The Bitter Struggle is the sixth chapter of The Boxer.
Synopsis
With his target right in front of him, Injae reminds himself of his gameplan and begins firing off punches but Ryu effortlessly evades every single strike. Cockily telling him how he should attack, Ryu then bops Injae in the nose. Mocking the now stilled Injae, the latter frantically throws a punch, allowing Ryu to casually dodge and counter with a vicious punch that knocks of Injae's glasses and drops him to his knees. Seeing in full the clear difference between them and Ryu taunting him, Injae returns to his feet with a new gameplan and revived determination after thoughts of his dad spring to his mind.
Gladdened by his spirit, Ryu puts one arm behind his back and declares it was now time for round 2. With Injae not making a move, Ryu hits first with a punch to the face, causing Injae to focus on protecting his face from all of Ryu's subsequent blows. However, Ryu cracks Injae in the stomach with a solid punch, sending the boy reeling and leaving a grin of sheer ecstasy on Ryu's face. Seeing no other choice, Injae curled up completely to protect all sides while he endures Ryu's onslaught of punches. Waiting for his chance to counter, Injae finally sees it and puts all his remaining energy into an uppercut... but Ryu happily dodges the whiffing punch and smashes Injae in return with a devastating overhand left.
Appearing Characters
- Note: Characters who are listed in bold and italics are appearing for the first time. List is ordered alphabetically.