A Scorching Day Chapter 48

Ki Joon, who had finished the rounds until the next match steadily, easily secured his first win. His second opponent, having also come up with a win, charged in even more fiercely than before.

Ki Joon moved with agility and grace, as if his body had fully loosened up. Even to Gawon, who knew nothing about mixed martial arts, the sight of his large frame moving with such light steps looked remarkably stable and beautiful.

“Athlete Ki Joon, as expected, takes control of the match. His technique for holding down the opponent is solid. Compared to a year ago, his application skills have become much stronger. Even when he throws a straight, the opponent doesn’t notice it until just before impact.”

“Yes, that’s right. Athlete Yoo Hajoon attempts a fake. Ah, it doesn’t work. He’s throwing middle kicks without pause… But athlete Ki Joon is a fighter who reads the opponent’s striking tempo well. He’s receiving them with composure while showcasing his tough durability and stamina.”

The opponent, driven by desperation, rained down attacks. But Ki Joon showed no sign of crumbling at all. Rather, calmly leading the match, he seemed to be genuinely enjoying it.

“Athlete Yoo Hajoon! He’s cramming in clean strikes. He’s showing quite a reckless rush. Ah, that low kick just now had impact. The counter… he threw a high kick, but it fails. Athlete Ki Joon blocked it. …Oh!”

With a single exclamation, the atmosphere shifted in an instant. As if all his previous defense had been a lie, Ki Joon dodged the opponent’s counter and launched a counterattack in the blink of an eye.

The opponent, who had been attacking with ferocious momentum, staggered. Ki Joon, having attacked his shoulder with a heavy right straight, took the opportunity when the opponent raised his gloved hand to block his shoulder and struck his midsection with a middle kick. It was the same type of kick the opponent had thrown just moments ago, but its power was completely different.

“Ugh!”

Letting out a pained groan, the opponent dropped to one knee. Watching him stagger yet tenaciously hold on, the commentators poured out their commentary with increasingly excited voices.

“Athlete Ki Joon is originally a fighter known for flashy KO wins. Will he go for a counter now?”

“Exactly. We’re hoping to see a bold, large-movement counter this time.”

However, Ki Joon overturned the commentators’ expectations and again applied a submission hold on his opponent. With his arm bent while down on the ground, the opponent groaned painfully and threw in the towel.

Ki Joon, having easily taken the first-round victory, spread both arms wide with a relaxed smile. The coach and teammates ran over with bright faces and patted his shoulders. Gawon, watching from afar, also beamed.

“But athlete Ki Joon seems to be only getting submissions today. He’s usually such a reckless infighter—has his style suddenly changed?”

“I wonder. He’s famous as a pressure striker, isn’t he? Today he’s mainly winning through grappling and ground work.”

At the commentators’ words, the crowd murmured. The same went for the noisy group beside Gawon.

“Why is he fighting like that today? He’s usually the guy who gets KO’s with blood flying.”

“Right. Did he change his style? But well, his grappling is also amazing.”

“…Hey. What the hell is that monster?”

A belated, dazed exclamation of awe slipped out. It was the voice of the guy who had been mocking him just a moment ago, going on about being a trainee and such.

“Amazing, right? I told you to watch first. Once he shows up, it’s over. Everyone else is just fighting for second place.”

Gawon, overhearing from the side, smiled quietly to himself. See that, you bastard.

Ki Joon’s momentum, fully fired up, was unstoppable. Muscular, hefty bodies flew around like dolls. Prowling around the cage, Ki Joon was completely elated with pure exhilaration.

Finally, it was the finals. Until now, he had been surrounded by his teammates, so Gawon hadn’t been able to approach easily, but this time he felt he should go and cheer him on.

Gawon cautiously approached Ki Joon, who was sitting among the coach and teammates, drinking water. Ki Joon’s sweat-soaked upper body was gleaming. Timidly, Gawon held out the towel he had prepared beforehand.

“Here.”

“Wow, thanks. Gawon.”

Ki Joon, who had been expressionlessly wiping his sweat, brightened up and took the towel. He tossed aside the wet towel he had been holding and happily used Gawon’s towel to wipe his face. Gawon also opened a bottle of water and handed it to him.

“Drink slowly.”

“Okay, okay. Ah, this is great. All my dreams today have come true.”

Ki Joon took a couple of quick gulps from the water he received and then poured the remaining half over his head. His face, flushed red and soaked with sweat, was refreshingly washed. Ki Joon swept back his drenched hair and stood up from his seat.

“Ki Joon, be careful. Don’t get hurt until the very end. You promised.”

“Of course. That way you’ll call me Joon again, right? I’ll be back!”

He must have really liked being called by just his first name. A snort of laughter escaped Gawon. He sat back down with a trembling heart. He couldn’t let his guard down until the very end.

“Athlete Kwak Ji-un from the Rodeon FC Gangnam branch steps into the ring. 5 wins, 0 losses—this is also a fighter who could aim for a pro debut. He has the same style as athlete Ki Joon and is a very promising stand-up striker. We look forward to seeing these two fighters clash.”

Come to think of it, the opponent adjusting his open-finger gloves as he stepped into the ring looked familiar. It was the fighter who had joked earlier about giving Gawon a bouquet. For some reason, Gawon had a bad feeling.

“Round one, fight!”

Ki Joon’s gaze shifted abruptly.

His stance was completely different from how he had approached the previous matches. With all traces of a smile wiped from his face, Ki Joon took his stance and stepped cautiously. The opponent, too, was clearly tense in response to Ki Joon’s sudden change in attitude. The two silently stared each other down, slowly regulating their breathing.

In an instant, Ki Joon closed the distance. With a hook, and an exhale of breath, he extended his fist. The opponent blocked it immediately, but the power, delivered like a tank, shook his body slightly. However, only for a moment—soon, the opponent pushed forward with consecutive powerful hooks, trying to pressure Ki Joon.

“Athlete Kwak Ji-un is aggressively infighting. He throws a jab, then a tackle in succession. Athlete Ki Joon doesn’t get caught up. He’s not allowing any big clean strikes. Athlete Kwak Ji-un throws a high kick. This one, too, is well blocked with a cover…”

It was the final match in their weight class. Thanks to Ki Joon’s notoriety, it had naturally become the main event. Everyone watching was highly absorbed, clenching their fists in tension. The commentary naturally became more urgent.

“Athlete Ki Joon parries and blocks immediately. The better the fighter, the less they freeze for even a tenth of a second. Athlete Kwak Ji-un, ah, he aggressively unleashes attacks. Low kick, double high, coming out cleanly.”

“Since both are stand-up strikers, they’re pressuring each other with clean, sharp strikes. Will we finally see a KO decision this time!”

It was a fierce, evenly matched fight. No fighter had ever faced Ki Joon so equally before. Unlike the previous opponents who had recklessly charged in and fallen like paper dolls, this opponent was extremely cautious.

The sharply honed gazes of the two boys clashed in the center of the ring. Sweat-soaked, radiating heat from their entire bodies, they probed for each other’s weaknesses. Striking, blocking, dodging—an intense battle of wits continued like a tug-of-war.

Having gained confidence, the opponent finally closed the distance and attempted a takedown. The atmosphere became taut in an instant. Ki Joon’s body rolled across the canvas with a thud.

“Ki Joon!”

Gawon sprang to his feet and shouted his name loudly. He hadn’t been able to cheer out loud even once for fear of being a distraction. But now it was do-or-die. Regardless of win or loss, he was frantic with worry that Ki Joon might get hurt.

Ki Joon’s eyes gleamed sharply. Just as the opponent, mounted on top of him, tried to apply a submission, Ki Joon’s hips shot up. In an instant, the position reversed and Ki Joon took the top.

The opponent tried to reverse and get up, but Ki Joon ruthlessly crushed that attempt. Having locked in a tight body lock, he raised his elbow. The relentless attacks, driving in like a tank and hammering down, made the spectators murmur with elevated voices.

“Ah! That’s elbow pounding. Athlete Kwak Ji-un can’t escape at all…!”

“He’s up. Athlete Kwak Ji-un has escaped!”

The opponent miraculously escaped from under Ki Joon. Despite being severely struck and bleeding from the nose, he staggered to his feet with a venomous glint in his eyes. But the moment he fully stood, Ki Joon assumed a stance completely different from anything before.

His torso seemed to leave the ground, and then Ki Joon’s body spun in a wide, full rotation. It was an attack delivered in the literal blink of an eye.

The fiercely flying foot landed squarely on the opponent’s face. The sound of bone and flesh colliding filled the arena loudly.

“Ugh!”

The opponent, who had held on so tenaciously until now, was sent flying with a heavy crash! Blood spurted from his nose. He dropped his face to the floor, seemingly unconscious.

The referees rushed over to check on Athlete Kwak Ji-un’s condition. The commentators shouted over each other.

“He landed a counter with a 540-degree kick! It connected cleanly! Athlete Kwak Ji-un is completely unconscious. Medical team, please enter.”

“Athlete Ki Joon has just shown the KO victory he’d been saving all day! He takes the men’s high school division semi-professional light heavyweight championship!”

The referee raised one of Ki Joon’s hands. Waaaah! Along with heavy metal music, ear-splitting cheers filled the arena. Ki Joon, Ki Joon, Ki Joon—all the athletes and spectators chanted his name and cheered. Everyone was ecstatic over the captivating, thrilling match that rivaled a professional bout.

Ki Joon straightened his sweat-and-blood-soaked upper body. Then, with a bright smile, he raised both hands. As he roared like a wild beast, cheers and camera flashes erupted continuously. After finishing his spirited celebration, Ki Joon strode down from the ring.

“Ki Joon, you bastard! I knew you’d take first place again!”

“Joon-ah! Good job!”

“Hey, where are you going!”

But Ki Joon passed right by his teammates, who were cheering for him enthusiastically. Everyone watched his retreating figure with bewildered expressions.

Ki Joon, sprinting like a cheetah, rushed straight at Gawon. Gawon, who had been looking at Ki Joon with a flushed face, widened his eyes as Ki Joon charged toward him. At that moment.

“Huh, …huh?”

His body lifted into the air. Gawon let out a yelp and landed on Ki Joon’s shoulder like a sack of rice. With Gawon slung over his shoulder, Ki Joon let out a roar and sprinted across the arena.

A smile spread across Gawon’s face, which had been filled with bewilderment. On Ki Joon’s shoulders, striding freely across the arena like a lion tossing its mane, Gawon laughed and shouted to his heart’s content. It felt as if his chest was bursting open. It was the most exhilarating sensation he had ever felt in his life.

Ki Joon asked Gawon, dangling over his shoulder, in a low voice:

“Did I do good?”

Gawon whispered into Ki Joon’s blunt ear, which was caked with old, dried blood and now hardened.

“Yeah. You did so well. You did well, Joon-ah.”

Neither the loud cheers nor the music could disturb their private whisper. In this crowded arena, it felt as if only the two of them existed.