๐ TIME & PLACE
Date: January 15, 2020
Day: Wednesday
Location: Songpa District, Seoul, South Korea โ Ji-Ho's Home & School ๐ฐ๐ท
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The morning bell rang sharp and clear as Ji-Ho slid into his desk just in time, dropping his backpack with a soft thud. His 182 cm frame barely fit in the small high school chair โ he'd outgrown most of his classroom furniture months ago.
"You look like you didn't sleep last night," Min-Ji whispered from the desk in front of him, turning around with a concerned look. As class president, she made it her business to know when something was off with her classmates.
"I was justโฆ watching fight footage," Ji-Ho mumbled, pulling out his textbooks. "Road FC has a card next month in Busan."
Min-Ji raised an eyebrow but didn't push it. "You know, if you spent half as much time studying mixed martial arts as you do regular math, you'd be top of the class instead of second."
Ji-Ho smiled weakly. Second place was pretty good โ especially considering how much of his free time went into his secret routine.
๐ SCHOOL DAYS
7:30 AM โ First period: Math. Ji-Ho's pencil moved quickly across his paper, solving equations with ease. His mind was sharp โ a trait that helped him not just in class, but in analyzing fight strategies.
9:15 AM โ Break time. While other students hung out in the hallways or played basketball, Ji-Ho found a quiet spot near the school's track. He'd do 50 push-ups, 50 squats, and practice footwork patterns he'd memorized from watching Demetrius Johnson fights โ moving in tight circles, weaving between imaginary opponents, shifting stances from orthodox to southpaw and back again.
"What are you doing?" Soo-Jin, one of his classmates, asked as she walked by with her friends. "Practicing for a dance contest?"
"Something like that," Ji-Ho said with a small grin, not stopping his movements. He'd learned early on not to tell people what he was really doing โ it was easier to let them think he was just weird about staying in shape.
12:00 PM โ Lunch. Ji-Ho sat with Deagon in the cafeteria, his tray piled high with protein-rich food โ grilled chicken, eggs, brown rice, and vegetables. No junk food, no soda โ just what his body needed to stay strong.
"Coach Park texted me," Deagon said, shoveling noodles into his mouth. "He said you did pretty good for your first day โ better than most beginners anyway. When are you going back?"
"After school tomorrow. I've got to help my sisters with their homework tonight though."
Deagon nodded. "Your family still doesn't know about the gym, right?"
Ji-Ho shook his head, poking at his chicken. "Not yet. I want to be sure I can stick with it before I tell them. You know how they are โ they'll just worry."
๐ HOME LIFE
3:45 PM โ School let out, and Ji-Ho walked the twenty-minute route home, his backpack slung over one shoulder. Along the way, he'd stop at the convenience store to pick up groceries his mom had asked for โ milk, vegetables, and rice.
His house was a modest three-story building in Songpa District, with a small garden where his dad grew peppers and tomatoes. As he unlocked the front door, the smell of kimchi jjigae hit him โ his mom's signature dish.
"Ji-Ho! You're home early!" his mother, Kim Mi-Young, called out from the kitchen. She was a high school teacher โ patient, kind, and always worried about her youngest child.
"Finished all my assignments in class," Ji-Ho said, setting the groceries down. "Where are Dad and the sisters?"
"Your father's in his office โ he's working on a new case. Hye-Jin is in her room studying for her bar exam, and Ye-Eun is at her taekwondo practice."
Just then, the front door burst open, and Ye-Eun โ Ji-Ho's middle sister, two years older than him โ walked in in her dobok, her black belt tied neatly around her waist. She was 175 cm tall, with muscles built from years of training.
"Hey squirt!" she said, ruffling Ji-Ho's hair. "I saw you doing weird footwork at school today. You trying to learn how to fight now?"
Ji-Ho ducked away, blushing. "Just staying active."
"Ye-Eun, leave your brother alone," their mom called out, bringing a bowl of stew to the table. "He's got enough to worry about with college applications coming up."
"Speaking of which," Ye-Eun said, sitting down at the table, "Dad wants to talk to you after dinner. He found a scholarship program for engineering at Seoul National University."
Ji-Ho's heart sank. Engineering was a good field โ stable, well-paying, everything his parents wanted for him. But it wasn't what he wanted.
A few minutes later, Hye-Jin โ the oldest sister at 24 โ came downstairs, her nose still buried in a law textbook. She was the "successful one" in the family โ top of her class at Seoul National University's law school, already preparing for her career.
"Ji-Ho, did you finish the physics homework?" she asked, not looking up from her book. "I can help you review if you want โ there's a tricky problem on momentum that most students get wrong."
"I already finished it," Ji-Ho said quietly. "Got it right too."
"Of course you did," Hye-Jin said with a small smile, finally looking up. "You were always the smart one. Dad's really hoping you'll take that engineering scholarship โ it'd make things easier for all of us."
Just then, their father, Kim Seong-Ho, walked into the room โ a tall, serious man who worked as a criminal defense lawyer. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Ji-Ho.
"Good to see you're keeping up with your studies, son. We'll talk more about the scholarship after dinner. I know you've been spending a lot of timeโฆ doing whatever it is you do after school, but your future has to come first."
Ji-Ho nodded, not trusting himself to speak. His dad didn't mean to be harsh โ he just wanted his son to have a stable life, far away from anything dangerous or uncertain.
โฐ FREE TIME โ THE REAL REASON
After dinner, Ji-Ho helped clean up the kitchen, then retreated to his small room on the third floor. Posters of his favorite fighters covered every wall โ Manny Pacquiao throwing a left hook, Khabib Nurmagomedov celebrating a win, Giorgio Petrosyan dodging a kick, Roger Gracie locking in a submission.
He turned on his laptop and pulled up a video of ONE Championship's latest event. As he watched, he took detailed notes in a worn notebook โ analyzing footwork patterns, noting which combinations worked against certain styles, drawing diagrams of submission setups.
This was his real passion โ not just watching fights, but studying them like textbooks. Every free moment he had was dedicated to learning something new:
- 6:00 AM โ Before school: 30-minute run, followed by shadowboxing in the backyard
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- Break time: Bodyweight exercises and footwork practice
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- After school (when he can): Training at Dragon MMA Gym
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- Evenings: Watching fight footage, taking notes, and practicing techniques in his room
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- Weekends: Longer runs, studying different fighting styles, and watching live events from around the world โ Rizin in Japan, PFL in the US, BRAVE CF in the Middle East
He'd never told his family why he ate so much protein, why he was always tired, why he spent every spare won on fight pay-per-views and training gear. They thought he was just obsessed with sports โ they had no idea he was preparing for something bigger.
As he watched a replay of Nonito Donaire knocking out his opponent with a left hook, Ji-Ho clenched his fist. Tomorrow he'd be back at Dragon MMA Gym, learning the formal techniques he'd only ever mimicked from videos. He'd show Coach Park that he was serious about this โ that he could be more than just a shy kid who watched fights on TV.
But first, he'd have to figure out how to tell his family. How do you explain to the people who love you most that your dream is to step into a cage and fight โ something they'll never understand, something they'll almost certainly oppose?
He closed his laptop and lay back on his bed, looking up at the posters on his wall. Every one of those fighters had faced doubt, had to overcome people telling them they couldn't do it. Ji-Ho knew his road would be just as hard โ maybe harder.
But he was ready to walk it anyway.
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[END OF CHAPTER 2]