After checking the profile Bang Yong-pal sent via email, it was indeed Rumsak Noi. Cho Yong-il saw this as an opportunity and decided to bring him to Korea a day earlier. Fortunately, since the previous owner who had Rumsak Noi had already made arrangements, bringing him to Korea wasn't too difficult. Cho Yong-il hired Rumsak Noi as a professional and granted him a visa. Then, he negotiated salary conditions with Rumsak Noi over the phone.
Cho Yong-il decided to give Rumsak Noi the best treatment possible. Not only did he prepare accommodations at the center, but he also offered the best salary conditions. Rumsak Noi was naturally pleased. The amount Cho Yong-il guaranteed was several times more than what he had been receiving before. It wasn't just several times more. When calculating the exchange rate, it was more than 10 times the amount. After all, Cho Yong-il hired Rumsak Noi under the same conditions as the trainers working at the center.
"Learn Rumsak Noi's techniques well. It will really help a lot."
"But will we be able to communicate? Is there someone who speaks Thai?"
"Don't worry. Rumsak Noi worked under a Korean before, so he can speak some Korean. And he's also proficient in English. Yoon Coach also speaks some English, and we have Angela too, so it should be fine."
"If he speaks English, that's a relief. We'll be able to communicate then."
"You talk like you speak English well."
"I do speak English well. When I was in the Philippines, I conversed with the neighbors in English."
"You've become quite the liar since coming to Korea. You said you were in the mountains."
"There are many people living in houses built on the mountains in that neighborhood. Most of them speak English well too. My father said it would be good to learn English for future international competitions, so I learned a lot. I can communicate most things."
"You really can speak it?"
"Yes. I've been learning English since I started wrestling. Why are you suddenly making a big deal out of it? I've been going to academies since I was young. I learned by myself when I went to the mountains. Want me to speak English?"
"No, it's fine if you can do it. That's good. Learn Rumsak's techniques well."
"But will it be okay?"
"What will be okay?"
"Isn't your center already fully staffed, Uncle? Won't it be a big loss to give Rumsak Noi such a high salary?"
"I'll take care of that. And I have money to use for that friend. How pitiful. He's been out of work for about three months in Thailand already, it's heartbreaking."
Rumsak Noi had been unemployed for three months due to his Korean boss collapsing. The boss had given him severance pay and came to Korea, but he was still worried about Rumsak Noi, which led him to ask even Bang Yong-pal for help.
"I don't know why such an excellent fighter is receiving that kind of treatment from the promoter."
"Indeed."
Cho Yong-il parked the car in the airport parking lot and went out to greet Rumsak Noi. Yu Jung-ak held the pre-prepared placard.
Soon after, people started coming out, and a man with a dark complexion and a height of about 170cm appeared. He was dressed simply and didn't have much luggage. Upon closer inspection, he had a face as handsome as an actor's. It was Rumsak Noi, looking almost exactly like his photo.
"Rumsak Noi!"
Yu Jung-ak shouted, waving the placard. Rumsak Noi approached with a smile. He had a bandage on his left hand. Cho Yong-il first got Rumsak Noi into the car.
"What happened to your arm?"
Cho Yong-il asked while driving. Rumsak Noi, sitting in the back seat, was quiet. He seemed a bit intimidated.
"I got hurt while working."
Rumsak Noi answered in Korean with a slightly awkward pronunciation, but he spoke clearly. As they had heard, he seemed to be able to speak Korean to some extent.
"What kind of work?"
"Building houses."
Rumsak Noi said, mimicking the action of using a pickaxe. Unlike his appearance, he was a cheerful person. He thanked them several times for allowing him to come to Korea.
After lunch, Cho Yong-il introduced Rumsak Noi to the team members. After showing him the structure of the center, he told him to rest for a day, but Rumsak Noi came to the training ground, saying he could work if possible. Cho Yong-il didn't specifically tell Rumsak Noi what to do.
Since he wasn't instructed to train anyone, Rumsak Noi just watched quietly. He approached Yu Jung-ak and asked if he could use the hand wraps set aside in one corner.
"Yes, you can use these."
"Thank you."
"You can speak casually to me."
Yu Jung-ak said to Rumsak Noi. However, Rumsak Noi didn't understand that. Yu Jung-ak explained to Rumsak Noi in English, and Rumsak Noi nodded. Rumsak Noi sat in one corner of the training ground and quietly wrapped his hands. Then he put on the gloves Yu Jung-ak brought him.
Rumsak Noi wasn't wearing Muay Thai trunks. He was in light training clothes, wearing a black short-sleeved t-shirt on top.
With his gloves on, he quietly approached the sandbag in the corner. Then he started hitting the sandbag.
Bang!
With just one middle kick, everyone in the training ground turned their attention to Rumsak Noi.
It was an intense sound that made it seem like the sandbag might burst. After throwing one middle kick, Rumsak Noi looked at the sandbag and moved his body here and there. He seemed to be warming up in his own way, rotating his ankles and hands.
Bang! Bang!
A left middle kick followed by a right middle kick. It was a clean and powerful kick combination. When watching the videos, it seemed like he wasn't that powerful because he was sparring as if in a real match, but it was beyond imagination.
Rumsak Noi's kicks were still alive. Rumsak Noi was hitting the sandbag, unaware that others were watching him.
After throwing a few middle kicks, Rumsak Noi now started hitting the sandbag with his elbows. The sandbag swung greatly, making a clanging sound. Seeing this, Yu Jung-ak went to the opposite side of Rumsak Noi and held the sandbag.
Rumsak Noi grinned and nodded, then started hitting the sandbag in earnest, mixing punches and knee kicks.
The cheerful sound of strikes echoed through the training ground for a while. Cho Yong-il watched from the office and grinned.
Then he called Bang Yong-pal.
[Yes, senior.]
[So, did you bring that friend well?]
[Yes. He has a better impression than I thought and speaks Korean well.]
[Good. Thank you, Junior Cho. I'm planning to clean up all those guys who treat me like a big brother this time. How come not even one of those bad guys offered even a word of comfort?]
[Come on, senior. You know this industry doesn't make money. Everyone's struggling, that's why.]
[Still, how can they be so cold? Anyway, consider it as saving one life, and take good care of him, Junior Cho.]
[I'm more grateful. For giving me such an excellent coach. But do we not need to tell him?]
[Ah, right. Don't tell that Rumsak or whatever his name is that my friend has cancer and is dying soon. He insisted so much. Said he'd be heartbroken if he knew he was dying. He told me not to say it. Said he has a bright future ahead.]
[Is that okay?]
[Just tell him he came to Korea after closing his business due to circumstances. Say you don't know his contact information. He'll understand.]
[Yes, I understand.]
[Alright, Junior Cho, I'll call you again. I'll buy you a strong drink.]
[Yes. Take care, senior.]
After hanging up the phone, he looked outside and saw a few Silence team members gathered around Rumsak Noi. Rumsak Noi was already teaching them elbow techniques. Rumsak Noi was explaining while demonstrating the posture, and the team members were nodding and following along.
It had been a month since Yu Jung-ak took charge of Yoon Ji-yun's training. During that time, Yoon Ji-yun had changed unrecognizably. Overall, her body had become more toned, her waistline had become slimmer, while her hips had become firmer. Her thighs had become slightly thicker, but that actually made Yoon Ji-yun look more voluminous.
Yoon Ji-yun's current weight was 52kg.
They had said there would be no weight change for a month, but she had lost a whopping 3kg in a month. Of course, the agency was pleased. Yoon Ji-yun had hit a rough patch around the second week, but Yu Jung-ak sensibly provided chicken as a late-night snack, helping her overcome the difficult time.
Yu Jung-ak had passed the chicken through the manager, and even after enjoying the delicious chicken, Yoon Ji-yun didn't suffer from the yo-yo effect.
Having overcome the rough patch, Yoon Ji-yun was happily carrying out her schedule. As always, Yu Jung-ak was overseeing Yoon Ji-yun's stretching.
"After today's running, it's weight training, but could you spare some time?"
Yoon Ji-yun asked.
"Do you have something going on?"
"I want to meet my friends for lunch. It's been a while since I've seen them."
Yoon Ji-yun said with a bright smile.
"Can't you see them in the evening?"
"Well..."
"Ah. You want to hang out from lunch to dinner? So you're saying you want to skip the whole day?"
"I promise I'll work really hard from tomorrow."
Yoon Ji-yun said, grabbing Yu Jung-ak's hand.
"What did your manager say?"
"He said it's okay if the trainer allows it. Really. I'll play just for today and work hard again from tomorrow. And I'll buy you a meal too, trainer."
"I have money to buy my own meals."
"Then how about a drink?"
"I don't like alcohol."
"Then how about watching a movie?"
"A movie does sound a bit tempting."
"So please, just for today."
"You might experience a yo-yo effect if you eat recklessly. We're only halfway there, and you're already trying to cheat. Meet them in the evening."
Yu Jung-ak said coldly and turned around. Then Yoon Ji-yun made a cute frown and said,
"Hey! Yu Jung-ak!"
"Yes?"
"You're a year younger than me, aren't you? Are you not going to listen to your noona?"
Yoon Ji-yun glared at Yu Jung-ak with an angry face. Yu Jung-ak stared at her blankly, dumbfounded.
"Then go ahead."
"Really?"
"But I quit."
"What?"
"I can't continue working if I have to hear such rude comments from a member just because I didn't let them go out."
"No, that's not... I was half-joking..."
"Anyway, I quit as of today."
"No... wait. This isn't right, is it?"
As Yu Jung-ak turned around, Yoon Ji-yun grabbed him. Yu Jung-ak, who had turned around, was giggling. Because he had spoken so seriously, Yoon Ji-yun, who had been fooled for a moment, shouted "Ah!" in surprise.
"Then have fun."
Yu Jung-ak made a sly expression and quickly went outside.
Returning to the training ground, Yu Jung-ak first put on his gloves and ankle guards. Originally, he used to wear shin guards as well, but since Rumsak Noi arrived, he stopped wearing them. According to Rumsak Noi, ankles need to be trained from a young age to avoid injury easily, but shins can be trained later without getting injured easily.
The training methods of Muay Thai fighters were known to be harsh. They would kick trees to toughen their shins, and even rub bottles against their shins. If you try it yourself, you'd realize how reckless these training methods are.
The bodies of Muay Thai fighters trained in this way were almost like weapons. However, among modern MMA fighters, there were hardly any who trained in this way. The reason was that bodies trained in such harsh ways deteriorate just as quickly.
Rumsak Noi had no intention of sticking to Muay Thai training methods. MMA fighters had their own training methods.
However, since Yu Jung-ak wanted to learn Muay Thai's close-range strikes, Rumsak Noi was applying some Muay Thai training methods to Yu Jung-ak.
Among these, the method Yu Jung-ak was most focused on recently was hitting the mitts. As taught by Rumsak Noi, Yu Jung-ak was improving his strikes by mixing elbows, knees, and kicks evenly. Rumsak Noi's training method was simple.
His training method was to repeat hitting the mitts to the point of boredom. Rumsak Noi didn't explain verbally but corrected Yu Jung-ak's techniques while holding the mitts. It might look easy, but this was actually an extremely difficult skill.
Thanks to this, Yu Jung-ak's kicks were becoming more and more precise. Especially his middle kicks and low kicks, which he didn't have before, were becoming powerful.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It was a refreshing combination of throwing a one-two punch followed by a left middle kick. Yu Jung-ak was about to continue while sweating, but Rumsak Noi lowered his arm.
"Jung-ak. No punch. Use elbow. Elbow much stronger than punch. More efficient."
"But you have to be close to hit with the elbow, right?"
"Can hit with elbow from far too. If far, pound with kick. If close, cut with elbow."
Rumsak Noi's words were true. There were guards on the fists, but none on the elbows. Moreover, the elbow was one of the hardest parts of the human body. Its destructive power was much stronger than a fist. The problem was that elbow techniques were not as easy to learn as punching.
The elbow techniques wielded by Muay Thai fighters might look easy to imitate, but they're incredibly difficult to use properly. Even boxing techniques require countless practice sessions to properly transfer power. But elbows are even more difficult than that. It takes a considerable amount of practice to properly transfer power.
Bang! Bang!
Yu Jung-ak was learning various elbow techniques from Rumsak Noi, excluding the vertical elbow which is prohibited in MMA. Recently, he had learned the back spin elbow technique, and Rumsak Noi would sometimes change direction again from that position to extend his elbow.
It was a movement close to artistry, but Rumsak Noi performed the technique with precise movements every time, as if throwing a jab.
Because Yoon Ji-yun's schedule had been canceled, Yu Jung-ak continued hitting the mitts even after lunch. Rumsak Noi said that one should be able to react immediately even if the mitt moves just slightly. In other words, Yu Jung-ak's current speed of hitting the mitts should be at least twice as fast. It was unclear when that would be possible, but Yu Jung-ak honed his skills as Rumsak Noi instructed.
Around evening, Cho Yong-il called Yu Jung-ak and Rumsak Noi.
"Your fight isn't getting scheduled. Aren't you worried about becoming unemployed?"
"Are you mocking me?"
"Hey, is that how you talk to your uncle? Anyway, since you're learning well from Rumsak, how about entering a striking competition?"
"Striking?"
"You know World One, right?"
"You mean W-1? Didn't that go bankrupt?"
"It didn't go bankrupt. After a period of turmoil, a Japanese conglomerate acquired it and has been steadily holding events. Now it's mainly focused on lightweight divisions."
"You want me to compete there?"
"They're holding a 70kg Korean tournament. It's a one-day tournament with terrestrial TV broadcast. Plus, the prize money for the winner is 100 million won. They're paying appearance fees and fight money separately, so it's a huge event."
"Is there such a big prize money for a Korean tournament?"
"Seems like a pretty big domestic sponsor has joined. Senior Bang Yong-pal said there's one spot left and asked if you'd like to join."
"But it's a striking tournament, and if it's such a big event, there will be many skilled fighters participating."
"So you don't want to?"
"I'm not sure. Honestly, striking and MMA are quite different, aren't they?"
"They are different, indeed."
"When is it held?"
"Two months from now."
"Do it, Jung-ak. In two months, you can win," Rumsak Noi, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke.
"Is it possible?"
"Absolutely. You have talent. Give it a try."
Rumsak Noi said with a grin.