I heard something like that.
That’s where I stood for now.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
My heart pounded, but I felt colder than ever.
The chill spreading through me felt satisfying.
As soon as I faced him, countless paths became visible.
Paths that only I could take.
Glance.
I looked at the bell.
When will it ring?
That thought only lasted a moment.
Ding!
The crisp sound of the bell rang.
Right, it was time to show them—
what position boxer Kim Donghu occupied.
*****
‘This is intense.’
Baek Sangha got chills at the expression on Kim Donghu’s face.
How could someone smile so coldly?
To say he wasn’t angry, his expression was downright terrifying.
‘He definitely said something to him.’
Thugs always act predictably.
What bothered Sangha was how sharply Donghu reacted to it.
‘Why would anyone mess with such a nice kid?’
If he had to compare Kim Donghu to something, it would be a gentle tiger.
Yeah, a tiger.
No matter how gentle, a tiger is still a tiger.
A predator you’d regret provoking.
‘Is it because he’s a heavyweight?’
Heavyweights tend to have enough durability to take a few hits.
So they naturally have guts.
Maybe it was the toughness that came with his weight class.
That’s probably why he ran his mouth.
Th𝗲 most uptodate novels are published on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.
‘And he’s got decent skills—he’s a rookie champion, after all.’
There was some reason for his cockiness.
But that only applied to ordinary opponents.
‘Well, he hasn’t faced Kim Donghu yet.’
Kim Donghu’s punches couldn’t be described as just powerful.
If anything, they were like massive iron stakes.
A heavyweight who could end matches with a 1st-round TKO.
Backed by timing and precision.
That alone was terrifying.
‘And he’s got stamina and speed too.’
The complete package, as they called it in boxing.
Ding!
And now, the complete package was unleashed as the round began.
A deep step with his left foot and a simultaneous jab.
Smash!
The sound erupted the moment his glove met the opponent’s headgear.
‘He must be shocked.’
The opponent was on a completely different level than anyone he’d faced before.
You could see the astonishment in Hwang Hyungcheol’s eyes.
The problem was—
‘That was just a jab.’
Even though he’d thrown it lightly, it was still that powerful.
A simple, probing jab for distance felt like a serious threat to others.
“Ugh!”
I could see him losing control over his emotions and reacting instinctively.
The match’s flow was already getting under his skin.
‘But it’s meaningless.’
Hwang Hyungcheol trusted his durability and charged straight in.
Since he had the bigger frame, he was trying to corner me.
‘That’s probably how he’s won so far.’
It wasn’t a bad tactic.
It could wear down an opponent’s stamina pretty effectively.
“Hup!”
Holding his breath, he lunged forward and threw a straight punch.
For a heavyweight, he was fast.
Among my previous opponents, he was probably the fastest.
But—
Swish.
It didn’t connect.
‘Pressure means nothing when I can slip out this easily.’
It wasn’t just flexibility—it was monstrous.
The ability to perfectly control muscles down to his toes.
That gave Kim Donghu complete freedom to move anywhere in the ring.
And he didn’t stop at simply dodging.
Thud!
Smack!
He landed two punches—one to the stomach and one to the liver—and widened the gap again.
“Guh... Ugh...!”
Hwang Hyungcheol almost spat out his mouthguard.
His eyes were full of disbelief.
‘Yeah, it’s hard to believe.’
Compared to the punches he’d taken before, this was on another level entirely.
It must have felt like a child getting disciplined for the first time—pure fear.
‘And it’s still just a jab.’
While Hwang Hyungcheol stood there in shock,
Kim Donghu continued to toy with him using only his left jab.
No, it wasn’t sparring anymore.
‘It’s like an adult playing with a child.’
Just as the cycle of despair seemed endless—
Ding ding ding.
The bell ending Round 1 saved Hwang Hyungcheol.
*****
“Huff... Huff...”
After the round ended, Hwang Hyungcheol staggered toward his corner, collapsing onto the stool.
“What the hell... What the hell is that bastard?”
He was visibly shaken, completely unprepared for the situation he had just faced.
“How much stamina does he have to throw punches like that nonstop?”
“It won’t last. There’s no way he can keep that up.”
“Yeah... Yeah, you’re right. He did throw a ton of combinations.”
“Combinations? No, he only used his left hand.”
“Still... Still... His movements were big, right? He must’ve burned a lot of energy.”
Hwang Hyungcheol babbled incoherently, struggling to come up with a coherent thought.
“I just need to corner him... Then, one-two, and it’s over, right?”
“....”
His coach didn’t respond. Instead, he glanced at the other side of the ring.
There stood Kim Donghu, eyes still cold and sharp, breathing completely even.
Not a bead of sweat.
Not even slightly winded.
One side looked like he had sprinted a marathon, gasping for air.
The other looked like he had just finished a casual stroll, calmly sipping water.
It felt less like resting between rounds and more like taking a break after a light workout.
But the coach still had faith in Hwang Hyungcheol.
‘No matter how much of a jerk he is, he’s still the rookie champion.’
And so, the second round began.
The flow of the match didn’t change much.
Kim Donghu continued pressuring Hwang Hyungcheol with only his left hand.
Meanwhile, Hwang Hyungcheol barely hung on, looking like he might collapse at any moment.
But even so, a rotten fish still had its bones.
Hwang Hyungcheol steadily pushed forward, gradually forcing Donghu into the corner.
‘Got him! This is it!’
At that moment, Hwang Hyungcheol celebrated inwardly, thinking his winning formula still worked.
Just a few more steps.
The moment Donghu’s back touched the corner post,
Hwang Hyungcheol planned to unleash his signature hook—the same move that won him the rookie championship.
‘With this headgear, I’m invincible!’
Wearing headgear meant he could attack aggressively without worrying about head trauma.
Most of the impact would be absorbed by the padding.
And so—
Thunk.
The moment Donghu’s back finally brushed against the corner post—
Whoosh!
Hwang Hyungcheol lunged forward, throwing a powerful hook.
‘Huh?’
But his target wasn’t there.
Blinded by his fixation on the finish, he failed to realize the flaw in his approach.
Crash!
Suddenly, a blow landed from outside his field of vision.
Despite the headgear, the force transmitted directly to his temple.
“Ugh...!”
His head spun.
Even with the padding, his vision swam.
It only took one hit.
‘I’m a heavyweight!’
That alone allowed him to endure it.
Thud!
If not for the uppercut that immediately followed.
The impact snapped his body upright as he was starting to fall.
His brain rattled, and nausea crept up his throat.
Then, through the haze, he saw Kim Donghu staring at him with a deadpan expression.
‘I-I need to block it.’
He didn’t know what was coming next.
But sheer survival instinct made him raise his guard.
Smash!
As if waiting for that, Donghu drove a hook straight into his liver.
And that was it.
“Ugh...!”
Hwang Hyungcheol’s consciousness cut out.
*****
‘What the hell did I just witness?’
Baek Sangha, the gym coach, was stunned by the combination he had just seen.
‘That’s the move he used during sparring.’
An unseen hook followed by an uppercut.
But it didn’t stop there.
‘He even added a liver shot?’
It was the perfect three-strike combo.
Delivered in under a second.
The most shocking part wasn’t the speed or precision.
It was the fact that his opponent had been wearing headgear.
‘And he still got a TKO.’
Baek Sangha had already known Donghu was strong.
But seeing it unfold like this still took him aback.
‘He just dismantled the rookie heavyweight champion like it was nothing.’
Finding a sparring partner for Donghu in Korea seemed meaningless now.
‘We’ll have to go abroad.’
The choices were clear—either the U.S. or Mexico.
‘There’s no one left for him here.’
If anything, it felt cruel.
A single tiger trampling over the dreams of countless aspiring boxers.
Donghu wasn’t someone Korea could contain anymore.
*****
Meanwhile, in Germany—
“Is this guy really a promising prospect?”
“Korea’s been pushing him hard, but I don’t know if it’s worth headquarters getting involved.”
In a high-rise boardroom, executives from a world-renowned brand marked by three stripes debated over a single Korean athlete.
“Kim Donghu... From the interviews, it sounds like he’s aiming for Olympic gold.”
“Where? Which weight class? Lightweight? Welterweight?”
“Heavyweight.”
An Asian heavyweight.
The moment those words left someone’s mouth, the boardroom filled with laughter.
Snickers and scoffs.
“An Asian heavyweight? And a champion at that?”
“Do they not understand how symbolic the heavyweight division is?”
“Lightweight or welterweight, maybe. But heavyweight? Even middleweight would be a stretch!”
“Since 1988, Korea hasn’t had a single gold medal. And now they’re talking about heavyweight? Ha!”
The idea of a Korean winning Olympic gold in the heavyweight division seemed laughable.
“But... what if—just what if—it really happens?”
Only one man remained serious.
Herbert Tyner, the CEO of Adihess, the company dominating the sportswear market.
His sharp instincts flared.
“Get footage of his matches. At least from the national team trials. Record it if you have to.”
For some reason, this time felt different.