Chapter 43: Chapter 44: Am I Really Fighting Against Eun-Soon? (Part 2)
Evening.
I was sitting in a café with Jia and Ji-hyun. We had nothing else to do so we’ve been basically sitting here pretty much all day.
“Just as I thought, cafes are the best place to be in,” Jia said, sucking her blueberry yogurt smoothie through a straw.
“You need to stir that more,” I said, reaching over to stir it for here. There. Much better.
“Hey, Sian,” Ji-hyun said.
“Yeah?” I replied.
At some point, I started to speak more casually to her. She’s only a year older than me, and that’s just in terms of our physical bodies. My true soul is thirty years old. Why should I have to bow down to these children?
“Are you really going to have a match with Eun-soon?”
“Jinwoo will let me after a few more discussions.”
“Jinwoo Park?”
“Yep,” I replied with a nod. He’ll probably let me know by this weekend.
Suddenly, my phone rang.
“It’s Jinwoo.”
I picked up the call.
-Hello?
-Hi, Sian. Are you busy?
-No. I’m just hanging out at a café.
-Oh really? Which one?
-The one near the agency. Café Gaene.
-Oh, okay. Is it Gae or Ga?
-Not Ga. But these flowers sure are gay.
-The flowers are what?
I guess Jinwoo didn’t get my pun.
-I just meant, the one with the pretty flowers.
-Oh. So not Gane. You’re at Gaene. Got it.
-Yep.
-I’ll be right there. I have something to tell you.
-What’s it about?
-It’s about your match with Eun-soon.
-Okay. We’ll be waiting. Oh, you’re also going to treat us, right?
-You know my card broke.
Bastard.
-Right.
-If you win, I’ll buy you dinner.
-Okay~
I’ll definitely win the match so I better start looking up restaurants now.
“What did Jinwoo say?” Jia asked.
“He’s coming here. He has something to tell me about the match with Eun-soon.”
“Oh, then…should we leave? Are we allowed to stay?”
“Just stay. It’s not like it’s a secret.”
“True.”
Ji-hyun and Jia stayed and we continued to chat. It wasn’t really anything important. First, we’d talk about this and that and then we’d be talking about something else or the other. Then back to this and that. Just basic stuff.
We didn’t stop talking until Jinwoo showed up.
“Hi guys,” Jinwoo said, giving us a hearty wave. Just like a puppy who saw his long-time owner.
“Hello, Sir.” We all greeted with a smile. He is our company executive, after all. It was important to stay on his good side.
“It’s okay if we stay, right?” Jia asked with a cute pout. Jinwoo’s permission was inevitable.
“Of course.”
Jinwoo took the seat across from me.
“What’s up?”
“About your match with Eun-soon.”
“Yeah?” I answered with a nod. That’s what he mentioned on the phone, no? Had something gone wrong?
“The match will be next week.”
“Really?”
I tilted my head. Hadn’t he said earlier that he’d have to have more meetings to discuss this with some other executives? How has he made a decision already?
“The executives decided to do it right away and the higher-ups at mu-music studio also made their decision very quickly. They’re all for it.”
“Oh wow.”
I knew it. They’d be stupid and blind to miss all of the comments saying that they wanted to see the match. Even if they hadn’t, I’m sure they would hear about it from somewhere else.
“Next week when?”
“Next Sunday at 8PM,” Jinwoo said with a blank expression.
“That’s plenty of time. What about the audition? I still have to do that as well.”
“We’re going to turn it into a special about you. The rest of the members will get some time off and will be filmed alongside with you as you prepare.”
From that, both Jia and Ji-hyun’s faces brightened considerably. They’ve been so stressed with the program, and now they have almost two weeks of vacation. Who wouldn’t want that?
“The details of the match will be released soon. When that happens, the response will be massive. Everyone will start commenting, analyzing and placing bets. Don’t be pressured by any of that though. Even if you lose, it doesn’t matter. You’re a girl-group member, not an MMA fighter.”
“Yes sir.”
Like hell would I lose.
“I’m going to find you a coach so get some rest until then.”
“I don’t need a coach.”
“Still, you should have one. Even if you lose, it’s important to do it in a way so you don’t get hurt too badly.”
“….”
The conversation with Jinwoo ended there. The next day, Jinwoo really did get me a coach. Jong-woo Lee, a former competitor who had retired after winning the championship at the KJOBBAB championship last year.
***
The next day, I went to an MMA gym.
I stood in front of Jong-woo.
“Nice to meet you, Sian.”
“Hello.”
Jong-woo stuck out his hand and I shook it.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’ve seen you on TV a lot.”
“Thank you.”
“Uh, right.”
The smile was immediately wiped off of Jong-woo’s face. He had probably expected something along the lines of “It’s an honor to meet a champion such as yourself…” or something along those lines. So I added, “It’s also an honor for me to meet a long-time KJOBBAB champion such as yourself.”
“Oh…well, a long-time champion…I guess I did hold my own for quite some time.”
Jong-woo bragged with a smile. Knew it.
“I saw your dancing and the video of you fighting. You do have some ways with martial arts.”
“Thank you.”
“But can I be honest with you?”
“Sure,” I said.
“To be honest, you’re good at fighting…but you’re not very good at fighting efficiently.”
“Oh?”
“From what I’ve seen in the video, an athlete like Eun-soon will be able to knock you out within seconds.”
“Oh yeah?”
“And I feel like the only reason you were really able to win was because those four men were drunk. Your skills are…can I say uh…that of an amateur. At least, that’s my honest opinion.”
“Hehe.”
I probably looked slightly offended. Who does this guy think he is? He thought he was all that just because he was some sort of champion. Looks like I was really going to have to show him.
“I’m going to have to see your skills for myself. So…hey, Hyunsoo.”
Jong-woo suddenly called a guy named Hyunsoo over, and the guy ran over quickly. He was tall and fairly lean, but you could tell he had some muscle on him.
“Yes, grandmaster?”
“I want you to spar with Sian to determine what level she’s at. I have to do something real quick, but I’ll be back soon, okay?”
“Yes, sir!” Hyunsoo answered loudly.
“Sian, I’ll be right back, okay? Just let Hyunsoo see your skills and then we can get started.”
“Okay,” I replied with a nod. And with that, Jong-woo left.
“Let’s go into the fighting cage,” Hyunwoo suggested.
“Okay,” I answered with a smile.
My hands were tingling, itching for a fight. I’d get him first, then Jong-woo. That bastard Jong-woo was dead meat.
***
We walked into the fighting cage. It was pretty wide.
“Here, put on these gloves.”
I put on the MMA gloves. They were thicker than I had expected. They look much thinner on TV. If they’re this thick, then they won’t have much of an impact when I hit my opponent…that was my biggest concern.
“Have you ever watched an MMA fight?”
“Of course.”
I have, but honestly, I didn’t like them. It was just a bunch of guys rolling around together…ugh…just the thought of it made me angry.
“You know the rules right?”
“Yes, I do.”
Not that there’s many of them.
“Okay, then I’m going to start by figuring out which level you are. Once we know that, the grandmaster will know which moves to teach you to dodge the blows.”
“I’m not going to learn how to fight?”
“Hehe…well…won’t that be more difficult? Trust me. Even if you get just one blow in, it’s a good thing. The important thing is to get you out of there with the least amount of injuries as possible. President Park is especially worried that you might get hit in the face.”
“Hahaha.”
Are these guys trying to make my blood boil? Well whatever. I’ll show them.
“Okay then, you can just come at me as much as you want.”
“As much as I want?”
“Yep. As much as you want,” Hyunsoo repeated with a nod.
“Okay then. I won’t hold back.”
I clenched my hand into fists. Suddenly, Hyunsoo gave my hands a slight push. In a serious voice he said, “You’re taking too long.”
“Fine then.”
Bam!
Hyunsoo took a high kick to the chin and was out within seconds. I didn’t even have time to beat him properly.
****
“Ugh.”
Well, this sucked. Only one high kick and the guy was out. That’s no fun.
“Why is he so weak?”
I poked the guy’s body with my foot, but he didn’t get up or even move. After a thorough scan, I could at least tell he wasn’t dead. He only passed out, is all. So I walked over to the water machine and got a cup of warm water…
“Rude.”
I filled the cup again, this time with cold water. I walked back to Hyunsoo and dumped it over his face.
Splash.
“Pwah! Pwah!”
The guy immediately sat up, choking out the water that had gone into his nose. He gave his head a fierce shake before looking up at me.
“What…what happened…?”
“Hurry and get up so we can go again.”
I dragged him up to his feet. Jesus, what a weakling.
“Did…Did I just…pass out after you kicked me?” Hyunsoo asked.
Judging by his face, he clearly still didn’t believe what was happening. Then again, it was probably the last thing he had expected.
“What? Did you think you just passed out on your own?”
“N-no…but…how…”
“Alright, here I go.”
I gave a right hook and Hyunsoo tried to block it with both his hands. But my fist went past his hands and caught him on the left side of his jaw.
Wham!
Thud.
And just like that, Hyunsoo was down again.
“Come on. Why are you so weak?”
I was seriously about to lose it because I was so irritated. And just then, Jong-woo walked into the gym. He had something in his hands, which I guessed was food.
“Huh?”
He looked inside the café and frowned in confusion. Most likely because Hyunsoo was out cold on the ground. He placed the plastic bags of food on the table and walked into the cage.
“Uh…Sian, what happened?”
Jong-woo got down and began to examine Hyunsoo himself, tilting his head this way and that in wonder.
“Why is the left side of his jaw so swollen…and his right cheek…”
I shrugged and tried to look innocent. If he knew it was me, he might not spar me. I mean, even if I did tell him it was me, he wouldn’t believe me anyway.
“Had it always been this swollen…? No…have I never noticed it before? Now I feel bad,” Jong-woo continued to mutter to himself.
“He just fainted. I’m sure he’ll come around,” I said.
“Right.” Jong-woo agreed with a nod. He carried Hyunsoo out of the cage and laid him down on a sofa nearby. Then, he came back in.
“But why did Hyunsoo pass out?”
And now he asks me.
“We just bumped into each other slightly, but I guess it was at the wrong angle. He just passed out afterwards.”
“He passed out after just bumping into you?”
Jong-woo was definitely confused right now. But just then, Hyunsoo woke up. He sat straight up and looked right at us. The moment his eyes met with mine, he began to visibly shake.
“Hyunsoo, are you okay?” Jong-woo called out from the cage. Suddenly, Hyunsoo began to approach – well more like, crawl – towards the café.
‘What’s he doing?’
I watched him carefully. He eventually crawled right up to the cage, put his hands on the chain links, and began to call out to Jong-woo. Jong-woo walked up to him and leaned down so that Hyunsoo could talk into his ear….and the two began to whisper.
“Grand…Grandmaster…”
“Yeah, Hyunsoo, what is it?”
“You…you have to get out of here.”
“What?”
“Hurry…run…away…far away…argh!”
Thud.
And just like that, Hyunsoo was out again. Jong-woo shook his head once more.
“What is he talking about?”
“What did he say?” I asked, as if I hadn’t just heard every word.
“He told me to run away.”
“From what?”
Jong-woo shrugged. He must really be an idiot. Of course, Hyunsoo was talking about me you dumbass. You couldn’t even guess that? Eh, what am I complaining for? This is good for me.
“I guess Hyunsoo is just tired. We’ll leave him for now. Let’s spar,” I said, stretching out my shoulders. I’m guessing Jong-woo would last longer at the very least. He was a champion, after all.
“Okay. I’ll go easy on you.”
Jong-woo took off his gloves and began to stretch. He looked at me and gave me an indulgent smile.
“Just come at me whenever you want. Give me all you got. That’s how I’ll know what level you’re at.”
He continued to stretch, but it was clear that he didn’t feel very serious about this. By the looks of it, he figured he’d just have some fun with a pretty young girl.
“Can I take off my gloves?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t matter. You can take them off.”
I took them off, then smiled.
“I’ll start now.”
“Okay.”
Jong-woo gestured towards me with a wide grin. His form wasn’t even correct, which proved my earlier thoughts that he wasn’t serious about this. I feinted with a hook with my left, then threw a punch with my right to the side of his face.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking rang throughout the gymnasium. My hands also started to tingle from the satisfaction of the fight.
