Chapter 50
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Sparring
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“Hey! This isn’t what we talked about…!”
“Huh? I didn’t know you were coming too. …What are you doing, unnie?”
As we approached, Da-hye quickly lowered her voice and straightened her appearance.
“Gasp!”
“Long time no see. Ga-eun, Da-hye.”
“Yeah, how’ve you been?”
“Oh, hi…”
“Hey, didn’t expect to see you here too, Lawyer. So, what are you up to?”
I raised the question at Da-hye, who was covering her face with one arm.
“Oh, hi Su-hyeon? Unnie’s a bit busy right now.”
“Hah, really.”
Ga-eun made a slightly exasperated face at the sight.
“This is your fault, you know…! Excuse me for a sec!”
Da-hye grumbled quietly at Ga-eun before darting off toward the restroom.
Did she need the bathroom that badly?
“Ugh, putting on airs now… Anyway, how’d you end up here, Chan-seong?”
“I heard Su-hyeon’s advice about studying martial arts and tagged along.”
“We ran into him on the way.”
“Ah, got it? More spectators the better. Make yourselves at home.”
After that, Ga-eun explained the filming plan to the gym master.
“We’ll do a quick intro to the gym, then show some light action on the ring to wrap up. Keeping it short, about an hour total?”
“Oh… What about filming?”
“Hmm, was gonna have you handle it, but…”
Ga-eun eyed my height briefly before nodding.
“Think just watching is fine. Already called Number One… I mean, the editor. Or I’ll ask the temp manager. Just read out boxing questions from chat sometimes. Can’t during sparring.”
A bit disappointing she couldn’t hold the camera, but then something else piqued my interest.
“Sparring today too?”
Sparring meant that, right?
Gloves on in the ring…
I had no clue how it differed from a real match, so I worried a little.
Ga-eun or not, she was a woman who’d just turned adult.
The gym was all guys except Da-hye, no matter how I looked.
She caught my concerned look, grinned, pinched my cheek lightly, and said,
“Worried about me? It’s been forever since anyone fussed over me like that.”
“Mmph?”
“No need to worry about Ga-eun. Worry about her opponents instead.”
The gym master waved it off from the side.
Made sense when he put it that way, so I nodded.
**
A man arrived shortly after.
Mid-20s? Looked around my pre-transformation age.
“Ah, come on in. These are my friends here to watch. This is the editor I mentioned.”
“Hello.”
“Hi, Number One Slave at your service.”
His weird self-intro raised questions.
“Slave?”
“It’s from early Ga-eun Tube days—ow.”
“Haha, it’s just his concept.”
Ga-eun jabbed his side to shut him up, and they started prepping the stream.
“Hello, everyone! As announced, we’re at a boxing gym today. The one I go to every weekend, Korea Power Gym—”
Ga-eun’s lively opener echoed through the gym.
Pro new tuber vibes, ramping up the energy without minding us around.
Da-hye snuck back from the restroom and sat down quietly.
Her ponytail was redone but messily natural, face lightly made up for a healthy, innocent look.
“You’re back.”
“Y-yeah…”
Chan-seong’s gruff greeting had Da-hye demurely tucking hair behind her ear.
“?”
No one paid attention, of course.
Explanation done, Ga-eun geared up in protective equipment and climbed the ring.
The gym master, who’d been helping intros, went to the youngish guy and talked.
But the guy looked dissatisfied.
“No, Master, she’s still a girl…!”
“You’ll change your mind once you’re up there.”
“I’m getting cold feet!”
“I came thinking it was you, and she’s not even a pro?”
“Three years experience is like yours. Plus, she’s Awakened…!”
Seemed some prior talk got missed.
‘Not scared?’
Training or not, actual punching? Hard to imagine.
Getting hit scared me, but hurting someone felt psychologically off too.
I clenched my fists and watched.
“…No need to worry about that?”
Soft and round.
No gloves needed to not harm anyone, seemed fine.
“What’re you thinking?”
I looked up to find Ga-eun there.
“Alright, everyone! Besides Number One, we’ve got a helper today. Regular viewers might recognize.”
“Hello.”
I waved at Ga-eun’s phone.
“Face not on camera yet.”
“Oh.”
I ignored the grinning editor with the other camera and took the phone.
It was bulky with attachments, hard one-handed.
-Oh?
-That voice?
-?
-Whose voice
-Kid?
-It’s Su-hyeon!
-Who’s that
“Hello, everyone.”
I flipped the phone to see the chat flying up.
My plump face filled the inverted screen.
Chat scrolled fast, upside-down illegible.
I spun it right.
“Tap here for front cam.”
Ga-eun’s finger came down, switching to my toned abs. Glove around neck shoved aside by obstacles, next to my chest.
-Lmao
-Ah
-Oh
-Nooo
-Oh
-Kya ㅋㅋㅋ
-Mad
-Gasp ㅋㅋㅋ
-Switch back to selfie
-No… -Ah
-Bouncy ㅋㅋㅋ
“Ga-eun, ready. Get up!”
“Everyone, guest’s here, so mind your manners? Ignore weirdos, I’ll check later.”
Ga-eun pretended to smack the slightly obscured screen, then gloved up and hit the ring.
“Fighting!”
I shook the phone yelling.
Ga-eun waved back lightly.
-Kraaak!!!
-Dizzy
-Cheering’s cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Don’t shake
-Agh
-@.@
“Cheer her on, viewers. What’re you doing.”
-What to cheer
-Stop shaking first
-Fighting
*Ding—*
The gym master, who’d smacked the old gong himself, plopped next to me.
“That guy’s stubborn.”
“Tough one, huh? Issue?”
“Haha, nah, I did nothing! Anyway, that kid helping Ga-eun’s a promising talent I’m eyeing. Recent intro from me, forgot to mention her, so misunderstanding.”
“Oh…”
Yeah, probably annoying.
Guy or not, protective gear or practice, punching a girl feels off.
Can’t hit full, ends up as punching bag.
“Promised personal session later, settled him. Stubborn kid.”
Gym master clicked his tongue.
“But don’t you wanna train under you? Ga-eun’s amateur.”
Sounded like master’s fault.
I said my honest thought; he widened his dark eyes and burst laughing.
“Eh? Uhaha! I do beat her! ”
-Boomer scamming ㅋㅋㅋ
-Ugh loud
-Volume tho
-Agh
-Right ear boutta burst mad
-Wtf
“Viewers say you’re loud. Quiet down.”
I kept eyes on screen, swung right hand smacking side lightly.
Punishment for viewers. Maybe slight mischief on my part.
“Ah, sorry about that. Haha.”
Then master commentated clearly.
Expert with match experience, clean and easy explanations.
“Oh, what’s sparring vs real match?”
“Ah! Shoulda explained that.”
-Sparring’s just practice match right?
-Spar vs real diff?
-Light beating?
Viewers guessed vaguely, no experts.
“Well, sparring’s training part. Rookies focus stamina, mentality. Even basics, back-to-back rounds drain fast~”
“Depends on level?”
Master looked surprised at my input.
His dark skin made big eyes funny.
“What, our little friend gets it spot-on? Smart cookie! Boxing needs brains too. Interested?”
Bearded master sales-pitching relentlessly.
“No, keep explaining.”
Firm no, urged on.
“Hm, shame. Safety first in sparring: gear mandatory, mind not hurting foe. Pair big skill gaps, push to limit only.”
Got it.
Wait, big skill gap?
“Overheard earlier: similar experience?”
Master grinned at my doubt.
“Yup, my eye’s sharp! Near scout. Kids know scouts…?”
-What’s that
-Old
-20th cent cartoon sht we dunno
-What is
-How he know cartoons?
-Gasp
-Busted
-Cartoons in 20th cent?
-Mad gramps stuff
“Hm…”
(I know: egg comic glasses guy.)
“Ahem! Anyway, Ga-eun perfect level-match. Awakener, controls power well. He’s E-rank, never hit real wall. Not experience or weight: pure physical gap.”
“Oh…”
I looked up at Ga-eun.