Hype was like a fire.
It didn’t grow on its own.
You had to keep adding fuel to make it bigger.
At this point, the public still had no idea that the fight was scheduled for next May.
So from now on, it was time to stir things up and build a proper narrative.
And in that sense, today’s remarks from the current WBC Heavyweight Champion, Edward Maxwell,
were practically the starting gun for this story.
"I’ve watched all his fights. The Olympics, the Asian Games... They were all against weaklings."
Since boxing split into four major organizations,
not a single Asian fighter had ever held the heavyweight title in any of them.
So when an Asian fighter won the heavyweight division at the Olympics,
people called it a miracle or history in the making—
but Edward found those words downright laughable.
"A so-called ‘Asian miracle’... a ‘symbol of hope’... Give me a break. He’s never even fought on the pro circuit."
Did he have an insane record?
An absurd number of TKO wins? Sure.
"Look, how many so-called ‘undefeated’ fighters have come and gone?
How many guys have set insane records and still flopped in the pros?"
To him, it was all meaningless.
Especially because it was happening in Asia.
"Nobody’s ever won before, so now they’re making a huge deal over a fluke win.
It was utterly pathetic.
Edward openly trashed Kim Donghu.
The interviewer, caught off guard, looked nervous.
"Uh, d-do you really want to say all that on record? Maybe tone it down a little..."
"Nah, it’s fine. Write it all. Exactly as I said it."
Initially, the interview was meant to be just a casual chat.
There wasn’t even a proper rivalry storyline in place yet.
‘Didn’t expect him to be this hostile... Why the hell is he so pissed?’
Edward was letting out way too much emotion for this to be just trash talk.
It was the kind of rage you’d expect from a personal grudge.
What the hell was going on?
"Can’t really say much about that without causing a controversy,
but let’s just say...
He got lucky and landed a movie deal, and now he’s hanging around... her.
Ah, no, forget it. Skip that part."
Edward just spelled it out.
Every keyword needed to explain the situation was right there.
And just like that, it all made sense.
This wasn’t just some publicity stunt to boost the fight’s hype.
It was one of the most primal human emotions—
"Don’t print that last part. I got carried away and said something stupid."
"Understood. Uh, moving on... What’s your assessment of his boxing style?"
"Obvious. He’s got no stamina. Twelve rounds? He’ll never last.
All his fights combined don’t even add up to four rounds."
A jealous tirade hiding behind professional critique.
"Not to mention, his body is too stiff."
"Yeah. That so-called ‘heavyweight power’ of his? It’s unnecessary."
And most boxing analysts don’t even call it a punch—
They say he’s just pushing.
"You know what that means?"
He wanted engagement.
The interviewer played along.
"It means anyone can do that. It’s nothing special."
Edward didn’t hold back.
"Listen up, Tarzan. I won’t say this twice.
Quit hiding behind a woman and playing house in the modern world.
Let me show you what it means to be a real man in this era."
And with that, the interview ended.
‘...This is gonna explode.’
As soon as the interviewer toned down the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) language and published the article—
【 Edward just started a war. 】
The internet went nuclear.
While the internet was on fire over Edward’s comments,
the Tarzan set had no idea what was happening.
Because at that moment—
something far more urgent was unfolding.
"Evelyn! Calm down! It’s okay! It was just a mistake!
Nobody thinks anything weird about it!"
Filming had been put on hold since Evelyn ran off,
and now her manager was frantically knocking on the door, trying to talk her down.
"But how can I?! Even if everyone else says it’s fine, I think it’s weird!"
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Her response was the same every time.
"Everyone makes mistakes!"
"Yeah?! Well, I bet I’m the only person in the world who’s ever accidentally used tongue in a light peck scene!"
This was way beyond a simple mistake.
The entire shoot had been ruined because of a very obvious display of desire.
How the hell was she supposed to stay calm?!
‘Did I... Did I look like a total pervert?
Like some overly experienced playgirl?
What if people think I’ve had a ton of past lovers?!’
Just imagining it made her want to die.
No, actually—this was partially Donghu’s fault too.
‘Why the hell did he have to show up now and ruin my life?!’
Everyone knew how dangerous first love was.
If he was going to mess her up this badly,
he should have at least shown up in high school so she could prepare for it!
Why now, of all times?!
‘How am I supposed to focus on work?!
How am I supposed to build my career ?!’
She was already losing her mind every time she saw the edited music video clips.
And now, after that disaster of a kiss scene? And with tongue, of all things?
Her blue eyes darted around anxiously.
Evelyn stared at her golden hair in the mirror and ran her fingers through it.
Objectively speaking...
‘He wouldn’t... be too upset about it, right?
I mean... I’m pretty.’
he’d see it as a cute mistake, since it came from a beautiful woman.
Clinging onto that shred of hope,
Evelyn continued to mercilessly punch her pillow.
"Why the hell did my first love start at twenty-five,
and why is it ruining my life?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!"
As she was still venting her frustrations—
"I said I’m not coming out! And stop knocking already!"
"Should I come back later?"
Kim Donghu had arrived.
"W-WHAT?! N-no, wait! Wait, wait, wait!"
She couldn’t even talk properly.
But there was no way she could just turn him away after he actually came.
Evelyn frantically tidied up the waiting room.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
She touched up her makeup with the speed and precision of an acrobat.
"It sounded kinda chaotic in there.
If you’re busy, I can come back later."
"N-no! It’s fine! Really! Just—give me a second! Five minutes! No, ten!"
About twenty minutes later—
Evelyn wiped the sweat off her forehead as she opened the door.
She’d literally shared a burger with this man at a hotel before.
So why was she so nervous about him stepping into her waiting room?
‘Is it because of the setting?’
A hotel room felt like a rented space—neutral, impersonal.
But her waiting room was decorated entirely to her own tastes.
Letting him inside... felt intimate.
Her heart pounded for no reason.
"I’m sorry... Because of me, the shoot got delayed."
Still, she was a professional first.
Apologizing was the right thing to do.
She’d need to apologize to the producer, the director, and the entire crew as well,
but her co-star came first.
He was probably the most shocked by what happened.
"No, it’s fine. It’s not is the first time something has happened."
"I understand. A first kiss is... impulsive.
I’ve had those feelings before too."
Evelyn was stunned by his response.
"You... You’ve kissed before?"
"Of course. I’ve had a few in my films."
"...Oh, right. That’s... That’s totally normal."
If she thought about it logically, it wasn’t weird at all.
In fact, she was the late bloomer here.
For an actor, it was rare to have never kissed on-screen.
‘Why... Why doesn’t this sit right with me?’
Accepting something logically and emotionally were two different things.
The idea of being each other’s first kiss—
She knew it was a ridiculous expectation.
It was impossible in reality.
She had hoped for it.
Since she had never heard outright that it wasn’t the case,
she had been holding onto the vague possibility.
‘No, Evelyn. Stay calm. Be mature about this.
I’m older. I need to act like an adult.’
Now that her hope had shattered,
Evelyn desperately tried to compose herself.
"Then do it with me too."
"What did you just say?"
"A kiss. Do it with me. Right now.
I know—it’s a ridiculous request.
But... if you do, I’ll be able to film properly."
Donghu stared at Evelyn.
There was no way he could mistake that look for a joke.
Her trembling blue eyes were filled with anxiety.
Donghu had seen eyes like that before.
And he knew how much courage it took to say those words.
Her golden hair, usually vibrant, lay softly against her shoulders.
Her snow-white skin was now flushed with warmth.
Words were no longer needed.
He closed the distance between them.
Their fingertips brushed, then intertwined.
As if fearing rejection, her body trembled—
So he held her close.
But Kim Donghu and Evelyn shared their first real kiss.
The moment their lips met, the moment their tongues touched—
Evelyn’s eyes flew open.
‘What... what the hell is this...?!’
So this was what kissing someone you liked felt like.
Did something this good really exist in the world?
She had never felt anything before.
She had never known there was something sweeter than the birthday candy she had as a child.
Shocked by the overwhelming sensation, Evelyn instinctively pushed forward—
"Eh—Evelyn? Evelyn?!"
This wasn’t just a kiss anymore.
How should he describe it?
‘Lip attack? Tongue invasion?’
There wasn’t a proper term for this,
but one thing was certain—
She pressed against him so forcefully that he worried she might hurt herself.
Evelyn was completely lost in the moment.
A first kiss unlike anyone else’s.
A moment that Evelyn would never forget.
Top Rank Promotions was in celebration mode.
"This thing’s already blowing up!"
"From Twitter to FaceStorm... every single platform is on fire!"
It was exactly as expected.
Edward had taken the bait.
They had no idea why he was so emotional about it,
but the fact that it had blown up was a huge win.
"So now... all that’s left is for Donghu to respond?"
"What do you think he’ll say?
I mean, Asian fighters tend to be all about humility...
If he does that, it’ll be boring."
"True. It needs to be interesting...
But if he just says, ‘I accept your challenge,’ that’s too predictable."
The action had been set in motion.
Now, all that mattered was the reaction.
Top Rank Promotions was praying for Donghu to drop a bomb.
"If he just comes out and says, ‘I’m gonna kill this guy,’ that’d be perfect."
The story had barely even begun.
And yet, it was already shaping up to be one of the most explosive fights in history.