9. Who Won the Grand Prix? <2>
The specially made arena of almost two thousand was overcome with silence.
-There had been some suggestions of a no contest, but as it is the grand prix finals, we felt it was important to decide on a winner. And thus, the judges have decided who will be the winner. I will now explain how they have come to their decision.
The audience shifted in their seats.
-After checking the records, there have been cases similar to today’s match. One fighter attacked his opponent after the bell rang causing him to faint. It was decided at the time to disqualify the attacker.
Changgong’s heart fell.
In the end, he had lost.
The audience murmured. Boos against the decision rang out here and there.
-This is shit!
-This isn’t mma!
“Dongsub……”
Changgong turned towards Dongsub.
Dongsub pat Changgong on the shoulder with a sad face.
“Did I lose?”
“……It’s okay Changgong. You fought well. Let’s focus on that.”
“……”
“Don’t be discouraged. This isn’t the end. You have a lot of matches ahead of you. You fought really well.”
‘……So I lost.’
‘I trained so hard for the past four months, though.’
“Ah……!”
Changgong raised his head. Tears welled in his eyes.
‘I lost.”
‘In an official match. This unfairly.’
Changgong’s tears could fall at any moment.
Neither Dongsub nor Doyoon could even try to cheer him up.
The two knew the bitterness of loss well. To make it worse, today’s match had ended in such a disappointing way.
It was just as the mood darkened.
-However, there was a case with the opposite decision, too.
The ring announcer’s voice got everyone’s attention.
-in 1991, there was a similar occurrence in the 4th round of an open karate tournament in Japan between Swiss’s Andy Hug and Brazil’s Francisco Filho. After the referee ended the match, Filho’s kick connected with Hug and knocked him out. Filho was the winner.
The ring announcer took a breath before continuing.
-The Swiss team argued aggressively against the decision, but the late Baedal Choi (Mas Oyama), the presiding judge at the time, said the following. ‘It is unforgivable to let your guard down in martial arts. It is Andy Hug’s loss for relaxing when the referee ended the match!’
The mood in the arena brightened. Dongsub, Doyoon, and Changgong blinked as they focused on the ring announcer.
They were back to the starting point.
-We can say that today’s match is closer to the latter case. Fighter Changgong Lee knocked fighter Junsu Kang out after the referee ended the match.
“Fuck…… Get on with it.”
Changgong muttered under his breath. The ring announcer was talking too much while Changgong’s insides turned over.
If he dragged it on this long just to say Changgong lost, he was going to pinch that annoying mouth of his.
-This was a difficult decision to make, but after much discussion, the judges feel they have made a decision that will satisfy the most people. The winner of the Golden Glove Interleague Final Grand Prix is……
The ring announcer looked down at his cue card in silence.
Changgong clenched his fists.
-……I will now announce the winner!
‘This fucker.’
It was at the moment Changgong almost cursed.
-Changgong Lee!
“……”
Wooh!
The audience cheered as they gave a standing ovation.
“I won……?”
“Changgong!”
“Dongsub……”
“We did it! You did it! Changgong!”
Dongsub hugged Changgong in excitement.
Changgong just stood there.
He couldn’t believe it. Did he really win? This wasn’t a joke?
-Changgong! Changong! Changgong!
The audience’s chant shot into Changgong’s ears.
He could finally feel it.
Changgong got goosebumps all over his body.
He won.
‘I won!’
“Ahhh!”
Changgong threw Dongsub into the cage before jumping onto the top.
“I won! Father! I’m the champion! AHHHHH!”
Changgong shouted loud enough to tear his throat.
“……Dongsub, are you okay?”
Doyoon picked up Dongsub off the cage.
“Jeez, that ungrateful bastard.”
Dongsub massaged his back as he got up. But he was smiling.
“That guy really did it.”
“Yeah. I doubted myself even as I trained him……”
It was barely four months. Too little time to achieve anything.
But this guy really did it.
Dongsub and Doyoon looked at Changgong. The guy who seemed like he would burst into tears at any second was doing the robot in time to the audience’s cheer at the center of the octagon.
“……What is up with that guy?”
“Right? He really reminds me of a comic character.”
“You think so too?”
“You too?”
“Who were you thinking of?”
“Who else? Baekho Kang from Slam Dunk, of course.”
“Right?”
Dongsub laughed. It seemed everyone thought the same.
The comparison wasn’t that much of a stretch.
That guy created drama and became the main character himself.
He was going to create a lot more exciting ones in the future.
-Changong! Changong! Changgong!
The chant continued.
Round 1 — 3 minutes and 55 seconds. TKO.
Changgong, the 18 year old. Golden Glove Welterweight Interleague Grand Prix winner.
***
-Your match was good. Wow…… You fought really well.
“I’ve always been good.”
Changgong was on the phone with Chunkyu on the ride home.
-I seriously peed my pants when they announced the decision. My heart man.
“Come on man, I can’t lose on that kind of stage. I’m going to become a superstar, man”
-Seongcheol cried when they said you won. It was so embarrassing, I just left him and ran away.
“……Really? That’s understandable though. His friend won so dramatically.”
-But still, crying? That’s embarrassing.
“Why? People cry when they’re moved……”
-Fuck you. Bastards who cry over stuff like that are retards.
“……”
‘This bastard. I cried during my interview.’
“Anyways, thanks for coming. I didn’t get a chance to greet you because I was so busy.”
-No, it’s alright. This really was the first time I watched such a thrilling match. I realized why people pay so much to go watch the matches.
“Okay, sorry we couldn’t take you home. The car is too tiny and it feels like it’ll explode with only the three of us.”
-Whatever, bitch. Words are useless……
“Get home safely. Let’s meet up soon. I got my fight money so I’ll treat you.”
-Then can we go to a revolving sushi bar?
“You really feel no guilt huh. I even got you the tickets.”
The two laughed as they hung up.
“Happy?”
Dongsub spoke.
“What can I say? I really thought I was going to go crazy. Everyone was calling my name. Man……”
Changgong’s face heat up. It seemed he was getting excited just thinking about it.
“Well anyways, you fought really well today. Honestly, I had half given up on you.”
“That was nothing compared to all that training.”
“Jeez this guy’s all puffed up after a few wins. Those guys are all chump pieces once you go pro. You think you can stay this calm then?”
Changgong pouted his lips.
Of course.
He had wondered why this nagging man was actually complimenting him for once.
“……Well, you still won so why don’t we go eat something you held back on?”
Perhaps feeling he went too far Dongsub spoke with a smooth voice.
“Really? I can eat whatever I want?”
“Yeah, kid. People will think we starved you or something.”
“Chicken? Pizza?”
“Call. Order it all.”
“You’re buying, right?”
“……”
Why was this young guy such a cheapskate already? Of course, Dongsub would be buying, though.
“Hey now, don’t just try to ignore my question and answer definitively. You’re buying, right?”
“……”
Dongsub regretted bringing up the topic.
***
“I’m home.”
Changgong returned home passed midnight.
All of the lights were off, and Seungjeong was asleep.
It was understandable as it was already 2 in the morning. They had had an after party once Changgong finished with his interviews.
Changgong jumped when he went into his room and turn on the lights.
His room was clean.
His sheets were changed and the clothes that he had left out were folded neatly. The dusty light bulbs had all been replace with new ones, and there was even a modern-style curtain hanging about his window.
“……”
Changgong became emotional.
Only he and his father ever went about this house. There could only be one person who could do this.
Changgong put down his stuff and came out of the room. He opened the pot on the dining table and found a cooled down samgyetang.
“……”
Changgong put the lid back on and quietly went into the master bedroom. Seungjeong had kicked the blanket off as he slept.
“Jeez, he’s going to get a cold.”
Changgong pulled the blanket over Seungjeong and sat down beside him.
“……”
His undershirt was yellow and his underwear was ripe.
Changgong couldn’t remember the last time his father had worn a suit.
Saddened, Changgong grasped Seungjeong’s hands.
‘When did my father become so old?’
When had he gotten all these gray hairs? And where had all these wrinkles around his eyes come from? Changgong didn’t notice because he saw him every day, but Seungjeong had really aged.
His father was now 49. He had always seemed like superman to Changgong, but now Changgong was stronger than him. It seemed as if his father had even lost some weight.
Changgong picked up his phone and looked at his bank statement.
After taking everything off his fight money and win money, he had received 2.38 million won. He would get 1.4 million won from his sponsor next Monday. With all that together, Changgong earned about 3.8 million won this time around.
He had some money from before, and he was going to get his salary soon. If he continued like this, he would be able to save about 11, 12 million won within the year.
‘If I get famous and make a lot of money, my father won’t have to work anymore.’
‘Before that, though, I should buy him an undershirt and some underwear.’
‘Just wait a little more, Father. I’ll work hard.’
Changgong quietly left the room and closed the door behind him.
Changgong unpacked his things after taking a shower. He put his workout clothes in the laundry and washed his mouthpiece and gloves hung them in the shade before packing new ones into his bag.
Lastly, he displayed his trophy behind the glass.
“……”
He felt proud.
The plastic trophy wasn’t worth much.
But this was the first award he had gotten after his elementary school attendance award. This meant so much to him. His father, too, might act uninterested when he saw it, but would be proud for sure.
‘Let’s take it one step at a time.’
One step at a time, calmly. Changgong’s next goal was to debut as a pro.
Then it would be to become the champion.
Changgong suddenly focused on his ears.
“……”
He fortunately didn’t hear anything.
Changgong turned off the lights and lied down on his bed.
You did well today too. Good night, future champion.
Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!
“……”
That fucking dog. Changgong had wondered why it wasn’t barking today.
9. Who Won the Grand Prix? <2>
The specially made arena of almost two thousand was overcome with silence.
-There had been some suggestions of a no contest, but as it is the grand prix finals, we felt it was important to decide on a winner. And thus, the judges have decided who will be the winner. I will now explain how they have come to their decision.
The audience shifted in their seats.
-After checking the records, there have been cases similar to today’s match. One fighter attacked his opponent after the bell rang causing him to faint. It was decided at the time to disqualify the attacker.
Changgong’s heart fell.
In the end, he had lost.
The audience murmured. Boos against the decision rang out here and there.
-This is shit!
-This isn’t mma!
“Dongsub……”
Changgong turned towards Dongsub.
Dongsub pat Changgong on the shoulder with a sad face.
“Did I lose?”
“……It’s okay Changgong. You fought well. Let’s focus on that.”
“……”
“Don’t be discouraged. This isn’t the end. You have a lot of matches ahead of you. You fought really well.”
‘……So I lost.’
‘I trained so hard for the past four months, though.’
“Ah……!”
Changgong raised his head. Tears welled in his eyes.
‘I lost.”
‘In an official match. This unfairly.’
Changgong’s tears could fall at any moment.
Neither Dongsub nor Doyoon could even try to cheer him up.
The two knew the bitterness of loss well. To make it worse, today’s match had ended in such a disappointing way.
It was just as the mood darkened.
-However, there was a case with the opposite decision, too.
The ring announcer’s voice got everyone’s attention.
-in 1991, there was a similar occurrence in the 4th round of an open karate tournament in Japan between Swiss’s Andy Hug and Brazil’s Francisco Filho. After the referee ended the match, Filho’s kick connected with Hug and knocked him out. Filho was the winner.
The ring announcer took a breath before continuing.
-The Swiss team argued aggressively against the decision, but the late Baedal Choi (Mas Oyama), the presiding judge at the time, said the following. ‘It is unforgivable to let your guard down in martial arts. It is Andy Hug’s loss for relaxing when the referee ended the match!’
The mood in the arena brightened. Dongsub, Doyoon, and Changgong blinked as they focused on the ring announcer.
They were back to the starting point.
-We can say that today’s match is closer to the latter case. Fighter Changgong Lee knocked fighter Junsu Kang out after the referee ended the match.
“Fuck…… Get on with it.”
Changgong muttered under his breath. The ring announcer was talking too much while Changgong’s insides turned over.
If he dragged it on this long just to say Changgong lost, he was going to pinch that annoying mouth of his.
-This was a difficult decision to make, but after much discussion, the judges feel they have made a decision that will satisfy the most people. The winner of the Golden Glove Interleague Final Grand Prix is……
The ring announcer looked down at his cue card in silence.
Changgong clenched his fists.
-……I will now announce the winner!
‘This fucker.’
It was at the moment Changgong almost cursed.
-Changgong Lee!
“……”
Wooh!
The audience cheered as they gave a standing ovation.
“I won……?”
“Changgong!”
“Dongsub……”
“We did it! You did it! Changgong!”
Dongsub hugged Changgong in excitement.
Changgong just stood there.
He couldn’t believe it. Did he really win? This wasn’t a joke?
-Changgong! Changong! Changgong!
The audience’s chant shot into Changgong’s ears.
He could finally feel it.
Changgong got goosebumps all over his body.
He won.
‘I won!’
“Ahhh!”
Changgong threw Dongsub into the cage before jumping onto the top.
“I won! Father! I’m the champion! AHHHHH!”
Changgong shouted loud enough to tear his throat.
“……Dongsub, are you okay?”
Doyoon picked up Dongsub off the cage.
“Jeez, that ungrateful bastard.”
Dongsub massaged his back as he got up. But he was smiling.
“That guy really did it.”
“Yeah. I doubted myself even as I trained him……”
It was barely four months. Too little time to achieve anything.
But this guy really did it.
Dongsub and Doyoon looked at Changgong. The guy who seemed like he would burst into tears at any second was doing the robot in time to the audience’s cheer at the center of the octagon.
“……What is up with that guy?”
“Right? He really reminds me of a comic character.”
“You think so too?”
“You too?”
“Who were you thinking of?”
“Who else? Baekho Kang from Slam Dunk, of course.”
“Right?”
Dongsub laughed. It seemed everyone thought the same.
The comparison wasn’t that much of a stretch.
That guy created drama and became the main character himself.
He was going to create a lot more exciting ones in the future.
-Changong! Changong! Changgong!
The chant continued.
Round 1 — 3 minutes and 55 seconds. TKO.
Changgong, the 18 year old. Golden Glove Welterweight Interleague Grand Prix winner.
***
-Your match was good. Wow…… You fought really well.
“I’ve always been good.”
Changgong was on the phone with Chunkyu on the ride home.
-I seriously peed my pants when they announced the decision. My heart man.
“Come on man, I can’t lose on that kind of stage. I’m going to become a superstar, man”
-Seongcheol cried when they said you won. It was so embarrassing, I just left him and ran away.
“……Really? That’s understandable though. His friend won so dramatically.”
-But still, crying? That’s embarrassing.
“Why? People cry when they’re moved……”
-Fuck you. Bastards who cry over stuff like that are retards.
“……”
‘This bastard. I cried during my interview.’
“Anyways, thanks for coming. I didn’t get a chance to greet you because I was so busy.”
-No, it’s alright. This really was the first time I watched such a thrilling match. I realized why people pay so much to go watch the matches.
“Okay, sorry we couldn’t take you home. The car is too tiny and it feels like it’ll explode with only the three of us.”
-Whatever, bitch. Words are useless……
“Get home safely. Let’s meet up soon. I got my fight money so I’ll treat you.”
-Then can we go to a revolving sushi bar?
“You really feel no guilt huh. I even got you the tickets.”
The two laughed as they hung up.
“Happy?”
Dongsub spoke.
“What can I say? I really thought I was going to go crazy. Everyone was calling my name. Man……”
Changgong’s face heat up. It seemed he was getting excited just thinking about it.
“Well anyways, you fought really well today. Honestly, I had half given up on you.”
“That was nothing compared to all that training.”
“Jeez this guy’s all puffed up after a few wins. Those guys are all chump pieces once you go pro. You think you can stay this calm then?”
Changgong pouted his lips.
Of course.
He had wondered why this nagging man was actually complimenting him for once.
“……Well, you still won so why don’t we go eat something you held back on?”
Perhaps feeling he went too far Dongsub spoke with a smooth voice.
“Really? I can eat whatever I want?”
“Yeah, kid. People will think we starved you or something.”
“Chicken? Pizza?”
“Call. Order it all.”
“You’re buying, right?”
“……”
Why was this young guy such a cheapskate already? Of course, Dongsub would be buying, though.
“Hey now, don’t just try to ignore my question and answer definitively. You’re buying, right?”
“……”
Dongsub regretted bringing up the topic.
***
“I’m home.”
Changgong returned home passed midnight.
All of the lights were off, and Seungjeong was asleep.
It was understandable as it was already 2 in the morning. They had had an after party once Changgong finished with his interviews.
Changgong jumped when he went into his room and turn on the lights.
His room was clean.
His sheets were changed and the clothes that he had left out were folded neatly. The dusty light bulbs had all been replace with new ones, and there was even a modern-style curtain hanging about his window.
“……”
Changgong became emotional.
Only he and his father ever went about this house. There could only be one person who could do this.
Changgong put down his stuff and came out of the room. He opened the pot on the dining table and found a cooled down samgyetang.
“……”
Changgong put the lid back on and quietly went into the master bedroom. Seungjeong had kicked the blanket off as he slept.
“Jeez, he’s going to get a cold.”
Changgong pulled the blanket over Seungjeong and sat down beside him.
“……”
His undershirt was yellow and his underwear was ripe.
Changgong couldn’t remember the last time his father had worn a suit.
Saddened, Changgong grasped Seungjeong’s hands.
‘When did my father become so old?’
When had he gotten all these gray hairs? And where had all these wrinkles around his eyes come from? Changgong didn’t notice because he saw him every day, but Seungjeong had really aged.
His father was now 49. He had always seemed like superman to Changgong, but now Changgong was stronger than him. It seemed as if his father had even lost some weight.
Changgong picked up his phone and looked at his bank statement.
After taking everything off his fight money and win money, he had received 2.38 million won. He would get 1.4 million won from his sponsor next Monday. With all that together, Changgong earned about 3.8 million won this time around.
He had some money from before, and he was going to get his salary soon. If he continued like this, he would be able to save about 11, 12 million won within the year.
‘If I get famous and make a lot of money, my father won’t have to work anymore.’
‘Before that, though, I should buy him an undershirt and some underwear.’
‘Just wait a little more, Father. I’ll work hard.’
Changgong quietly left the room and closed the door behind him.
Changgong unpacked his things after taking a shower. He put his workout clothes in the laundry and washed his mouthpiece and gloves hung them in the shade before packing new ones into his bag.
Lastly, he displayed his trophy behind the glass.
“……”
He felt proud.
The plastic trophy wasn’t worth much.
But this was the first award he had gotten after his elementary school attendance award. This meant so much to him. His father, too, might act uninterested when he saw it, but would be proud for sure.
‘Let’s take it one step at a time.’
One step at a time, calmly. Changgong’s next goal was to debut as a pro.
Then it would be to become the champion.
Changgong suddenly focused on his ears.
“……”
He fortunately didn’t hear anything.
Changgong turned off the lights and lied down on his bed.
You did well today too. Good night, future champion.
Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!
“……”
That fucking dog. Changgong had wondered why it wasn’t barking today.
