Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: High School Girl VS Stamina Training (1)
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Jeong Seung-hyun.
He was a legendary fighter, the first Korean to ever step into a UFC title fight.
These days, after retiring, he was running a domestic organization called KFN.
His top priority was scouting fresh talent for the next installment.
The one who had popped up on his radar was a high school girl blowing up on social media.
"Whoa. Can you believe this?"
"What?"
"Remember Go Eun-ha? The pretty one."
"The one with the calf kick?"
"Yeah. Turns out she's from Garam High too."
Garam High School.
Not an elite academic school or a vocational one—just your standard public high school.
And yet, it had three people already lined up for this season's High School Fighting King.
"Park O-yu-na, Yang A-ri, Go Eun-ha... all from the same school?"
"Yeah. And get this—they're in the same class."
"Do girls who can throw down just flock together or something...?"
Female high school fighters weren't exactly common in Korea.
Having three of them clustered in one school was definitely something special.
"From our perspective, that's great news."
"If all three have what it takes for the main bracket, that'd be perfect. Rivals make for a good story, right?"
"Pfft, O-yu-na's gonna sweep them anyway."
The genius high school girl, Park O-yu-na.
She had the most dominant record among the entrants.
3 amateur fights, 3 wins.
And she crushed her opponents in every single one.
"Not surprising she's the daughter of that Dr. Gyun guy—her wrestling's on another level. And her strength? Insane."
That made O-yu-na their top recruitment pick.
Everyone in the know figured she'd be the star of this season.
"Yang A-ri's pretty promising too, don't you think? Muay Thai national team pick, and she's got international experience."
"She repped the country in middle school, right?"
"Yeah. Though it seems like she took a break from training after."
Yang A-ri was another one getting buzz.
Because she was a Muay Thai elite selectee.
Unlike O-yu-na, she had that wild edge, which was appealing.
She brimmed with confidence and didn't hold back on the trash talk.
Go Eun-ha, on the other hand...
"Compared to those two, expectations are kinda low."
"All she's shown is that one calf kick."
The calf kick girl, Go Eun-ha.
There wasn't much to get excited about.
From their DM chats, her training history was just one year.
The real kicker? She'd never even set foot in a gym.
"When she said her experience was a year of self-taught... I was floored."
"Haha. But hey, her character's got personality. That's a plus."
"She won't make the main bracket."
"Doesn't matter. I didn't reach out expecting her skills anyway."
"So, for her looks?"
"More precisely, for the drama she'll stir up."
Skills? Not banking on those.
What they wanted from her was pure clickbait.
Pretty face, quirky personality.
The viral video on SNS.
That was why they were scouting Go Eun-ha.
"If you're too straight-laced, views tank. You need entrants who can pull aggro."
"Last season, we were lucky to have An Seung-ho. Dude's handsome too."
"Without Seung-ho, last season would've been... yikes, just thinking about it."
Hard-earned wisdom from experience.
Straight-up fighting didn't draw eyes.
You needed some narrative flair.
Go Eun-ha was perfect for that role.
Someone to heat up their show.
Slap her idol-level looks on the thumbnail, and clicks were guaranteed.
"But what if her real face is busted? You can't trust Insta these days."
"Come on, getting catfished by a high schooler?"
"I'm just sayin'. Hard to buy it—this face doing MMA?"
"Hmm..."
Jeong Seung-hyun stared at her photo.
Her bone structure was unreal.
She fit idol stages way better than the cage.
Plus, she was an influencer with over 200k followers.
No need to risk it all in fighting.
"Maybe she's got her reasons."
"Reasons?"
"Reasons that force her into fighting."
"Nah, come on."
They existed.
At least for Jeong Seung-hyun, they did.
Staring at the cage, he just couldn't hold back.
The demon inside screamed to fight.
Maybe this girl was raising the same demon?
Seemed unlikely.
But nothing said it couldn't happen.
'Hope she does well.'
Whatever the outcome, it'd be entertaining.
She'd draw eyes, at minimum.
Lunchtime.
Sausage veggie stir-fry day, so I grabbed my seat early.
Pyo Hye-in, huffing from chasing after me at burger speed, panted.
"Huff, huff. Hey, Go Eun-ha. Slow down a bit..."
"Gotta be quick to claim your prey."
"What are you, some wild animal...? Anyway—"
Hye-in's grumbly voice tugged at my collar like a noose.
"What was that earlier?"
"What?"
"You said you're doing a fighting audition? You?"
"Yeah."
"Why the hell would you?"
"I was born to fight."
"More nonsense?"
Dead serious.
Not some gifted talent BS.
I was literally born to fight.
You'd call it bullshit.
Can't explain it better.
It's like... a volcano in my chest.
Sitting still, the heat's unbearable.
Only fighting cools the boiling lava.
Might as well get attention while I'm at it.
In that sense, Jeong Seung-hyun's High School Fighting King was a solid debut stage.
"That thing with punching and kicking! What if you mess up your face?!"
"Don't get hit."
"Yeah, that'll happen!"
A normal high school girl wouldn't get it.
I tuned her out, stabbed some sausage instead.
That's when a tiny voice crawled from the table's edge, like an ant marching.
"I-it might not be that dangerous..."
"O-yu-na?"
It was Park O-yu-na.
For some reason, she sat five seats away, leaving empties between us.
"Come sit here."
"I-is that okay...?"
"Normally no, but special permission granted."
"Th-thanks...!"
Shh-shh-shh.
She scooted right up next to me in a flash.
Soon, she adjusted her round glasses and started defending me.
"They wear full protective gear, so it's not like you'll get seriously hurt. It's amateur stuff..."
"Amateur?"
"Yeah. Headgear, big gloves... Sure, nosebleeds happen, but broken bones? Nah."
"O-yu-na, how do you know so much? You do fighting too?"
"Well, actually..."
O-yu-na glanced at me.
Face like a retriever caught chewing shoes.
"I'm in it too... High School Fighting King..."
O-yu-na got scouted too?
News to me.
"Why didn't you say?"
"You didn't ask...?"
"Fair enough."
Guess I might fight O-yu-na in auditions.
Didn't matter who, really.
'Amateurs anyway. I'll beat any of 'em.'
Amateur fighters. Women's division to boot.
Strength, technique—both subpar.
Sparring with O-yu-na proved it.
'At my current level, no match in Korea.'
No woman beats me.
At least not here.
"Korea's too small for me."
"Sigh. What now?"
Hye-in shook her head, half-given-up.
Then—
Bam!
"Eek!"
Someone slammed their tray down in front of us.
Kimchi soup splattered my uniform.
"Go Eun-ha. You doing High School Fighting King too?"
"..."
Yang A-ri, the bleach-blonde thug.
"Why not drop out now? Unless you wanna get wrecked."
She grinned.
Pointy teeth like a shark.
I didn't answer.
Fired back instead.
"What's your weight?"
"Huh?"
"Height and weight."
"...And why do you wanna know?"
Wasn't gonna spill easy.
Eyeballing her,
"170cm, 55kg maybe. Long reach too."
Skinny string bean, toothpick, grasshopper vibes.
Some muscle, but pointless.
'Lemme check.'
I reached out.
Grabbed her thigh muscle.
Squeezed, gauging size and density.
"Wh-what the hell? Hands off?!"
"You planning auditions with this body?"
"What's wrong with my body...?"
Tall with long reach? Striking advantage.
But not all upsides.
Big units (tall/long-armed in their weight class) have high centers of gravity.
Vulnerable to low takedowns.
"Muay Thai base, right? Wrestler shows up, you're mopping the floor."
In MMA, they call it "floor cleaning."
Come for fights, leave scrubbing mats.
Happens when strikers meet wrestlers.
Yang A-ri's build screamed floor mop.
"Bullshit."
Serious advice.
But she took it as bait again.
Bam!
She punched the table, shoved her face in mine.
"Book a plastic surgeon. I'll smash that pretty face...!"
Couldn't just sit there.
Snatched my fork, swung fast.
Stab!
Fork sank into soft meat.
"Ugh?"
Target: her tray.
Sausage side dish.
"Leftover sausage?"
"..."
"Don't want it? I'll take it."
Stab-stab-stab.
Skewered the rest.
Shoved the sausage stick in my mouth.
Munch-munch.
Why leave good stuff?
No wonder she's built like an anchovy.
"Pig much?"
"Sausages are made from pigs."
"..."
Conversation died.
Nothing left to say.
Yang A-ri's mouth flapped a bit, then she sighed hard and bailed.
Situation cleared, O-yu-na caught my eye.
"U-um..."
Words? Or needing the bathroom? She fidgeted her butt.
"What's up?"
She shot up.
Bowed 90—no, 150 degrees.
"Thanks for helping earlier...!"
"Helping? With what?"
"Yang A-ri was picking on me, and you threw that slipper..."
Guess she couldn't let the gratitude slide.
Truth? I was worried for Yang A-ri, not her.
If O-yu-na snapped and suplexed, both lives ruined.
"Why'd you just take it? You could beat her."
Anyone but me, O-yu-na wins against any high school girl.
Muay Thai selectee?
Meaningless against her 3-0 amateur MMA.
She could fold Yang A-ri easy.
But she didn't.
Good reason.
"Can't risk bullying scandals later when I'm a pro..."
"Smart."
This MMA seriousness.
Made me proud for some reason.
"I'll help with your audition prep."
"Whoa, really...?!"
"Yeah, yeah. You better be grateful."
"Go Eun-ha, you know the word 'humble'?"
"Sure. I'm humble compared to my skills."
"Can't say one normal thing. Impressive."
Hye-in shook her head again.
O-yu-na beamed.
Then rummaged her phone, handed it over.
"Wanna watch this together...?"
"What's this?"
"High School Fighting King last season... the boys' version."
Heard this was season three.
Past two were last year, boys only.
"Winner from before's coming as a vet. Figured previewing helps. Learn the format..."
I'd win blind.
But thorough prep's the pro fighter way.
Especially curious about this vet.
'Fun to humble him.'
If that happens,
-High School Fighting King Champ, Male Fighting Prodigy, KO'd by High School Girl Influencer...!
Headlines like that could spread nationwide.
Solid kickoff for my fighting career.