After the Match

["The right body punch landed! Lee Il-su has collapsed! The match is stopped immediately."]

["It was a clean body punch. He accurately targeted the area already damaged by the knee kick. There's no getting up from that. In this match, the difference in experience was more apparent than skill. Yu Jung-ak showed the versatility of a veteran who has competed in both mixed martial arts and stand-up fighting, while Lee Il-su's performance was a bit disappointing."]

["Actually, isn't Yu Jung-ak still considered a rookie in terms of years of experience?"]

["In terms of years, yes, but the opponents Yu Jung-ak has faced have been formidable. He's a veteran. Including tournament matches, this is already his fourth stand-up fight. He's quickly building up his record. There were some concerns about his comeback match, but they were unfounded. He seems much more relaxed than before his return."]

["What about his skills?"]

["His skills are impressive, but I'd like to praise Yu Jung-ak's mental strength."]

After the match, Yu Jung-ak came down from the ring. His teammates congratulated him. Angela approached with a bandage on her toe to offer her congratulations. Her parents were behind her.

"Why did you come with an injured toe?"

"I still wanted to."

"What did you say?"

"They say it will heal quickly."

"Quickly? Angela, you can't train for two weeks. How did you step on it to end up like this?"

Cho Yong-il approached and said,

"But we can still have a team dinner!"

Today was a good timing for a team dinner as none of the Team Silence fighters had lost, and there were no major injuries. However, Yu Jung-ak wasn't particularly keen on the idea. It was too late in the evening. If they went for dinner, it would get even later.

"Jung-ak. You should go too. It's important to relax once in a while."

"Alright, Uncle."

Jung-ak spent an enjoyable time at the team dinner for once. Athletes had to return to their routines the day after a team dinner. In fact, athletes didn't have many days off. Even on rest days, they exercised to keep their muscles loose. They couldn't spend an entire day lying around doing nothing like ordinary people.

Because once you start to slack off, you want to keep slacking off. Yu Jung-ak fell asleep after midnight but woke up at his usual time. Although he was quite fatigued, he didn't sleep in or do anything else out of the ordinary.

Sleeping in now could disrupt his routine. Yu Jung-ak ate less than usual to avoid feeling drowsy. He wouldn't be moving much anyway right after a match.

"Kyung-ah noona."

Yu Jung-ak left his room and headed to the center's front desk. The receptionist, Oh Kyung-ah, was five years older than Yu Jung-ak. At first, he had addressed her formally, but now they were close enough to speak casually.

It was nine in the morning. Oh Kyung-ah had just arrived at work and was doing some light stretching at the information desk while preparing for her shift. Yu Jung-ak suddenly handed her something.

"Eat this and get some energy. You've been tired lately, right?"

"What favor are you trying to ask now?"

"I'm tired. Is there an empty suite room?"

"There is, but..."

"Can I use the bathroom there?"

Yu Jung-ak's room had shower facilities, but nothing that could be called a bathtub. The suite rooms, on the other hand, had large bathtubs like you'd find in a real bathhouse. Yu Jung-ak planned to use the sauna and then soak his muscles in lukewarm water there.

"If you ask the director, he'd gladly let you use it. Why do you keep asking me?"

"I don't want to keep bothering him when he's busy. Can I use it?"

"Fine. But use it cleanly. The staff will complain otherwise."

"What's there to dirty? I just want to use the bathtub and rest a bit."

Oh Kyung-ah gave Yu Jung-ak the keycard to the suite room. For Yu Jung-ak, this was a bit of an indulgence. Staying in the center's suite room, which costs a lot even for one night, was quite a pleasant experience.

Yu Jung-ak sweated in the steam sauna in the suite room and then soaked in lukewarm water.

Soaking in water filled with rock salt, said to be good for fatigue recovery, felt quite nice. Yu Jung-ak turned on the radio on his smartphone and closed his eyes, taking a short nap in the bathtub. A brief 30-minute sleep.

Usually, it wasn't common to use the sauna right after a match, but Yu Jung-ak enjoyed it. He felt like all the salt in his body was being flushed out. Of course, staying in that state for too long wasn't good for health. So Yu Jung-ak made sure to consume plenty of water and food afterward.

The day felt long with no training scheduled. Time wasn't passing quickly either. On internet communities, everyone was saying that Yu Jung-ak should really go abroad now. They were even telling him to stop fighting easy opponents.

Whether he knew about this or not, Yu Jung-ak was peacefully resting in the bathtub. Apart from some light stretching, he did nothing but rest in the suite room. Yu Jung-ak knew well that resting was just as important as exercising.

After getting out of the bathtub, Yu Jung-ak was fighting sleepiness while watching a movie. While taking a long nap during the day might feel good, it could completely change his sleeping schedule, so he was resisting. Instead, he planned to go to bed a little earlier than usual tonight.

He ate a simple breakfast, mostly vegetables, and lunch was the same. When your stomach is full, you get sleepier. Even Yu Jung-ak, with his exceptional mental strength, found it hard to resist sleep that comes at such times. So he avoided creating situations where sleep would overwhelm him in the first place.

After eating a light lunch, Yu Jung-ak leisurely headed to the training area.

"You should be resting. Why are you here?"

"I'm sleepy, so I came to wake myself up. Oh! Rumsak hyung."

Yu Jung-ak waved to Rumsak, who was busy holding pads for other fighters in the ring.

"You're not going to greet me?"

Oh Jung-ryong pouted.

"I already did."

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"This guy..."

"Are you really going to hit a fighter right after his match?"

"I'll let it slide since you won."

"Here, have this."

Yu Jung-ak handed Oh Jung-ryong a packet of ginseng extract.

"Aren't you going to have some?"

"It doesn't make much difference for me."

"Then give it all to me, someone who appreciates it. Does it work well for you?"

"Hyung, does it work well for you?"

"Man, I ate half of that ginseng and that night, whew. I was so hot I couldn't sleep."

"Oh, really?"

"My girlfriend is very grateful to you."

Oh Jung-ryong said with a lewd expression. Yu Jung-ak nodded along while inwardly thinking how pathetic it was. There was no way the ginseng he bought online for 30,000 won for 10 roots could have such effects. Yu Jung-ak thought about using the remaining nine roots at an appropriate time, making sure no one found out it was just ordinary ginseng.

"Everyone's training hard, and you're doing well. You went to your room earlier and came back out? If you're going to slack off, go slack off in your room. You're being a distraction."

Oh Jung-ryong, who was training, said. Yu Jung-ak was lying on the training mat floor reading a book.

"How am I a distraction when I'm in the corner?"

"It doesn't look good. This place is for... ugh! You! Training hard to... ugh! Ha!"

"I can't stay in my room because I get sleepy."

"Then at least do some light stretching or something."

"I just finished a match yesterday, what more stretching do I need to do? Unlike you, I already woke up at dawn and did my exercises."

"You woke up at dawn?"

"Yeah."

"As usual?"

"Yeah."

Oh Jung-ryong's eyes changed. It was a look that said, "What kind of guy is this?" Yesterday, Oh Jung-ryong had drunk almost to the point of blacking out.

"Didn't you join the team dinner yesterday?"

"I did. You were sitting next to me, remember?"

"Did you drink?"

"You know I don't usually drink. I just had a few glasses."

"Did you sneak out early?"

"It was past midnight when I got back to the center."

"You must have left early. I was out until past 2 AM."

"That's because you guys went drinking separately afterward. Rumsak hyung and I came back after midnight."

"Ah, right. We wrapped things up at the pajeon place first. But you woke up at dawn? Weren't you sleepy?"

"Of course I'm sleepy. I'm so sleepy I could die, that's why I'm here like this."

"Why don't you take a nap?"

"That would mess up my sleep schedule."

Oh Jung-ryong frowned and opened his mouth at Yu Jung-ak's words.

"Ah, you stubborn bastard. What are you, some kind of alpha whatever? Why are you trying to live such a joyless, mechanical life?"

"Hyung, you're living too loosely for an athlete."

"Man, you need to enjoy life a bit to stay motivated. If you keep pushing yourself that hard all the time, you'll burn out all at once. It's not healthy to endure boredom like that all the time."

"I'm not bored though? I enjoy training and all that."

"Ah, you stubborn bastard. So stubborn. So stubborn."

Yu Jung-ak was lying on the floor talking with Oh Jung-ryong. That's when Kim Young-tae approached.

"Oh, Jung-ak. You've been reading a lot lately. They say even a dog that hangs around a village school for three years can compose a poem. Look at you reading books after spending some time at the library. Hey-o!"

"I've always read a lot."

"But why are you reading a paper book today? Who reads like that these days? Everyone reads smartly on their smartphones. You know, smartly!"

"Reading too much on the phone hurts my eyes. It's better to read paper books sometimes."

"What book is this anyway? 'The Immortals'? Is this fantasy?"

"It's not fantasy, it's called genre fiction. Young-tae, ah! You ignorant fool!"

Oh Jung-ryong frowned and said.

"What's wrong with that, hyung? I used to read some fantasy, you know?"

"What did you read, huh? Get out of here, your ignorance is contagious."

"Look who's talking about being ignorant."

"What?"

"Nothing, hyung! But is this good, Jung-ak? Let me read it after you. I used to read quite a bit of fantasy back in the day. Ah, there were some really good ones."

"This is a series, so you need to start from the beginning."

"It's a series?"

"Yeah. The first part is wuxia, but you don't need to read that to understand. After 'The Mortals' comes 'The Demon Possessed', and then 'The Immortals'."

"Have you read them all?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm."

"Did you buy them?"

"I was reading e-books, but then I just bought the whole series online. They've been re-released in hardcover recently."

"Is it really good?"

"It's honey-jam good."

"Can you lend me the first one?"

"I'll take the first one! I'll take it first!"

As Kim Young-tae was about to borrow it, Oh Jung-ryong cut in and called dibs.

"Then Jung-ryong hyung can borrow it first, and Young-tae hyung can start from the wuxia part. Are you guys done with training?"

"I was planning to stop for today. I should read some books too. Hey, stop reading and go get the books."

"I can't carry them all by myself. Come with me."

"How many books are there?"

"About ten books per series, I think?"

"When do you have time to read all that?"

"Genre fiction is usually quick to read, hyung. Why are you being so ignorant?"

"What? This won't do. Young-tae, you go buy some snacks. You need snacks to really enjoy this kind of thing. You know those snacks they sell at movie theaters, right?"

"Ah, why are you doing this again?"

"Are you going or not?"

"Ah, you mean popcorn?"

"You want to die? Don't you know I don't eat popcorn?"

"Alright, alright. I'll go quickly. But what about money?"

"You really want to die, don't you?"

"Tch."

Kim Young-tae grumbled as he left.

"I always wonder, why is Young-tae hyung so weak against you?"

"It's all because of my charisma, of course."

"I don't think so."

"There's something like that. He's my prey. Hahaha! For life!"

Oh Jung-ryong and Yu Jung-ak went to their rooms to get the books. Then they returned to where Yu Jung-ak had been lying down and started reading, leaning against the wall. There were still quite a few people training in the gym.

"Should I start with this one? But doesn't the title sound a bit off?"

"If you don't like it, don't read it. I need to read now, so stop talking to me."

Yu Jung-ak was now completely immersed in "The Immortals". After about 10 minutes, Kim Young-tae returned from the nearby supermarket. Kim Young-tae sat down next to Yu Jung-ak. A peculiar scene unfolded with three athletes sitting side by side in the training area, reading books with a bag of snacks between them.

This was a sight you could only see right after a match. After reading for about ten minutes while eating snacks, Oh Jung-ryong frowned.

"Why? They were living well in the martial arts world, but now they're back in modern times?"

"I don't know either. Ask the author."

"And why the hell are there so many jongohun?"

"Ask the author about that too. Is it not interesting? Then give it back."

Yu Jung-ak was now lying down with his head on Kim Young-tae's thigh, still reading. Kim Young-tae was focused on reading Part 1.

"No, it's interesting, but I'm just confused about what's what. Is all genre fiction like this?"

"There are all kinds of writings in genre fiction."

"I guess I should start from Part 1 after all. Hey, Young-tae! How far have you read? Wow, you've already read this much?"

Oh Jung-ryong had just read a little over 50 pages, but Kim Young-tae had already read more than 200 pages.

"Are you reading a comic book or something?"

"Back in my day, I used to hang out at comic book shops a lot. There, you had to read quickly because you paid by the hour. Speed reading was a must!"

"Hey, anyway, read that quickly and give it to me. Is it interesting?"

"I'm not sure yet. It seems like a typical light novel so far."

"Ah! Shit! Be quiet for a bit. Let's read. I'm going to take them all away."

When Oh Jung-ryong and Kim Young-tae started bickering, Yu Jung-ak got annoyed. Oh Jung-ryong took out his smartphone and started playing a game while waiting for Kim Young-tae to finish the book. When Kim Young-tae finished the first volume and passed it on, Oh Jung-ryong started reading it.

Before they knew it, all three were absorbed in the books.

"Hey, what are you guys doing there? You bastards. Messing around in the training area."

"Oh, Coach, I mean Director. What brings you here? I thought you were taking the day off."

When Yoon Chang-seon appeared, not just Yu Jung-ak but all three of them stood up and greeted him. No matter how relaxed the atmosphere was, Yoon Chang-seon was the highest-ranking person in the team after Cho Yong-il. They had to show proper respect.

"You're really slacking off. Just because the match is over, you've completely let yourselves go. I'll let it slide just for today. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

"You bastards. But it is comfortable reading books on the mat, isn't it?"

Yoon Chang-seon stopped scolding them and grinned.

"Yes, it is. It's spacious, and with the air purifiers running at full blast, the air is good too."

"Make sure you clean up after eating those snacks."

"Yes, sir!"

"If you get thirsty, don't drink soda. Come inside and drink water!"

"Yes, sir!"

Yoon Chang-seon said this and went into his office. The three resumed reading their books. Oh Jung-ryong continued to grumble while reading, and Kim Young-tae was quickly reading the second volume and moving on to the third. Meanwhile, Oh Jung-ryong was still in the middle of the first volume.

Oh Jung-ryong kept asking Kim Young-tae if it was interesting as he read. Kim Young-tae just said it was okay, decent enough to read. By the time Oh Jung-ryong finished the first volume, Kim Young-tae had finished the fourth.

"Ah."

"What? Is it not interesting?"

"The fourth volume is super good. Ah, it's so sad."

"Why? What happens?"

"In the fourth volume, you see..."

"Don't spoil it, hyung. That's really annoying when it happens."

Yu Jung-ak quickly stopped Kim Young-tae.

"Ah... Anyway, just read it, hyung."

Yu Jung-ak read until dinner time, and for once, he ate with Oh Jung-ryong and Kim Young-tae. The two who had been grumbling while reading tried to bring the books to the dining hall, but Yu Jung-ak absolutely forbade it, saying food would get on the books.

Yu Jung-ak ate his usual portion only at dinner, and after filling his stomach, he prepared to go to bed earlier than usual.

From tomorrow, his daily routine would start again at its normal pace.