Awakening Agony

Jin-ho awoke in the sterile confines of a hospital room, bathed in the pale, unforgiving glow of fluorescent lights. Every inch of his body throbbed with a pulsating, persistent pain. His ribs felt like they were on fire, and his limbs ached with the dull, persistent ache of bruised and battered flesh. It was a pain unlike any he had ever experienced.

As his senses gradually returned, the memories of that brutal street fight flooded back into his mind. The confrontation with Suho Seong, the agonizing blows, and the relentless beating—it was all a painful, vivid montage. Jin-ho had been defeated, humiliated, and left broken in both body and spirit.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the harsh light, revealing a hospital room filled with the familiar beeping of machines and the sterile scent of antiseptic. Jin-ho's gaze wandered to the window, where the city's neon lights flickered in the distance, a stark contrast to the world he now inhabited.

A sense of misery washed over him. He had never been beaten this badly before, and the realization was a bitter pill to swallow. It fueled a burning anger within him, not just at Suho Seong, but at himself for letting things escalate to this point.

A nurse entered the room, her expression a mix of concern and relief. "You're awake," she said with a soft smile. "You took quite a beating out there. You're lucky to be alive."

Jin-ho's voice was hoarse as he tried to speak. "How... How long have I been here?"

"Almost a week," the nurse replied. "Your injuries were severe. You had broken ribs, extensive bruising, and a concussion. But you're healing well, thanks to our skilled medical team."

The reality of his situation began to sink in. A week of his life lost, a week spent in agonizing pain and darkness. And what had he gained? The bitter taste of defeat and the haunting memory of his own vulnerability.

As the nurse went about her duties, checking monitors and adjusting IV lines, Jin-ho's thoughts turned to Suho Seong. The anger he felt toward the underground champion surged within him. Suho had not only defeated him physically but had also shattered his sense of invincibility. That anger was mingled with a growing determination—a determination to never allow himself to be so thoroughly defeated again.

But beneath the anger and determination, there was a profound sense of misery. Jin-ho had been stripped of his pride, and it was a wound that went far deeper than the bruises on his body. He was determined to rise again, but he knew that the path ahead would be long and grueling, marked by pain, humility, and a burning desire for retribution.

With the room bathed in the sterile glow of the hospital lights, Jin-ho lay there, trapped in a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. The beating he had endured was a painful wake-up call, one that would set him on a path to rediscover his strength and confront the darkness that lurked in the underground world of "Zen."