After thirty minutes on the bus, she arrived at the gates of Seoul National University, where the coach stood counting heads to ensure everyone had made it. This campus was hosting the National Youth Boxing Championship. Nau Rin looked up at the massive complex, easily fifty times larger than her own middle school, and felt dwarfed by its size.
The moment they stepped into the competition hall, she drew a sharp breath. A giant screen mounted on the wall lit up with rotating names—lightweight, middleweight, heavyweight—each division announced in turn. In her own category, middleweight, there were only five participants this time.
The matches began at the same time in two separate halls. One hosted the boys' division, the other the girls'. Every ring carried its own pulse, its own rising tension. The venue was not packed, yet each ring was tightly surrounded by parents, friends, and club members, their voices blending into a low, restless hum.
On one side, the boys' division took its first steps into battle. Beneath the ring, the coach stood ready, a towel draped over his arm, a bucket of water placed carefully at his feet. His gaze never wavered, fixed firmly on the fighters above.
Across the hall, the first match of the women's division was about to begin.
"left corner — Nau Rin!"
She stepped onto the ring with light, unhurried strides. Her shoulders were loose, her gaze calm and settled, as if the noise around her barely existed.
Waiting in the right corner was a girl slightly shorter than her, but broader through the shoulders and arms—a sturdier, more solid build. The opponent tapped her gloves together softly and rolled her shoulders, warming up with visible energy. Nau Rin, by contrast, moved very little. She simply steadied her breathing, watching—measuring the other girl's foot placement, the subtle shifts of weight from heel to toe.
The referee called them to the center.
As the rules were explained, Nau Rin's eyes never left her opponent's face.
Their gloves touched, light and brief.
The opening attack came from the right corner. A sharp combination—left, right—thrown in quick succession, wide and forceful. But Nau Rin slipped away with ease. She didn't retreat in straight lines; instead, she traced smooth, evasive arcs, her movement fluid and unreadable.
Her feet glided across the canvas as if over ice—silent, precise. One step forward to test the distance, one step back to dissolve it, then a sudden slide to the side. Each incoming punch was met with a slight tilt of her body, a soft rotation of the shoulder, just enough to let the blow carve through empty air.
Every strike sliced past her cheek, close enough to feel the wind, yet never close enough to land. She appeared to be retreating, but in truth, she was controlling the space. The harder her opponent pressed forward, the heavier her movements became, her breathing growing rough and uneven.
One chased.
One slipped away.
And just like that, the first round came to an end.
When the bell rang, Nau Rin walked back to her corner and rested her elbows on the ropes. Her breathing was steady, her chest rising lightly, without strain. Just then, someone slid a small stool in beneath her. She glanced down—and saw her friends standing there at last.
Taehyun held out a water bottle, asking between breaths,
"Did we make it in time?"
Nau Rin smiled.
"It's just getting started," she managed to say—
—and the bell rang again.
From the blue corner came another relentless advance, but this time the power behind it had clearly faded. The attacks were rushed now, the rhythm broken, impatience seeping into every movement.
This time, Nau Rin did not retreat.
As a right hand came flying in, she dropped sharply downward, letting the punch slice over her head. Her opponent had committed her full weight to that strike, and in that brief instant of lost balance—
Nau Rin sprang upward like a released spring and drove a tight punch straight into her opponent's chin.
There wasn't much noise, but the impact was clean and unmistakable.
Before the other girl could even understand what had happened, her body was already collapsing onto the canvas.
Even the small crowd in the stands fell silent.
Nau Rin had already turned away, walking calmly back toward her corner, as if there were no need to look behind her.
The referee bent down to begin the count, but after catching the ringside doctor's signal, he waved his hand sharply and stopped the bout. His arm shot up into the air, pointing to the winner.
The second round had lasted less than ten seconds.
The fight was over.
Nau Rin's breathing hadn't even faltered. There wasn't a single bead of sweat on her forehead. She stepped down from the ring with the same calm ease as if she were simply walking after a routine training session.
When she came out of the locker room, her friends were already waiting. As they walked down the corridor together, Minho blurted out excitedly,
"That was way more interesting than I expected!"
Nau Rin gave a small shrug.
"Was it?" she replied, plainly.
Minho glanced at her from the side.
"Aren't you happy?"
"About what?" Nau Rin's expression didn't change.
Minho shook his head, clicking his tongue in disbelief as he walked ahead. Just then, Seohun asked,
"When's your next match?"
"Tomorrow. One fight per day," Nau Rin answered shortly.
Taehyun sighed.
"Then we should come a bit earlier tomorrow. We almost missed it today," he said, shooting Minho an annoyed look.
Minho lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
Seohun added,
"That's because someone was busy posing in front of the mirror and wasted all the time."
Minho elbowed him.
"Are you gossiping about me now?"
"I'm just telling the truth."
Nau Rin, listening quietly, finally spoke up.
"Give it a rest. Who are you even trying to look good for?"
Minho scrunched his nose.
"I'm not like you guys, throwing on whatever. Look at yourself. Black Beanie, black shirt, black shorts—everything's black except your sports bag. It's not like you're a crow. And to top it off, what's with that hat? Are you a monk?"
At that, the other two turned to look at Nau Rin at the same time.
She shrugged lightly.
"This is my freestyle" she said.
As they kept talking and walking, someone suddenly blocked their path. Looking up, they saw three young men who looked like college students. The one in the middle, wearing a white shirt, smiled and raised his hand in greeting.
Only Minho and Taehyun replied,
"Hi."
The man in white continued,
"We just watched your match. Didn't expect it to end that fast—"
Before he could finish, another one cut in,
"Yeah, it was really cool. But maybe because you're wearing glasses now, you look totally different from how you did in the ring."
The man in white asked again,
"So, how old are you guys?"
"Fifteen," Minho answered immediately.
"And you too?" the man asked, looking at Nau Rin.
She didn't respond.
The man let out a polite, almost fake smile.
"Fifteen, huh? Middle schoolers then. You're really young. We're second-year college students. We run an English club—if you're interested, feel free to drop by," he said, holding out a slip of paper with an address written on it.
Seohun declining the offer.
"We won't be coming, so there's no need to bother"
"Why not?" the man began to ask, but before he could continue—
Nau Rin cut him off, snatched the paper from his hand, and said,
"I'll think about it."
The man in white kept smiling.
"Good luck with your matches. We'll come cheer for you tomorrow too," he said, leading his friends away.
Once they were gone, Seohun asked in disbelief,
"You're not actually going to that club, are you?"
Nau Rin lifted an eyebrow slightly.
"Of course not."
She crumpled the paper and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.
A pale neon glow shimmered against the walls of the training room, and the air was heavy with the mixed scents of sweat, skin, and fabric. Nau Rin took off her black T-shirt and pulled on her red fight uniform over the white undershirt beneath.
She perched on the edge of the bench and began wrapping her hands.
Around. Pull. Press. Wrap again.
Slowly, deliberately, as if she could feel each finger individually, perfectly. there wasn't the slightest sign of nerves. Her composure was almost excessive—so calm that she looked like a person waiting for a bus or standing in line for lunch.
She walked into the arena with quiet confidence. Compared to her previous match, the number of spectators had increased significantly. She put on her headgear and mouthguard. Her gaze sharpened—blue eyes gleaming coldly, colder than a winter storm. Not only her opponent, but the crowd itself seemed to feel that stare.
To Nau Rin, however, the attention was uncomfortable. She avoided looking around, fixing her eyes solely on her opponent. The girl across from her, caught in that piercing gaze, couldn't bring herself to look back directly.
While Nau Rin warmed up on the ring floor, her opponent listened carefully to her coach. He kept repeating the same advice, patting her shoulder to encourage her:
"Don't take your eyes off her. She's just an opponent. No different from the others you've faced. Nothing special about her."
The bell rang.
As always, Nau Rin began defensively—slipping sideways, evading, observing. Watching the boxer from the blue corner, she noticed how similar they were. Height, weight, even arm length matched closely. The punches were tight and clean, the footwork precise, exactly as instructed. She fought like a diligent student executing her teacher's homework perfectly.
Soon, Nau Rin shifted from defense to offense, countering sharply. She unleashed a rapid series with her right hand, but her opponent blocked well. Nau Rin followed up with wide, forceful shots aimed at the head, steadily applying pressure.
Her opponent was driven back into the corner, arms locked tight around her head in defense. Then Nau Rin deliberately stepped back, creating space—an invitation.
The opponent seized it, swinging a full-power right.
In an instant, Nau Rin leaned back just enough. The glove brushed the tip of her nose and missed. Without losing balance, she reset—pushing hard off the floor with her right foot, shifting her weight onto her left—and delivered a heavy, sweeping blow. The opponent managed to block, but the force was overwhelming.
She dropped to her knees, shaken by the impact, her head spinning. She couldn't stand right away.
"One… two…" the referee's voice echoed across the ring.
"Five… six… seven…"
She forced herself back to her feet, burning through her last reserves of strength, but there was nothing left for offense. She could only defend. Whether from exhaustion or tension, her arms slowly began to drop.
Nau Rin didn't miss the moment.
She drove a sudden, explosive punch straight into her opponent's cheek, glove and all.
With less than a single second remaining in the first round, Nau Rin ended the fight with a clean victory.