Part 2

 

Six long months had passed since Yonghwa had lost those tickets, and he felt that he lost some of his heart alongside them as well... Today is the day of the highly anticipated match between two champions.

 The arena was quiet as though it had frozen in time. Cheers for both fighters melted away that stillness as soon as the fighters made their way to the ring. Steps was the first to enter the ring, and he did so in a grand manner as he was accustomed to. Yongwa came in second and headed to his corner shortly after.

Saul, Yonghwa’s cornerman, took a glance at Steps. His eyes then met with Yonghwa’s and said, “That guy… He’s confident and determined! His nostrils are already flaring! I think he’s out to kill ya. You sure you don’t want to quit the match? Because, let me tell you that If I was in your spot I wouldn’t hesitate! He ain’t no man, he’s a freaking monster! He said he took down bears with his bare hands! Man, no wonder Intocable lost to him so badly in the first round all those years ago! Anyways, like I was saying, you sure you wanna fight him? I don’t think you trained enough. Heck, you never once sparred, and you barely touched the heavy bag during those six months... You gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. But I think you talk too much, Saulie. There’s a reason why I’m standing here as champion. I’ll end the match as soon as possible, I’m already eager to leave… My right wrist hurts a little, but that’s it. A little sting won’t kill me. “, said Yonghwa confidently.

“What, your wrist you said? You didn’t tell me nothin’ bout’ that! We should let the medic check it out before you start!”

“Nah, whatcha talkin’ about… I probably just slept on it is all. Yeah, I think it’s just sore from sleeping on it!”

“Oh okay, if that’s it then you won’t have any problems! By the way, my pops said he’ll drop in fer this match.”

“Really now? That’s great! It’ll be the first time he sees one of my matches live. Where will he be seating?”

Saulie nodded his head to a row of ringside seats that were empty and said, “I think he said he’ll be sitting in one of those empty seats right there.”

Yonghwa’s eyes grew wide and he immediately replied, “What?!”

Paul was about to answer, but was interrupted by the announcer that cleared his voice on the microphone.

The referee proudly announced the match, saying “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a night long waited for! It will be a night that’s sure to be filled with passion, glory, and sweat! In the red corner stands the challenger: the legendary man said to take down bears with his bare fists! Weighing in at 230 pounds, and standing at 6 feet tall: James the ‘First Steps’ Sirron! And now, standing across at the blue corner, weighing in at 200 pounds and standing at 5 feet 11 inches tall- the heavy hitter himself! The Korean Steed, the current WBO Heavyweight Champion of the World, Jung Yonghwa! Who will be the victor? Who will go the distance? Who will be the most macho? Well, ladies and gentlemen, let’s not delay this historical event any longer! LET’S GET READY TO RUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

The whole venue exploded in cheers and jeers, but this not distract the two fighters; they’re faces were set like flint. The seasoned referee then motioned for both fighters to come stand in the middle of the ring.

He explained the rules, “Alright guys, let’s have a nice clean match. Watch yer rabbit punches, your kidney punches, and your liver punches. NO low-blows! Now be men and touch gloves together then go to your corners until the bell rings.”

The two warriors touched gloves, and as they did Steps’ eyes met with Yonghwa’s. Step’s said a few words, “You know, I’ve noticed all your matches are empty. They lack emotion and heart. Heck, you never even celebrate your wins. Your fights are empty. Yeah, that’s right! I bet you’re empty inside! I bet you feel nothing during your fights, not even for your challengers. I tell you what though. Today you will feel something. Pain.  And lots of it. Imma’ take back what’s rightfully mine while you take a nap on the mat! And if you lose, you lose!”

Yonghwa smirked at his remark and replied, “Go for it.”

Then they went to their corners and waited for the bell to finally ring. The bell rung and the fighters slowly approached the middle of the ring. They stood still, patiently waiting for the right moment to begin. It was like two great lions circling each other, but then Steps charged towards him and unleashed a barrage of jabs! Yonghwa kept his guard tight. He saw an opening and went for it with a wide swing. However, Steps is no fool; he quickly evaded it!  Steps then took advantage of the swing and connected a great smash (a low hook) to Yonghwa’s solar plexus.

It quickly stole all of Yonghwa’s air and he immediately fell to his knees as he spat out his mouthpiece.

“DOWN! DDDDDDDOWWWWWWWNNNNN!” shouted the commentators.

The ref quickly began the count, “One, two, three, four….”- but was interrupted by the bell. The first round had ended and Yonghwa struggled to get to his corner.

“You BUM! Is tat all you can take?! You ain’t no champ, youse a chump!” shouted Steps from across the ring.

Yonghwa rested on the stool that Saul had brought in and said, “OHHH, my gut hurts. I have a feeling this match won’t end too quickly. What do I do?”

Paul let out a sigh and replied, “I told you boy. You needed more training. You’re too sluggish. Anyways, he’s different this time. It’s gonna be hard.  The monster’s out for the kill. But, you already know what to do: Guard and think twice before you go for an opening. Avoid all his hits and escape his reach when you can! I think you gotta rest this next round.”

“How the… How can I think twice in the blink of an eye? Pfft, oh well, I’ll manage.” Yonghwa breathed out as his eyes looked towards the ringside seats that were empty.

The bell rang and the fight resumed. The match continued at a stalemate with the two fighters standing at a distance from each other. They were being careful, too careful. This stalemate continued until the end of the third round.  Throughout all two rounds Yonghwa glimpsed at the empty seats. It caused a haunting feeling of despair inside him. His breathing became heavy and his sweat increased profusely.

“Saulie, I need to end this! This match is going nowhere. It’s like he’s thinking that I’m different after getting a down (term that is used to refer to the event in which a boxer touches the ring’s canvas with anything besides his feet) during that first round. He’s being stupid. This is boring. Imma charge him and head for a slugfest.”

“You crazy? You tryin’ to kill yourself? He’s a tank! Ain’t no man in his right mind going to charge a tank with nothing with his bare fists! You're a boxer, not a brawler! Be grateful that he has been too careful with you. You’ve rested enough, I agree. But! You better fight like a civilized fighter, not some jungle man! Start slowly with the jabs, and take advantage when his guard has weakened enough!”

Yonghwa puffed his cheeks and let out the air. His face was covered in sweat. He swayed his head to get the sweat out of his eyes. And his eyes then met again with the empty ringside seats.

“I’m already dyin’ out here. I gotta do it Saulie.”

The bell rang again and the fourth round started. The two rushed towards each other. Their heads clashed and they slugged it out. It was evident that these two had the same idea. They matched each other hit for hit. After two rounds of nothing but staring each other, well, this was a cause for joy to the spectators. They both received shouts of encouragement, but those measly words could not reach Yonghwa. His eyes kept being pulled to those empty seats and this created an even greater feeling of agony within him. Those empty seats tortured him more than Steps’ fists.

“I have to end this. I have to end this now! Lose, c’mon.! Lose already!” echoed Yonghwa’s thoughts.

Both fighters began to slow down and their breaths became long. Yonghwa saw this as proof that Steps was also getting tired. Within those few moments of rest, Yonghwa caught the timing for Steps’ breathing. As soon as he breathed in Yonghwa saw the opening. He went for a liver blow. As he had hoped, Steps spat out his mouthpiece and his eyes seemed to pop out from their sockets. The damage was great. It seemed as though Steps had been lifted up from the canvas from that one punch. He fell headlong and the crowd began to roar in excitement. The crowd’s loud cheering muffled Yonghwa’s cry of pain.

“Aaaarghhh, my hand!”

Nevertheless, the ref began the count, “One…Two…Three..”

Yonghwa went to his corner and took in deep breaths.

The ref continued, “Four…Five…Six…Seven…Eight…Nine”- but was interrupted by the bell.

The whole stadium complained and was upset at this turn of events. But, the referee paid it no mind and he sent the two to their corners.

Yonghwa sat on the stool when Saul began to question his cry of pain:

“What happened to your hand? I know I heard you cry out in pain. What’s wrong, boy?”

“I don’t know. I think the guy’s side is made out of steel or something… It hurt a lot after went for his liver!”

“What? Wait, did you break your hand just then? It can’t be. You told me you just slept on it! What happened? I don’t think it can break just like that. Think back carefully, did you injure it and never get it checked out?”

Yonghwa dove into his sea of thoughts and finally remembered, “I know! It was the time I punched a hole through that table!”

“WHAT? What table?”

“You know, the one in that bar I began to frequent! I must have injured my hand when I punched the table with all of my strength and, therefore I must‘ve internally injured it or something. I probably didn’t notice because of my stupid anger.”

“What? You didn’t tell me nothing about that!”

“Don’t worry about, I can continue! Anyways, what happened to your pops? Is he coming or not, that ol’ Lightning Martinez? Is he gonna come like lightning outta’ the blue sky or sumting? I don’t see him?”

“Oh, him? He told me he’s coming shortly. He’s waiting to meet up with an old friend of his.”

“Hmm, is that right? Well, he’s gotta hurry up! Or else he’ll probably miss the match!”

“Yeah, by the time he comes he’ll be seeing you hold that precious belt up high!”

“But, I guess it is okay for him to be slow because of his knees though…”

“RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG” the bell went and it was time for the fifth round to begin.

“It’s good that he’s coming. It’s also good that he’s bringing his old friend along. This way those seats won’t be empty…. But still… I wonder how he got ahold of those tickets…”

The next two rounds would be of respite for the two. The two were still recovering from their exhaustion and so both played it safe. The whole stadium was filled with anger, however, and they started to throw their junk towards the ring.

The seventh round began: only six were left. Yonghwa was expecting Saulie’s father to arrive by then, but nothing. Now, Yonghwa was fully rested and thought of this as the perfect opportunity to end the match and to thus shut up all their spectators. Yonghwa took the offensive and he began to flick his jabs at Steps. Slowly but surely, Steps was cornered by Yonghwa’s quick jabs.

With his guard high up, Steps muttered these few words “Pffft, I thought you’d be dead by now, not me.”

“Shut up.” Yonghwa muttered back. It was after that last word that Yonghwa’s jab hit the bull’s eye.

Steps’ brow was grazed and it began to bleed profusely. Just before Yonghwa was about to finish him off, the referee took notice of his bleeding and launched himself over to cover Steps.

“Go to your corner!” he instructed Yonghwa.

“Fine don’t have to tell me twice!” answered Yonghwa. Yonghwa plopped himself on the mat while the referee led Steps to the ringside medic.

Yonghwa tilted his head to the side and immediately saw those seats that were still empty.  Once the ref announced the match would continue, Yonghwa got up and retook his position. His jabs were beautiful, but Steps got his timing down and when Yonghwa aimed for his head he shot his own: it was a cross-counter. Steps, however, was the one who remained standing. Yonghwa had welcomed the mat once again, and the crowd greeted this with loud roars and upset.

“An eye for an eye! How’d you like that, pretty boy?” exclaimed the former champ.

The ref began the count, but it didn’t take long before Yonghwa began to rise. He was on his knee and he looked towards the ringside seats. He was astonished when he saw old man Martinez finally standing there, and that was enough to get him back on his two feet. The bell then rang, signifying the end of the round.  Saulie was quick to set up the stool and bring Yonghwa there.

“You’re almost there. That hit was nothing you can’t handle! You took that like a man! You can win this!” cheered Saulie as he wiped the sweat off Yonghwa’s eyes.

As he patted on his eye, Saulie saw some red coming from his brow and immediately said, “Oh shoot! Your eye, it began to bleed! His fist must’ve cut your brow! Just like yours did to his!”

Old man Martinez was steadily making his way to Yonghwa and by the time Saulie saw the blood, he was there by him.

Yonghwa was gasping for air, but asked “Old man, where’d you get those tickets? That whole row”-gasp gasp-“It was supposed to be empty. But you’re sitting on one of those seats. And I lost the tickets! How’d you get ahold of one?”

“An old friend of mines gave me the ticket, you bum! If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here and them seats would be empty!”

“What friend?”

“An old friend! Kid ain’t you listening? Anyways, he also gave me the rest of the tickets. Sorry it took me so long to get here… It’s cuz of my knees. And it don’t help that those other bums I was waiting for stood me up!”

“What, what bums?”
“Now, kid is that how you welcome me? Wit a bunch a questions and complaining?”

“What bums? What happened to the rest of those tickets?”

“Now don’t you worry about that, sonny boy! My friend told me what to do, and I took good care of ‘em! Don’t you worry about those tickets, worry about your match! And save your breath, you need it! Like I said, worry about the beast youse is facing as well as your right hand. I heard you cried for it. The eighth round is next. You still got four to go. You’re almost there. Kid, enjoy having made it to the distance.”

The bell rang and Steps greeted this eighth round with full force: He rushed towards Yonghwa. Steps was no man’s fool and so he did was necessary to win, aiming for Yonghwa’s cut eye.  Yonghwa could only guard, but even so, he was led to the ropes. Against the ropes, Yonghwa struggled for air. Steps noticed and began going for his ribs. He couldn’t take it. And so this affliction became Yonghwa’s aid in forcing him to find a way to escape; Yonghwa did all he could to make an opening. As soon as one was available, BAM! Steps caught a tight uppercut to the solar plexus and was taken aback. Yonghwa didn’t stop there; Steps had let down his arms, and so Yonghwa threw another fierce uppercut towards his chin this time.

Steps’s knees shook uncontrollably and he took a few steps backwards. It was at that moment that Yonghwa cried out in agony. He looked at Martinez who stood by his corner and swallowed his pain. Both fighters were hurt: neither had the strength for another confrontation, so they played it safe for the rest of the round. The bell rang, signifying the end of the eighth round. The two valiant warriors made their way to their corners carrying a whole lot more than just the burden of this golden match: they took on severe damage from the fight’s skirmishes.

The pain steadily grew for Yonghwa whereas Steps was slowly recuperating. Again, for the ninth round the two folded and just stood there. However, Yonghwa after glimpsing at the empty seats fell into misery. It was like a black hole that kept pulling him into a vortex of hopelessness and fear. Wanting to end the match, Yonghwa cornered Steps and launched a strong right hook for Steps’ side. It was unsuccessful, and instead of hitting his liver, Yonghwa’s fist hit Steps’ sharp elbow. He cried out in pain, but his cry would be muffled by the ringing of the bell.

“Why’d you do that, you bum?” asked Martinez.

“I need to win! Now!”

“It’s okay! You will win! All you got to do now in this moment is rest! So hush and take deep breaths, Yonghwa.” said Saulie.

After the end of the minute the bell rung and the tenth round began. He saw Steps rise and he followed in like manner. This match proved to be one of guts, endurance, and sheer will.

The two circled each other like beasts out for the hunt, waiting for the moment to pounce. The whole arena was quiet, earnestly waiting in anticipation for some action. When their sweat hit the mat, it was like thunder to the ears of everyone there- except Yonghwa. The pain was increasing in his fist and this pain led to a ringing in his ear. Nonetheless, the two kept circling the ring: it was another stalemate. Thirty seconds were left for the round, and the crowd booed in displeasure. The ref knocked a point off the two fighters for not fighting, but the bell eventually rang.

They walked to their corners, and fortunately Yonghwa had regained some of his hearing.

“They’re almost here, ma boy! Wait until they come!” exclaimed Martinez happily.

“What? They? Who’s they?”

“Did I say they? Well I ain’t sure if all of them will come, but he will. Wait until he comes!”

“Until who comes? “, asked Yonghwa in a dazed voice.

“He! The one I gave the tickets to! My old friend told me to send the tickets to a person, and I did. Boy was I happy when I found out to whom I was to send them to! After he told me he received them, well, I cried tears of joy.”

Yonghwa was losing his senses in account of the growing pain swelling from his fist, so he said “What? What bum made you cry? I’ll beat him up for ya!”

“Can you make it?” asked Saulie who was wiping his sweat.

“I’ll toss the towel if you can’t boy.”

Those words made it through, so he replied, “Yeah, yes I can make it. I’m okay, just a bit beat-up is all.”

His eyes gravitated to Martinez and he said, “I’ll win this match for you!”

The bell’s ringing was heard and so the penultimate round finally began. The two fighters slowly began to draw near the center of the ring. Steps was the first to make a move, shooting jabs. He then went for a wide hook to Yonghwa’s face, but Yonghwa slipped out of it and managed to clinch (which is to literally hug an opponent to escape further damage; a “cowardly move”).

Steps was annoyed, grumbling, “You fool, wanna marry me or something? Git off me! Bum!” He began to aim small punches at Yonghwa who was hanging on by a thread.

“You kidding me? You’re too ugly to be my wife!” replied out Yonghwa while looking for an opening.

Steps’ left side was open, so Yonghwa went for the kill: a right hook to the side. It landed and both fighters cried out in agony. Nonetheless, the two it up and stood firmly. But Steps could not keep it up and so his knees began to buckle. Yonghwa quickly noticed and was about to take full advantage of it, but nothing happened. He could not move from where he was standing.

“Hnnnngh, move my legs, move! Arghhhh, stupid lactic acid! Why now?” thought Yonghwa to himself.

“Alright, it’s okay. All I got to do is stay in place. Hopefully Steps will not notice and take a step forward. His knees are trembling, it’s not like he can. Right?” thought Yonghwa.

“Alrgiht, the fool’s got a blank look on his face! What does that mean… I know. He’s in pain! And look, he didn’t go for the opening I left just now. He’s hurt, now’s my chance!” thought Steps.

Steps gathered all of his strength, but was only able to move a step forward.  The pangs had laid hold onto both brawlers and they bounded them into place. They were only an arm’s length away but not close enough to land a blow. Only sixty seconds were left for this round and the clock kept on ticking, but those two stood still.

“He’s not moving! I should just stay like this for the rest of the round.” thought both fighters.

“What are you doing? MOVE, STUPID! The man’s weak, now’s your chance!” their corner-men shouted.

“AAAArghhh! If only they knew the pain I’m suffering! I AIN’T STUPID, it’s just hurts so much to move!” was the thought that two fighters resonated with.

The crowd jeered at the two fighters yet again.

“We came here to see a fight, NOT a staring contest!” the crowd mocked.

Rage swelled through the very veins of the two upon their complaining. Only thirty seconds remained, and the two gathered all of their remaining strength and stepped towards each other. They were again standing toe to toe and eye to eye.

“Just one more punch and he’ll be down!” was the thought that resounded the two fighters’ minds.

The two then simultaneously launched a hard right towards each other: it was a beautiful cross-counter. Steps had landed a clean hit on Yonghwa’s nose and Yonghwa landed a perfect shot on Steps’ brow. Drops of blood hit the mat and the bell began its familiar ringing. The two were falling backwards, but their corresponding ring-men caught them just before they landed on the canvas. They were both being held up by their shoulders, but when Yonghwa reached his corner he told Martinez he was unable to sit down.

“Quiet, boy! Just sit already!” exclaimed Martinez as he signaled for Saulie to sit Yonghwa down on the stool.

“You got ‘em good, son! It was a nice clean hit!”

“Is that right? But he got me too, old man. My nose…”-pant, pant-“It’s all clogged up. I think he broke it.” said Yonghwa as he was catching his breath.

“Well, you broke his face! That blow you landed reopened the wound on his brow! I don’t think the bleeding has stopped.” said Saul.

Saul then gestured his head to point at Steps, who was at this point having his eye examined by the ringside doctor.

“It’s just a cut though. I don’t think that’s enough to keep him down. I don’t think he’ll give up that easily. The man’s tougher than nails!”

“Oh yeah? If he’s tougher than nails, than youse a hammer! So hammer the man down, Yonghwa!”

“I’m not sure if I can do that. Didn’t you hear him say that he took down a bear with his bare hands?”

“He’s bluffing! Who’s stupid enough to challenge a bear?” questioned Saul as he cleaned Yonghwa’s face.

“Saulie, get the blood outta my nose, it tastes nasty.”

“Yeah, hold on.” he replied as he bent down to reach for another towel.

“You gotta get it outta of your nose now. Blow into the towel as hard as you can.” instructed Martinez.

Yonghwa blew as hard as he could until he heard a loud “POP” in his ears.  The ringing noise resumed its place in his ears, and his hearing thus began to fail Yonghwa again. Yonghwa paid it no mind, and continued to catch his breath. Blood and sweat flowed continuously from Yonghwa’s face and Saulie did the best he could to stop it, but couldn’t. As Saulie wiped Yonghwa’s forehead the cut he had received earlier reopened. His vision became colored in red.

Saulie then did his best to seal the cut with Vaseline, saying “This’ll have to do for now, champ.”

Yonghwa could barely hear, and closing his eyes, he rested his head on the turnbuckle. He tilted his head to the side and when he opened his eyes, he saw the empty seats. The ringing in his ears grew even louder and he shook his head on account of the pain.

Martinez saw it and as he got into the ring he said, “Don’t worry, he’ll be here soon.” He placed his hand on Yonghwa’s shoulder and comforted him by saying, “You’re almost there, my boy. That idiot is just taking too long. But I’m sure he won’t fail ya.”

Yonghwa took in a deep breath and the pain faded some.

“I only got one more shot… I think my right hand might break if do more than that.”

“Yeah? Then don’t use it. We can’t risk it. We don’t know if it’s broken already. Steps was shaking pretty badly in his legs. He’s groggy. All you gotta is keep hitting with jabs, and he’ll be finished. Just avoid using your right! It’s not worth losing our right hand. It’ll end not his, but your career. Boy, again, do not use your right. It’s not worth it. Just use your jabs. Do not hit with your right! Use your jabs to take him down!”

Yonghwa’s hearing was still being interrupted by that ringing, so all he heard was “Keep hitting…Using your right… It’ll end…his…career…Boy, again…use your right…Hit with your right…to take him down!”

“Dang, this old man is one tough person to tell me to take him down with my right even after I told him about it hurting.” thought Yonghwa. 

Only ten seconds were left for the bell to ring and the final round to begin. Steps had gotten up slowly but Yonghwa was still sitting on his stool.

“What’s wrong? Get up!” ordered Martinez.

“I can’t…” answered Yonghwa.

“What?!” questioned Saul.

“Well, I did tell you that I couldn’t sit down. What makes you think I can stand up?”

“Do you want to continue then?” asked Saul.

“Yeah, but I can’t get up by myself…”

“Hurry, let’s get him up ourselves before the ref notices!” ordered Martinez.

At the instant Yonghwa was on his feet, the bell rang and the fighters were left to finish the fight. They had both been worn out completely and they had little strength in their bones. They just stared at each other. Steps would then take a step towards Yonghwa. Yonghwa followed in like manner and stepped in as well. Once close enough, Yonghwa began to flick his jabs. However, it was clear that they were not as resilient as before. He could not make it past Steps’ guard. Steps played turtle, using his huge arms to block all hits as he poked his head out, waiting for an opening.

Yonghwa began using left uppercuts, which in turn weakened Steps’s guard some. His guard loosened even more and Yonghwa began using left hooks. Yonghwa saw Steps’ arms quivering so he began decided to throw even fiercer hooks at them, hoping to disable them. Steps’ arms began to bruise badly after all the hits his arms had blocked. The pain could be seen in his face.

“Almost there! Break already!” Yonghwa thought.

Then it happened: Steps’ arms gave up on him. And Yonghwa launched a screw-jab straight at his chin. Despite his efforts, Steps had anticipated it and ducked down. Yonghwa’s blow had missed the mark and he hit Steps hard skull instead; he had hit the toughest part of a human’s body. Yonghwa felt the pain almost instantly as he retrieved his hand. He began to shake off the pain, but was interrupted by Steps. Steps launched a deadly right hook at Yonghwa’s temple and it hit! Yonghwa’s whole body shook and he began to fall.

His head turned towards those empty seats and Yonghwa thought, “Maybe it’s okay if I lose.”

Then “BAM”, Yonghwa hit the canvas. The ref began the count, but Yonghwa didn’t care. His eyes were steady upon those empty seats. His vision began to blur but he saw something. He saw a long haired man standing by the seats.

“Who could that be?” he thought.

Yonghwa stared intently at the man and eventually their eyes would meet. Yonghwa steadily rose to his two feet and decided to go for an all-out slugfest. A surge of adrenaline sparked his veins like thunder. He was now an undefeatable soldier who could feel no pain. Steps accepted Yonghwa’s courage and their heads clashed. The light in his eyes had not yet faded, and seeing Yonghwa stand up despite his pain, it filled him with strength. They matched each other: left for left, right for right, hook for hook, uppercut for uppercut. Each hit was not in vain.

Yonghwa then heard a familiar voice coming from those empty seats; the ringing in his ears had stopped alongside the pain.

“Come on, Yonghwa! You can do it! Fight with all you got! Now’s your time! WIN!!!” shouted the voice in encouragement.

Yonghwa immediately recognized the voice and completely stopped. Bewildered by his abrupt stillness, everyone became still; the audience, the ref, their ring-men, and even Steps. Silence filled the stadium. It was like time had stopped altogether. Yonghwa then slowly turned his face towards the man who had shouted those words of encouragement. All of the people followed suit and stared at the man as well. But Steps was no fool, he took full advantage of that blatant opening and shot a left hook at Yonghwa.

“Why did I ever stop?” thought Steps.

Yonghwa began to fall again, but he grounded himself and escaped the canvas’ embrace. Yonghwa responded with his own right hook which landed cleanly upon Steps’ cheek. He spat out his mouth-guard the moment the blow reached, and it could be seen flying in the air as it made its way to the canvas. Even after the tremendous chance Yonghwa was given to follow up on him, Yonghwa could not. He felt an intense rush of pain flowing through every single part of his body. Yonghwa’s burst of adrenaline had reached its limit.

“AAAArgggghhh, my hand!” shouted Yonghwa.

The paint went from the place Yonghwa had received Steps’ hook to the very soles of his feet. He could not bear the pain. He stepped backwards and started to lose his footing. Both fighters were hurt badly. No longer able to endure the pangs of the fight, they fell flat to ring on their backs. The referee had been distracted by the sheer turn of events, but he took notice and began the count.

The ringing began to pierce Yonghwa’s ears once again. These next following moments would become the longest moments of Yonghwa’s life.  Yonghwa shut his eyes and could hear nothing but that distinct ringing in his ears.

“AAArgh, tell it to stop! Why won’t it stop?!” shouted Yonghwa’s thoughts.

At that moment, at that thought, the ringing stopped altogether. A calmness came upon Yonghwa.

“It’s so quiet. So comfortable now…I’m tired… I’m so sleepy…I think…I think… I think I’ll sleep now… Yeah, I can finally rest now…I don’t think anyone cares…”, sighed Yonghwa.

“But what about the match? Aaah, it don’t matter…It’s just a belt” yawned Yonghwa.

Yonghwa heard a voice, coming from the all too familiar ringside seats. He turned his head to see who it was. He saw two long-haired men standing there. He saw their lips move, as if they were telling him something.

“Now who could they be?” he asked himself.

The men shouted, “Get up! Your life’s not over yet.”

But Yonghwa couldn’t recognize who it was. So he smiled and whispered “The seats aren’t empty anymore. How about that…”

Martinez and Saul had been slamming the canvas the whole time and seeing his eyes opened, they shouted “Get up! Git up, you bum! Don’t lose! Don’t give up! YOU ONLY GOT A FEW SECONDS LEFT!!!! All you gotta do is stand up!”

Yonghwa’s eyes turned to meet theirs, which encouraged them even further.

“If you got time to stare at my pretty face, then you got time to stand up! NOW, GET UP! NO PAIN, NO GAIN!!! it up! You’re almost there!”

“Pffft, he wouldn’t be saying that if he knew how much it hurts to just breathe. My whole body is aching” thought Yonghwa.

Then he looked over at Steps who was struggling to get up on his knees. Martinez, Saul, everyone in the entire stadium was telling him to get up.

“Maybe I will get up. I mean, it’ll shut them up. Wouldn’t it? And it will also annoy Steps if I do win, so I guess I will do it…” mused Yonghwa

Yonghwa his belly so he could use his knees to get up. Yonghwa placed his right fist on the canvas and used it to get on one knee. He heard that distinct voice again. However, it was no mystery to him this time. His eyes grew wide and he turned to face the place where the voice came from. It came from the two men that stood in front of the once empty seats.

The ref’s count was ongoing, “…6…7…8…”

As Yonghwa stared at the two men, all the memories from the past five years flooded his heart. Steps was on his two feet, barely but, standing nonetheless.

The ref continued, “..9…”

Yonghwa immediately recalled all the pain and damage that engulfed his right fist. It trembled and it gave up on him: he fell face-forward.

The ref continued “…10!”

And immediately upon that number, the announcers exclaimed to the top of their lungs, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new champion!!!”

Saul and Martinez rushed to get to Yonghwa. All the media followed suit, flooding the entire ring full of lights and questions.

“That’s gotta be the best match you’ve ever fought!” exclaimed a reporter.

“You’re a hero!!!” exclaimed another.

“What’s your plan now?” asked one.

“Why did you fall when you were steadily getting up?” asked another reporter.

“When’s the rematch?” asked one more.

“No rematch, the boy destroyed me and broke my jaw” mumbled Steps

“Where are they?” asked Yonghwa frantically.

“Who? They? Only one came, but he left just a few moments ago!”answered Saul.

“Hurry and get the gloves off!” ordered Yonghwa.

Saul immediately did so, but became nervous at the sight.

“Please, whatever you do, do NOT look at your hand!” he said.

“What?” asked Yonghwa in confusion.

Yonghwa then tossed his gloves into the air and ran for the exit.

“Wait for the medic, you bum! At least do that!” shouted Martinez.

“I’m fine! I need no medic!” shouted Yonghwa in response as he kept running.

After finally reaching the exit and then making it outside, he found the person waiting for him. He could not restrain himself. He fell on his brother’s neck and wept. Moreover, he kissed him on his cheek and after that he talked with the one he loved as a brother, Jungshin.

“Your hair, what happened to your hair?” asked Yonghwa.

“I decided to grow it out! I think it makes me look cooler!” answered Jungshin.

“It’s alright. It’s alright… Were you the only one that came?”

“Well… Long story…  You see, the old man… I thought he was just a retired boxer whose fists grew dull and belly grew fat. But, I was wrong… I can’t believe he finally remembered my address though. I thought he died, but I guess not… Anyways, he sent me these tickets for the match long ago, but I moved and so it probably got lost in the mail for the longest time. I checked my mail just yesterday and found them there. That’s when I bought my plane ticket to get here, and here I am! Cost me a small fortune to book a next day flight, but it was worth it…. Aaaaand, well you see, I was so excited that I forgot to tell the others until I arrived here a couple of hours ago. They called me back a few minutes ago, saying they were on their way. They’re stuck in the airport though… And my flight was a bit late, so that’s why came so late into the match.”

“Yonghwa answered with a smile and said, “Is that right? That makes me the happiest man alive right now. How are they?”

“That’s a very good question! Well, I reopened my gym after Burning convinced me; Minhyuk became a journalist;  ________ came back home and got married; And Burning, well, let’s just say he’s smiling again…”

Yonghwa started to fall from exhaustion but Jungshin caught him in time. He put Yonghwa’s arm on his shoulder and thus lifted Yonghwa’s burden. They began to walk together step by step.

“Alright, ol’ chum, we gotta get you to a doctor. And whatever you do, please do NOT look at your right hand. It’s pretty gross. I think I see bone…And I could barely recognize you; your face is too swollen.”

The two walked onwards and as their shadows faded away, the two talked:

 “Hey, Jungshin, I’m sorry. Will you ever forgive me?”

“Yeah, of course! I forgive ya! Would you ever forgive me?”

“Yeah, of course!”

“Who was standing beside you? He too had long hair…”

“What? I was the only one in those seats…You were hit pretty badly. Maybe you were just seeing double. Anyways, I’m glad I made it in time to see the last round.  You okay not winning?”

“Ahhh, that’s okay. But to tell you the truth, it was your fault I lost. I was taken off guard when I saw you there in those seats. But it’s okay. I might’ve lost the title but I gained a friend.”

“My fault?”

“Yup yup! Anyways, do you remember when we filmed that PR video on the beach? What ever happened to it?”

“What video? Oh, I remember! Good times! Yeah, it was a total flop in increasing customers… But, the video we filmed when you were doing the split and began to whimper out of pain became a hit. It got over a million views in just a week!”
“Really now? Okay… Well, do you remember when you told me about that One friend that’s closer than a brother? I think I met him.”

“Yeah? Is that so… Well what’s his name? I’d like to meet him.”

“Actually I forgot his name. Now that I think about it, I don’t think he told me… But, I’d like to meet him once again also… Hopefully we can all be friends and go to that bar together or something…”

 

THE END

(of "Ending A")