[Please save me.]
It had been a week since the program started. The well-raised Yoon Ji-yun was half-tired of Yu Jung-ak's style of making people nervous while smiling. Yoon Ji-yun approached the program with a sharp mind, and her weight was dropping much faster than expected.
Yoon Ji-yun's food intake had increased. However, her weight had dropped by 1kg. After just a week, her jawline had become sharper than before, and her features had improved. Naturally, the agency was pleased. Her manager, Koo Jin-seo, was also very happy. Everyone except Yoon Ji-yun.
"Okay. Stretching is over, so get on the cycle. You don't have to go fast, just take it slow."
"The stretching time is too long."
Yoon Ji-yun and Yu Jung-ak had become quite close in a week.
"That's to prevent injuries. Get on the cycle."
Yu Jung-ak watched Yoon Ji-yun get on the cycle and went outside. Outside, Koo Jin-seo was waiting in workout clothes.
"I got a call from the CEO."
"What kind of call?"
"Apparently, Ji-yun sent a text saying 'Please save me.'"
"She doesn't seem bothered at all?"
"She's not showing it, but it must be tough. She's never had such systematic training before. Haha."
"Should we reduce the intensity?"
"No. The CEO said to continue as we have been. He's very satisfied. He mentioned wanting to set up a dinner sometime."
"Is that so? Then I'll continue as we have been. Manager, please let me know if Ji-yun seems to be struggling too much. We can adjust the intensity if needed. She's not experiencing any pain or discomfort, is she?"
"You've designed the program so well, trainer. She's even stopped being groggy in the mornings. Exercise really is the best medicine, I guess."
"That's good to hear. You can go for a meal after she finishes with the cycle."
"But I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"Does Ji-yun only exercise indoors? Doesn't she work out outside?"
"There's light coming in on the first floor, you know."
"Still, I thought she'd do some running outside and such."
"That kind of program is good too. But she's preparing to be a singer, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I deliberately avoided that kind of program to prevent sun damage to her skin. Should I include it?"
"Ah."
Koo Jin-seo nodded in understanding at Yu Jung-ak's words. Yu Jung-ak greeted Koo Jin-seo and headed to the training room. Since taking on Yoon Ji-yun's training, Yu Jung-ak had become much busier than before. Previously, he would have free time from 4 to 5 PM if there was nothing special, but now he had to be devoted to work until late in the evening. This was to ensure he didn't miss his own training while training Yoon Ji-yun.
When Yu Jung-ak entered the training room, Angela greeted him respectfully.
"Is the CEO in?"
"He's inside."
As Yu Jung-ak entered the office, Cho Yong-il was watching match footage on the computer.
"What are you watching?"
"I'm looking for a suitable opponent. But there's no one appropriate."
"If we wait, an offer will come, right?"
"Looking at the level of the CFC guys, they're not opponents you can easily beat. They all have basic striking skills. Their wrestling is solid too. Not to mention their ground game."
"When have I ever fought easy opponents? I know my level is still low. I need to learn steadily."
"Punching alone won't be enough. The era of succeeding in MMA with just one discipline is over. You need to be good at everything."
"I'll fill in the gaps slowly."
Cho Yong-il was about to say something when the phone rang. It was Bang Yong-pal. Cho Yong-il hurried to answer the call.
[Senior, how have you been?]
[Oh, yes. How have you been, junior Cho?]
[I'm doing well. Thank you for taking care of Jung-ak.]
[Yes. I heard he's doing well in his matches. I also received the ginseng you sent with Jung-ak. Why did you send such a thing? Ginseng is hard to come by these days. You should eat it yourself.]
[Haha. I'm still fine.]
[Anyway, I'll enjoy it well.]
[Yes.]
[And send Jung-ak back every weekend.]
[Ah. I'd be happy if you could look after him, but is that okay?]
[I watched his match footage. His hook angle is still a bit off. I need to refine that. And I'll also pass on some left body techniques.]
[Then I'm grateful.]
Cho Yong-il maintained a respectful posture even though it was a phone call with Bang Yong-pal.
[By the way, junior Cho.]
[Yes, senior.]
[I have a somewhat difficult request to make...]
Bang Yong-pal unusually trailed off.
[Please tell me. If it's something I can do, I'll try to resolve it.]
[Well, I have a very close friend who had a big business in Thailand. This friend suddenly received a terminal diagnosis. So he's urgently wrapping up his business and coming back to Korea, but there's one thing that's causing a problem.]
[What is it?]
[This gentleman owned a gym, and there's a coach there who has nowhere to go. He's asking if we can find him a job. I was wondering if you might have any job openings at your center.]
[What did this person do?]
[It's Thailand, so it must be Muay Thai, right?]
[Muay Thai?]
The word Muay Thai struck a chord with Cho Yong-il. Right now, what Yu Jung-ak needed most were standing clinch and mid-range fighting skills like kicks and knee strikes. Moreover, Muay Thai also included elbow techniques allowed in MMA.
[If he was coaching Muay Thai all the way in Thailand, he must be incredibly skilled. Shouldn't I be the one trying to recruit him?]
[But there's a problem. This friend isn't Korean. He's Thai.]
[You mean he's Thai? Why would a Thai person want to come all the way to Korea to work?]
[From what I hear, he's quite renowned in the Muay Thai world. He's been champion many times. But you know how it is. The promoters in Thai Muay Thai are very powerful. If you make one wrong contract, you can't compete or enter a gym for life. This friend got caught up with a bad one and ended up in that situation. My friend took pity on him and kept him around, but once my friend comes to Korea, this guy will be completely unemployed.]
[Hmm...]
[How difficult would it be?]
[Not at all. First, how much are you thinking for his pay?]
[Just pay him as much as the others there get. That should be quite a lot for him. Oh, and you don't need to worry about visa issues and such. My friend said he'd take care of all that.]
[What's this friend's name?]
[It's Rumsak something... Just a moment, where's my notebook?]
[Ah, yes. Rumsak... Noi Yuttakham Thong or something. Anyway, they called him Rumsak. He was born in '78.]
[Rumsak Noi?]
[Yes, Rumsak Noi.]
[Are you talking about Rumsak Noi, the Muay Thai fighter who was Lumpinee champion?]
[That's right. They say he was quite renowned in the Muay Thai world. Almost undefeated, they say. I don't know much about this field. Is it possible?]
[It's possible. Can you send me his profile first?]
[Profile? Alright. I'll ask my friend to send it. So, do you think you can take him on? They say he's a very diligent and kind person.]
[Yes, senior. I'll take him on.]
Cho Yong-il hung up the phone with Bang Yong-pal and immediately started an internet search.
Rumsak Noi.
The search confirmed he was born in '78. Cho Yong-il smiled as he searched.
"What are you smiling about?"
"I think we've struck gold with a striking trainer."
"Who is it?"
"Rumsak Noi, he's almost a legend in Muay Thai. I think it's him. This guy won six weight classes in Lumpinee and was incredible, but he was forced into retirement after being targeted by a promoter. I wondered what he'd been doing since then, and it turns out he was training at a gym run by a Korean."
"Is he that great of a fighter?"
"He's famous for his three-match battle with Singdam, known as the 'Man with the Devil's Left Leg'. Look at his record. 300 fights, 299 wins, 1 loss. Retired at 25."
"Is 300 fights possible at 25?"
"Thai kids start competing from a young age. Want to know something even more interesting? Apart from his one loss to Singdam at 19, he has no other losses. That means from 19 until his retirement, he never lost once. He fought Singdam, the only one to defeat him, two more times and won overwhelmingly both times. He's a monster."
"Is this him?"
Cho Yong-il was playing a video. Although the footage was blurry, it was enough to confirm Rumsak Noi's prowess. The man in the video was truly a monster. He repeatedly kicked above his opponent's guard until eventually, the opponent couldn't raise his arms, and the match ended. He had shattered the opponent's arm with his legs.
"Is this even possible?"
"This isn't Rumsak Noi. This is Singdam, known as the 'Man with the Devil's Left Leg'. He's Rumsak Noi's senior and also a legend."
"Then who's Rumsak Noi?"
"This guy."
Rumsak Noi's fights were different from Singdam's. They seemed as light as sparring. He didn't throw powerful kicks like Singdam, and he didn't seem to have much power.
"He doesn't seem that special."
"Keep watching."
But as they watched more of the fight, something strange happened. Although it didn't seem like he had attacked much, the opponent was gasping for breath and exhausted. Moreover, he was neutralizing all of the opponent's attacks. He wasn't dodging with flashy movements, but rather not giving the opponent any angle to attack. He cunningly stole the timing, preventing the opponent from even attempting to attack. It was an incredible technique.
"Among the legendary Nak Muay, Rumsak Noi is considered to have the highest level of technical skill. As you can see, there's no flashiness. But he always wins in matches."
Cho Yong-il and Yu Jung-ak had already settled in their seats, searching for more videos. There were over dozens of videos related to Rumsak Noi. Five highlight videos alone. This meant that Rumsak Noi was truly an exceptional Nak Muay.
"This is chilling. He fights like he's sparring throughout, then with 1 minute left in the third round, he cuts with an elbow and wins. He deliberately dragged out the time, right? It looks like he was going easy on his opponent the whole time."
"That's right. In Thailand, Muay Thai matches are mainly for gambling. That's why if you win too overwhelmingly in the beginning, the gambling itself can't take place, so they're required to drag out the time until the middle of the second round."
"That's amazing. 300 fights and only 1 loss."
"That's not all. Rumsak Noi moved up six weight classes. It wasn't by his choice. They forced him to move up because the gambling wasn't working out. Look at this."
"Uncle, you're a real expert on Rumsak Noi."
"There was a time when I was deeply into Muay Thai."
"Why?"
"When my fist was broken, I wanted to do a sport that I could still do with a broken fist. Naturally, I became interested in Muay Thai. You know, in Muay Thai, elbow techniques are used more than fist techniques."
Cho Yong-il had suffered a hand injury just before his professional debut. After that, he gave up his dream of a pro debut and focused on training juniors. As Bang Yong-pal said, if Cho Yong-il's fist hadn't been broken, he might have made a name for himself in Korean professional boxing history. That's how strong Cho Yong-il was.
"This is against a Japanese fighter, right?"
"The dream of Japanese stand-up fighting organizations was to beat Lumpinee fighters. That dream is still ongoing. But you know how dirty the Japanese are? They invited Rumsak Noi for a big sum and matched him against a fighter who was 10 kilos heavier than him."
"His body is definitely bigger."
"But watch this."
The fight was brutal. The Japanese kickboxer, 10 kilos heavier, was beaten and knocked down as if he was being toyed with by Rumsak Noi. After being knocked down three times, the towel was thrown in. Rumsak Noi was unscathed, while the Japanese fighter collapsed on the spot. He suffered severe injuries including a gash on his forehead and a broken nose.
"Wow."
"This is Rumsak Noi's real ability."
"So you're saying we're bringing in this Rumsak Noi?"
"Probably. If my guess is correct, that's what's happening."