Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: 4. Changes (2)
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The gym was on the third floor.
They climbed the stairs of the building with no elevator, and when he opened the door, the interior of the gym came into view.
There were no people.
Worn-out equipment and a silent atmosphere.
It was hard to believe this was the gym of a UFC champion.
‘It’s shabby.’
It was just as he’d expected.
UFC champion Jeong Du-cheol.
The first Korean to conquer the comprehensive martial arts stage, but despite his monumental achievements, he had plummeted to rock bottom. The reason came right after his third title defense. He’d knocked out Jose Carlos, the undefeated fighter dubbed the interim champion, but the doping test that followed revealed steroids in Jeong Du-cheol’s system.
The scandal erupted.
The match was naturally ruled a disqualification loss, and Jose Carlos ascended to the champion’s throne.
Jeong Du-cheol offered no excuses.
He accepted reality and returned to Korea, where he faced a harsh new truth.
[Jeong Du-cheol caught using banned substances!]
[Korea as a whole was duped by Jeong Du-cheol. We believed he was the world’s top talent representing our nation, but it turned out his abilities stemmed from illegal drugs. Steroids and the like are cheat keys that massively boost physical prowess just by using them. The UFC headquarters expressed deep regret over Jeong Du-cheol making such a choice.]
[Jeong Du-cheol is a disgrace to Korea.]
The world changed overnight.
The entire nation condemned him.
Drugs were an incredibly sensitive issue in Korea, and given his extraordinary accomplishments, his fall was all the harsher. That’s how Jeong Du-cheol became the shame of comprehensive martial arts. A man who once lived off his fame now ran a small gym in the boonies for good reason.
‘What he did is inexcusable. But that doesn’t mean I deny his skill.’
He still remembered.
Back when Kim Hyun-seong was training hard to fight back against school violence, many saw Jeong Du-cheol’s footage as too valuable to be dismissed as mere drug-enhanced talent. The suspected start of his drug use was after joining the UFC. Before that, his performances in domestic leagues were phenomenal. Overwhelming opponents with innate talent, Kim Hyun-seong had countless times dreamed of becoming as strong as Jeong Du-cheol.
But that wasn’t the only reason he wanted him.
One day, while lying in a vegetative state, he’d caught a TV segment about Jeong Du-cheol.
[Kim Moo-yeol, the first Korean after Jeong Du-cheol to secure a UFC title shot, has revealed that he’s actually Jeong Du-cheol’s disciple. He’d hidden his master due to the drug scandal but tearfully stated he couldn’t deny Jeong Du-cheol’s existence.]
Korean Super Rookie.
He was born from Jeong Du-cheol.
Kim Moo-yeol spoke to the media about what an excellent coach Jeong Du-cheol was, which planted the seed for including him in Kim Hyun-seong’s plans. The greatest fighter who’d also created the greatest talent. If he could win Jeong Du-cheol over, it would lay a solid foundation for getting stronger moving forward.
That’s when it happened.
As he scanned the gym, a man with a thick beard appeared.
“Hey, here to sign up?”
The man grinned broadly.
His beard made him hard to recognize, but it was unmistakably UFC champion Jeong Du-cheol.
This was three years before discovering Kim Moo-yeol.
A time when he was still living like a wreck.
Kim Hyun-seong replied.
“Yes, I’m here to register.”
* * *
They moved to another room.
In the dingy office, Jeong Du-cheol shoved some gear aside and greeted Kim Hyun-seong with the demeanor of a typical businessman.
“You look like a high schooler—good call coming here. Our gym handles pro debuts, basic fitness boosts, diets, whatever your goal, we’ve got you covered perfectly. Monthly fee’s 150,000 won. Not expensive at all. I do one-on-one PT myself.”
He was friendly.
From what Kim Hyun-seong remembered, Jeong Du-cheol had endured truly tough times right up until Kim Moo-yeol’s UFC breakthrough.
This attitude now?
It made sense.
No matter his past, Jeong Du-cheol had to survive, and he could smile warmly at a rare new customer.
“So, what brings you to the gym?”
“I want to get good at fighting. Good enough to crush every single school bully out there.”
For a moment.
Jeong Du-cheol’s expression hardened.
Training in comprehensive martial arts naturally made you better at fighting.
But since it was a sport, students coming for reasons like Kim Hyun-seong’s were a bit tricky.
Jeong Du-cheol said.
“Look, a gym isn’t a place to encourage brawls. If you just want to get good at fighting, I can’t help you. A little training and those bullies won’t mess with you anyway—why not work out just to build yourself up?”
A predictable response.
A predictable script.
Kim Hyun-seong didn’t answer right away.
He quietly watched Jeong Du-cheol forcing a smile.
What he wanted wasn’t the Jeong Du-cheol who’d risen from adversity, but the failed version still desperate for everything.
Kim Hyun-seong said.
“Why? Didn’t you, Coach Jeong Du-cheol, use any means necessary to get strong back in your fighting days? Our goal’s the same—getting stronger. What’s the problem?”
He’d poked at the sore spot.
Touched the reverse scale.
At Kim Hyun-seong’s words, Jeong Du-cheol could no longer keep smiling.
* * *
Silence fell.
Jeong Du-cheol, who’d said nothing, finally spoke as he met Kim Hyun-seong’s unflinching gaze.
“That was a stupid choice I made. If I could turn back time, I’d never repeat that mistake.”
Before his UFC debut.
As people said, Jeong Du-cheol was a brilliant talent.
No one he couldn’t beat, and UFC naturally expressed interest in signing him.
Then on his debut match day.
Jeong Du-cheol had to accept defeat with a battered face.
He’d dominated the fight throughout, but his opponent wouldn’t go down no matter the valid strikes, dragging it to the late rounds. Insane durability and endless stamina. Unable to match the pace, his energy drained, and the judges unanimously ruled against him.
He admitted it.
He’d lost, fair and square, but the officials’ whispers burrowed into his ears.
“Bet he’s on something.”
“Obviously. In this steroid era, who isn’t juicing?”
Back then.
Doping detection tech wasn’t advanced.
It was the steroid era where not doping made you the idiot, and as the officials predicted, his opponent soared before later testing positive and crashing. Jeong Du-cheol didn’t want to become like them. He tried achieving results clean, but after entering UFC and suffering three straight losses, he was cornered.
“One more loss and you’re out.”
Out.
Banned from the UFC stage.
The dream stage everyone—and he himself—aspired to, now issuing a one-way ticket.
Jeong Du-cheol believed in his talent, but drug users defied common sense.
If he’d been alone.
He might have given up on his dream.
But he had a wife and two kids; without his income, the family couldn’t survive. He agonized long and hard. Drug brokers had approached pre-UFC debut, but he’d refused—now he stared at their contact. He knew it was a bad call. Pride as a fighter told him to stay clean, but suddenly he was exploding with power, knocking out opponents left and right.
Korean Monster.
A monster was born.
He soared after that, claiming the title, only to crash as everyone knew from the drug bust.
Jeong Du-cheol said.
“I regret that choice to this day. If you chase strength without restraint, you’ll end up like me—miserable. I was an idiot. If I’d known how badly drugs are viewed in Korea, or that post-retirement broadcasting and gym-running pays better than bleeding for fight money, I’d have rejected the devil’s temptation. So I can’t take you on. If you want to get strong just to beat bullies, you might end up dying unknown in some prison, not how you imagined.”
Creak.
He stood up.
He wanted to keep this rare customer, but he couldn’t do business with a kid gripped by madness like himself, knowing it was wrong.
He was about to send him away.
Until Kim Hyun-seong’s final words.
“One hundred million.”
“……What?”
“Accept my offer, and I’ll give you one hundred million won.”
* * *
There’s a limit to jokes.
One hundred million?
Kim Hyun-seong’s statement was absurd, but what followed shredded the doubt.
“For you, coach, it’s no loss, right? Promise to train me, and I’ll wire one hundred million within the day. Upfront payment—no risk in accepting.”
His heart sank.
Then pounded wildly.
He should refuse.
Call it nonsense, but from the moment he heard one hundred million, Jeong Du-cheol couldn’t.
‘What if it’s real……?’
A sliver of possibility.
One hundred million just to train one high school kid.
At home, his wife and two sons waited. As the boys grew, so did costs; his wife even went out to work to help. Alone in the cold empty house, Jeong Du-cheol drowned his incompetence in booze. If no doping, he wouldn’t be like this—or if doping, he should’ve gone to a pro broker who wouldn’t get caught.
Days filled with regret.
And now, one hundred million.
How could he refuse?
Even if it was a kid’s prank, the desperation hooked him—he couldn’t ignore Kim Hyun-seong.
Kim Hyun-seong said.
“When you first used drugs, coach, you must’ve weighed the costs. Side effects, social stigma, UFC ban. Reality hit harder than expected, but it stemmed from your choice. Same for me. Learning to fight from you and battling bullies might bring worse results than I imagine. Maybe crippled in a bad fight, or a life bouncing between juvie and prison. But I’m prepared for all that in coming to you. No shifting blame. Just like you were desperate enough for drugs back then, I need you now. That’s all that matters.”
Jeong Du-cheol’s eyes wavered.
Just a high school kid.
What backstory could make those young eyes burn with such venom?
Kim Hyun-seong knew.
Jeong Du-cheol couldn’t refuse.
He’d already knelt once to drugs.
He wouldn’t overcome this temptation.
That calculation done, Kim Hyun-seong had secured the one hundred million from Ko Chang-beom.
After agonizing, Jeong Du-cheol spoke.
“……One thing I can promise: no drugs, absolutely. I got strong illegally, but I won’t tolerate a kid who can’t own his life using them. If I train you, it’ll stay in the realm of ‘teaching.’”
“Perfect.”
Jeong Du-cheol gritted his teeth.
He irritably flung open the office door and glanced at Kim Hyun-seong.
“Then get in the ring. Survive even one round against me, and I’ll respect your resolve and take the deal.”
Harshly spat words.
His last shred of pride.