The Test
*Creeeak.*
That was the sound my body made the moment I got out of bed.
"I'm going to die."
Sparring with Jeongho alone would have been enough to strain this unconditioned body, but doing jiu-jitsu with Noona right after had completely pushed it over the edge. I realized I desperately needed to start a consistent physical conditioning routine.
The amount and method of training the fake Hyunwoo used to do wouldn't cut it at all. I moved my stiff body, did some light stretching, and left the house. But before I could get very far...
"Good morning!"
"..."
I ran into Kang Haneul on her way to school. I tried to ignore her and walk past, but she wasn't having it.
"Mr. Transfer Student? You should greet your senior when you see her."
"...Sigh."
On my first day of school, the girl I had followed because I was lost was indeed Kang Haneul. Since her reaction at the boxing club yesterday had been so vague, I thought she had forgotten about it, but apparently not.
"Do you live nearby?"
"Stop speaking informally to me."
"Sure, whatever. Let's walk to school together instead."
"Why should I?"
"Should I tell Senior Yeonha that you stalked me? And why did you lie about being a transfer student in the first place?"
"...I forgot the way."
"...Is that a joke?"
Not wanting my social reputation to be dragged through the mud on day two, I reluctantly agreed to this uncomfortable companionship.
"You must have trained in boxing for a long time."
"I haven't been training in just boxing for very long."
"Then why are you so good?"
"Because I trained in MMA."
"Oh! Mixed martial arts! I watch the UFC all the time."
"Is that so?"
"Did you see Mac's fight the other day? The one where he KO'd his opponent in ten seconds."
Mac? Conor McGregor exists in this world? Prime Mac was truly insane. Even when Mac fought Khabib, I actually thought Mac would win. I had hoped he would time a perfect shot right on that Russian guy's chin and get a KO victory... Well, in this timeline, maybe Mac will win. I'm rooting for you, bro.
"If only McGregor was good on the ground too, he would have been legendary... right?"
"You don't know what you're talking about. Mac's striking is more than enough. His left-hand timing is a work of art."
"Oh! You actually know your stuff! If you had just agreed with me, I would've been so disappointed."
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
Kang Haneul was surprisingly easy to talk to.
"I'm so glad you joined the boxing club, Senior. Thanks to you, Senior Yeonha came back too."
"I'm not joining the boxing club, though."
"Huh?"
"?"
What kind of misunderstanding had she cooked up? I had never said a single word about joining the boxing club.
"W-Wait! Didn't you join the boxing club after sparring yesterday?"
"I haven't even submitted an application."
"Then as soon as we get to school, you have to...!"
"I'm joining the MMA club. Leave boxing to Jeongho."
"Ugh! That senior is a total scrub!"
Look at how she talks. Sure, Jeongho is indeed a scrub, but he's still her senior. One should always show proper respect to their elders.
"Anyway, I'm not joining. If you're that desperate, go cling to Seo Yeonha's pant legs."
"Senior Yeonha won't come if you're not there."
"So what?"
"...If you don't join the boxing club, I don't know what I might do."
"Sure, go ahead. Do whatever you want."
What could she possibly do? Tell Seo Yeonha that I stalked her? Who cares. Let her do it. If I had to weigh my social reputation against the sheer annoyance of being in the boxing club, I'd choose to ditch the boxing club any day. When I asked Seo Yeonha yesterday, she said we could only join one club. In that case, I obviously had to join the MMA club.
"If you debut as a pro later, I'm going to expose you for stalking me in high school."
"...?"
Has she lost her mind? How could she talk about ruining a person's life so casually?
"Don't even joke about that. My heart literally skipped a beat."
"Ah! That just shows how desperate I am. If you don't join, our club might get disbanded. Coach might even commit suicide!"
What does that have to do with me? The words almost spilled out of my throat, but I held them back.
"I'm begging you!"
"..."
Honestly, considering my style, boxing wouldn't be a bad choice. In fact, I might have the kind of talent that would allow me to achieve even greater success in boxing. But... Boxing just doesn't have that same feeling as MMA. That feeling of truly putting your life on the line. That thrill MMA brings, of determining who is weaker and who is stronger as a human being. I didn't think I could ever feel that in boxing.
"One tournament."
"Huh?"
Well, whatever. Since she was begging like this, it wouldn't hurt to enter one tournament for the experience. After all, a UFC fighter is supposed to live up to their fans' expectations.
"Just one. I'll bring back a championship trophy. That should be enough, right?"
If they had a trophy, the club wouldn't get disbanded.
"Your answer?"
"Of course!"
"You have to cheer for me when I make it to the UFC later."
"...Can you even get there?"
"Just watch."
Consider it an honor to be my very first fan. The Korean McGregor. No, actually, I'll make people call McGregor the Irish Jung Hyunwoo.
We arrived at school. I ignored Seo Yeonha, who was whimpering next to me like a puppy that needed to take a dump, and slept through all my classes. When school finally ended, Yeonha spoke up as if she had been waiting for this exact moment.
"Let's go to our gym. I already told my dad all about it."
"About what?"
"That there's a boxing genius who's just slightly below my level, so he should let you register for free."
This was ridiculous. Why were both Haneul and Yeonha trying to decide my future for me?
"I'm doing MMA."
"No! That's a pseudo-sport mixed with dirty grappling...! How can pure boxers like us do something so barbaric?"
"Shut up. Come if you want, or don't. I'm going to join the MMA club."
"Hmph..."
Dragging a whining Yeonha along, I headed toward the MMA club. As for the boxing club, I had compromised with Haneul to only participate during tournaments. Coach Lee Gwangwu said he would handle the registration himself. Apparently, it wasn't normally allowed, but he seemed willing to do anything to win a tournament.
"Hello."
In any sport, showing respect to seniors or elders is an absolute must. Thus, I walked inside with a bright, energetic greeting, but...
"What the? That bastard's back again?"
"I guess getting beaten to a pulp back then wasn't enough for him."
"He went home crying, yet he actually had the balls to show his face here again."
The atmosphere was strange. As I stood awkwardly by the door, a man who looked like the coach approached us.
"Jung Hyunwoo. Why are you back?"
"..."
"Don't feel like answering?"
"Did I do something wrong?"
I asked because I genuinely didn't know.
"Ha! You don't remember taking the test because you wanted to join the MMA club?"
Someone else answered instead of the coach. It was a handsome guy with slicked-back hair. He looked like an arrogant prick.
"A test?"
The boxing club didn't have anything like that, but since there were so many people here, I guess they ran tests.
"We did a light spar, and you got caught in a submission and beaten half to death before running away. Stop playing dumb."
"..."
This motherfucker. The fake Hyunwoo clearly didn't know the first thing about martial arts, so why the hell did this guy beat up a hobbyist like that?
"I honestly don't know why you acted so cocky about wanting to do MMA with those skills. If you had just said you were doing it as a hobby from the start, I would've gone easy on you."
"Ah."
Well, that was the fake Hyunwoo's fault. He should've known his place. Why did he just stand there and take a beating like an idiot?
Now I see why he suddenly started going to Noona's jiu-jitsu gym. Getting humiliated with jiu-jitsu in front of everyone would definitely spark some spite.
Even I wouldn't be able to let that slide. Though, of course, I would have paid them back with my fists.
"Hey, if you're just going to run away crying again, just leave now. Don't ruin the mood."
"Where do you rank here?"
"What? What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"I'm asking where you rank in terms of skill in this gym."
"You crazy bastard!"
"Enough. Calm down, Donggeon."
"Director. Look at how this punk talks to his senior. We shouldn't even accept him into the hobbyist class."
Was Donggeon a third-year? If you're nineteen, you're old enough to stop acting like a child. You're dead meat today.
"Director. Please let me take the test with Senior Donggeon one more time."
"Why, you little—!"
"Lee Donggeon."
"..."
The director calmed Lee Donggeon down. He walked over and looked me straight in the eye. He was slightly shorter than me, but he had a broad, thick build that gave off a decent amount of pressure.
"Jung Hyunwoo. I can understand being bad at sports. However, I cannot tolerate behavior that disrupts the club's atmosphere."
"..."
"Why should I accept you back when you ran away without any grit just because you were embarrassed once?"
He was absolutely right. If you lack skill, you can build it. But attitude, manners, character—these were the fundamental qualities one must possess when approaching sports. It was only natural that he couldn't trust a Jung Hyunwoo who chose to run away instead of standing his ground.
"One round. That's all I need. I'll show you that I've changed."
"..."
The director stared into my eyes. I stared right back. I couldn't afford to lose this battle of nerves.
"...Donggeon. Prepare for the test."
"Director!"
"However, this is your absolute last chance. After this, don't you dare show your face around any sports club again."
Does he mean I shouldn't join any sports-related club at all? He must be incredibly pissed off. The director had clearly judged that I wouldn't be able to pass the test.
"Donggeon, take this seriously. Just make sure no one gets hurt."
"...Tsk. Understood."
Lee Donggeon began to warm up. After telling me to warm up as well, the director went to clear the cage.
"Seo Yeonha. Do you know that guy?"
"No."
"Really? Then do you know McGregor?"
"Isn't he a UFC fighter?"
"Yeah."
If someone is famous enough for Seo Yeonha—who knows nothing but boxing—to recognize them, then they're a real MMA fighter. In other words, Lee Donggeon was just a nobody.
"Hyunwoo. I think the people here are all crazy. Let's just go box..."
"Just sit over there and watch."
Just wait a bit. I'll show you how striking beats the absolute crap out of grappling.