Comeback Match (3)

"I'll take Angela to the hospital. Yoon will be here. I'll be back soon after tidying up. Don't worry about Angela."

"Why? Is she hurt?"

"Seems like she injured her toe while striking."

"She should be more careful. Okay, go ahead."

Cho Yong-il quickly left the waiting room. Toes were surprisingly one of the most commonly injured parts for fighters. When putting weight into strikes, toes often bear the brunt. Although toes are designed to be surprisingly sturdy to support a person's weight, they can fracture if the angle is slightly off.

That's what happened to Angela. Towards the end of the third round, she sprained her big toe while unleashing strikes at Woo Eun-ha. During the match, the adrenaline rush masked the injury, but the pain hit her after the fight.

This was common for fighters. They lived with minor injuries. Knocking someone down was as taxing on the body as being knocked down. A fighter's fists and feet might look as hard as iron, but they weren't.

Their bodies were still made of flesh and bone. After Angela's match, Yu Jung-ak turned off the monitor. He lay down to wait for his match time. The waiting period could be more challenging than the actual fight time.

Even those with strong mental fortitude found it difficult to shake off the primal anxiety. Managing this anxiety was a fundamental challenge for fighters.

[I'm near the waiting room now.]

Yu Jung-ak was surprised by this unexpected message and sat up from listening to music. It was Yoon Ji-yun. Two days ago, she had sent a message apologizing for not being able to attend the match due to her busy schedule. So it was surprising that she was suddenly near the waiting room.

Stepping out of the waiting room, Yu Jung-ak saw Yoon Ji-yun standing there. With full makeup and stage costume, she looked completely different from her usual self. She was pretty before, but now she had a completely different aura, almost intimidatingly so.

"What brings you here?"

"Ha. I found a moment to come by." Yoon Ji-yun said with a bright smile. Then she handed Yu Jung-ak a box.

"What's this?"

"It's a gift. I received it as a sponsorship. They say it's quite a good headphone. You like music, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do like it."

"Try it out. If it suits your taste, keep it. I heard music lovers are sensitive to these things."

Yu Jung-ak was indeed interested in sound quality. However, he wasn't at the level of an audiophile who scrutinized every earbud. He believed that if the source was high quality, the difference wouldn't be significant regardless of how it was listened to.

"Oh. Thank you. Did you come to watch the match?"

"No, I have to leave right away. See my outfit?"

"You came all the way here just to give me this?"

"I had thought about giving it to you but couldn't find the time. Today I had a brief moment, so... Make sure you win today. And don't get hurt like last time."

"Thank you. I'll enjoy it."

Yoon Ji-yun smiled brightly and left after giving the headphones. Yu Jung-ak opened the box containing the headphones.

Even the exterior looked extraordinary. It wasn't a common headphone design. The ear cups were made of smooth wood, and other parts were finished with premium leather. Yu Jung-ak took out the headphones and connected them to his smartphone. The box contained instructions and accessories. Yu Jung-ak took out the headphones and connected them to his smartphone.

Hykr Den D1621. It was a product not yet released in Korea. The price exceeded 2,000 dollars, making it an ultra-high-end headphone.

It was so expensive that only dedicated audiophiles would consider buying it.

However, for a rising star like Yoon Ji-yun, it was a product that could easily come as a sponsorship.

Audio equipment companies often sponsored such items to singers. Even a single photo of them wearing the product could have a significant promotional effect. Still, receiving a sponsorship from such a high-end brand meant that Yoon Ji-yun was doing exceptionally well these days.

"Wow."

Yu Jung-ak was stunned as soon as he started listening to a song. It was the same music file he had heard before, but the difference was astonishing. It wasn't just a matter of volume.

The song sounded several times clearer than before. And instrument sounds that weren't audible before were now clearly distinguishable.

Yu Jung-ak continued listening to the music with an amazed expression. When Yoon Chang-seon and Rumsak Noi entered the waiting room, they didn't disturb Yu Jung-ak as he was deeply immersed in the music with his eyes closed. Yu Jung-ak listened to music until it was his turn.

Then it was Yu Jung-ak's turn. He carefully placed the Hykr headphones in their leather case and then gently put them in his backpack. Although he had only listened briefly, it was shockingly good. Yu Jung-ak stood up to stretch when the co-main event was about to start and then headed out.

[Yu Jung-ak will be facing Lee Il-su. This match looks really exciting.]

[Yes, both fighters are very skilled. An interesting fact is that one of them has beaten Jang Sung-hyun, while the other has taken a down from Jang Sung-hyun. These two fighters are facing each other today.]

[Who do you think will win?]

[Lee Il-su might have a slight advantage.]

[Why do you think so?]

[This is Yu Jung-ak's comeback match after 8 months. Moreover, his main discipline isn't kickboxing but MMA. So there are some disadvantages. The fact that it's a comeback match is particularly important. On the other hand, Lee Il-su has had matches since the World One tournament and has been winning with overwhelming performances. He's a rapidly improving fighter.]

[Isn't that true for Yu Jung-ak as well?]

Lee Il-su was making his entrance with flashy entrance music.

[While Yu Jung-ak is also a fighter who grows like a sponge, he's been inactive for 8 months due to military service issues. There will naturally be some deterioration in his skills.]

[So Yu Jung-ak's skill deterioration could be an issue.]

[Yes. The key points of this match are how much Lee Il-su has grown, and how much Yu Jung-ak has regained his former skills.]

[Yu Jung-ak is entering now. He's known for preparing unique entrance music. Is today's song like that too?]

[Yes. I've listened to Yu Jung-ak's entrance music in advance today.]

[Haha. Seo Dong-gi, you prepare for everything, don't you?]

[Yu Jung-ak's entrance music surprisingly fits well with his entrance. In short, Yu Jung-ak has a good sense for it. Today's entrance music is also from an indie band. It's a song called 'Soon' by Danpyunsun and the Sailors.]

[You sound like you've become a DJ.]

Fast drum beats, bass, and violin sounds were heard. Then suddenly, the music sped up. Yu Jung-ak made his entrance quickly, matching the music. Surprisingly, it fit very well with the entrance music.

As Yu Jung-ak finished his entrance, the ring announcer began the introductions.

"Follow the strategy. Got it?"

"Yes."

Yu Jung-ak came with a custom strategy for Lee Il-su. It was called 'Cooking the Rising Star'.

Lee Il-su was rapidly improving. His confidence was overflowing accordingly. Plus, he had a personality that couldn't stand losing to anyone.

Rumsak Noi said he knew an easy way to beat fighters like Lee Il-su. So for this match, they decided to follow Rumsak Noi's plan completely.

Yu Jung-ak's strategy was to slowly provoke Lee Il-su.

After touching gloves, Lee Il-su raised his guard and slowly came in for strikes. Yu Jung-ak threw a not-so-powerful inside leg kick.

An inside leg kick refers to kicking the inside of the opponent's leg. When both fighters are right-handed, this inside leg kick is usually the first kick to land.

It's because they're attacking each other's forward leg. However, this inside leg kick doesn't have much power as it's difficult to put body weight into it.

Lee Il-su was highly focused. When Yu Jung-ak threw the inside leg kick, he quickly countered with a jab.

Yu Jung-ak raised his guard to block Lee Il-su's jab.

Thud!

And another jab from Lee Il-su followed!

Lee Il-su immediately gauged the distance and threw a powerful, spirited straight punch. It was a sharp straight that made his body lean forward significantly.

Yu Jung-ak's head swayed. It wasn't because he was hit by the straight, but because he dodged it quickly.

Lee Il-su's straight barely grazed Yu Jung-ak's cheek before slipping off. It didn't deliver an impact, but the glove touched the cheek by a paper-thin margin before sliding off.

[Oh! Did the straight land?]

[It looks like he barely dodged it. Yu Jung-ak's reflexes seem to be intact. It was a sharp timing, but he dodged it all.]

While Lee Il-su was aggressively on the offensive, Yu Jung-ak only responded with short strikes. Of course, he skillfully avoided Lee Il-su's sharp attacks with a mix of guards and evasions. When kick attacks came, he quickly stepped back to avoid them, and when Lee Il-su pressed forward with advancing steps, Yu Jung-ak dodged everything with his unique evasive ability.

Unlike before, he wasn't making big movements to dodge. Yu Jung-ak avoided attacks just barely enough to frustrate Lee Il-su and make him charge in.

Lee Il-su didn't realize that Yu Jung-ak was slowly drawing him into a trap. He just thought his attacks were narrowly missing. He believed that if he attacked a bit more, he could surely land a hit.

Lee Il-su's attacks became increasingly sharp.

Yu Jung-ak's evasion skills had improved to the point where he could now dodge most attacks effortlessly.

Even Lee Il-su's current attacks were like that. When focusing solely on dodging without worrying about counterattacking, they weren't at a level Yu Jung-ak couldn't avoid.

Lee Il-su was certainly skilled, but he was below Jang Sung-hyun's level. Yu Jung-ak realized this after mixing in a few attacks at the beginning.

Following the strategy, Yu Jung-ak focused on defense without launching many attacks. In a ring smaller than an octagon, Yu Jung-ak was surprisingly smooth in defending against Lee Il-su's attacks.

He barely used his guard to block, mostly just dodging. While dodging, he occasionally threw counterattacks, but they were strikes with almost no weight behind them.

As a result, from the middle of the round, Lee Il-su started launching powerful attacks without paying attention to Yu Jung-ak's strikes.

It meant he intended to counter Yu Jung-ak's attacks with his own.

[Yu Jung-ak is taking a long time for his reconnaissance. Has his style changed?]

[With Lee Il-su coming in so strongly, he might have taken a step back for now. This is the difference in experience. When an opponent comes in strong, you can either meet them head-on or take a breather like this. It's only the first round, after all. However, if he fights too passively, it'll be hard to score points.]

Two minutes had passed. Lee Il-su's attacks were becoming more daring. Yu Jung-ak, who had been running away, was finally cornered.

Lee Il-su lowered his head, threw a strong body shot at Yu Jung-ak, and then launched a right hook. Yu Jung-ak used the ring to sway his upper body and then used that momentum to throw a short uppercut. It wasn't a big attack. However, because Lee Il-su had let his guard down, it was enough to make his legs wobble momentarily. The counter timing was just that good. Lee Il-su briefly dropped to one knee before quickly standing up.

[Oh! It's a knockdown! A knockdown.]

[It doesn't look like there was much impact. Was it a slip? Or... ah, it's being counted as a knockdown. Lee Il-su looks furious. That's not good. A fighter should maintain composure in any situation.]

Yu Jung-ak was slowly catching his breath. He knew well that he couldn't bring down Lee Il-su with attacks like this.

Having fought over ten matches, Yu Jung-ak was becoming a crafty veteran. He was skillfully targeting the rookie Lee Il-su.

It became clear now that Yu Jung-ak hadn't been idle all this time. Over the past 8 months, Yu Jung-ak had worked to maximize his innate evasion skills. This process also included improving his ability to throw counters.

Previously, he would only throw counters with full power, but now he had worked on being able to react even to the smallest attacks, resulting in his ability to control the power of his counters as he was doing now.

This ability was more important than one might think. Counters thrown only with full power carried equally big risks. Being able to control the power allowed him to throw counters freely even in situations that weren't perfectly timed, like now. In other words, while before he had to wait for the opponent to give him a counter opportunity, now Yu Jung-ak could create those opportunities himself.

If this ability were maximized, he would eventually be able to counter even the opponent's jabs.

There were such strikers among world-class fighters. Of course, even those fighters could only show such picture-perfect counters once or twice in a match. That's how difficult it was to counter at every timing.

The counter Yu Jung-ak just threw was like that. It rarely presented itself, and if done wrong, it could be dangerous.

Cornered in the ring, which was narrower than an octagon, Yu Jung-ak's options for footwork were limited. Even if he dodged Lee Il-su's right hook, he could be in danger if he got hit by a follow-up strike.

But Yu Jung-ak dodged the right hook and immediately threw a short uppercut. Before Lee Il-su's follow-up strike could come.

If Yu Jung-ak's reaction had been even a little slower, he would have taken damage from Lee Il-su's powerful follow-up strike.

Lee Il-su immediately stood up and took a fighting stance. His corner was telling him to slow down, but it wasn't reaching his ears anymore. Yu Jung-ak read intense anger on Lee Il-su's face.

The biggest weakness of rookie fighters was their mentality. There were many rookie fighters whose skills were on par with veterans. However, mentality was largely innate and didn't change easily without long-term training.

Lee Il-su had what you might call a fiery temper. Once a fire starts burning, it doesn't easily die down.

Lee Il-su had fallen into the trap. Yu Jung-ak inwardly smiled as he took his fighting stance.