47 Truly Free

Kim Heeson knocked on the door numbered 204. The person inside told him to come in. Upon entering, he saw the cold hospital room, all white and sterile. The smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, while the rustling of old apparitions enveloped the room. His friend, Park Wonho stood in front of the window, gazing at the many people walking through the hall. Unlike Ji-ah, he wasn't on the first floor.

"I didn't bring you any flowers, hope you don't mind," Heeson said and closed the door behind him.

"Oh shut up." He turned around, his face full of bandages and closed wounds. But compared to what Lee Dojin had done to him, he looked miraculously well.

Kim Heeson laughed dryly. "You really do heal fast. You beast."

"Well, I should have at least one thing that's going for me, don't ya think?" Park Wonho sighed. "It won't take long anymore, I might be able to leave here soon."

Kim Heeson took a seat. It wasn't the first time he had visited him, so he had gotten quite comfortable. "That's good. This place doesn't really offer the homely spirit." The chair creaked as he leaned back. "You ate already?"

Park Wonho shook his head. He pointed at his teeth, two in the front had been replaced with silver. "They inserted these things into me yesterday. You should have seen my face, I looked like a balloon. It's good now, but they told me I should not eat anything but soup for 3 days."

Kim Heeson mouth opened wide and he laughed out again. "Woah, you look like a real hoodlum now." Though it was a new sight, it fit him. "Well, knowing you, it will take 1 day at most."

"I guess so," he muttered half-heartedly and faced the window again. He didn't continue talking. Kim Heeson watched him silently. Park Wonho's back, which looked so gigantic before, had shrunk to such a miserable sight. The temperature of the room seemed to have sunk.

He clicked his tongue. That wasn't the friend he knew and respected. "I've heard. Dojin came to visit you, but you didn't let him in." The friend he knew was not this weak.

Park Wonho's shoulders twitched for a second. "I guess."

"I guess? The hell does that mean?" Kim Heeson stood up. He shoved the chair away. He never was able to control his anger, and it surged just as fast today too. "In the past, you'd have answered straightforwardly. Isn't that what you told me? To charge at whatever is coming at you? So, did you reject Dojin from entering? Yes or no?"

Park Wonho kept his back on him. He leaned on the rim of the window. "Yes," he answered. "Yes, I did."

"I fucking knew it," he spat out. "Unbelievable." Kim Heeson walked forward. "The fuck happened man? You got your ass whipped so hard, your personality changed? You used to dog on him so much, and now that he bit back you can't take a single hit?" His words grew louder. He didn't know why. Maybe he was just tired, seeing his mother, his sister, and now his friends, mulling over their thoughts without telling him anything. "I didn't know you were such a weakling, brother."

"That's not it," Park Wonho answered. He was, on the other hand, calm. "It was a wake-up call, you know? I don't care how much I fall. You know that well. That's just who we are, that's why we became friends." His fist tightened around the window frame; it started to crack. "Us and the boys, we always told the world to piss off. But there's only so much we can do without the support of society. I'll go meet with Dojin, and I'll apologize to him."

"This is bullshit." Heeson closed his eyes, forming wrinkles on his nose and forehead. He grit his teeth. "You don't believe that yourself right? Tell me you don't believe that. Tell me you haven't said the same condescending words the teachers and adults would use on us—the ones we loathed the most. Tell me!" He grabbed Park Wonho's shoulder. "Why won't you look at me!" He yanked Park Wonho from the window.

Wonho face flew back, facing Kim Heeson, revealing his expression full of pain. His eyebrows were arched and his eyes squinted until only his irises could be seen. His lips were stretched horizontally. Kim Heeson slowly let go, his arm falling down.

"Don't you realize," Wonho said, "Heeson. We are weak. We can't do anything other than fight. When you have no money, are you going to fight? When you enter prison, are you going to fight? On an empty stomach, with no loved ones, with no shelter? Fight until you die?" He shook his head. "I realized it when Lee Dojin hit me, his fist held no shackles. At that point, I knew what true strength was. That's not something a human can achieve. It's time to give up."

Kim Heeson felt something in his mind snap. Without any words, he threw out a punch, hitting Wonho straight in the face. The guy fell to the side, crashing into the bed. The bandages on his face turned red. Heeson held his fist. It shook a little, sure to leave blisters. "Even when I hit you, the one who gets damaged is me." Park Wonho kept his head low, saying nothing. Kim Heeson approached him, squatting down. He said with a low voice, "You know, I've become friends with Dojin."

Wonho lifted his head, surprised. "So you know what I am talking about."

"Yes, I do. But you are wrong," he said. "Lee Dojin, he. . . he has a lot of shackles, much more than we could fathom. I don't know why, but I see it in his eyes. The endless pressure on his shoulder, one incomparable to any other. At times, I'd shudder, wondering where his burdens lay."

"But, that's impossible," Wonho muttered. He was sure of his assessment. Confusion came to him.

"You don't get it, do you? Yes, Lee Dojin is strong. Stronger than anyone we have ever met. He could probably kill me with one hand." Heeson held his own neck. "But that's not what makes him special." He paused. "I think what draws people to him is because he is free." Heeson paused again. The words were hard to form, as he had so much to say. "Not freedom without responsibilities, but freedom despite them. You'd know if you saw him. His carefree attitude, his eyes of desire, his thirst for liberation, and of course, his unwavering conviction. You can't help trusting him to lead you. I saw it all, you know?" An involuntary smile appeared on his face.

Park Wonho lifted his head, his eyes opened wide and his mouth didn't seem to close. The light outside the hall shone upon him. "Then, are you saying..."

"You see it now too, don't you? Dojin, he has accomplished what we only dreamed of." Kim Heeson stood up. "Within this passionless society that is slowly falling apart, he has found a way out. He has forged his own path, one unlike any other. In this world, Lee Dojin is the only one truly free."

...

The old man with the scar on his face was currently running away. Unlike before, he did not have a confident face anymore. "What the fuck Ah Chul!" He grit his teeth. That damn bookkeeper of his. "You said he was some ordinary fighter. This dude isn't human. I ain't get paid enough for this shit!" He looked at another guy running away. "Quick, call Dong Kanwaek! He's the only one who can do something against this monster!"

It all happened in an instant. Their biggest guy, Young-Soo was caught by the wrist. Thinking back, he should have grown suspicious then, but at that time, all he could do was laugh. They even told him not to hold back. It was when he heard a crunch, did he realize something was wrong. The sound, he knew well. It was a bone breaking. Right after, his sweat flowed backward.

"Where are you going? Not taking me to the car anymore?" Lee Dojin arrived right next to the man. He didn't teleport. He was just naturally faster. He sent out a kick.

"Guh!" The man blocked it but still felt immense pain. His arms were definitely broken. If that thing hit his head, he'd probably meet God.

Lee Dojin landed on the ground. "Ah sorry, holding back isn't my strong suit."

The old man slid back a few meters, coming only to a stop because there was a wall behind him. His hair was disheveled and his face haggard. But compared to his goons, he was a lot better off.

As soon as they realized what was going on, they prepared for battle—but how could a human resist a typhoon? It was as if he had eyes on the back, and twice as many limbs. One by one, they went down, one shot one kill. They didn't really die, but these wounds would linger long enough for them to stay out of many battles.

A few people arrived at the car. "Get eh key, get the key!" They smiled, hoping they could run away. But their hopes were dashed as a small beam of light came crashing down, blowing the trunk away. The goons did not realize, hearing only an explosion.

"What the hell!"

"Dude, what was that? Lightning?"

"As if! The clouds are clear!"

Lee Dojin looked at Ji-ah, who innocently stuck her tongue out. "That was unnecessary," he said. But then again, it did not matter, even if someone found out. The is was the last normal day for the world anyway. He looked at the old man, whom he held up by the collar. "So, last words?"

The old man shuddered as he saw Lee Dojin's beastly smile. "You'll, cough, you'll regret this. I've already called our strongest man. He's a monster like you, but to top it off, he holds way more experience." The man pushed these words out with great exhaustion. "He is not a pushover."

Lee Dojin tilted his head, cracking his neck. His smile remained carefree. "Oh, I can't wait."

"If you go any farther than this, he won't show you any mercy."

"You know, how was the saying again?" He punched the old man's stomach who almost puked. An immensely cold voice resounded. "Don't threaten me with a good time."

Lights out.