Chapter 5: The First Sparring

We went into a barbecue restaurant near the boxing gym.

Sizzle—

Meat browned on the grill.

As smoke rose, the savory scent made me swallow hard.

I picked up a perfectly cooked piece of meat and tilted my glass of alcohol, while Han Jun tilted his cola.

“Eat a lot.”

It was almost embarrassing to say that, considering he was already eating more than enough.

Watching him sweep the meat away like someone who hadn’t eaten in days, I could only smack my lips.

As I stared at him eating, I remembered what the coach had said about his difficult circumstances.

I also thought of his shabby house.

I was a jobless bum waiting to return to school next semester after finishing the military.

Han Jun was twenty-two, still fresh-faced and not yet enlisted.

After graduating high school, he hadn’t gone to college and was working at the boxing gym instead.

Technically, I was unemployed and he was the one with a job.

But I patted his shoulder like some adult.

“If you ever want meat, just say so. I’ll treat you sometimes.”

He was too busy eating to respond, so I added it while watching him.

I wondered if he couldn’t even afford proper meals.

A pang of pity rose in me.

Han Jun lifted his head slightly and looked at me sideways.

His gaze was crooked.

“What.”

Then he went back to eating.

I was offering to buy him food, and that was his reaction?

“What do you mean, what? I’m saying I’ll treat you.”

“Do I look like a beggar?”

“…You live alone, don’t you? I just meant we could hang out if you’re bored.”

Maybe he didn’t like the way I looked at him with pity.

“Bored? What.”

He snorted.

“What am I, a seventy-year-old grandpa?”

His prickly reaction made my lips jut out.

No matter what I said, he never took it nicely.

Such a twisted personality.

I wasn’t normally this accommodating, but I kept shrinking in front of him.

When I pouted, he muttered quietly.

“…It’s not bad.”

“What isn’t?”

“Being with someone.”

He avoided my gaze, as if embarrassed.

Maybe he was picky about friends too.

I just hung out with whoever was around when I was bored.

But he needed it to feel “not bad” to be with someone.

No wonder he didn’t have friends.

“Ah, yes. I am deeply honored.”

I bowed exaggeratedly in gratitude for him opening up a little.

He grinned faintly.

As he lowered his head to eat again, the sharp corners of his eyes lifted slightly, turning his cold impression into something mischievous.

“You look nice when you smile.”

His chopsticks stopped.

“Huh?”

“When you smile. The corners of your eyes go up like a fox.”

“…Stop saying weird things. Want to die?”

I’m doing all this because I want to live, you know.

Even though I complimented him, his face flushed red.

What had offended him this time?

He was as sensitive as a skittish deer.

Honestly, who else would tolerate that temper besides me?

“What did I do wrong now?”

“When you act weird, I’m only letting it slide because it’s me. Don’t do that elsewhere. You’ll get punched.”

What is he even saying?

The audacity.

I’m the one putting up with his nasty personality and acting friendly.

And he talks to me like that?

Maybe I’d been too nice.

Maybe he thought I was easy.

I should clear up his misunderstanding.

“Looks like you don’t know this, but I’m not the type to lose in a fight.”

“You can’t even fight.”

“Have you seen me fight?”

“I see it every day.”

“That’s not fighting. That’s training.”

“What’s the difference?”

“There’s a big difference between fighting and training, idiot!”

“Idiot?”

“Yeah, idiot. What? Got a problem?”

“Come outside for a second, hyung. Let’s see how well you fight.”

He stood up, his chair scraping loudly backward.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? Sit down. You don’t get up in the middle of a meal. Respect the meat.”

I puffed my chest out for pride’s sake, but I had zero intention of fighting him.

Not because I’d lose.

It just felt rude to the meat.

When I waved my hands and urged him to sit, he obediently sat back down.

Maybe he hadn’t been serious about fighting anyway.

It was hard to tell with him.

He barely changed expressions.

It was annoying.

“Anyway, you should try sparring soon. How long are you going to just work on posture?”

“Sparring? With who?”

“With who? With me.”

Do I really have to?

I glanced at his body.

Getting hit was not my hobby.

Sure, maybe I could hit him too.

But realistically, I’d just get beaten up.

“No.”

“Why?”

“You won’t go easy on me.”

“Do you think I’m trash? I’m not going to beat up a beginner.”

It was hard to believe him.

I’d seen him spar with some middle-aged guy before.

That poor man got completely destroyed.

And I’m supposed to trust him?

When I shot him a skeptical look, he blinked incredulously.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just eat.”

“Unbelievable. Lower your eyes.”

“Hey. No matter how easy I seem, I’m older than you.”

“…Lower them, please?”

“That’s the same thing.”

We bickered constantly, but I could feel we were getting closer.

He treated me more comfortably now.

Not that he’d ever been particularly polite.

I was comfortable too.

He wasn’t the type to talk about hardships, but little by little, he started sharing bits of himself.

In passing, he mentioned why he didn’t go to college.

Why he lived alone.

He spoke in a calm tone, but those were personal stories.

I felt like I had stepped inside his boundary line.

And the more he trusted me, the more guilty I felt.

I had approached him with ulterior motives.

With the intention of clinging to the hero from the book and saving my own skin.

Was it right to get this close?

He trusted me.

But did I trust him?

If he found out my true intention, wouldn’t he feel disappointed?

Maybe even betrayed.

But that guilt shattered a few days later.

I realized how arrogant my worries had been.

There was nothing more foolish than me worrying about Han Jun.

Because he dragged me onto the ring.

And up there, drenched in sweat, I gained enlightenment.

The moment I stood across from him, sweat poured down my back.

Even with my guard up, it felt like I was already being beaten by his eyes.

I shrank and whined.

“Go easy.”

“It’s practice anyway. Throw a jab.”

He clapped his gloved hands twice, giving me the go-ahead.

I tensed, then gathered courage and punched as instructed.

“Not bad.”

Encouraged, I threw a few more jabs and even a hook.

“Pretty good.”

I smiled at his light praise.

But when he grinned back, I had a bad feeling.

Danger signals rang in my head.

“Then shall we?”

The moment he said that—

Ding—

The bell rang.

No!

I immediately lowered my guard and stepped back.

I hated getting hit.

Pain was the worst.

If it weren’t for Han Jun, I would never have stepped into a place like this.

“Ah, Han Jun. Please go easy.”

“Stop messing around. Guard up.”

Flattery didn’t work.

“Come on.”

“I said, up.”

Whoosh—

His fist flew with a quiet warning.

I couldn’t see the movement.

It was faster than my eyes.

His glove grazed right past my face.

The blood drained from my cheeks.

If that landed clean, I’d die.

“Y-You’re really doing this?”

“Last warning. Do it properly.”

“Han Jun, this hurts my feelings. Ugh!”

Thud—

I got hit.

His punch struck my face head-on.

My vision spun, and I fell backward.

For a split second, I saw panic flash across his face.

He hadn’t even hit that hard.

And I’d gone down instantly.

Well, that’s technique too, right?

I vaguely heard laughter from the members outside the ring.

But survival mattered more than pride.

“Seriously, hyung.”

Maybe my exaggerated pain triggered his sympathy.

He soaked a towel in water and placed it on my forehead.

My nose throbbed, but the cool towel soothed it quickly.

“I’m not bleeding, right?”

“No nosebleed. Stop being dramatic.”

He scolded me, yet diligently tended to me.

He even massaged my scalp and kneaded my arms and legs.

For the price of one punch, I enjoyed premium care.

“I’m going home early today. I’m hurt.”

“Want me to walk you?”

What’s wrong with him?

He was suddenly acting kind.

It was unfamiliar enough to give me chills.

“It’s fine. You have to close up anyway.”

He walked me out, still fussing over me.

He must have felt bad about hitting me.

Hm.

Maybe I should get hit more often.

My shoulders puffed up in pride.

I’d never seen someone feel proud after being punched.

What a strange situation.

I’d started coming to the gym because I was anxious the world might end.

Now I came out of habit, even enjoyment.

Watching Han Jun made the pounding anxiety fade.

I couldn’t stop coming.

Days passed without incident.

The Earth remained peaceful.

People lived their ordinary lives.

Some leisurely.

Some frantically.

Some happily.

Some in gloom.

Time flew by.

You don’t notice it passing.

Then one day you look up and think—

Already?

D-Day, one day before.

I had a dream.

Too vivid to be just a dream.

Too cruel to be reality.

Green forests burned.

Cities lay in ruins.

Only a hollow wind howled across the desolate Earth.

Children, starving for days, curled up on the streets where wails echoed.

I stood in the middle of it all.

Looking up at the gray sky.

Thunder rumbled as dark clouds gathered overhead.