Chapter 36: {Time to Get DESTROYED pt. 1}

(Jugyeong's perspective)

Besides getting beat up a lot by Jun, Hyun is fine. He's numb to that. Me however, one wrong move tomorrow, and I'm dead, I'm not used to pain, I have barely any fat to block the damage, if I don't do this fight with Alita perfectly, I could very much end up with at least a broken leg, most likely a broken rib cage.

When this girl was on our team last year, she shattered concrete. I can break bricks with my feet just fine, this girl was able to crack the sidewalk like it was nothing.

I wanted to ask Hyun to hit me a bunch of times, but I dunno if that would come off weird if I asked him to do that for me. He also just doesn't have as strong legs. He has strong arms, I've gone to the gym with him a few times, over the past month, his arms have gotten significantly more muscular. He's not like lean or anything, but he's carried me, an a 140 pound person, like nothing, so that amounts to something.

Since in Taekwondo, there are very few hand techniques, I didn't want to practice those.

To compare our leg strength, if my legs are sledgehammers, hers are wrecking balls.

I need Hyun to be there with me.

I know it's 2 am, but he'll respond, it's Saturday morning, not like he really cares about missing a day of school. I cant believe that on Wednesday, we're gonna be officially dating for an entire month, like that's crazy.

I call him. I need him right now.

"Babe?" I ask as a question.

"Yeah?"

"Will you skip school to go with the tournament with me? I need you there."

"Yeah sure, I'll tell my dad, as long as I show up to work, he could care less."

"Thank you."

"Need anything else babe?"

"Yes. Comfort."

"In what way."

"That even if I bust a rib cage, you'll be there with me."

"Of course! What do you mean?"

"Good, the big scary fight with that girl Alita is today, why is she so big?"

"Her parents probably feed her Miracle-Food."

"Hahaha, because she's 6 feet tall like a weed. Why are there so many tall asians in our generation, we're supposed to be short!"

"White guys having fun in Asia, Koreans, North China, all taller than the rest of Asia, if this were Vietnam or Japan, then the height and size would be weird."

"Yeah. Hahaha."

"I can't go back to sleep now."

"I haven't gone to sleep."

"GO TO SLEEP!"

"I can't!"

"I dunno what to tell you."

"I'll come over to your apartment, and we can just rest on the seats. Maybe if you're there, I won't be as jittery."

"Have you taken you're Adderall?"

"I take it every night!"

"Don't forget your 11 am one too."

"I won't, I have backups in my car now."

"GOOD."

"Yeah."

"Don't forget your happy pill." she tells me

"Yeah."

"What are you doing up so late?" Hyun's mom asks.

"Jugyeong's scared because of her competition today. She wants me to be her emotional support." He replies.

"Why?"

"She was picked to fight against a girl twice her size in a Taekwondo competition."

"That makes sense. I'm gonna go to bed, love you kid. You can go with her, you protecting one of the two good things you have in your life is important. I'll tell your dad, you don't need the trouble."

"Thank you, night mom."

"Sorry about that Jugyeong." he says.

"It's nothing."

We talk a bit more.

I decide to come over around 2:30 am.

He gets in the car with me.

We just lie there, him in the passenger, me in the driver.

I feel comforted.

I don't feel so bad.

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Hyun and I together, he's a bit buffer and thinner. We're slightly older. There's a ring on his finger... Amethyst. He's always wanted his birthstone to be on his wedding ring. In middle school, he told me if he ever gets hitched, that he'll have a rose gold ring with an amethyst gem. He's lying next to me asleep. We're in a beautiful room.

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4 hours later...

I'm awake, man that was a weird dream. Thinking inside a dream? Interesting.

Was that deja vu? Will I be hitched with Hyun soon? I dunno. But that's a weird dream to have at all.

I start driving to the championship site.

Hyun wakes up.

"Babe? Are we almost there already?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna get breakfast? I'm paying of course."

"McDonax sound fine? I'm craving a McComal." I ask.

"Whatever you want babe, I want you ready to do this. And if you want to tap out, just tap out. It's best of five right? You might not even have to fight her."

"We're the first fight."

"Oh you're team doesn't even hate you at that point, they must hate you with every fiber of their being."

"They do, but it's not that, the tourney officials tell us the order."

"They must hate you too."

"They might, one of them is the mom of a kid that liked me."

"Now that's cringy."

"Yeah."

"How do these competitions work anyway?" He asks me.

"Due to the recent rule changes, first person to fall loses."

"Oh so this really isn't fair."

"It really isn't."

"I'm buying you three McComals. And when you're done fighting, I will personally snuggle with you. And let you give all the 'pure' affection you want." he tells me.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The guy at the window asked for our order, we order and go to the first window. Then go to the second.

He gets 4 Sausage Biscuits. I get my three McComals. This seems like a lot, but with someone that works out as much as me with the amount of exercise I do, I'm surprised I haven't atrophied my muscles yet.

We make it to the site where the tourney will take place. This is the Regionals and would only be the start of multiple back to back rounds.

Hyun stares at me eat once again.

"When you stare at me like that my heart beats faster." I say, which is true.

"You existing makes my heart beat faster..."

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After we eat, I join with the rest of my team waiting at 8 am. Hyun sits on the sidelines.

And of course, I'm first...