Devil Returns To School Days - Chapter 117
23. Sparring Tour (1)
A few days ago.
Jeong Doo-cheol visited a gym in Seoul.
It was a place so large that it could not be compared to Jeong Doo-cheol’s shabby gym, and at first glance, about a dozen officials were receiving training at the same time. As soon as they discovered Jeong Doo-cheol, they reacted by whispering. No matter how evident the signs of time were, there was no way that people practicing mixed martial arts would not recognize Jeong Doo-cheol.
And now it’s dinner time.
This was all the more inevitable because it was during the time when the athlete training was taking place.
Inside the counseling room.
A man said, putting coffee on the table.
Tuk.
“Brother, how have you been?”
“so so. you?”
“As you can see, I am so busy. Didn’t my favorite student recently confirm his entry into the UFC? “Maybe because of that, the rumor got out, but we keep getting inquiries about immigration every day, so we’re screening out people.”
“That’s good news.”
Jeong Doo-cheol showed a perfunctory smile.
The man in front of me.
Lee Doo-hak was five years his junior and trained at the same gym.
Even before the drug crisis broke out, he was a junior who respected Jeong Doo-cheol like heaven, but after Jeong Doo-cheol’s complete downfall, the situation changed a little. Doo-hak Lee followed Doo-cheol Jeong into the UFC. There, he built his reputation by performing in his own way and was able to naturally inherit Jeong Doo-cheol’s popularity.
of course.
It wasn’t as good as Jeong Doo-cheol.
Although he did not rise to the level of a champion, the fact that he was a UFC fighter was important.
‘The truth is, there is no difference between me and this guy.’
There was a truth that people didn’t know.
Lee Du-hak was also a drug user.
Although it is not known exactly what drugs were used, it was not difficult to hear the truth through the world of brokers. The era when Jeong Du-cheol and Lee Du-hak were active. Recently, fighting sports fans have called it the era of drugs, when drugs were so prevalent that Asians had no choice but to make the same choices as others in order to overcome their physical limitations. I’m not saying that Lee Doo-hak is right, but it was clear that we were living in an era where everyone was using drugs, to the point where people said ‘victims’ did not exist.
However, the truth was discovered.
This is because he received a lot of spotlight as he became the champion, and Jeong Doo-cheol did not hold back his junior.
It was not my intention to save my junior.
I was just ashamed of myself.
‘If I hadn’t discovered the truth, everything Duhak enjoys might have been mine.’
suddenly.
Jeong Doo-cheol thought he was such a piece of trash.
As I faced Lee Doo-hak, who could possibly be my future, a feeling of regret was already creeping in. The feeling of shame is because the truth has been discovered. If there was a choice in front of him that prioritized his own safety, Jeong Doo-cheol knew himself to be such a rotten person that he would always choose him after much consideration.
I swallowed my disgust.
Now is not the time to ruminate on the past.
Jeong Doo-cheol said.
“I’m sorry for asking you this upon my first visit after such a long time, but would it be possible for you to spar with the kids I teach? I want to proceed in Daesan as much as possible, but you know it well. “There is a significant difference in level between Seoul and the provinces.”
In those words.
Lee Du-hak didn’t think much and immediately frowned.
“Ugh, that’s a bit difficult, isn’t it?”
* * *
Squeak.
I leaned back on the sofa.
The way he reacted bluntly and with his arms crossed was something I couldn’t even imagine when I was a junior.
“older brother. I feel comfortable saying this because he was once my junior and close friend, but my image as an older brother in the fighting world is irreparable. Kids these days don’t know how bad drugs like ‘steroids’ are and what happened in the fighting world. But how would you react if I told my students to spar with your students? You will hate it. “There’s no way my kids will like me just because I’m your brother’s student.”
Today’s generation has developed the Internet.
Even if you just go to a platform like YouTube, you can find information about Jeong Doo-cheol without even looking for it.
The algorithm was like that.
The information was packed so that fans who usually search for fighting sports would have no choice but to learn about the history of fighting sports.
“And your brother is a bit too much. Aren’t you just running a small gym to make a living? Are you satisfied with just the ladies’ diet and exercise? What’s wrong with the kids debuting under you? If I go out into the world with the title of brother’s disciple, they’ll be okay, right? “The media will hit you mercilessly.”
It was poignant.
It was a clear accusation.
It also seemed as if he was mocking Jeong Doo-cheol’s reality by explicitly mentioning it.
‘It’s been like that before.’
Lee Du-hak was not simply a junior who listened well.
Although he was obedient to Jeong Doo-cheol because he was successful, he was always jealous of everything that Jeong Doo-cheol had achieved.
So, like Jeong Doo-cheol, he touched drugs and erased all traces of Jeong Doo-cheol’s downfall due to drugs as if he had nothing to do with it. And even though he doesn’t know that Jeong Doo-cheol knows the truth. He had a thick face to the point where he criticized ‘drugs’ to his face.
That was why.
So I came to visit Lee Du-hak.
It is not the juniors who are doing well in sports as expected, but a person who reveals their dirty bottom just like themselves.
Lee Du-hak was judged to be an appropriate opponent.
Jeong Doo-cheol smiled awkwardly.
It was a smile that said he didn’t care at all about Lee Du-hak’s criticism.
“don’t worry. Because these are not kids whose goal was to debut as professionals in the first place. “I just want to see the results of my training.”
“is it so?”
Duhak Lee’s eyes narrowed.
It’s not a player club.
What on earth are you thinking?
He was lost in thought for a moment, rolling his head, and then spoke with interest in his eyes.
“Then when shall we set the date?”
* * *
That day.
Lee Du-hak summoned two disciples.
I asked the two.
“how is it. “I heard that your opponent is a high school student. Can you do some light sparring?”
“That’s a bit…”
“We have respect, so how can we hang out with high school students? “It wouldn’t matter if it was just sparring, but that’s not the atmosphere.”
Two disciples.
Both were professional players.
Ahn Dong-yeop is a talented player with 4 wins and 1 loss in domestic martial arts organizations at the age of 25, and Hwang Dae-myeong has 6 wins and 3 losses, but has recently been on the rise to the point where a title fight is being discussed. In any case, it was barely at the level of dealing with high school students. Moreover, both responded that they were in trouble when dealing with Jeong Doo-cheol’s disciple.
Duhak Lee said.
“You don’t have to take it so seriously. Even though Jeong Doo-cheol taught them, they are not aspiring to become professionals and it is simply for training. Do you think you two will lose to Gopi-ri? I think it’s just for my face. “I want to show Jeong Doo-cheol how well my students play.”
“If that’s the reason…”
“S.”
Hwang Daemyung scratched his head.
For this reason, I cannot refuse.
If the teacher wants to boast about his disciple, how can he refuse as a disciple?
In fact, it was only the opinions of those around him that were the problem, but the fact that he was Jeong Doo-cheol’s student was certainly something of interest.
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Can’t we just dust it off?”
“After all, they are my disciples hahaha.”
Duhak Lee laughed cheerfully.
After patting his students on the back and sending them away, he suddenly looked at the huge photo hanging at the front door of the gym.
UFC stage.
The image of oneself roaring under the brilliant lights.
People remember Lee Du-hak as a proud UFC fighter, but those days were not all good memories for Lee Du-hak.
The reason he turned to drugs.
This is to surpass Jeong Doo-cheol.
Although he struggled to become stronger by any means possible, he could not even reach Jeong Doo-cheol’s feet until the day he retired. UFC record: 2 wins, 5 losses. Although he was popular for his combative and hot style, he was a shabby fighter with only two wins. The reason why he was able to inherit Jeong Doo-cheol’s popularity is because there was no player like him in the Korean fighting world and he was always recognized by people for his losing skills. It was not a reputation he earned because he left a significant mark on the fighting world.
Is that why?
When I saw Jeong Doo-cheol for the first time in a long time, I saw his shabby appearance.
A strange feeling of pleasure arose.
Although Jeong Doo-cheol said he did not want to become a professional, the look of anticipation in his eyes touched Lee Doo-hak’s heart.
“Just be the old guy in the back room.”
I don’t know if it was during my time as a player.
As a leader, he was overwhelming.
I wanted to show that to people.
“It’s going to be more fun than you think.”
I guess.
I felt like I needed a little more audience.
* * *
On the day of sparring.
Jeong Doo-cheol and his group arrived in Seoul around noon.
And when I entered the gym, a different scene than I remembered unfolded before my eyes.
Murmur.
Inside the spacious gym.
There were more people than expected, so that it was crowded except for the Octagon.
I also saw a familiar face.
Seniors and juniors I had relationships with while I was an active athlete, people involved in martial arts, etc.
The intention was blatant.
Jeong Doo-cheol knew what Lee Doo-hak wanted, but in fact, it was something he had expected from the moment he visited him.
‘If it were Duhak’s personality, he would never have accepted a losing fight. Rather good. For me, kids like Doohak, who want to destroy me for sure, would be better suited than someone who would treat me like a senior.’
“Come on.”
Jeong Doo-cheol walked calmly.
Regardless of whether the attention was focused or not, he moved to one side of the gym and got Kim Hyeon-seong and Kim Si-woo ready.
‘They aren’t even nervous.’
Moment.
I burst into laughter.
Despite the fact that Kim Hyun-sung and Kim Si-woo are playing against professionals in large audiences.
He looked very calm.
For them, who had already experienced countless battles, a situation like this did not give them the slightest sense of tension.
After all, isn’t it just sparring?
Training where safety is guaranteed even if you lose.
Jeong Doo-cheol explained as he wrapped the hand wrap.
“The opponents are Ahn Dong-yeop and Hwang Dae-myeong. They are professionals whose skills have already been recognized in domestic martial arts circles. Ahn Dong-yeop has a very good record of 4 wins and 1 loss despite facing relatively rookies, and Hwang Dae-myeong has recently won three games in a row and a title match is being discussed. Well, it means that he is not an easy opponent. And why do you think the director of the other party gathered people together like this? This is because I am confident that I will defeat it overwhelmingly. “They probably told you not to simply deal with high school students, but to defeat them.”
It was harsh treatment.
It’s simple sparring.
Ordinary people who are just high school students, not people who want to become professionals.
Nevertheless, the reason why Ahn Dong-yeop and Hwang Dae-myeong were brought in was because of Lee Du-hak’s will to win at any cost.
They say it’s a mismatch.
It won’t be criticized that much.
Jeong Doo-cheol’s image was not very good, but Ahn Dong-yeop and Hwang Dae-myeong were not Lee Doo-hak’s best. If he really wanted to win, he could have let other players go, but he had to compromise considering people’s opinions.
Lee Du-hak as a leader.
It was definitely amazing.
There were many renowned disciples under him.
Jeong Doo-cheol glanced at the two opponents, smiling and chatting as they prepared.
“I brought in the pros to take you down. “What do you think this means?”
“It means it will be a difficult fight.”
“no.”
Right now at this moment.
Jeong Doo-cheol’s blood boiled.
Even if it wasn’t me, I first learned that my blood could boil through my students.
Living as a leader.
Maybe it wasn’t that bad.
Jeong Doo-cheol showed the ferocious look in his eyes from his active days.
“Kim Hyun-seong and Kim Si-woo. The moment you two defeat them, it means that there will be no opponents for you among high school students at least.”