After sparring, Yu Jung-ak took a shower. His face was slightly swollen, but not significantly. However, things might be different when he woke up the next morning. Sometimes the swelling increased a day later. Thanks to the headgear, there were no major injuries.
Yu Jung-ak came out of the gym after showering. His hair was wet. As he exited, a familiar woman was standing in front of him.
A woman who could pass for someone in her late twenties.
It was Yu Jung-ak's mother, Cho Yong-hee. Behind Cho Yong-hee, Cho Yong-il and Cho Yun-mi were giggling.
'Traitors!'
Yu Jung-ak's expression turned to horror. He looked around for a place to escape. But Cho Yong-hee approached him with open arms, whimpering.
Yu Jung-ak froze and hugged Cho Yong-hee. She caressed her son's face while sobbing.
Standing on her tiptoes, Cho Yong-hee hugged Yu Jung-ak's neck and bit his forehead while sniffling.
"Aaargh!"
Yu Jung-ak's scream was heard.
Cho Yong-hee's teeth dug into Yu Jung-ak's skin so hard that he ended up needing three stitches at the hospital.
Cho Yong-hee didn't invite Yu Jung-ak to their home in Seoul. She rented a two-room apartment near Cho Yong-il's gym.
The reason for not inviting him was outrageous.
"Jung-sun is busy trying to get into the science high school these days. Don't come in because you'll ruin the atmosphere. Didn't you want to be independent anyway?"
"I heard he got accepted to the science high school."
"He got in, so there's a lot to prepare from now on. Anyway, don't come home. Understand, big son?"
Cho Yong-hee said this with a smile, but Yu Jung-ak couldn't refuse.
"Does Jung-sun not want to see me?"
"Yeah. I didn't tell him you're alive."
"What?"
"I told him you died. Along with your father."
Yu Jung-ak could feel the deep frustration in Cho Yong-hee's words, despite her smiling. So he didn't ask any more questions.
He feared he might end up with a few more stitch marks on his forehead if he did. It was fortunate enough that she didn't bite off his ear.
Cho Yong-hee had hoped that her son would quit sports and return to a normal life. However, even though Yu Jung-ak's dream of becoming a wrestling gold medalist had vanished, he still wanted to continue with sports. This time, it wasn't wrestling but boxing.
Cho Yong-hee didn't want to talk about it anymore. She knew that no matter what she said, she couldn't break his stubbornness.
If she could have broken his stubbornness, she would have done it four years ago. In some ways, Yu Jung-ak was even more stubborn than Yu Hun-jong.
Cho Yong-hee decided to wait and see what Yu Jung-ak would do for now.
"Take good care of your brother."
"Alright. Don't worry."
"Don't let him do boxing."
"Okay. I don't intend to."
While Cho Yong-il and Cho Yong-hee were talking, Yu Jung-ak was chatting with Cho Yun-mi.
"If you lend it to me, I'll buy you something delicious."
"I don't need that. Just don't say you're going to do boxing. How can you do boxing like this?"
Yu Jung-ak was pretending to be cheerful, but he was feeling down inside. He had truly realized the high wall of striking.
That's why he was borrowing a laptop from Yun-mi. The two-room apartment that Cho Yong-il had temporarily borrowed from an acquaintance was ready for move-in at any time. However, there was no computer, so Yu Jung-ak decided to borrow a laptop from Cho Yun-mi.
It was a pretty white laptop. An expensive brand, Samsung.
As soon as Yu Jung-ak entered the two-room apartment, he started using the internet. He couldn't give up just because wrestling was gone.
He thought that his original goal had just been moved up a bit. So Yu Jung-ak started searching for materials not only on boxing but also on striking.
He began learning basic theories while watching videos. As Yu Jung-ak started to concentrate in earnest, his earlier cheerful demeanor quickly disappeared.
"It's already eight o'clock."
Around 7 PM, Cho Yong-il had told him to come out for dinner, but Yu Jung-ak said he was tired and would just rest.
Yu Jung-ak opened the refrigerator in the two-room apartment. It was empty. Thinking about it, he hadn't properly prepared anything from morning when he arrived in Korea until evening.
Yu Jung-ak thought he should buy something to eat and searched for a nearby mart. He planned to buy basic household items and food at the mart.
Yu Jung-ak was quite skilled in this aspect. He had stayed in much worse conditions in the mountains.
Now, he could buy anything with money. Nothing was more comfortable for Yu Jung-ak. Plus, he didn't need to start a fire. There was a very useful tool called an electric stove.
Yu Jung-ak carefully shopped for Korean beef, pork, chicken breast, and various salads. He didn't forget to buy a frying pan, chopsticks, bowls, and cups. With his hands full of groceries, Yu Jung-ak looked at his reflection in the mart window.
His clothes were shabby, and above all, his hair was neither long nor short, just an awkward bob.
'I can't believe I've been walking around with this hair.'
Yu Jung-ak thought he should visit a hair salon tomorrow. He left the mart and headed home.
Although the way was a bit confusing, Yu Jung-ak managed to find his way home quite well.
==
"Hey! Hey!"
Cho Yong-il woke up Yu Jung-ak, who was still sleeping as it approached noon.
"You say you lived in the mountains, but you're sleeping like this? Hey! Aren't you getting up?"
"Ah. Uncle."
"Why aren't you answering your phone? Your mom called, so I came looking for you. Answer your phone sometimes. Get your act together. I know you're shocked that wrestling is gone, but this isn't the way. I brought some sushi, so eat it. I have work to do, so I'm leaving first. Come to the gym later or something."
"Okay."
Cho Yong-il put the food on the table and left.
Yu Jung-ak ate the sushi that Cho Yong-il had brought. Since Yu Jung-ak didn't eat much rice, he picked at a few pieces and then removed the rice to eat only the fish. Having grown accustomed to a low-sodium diet from living in the mountains, the taste was quite stimulating for Yu Jung-ak.
Even while eating, Yu Jung-ak started rewatching match videos. He was serious. He watched not only boxing matches, but also kickboxing and mixed martial arts. He even joined combat sports communities to look up things he was curious about.
Bzzt. Bzzt.
Yu Jung-ak's smartphone, set to vibrate, rang. It was his uncle, Cho Yong-il, telling him to come outside.
"Where are we going?"
"Just get in."
Yu Jung-ak got into the passenger seat.
"Nice car. Uncle, since when did you have so much money?"
"I've always had money, kid."
"But where are we going?"
"Don't think about doing boxing."
"I won't ask you to teach me."
"What are you going to do with the wrestling you learned?"
"I'll use that later."
"You want to do MMA?"
"Yes."
"If you learn boxing first, it'll be too late. Just start by jumping in from the beginning."
"If I start without knowing anything about striking, I might get hurt badly."
"You don't like losing, do you?"
Cho Yong-il was talking to Yu Jung-ak while skillfully driving.
"I don't like doing it unprepared."
"That's why I'm telling you to start with MMA where you can use your advantages."
"But there's too much to learn in that."
"That's the charm of MMA. You need to know how to do everything. But you don't need to be good at everything. In MMA, even if you have a really weak area, you can cover it if you have a strong area. Your wrestling is top-notch, isn't it?"
"Why are you suddenly complimenting me?"
"That's why you should go into MMA."
"Uncle, are you interested in that these days?"
"While you were in the mountains, I invested a bit in that area. I don't teach directly, but I run a team. It's called Team Silence."
"Silence? Is that named after you, Uncle? Hahaha!"
"Stop laughing, kid. Are you interested? Boxing is a field where you have to start from scratch, but MMA is a bit different."
"I've looked into MMA too, but it seems quite different from wrestling."
"Of course, kid. The rules are different. And the wrestling techniques used there have been modified and changed to fit MMA. You'll need to relearn those aspects too."
"Jiu-jitsu is complicated too."
"That's true."
"Not to mention striking."
"So you're saying you won't do it?"
"I want to. But there are no medals there. I wanted to... hang a gold medal."
"You mean you wanted to hang it?"
"For my father."
"Ah... you're being so dramatic. So you're determined to do boxing?"
"Do you think I should go into MMA, Uncle?"
"I've been saying that all along. Use your strengths. If you go into MMA, I can introduce you to the team. But the team members are a bit picky. When they see you, they might say you're parachuted in or whatever. So you'll have to prove yourself."
"I'll give it a try."
"The hazing won't be easy."
Cho Yong-il parked the car at the Silence Wellness Center on the outskirts of Incheon. This was a place with a diet training camp, and the building was quite large. Inside, there were hotel-grade accommodations and even a spacious area for running.
Of course, inside there were various exercise equipment. From a climbing area to a dedicated combat training space with a ring and octagon. Silence's athletes would come here to train and get in shape when they had upcoming matches.
"Wow. Is all this yours, Uncle?"
"Stop talking nonsense and follow me, kid."
As Cho Yong-il arrived, staff at the reception desk came out to greet him.
"By the way, you need to cut your hair."
"I was planning to do that anyway."
Cho Yong-il took Yu Jung-ak to the training area reserved for Silence athletes. Many athletes were already there training.
"Oh, Director, you're here."
A stocky middle-aged man about 170cm tall greeted Cho Yong-il respectfully.
"Oh, Coach Yoon."
"And who's this?"
"He's my nephew."
"Oh, I didn't know you had such a nephew, Director."
"There are circumstances. Coach Yoon, can I talk to you for a moment? Hey, you stay right here and look around."
"Yes."
Cho Yong-il took Coach Yoon to a corner.
"How are the kids these days?"
"They're training well."
"I heard rumors that they've lost their edge."
"Ah, that's not true, Director. Look at the kids. There's a real fire in their eyes."
"Anyway, prepare well for Cheongyong's match this time. We must bring back the belt. I can't stand seeing that bastard Oh strutting around."
"You know, we lost last time because of that ridiculous decision. This time, we'll end it before it goes to the judges."
"Anyway, Jun-jae and Hwan-seon don't have any matches, right?"
"Not yet. But it's about time we hear from Spirit."
"That kid over there is my nephew. I'd like Jun-jae and Hwan-seon to train him intensively. Jun-jae for jiu-jitsu and ground game, Hwan-seon for striking."
"Can't you teach striking yourself, Director?"
"He needs to develop a sense for MMA striking. It's different from boxing, you know."
"You know how to do everything, so why are you like this?"
"Kid, I'm turning fifty the day after tomorrow."
"Come on, you're still young."
"Anyway, can you do it or not?"
"It's not possible. Why would Jun-jae and Hwan-seon teach some stranger? It's a waste of their time unless they have something to learn from it."
"I guess so?"
"That's right."
"But that kid is a headache. He looks down on MMA."
"What?"
"I brought him here because he kept pestering me... Does he think MMA is something anyone can just jump into?"
"Of course not!"
Yoon Chang-seon flared up. Cho Yong-il nodded.
"So, is there a way to wake him up?"
"You mean, make him drop out on his own?"
"Yeah. That way, I can save face too. If he can't handle the training, what can I do, right?"
"Are you just saying this?"
"If you can make him drop out, I'll treat everyone to dinner."
"Just dinner?"
"Okay, I'll even pay for a training camp. That resort in Namhae? Didn't you say you wanted to go there? Let's go to that hotel. How about it? This kid is giving me a headache, Coach Yoon."
"It's a deal!"
"Alright, but if you can't make him quit, you'll have to pair him up with the kids like I said. Jun-jae and Hwan-seon. Oh right, So-hee too."
"Why So-hee?"
"So-hee's good at kicks, at least. I need to have something to say too."
"Understood. But do we not need Young-tae?"
Kim Young-tae was the best wrestler in Team Silence.
"Young-tae... he's fine."
"Then I'll go talk to the kids."
Cho Yong-il went to Yu Jung-ak and explained the situation. Of course, what he told him was slightly different from what he told Yoon Chang-seon.
He told him to win no matter what. If he failed the test, MMA would be out of the question. Hearing Cho Yong-il's words, Yu Jung-ak quietly started warming up.
The challenge was hellish endurance training.
It was a training method used to boost the athletes' stamina, something a beginner could never keep up with.
An exercise regime based on the physical training of Olympic national team athletes.
It was said that even one set would make your legs shake. Thirty minutes of continuous training without a single break.
Yoon Chang-seon was gathering the athletes. They seemed to have heard something, as they were snickering among themselves.
"You've heard roughly how this goes, right? Just follow the training well. Due to the cold weather today, we'll skip the running. This is basic endurance training, so just follow along well. Start!"
With Yoon Chang-seon's command, the athletes simultaneously began doing jumping jacks.
Cho Yong-il smiled as he watched the athletes. Yu Jung-ak was following the athletes' movements with a puzzled expression. He seemed relaxed.
'Coach Yoon, you're going to be embarrassed when this bet is over.'
Cho Yong-il already knew who would win this bet.