Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 137

After Kim Donghu’s interview in One-Two Punch magazine, marketing teams from companies that had him as their brand model couldn’t contain their excitement.

“...Kim Donghu’s aiming for an Olympic gold medal in boxing?”

“And next year? At Rio?!”

“While he’s still under contract with us as a model?!”

Of course, their contracts were strictly tied to Kim Donghu the actor,

not Kim Donghu the athlete.

If they wanted to leverage his sports career for promotions, they’d need new contracts.

But—

“We already have the upper hand.”

Other companies wouldn’t even have connections,

let alone know he was attempting something this prestigious.

“If we slap our FJ Instant Rice branding on him for the Asian qualifiers... isn’t that it?”

“Exactly! The ad impact will be insane. And if he actually makes it to the Olympics—just imagine!”

“And what if he wins gold? Huh? We tie the contract incentives to his performance—you get what I’m saying, right?!”

“Yes, sir. I can tell you’re very excited.”

And it wasn’t just FJ.

“I’m losing my mind—I need a piece of this! Is Actor—no, Athlete—Kim Donghu available?!”

“‘The Spice of Victory! The Heat of a Punch Meets the Heat of Fire Chicken Ramen!’ The slogans are writing themselves!”

Even Ilyang Foods, which had only just signed him, was already brainstorming.

“A 19-year-old national team hopeful’s school uniform? This’ll fly off the shelves!”

And Brilliant School Uniforms, who had maintained a good relationship with Donghu,

rushed to draft new contracts as well.

*****

Meanwhile, whispers spread through the sports industry.

“I heard Korea has an incredible prospect?”

The news started catching fire.

“Could Korea’s boxing legacy, which hasn’t seen gold since 1988, be reignited?”

And wouldn’t it be great to be part of that journey?

“Redhorn sure thinks so.”

Redhorn, a leading sports drink brand, was the first to make a move.

Domestic heavyweight boxers are rare.

While the international stage might be different,

in Korea, there were very few.

‘Back when I competed in high school, even a round of 16 was rare.’

Sometimes there were 8 contenders—sometimes only 4.

And it wasn’t much better in the adult division.

The fact that last year’s National Sports Festival started with the semifinals

said everything about how barren Korea’s heavyweight scene was.

‘But it’s understandable because of the size differences.’

Heavyweight boxing belonged to the world stage—

a domain dominated by Western athletes.

So maybe that’s why—

“Donghu, I’m looking for sparring partners, but it’s harder than I thought.”

“It’s okay, I expected this.”

“Still, I’m sorry.”

“Coach, it’s not your fault there aren’t many fighters in Korea. It is what it is.”

Finding sparring partners in Korea was nearly impossible.

But that didn’t stop training.

‘At least Coach is quickly regaining his old form.’

Under Baek Sangha’s increasingly intense training,

Donghu sharpened his instincts and skills.

“Donghu, I got a call! But...”

They’d finally found a sparring partner.

Yet instead of celebrating,

Coach Baek looked uneasy.

“There’s a problem—since there are so few fighters, thugs are getting involved.”

Hearing Coach Baek curse for the first time

made it clear how much he disliked this opponent.

“This guy thinks beating up people in street fights qualifies him to dominate boxing.”

“What?”

“You know the type—the ones who brag about ‘owning Incheon’ or whatever.”

But apparently,

he had enough talent to get officially registered.

Even won Rookie of the Year.

Baek’s expression grew more complicated as he continued.

The guy was technically qualified,

but his attitude was a huge red flag.

“Just set it up, Coach. I’m fine with it.”

“Are you sure? But still...”

Baek looked genuinely disgusted at the thought of working with this guy.

He ran his hands down his face like he was physically trying to wipe away the idea.

“...Fine. Sparring’s more important. It’ll be fine, right?”

“Yes, and I trust you completely, Coach.”

“Alright. Just trust me—I’ll make sure nothing weird happens.”

“Got it.”

With that settled, training resumed.

Boxing demands stamina above all else.

Without stamina,

you couldn’t punch,

you couldn’t move.

So the training focused entirely on building endurance.

Basics and discipline—

with just one year until the big match,

it might seem too simple.

But—

‘This is exactly what I need.’

Right now, I didn’t need flashy techniques.

I needed fundamentals and mindset.

I’d already downloaded the talent,

and my physicality was more than ready to handle it.

But there was one thing I had to build myself.

‘The mentality.’

It wasn’t enough to possess talent.

It wasn’t enough to control it easily.

I needed the mindset to keep pushing and evolving.

“Five minutes on the sandbag! How long?!”

“Five minutes!”

Five minutes of nonstop punches.

The final round meant going all out.

‘Jaw, temple, face, liver, heart.’

Focused only on striking human weak points.

Bam!

Bam!

Bam!

Bam!

The sandbag barely swayed.

It stayed steady as I drilled it with precision for five straight minutes.