It's Been a Long Time
As I lay face down on my desk, Seo Yeonha's face came into sharp, vivid focus. Her pitch-black, straight hair spilled across the wooden surface, and her massive eyes stared straight at me.
She's ridiculously good-looking.
Thanks to her protagonist buff, she easily outshone any celebrity. But putting that aside...
Her expression is absolutely terrifying.
Her lips were curled upward, but her eyes weren't smiling at all, giving off an incredibly menacing vibe. It was the kind of look that made you wonder, How should I beat this bastard to a pulp?
Yet, she seemed completely oblivious to the terrifying aura she was radiating. Why? Because...
"H-Have you... ever learned boxing before?"
Her voice was timid, and she stuttered like a total social misfit.
"I did it for about two years, I guess."
"!!! Where did you learn?"
"A gym near my house."
"You learned well. Seeing your head movement earlier, it's clear you didn't just mess around. But why only two years? Aren't you training anymore?"
"Uh..."
My half-hearted response triggered something in her, and she suddenly unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of questions. When I stared back at her with a dumbfounded expression, she seemed to realize her slip and began to stutter again.
"S-Sorry. It's just... I've never met anyone my age who actually knows how to box properly..."
"Don't you have people at your gym?"
"They're all just hobbyists doing cardio boxing. Wait, do you know our gym? My dad runs it..."
In the novel, Seo Yeonha was described as a cool, slightly clumsy beauty, but she seemed a bit different during her high school days. She wouldn't stop chattering. At first, she had been stumbling over her words, but after I gave her a few brief replies, the floodgates opened.
And so it went through first, second, third, and fourth period. Even when I turned my head the other way to sleep, she forcefully nudged me back to face her, rambling on about things I already knew.
It didn't stop at lunchtime in the cafeteria either. I had planned to skip lunch and catch up on sleep, but she stubbornly dragged me along to eat with her.
"If you train properly... you could easily catch up to me. Or at least get close."
"Oh, is that so?"
Finally, the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. While the other kids bolted the moment the bell chimed, she stayed behind, waiting for me.
In the end, I hadn't slept a single wink. Thanks to her, my fatigue had doubled.
"Why am I so tired..."
"That's because you lack stamina. You just need to jump rope five thousand times with me."
"I'm not going to a gym."
"Huh! W-Why not? It'd be so much fun to train together..."
"I need to save money."
It wasn't a lie. I had some inheritance left by my parents, but it wasn't a fortune. Until I found a part-time job to secure a steady income, pinching pennies was the smart move. When I checked my account balance earlier, I noticed my monthly rent was a whopping 450,000 won.
"Money?"
"My parents passed away. I have enough to get by for now, but I need to be careful with my spending."
"Oh... I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it."
I didn't even know what my parents in this world looked like, so there was no reason for me to feel sad about their passing. In truth, the money was only half the excuse; I just didn't want to attend a pure boxing gym. If I was going to spend money, I'd rather invest it in an MMA gym.
"Do you ever train in anything besides boxing?"
"Boxing is the strongest."
"I feel like you'd be good at Ju-jitsu."
"...Hyunwoo, are you a Ju-jitsu Dog?"
"Are you crazy? Do I look like a Ju-jitsu Dog to you?"
"Then are you a Ju-jitsu apologist?"
"We are not on the same wavelength."
I had asked to see if she'd be open to learning Ju-jitsu so we could transition to MMA together, but it was a lost cause. Still, the fact that we shared the same disdain for butt-scooters made her a bit more likable.
In the original novel, Seo Yeonha only regained her past-life memories during her WBC championship bout. She had taken a clean hit, spaced out, and instinctively locked her opponent in a triangle choke, resulting in her lifetime ban from the sport. Just thinking about it made me want to laugh.
"Make sure you watch out for triangle chokes in the future."
"What are you talking about?"
"Just keep it in mind. Anyway, I'm heading out."
"Wait. If you don't want to pay for a gym, what about a school club? I'm in the Boxing Club. I only registered my name and don't really go... but it should be fine if you just show up."
"Do Korean high schools actually have clubs like that?"
"Our school has pretty much everything."
Ah, right. I was inside a novel. I kept forgetting.
Having an athletic club was fantastic news. Surely the school wouldn't charge students to participate, making it the perfect place to shake off the rust and regain my muscle memory.
"Maybe I'll go take a look."
"Good decision."
"Does the school have an MMA club?"
"I don't know. I don't care about anything other than boxing."
"..."
Hohyeon High Boxing Club.
In 99% of Korean high schools, clubs were funded by the government. Naturally, the most popular ones were in the arts and physical education sectors, with sports clubs being particularly favored.
However, popularity varied wildly depending on the sport. Unfortunately, the Hohyeon High Boxing Club was one of the least popular clubs in the school.
"Sigh..."
In the corner of the gym, Lee Gwangwu, the teacher in charge of the Boxing Club, let out a deep sigh from his chair.
"Haryun."
"Yes, sir."
"I told you to call me Coach here."
"Yes, Coach."
Including the new recruits this semester, the Boxing Club had a grand total of eleven members. Eight seniors, two juniors, and one freshman. At this rate, government funding or not, they were on the verge of being disbanded. Lee Gwangwu was practically drowning in worry.
With nothing better to do, he began venting to the captain, Kim Haryun. The seniors knew what they were doing and trained on their own, while the sole junior was currently focused on building basic stamina. Seo Yeonha was technically a member, but she had only shown her face on the very first day to register and hadn't returned since.
"How many new members do we have again?"
"This semester, we got one freshman and one junior. The junior is already here. See that guy over there jumping rope?"
"I know him. But... sigh, is boxing really that unpopular nowadays?"
"Well, Ju-jitsu is the big trend these days."
"Are you a Ju-jitsu Dog too?"
"What's that?"
While Gwangwu was playfully trapping Kim Haryun in a headlock for his seemingly pro-Ju-jitsu comment, the gym door swung open.
"Oh, is that a new recruit...?"
A new member who could breathe fresh life into the stagnant Boxing Club. Knowing this, Lee Gwangwu naturally intended to welcome them with a bright smile, but...
"Hello!"
"...Your name?"
"I'm Kang Haneul!"
"...You're definitely a freshman."
Lee Gwangwu stood at a towering 187 centimeters. A cute, petite girl who barely reached his chest was standing at the door, bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"Whoa..."
"A girl."
"She's so cute."
"Hehe..."
The club members stopped their workouts, staring and drooling like brain-melted monkeys. Gwangwu shot them a warning glare before turning his attention back to Kang Haneul.
"Our school's Boxing Club does accept both boys and girls, but..."
That rule had essentially been created solely for the anomaly that was Seo Yeonha.
Tsk, it's a shame, but it's probably better to persuade her to join a different club.
Other athletic clubs operated separate male and female divisions, but the Boxing Club simply didn't have the resources to do so. Including Kang Haneul and Seo Yeonha, they only had two female members in total.
"As you can see, it's difficult for us to guarantee a proper training environment for you here. It's a bit awkward for me to say this as the advisor, but... how about looking into other clubs?"
"Oh, I didn't come here to train."
"Huh? Then why did you apply?"
"Please let me be the manager!"
"The manager?"
Gwangwu's first thought was: We barely have any members. Do we even need a manager?
Even he, the sole coach, spent most of his time slacking off unless a tournament was coming up. Having a manager in this situation seemed entirely redundant. He was about to politely turn her away when...
"Coach! You said we needed a manager last time!"
"Honestly, we were thinking the same thing!"
"Hook! Hook-hook! Shh! Shh!"
Kim Haryun and a few others crowded around Gwangwu, pressuring him, while the rest of the boys began training with absurdly exaggerated intensity.
"...Well, alright. Give it a try, and if you feel like it's not a good fit, let me know."
"Thank you—"
"Yes!!!"
"Oh yeah!!!"
For some reason, the other members seemed far more thrilled than Kang Haneul, who had actually landed the gig.
Well, having a cute girl around should boost the boys' morale.
Gwangwu used his fists to quiet down the members, who were currently celebrating around the new manager like a primitive tribe, and ordered them back to training. It had been nearly a year since he had seen them this motivated. He wanted to ride this momentum and save the club from disbandment.
"Haryun, go grab the schedule for the remaining tournaments this year."
"..."
"Hey, baldy. Are my words jokes to you?"
Just as he was about to put the dazed Kim Haryun back into a headlock for ignoring him, the captain pointed toward the entrance.
"Coach. Over there."
"..."
Through the door that Kang Haneul had left open, a boy and a girl walked in together.
"I-It's been a while, Coach."
The one leading the way was Seo Yeonha. She was the very talent Lee Gwangwu had desperately tried to recruit when he volunteered to advise the club. However, she had stubbornly refused, claiming it was better to compete in adult tournaments through her father's gym rather than waste time in a school club.
Yet, the genius he had kept on the roster by practically begging her not to leave had walked in on her own two feet!
"Oh! Yeonha! You should visit more often! What brings you here so suddenly?"
"Well, actually..."
"Is there a tournament you want to enter? Just say the word. This coach will do whatever it takes to make it happen!"
"N-No, I just came to look around."
"Look around? Look around at what...?"
Disappointment flashed openly across Gwangwu's face. Sensing her hesitation, the male student standing behind her stepped forward, gently nudging her aside.
"So this is the Boxing Club? I didn't expect much from a school club, but it actually has everything."
He stood at about 180 centimeters. His posture was completely relaxed, devoid of any tension, and his eyes scanned the room with genuine amusement.
"And who might you be?"
"I'm Jung Hyunwoo, a sophomore. I'm here for a trial visit today, Coach."
"Ah, I see..."
Judging by Jung Hyunwoo's casual demeanor, Gwangwu had assumed the boy lacked manners and was preparing to give him a stern lecture. But such polite greetings and respect for his elders? In his mind, the boy was already "our Hyunwoo."
There was another reason Gwangwu's heart warmed to him so quickly.
"Jung Hyunwoo?"
"Oh, Jeongho, you're here too? Sorry about earlier."
"..."
Lee Jeongho. He was the other sophomore who had recently joined, but unlike "our Hyunwoo," his attitude was utterly atrocious. The moment he arrived, he had demanded to spar with a senior. When asked about his boxing experience, he proudly claimed he had been training for a grand total of one month. Gwangwu had promptly smacked him on the head and handed him a jump rope.
"Do you two know each other?"
"We're classmates."
"We are not friends."
Two completely contradictory answers. Naturally, Gwangwu believed "our Hyunwoo."
"If you're classmates, why not train together? And maybe Yeonha can join in too...?"
Gwangwu deduced that the only reason Seo Yeonha had suddenly graced the club with her presence was because of Jung Hyunwoo. Whether they were friends or something more didn't matter. What mattered was that Yeonha was physically here.
If Yeonha starts showing up regularly, the boys will swarm this place like a pack of wild dogs. I have to lock them down.
For the future of the Boxing Club, Gwangwu needed to secure at least one of them. He decided to target Jung Hyunwoo first, who seemed like the easier mark.
"Hyunwoo, our Boxing Club might look a bit quiet right now, but we're actually a powerhouse with a rich history."
"Ah, yes."
"And if you join today, you'll even get to work with our cute new manager..."
Just as Gwangwu threw an arm around Hyunwoo's shoulder to reel him in, Lee Jeongho, who had climbed into the ring at some point, threw a glove straight at them.
"Hey, get up here. You just got lucky earlier. You know that, right?"
"?"
Gwangwu was dumbfounded. Attitude, skill, character—Lee Jeongho possessed absolutely nothing of value. Gwangwu had only accepted him out of a sense of duty as an educator not to discriminate against students.
This little bastard is really testing me.
This time, the kid had crossed the line. Gwangwu began marching toward the ring, fully intending to teach the punk a lesson he'd never forget.
"Coach."
But Jung Hyunwoo caught him by the arm.
"I'll handle it."
"What are you going to handle, kid?"
"The sparring. If you step in, Coach, people might start talking. You know how sensitive schools are about that kind of stuff these days."
"..."
"Our Hyunwoo" truly was a masterpiece of a student, possessing both manners and consideration. But logic was logic.
"I appreciate you looking out for me, but there's no need for you to get in there. Even if he's a beginner, the difference between someone who has trained and someone who hasn't is night and day. Don't get yourself hurt. Just watch today. I'm kicking that punk out of the club anyway."
"Oh, if that's what you're worried about, it's fine. I've boxed before."
"Oh? Really?"
"Yeah. I trained for about two years, starting thirteen years ago."
"...How old are you again?"
"Eighteen."
"..."
Training for two years starting from age five. Was he supposed to praise the kid for boxing before he could even run?
While Gwangwu was seriously contemplating how to respond to "our Hyunwoo,"
"It's been a while since I've worn boxing gloves."
Jung Hyunwoo was already picking up the glove from the floor.