Episode 5
5. Test
The Hanmyeong Insurance corporate team trains at a boxing gym near Konkuk University, provided by Hanmyeong Insurance, as their base.
Now that he knew the name Hanmyeong Insurance, finding where they trained wasn’t difficult in itself.
Baekho moved toward Konkuk University wearing only an outer coat over his workout clothes.
“Ugh, there are so many people.”
The moment Baekho arrived at Konkuk University Station, what he saw was a spectacle of narrow roads and countless crowds.
Dodging this way and that instinctively, he moved toward the location on his phone.
“So it’s close to the station. Must be good for training, too.”
Already, an image of himself training hard was playing in Baekho’s mind.
‘An athlete must, as a matter of course, meet a good leader.’
Already counting his chickens before they hatched, Baekho was convinced he would be accepted without question.
Following the map, he spotted the word “Boxing Club” on a certain two-story building.
“So it’s here? It’s spacious?”
From the entrance, Baekho saw yellow slogans written on the black exterior.
The only subjects Baekho was good at in school were English and Japanese as a second foreign language.
Reading the English phrase, he snickered.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. “Every boxer is like that.”
From the entrance, the interior was completely different from the aged exterior.
A corridor of contrasting black and white. From the second floor, the sounds of several athletes could be heard.
‘I hear it. I can hear it.’
It was the sound of mitts and sandbags being hit—familiar to Baekho, and of course, any other athlete.
That wasn’t all. Someone giving orders, and the athletes’ strained groans.
It was truly a place befitting the name of boxing.
The moment he opened the entrance inscribed with the word “Effort,” the sound hit him with even greater vividness.
It was the inside of the boxing gym, sounding like a 3D surround system.
The entrance hall where Baekho stood had a double door. The closest sound was a jump rope.
Next to where Baekho stood was a shoe locker, and he also confirmed that the office was beside it.
“Calm down. Stay calm.”
Baekho took a deep breath and knocked on the office door.
“Excuse me.”
Quieting a heart that pounded even more than at the championship tournament he had fought in previously, he pushed open the office door.
The moment he entered, a thick aroma hit him, and a leather sofa first caught his eye.
The office was larger than expected. There was enough space beside the four-person sofa for a water purifier and for people to pass through.
With a nervous expression, Baekho now looked past the desk in the office.
But no one was there.
No one was in the chair beyond the desk.
“……?”
While Baekho was momentarily flustered, the sound of the door opening again came from behind.
“Who is it?”
A slightly husky voice was heard, and this time Baekho turned around.
‘It’s not him?’
What appeared before his eyes was a man with a slight belly and an impressively stubby nose.
‘It’s not Son Uhyeon.’
Baekho realized at once that this was not Son Uhyeon.
Son Uhyeon had a somewhat thinner face and a calm impression.
In any case, he must be someone from this gym, so Baekho bowed.
“Hello. This is the Hanmyeong Insurance corporate team, right?”
“Don’t tell me you’re a new signee? Did the Head Coach call you here?”
“No.”
It was then that Baekho realized this was the person he had spoken to on the phone.
‘So he’s the coach. There’s nothing to talk about, then.’
When Baekho indicated he was the one who had called, I Minsu laughed in exasperation.
“So you’re that third-year middle schooler? Wow, you’ve got good physical specs?”
“Yes. I heard even high schoolers can join.”
“Hahaha. That’s true, there was one in table tennis, too. But kid.”
I Minsu placed his hand on Baekho’s shoulder—Baekho was taller than him.
“That table tennis player was famous because he dominated the Asian Games and had no equal in his division. A genius.”
“I also won a tournament.”
“Sure. Sure. You must’ve won some small tournament somewhere. But this is a place where we fight for money. One measly win isn’t enough.”
I Minsu began pushing Baekho’s back.
“Didn’t I tell you to come back in three years? What would a middle schooler do on a corporate team? Did you get your parents’ permission?”
“Yes. I’ve talked with my parents about dropping out and taking the GED.”
“……I see your enthusiasm. But this isn’t the place for you. Just go to another gym.”
But Baekho held his ground without budging an inch.
“I want to talk to the Head Coach.”
“The Head Coach? Haah. No, he’s not here right now. I’m speaking on his behalf. Go.”
Baekho still didn’t move even with I Minsu’s hand on him.
Gradually, I Minsu applied more force.
“Why are you being like this? Because you’re a middle schooler? You should be studying more.”
“I’ll talk to the Head Coach.”
“Head Coach? I’m basically the head coach here! Get out!”
His voice began to rise.
“The Head Coach here is Head Coach Son Uhyeon.”
“Ah, you just don’t get it. Should I really call the police?”
“Against a middle schooler? I’ll just talk to the Head Coach and leave.”
The moment Baekho retorted, I Minsu’s expression contorted.
“Look at that tone? Who’s causing a scene here? Did this brat learn his manners with his feet?”
And at that moment, though the two were too busy arguing to notice, the gym door had opened once more.
While Minsu was approaching Baekho as if to hit him, the office door opened again.
“Minsu.”
At that moment, a voice like salvation reached Baekho.
“I went to buy a drink. What’s all the noise?”
Baekho’s pupils widened. There, he saw the face he had seen in internet articles and newspapers.
It was Son Uhyeon, with his thin face, calm impression, and gentle eyes.
“Head Coach. This middle school runt is making a fuss about wanting to join.”
“A middle schooler? Really?”
After his regression, it was the first time Baekho and Son Uhyeon had faced each other in this place.
* * *
The opportunity had finally come. Baekho’s face immediately brightened as he greeted him.
“Hello! My name is Yong Baekho!”
“……Yong Baekho? I’ve never heard that name.”
At Son Uhyeon’s puzzled expression, Baekho immediately introduced his credentials briefly.
“You placed in the last championship tournament? You’re skilled.”
“Yes.”
Baekho raised his pitch slightly with the anticipation he felt.
“I heard that if you’re about high school level, joining a corporate team is possible.”
“Go back.”
But Son Uhyeon refused coldly.
“Let’s say you have some skill. Many people on our corporate team have at least one national championship win. Even if not, many have consistently competed in the upper ranks.”
“Head Coach. That’s exactly it! This cocky brat won’t listen.”
Baekho had charged forward believing in his potential, but to others, he was just one of the countless tournament winners scattered across the country.
Moreover, he had no competition records after that.
From Son Uhyeon’s position—no, from the corporate team’s position—it was reasonable.
“Besides, you have to go to school.”
“I’ve talked with my parents about dropping out and taking the GED.”
“……You’re certainly passionate. Well, I don’t know if that’s true, but we’re a team that must produce results. Understand? I don’t know your skills, but if you’re a third-year middle schooler, I can more or less infer.”
Son Uhyeon explained it more properly than I Minsu, at least.
Realistically, as a corporate team, there were the results to consider, Baekho’s young age, and the unknown factor of his skill.
Baekho accepted that to some extent and requested a test.
“Can’t I take a test?”
“You brat! I’ve been saying no from the start!”
When I Minsu got angry, Son Uhyeon stopped him.
“Why are you cursing at a third-year middle schooler? If he doesn’t know, you teach him.”
“No, Head Coach, you’re too soft. This ignorant little punk is just getting in the way.”
I Minsu snarled, glaring at Baekho.
‘So what?’
But Baekho was ignoring him. He was only watching Son Uhyeon’s reaction.
“Then is there no way? I’m confident.”
“A test. Even if you pass, as a high schooler next year, it’ll be difficult, to say the least. It doesn’t convince me.”
Baekho thought that even if he made a fuss here, taking the test would be impossible.
‘As expected, is it too much for a third-year middle schooler?’
He might need to accumulate more achievements by conquering a few more tournaments before coming back.
Just as Baekho was about to give up and stand, Son Uhyeon tossed out a remark with a smile.
“But why our corporate team specifically? There are more than one or two corporate teams.”
“Because I like the training here the most. I think training that isn’t accompanied by Plyo Matrix (a program to improve muscle elasticity and nerve transmission speed) and conditioning isn’t very good.”
“…….”
Son Uhyeon’s pupils widened.
“You know that training method?”
“Yes. I did it every day at home.”
The atmosphere of the office, which he had thought was finished, changed.
Son Uhyeon signaled toward I Minsu.
“There’s that high school senior we signed recently, right?”
“Junggil? Head Coach, are you really going to watch?”
“Let him take a test. He came all the way here anyway; it feels wrong to just send him away. Show him the difference in skill, at least.”
The opportunity had come.
Baekho clenched both fists and let out a cheer of triumph.
“Nice! I was worried I’d just be sent away.”
“Well then, let’s see your skill.”
Son Uhyeon and I Minsu might have thought it was just a cute act of rebellion from a third-year middle schooler.
But Baekho was different.
‘I just have to win.’
He truly wanted to win. He would show them his skill.
The moment Baekho opened the office door and pushed open the soundproof door beyond the shoe lockers, he felt a wave of heat.
Sandbags stood in a row on the matted floor, and on shelves dividing the black-and-white space, headgear and gloves were neatly arranged.
On one side, people were jumping rope; in the center around the ring, athletes doing sparring and shadow boxing could be seen.
Altogether, it was a small roster of about six.
‘Though that’s how high school boxing clubs usually are.’
To begin with, sports clubs don’t have many members except for ball-game sports like soccer or baseball.
Among their gazes, Son Uhyeon pointed to someone 5cm shorter than Baekho.
“Put on headgear and get in.”
“I heard from the coach, but is it true? A third-year middle schooler?”
Now Baekho’s opponent swaggered as he approached.
Sin Junggil. The recently signed high school senior looked Baekho up and down.
“But you’re tall for a third-year middle schooler! Are you over 180?”
“I’m 181 centimeters.”
“Wow, tall. Middleweight? I’m welterweight. But are you really going to do this?”
Baekho nodded in affirmation.
Junggil sneered and poked Baekho’s chest.
“Championship tournament? Hey, I’ve won amateur tournaments more than three times.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Right? You can’t make a name for yourself with just one measly championship tournament.”
“Then if I beat you, I can make a name for myself, right?”
At Baekho’s confidence-filled display, those around began to laugh.
“Wow, what confidence!”
“He’s young and hasn’t been scolded yet.”
“Alright, we’ll help. Let’s finish this quickly.”
The others expected nothing like victory from Baekho.
Rather, that was the normal judgment. A kid who had won one middle school tournament was going to fight someone at the high school level or above.
But such common sense was rejected by Baekho.
‘With just a domestic tournament? It’s because of that mindset they haven’t produced results at the world championships for years.’
So what if he was a third-year middle schooler?
Geniuses were those who did things others couldn’t understand with common sense.
Baekho had put in the effort to become a genius, and now he had to show the results.
I Minsu took referee duties, and the other members watched the match of the suddenly intruding Baekho; finally, the ring bell rang.
A gym ring about half the size of a standard one.
Baekho saw the opponent called Junggil hopping lightly and extending his lead hand, and likewise reached out his arm.
‘The distance is…….’
The point where their arms crossed was more than a span longer for Baekho than for his opponent.
With that, he gauged the distance at a glance.
‘Now!’
He threw a jab, moved in, and quickly pulled back the moment his opponent charged in.
‘One span.’
Having grasped the distance difference he had just measured, Baekho took another step back and threw a jab.
The first jab stuck to the opponent’s face, and Junggil’s expression contorted.
But Baekho didn’t stop with a single shot; he immediately threw a flurry of jabs.
With each jab, the opponent’s chin lifted and he was pushed back.
Those watching Junggil’s expression turn strange also began to feel bewildered by the first exchange.
‘Yes, this is the kind of atmosphere I wanted.’
He was creating a scene that no one had expected.
Showing that the time Baekho had built up was never in vain.
One punch, one punch. The sound of the punches he threw was different.
That Junggil’s expression changed to one of strain was surely no lie.
Those jabs that began to tap above the guard succeeded in driving Junggil all the way to the ropes.
“Ugh!”
Baekho didn’t stop his hunt.
Feigning another double jab, instead of the second jab, he landed a right straight.
“Ugh!”
Even though he guarded, Junggil’s body shook. At the same time, a slight gap formed in his crumbling guard.
Baekho calmly struck that gap in the guard with a one-two.
He had prepared a body shot as a follow-up, but there was no need to go that far.
“Down!”
Because the opponent had already fallen. I Minsu stepped in and began the count.
The atmosphere in the gym at this moment was extremely quiet.