CHAPTER 18

The day started like any other would, it had been almost a month of me following the same routine.

Waking up at five AM KST, going on a run with Baek, coming back home and taking a nice hot shower, getting dressed for the day and then offering a small prayer to my Ganesh idol kept in the small shrine I had made in my room after which I would go to the kitchen and help Grace or Baek with the breakfast. They took turns making breakfast and I volunteered everyday because I liked cooking for them.

I used to hate cooking before because it was forced upon me, I had to be a good cook to be able to impress my future husband and in-laws but I simply love cooking for Grace and Baek. I’ve even managed to make them love my special 'Masala Tea'.

I was thinking about how to bring up the topic of a fight when the opportunity presented itself to me.

“Please make the dinner early for me, I will be going for a fight tonight, and please sleep on time not waiting for me okay jagii” Baek announced.

“I want to come with you today” I piped up almost immediately.

“No. Not today, train more then you come” He said and I was actually expecting him to shun me out... like always.

“Baek I need to start right? How else am I going to learn and get better?” I practically whined, not wanting back off this time around.

“You have me for practice, and you’re not ready yet.” He said with finality and went to his room.

I’m not ready? A month full of gruelling practice and training and I’m not ready?

I mean I admit the fact that there will be fighters much more highly trained, maybe even trained for years in their respective fight styles but how am I to learn if I don’t go? I need to fall and then learn to get up right? Isn’t this how everything is, to learn to ride a bike, to learn to paint, to cook, to urghhh everything.

Practice is needed, a practical experience is needed and frankly going at Baek again and again wasn't exactly a good practical experience. I needed to go at it with other people who have other styles, other strengths and other weaknesses. I needed others to find my weaknesses too, so I could train better and turn them into my strength’s.

Why won’t Baek understand this?

No, I couldn’t just sit and wait for Baek to decide if I was ready or not, I had to talk to him and convince him that even if I wasn’t ready to win immediately, I was definitely ready to take a fall, get back up and learn from it.

Baek came out of his room when we usually left to go to the blood pad. He tried to talk me out of coming with him there too because he needed to practice for the night but now I was absolutely adamant, I had my mind set on making him realize that what I said in the morning did make sense and that I was ready to be on the streets.

I insisted on accompanying him, telling him that I didn’t want to take an unnecessary rest day and after a few minutes of arguing he agreed and we made our way out.

There were very few people at the blood pad that day, as opposed to how many there usually were. A good opportunity... I thought, I could keep trying to convince Baek without having to worry about others butting in on the conversation.

And so it began : Mission convince Baek!

We started with our usual warm ups and stretches before going to the sandbag’s. Thirty minutes into our routine of punching and kicking practice Baek stopped and walked up to a guy I had seen regularly here, he had bright red hair, a good 6’1” height and a muscular build. His name I had learnt was “고릴라" (Golilla) which literally meant Gorilla.

The thing was no one divulged their personal details and real names here, everyone had made up street names, even Baek had one. He was called 'Red'

Why red? I had no idea. And I just couldn’t wait to have mine.

Now I was genuinely confused. Baek and Gorilla walked up to an empty space behind me, stood facing each other and then gorilla started punching Baek’s stomach with speed.

What the heck?

Why was Baek willingly getting beat up especially when he had a match the same night? Why would he subject himself to such a thing?

These thoughts were making me crazy and I took it upon myself to find out what this was all about.

“Yaahhh Red what is this why are you getting beat up?” my question stopped them both from doing whatever it is they were up to.

Baek gave me a quick smile before saying something to Gorilla after which he left us alone.

“Rads, this is important. To make stomach muscles hard. This will make me last in fight, I will be able to take good punch and not fall. Come here I will teach you how you properly do it.”

He showed me what to do by demonstrating the same on my stomach. Surprisingly enough it didn't exactly hurt, it was uncomfortable sure but not painful. I had to punch him right below his ribs, and avoid his belly button and the area right beneath it.

I had done this before, the super fast punching movement of my hands but not on a live target, it was always the sandbags but once I got the hang of it all while making sure I wasn’t hurting Baek I did pretty well according to him.

That felt so different. A good different, someone trusting me enough to know that I wouldn’t hurt them, not intentionally anyway. I felt proud of myself, proud of the bond I had created with this man and no matter how many times I say that I’m glad he’s in my life, it just won’t be enough.

Baek was in a really good mood by the end of our entire practice session. I had also helped him with a choke hold exercise and he was very impressed with the progress I had made in such a short time but I made sure to praise him even more.

After all he was the teacher, he made this possible, he taught so well that I was able to grasp it so well. In this haze of happiness I tried my luck again.

“Baek I know you’re just worried about me, and worried that I will get hurt but you and I both know that no matter how much I learn and practice and get ready I will still get hurt eventually right? If I don’t fall, I wont know how to get back up. Please trust me. Please let me learn. Please let me fight.” and gave him my best ever puppy dog eyes.