Upload Book
Novel Cool APP
Original
Latest
New
Popular
Surprise
Category
Advance search
Language
Novel

Prince Of The Octagon

2
Follower
4.0
1 Votes
12,625
Views
Forget the UFC! Experience all of mixed martial arts through a novel! MMA history spanning decades. The legend of the man who dominated the 100 square foot octagon ring. Changgong Lee, the strongest hard puncher in history! The unrivaled champion who would go down in MMA history! Experience the intense pleasure for yourself now!
[More]
[Less]
2
Follower
4.0
1 Votes
12,625
Views
Forget the UFC! Experience all of mixed martial arts through a novel! MMA history spanning decades. The legend of the man who dominated the 100 square foot octagon ring. Changgong Lee, the strongest hard puncher in history! The unrivaled champion who would go down in MMA history! Experience the intense pleasure for yourself now!
[More]
[Less]

Prince Of The Octagon

Novel

Prince Of The Octagon

4.0
(1 Votes)
Philip,필립
Action;  Martial Arts;  
English||Ongoing
Forget the UFC! Experience all of mixed martial arts through a novel! MMA history spanning decades. The legend of the man who dominated the 100 square foot octagon ring. Changgong Lee, the strongest hard puncher in history! The unrivaled champion who would go down in MMA history! Experience the intense pleasure for yourself now!
Comments 0
Chapters 22
Forget the UFC! Experience all of mixed martial arts through a novel! MMA history spanning decades. The legend of the man who dominated the 100 square foot octagon ring. Changgong Lee, the strongest hard puncher in history! The unrivaled champion who would go down in MMA history! Experience the intense pleasure for yourself now!
0 Comments
Comment
No comments
The series Prince Of The Octagon contain intense violence, blood/gore,sexual content and/or strong language that may not be appropriate for underage viewers thus is blocked for their protection. So if you're above the legal age of 18.
Please click here to continue the reading.

Chapters

More chapters
Pack up
Chapter 1
Prince of the Octagon Chapter 1-4

TL: sleepymaru

Editor: SlowAsLightning

1. A Hooligan with a Story <1>

Incheon.

In the middle of Guwol-dong Rodeo Street, a group of men stood in a circle talking in hushed voices.

Each and every one of them seemed to be as big as a bear. They wore mountain hiking and golf apparel, as if they were trying to look like the stereotypical thug.

Amongst these giants, there was one relatively small man in gym clothes. While he looked small compared to the giants, he was by no means actually small.

This group of men naturally stood out, but the street was so crowded that no one really paid much attention to them.

Handing over a picture, a man with side parted hair spoke to the man in gym clothes.

"It's this guy. Name's Hyungsoo Kim. He's chugging alcohol by the window of that bar over there."

The man in gym clothes stared at the picture.

"How much does he owe?"

"22 million"

"You're giving me 300,000 won for taking care of a guy who took off with 22 million?"

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"I never said I didn't want to."

"Can you?"

"Can't be too hard."

"You have to get it done now."

"…at the bar?"

"This bastard bashed Minsoo's head with a soju bottle and beat him up so much that he got 4 weeks. He has no fear. Screw him up."

The man in gym clothes chewed on his lips as if he wasn't pleased.

"What if the cops come?"

"Run."

"What if I get caught?"

"Why're you asking? It was all you."

"Kid, just finish it in 10 minutes and you'll be fine. What's the problem? If you get caught we're here for you. Just say that you acted alone. Since you're in high school and it's your first offense, you'll get off with a warning."

Surprisingly, the man in gym clothes was a high schooler. He let out a big sigh and nodded his head.

"Anyways, you'll give me the money once it's done, right?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Do you think I'd really want to pinch off your snot-ridden money?"

"Fine, I'll go."

"I believe in you, Changgong."

Side part patted the student, Changgong Lee, on the shoulder. Changgong put on a mask and hat, and even pulled his hood over his head for good measure.

"Changgong, wait."

A young-looking guy amid the thugs approached Changgong to wrap his hand in bandages. It was Dongwoo Choi, his senior in high school by three years.

"You'll break your hands if you're not careful."

"Try not to get hurt."

"Thank you."

Changgong said his thanks and headed towards the two-floor bar, Pirates.

"Welcome. For how many?"

A man who looked like the manager greeted Changgong.

"My party's inside."

Changgong blurted out an excuse and went inside, scanning the window seats as he walked.

'Is it that dude?'

Changgong's eyes quickly landed on a guy who matched the picture. He had his shoulder length hair parted right in the middle as if he was Jesus.

Cocky bastard. That guy ran off with thug money but still had the gall to drink without a care with women in his arms.

I guess it makes sense since it's the same guy who bashed a thug's head in with a soju bottle.

Changgong approached Hyungsoo Kim and stood in front of him.

"What the? Who're you?"

"You Hyungsoo Kim?"

"Yeah, and?"

Slap!

With no warning, Changgong slapped Hyungsoo across his face.

A woman who had been sitting with Hyungsoo let out a shrill scream. Not caring, Changgong held onto Hyungsoo's face and punched him repeatedly. You have to destroy these types of guys right from the beginning.

"Who the hell is this bastard!"

A guy who had been sitting in the corner seat got onto the table. Changgong kicked the table over as if he had been waiting. The guy lost his balance and banged his chin on the table.

Changgong dragged the guy by his hair and kneed him in the face before dragging him out to the aisle where he kicked him like a madman.

The guy who had been sitting at the corner on the other side went into action. He held a soju bottle by the neck and struck down towards Changgong's head.

Crash!

Changgong hit away the guy's hand with a roundhouse kick. The soju bottle broke, shredding up the guy's hand. While he yelled in pain, Changgong grabbed him by the collar and belt and smashed him head first into the table.

With that, 3 men were knocked out.

It had happened so fast that no one had the chance to stop or interfere with the fight.

One of the women shrieked with all her might.

"Shut up before I make you."

Changgong raised his hand as if to slap her, and the woman flinched, quickly closing her mouth. Changgong resumed beating on Hyungsoo.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Hyungsoo wound his body up like a bug in rhythm to Changgong's punches. He let out pathetic whimpers, but Changgong punched him five more times before stopping.

"Why would you be getting hit?"

Changgong asked.

"Because of m-money."

"That's right. You're a month passed the deadline. You think we're doing this for fun?"

"I'm sorry…… I'll pay it all back."

"When?"

Hyungsoo hesitated. Not waiting a second, Changgong gave him a hard slap across the face.

"When, you bitch?"

"I-I'll pay you by the end of this month."

"By next week. It's 22 million."

"What? The principal was 16! Where will I get that kind of money!"

"We're including the medical fees for our man you almost did in."

-Fuck, get out of the way before I break everything down!

At that moment, there seemed to be a struggle by the entrance before five healthy men swarmed in.

"Hey, you!"

"Come here, you fucker!"

The men suddenly came towards Changgong while spitting out curses.

"……What is this? You're coming to hit me?"

Changgong slowly backed away.

"You're dead you bastard."

The woman who had been cowering away in the corner spoke as she glared at Changgong. So you contacted some of your friends, I see. Bitch.

"I'll take care of you later."

Changgong ran off to a narrow aisle. Here, he would be able to fight the men one at a time. Two at most.

As expected, the five men charged at Changgong one by one.

The first man threw a punch. Changgong dodged it with a slight movement of his head and struck the man right in the nose.

Whack!

From behind the man who had just fallen over, the second guy came at Changgong with a drop kick. Changgong reached his arm between the man's two stretched out legs and twisted his balls.

"Argh!"

With one hand still grasping onto the balls, he grabbed the man's collar with his other hand and threw him backwards.

Smack! One guy kicked Changgong's back at that instant.

Changgong rolled forward once, grabbed the budaejjigae pan from the table in front of him, and threw the contents into the face of the man rushing towards him. Changgong whacked the yelping man in the head with the pan, then kneed him in the face as he fell to his knees.

With that, only two were left.

Two were nothing to be afraid of. Without waiting, Changgong drove into one the men and slammed his face with his forehead.

The last man kicked at Changgong from behind the man falling with blood spurting out of his nose.  Changgong quickly grabbed onto his leg and split the man's legs abruptly before kicking the collapsing man in the face like a soccer ball. Teeth like corn flew in the air amongst blood.

That was the end.

Even the music stopped. There was only silence in the bar with easily 100 people.

Half had fainted while half moaned in pain. He had crushed 8 men instantly.

Changgong dusted off his hat that had fallen to the floor and walked towards the woman who had cursed at him before. Then, he harshly took her phone and checked her texts.

-Helpmetheresafighthere

-What are you talking about

-Acrzybastadshittingevyonehesgoingtokillhyungsoo

-Where are you

-Pirateshurry

Changgong chuckled. She must have been in a real hurry to type this gibberish.

"You wrote that I'm a crazy bastard here, huh?"

"P-please don't hurt me."

Changgong swiftly raised his hand.

"Ah!"

"……forget it."

Changgong brought his hand back down. A man can't go around hitting frightened women now, could he.

"Hey, when will you pay it back by?"

He looked at Hyungsoo Kim as he spoke.

"I'll get it ready by next week……"

"Okay, it's by next week, you hear me?"

Changgong gave Hyungsoo a few friendly slaps to the face before walking out the bar and down the stairs.

It was then.

-Crrrrr!

Sounds of walki-talkies and hurried footsteps echoed from the bottom of the stairs.

Cops.

Changgong came face to face with the police who had been rushing up the stairs. Both sides were surprised and froze for a second before Changgong turned around and quickly ran back up the stairs.

"He's running!"

"Get him!"

"Block the walkways!"

Changgong went back into the bar Pirates.

A hoard of police chased after him.

"Stop!"

The police spread out into the various aisles and closed in on Changgong. In this situation where he would easily be caught, Changgong jumped across the tables and went into the restroom, locking the door behind him.

Bam! Bam!

"Open the door!"

The police roughly slammed at the door.

'Wow……! Shit. I'm fucked……!'

How'd they come so fast? It had only taken around 10 minutes.

That wasn't what was important right now.

Changgong leaned into the door with his back and quickly called the thug.

Ring ring ring ……

"Please, please……!"

-Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system……

"Ignored?"

It hadn't been 10 seconds since the ringtone and it went over to the voice message. This bitch. He hung up and called again. Ignored again. Called again. Until he answers.

Finally, the thug answered the call.

"Hello? Hey, it's me, Changgong……"

-Hey you crazy bastard! You can't call me!"

The thug shouted at Changgong immediately after picking up.

"It's nothing big actually. I finished up within 10 minutes, but the cops already came. I'm in the restroom with the door locked right now, but I think I'm going to get caught."

-I'm going to go crazy here. Are you fucking stupid?

"Huh?"

-If you call us we're going to get pulled in to, you fucker!

Changgong had nothing to say.

And then, he became infuriated.

He was doing all this for them, and instead of worrying for him, they give him this kind of treatment? The hell is this?

"Hey, you're going a bit far there, don't you think? You can't do this. You said you'd have my back."

-You. What did I say before? I told you to take all the blame if you get caught, didn't I? I told you that I'd get you out after.

"Those were only words. If I knew I was going to get caught would I work? How are you going to get me out, anyways?"

-You think you'd understand if I told you? Just shut up and do as I tell you.

"I asked how you're going to fix this."

-Is something wrong with your head? You've gotten so cocky because I was a little nice to you, huh?

The thug's tone was domineering. It was obvious that he had no plans to help.

"Fuck this shit."

-……What? What did you just say?

"This is fucking shit! Fuck! It's the last job so you're just going to cut me off, is that it?"

-This bitch has gone off the rails.

"You're the one who tipped the cops, right?"

-What?

"It hadn't even been 10 minutes before they came en masse. If they weren't tipped beforehand how would they have come already?"

-Why would I report you?

The thug's voice wavered awkwardly. It was ridiculous. Did he think I was fucking stupid?

"So you're going pull one over me like this? You'll see. I'm not going down alone."

-Hey, what are you trying to say?

"Take it as you'd like."

If I get caught, I'd reveal everyone involved. There's nothing to fear since it's come to this.

The thug hesitated, as if he was caught off guard. The police banged on the door and threatened Changgong even then.

-What's wrong, kid? I told you that I'd fix everything, so you should just lay back. Did I ever bully you before? I wired you the money on time……

"I don't care about that, just tell me how. What am I supposed to do now?"

-Changgong, just calm down……

"I said I don't care so hurry up and tell me! The cops are going to break in!"

-First, take out the sim card from your phone and destroy it. I'll pay you for the phone later.

"Then?"

-Run as fast as you can.

"What?"

-Kid, I'm not joking. If we get caught up in all this, how would we help you? Run as far as you can, and if you get caught, tell them that a simple argument turned into a fight.

"What if those bastards all snitch?"

-They can't. I guarantee you. I'll even bet my two balls.

Instead of providing some useful information, he went on about his balls that weren't even worth two eggs.

But whining would not come up with answers. He could just act crazy and reveal everything if things went wrong.

"I told you. I won't go down alone."

-I heard you.

Bam! Bam!

The slamming on the door got more aggressive.

"I'm going to have to go out."

Changgong hung up the phone, took out the sim card, and broke it. Then, he crushed the phone with his feet and threw his body into the window.

"I'm leaving! I'm leaving!"

TL: sleepymaru

Editor: SlowAsLightning

1. A Hooligan with a Story <2>

The banging stopped with Changgong's yell.

Changgong opened the door and walked out raising both of his hands.

"You're under arrest for assault and battery and property destruction! You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can……"

As the police recited the Miranda Rights while taking out a pair of handcuffs, Changgong pushed through and ran.

"Catch him!"

As if they had been waiting for him to run, the police rushed in, blocking the aisle from all three directions.

They had been ready for this situation.

'Shit……!'

He had really gotten himself into a pickle this time. He'll never work with fucking gangsters anymore. Spit!

In that instant, Changgong's eyes fell upon the fully open balcony.

'Should I jump?'

Fuck it. It's better than getting caught.

Changgong ran towards the balcony and threw himself off.

"H-hey! That piece of-!"

The police were flustered, not knowing what to do.

That was only natural since the balcony was easily 5 meters above the ground.

The police rushed towards the railing in a herd and looked outside. Surprisingly, Changgong rolled forward once to break his fall and sprang up to sprint away.

"Wow……"

A senior officer slapped the amazed police officer upside his head.

"Chase him! And radio the team on standby!"

"Gasp, gasp!"

Changgong ran to the taxi stand and cut in front of the line to get into the backseat of the frontmost taxi.

"Hello."

"Mister, please go."

"Where would you like to go?"

"Just start the car already. Anywhere, hurry!"

"I couldn't go even if I wanted to. The light's red."

"Can't you just please go?"

"Hey now, do you know how much the fine is for running a red light? Can't do that."

Changgong looked out the window. The police and detectives were frothing at their mouths trying to catch little old Changgong and quickly swarmed into the taxi stand.

'God, this is crazy.'

Changgong laid himself flat onto the backseat. 'I guess shitting bricks would be the appropriate term for this situation.' He was so nervous that it felt like his asshole was really flaring.

'Please God……I'll fucking go to church, so please……'

Anxiety makes you think of anything and everything.

The signal finally changed. But when it seemed that the taxi would finally depart, it abruptly stopped.

"What's wrong now?"

"Hey, did you happen to commit a crime?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Police cars are blocking the way."

Changgong shot up in surprise. It wasn't only police. Police and detectives were completely surrounding them. A detective with a military haircut knocked on the window. He grinned when the taxi driver lowered the window and flashed his badge.

"Good work, man. I have some business with your passenger here. Would it be okay to borrow him for a bit?"

"Sure thing."

The military haircut detective opened the backdoor, still grinning.

"Since you took the effort to run away, you could have done a bit better, don't you think?"

"So, do you want to get hurt, or are you going to come out like a nicely?"

"I'm getting out."

Changgong got out of the taxi. The detective grabbed onto Changgong's collar and pushed him into the wall a bit roughly. He tapped Changgong's ankles a few times to spread his legs and handcuffed his hands behind him.

"This would have been a lot easier if you hadn't run."

"I'm sorry……"

"Whatever, this is our job so you don't have to apologize. You already heard the Miranda Rights a while ago, right? Let's talk about the rest down at the station."

Changgong kept his head down as the police dragged him away.

I guess my life ends here.

"Ex….pulsion?"

"We are very sorry to tell you this."

Inside the conference room of Silla High School.

The middle of the three teachers sitting at the rectangular table spoke. The words were apologetic, but the teacher's expression was anything but.

Changgong, who had been sitting across the table like a criminal, dropped his head even lower. It had fortunately been settled as mutual combat, but the school's punishment was another story.

Next to Changgong, a middle-aged man, who looked as if he had just run out of a factory, sighed.

"Can't you be a little lenient just this once? He's a little rough around the edges because he didn't get enough of his parents' love growing up, but he's kind at his core. He hasn't caused any problems before today has he?"

"We can't be sure of that. We are planning to carry out a survey on the prevalence of violence at this school. If he's involved, we could take legal action."

"Please, do you really have to go that far? He's only 18. If you take pity on him this one time, I'll make sure he doesn't do anything like this in the future."

"You should have done that before."

"You're right. It's because I'm incompetent…… What are you doing! Hurry up and beg for forgiveness!"

Changgong's father, Seungjeong Lee, pressed down on his son's head while lowering his own.

"Just this once, please."

"We have already reported it to President Lee and cannot reverse the decision."

"Wouldn't you be able to make some small changes and report it again? I know this is asking a lot, but…… it's going to be a very hard time for this kid."

"You're asking us to make a false report?"

"Not a false report, but you could take the various situations into consideration…… you teachers have children, too, do you not? Please just look over it this one time as a parent……"

"Crimes must be punished. I would punish my children the same way had they done something like this."

"Yes, crimes need to be punished.  But the level of punishment is a little……"

Changgong was crushed.

His father had been working at the factory when he got called in and was begging in his stead. He felt an unfathomable amount of shame.

"Continuing like this won't change anything. If we look over this incident, we'll all be criticized by our superiors and the media."

"Criticized……?"

"We've received orders from the school board. We are to publicly announce Changgong's punishment and take a firm stance against him. What would happen to us if we let him off easy?"

"But that doesn't mean it has to be expulsion, right? M-maybe probation or something. If that doesn't work what about a transfer……"

"How many times must we tell you. It's over. Nothing can be done."

"You could still try asking your superiors……"

"Jesus, really. Why can't you understand what I'm saying?"

"Since it's come to this, I'll say what has been on my mind. How would we look this over? Entry into a bar, assault, property destruction, obstruction of justice, assault of a police officer. This here is a gangster, not a student. If you're so worried about your child, why didn't you take care of him from the beginning?"

Changgong was overwhelmed.

"I didn't attack an offi……"

"Be quiet!"

He could not finish his statement because of Seungjeong's roar.

"The police said that they would leave the punishment up to the school. If you give me a chance, I'll take responsibility and discipline him."

"You can do that from now on then."

"Do you know how much of a laughingstock the school has become because of Changgong? I won't say much. We have decided to make an example out of Changgong and will by no means forgive him."

"Teacher…… Changgong is your student. Stepping on the sprouts of barley is to make them grow stronger, not to kill them, isn't it? He's at an age where he'll make mistakes."

"Just as you say, we are pulling out the roots."

Seungjeong lost his words.

"Pulling out the roots……?"

"Changgong is not barley. He is weed. He is only a bad influence on the students."

"We do not teach criminals. That's all we have to say. If you have no more to say, please leave."

The teachers blatantly expressed their annoyance.

There was an awkward silence.

They're saying that they're going to pull the weeds out by the roots. They're saying I'm a criminal.

Seungjeong looked over at Changgong. He had his head lowered, completely dejected.

Seeing such a spiritless Changgong, Seungjeong boiled inside.

Seungjeong glared daggers at the teachers and spoke.

"You guys sure are full of yourselves."

"…… What did you say?"

"Are you people really teachers!"

Seungjeong got up, knocking the chair over as he did. All eyes were on him now.

Changgong also looked at him in surprise. This was the first time that he saw his father who had always known his place in society so worked up outside.

"Weed? Criminal? Should a teacher really be calling their own student such words!"

"Mr. Lee……!"

"Who are you to judge my child like that! You finally hold a worthless government position and you think you're all that now?"

"You're going too far!"

"Have you tried to understand Changgong even once? Have you ever listened to his story? What if my son is the victim!"

"You'll punish him because you're in trouble? What kind of teacher spits out such shit! You should be protecting your disciple, but you throw him out instead!"

"We haven't done anything to yell at us like that! Do you think we're staying calm because we can't yell?!"

"You supposedly educated people intimidate and threaten one student. Rebuking him! It's this bad when I'm right next to him, how bad is it when he's alone? What's the difference between you and gangsters, you fucking thugs!"

"The nerve of this man! You think your words mean anything!"

"The nerve? You're still green and you talk to me like that with your disgusting mouth! I should just crush your head right in!"

Seungjeong took the light stick he had hanging at his hip and tried to whack him in the head. The young teacher flinched and covered his head.

"The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree! Go ahead! Hit me! It'll be fun to see both father and son behind bars!"

"What? Fine! You son of a bitch! You're dead, you prick!"

Seungjeong grabbed the young teacher by the collar. The young teacher, too, grabbed onto Seungjeong's collar. The two wrestled wildly on the floor.

Then, the teacher grabbed onto Seungjeong's hair.

"Ah! You fuck! You grabbed my hair! Let go! Let go!!"

"What're you going to do if I don't!"

Sparks flew from Changgong's eyes at that instant.

"Don't touch my father!"

Changgong grabbed onto a handful of the teacher's hair and swung it back and forth.

The teacher screamed and let go of Seungjeong's hair.

"Good job, my son! Rip it all out!"

For the first time in the history of the prestigious Shilla High School, a brawl broke out in the teachers' lounge.

The two were shortly chased out of the school.

"Wow, that's good!"

Inside a tented restaurant.

Seungjeong tossed a sea snail into his mouth after downing his soju.

Seungjeong did not ask any questions. Why he had done something like that, didn't he know it would turn out like this.

That made Changgong's heart even heavier. It would be easier if he scolded him, if he slapped him.

"Why don't you ask anything?"

"What would I ask?"

"Something like why I did what I did."

"Why'd you do it?"

"See, you can't answer even if I ask."

Seungjeong muttered to himself as he picked out the sea snails one by one.

He might not look like it anymore, but Seungjeong had worked at an electrical construction company 10 years ago. Then, he had lost the house on stocks and Changgong didn't know what went wrong, but he resigned from the company and was working hard labor now.

It was a little better now, but when he first started working he barely survived.

For half his live, he had sat at a desk doing white collar work before suddenly jumping straight into the construction site, so it was only natural for his body to give out. He would vomit all the time and had multiple hospital visits before he got to where he was now.

He struggled like that and now earned around 3 million won a month.

You think that's great?

Nonsense. 1.8 million goes out every month to pay for rent and debt. Changgong's grandma is staying at a nursing home because of dementia and that takes half a mil monthly.

After you factor in the phone bill and the various utilities, there's exactly enough to eat. Can't even dream about saving.

That's why he wanted to help. If he earned my share, my father would suffer that much less.

That's why he hung out with thugs even when he knew it was wrong. That was the only thing he could do. By the time he had come to my senses, he was in too deep.

"I'm sorry."

"You jerk, you're making me lose my appetite. What now?"

"I got expelled."

"You keep getting the wrong address, buddy. Was it okay for you to deceive me and go around getting into fights?"

"You know I don't mean that."

"Whether I know or not, speak correctly. Why is getting expelled your fault? It was the teachers who chased you out to save their own skins. Man, I'm getting worked up just thinking about it. Jeez! Why are there so little sea snails!"

"It happened because of my actions, anyways."

"Forget it. What could you learn from those people, anyway. It's actually for the better. Just think that you've entered society a bit earlier than others."

Seungjeong emptied his glass and filled it again.

Changgong let out a heavy sigh.

TL: sleepymaru

Editor: SlowAsLightning

1. A Hooligan with a Story <3>

"What, too tough for you?"

"Not really."

"That's good."

"……Actually, it really is."

"Whatever, just forget about it."

"What do you mean whatever? I'm a thug, kicked out of school for fighting."

"You also think that you're a thug that got kicked out of school for fighting?"

"Well, other people will think that at the least."

"You care so much about what other people think, and you went and did that?"

Changgong's head fell.

"……I'm sorry for disappointing you."

"Kiddo, you lower your head too easily."

Seungjeong awkwardly wet his lips.

He wasn't content with the situation either.

His son was full of regret. That's why he didn't plan on adding to that by admonishing him, but a few words came out before he realized what he was saying.

"It's impossible not to care about what others think. But, even I used to order people around with my chin. If I cared about what others thought, would I be able to go out and work at the construction sites? Now that you've been expelled, it feels like the end of the world, doesn't it? It feels like everyone is laughing at you. Far from it. Nobody thinks you're special. You'll be forgotten within 4 days. Just believe me."

"……You really think so?"

"I've been through all this, too. Blew all the money I saved at age forty, got fired, lost the house, I was one step away from becoming a hobo. Can you even imagine what it feels like for your whole life up to forty to just disappear?"

"I'm telling you now that you're a bit grown up, but I really wanted to die back then. But, seeing your face, I just couldn't. If I went off and died, what would such a young kid like you do. Live, at least until this little kid can take care of himself. That's how I lasted these past ten years. Thinking back now, it may have been a difficult situation, but it was nothing to die for."

"Getting kicked out of school, it's only a bit embarrassing for now. More than a couple people lost their family and wealth, falling to rock bottom at the age of forty, fifty. Compared to that, you're still a baby. You're not even twenty yet. It's laughable from my point of view. You just tripped a little. Just get up and dust yourself off."

Changgong felt himself calming.

Had his father's words always been this helpful?

"Kid, sit up straight. You're father's right behind you, so what's the worry? You can fall as many times as you want. I'll always pick you right back up."

"Don't lose your confidence over this. It's hard for your father to see you lose confidence. You're the only thing I have going for me."

Changgong's eyes stung and soon filled with moisture. He slowly let out the breath that he had been holding.

Even when everyone in the world criticizes me, my father's still on my side.

"You crying?"

"Who's crying?"

"If not, whatever."

"Father."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I won't ever get into fights again."

"It's fine if you know. But since we're already talking about it, let me just make one thing

clear. This situation is completely your fault."

"I know."

"I have an idea of why you did it, but that's not what you should have been doing. Also, you have to earn money honestly. Would you like it if I brought stolen money home?"

"I'm sure you understand, so I won't say anymore."

-……and continuing on recent news. A fight broke out at a bar in the Incheon area on the 18th. With broken bottles as weapons, it is said the fight was as intense as gang violence. It is reported that there was a high schooler involved.

The news flowed out of the television. It was about the fight that Changgong had started last weekend.

Seungjeong clapped his hands and yelled.

"Hey kid! Look, look! It's you over there!"

Changgong replied, surprised.

"Why're you being so loud about it? It's nothing to be proud of."

"If not now, when will you ever come out on TV again. Everybody, look! That fourth fool with his hat on low, being dragged out by the police, that's my son!"

"What are you doing? Stop, please!"

"HAHAHA! I don't know whose son that is but he sure is good looking!"

"God, really?"

2. To the Fighting Gym <1>

Just as Seungjeong had said, the shock from being expelled faded within 4 days.

Changgong secretly went out to a labor office and started doing manual labor. He couldn't waste his time doing nothing at home.

He had no skills, so the only thing he could do simple tasks like moving the cement bags or digging. Fortunately, he was pretty fit and could keep up with the other workers.

"Let's eat!"

The head of the group shouted.

The workers threw away their tools as if they had been waiting and swarmed into the open area. About 20 or so people gathered around on the ground and ate.

"So how old are you, kid?"

A tan middle aged man questioned Changgong.

"Twenty."

He lied appropriately. Telling people that he got kicked out of school was still a bit embarrassing.

"Seeing as your skin is so white and clear, it hasn't been long, huh?"

"Yes, it's my first day."

"Out of all the job out there, why this hard labor?"

"The pay's good."

"Gosh, you really don't know anything, mate. This work shaves the life off you. See, without this job we wouldn't be able survive, yeah, but you have so much ahead of you. You can't go rotting in a place like this."

Changgong just smiled, having nothing to say.

He felt a little bitter.

These men were doing this work because they had nothing else. Wouldn't my father have survived all these days like thinking that, too?

"Learn a skill. Maybe welding or something. If you want to make money, you have to do something like that."

"They don't teach you a skill for free. I heard that welders don't easily give out their knowledge because they're scared of having their work taken from them."

"That's why you gotta suck their asses hard! Until shit is dripping off of your tongue. Us ignorant fools are soft on the inside, so if you can just get in it's easy."

"Jeez, why're you talking about shit while we're eating here?"

An older man who had been drinking his yukgaejang soup grumbled.

"Anyways, whatever you do, save up when you're young so you don't struggle when you're old."

"I will."

The sweet lunch break ended, and the work began again. Changgong stretched his arms in the air before walking towards the pile of cement.

Five days passed since Changgong started working at the construction site.

On the first day, it seemed that his arms were a little sore, but not anymore. His clean skin tanned a bit, and he looked quite like laborer. Not that there's anything good about looking like a laborer.

He was still doing simple tasks but now that he had been working a few days, he understood orders right away. He got good enough that he could joke around with the older men  between tasks.

The people who work honestly are fools, right?

Well, it was when Changgong had finished working and was coming out of the office with his daily pay.

"The great Changgong Lee is doing construction work?"

Changgong looked towards the voice.

"Dongwoo."

It was his senior, Dongwoo Choi. The thug who had wrapped Changgong's hands in bandages before.

"What's up?"

"What do you mean what's up, you've been ignoring all of my texts so I followed the gossip until it lead to you directly here."

"I broke my phone then."

"Oh…… right."

Dongwoo laughed awkwardly and pat Changgong on the shoulder.

"So, how's work?"

"Really tough. It's not called hard labor for no reason."

"Yeah, so have you eaten?"

"No."

"I'm getting hungry so why don't we go get a bite. I have some things to say."

"I have nothing to say, though."

Changgong bluntly stated.

He had no hard feelings for Dongwoo. But he didn't want to get involved with thugs anymore.

Dongwoo had a look of bitterness and sighed.

"I know what you're feeling. But was there anything I could have done? I'm on the bottom rung, too."

"I understand. I don't spite you or anything. I just don't want to do that sort of work anymore."

"It's not like that. Have I ever made you doing bad jobs? I told you not to do this one. That you'd see blood."

He wasn't wrong.

Dongwoo was different from the normal thugs.

Before he was a thug, he was a friend from the neighborhood. He always looked out for Changgong no matter what he did. Changgong had pestered Dongwoo do get him into the thug life, but Dongwoo had always warned Changgong even as he gave him jobs.

"Let's just talk first. Clear up the misunderstandings. You can tell me everything you wanted to, too."

"No? Should I just go?"

Changgong scratched his head.

"You're buying, right? I'm going to get something expensive."

Dongwoo laughed.

"You said you'd get something expensive and you pick gamjatang?"

"Don't worry, I'm going to eat a whole pig."

Dongwoo and Changgong had gone to a nearby gamjatang place and had only been chatting. Girl talk, money talk, what to do about the GED, etc.

The important talk didn't come out until they were finishing up their gamjatang.

"You said you had something to say."

Finally, Changgong started the conversation.

"Yeah."

Dongwoo drank a shot of soju and started talking.

"First, I'm sorry that things turned out this way. I had no idea that Jinho was the one to tip off the cops."

"It's in the past, don't worry about it. I didn't get any blood on my hands in the end, anyways."

"Here."

Dongwoo took out an envelope and passed it to Changgong.

"What is this?"

"Money for your phone. Jinho told me to give it to you."

"Jinho did?"

There was 500,000 won in the envelope.

Dongwoo may have said it was from Jinho, but it was most likely Dongwoo's money. Changgong had already been transferred 300,000 won for the job. If Jinho was going to pay him for the phone, it would have been then.

"I know I should refuse, but I'll thankfully take it. We're having a really hard time lately."

"Bastard, what do you mean thankfully? It's your money."

"Well, but still."

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Changgong gobbled up his gamjatang.

"How much do you make a day for hard labor?"

"After taking off the commission charge, 63,000 won."

"Let's see…… If you work 6 days a week, you'll make about 1.65 in a month."

"Yeah."

"Don't you want to try a real job instead of this?"

"Hey, I told you that I don't want to do any of that anymore."

In the end, Dongwoo was a thug. He had brought the topic back to this. Changgong rejected the offer right away.

"Dude, you have to listen to Koreans until the end. It's a real and honest job this time."

"What is it?"

"A gym. 5 days a week for 1.3 a month."

"What would I do at a gym?"

"Taking care of the equipment, cleaning, laundry, and stuff like that. I don't know the details either. So, you interested?"

"And there's no connection to thugs?"

"None. It's a clean job."

Changgong put down his spoon and crossed his arms.

Honestly, he had to think about it.

The monthly pay was lower, but if you considered the days of work, it wasn't that different. And, he had more days off. Plus, it would be cleaner inside.

More than that though, it was embarrassing when a girl passed by while he was doing construction work. He wouldn't have to worry about that with this job.

But still, he had just gotten used to the job and didn't really want to have to start a different one.

"Think about it and call them if you want it. Tell them I introduced you."

As Changgong continued to think, Dongwoo handed him a business card.

"Team Fighting Spirit? What kind of gym has a stupid name like this? Do they raise fighters?"

"It seems that they do a variety of things, but their focus is on mixed martial arts."

"Mixed martial arts?"

"You know, you see it on TV occasionally. SFC (Super fighting championship) and stuff."

Changgong looked at the business card again.

Now that he thought about it, Korean athletes did occasionally enter the SFC. Not that their results were any good.

"Does this gym have SFC fighters, too?"

"I don't know about that. Anyways, think about it and give them a call if you're interested."

"Okay, thanks."

"Be thankful if it turns out okay. Let's eat, it'll get cold."

Dongwoo and Changgong swallowed up their gamjatangs.

"Can I add another bone?"

"Sure."

"While I'm adding that, what about a line of soondae?"

TL: sleepymaru

Editor: SlowAsLightning

2. To the Fighting Gym <2>

The next day.

Changgong took a day off from the construction site and called the number on the business card.

Ring ring ring…… Ring ring ring……

-Hello, this is Team Fighting Spirit.

"Ah, yes, hello."

-What's your reason for calling?

"Yes, uh…… I'm Dongwoo's junior. He gave me a business card and told me to try calling……"

-Dongwoo? ……Oh-Oh! I heard. So you're his friend he told me about.

"Yes. When would be the best time for me to visit?"

-When would work for you?

"Any time's fine for me."

-Then, why don't you come now. You know the way?

"Yes, there's a map on the business card."

-Okay, then I'll be waiting so come when you're ready. Oh yeah, and just to be safe, bring a photo ID with you.

"Yes, I'll be there soon."

Changgong hung up the phone, grabbed his ID, and quickly left his house.

"……Is this really a gym?"

The gym he arrived at after a few bus stops was a lot bigger than he imagined.

He had been thinking that it'd be like a fairly large Taekwondo training hall, but with just a little exaggeration, it was as large as a school field.

The building was modern, too.

It was so clean that it felt a bit embarrassing to walk in with his dusty shoes. Wow, the security guard is wearing a suit!

The gym was on the second floor. Changgong hesitantly walked up the stairs and was met with the sounds of noisy kihabs (short shouts voiced while performing martial arts moves). The door was a push button automatic door. Cutting edge technology.

Changgong pressed the button and entered the gym.

"……Jesus christ."

The interior was even better.

There were two groups of people working out in the auditorium sized space.

One group was stepping up and down a box or swinging a kettle shaped weight up and down, while the other group was in pairs wrestling on the floor.

Further inside, there was a square ring and a octagon cage that he had only seen on TV before. Amazing. It's like I'm in the US.

"Can I help you?"

A young man with a military haircut and a sturdy looking body approached Changgong.

"Oh, I'm Dongwoo's junior who called a earlier……"

"Oh~! You came quickly. Since you're Dongwoo's junior, I'll speak casually, okay?"

"Of course."

"Okay, you've come well. You're pretty handsome, like a man."

"Thank you."

"Well, let's go inside and talk."

Military haircut led Changgong to the office by the arm.

"Do you want coffee?"

"Yes, please."

Dongsub Choi spoke as he mixed the instant coffee.

"Is Dongwoo doing well?"

"Yes? Oh, yes."

"I've heard a little from him. You had some issues and had to leave school?"

"Yes……"

"I'm Dongsub Choi. 36. I'm Dongwoo's older cousin. He hadn't contacted me for the past year, but one day he randomly calls and asks me to take in one of his juniors."

Changgong hadn't known.

He hadn't known that Dongwoo would have gone so far out of his way for him.

If he thought about it, there really was no one who took care of him as well as Dongwoo, but it seemed he had looked badly on him for being associated with the other thugs.

"Where do you live?"

"Yonghyundong namgu."

"Not too far. And you know what kind of job it is?"

"I heard a little from Dongwoo……"

"What did he say?"

"Cleaning, taking care of the equipment, laundry and stuff like that."

"That's right. It's mostly that."

"Yeah?"

"Why? Were you expecting something else?"

"No, just……."

"The curriculum's from 9:30 in the morning to noon, then 2 to 9 in the evening. We do crossfit and MMA coaching with groups split into athletes and regulars, but you don't have to worry about that."

"Okay."

"Come by 12, eat lunch, and clean, take care of the equipment, and do laundry until 2. After that, you just have to do some small chores. When you're done with that clean, do laundry, and look over the equipment one more time, and you're off at 10:30."

"Yes……"

"Whether you'll become the coach for the regular group or transition into an athlete yourself will be decided later on. For now, just think of yourself as an errand boy. Nothing too difficult."

Changgong nodded. He would just have to do what they told him to without thinking.

"I can talk about the wage, right? 1.3 million won a month. Monday through Friday with two meals provided a day. A hundred thousand won for commuting expenses. If you want to work out you can come earlier in the morning, get some in between breaks, or come on the weekends."

The conditions were better than expected. It wouldn't have been easy to get a job like this. Changgong felt thankful to Dongwoo once again.

"So, you think you can do it?"

"Yes."

"Alright, you brought your ID with you, right? What's your name?"

"Changgong Lee."

Changgong gave his name as he handed over his ID.
"You have a pretty unique name. Your cell number?"

"Oh, my phone broke so I don't have one right now."

"Really? Then just give me your home phone for now."

"032-883……"

Dongsub wrote down Changgong's address, phone number, and similar information on the form.

"Do you have any questions?"

"Not at the moment……"

"Okay, if you have any you can ask any time. When can you start?"

"Whenever."

"You're really eager to work, huh. Then…… take this week off and start on Monday next week."

"Yes."

Dongsub opened the locker room and handed Changgong the staff uniform.

"Wear this when you're working. There's a locker room so you can leave it here if you want."

Changgong received three pairs of clothes. It was the same type as the one Dongsub was wearing. He hadn't started working yet, but he somehow felt proud.

"I should explain this and that, but I have to go coach right now, so I won't be able to take care of you."

"No, that's fine."

"Alright, you can take a look around if you want. Oh and if possible, get a phone by next week."

"Yes."

Dongsub pat Changgong on the shoulder before taking a timer, jump ropes, and the like to the gym.

Despite his rough appearance, he seemed like a nice guy. This is probably because of Dongwoo, too, though.

Changgong watched the members work out for a while before heading back home.

There's a lot of pretty girls. Hehe.

It was the first day of his part-time job.

He wasn't the most diligent of people, but he wanted to give a good impression and arrived 30 minutes early.

"Changgong, you came."

Dongsub found Changgong looking around and approached him.

"Hello."

"What're you doing so busily."

"Since I'm here, I should work."

"Take it easy, man. Let's eat first. You have to introduce yourself to the family."

As he said this, Dongsub hung a card holder necklace around Changgong's neck.

"What's this?"

"It's like an employee card. Since you're part of the family now, you have to wear it around."

On the card inside the clear plastic was Changgong's name along with his picture.

Sub Coach Changgong Lee.

They called him a coach. Changgong felt his chest puff with pride.

"Dongsub, let's eat!"

One of the coaches shouted from the cafeteria.

"I'm going!"

Dongsub took Changgong to the cafeteria. Inside, six men who looked as intimidating as Dongsub were eating.

"Everyone, please pay attention."

Dongsub clapped his hands and drew the men's attention.

"This is Changgong Lee, the new family member I told you about before. 18 years old. Young blood. Still in his teenage years. Don't go too hard on him and let's teach him well. Changgong, introduce yourself."

Dongsub pat Changgong on the back.

"My name is Changgong Lee. Uh……I don't know much about mixed martial arts, but I'll work hard not to get in the way. Uh……Please be patient with me."

The coaches clapped, welcoming Changgong.

They all look pretty scary, but were good people. Everything was still new to Changgong, but he would get used to it soon.

……But where was his food?

Changgong got a spoonful of food from each coach. He started cleaning soon after finishing his lunch. The youngest coach/athlete Doyoon Kim stayed with him, explaining everything to him. It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be.

First, the floor was all mats, so if he just wiped the floors with a wet cloth, mold would form and the mats would smell. So, he had to spray the mats and the sandbags with a cleanser, wipe them down with a dry cloth, and then air it all out.

Changgong's knees began to feel sore once he had done so, twice, over all of the interior of gym that was as wide as the Manchurian Plain.

But that wasn't the end.

He had to constantly wipe down the equipment with a dry cloth and hang up all the laundry in the drying room. But the amount of laundry from just the morning was over a hundred units.

It was even busier in the afternoon.

The ten's of regular members and athletes all worked out in the same area, and Changgong had to grab all the equipment for them.

"Changgong! Bring 3 of each wall balls 6, 9 here!"

'69? …… I like 69, too.'

"Changgong! Kettlebells 12, 15! 2 of each!"

'Kettlebell. Uh…… I feel like I learned this in English class.'

Everything was a foreign to Changgong. What was a wall ball, and what was a kettlebell? Every time a word came out that Changgong didn't understand, he had to look  towards Doyoon with pleading eyes.

Fortunately, Doyoon wasn't one to scold him over that. Changgong moved quickly, and the gym that had been running smoothly wasn't going to fall apart because of one newbie.

It was tolling on Changgong in many ways, but he was content. It was a lot more comfortable than hard labor and there was a lot of time for breaks. More than anything, he had fun watching the MMA athletes spar with each other; something he had only seen on TV before.

It wasn't bad. It felt like he had gotten an official job.

And, there were a lot of girls. Hehe.

Like that, a few days passed.

"Good job everyone!"

The coaches gathered together and shouted after finishing their day. As the older coaches slowly left, Changgong began cleaning.

"Good job, Changgong. Just clean a little and go home early and rest."

"Yes, sir. Bye"

"See you tomorrow."

The gym's manager, Dongsub, left, and Changgong was left alone in the vast gym.

Changgong carefully rested the rag next to the wall and put on the gloves that had been left out on the floor.

Open finger gloves.

Unlike boxing gloves, these gloves did not cover your fingers. In MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), not only was hitting allowed, but grappling and choking were allowed too, and the use of fingers was important.

The gloves weighed only 4 ounces (about 28.35 grams), half that of professional boxing gloves.

Just from wearing the gloves, Changgong felt like he had become a professional fighter. This time when he could hit the sandbags without a worry was the happiest for him.

"Huff! Huff!"

Smack! Smack!

Changgong easily controlled his breathing as he hit the sandbag.

He moved on to the dummy and clumsily practiced the grappling techniques he had learned from watching the others.

"Ha!"

After using up his energy, Changgong carelessly stretched out on the floor.

'This is great……'

Changgong enjoyed this drowsy feeling.

People's lives are unpredictable. He had felt like the world was ending when he got expelled, but now he was comfortably working out while making money. Getting expelled might have been for the better..

'If my father knew I was thinking that he would kill me, though.'

A shadow formed over Changgong's face as he was resting.

"Agh!"

Changgong stood up, surprised.

A middle aged man with a messy beard had popped out of nowhere.

"Can I help you? Although, we're closed right now."

The middle aged man didn't answer and tapping and looking over the sandbag that Changgong had been punching.

"Why are you punching such a heavy one?"

"Huh? The other ones sway because they're too light……"

The 20-30 kg sandbags sold on the market shook easily to the punches of a middle weight athlete. It's really annoying when the sandbag sways as you're punching.

That's why heavy weight athletes usually punched heavier sandbags. Like the one Changgong had been hitting now.

"Are you an athlete here?"

The middle aged man asked.

Continue reading
Prince of the Octagon Chapter 1-4
Start Reading
Donate
Oh o, this user has not set a donation button.
Comment
Cancel
Your rating for this book is:
Post
Report
English
Español
lingua italiana
Русский язык
Portugués
Deutsch
Novel Cool
Read thousands of novels online
Download
Success Warn New Timeout NO YES Summary More details Please rate this book Please write down your comment Reply Follow Followed This is the last chapter. Are you sure to delete? Account We've sent email to you successfully. You can check your email and reset password. You've reset your password successfully. We're going to the login page. Read Your cover's min size should be 160*160px Your cover's type should be .jpg/.jpeg/.png This book hasn't have any chapter yet. This is the first chapter This is the last chapter We're going to home page. * Book name can't be empty. * Book name has existed. At least one picture Book cover is required Please enter chapter name Create Successfully Modify successfully Fail to modify Fail Error Code Edit Delete Just Are you sure to delete? This volume still has chapters Create Chapter Fold Delete successfully Please enter the chapter name~ Then click 'choose pictures' button Are you sure to cancel publishing it? Picture can't be smaller than 300*300 Failed Name can't be empty Email's format is wrong Password can't be empty Must be 6 to 14 characters Please verify your password again