Blooming Feelings

Ty, unfazed, advised her, "Just ignore him; he's a real instigator."

Yun-Jin's lips curled into a small, knowing smile. "I see. Not that I was worried, of course. I'll try to drop by for another sparring session sometime."

As she made her way to leave, the lieutenant called out, "Sounds good! Just don't fall for him too late, though. She's already given him a kiss."

With this final quip, he clapped a hand on Ty's shoulder and nudged him out of the dojo in the opposite direction, leaving Yun-Jin to glance back in a mix of confusion and curiosity.

Yun-Jin lingered alone, her hand instinctively coming to rest over her heart as the warmth from the recent exertion mingled with a different kind of heat. 'Why do I care about him?' she pondered, wiping away the sheen of sweat. 'I've been interested in others before, but they were either jerks or just too weak.'