"W-what? Marriage? The kind I’m thinking of? Are you serious? Not joking?"
"Of course I’m joking. Who decides to get married just because of a magazine spread?"
Evelyn shrugged and laughed.
"I just said it because he’s so cute and handsome. He’s got that raw masculinity too."
"Yeah, I get it. Honestly, faces like that are pretty rare."
"Rare? More like one of a kind. I’ve never seen anyone this good-looking before."
Her manager nodded in agreement.
There wasn’t a single lie in Evelyn’s words.
‘Where did they even find a guy like this?’
The cover itself was incredibly simple.
They stripped away all the usual flashy captions used to highlight models,
Leaving only three words:
Kim Donghu. Actor. Boxer.
Nothing else.
It was bold—daring readers to buy the magazine to learn more.
And it proved why they could afford that confidence.
‘If you cover his face, it’s just a muscular guy wearing a leather jacket with his shirt off.’
The pose was equally plain—
One hand running through his hair, the other resting by his side.
It was a standard, masculine pose you’d see in magazines all the time.
But—
‘It’s completely different depending on who’s doing it.’
His face elevated it to another level.
Maybe because he was still young, there was no overt sensuality.
But everything else about him was so perfect that it didn’t matter.
"Just looking at this, it’ll sell over a million copies."
Evelyn casually twirled her golden hair as she spoke.
Her manager briefly glanced at her.
Porcelain skin, sapphire-like eyes,
And golden waves of hair.
She looked like the definition of a Western beauty—
The kind that could make people stop and stare no matter how often they saw her.
"This guy’s definitely going to be huge."
Evelyn continued flipping through the pages.
Flip. Flip.
She turned one page, then another,
Searching for something—until she suddenly stopped.
"His manager’s a girl? Same age... and they’re really close, huh?"
The photo showed Kim Donghu and Shin Yerin pressed tightly together.
Like they were dancing the tango.
Their waists locked in an intimate embrace,
And Kim Donghu’s lips grazing Yerin’s neck.
"I’m cool, so this doesn’t bother me."
It was undeniably provocative.
"The girl’s got talent too. She must be a model."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you can tell she’s barely hiding her embarrassment but still nailed the shot."
But honestly, my body’s way better.
Evelyn walked toward a full-length mirror.
There was no real comparison.
She was already 22,
While the girl in the magazine was still just a teenage rookie.
Regardless—
"I’d really like to meet him someday."
"Huh?"
"I want to see him in person. Maybe I’ll drop by Korea when I have time."
Evelyn concluded her thoughts.
"His interview... It’s so bold I wonder if he’s just bluffing."
Her manager chuckled as they skimmed the interview again.
‘Is it confidence from youth? Or real faith in his abilities?’
The manager kept reading the page.
Q: You said your goal is the gold medal in Rio. Is that true?
A: Yes. My goal is the heavyweight gold medal at the Rio Olympics.
Q: With so many strong competitors, do you have a message for them?
A: Forfeiting is the safest way to lose against me.
It was an interview that truly lived up to the word hot.
*****
Kim Donghu’s bold interview exploded in popularity.
Podcasts were flooded with discussions about him.
One in particular caught everyone’s attention—
A live podcast where WBC heavyweight boxers evaluated Kim Donghu.
"Did you guys see that recent interview? It’s all over the place."
"Of course. I couldn’t believe it. An Asian kid talking like that?"
"And he’s young—just turned 19."
"Wait, doesn’t that mean he can’t compete in the Olympics yet?"
"No, he’ll be eligible next year once he’s legally an adult."
"First Olympics. Heavyweight. Gold medal. Asian? Wow. None of that fits together."
"Exactly. It sounds ridiculous—unless you remember he’s Drake Gym’s Young Boss."
Drake Gym’s Young Boss.
The host’s comment made the guests freeze.
"Wait, really? That Asian kid is the Young Boss?"
"Yeah, confirmed by Drake himself. He even sent us a video."
"A video? What kind of video?"
"One to prove this isn’t just hype."
It’s probably edited. No point watching.
Why should we care about some Asian kid?
He’s just a teenager—obviously not good enough.
The chat exploded with dismissive comments.
The podcast viewers didn’t really want to see his skills.
They wanted mockery.
Racism, scorn, and jokes about an arrogant Asian teenager.
They weren’t hoping to be impressed.
But—
"Calm down. We’re professionals. Let’s give this a fair look."
"Exactly. We’re here to evaluate, not mock."
"We didn’t invite pros for nothing. Roll the video."
The host and guests played the video sent by Drake.
It showed Kim Donghu sparring.
One-two. One. One.
Step. Step. One-two. One. One.
There wasn’t much to analyze.
Just textbook movements—perfect form.
What’s this? Nothing special.
See? Asians can’t box.
I don’t get why he’s so confident. LOL.
Who ran this through Google Translate?
He won’t even qualify for the Olympics.
This shows how pathetic Korean boxing is.
Drake Gym’s reputation died ages ago. Old-school training doesn’t work anymore.
Low-level kid.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.
The comments ripped into him.
Meanwhile, the professional boxers in the studio were left speechless.
‘What the hell is this?’
‘Why... why doesn’t he have any bad habits?’
‘Isn’t this way too textbook?’
It felt like watching a perfectly choreographed play unfold.
‘I’ve never seen such flawless execution before.’
The first thing that stood out was his solid guard.
Then, as if he could predict the future,
His guard was already in position to block incoming punches.
And right after, he’d counter like he had been waiting for it.
To someone unfamiliar with boxing,
It might have looked like a simple child’s game—
Blocking, dodging, parrying, countering.
Just repeating those motions over and over.
But—
"Wait, is this even real?"
"I know Drake sent this, but come on—this is ridiculous."
"What the hell is this? What am I even watching?"
This was boxing’s ideal.
Not getting hit,
And delivering one-sided blows.
It was the fantasy kids dreamed of when they imagined being boxers.
Of course—
"Is it just because it’s sparring? Is that why?"
"No way. Even in sparring, there should be at least one bad habit—he’s 19!"
"His guard is too solid. And even before that, his evasive moves...."
The professional boxers began analyzing Kim Donghu’s movements, mimicking them as they spoke.
"His weight transfers are too smooth. His footwork when he throws punches...."
"Wow, I thought he was just some loud-mouthed kid, but this guy’s legit."
"Still, his weakness might be his neck. He’s good-looking, but a thin neck won’t survive heavyweight blows."
"Yeah, I agree. Probably because he’s an actor too, right?"
"But it’s like he’s covering that with head movement somehow...."
What was supposed to be a podcast mocking Kim Donghu’s arrogance
Had turned into a serious analysis, leaving viewers stunned.
What’s happening right now?
Wait, are they actually saying this Asian kid is good?
Stop joking. You can’t be serious.
Quit pretending. Just admit he’s garbage. LOL.
Why do you sound like you’re using Google Translate?
But while viewers kept trying to steer things toward mockery—
"Rewind to that hook again. Yeah, right here."
"See this? You’d think he’s faking it, right? That it’s staged."
"But it’s not. Look closely—it’s a hook from an angle you can’t see head-on."
"How flexible are his joints? Did you catch that? The way his hook bent mid-swing?"
"And he never allows clinches. The moment someone tries to close in,
He throws an uppercut—or hits the body instead."
The hosts and guests replayed the footage repeatedly, their expressions serious.
So what’s the verdict? Is this guy for real?
LOL. Asians can’t fight. Look at his small eyes.
Funny how his “small eyes” will probably earn more than your whole life.
Can’t argue with that. His face is unreal.
Yeah, okay. Gotta admit—he’s damn good-looking.
The viewers, frustrated that the discussion wasn’t going the way they wanted,
Started focusing more on Kim Donghu’s looks than his skills.
Meanwhile, the podcast kept analyzing him in depth.
"Whoa... How many people are watching this?"
That day, the podcast drew over 20,000 live viewers.
For 2015, when podcasts weren’t mainstream,
It was an astonishing number.
‘Kim Donghu shocks America!’
‘20,000 viewers in awe—Kim Donghu steals the spotlight!’
The headlines hit Korean news immediately.
“Proud moment! Cheers to Kim Donghu!”
“Let’s celebrate with makgeolli!”
“Unbelievable! Look at this handsome kid!”
The national pride was palpable,
With the public eating up every detail.
*****
December, Early Winter.
"You’re leaving already? Stay a bit longer."
"I need to start adjusting back to the time zone."
I began saying my goodbyes at Drake Gym.
The national team tryouts were at the end of December,
So I couldn’t delay my return to Korea any longer.
"You’re entering the Asian qualifiers, right?"
"Yeah."
"We’ll come cheer for you."
"No need for that."
"Come on. You’re our Young Boss. We have to support you."
Jack Drake gripped my hand firmly, his tone sincere.
"Donghu, you’re Drake Gym’s pride and joy.
No matter where you are or what you’re doing, we’ll always support you."
"Thanks. And tell Homkin to make the national team too."
"You got it! Donghu, I want to see you at the Olympics!"
"Good."
With that, our goodbyes ended.
A final, heartfelt hug sealed it,
And I headed straight for the airport.
‘Flying business class really is nice.’
Thinking back, I wanted to check more reactions to the magazine cover.
But I’d been too busy training.
‘Too bad.’
I boarded the plane,
Dragging my tired body into my seat.
‘Long flights are exhausting.’
I was just starting to relax when—
"Are you Donghu?"
"Huh?"
"Should I just marry you already?"
A blonde bombshell sitting next to me suddenly spoke up.
‘Who the hell are you?’