The next afternoon, the laundry shop was unusually quiet. Mrs. Kim was napping in the back, the hum of the dryer like a lullaby. Soon Hae sat behind the counter, staring at the gloves hanging on the wall.
Her mother's gloves. The ones she'd kept since the shipwreck.
She didn't know why, but her fingers itched to put them on.
> "If you ever want to try again, come by."
Joon seok's words kept looping in her head like a broken record.
She drummed her fingers on the counter, glanced toward the door… and stood up. "Fine. I'll go. Just to prove I'm not scared."
---
The Iron Tiger Boxing Academy looked even more intimidating in daylight. Its huge tiger mural seemed to glare at her as she approached. Inside, the familiar scent of leather, sweat, and disinfectant hit her nose.
She stepped inside cautiously. A young man at the front desk looked up from his clipboard.
"You here for a trial?"
"I, uh… maybe?"
"Sign in. Shoes off. Wrap your hands."
She nodded confidently then immediately froze. "Wait… how do I wrap my hands?"
The guy gave her a look that suggested she had just announced she didn't know how to breathe. "Here." He handed her a roll of wraps. "Start at the wrist, go between the fingers. Keep it snug, not tight."
Soon Hae marched to the corner, determined. She started at the wrist, wrapped over her thumb, then somehow got tangled between her pinky and ring finger. When she tried to adjust, the entire wrap slid off in a limp spiral.
From the ring, a voice called, "Need help?"
She turned, Joon- seok was leaning on the ropes, grinning like he had been expecting her.
"I'm fine," she said quickly, reattempting the wrap.
Three minutes later, she was still wrestling with it like it was a wild eel.
He hopped out of the ring and walked over. "Here." Gently, he took her hand and began wrapping it with quick, practiced movements. "Thumb first, then over the knuckles... See? No strangling your fingers."
She tried not to notice how close he was. "Okay… maybe I was doing it wrong."
"Maybe?" he said, smirking.
---
Once her hands were wrapped, Joon seok led her to the heavy bags.
"Start with jabs. Left hand out, right stays up to guard your face."
She nodded, took a stance… and immediately punched the bag so hard it swung back like a pendulum, smacking her in the shoulder.
"Ow!" She stumbled backward, rubbing her arm.
From across the room, two of the Famous Five — Wei Sheng and Li Li Shan burst into laughter.
"Nice defense," Wei Sheng called.
Soon Hae's cheeks burned. "I meant to do that!"
"Sure you did," Joon seok said, fighting a grin. "Try again. Lighter this time."
She jabbed again, this time too lightly, barely making the bag twitch.
"Okay, now you're apologizing to it," he said. "Find the middle."
She tried again, adjusting her weight. The bag swung gently.
"Better," he said. "Now do ten more."
---
By the fourth jab, her shoulders were already aching. By the eighth, sweat dripped down her temple. By the tenth, she was panting.
Joon seok shook his head. "You've got spirit, but your stamina's garbage."
"Gee, thanks," she said between breaths.
"Don't worry. That's what training's for."
They moved on to footwork drills, which turned out to be even worse. She tripped over the jump rope twice in the first minute, and once she managed to trip without the rope even touching her feet.
From the corner, Xiao tong the powerhouse puncher smirked and muttered something to Guan Zhu Tong. They both chuckled.
"Don't mind them," Joon seok said quietly. "They laugh at everyone their first week."
---
After drills, the coach clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone partner drills!"
Soon Hae's stomach dropped.
Joon seok handed her focus mitts. "You'll hold for me."
She slide them on. "Like this?"
"No, the other way. You've got them upside down."
"Oh." She quickly flipped them, pretending she hadn't just blushed.
"Keep them steady," he said, throwing a jab into the mitt with perfect form. The impact pushed her back half a step.
"Whoa!" she yelped.
"Plant your feet," he said, throwing another punch. This time she managed to hold her ground.
A few more strikes in, she found herself getting into a rhythm until her arms got tired and one mitt drooped. His punch went right over it, lightly tapping her forehead.
"See? That's what happens in a real fight," he teased.
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, lifting the mitts again.
---
After an hour, she collapsed onto a bench, gulping water like she had just crossed the desert.
Joon seok sat next to her, barely sweating. "Not bad for your first day."
"I thought you said my stamina was garbage."
"It is. But your attitude's good. And…" He hesitated. "You've got a strong punch. Sloppy, but strong."
She looked at him, unsure if that was a compliment or an insult.
Before she could reply, Coach barked, "Alright, everyone hit the showers!"
---
In the locker room, she caught snippets of the Famous Five talking.
"…new girl's got guts," Wei Sheng was saying.
"…or she's just stubborn," Li Li Shan replied.
Either way, Soon Hae couldn't help smiling to herself.
---
When she stepped back into the main gym, most of the fighters had left. Joon seok was wiping down equipment.
"You coming back tomorrow?" he asked casually.
She hesitated. Her arms ached, her legs felt like jelly, and she was pretty sure her face was still red from embarrassment.
But the memory of landing that accidental punch in the demo match and the faint, grudging respect in the Famous Five's voices stuck with her.