Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 151

"You said the judges were already paid off, so what’s the problem?"

"Even so, if I bulk up, it’ll show on my body."

"That’s why, goddammit! That’s exactly why we spent the money to make it undetectable!"

Bang!

Russian heavyweight boxer, Alexei Volkov, kicked the cabinet with full force.

"Russia needs gold—gold in the heavyweight division, the crown jewel of boxing! Isn’t that what all of this was for?!"

"Yeah, it is. But only as long as we don’t cross the line. You know that better than anyone."

"That’s why, goddammit, I’m saying just a little! Just push it a little past the line!"

Alexei turned his gaze toward the screen playing Kim Donghu’s match on repeat.

No matter how many times he watched it for analysis, the only thing he felt was fear.

"He’s a monster! What the hell is wrong with him? An Asian guy shouldn’t be this insane!"

The coaches didn’t get it.

These washed-up has-beens couldn’t possibly feel the same instincts as an active fighter.

That’s why no one could understand Alexei’s fear. ƒrēewebnovel.com

"They don’t call him a Hitman for nothing. Every single move is designed to take someone down!"

The Round of 16 and Quarterfinals—

In those two matches, Kim Donghu had only thrown four punches.

Two strikes each.

Precisely aimed at the jaw and temple, knocking his opponents out cold.

"Do you really think it’s possible to knock out a heavyweight with just two punches?"

Alexei knew how absurd—how impossible—that was.

Olympic heavyweight boxers weren’t street thugs. They were elites on a completely different level.

They were trained to get back up even after being knocked down.

Some of them could recover from almost any impact, no matter how severe.

And yet—

"They went down after just two punches. Why? Because you can’t train your brain."

Kim Donghu’s brutal efficiency made all that training meaningless.

"No matter how he lands a hit, it’s always two shots from completely opposite angles."

"Yeah, exactly. If he hits the jaw from the left, he follows up with the temple from the right... If the temple’s from the left, the jaw’s from the right..."

Perfect symmetry.

Using it to rattle the brain, sending opponents into unconsciousness before they even realized it.

"And those eyes... Those goddamn eyes crush people before the fight even starts."

"His eyes?"

"Yeah. I don’t know what the hell made him like that, but it’s like he’s ready to kill someone."

That was something only an active fighter could sense.

A world only those who honed themselves for the Olympics could understand.

‘What the hell are you?’

Eyes sharp enough to pierce through flesh.

Burning like a wildfire, blazing with fury.

Even through the screen, it was palpable.

‘Why do you have the eyes of a father who’s lost his family?’

Alexei had only seen eyes like that once before.

A harsh winter.

He had encountered a bear during a group trip.

Behind it lay its dead cubs.

The look in that bear’s eyes was identical to Kim Donghu’s.

"Forget it. Just get the drugs ready before the match. Use the best techniques to make sure we don’t get caught."

Alexei waved his hand irritably, signaling for everyone to leave.

"You don’t get it. None of you get it."

The only way to beat him wasn’t through hard work or analysis.

It was through cheating—a short-term boost that could explode his strength.

‘Russia needs that gold.’

With that final thought, Alexei slowly closed his eyes.

Now wasn’t the time to let panic set in—it was time to steady his nerves.

*****

It had become routine—whenever Kim Donghu’s matches ended, a new episode of America’s most popular boxing podcast would immediately follow.

To capitalize on the growing audience, the hosts had revamped everything—new branding, new design, and even a new name for the channel.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome to the world’s best boxing podcast—World Box Kim!"

[Chat Log]

ㄴWait, why’s it called Kim now?

ㄴApparently, it’s named after Kim Donghu.

ㄴSeriously? They’re not even trying to hide their bias anymore?

"Whoa, whoa—bias? Come on, it’s not like that. We’re just showing proper respect to the man who made this success possible."

Host John Reno grinned and adjusted the broadcast screen.

"Today, we’ve got a really special guest! Of course, our usual crew is here too, but we’re honored to welcome... the one and only Drake from Drake Gym!"

"Thanks for having me! I’m Drake, from Drake Gym. It’s a pleasure to be here today."

"Pleasure’s all ours. Who else can give us a closer look into our Young Boss than you?"

"Haha, our Young Boss is hotter than ever right now."

Drake rubbed his hands together, already excited just thinking about Kim Donghu. He seemed unsure where to even start.

"There’s so much to talk about—most of it just bragging about our Young Boss, to be honest. Haha. Should we just dive into his last match?"

"Oh! Match talk—I love it. Where do we start? Round of 16? Quarterfinals?"

"Why not the most recent one? Semifinals."

"Wow, you’re already done analyzing that one? The match ended, what, an hour ago?"

Drake glanced at the calendar.

August 14.

Two more days until Kim Donghu’s finals match.

At the very least, he had already secured silver—an achievement that was nothing short of miraculous.

"The Uzbek fighter was definitely a strong contender for gold. I don’t think anyone was wrong about that assessment. But..."

"But?"

"That was only true before Kim Donghu entered heavyweight boxing."

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

The podcast erupted with sound effects as the host immediately reacted.

After the noise died down, John Reno shrugged with exaggerated movements.

"Careful now—are you sure you can say something like that out loud?"

"Why not? Just look at the other semifinal match—Russia versus Kazakhstan. It’s not even close."

And he was right.

The two matches couldn’t have been more different in terms of performance.

"Sure, the Uzbek fighter’s skills were legit. He knocked his opponent down in 1 minute and 14 seconds. But so what? It still ended in a KO."

Meanwhile, the Russia vs. Kazakhstan match dragged on through three full rounds and only ended with a judge’s decision—a decision that sparked plenty of controversy.

"People were already saying the Russian fighter got favorable treatment from the judges. It’s hard not to see it that way."

"Exactly. That’s why Kim Donghu fights like a Mexican boxer. With so many matches abroad, he knows he can’t rely on the judges and aims for KOs instead."

"But even so, he fights so cleanly! It’s ridiculous!"