The Dream: 2-Second Emperor

(Jason's POV)

I had the dream again. This time, I was fully immersed in it. I knew that it was a dream, but it was one of those dreams that felt too damn real, as if I was actually experiencing it. But the thing is, this could've been a memory, not just a dream. 

I still had no idea what this dream meant and it pissed me off. Was it a memory of mine? I don't really remember much of my time in my world. Why am I having these dreams? I don't think I'll ever know. 

Dream Begins: 

I woke up in a bed, staring at the ceiling. I felt nothing but soreness in my entire body. I slowly lifted my arms to see if I could move them, they felt really light and heavy at the same time. It was one of the effects of overworking them. 

"Jason!" I heard a voice call, "Breakfast is ready!"

I slowly sat up and stared at the wall. I didn't know what to do, my entire mind was blank. My body was so sore that it hurt to move even a bit. 

"I should've taken it easy in last night's training..." I muttered to myself, "Oh well...." 

I got up and made my way out the room and towards the kitchen. 

About a minute later, I was at the kitchen, sitting on the table. I saw a plate filled with eggs and bacon, my favorite. 

"Hey!" I heard a voice behind me, "Did you brush your teeth???" 

I turned to see a woman looking at me. She was beautiful, short and petite, had long dark hair, black eyes, her lips were bare pink. The moment I saw her face, the entirety of my pain went away. There was something about her that made me feel good about myself. 

"Uh..." I said, "No..."

She walked up to me, "Go and brush your teeth." she said, "And hurry up. You'll be late for school." 

I nodded as I dragged myself up and made my way to the bathroom. 

"Oh, and your instructor called me!" I heard her say, "He said to meet with him after school!" 

A couple minutes later, after brushing my teeth, I was sitting back at the table and taking a sip from the cup of orange juice. She was sitting across from me as she read a newspaper while drinking coffee from a mug.

I looked at her, "What're you going to do today?" I asked

She looked at me with a smile, "I have a job interview at the grocery store." She told me, "Mrs. Kang told me she can speak to the manager there and give me a chance." 

I nodded as I ate a piece of bacon, "I see...." I said, "I have a tournament this weekend. I'm sure I can win it. The prize money is pretty big. 1.3 Million Won I think. Doesn't that translate to a thousand american dollars?" 

She nodded, "Don't worry about it, honey." She told me, "I don't want my son pushing his body to the limit just to get me some money. It's fine.."

"I just don't want you to be caught off-guard by  Her  again." I said, "If you work too much at a single spot, she'll find out and come and see you." 

She then gave me a serious look, "Jason." she said, "Don't worry about her. Focus on your studies and on Judo. Well, you've been pushing yourself too hard on Judo.....just focus on your studies. This weekend, we can go to the amusement park like we planned. I saved enough money for that."

She gave me a smile after she said that, there was nothing but warmth coming from her. 

"I said I had a tournament...." I muttered

"After you win, we go and celebrate then!" She said, "You're my little 2-Second Emperor!"

**************************

"Yo, Jason." I heard someone call

I was walking out of the school grounds when someone approached me from behind. 

I turned to see a tall guy walking up to me. I recognized him but didn't know his name. But I did know he was a member of the Taekwondo Club in the school I'm in. 

"What is it?" I asked

He had his school jacket over his shoulder, he looked to be sweating a bit. Almost as if he was doing some exercises beforehand. 

"Hey, some of the martial arts guys are gonna hang out at the park tonight." He said, "Doing a little friendly sparring. Jin is bringing his dad's mats and all. It'll be fun. The guys have been wanting to see how the 2-Second Emperor will do against them." 

I stared at him for a while, "Jin?" 

"Yea, you know him don't you?" He said, "He's the captain of the Taekwondo club."

"Oh, him." He said, "He kicked me in the face on my first day here." 

"Haha!" He laughed, "Yea, he can be rowdy sometimes." 

"I have plans tonight, so I have to pass." I said, "Maybe next time." 

His expression then changed, "Jason." 

I raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"It's not just that." He said seriously, "I've also come to warn you."

"About what?" I asked

"Those jackasses that have been on you for weeks, they plan to do something to you." He said, "Jin planned this get-together at the park to have you there for your own protection. They won't think of doing something if we're all there. We martial artists, we have to stick together. You're the pride and joy of our school, The 2-Second Emperor. We can't let some assholes try and mess with you." 

I sighed, "I can deal with them." I said turning around, "Thanks for the heads up. I have to go to the dojo, I'll see you later." 

**************************

"If you keep this up, Jason..." My instructor said, "You'll be in the Olympics and win gold." 

I nodded, "Sure." I said as I sat on the mat

The instructor had brought me to the dojo for a little one-on-one training. We occasionally do this to test my skills. 

"There's a reason why I asked you to be here today, Jason." He said

He walked over to the side of the room and picked up a wooden box. It was a thin, long, and rectangular one. As soon as I saw it, my stomach dropped. 

"Teacher...." I said

The instructor looked at me with a scowl, "You've been dodging this for months, Jason!" He exclaimed, "You've earned this." 

He walked up to me, opened the box, and pulled out a black belt from it. 

"All those trainings were official black-belt tests." He said, "You've done them with ease. But you kept avoiding the official black-belt ceremonies." 

I sighed, "I don't care about any of that..." 

"You're a prodigy, Jason." He said, "You have a gift. A gift you shouldn't ignore." 

"So you all say...." I said

"I spoke to your mother." He told me, "If there's a chance to get you to the Olympic team, she gave me permission to get you in it."

I sighed again, "What a pain." 

"Jason." He said seriously, "You're one hell of a Judoka. Hell, You're one hell of a martial artist. I know how you went behind my back to that Kyokushin Karate dojo and picked up a couple of things from that."

I looked away, "Ah shit, you found out..." 

"Jason." He said, "You're destined for greatness...."

"Don't waste it." 

********************************

I slowly walked down the street, looking down as I had my hands in my pockets. 

I didn't know what to think of the situation I am in. The instructor really wants me to join the Olympic team and I don't know how to refuse. I don't really care for all that. Frankly, I don't know why I am even doing any of this. 

I was enrolled in Judo when I was 7. I was so good that I consistently won all my matches against the kids my age. Slowly but surely, as I got older and taller, I was put up on kids older than me. I didn't lose, I kept winning. All that up until today, where I am a teenager competing against adults and still winning. 

I am so good that I am known as the 2-Second Emperor because it takes me one second to grab them and another to throw them. 

It's a lame nickname, to say the least. 

All that said, Only reason I participate in tournaments is for the prize money. And this weekend, the tournament is a good opportunity to get some nice cash to last a couple of weeks. 

I hope my mother doesn't stress too much about getting any jobs. 

As I walked, I felt an odd presence behind me. 

"Jason." I heard a voice

I froze in place, my body trembling in fear as I heard that voice speak. 

I slowly turn around to see a woman standing in the sidewalk, several feet away from me. She wore a large black trench-coat and had short blonde hair. It seems she dyed it. 

She looked at me with serious brown eyes. 

"You've grown." She said

I didn't move, just stood there, shaking slightly as I looked at her. 

"Y-You..." I managed to say

"Me?" She said with a subtle cold tone, "Is that any way to speak to the woman who raised you?"

I gulped, "I..." I said taking a step back, "I..." 

"Where is she?" She said, "Where's Sohee?"

I shook my head, "Leave us alone...." I said shakily

She sighed, "I just wanna talk, Jason." She said, "Just tell me where she is. She's not at the house you're staying at." 

"What?" I said

Before she said anything else, I felt arms wrap around me from behind in a frantic manner. 

"Jason!" I heard Mom say as she panted

"M-Mom..." I said surprised

As Mom held me, I saw that she glared at her. 

"What do you want?" She growled, "Leave him alone. I won't let you have him!" 

"Sohee." She said, "You truly don't understand, do you? He's mine." 

"And only mine."