Roommate (룸메이트)

The girl who dreamed only of martial arts finally steps into the ring.

Finally, the D-Day of Ga Yeon's professional debut.

The first round begins!

Can she do it? Yes!

[The fighter Song Ga Yeon begins her story now.]

Let's go!

Ga Yeon is visiting Jeju Island with Se Ho and Dong Wook.

- This feels strange. - Why?

It's where our little Ga Yeon grew up.

We came to Jeju Island before her fight because we wanted to go up Mount Halla

which she used to hike often, to bring us some good energy.

Oh, this is hard.

My legs!

[He's out of energy and sapping other people of their energy.]

Song Ga Yeon, you're from Jeju Island, aren't you?

Yes.

What's good to eat in Jeju Island?

- Is there anything? - Noodle soup with pork!

Noodle soup with pork!

Let's go to Jeju Island and come back safely, for Ga Yeon!

Ga Yeon, fighting!

[To the site of Ga Yeon's childhood memories.]

[We arrive in Jeju Island after about an hour.]

Why did Ga Yeon want to come to Jeju Island with only a week left until her fight?

Let's go!

Let's go!

Let's go to Mount Halla.

- Can I eat while we drive? - Of course.

- Let's go! - Let's go!

Honk honk!

[Her face has grown thin from her strict diet.]

How many days are left exactly?

One week.

- One week? - Yeah.

Now we've escaped the airport.

Wow. It's Jeju Island.

They're on the road towards where Ga Yeon wants to go -- Mount Halla.

Maybe it's because she's in her hometown, but she looks excited.

How long were you here, Ga Yeon?

I lived in Jeju Island until middle school.

What year in middle school?

Right after I graduated middle school, I started attending high school in Busan.

Which neighborhood did you live in?

- Right around here. - Right around here?

- Around Shin Jeju? - Yes.

If you go this way you'll see my middle school.

Really?

I did hapkido in middle school.

Back then there was some kind of hill over there.

We used to run there all the time.

- To train? - Yeah, to train.

So you started hapkido in middle school?

Yes, middle school.

What level are you in hapkido?

I also did bodyguard martial arts then, and in both of them I got to the second level.

Do you know other kinds too?

In high school I learned taekwondo, judo, kendo, bodyguarding, jeet kune do...

All together I've earned 12 levels.

You're impressive! Seriously.

- Martial arts is the only thing... - 12 levels?

- Yes. - Wow.

People usually start learning things like that because the opportunity came up.

Usually girls ask to learn piano, or things like that.

Well, my father raised me to be active when I was little.

Hiking, or...

My father liked golf.

And right next to the indoor driving range there was a boxing gym.

I would always watch the boxers and I thought they were so cool.

That looked cool to you?

I kept thinking, 'Man, I want to box in that ring too.'

Fighting was in Ga Yeon's blood from the start.

They used to say that my father was a great athlete and fighter when he was young.

They said I took after my father.

You know they say that blood will tell.

Finally we're at Mount Halla.

- Okay, good work. - Good work.

Ga Yeon says Mount Halla is a place she used to come to often with her father.

Ga Yeon has decided to gather strength before her fight

from this place where she has many memories with her father.

Her father passed away when Ga Yeon was 17.

The climb she used to make with her father, now she makes it with her new family.

Ah, the smell of dirt.

There's a smell you can only smell in the mountains.

- You can only find it here. - That's right.

- Ga Yeon, did you make a wish? - I'm making one now.

- Dong Wook, you made a wish? - I did.

What did Ga Yeon wish for?

- Ah, how nice. - How nice.

Se Ho, take a look at the view.

I can't.

- Take a look. - I can't.

- Turn your head. - I can't turn my head.

Is it normal to sweat this much?

We climbed really hard.

Aren't you tired?

No.

Let's go, Mister Se Ho.

Leave me.

They keep climbing as the path grows steeper.

The view is killer.

Mount Halla, covered in mist.

The mist doesn't seem to be clearing.

Se Ho.

Almost there.

I can't do it.

Hey, we came here to cheer on Ga Yeon, you can't give up.

I can't go any further.

This is the end for me.

Ga Yeon, good luck on your fight.

[Cheer her on? He's just bringing spirits down.]

My legs!

Ah!

Let's rest here.

Let's rest.

Wow.

I really feel like I'm up in the clouds.

[I don't care if we're in the clouds, I can't go on.]

[It's like he's been knocked down in the ring.]

You worked hard.

The three of them caught their breath on the deck.

- It's so hard. - It's nice.

- It's nice to be up here. - It is. This is why people climb up.

Do you remember how old you were when you first came here?

- Yes. - How old?

I was in second grade.

Who did you come with?

- With my father. - Your father.

Ga Yeon begins to open up.

- It must have felt nice climbing up here. - Yes.

- It made me think a lot about the past. - A lot of memories.

A long time ago.

Coming here with my dad.

Was your father an emotional kind of person, or...

Yeah, he was.

He thought I was his world.

About when I was starting fifth grade, there were some troubles in the household.

I think he had a really hard time.

I knew in his heart he loved me.

But after that he changed a little.

He was so defeated... but I couldn't really help him back then.

I didn't have the power to.

The funny thing is

the week before he passed away, he said to me

- 'Ga Yeon, want to go up Mount Halla?' - Really?

I think there was a lot he just wanted to think about alone

and I think he was lonely.

So I think he wanted to do things like this with his daughter.

And then he passed away.

What I felt from watching him was that I should never give up.

When you give up...

Because my father gave up too easily.

I don't want to live like that. That's my mindset.

Looking at her father, Ga Yeon realized she never wanted to give up.

I'm sorry, but when did you say he passed away?

Winter of tenth grade.

- Then while you were in Busan? - Yeah.

He passed away while I was on break.

When I was on break.

After that things must have been really difficult for you.

Right after my father's funeral I went up to Busan.

If I let my feelings get to me then I thought I'd get nothing done.

My only thought then was not to lose focus.

I came up to Busan and worked like crazy...

That's when I started kickboxing, I had two part-time jobs...

I studied English too, which I hadn't done before.

I relied on just my strength.

I survived on that mindset.

[She kept herself busy to keep the grief at bay.]

And then one day, about four months later, it hit me.

All at once.

So I thought, 'Ah...'

I was lost for the first time in my life.

I was in pieces.

It was really, really hard then.

It wasn't like being hungry, it wasn't that kind of hard.

- Mentally. - Yeah.

Didn't you kind of resent him a bit?

- My father? - Yeah.

The adults around me told me this.

'Don't resent your father.'

But I swear to the heavens, I never once resented my father.

In fact, a long time ago

my father used to leave me notes for me on my desk before I went to school.

And I still have them.

The first note I got said, 'No one is a match for someone who enjoys his work.'

'Just enjoy everything you do.'