It was still a cool summer night. Below the city lights, smoke billowed, mingling with the scent of grilling meat and laughter.
On the rooftop of Chiyoo Gym, a cauldron-sized grill was set up, laden with meat and bottles of soju.
[Sniff. Sniff.]
"Hmph, the smell of meat is the best, comrade. Gotta taste if it's cooked right."
Young-ho sniffed, tongs in both hands, completely absorbed in grilling the meat.
"Hey! You rascal, are you gonna taste it all day?! Stop gorging yourself!"
Beside him, Young-beom chided Young-ho, his lips glistening with oil. For these two, eating came before grilling.
"Are you guys grilling right now? Or is this dinner?"
Do-yoon had quietly appeared behind them. He silently surveyed the grill, then deftly snatched a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth.
[Smack.]
"Mmm~ you're masters. I can feel the sincerity. This is why I can't leave Chiyoo Gym."
"Do-yoon, why don't you leave us, comrade. Our share of food isn't getting any smaller."
"Indeed, you're finally saying something right for once, comrade."
"Wow… seriously, that hurts. To think I call these gluttons my seniors."
"Are you possessed by a hungry ghost? Even a whole cow wouldn't be enough, seriously."
Park Sang-cheol muttered, chiding them, but a smile played on his lips.
Beside him, Tae-geon remained silent, but his meticulousness was evident in his precise control over the flame intensity.
"Tae-geon, sit down and eat something."
Kim Gap-su tossed out a remark, and Tae-geon just slightly turned his head.
"Controlling the fire is more urgent than eating meat. And I have to keep an eye on the twins. Those gluttons pretend to grill but half of it ends up in their mouths."
At that, the Twin Tigers simultaneously stared off into the distance.
Meanwhile, Min-chan sat quietly on a flat wooden bench, watching the replay video.
"You were really cool today."
Park Sang-cheol sat next to him, offering a glass.
"That last flying knee kick… it made me realize again what a truly terrifying guy you are."
"It just… my body moved on its own."
Min-chan accepted the glass, speaking calmly, but an unidentifiable emotional resonance lingered in his voice.
[Creaaaak!]
At that moment, the old iron door scraped open with a metallic sound, revealing the rooftop entrance.
A woman in a pink cap, with long straight hair, a slender physique, and a white tracksuit that suited her well, appeared.
"Welcome."
Coach Kim Gap-su said quietly. The one who had quietly come up to greet them was Dam-bi.
"Oh, Shaman Noona is here~ You look especially atmospheric today?"
"Do-yoon, shut your mouth."
Dam-bi smiled and glared at him, then settled down next to Min-chan.
She met Min-chan's gaze. A brief silence. No one broke it.
"What happened… no, how did you know?"
Min-chan whispered lowly into Dam-bi's ear.
Dam-bi answered quietly, but clearly.
"I was always by your side. Hoping you would awaken."
Dam-bi answered calmly, but there was a subtle tremor in her eyes. Countless unspoken emotions flowed between them.
At that moment—
"Dam-bi Noona, don't you like meat too, comrade? We grilled this ourselves, comrade."
"Noona, try it, comrade, we grilled it super deliciously."
Young-ho and Young-beom, completely oblivious, cut in, holding plates in both hands.
Dam-bi then gave Min-chan a saucy wink and said,
"We'll talk about that later."
And then, Dam-bi looked at the meat on the plate and added,
"Do exercising men… eat pork rare too?"
A snicker, then a chuckle, erupted from around them at Dam-bi's hesitant expression as she held her chopsticks.
Everyone naturally found their seats, and the atmosphere relaxed.
Just then—
Coach Kim Gap-su raised a bottle of soju, pouring drinks into glasses.
"Alright, everyone, listen up for a moment! Fill your glasses!"
[Glug, glug, glug, glug.]
Soju poured into the glasses, fogging them with a white mist, and everyone's gaze naturally focused on one spot.
Kim Gap-su stood up and shouted.
"Our Chiyoo Gym finally has a world champion! Gang Min-chan! Shouldn't we hear your thoughts, and your future aspirations?"
[Wheee!] [Oooooh!]
Whistles, applause, and cheers erupted.
Min-chan looked around, a little embarrassed, then reluctantly picked up his glass and stood.
"…Oh, seriously…"
Min-chan slowly raised his glass under everyone's gaze.
The faces of his gym family came into view, one by one. Tae-geon, Sang-cheol, the Twin Tigers, Do-yoon, Dam-bi… and the Coach.
"…I don't really have anything to say."
Min-chan cleared his throat as he began to speak.
"Honestly, that day, I didn't think I'd win. But…"
Min-chan paused, holding his glass. His eyes held a heavy gaze. Then, he continued calmly.
"In the end, it wasn't me who endured, but the people outside who called my name who made me win."
For a moment, everyone's expressions subtly changed.
Do-yoon closed his mouth, and the Twin Tigers raised their heads.
Sang-cheol's brow furrowed slightly.
Min-chan smiled and raised his glass.
"So, in the future… when I can't endure, please shout for me instead."
"We're—a team, aren't we? Cheers!"
[Clink.]
At his words, everyone raised their glasses. The sound of glasses clinking.
That fervent time, and those lingering memories, washed deep into their chests with a cold glass of soju.
A short while later—
"Drink! Drink! Drink!"
"The alcohol goes down! Chug! Chug! Chug-chug!"
Young-ho and Young-min, their faces flushed with alcohol, were raising the mood by clapping and swaying their shoulders.
[Ugh!] [Blech!]
With strange cries, Tae-geon and Do-yoon collapsed, their heads hitting the table.
"Twin Tigers, don't make them drink too much. If the kids throw up, are you going to clean it up?"
Sang-cheol said, looking pitifully at Do-yoon, who was spitting soju from his mouth, his eyes rolled back.
"By the way, we're out of booze. I'll go buy some, so wait here."
Gap-su, his nose red, swayed as he got up, grabbing his wallet, when Min-chan caught his sleeve and said,
"I'll go. The champion should buy."
As everyone was getting tipsy, Min-chan and Dam-bi slipped out on the pretext of buying more drinks.
The late-night streets, deserted after descending from the rooftop, were quiet.
Min-chan stopped in front of a vending machine at the entrance to the alley leading to the convenience store.
[Clunk!]
A metal can clattered down.
Dam-bi leaned against the machine, gazing silently at Min-chan.
"You said you were going to buy alcohol… but instead of soju, it's sikhye (sweet rice punch)?"
"Everyone's drunk anyway. Besides… there's something I want to ask you sober."
Min-chan opened the can, smiling wryly. Dam-bi quietly watched his smile, then slowly opened her mouth.
"…You want to know how I knew?"
Min-chan took a sip of sikhye and slowly nodded.
"When you awakened, that feeling… I already felt it when I was little."
"Feeling?"
"Yes. Like… someone who isn't me is alive and breathing inside me."
Dam-bi lowered her gaze. Emotions rippled gently in her eyes. A moment of silence.
"…Do you remember when you cut your hand on paper when you were little and I put your blood in my mouth?"
"Of course. I thought you were crazy."
At Min-chan's words, Dam-bi gave him a bewildered, yet coquettish sidelong glance, then closed her eyes.
"Ha… that's not it."
Dam-bi slightly lowered her head, then spoke with emphasis.
"At that time… something entered. An ancient resonance, inside me."
Min-chan listened silently. Dam-bi looked back at him.
"And by sheer coincidence, it awakened. When the New Harbor Gym changed its name to Chiyoo Gym... the word 'Chiyoo,' which I heard every day, felt like a brand."
[Clang!]
Min-chan took another sip of sikhye, crushed the can, and threw it into the trash can.
"So…"
Min-chan pressed his lips together, then slowly asked again, as if confirming something.
"Who are you… now?"
"Hwansa. The last shaman of the Guryeo Clan. And… your brother who watched your end."
Dam-bi smiled faintly and turned her back.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Everyone will be waiting."
By then, a large moon hung in the night sky,
and the shadows of the two heading to the gym,
like a general who left the battlefield long ago and the shaman who awaited him,
quietly overlapped as one.
The next morning.
"Ugh… my head…"
"Oh dear… I'm dying…"
Chiyoo Gym was filled with groans of hangover.
Groans erupted from everywhere, as if they had been hit in the abdomen with a knee.
"Snap out of it! Are you really dying just from drinking a little alcohol?!"
Coach Park Sang-cheol shouted, his own eyes bloodshot.
However, the hangover instant ramen cup in his hand proved his condition.
"Ugh… but where's the coach?"
Do-yoon asked, dry heaving.
"He left early because the MMA Association contacted him urgently."
"The Association?"
"China sent an invitation for a friendly match in Beijing."
Before his words even finished, Park Sang-cheol glared at the twins.
"And you two! Are you going to be sprawled out like that with a title match right around the corner?!"
Young-ho and Young-beom simultaneously struggled to their feet, wobbling.
"My head… is still ringing like a drum, comrade…"
"My stomach feels like it has a hole in it, comrade…"
Park Sang-cheol's eyes gleamed as he shouted.
"Aren't you going to run to the ring right now?! Want to spar with Min-chan?!"
At that, the Twin Tigers' heads simultaneously snapped towards Min-chan.
In one corner of the gym—
Min-chan was hitting the sandbag.
[Wham! Thump! Pow!]
The sandbag swayed up and down with each impact of his firm fists.
The twins stared at the sight for a moment—
and imagined it.
—A short while later, themselves sprawled on the mat, throwing up the previous day's food.
"We'll practice as if we're ready to die, comrade! Young-beom, hurry up and get in the ring, comrade!"
The two exchanged glances, then shot onto the ring like bullets.
Sang-cheol gave a wry smile, watching their retreating backs.
Another day at Chiyoo Gym had begun to roll on.
---
Meanwhile, in the heart of Seoul.
Coach Kim Gap-su was facing government officials of ministerial rank in the MMA Association conference room.
"This is ridiculous! It's only been one day since Min-chan won the belt!"
"Oh, Coach… I understand how you feel. That's why I came here in person, isn't it?"
"How can they suddenly propose a friendly match in China when his fight damage hasn't even healed yet? Is this a normal request?"
The opponent offered an awkward smile and waved his hand.
"The government regrets it too. However… as you know, with recent trade issues and the North intertwined, we can't ignore China."
"Are you saying it's acceptable to send a fighter as a bargaining chip for negotiations, when you can't even protect your own citizens?"
"…Coach. I'm truly sorry.
Having to exchange the stability of the majority for one sacrifice… that's the government's position."
"..."
Kim Gap-su took a deep breath.
He wanted to get angry, but just being in this seat was already a frustrating reality.
"…The decision isn't something I can make. Give me some time."
"Understood.
But please, give us a quick answer, without too much delay."
Gap-su closed his eyes.
And murmured to himself.
'This country, really… it's so weak.
How did it end up like this…'
---
A few days later, in the late afternoon.
The friendly match in China was decided,
and busy footsteps and the sounds of packing echoed throughout Chiyoo Gym.
Someone was organizing their backpack, someone else was secretly putting metal cans into their bag instead of a jump rope.
"Coach, did you pack your toothbrush, comrade?"
"Young-ho, boxers brush their teeth with their fists. It's fine."
"…Are you serious, comrade?"
Do-yoon, putting his luggage into a carrier, heard their conversation and shook his head.
He sighed and muttered.
"This team's average mental age is seriously a problem…"
Min-chan, having finished packing, quietly approached Dam-bi.
Before speaking, he looked at her eyes as if to gauge her.
"Why did you say we should stop by Baekdu Mountain?
You said the fight venue was Beijing."
Dam-bi looked at him for a moment, then quietly opened her mouth.
Her expression was much more serious than usual.
"Zhuolu. Near Hebei Province.
After you fell in that battle, the surviving brethren…
fled with your belongings and eventually left them there."
She briefly lowered her gaze.
"The memories are hazy. It was a very long time ago.
But… we have to go, for the sake of the brethren who died enduring until the very end."
Min-chan slightly furrowed his brows.
A sensation that felt familiar, yet somehow unfamiliar to him.
"…What will change once we confirm it?"
Dam-bi smiled briefly, with a subtle, peculiar expression.
"I don't know. But… if we go and see,
perhaps—we'll feel a little lighter from the past wounds?"
Min-chan was silent for a while.
Then he quietly nodded.
At that moment—
In one corner, Tae-geon, still feeling uneasy about something, glanced at the Twin Tigers.
"You two aren't hiding anything else, are you?"
Park Sang-cheol narrowed his eyes and said.
"Let me see your bags, you troublemakers."
With a face full of suspicion, Sang-cheol rummaged through their bags and soon pulled out a hard object from inside a glove.
[Thud.]
"What is this… canned meat?"
"…Emergency rations… Ugh!"
Young-ho quickly covered Young-beom's mouth with his hand.
Then he rolled his eyes and made excuses.
"That's… Dam-bi Noona said we should use it for the ancestral rites at Baekdu Mountain…"
"What?!"
Dam-bi, who had been talking with Min-chan, jumped up and approached them.
Her eyes wide, she glared at the twins.
"When did I say that!? Who uses canned meat for ancestral rites!?"
Young-ho and Young-beom simultaneously clamped their mouths shut and turned their heads.
Then they simultaneously pointed at Do-yoon.
"Do-yoon made us do it, comrade."
"What, me!?"
Do-yoon jumped up and shouted.
Then Young-ho smirked and added,
"We're just good, obedient older brothers, comrade."
Do-yoon rolled his eyes in disbelief.
"Ugh… these guys, their consciences are canned too."
---
Thus, the boisterous preparations ended, and after everyone left the gym,
the lights went out one by one.
Left alone, Min-chan leaned against the rooftop railing, gazing down at the lights of Seoul in the darkness.
It was quiet.
"…Baekdu Mountain."
Min-chan slowly closed his eyes.
A name he had tried to forget.
Fragments of a battlefield, awakened from a dream like instinct.
Now—it was time to face it all.