He felt an overwhelming pressure that made it hard to breathe.
At the same time, he remembered the countless days he had sparred with him.
He had fought him many times to help him prepare for his championship match.
-Jang-woo, Kim Chunsik has a habit of pulling his left shoulder back before throwing a right straight. I’ll show you, and you close the gap and hit him with a counter.
It was funny to think about it.
He had taught this great champion a thing or two.
Yoo-hyun dodged the incoming fist by pulling his left shoulder back.
At the same time, he extended his right fist.
It was a habit that remained even after a year, because he had repeated it so much.
As expected, Jang-woo closed the gap and threw a counter.
‘I’ll die if I get hit.’
The pain in his abdomen that he had endured back then came back to him.
He had clenched his teeth and tried to imitate his opponent, but not now.
He had Jang-woo’s movements in his head.
Thud.
He moved sideways to avoid it and immediately threw a punch.
Thwack!
Jang-woo’s eyes flashed.
That was the beginning.
The match that had been stuck in the past sparring changed completely.
Jang-woo increased his speed even more, and Yoo-hyun moved to survive.
His nerves were on edge every time a fist grazed his face.
When had he ever faced such an opponent?
He had felt the same tension when he faced Director Lee Jun-il or Shin Kyungsoo.
But looking back, that was nothing.
That level of nervousness was nothing compared to the champion’s fist.
It was such a trivial thing.
Yoo-hyun shook off the remnants of the past and focused only on the present situation.
His mind was clear.
He watched Jang-woo’s breathing, muscle movements, and eye movements, and dodged and countered.
Papapapapapapak.
As he swung his fists, he felt a forgotten emotion rise up.
His body was excited and adrenaline surged.
Thump thump.
His heart beat violently and his lips curled up.
He felt the thrill of the fight in his body.
Maybe that was why?
He collided instinctively, even though he should have avoided it.
Boom!
The two fists collided in the air.
The manager who was watching sighed.
“I should have made Yoo-hyun debut as a fighter...”
“Jang-woo has raised his level to about 80 percent, but he’s still equal. I think I would lose if I fought him now.”
The manager asked Kim Tae-soo, who agreed with him, next to him.
“By the way, when are you going to take off your sunglasses?”
“It’s privacy.”
“You’re talking nonsense.”
The manager snorted as the first round ended.
It had only been five minutes, but Yoo-hyun felt like he was going to die.
The pain was doubled as his excitement subsided.
“Huff. Huff. Huff. Huff.”
He gasped and reached out his hand, lowering his head.
“Jang-woo, I’m sorry, but I can’t do the second round.”
“It’s okay. This is enough.”
“Why? You’re not warmed up yet, are you?”
“No. I found what I was looking for.”
Swoosh.
When Yoo-hyun lifted his head, he saw Jang-woo’s eyes shining.
He didn’t know why, but he had an expression of gratitude.
In that moment, Jang-woo said.
“This is the feeling. Thanks to the feeling you awakened in me, I am who I am now.”
“What are you talking about?”
Jang-woo was a talent who had become the domestic champion and entered the UFC lightweight division.
Yoo-hyun had nothing to teach him.
Rather, he felt like he had learned more from him.
But Jang-woo thanked him.
“Thank you very much, senior.”
How many people could influence the life of such a great person?
Yoo-hyun didn’t intend it, but it was a very honorable thing.
Of course, more than that, it meant a lot to him that he could help his beloved brother.
He still felt a tingling in his chest.
He touched his chest and suddenly thought of another brother.
It was Nadohwa.
He looked very tired when he saw him briefly yesterday.
He told him to take a break, but he only repeated that he would finish it soon.
He thought he had found some leisure, but he seemed to have returned to his old habit of working hard.
“Is he okay?”
He was worried and took out his phone.
Kwon Se-jung, the assistant manager, came up to him and put his hand on his shoulder.
“Yoo-hyun, you know...”
Thud.
It was the same spot that had swollen from blocking Jang-woo’s fist yesterday.
He felt a sharp pain even though he had barely touched it.
“Ow!”
“Huh? What’s wrong? Did you fight with someone?”
“Fight? Who would fight? I just bumped into someone.”
“Well, who would fight with you? You’re the one who hit the champion’s back.”
Kwon Se-jung, the assistant manager, laughed and recalled the memory that had been forgotten for a year.
If he saw the news now?
It could get bigger again, like before.
Yoo-hyun quietly closed his laptop screen.
Click.
Then he changed the subject before Kwon Se-jung noticed.
“You look free?”
“I’m free. I was going to talk to you before I go on a business trip.”
“Where are you going?”
“The smartphone production factory. There’s a lot to prepare if I want to go into detail.”
He knew that Nadohwa, the team leader, had high standards.
He couldn’t satisfy him with just data, so he chose to go to the site.
It was a good choice, but it was not easy to get results in a short time.
“Can you help me?”
“No. The team leader told you not to get help.”
“How would the team leader know?”
Yoo-hyun casually suggested, and Kwon Se-jung tapped his shoulder.
“Hey, it hurts.”
“Mind your own business. I’ll handle it.”
He looked like he was having fun.
Yoo-hyun endured and asked his colleague, who was going to have a hard time.
“Okay. Take care of the kids.”
“I got it.”
Tap tap.
“You bastard!”
By the time Yoo-hyun got angry, Kwon Se-jung had already turned around.
He was hopping his shoulders and walking briskly.
He didn’t need any colleagues, he thought.
He lowered his head and saw Ahn Jaekyung, the section chief, in his sight.
He didn’t avoid his eyes even when they met.
He seemed to have something to say.
He had a good idea of what it was.
‘He must be curious.’
He had a good intuition, so he probably guessed that Yoo-hyun was involved.
Sure enough, Ahn Jaekyung, the section chief, got up from his seat.
But his steps didn’t lead to Yoo-hyun.
Choi Kyutae, the deputy manager, called him first.
“Section chief Ahn, come here.”
“Yes, deputy manager.”
Ahn Jaekyung turned his eyes away from Yoo-hyun and approached him, and Choi Kyutae explained the task.
“Among the smartphones that the promotion team presented last time...”
“Yes, yes. I got it.”
Ahn Jaekyung nodded repeatedly as if he understood.
He was also from the smartphone business division, so he had a lot to prepare.
Would he have some free time after the presentation?
By then, he might be able to satisfy Ahn Jaekyung’s curiosity.
Yoo-hyun looked forward to the time when he could face him openly.