The morning air was cool, but Soon Hae's palms were already sweaty.
She had been awake since before dawn, lying in bed listening to the sound of fishing boats leaving the harbor, her heart beating in time with their engines.
The medal from Saturday's competition hung from the corner of her mirror, gleaming faintly in the dim light. She touched it once for luck, grabbed her gym bag with her mother's worn gloves carefully tucked inside and stepped out into the street.
---
The harbor was waking up. Vendors were rolling open the shutters of their stalls, the smell of fried batter and salted fish drifting between the narrow alleys. Usually she stopped to help carry crates or gossip with the market ladies, but today her feet barely slowed.
Iron Tiger Boxing Academy waited.
When she turned the last corner, she stopped dead.
Up close, the building looked more like a military training ground than a gym. thick gray walls, tall glass windows, and the massive Iron Tiger logo painted in black across the front. A faint, rhythmic pounding echoed from inside: gloves hitting bags, feet pounding the mat.
She swallowed hard and pushed through the doors.
---
The inside hit her like a wave heat, noise, and motion all at once.
Dozens of recruits were already running laps around a central boxing ring. Coaches in black tracksuits shouted instructions over the thump-thump-thump of punches landing on heavy bags. The smell of sweat, leather, and disinfectant clung to the air.
A man built like a refrigerator stepped into her path. His shaved head shone under the lights, and his expression was somewhere between amusement and warning.
"You the scholarship girl?" he asked.
"Yes, sir...I mean, Coach."
"Name."
"Soon Hae."
"Medal girl," he said with a short nod. "Don't let it go to your head. In here, you're not a champion. You're a cub. Understand?"
"Yes, Coach."
"Good. Warm-up. Two minutes."
---
Two minutes sounded generous. It wasn't.
By the end of her first lap, she was already behind the pack. The others moved like a single wave, knees high, steps in perfect sync. She was more like driftwood trying to catch up, getting shoved along by the current.
Then came push-ups.
"Thirty! Go!"
She managed ten before her arms started shaking. By twenty, her elbows felt like jelly. By thirty, she was on her knees, breathing like she had sprinted up a hill.
And that was just the warm-up.
---
"Shadowboxing! Hands up, elbows in, light on your feet!"
The recruits moved into lines facing the mirrors. Soon Hae tried to copy them, jab, cross, shuffle back, jab again. But somehow her feet developed their own rebellious rhythm.
Step forward. Jab. Shuffle left… right… spin?
In the reflection, she caught the girl next to her biting back a laugh.
---
Then came the heavy bags.
"Power, not flailing!" one coach barked.
Her first punch landed with a satisfying thump. Her second missed completely, her fist sliding off the side of the bag. The chain overhead rattled, and the guy on the next bag broad shoulders, deadpan expression smirked without looking at her.
By the time they moved to the ring, her shirt was sticking to her back and her legs felt like they belonged to someone else.
---
"Pair up!" Coach Kang shouted.
She stepped into the ring with a tall, muscular girl named Hye jin who looked like she could bend steel pipes for fun.
The bell rang.
For the first thirty seconds, Soon Hae held her own ducking one punch, landing a cautious jab. Her footwork was clumsy, but she was moving.
Then, in a burst of misplaced bravery, she tried a fancy sidestep she had seen on TV. Her front foot tangled with her back foot, and suddenly she was on the canvas, staring at the ceiling.
The laughter from the sidelines was immediate and loud.
---
She scrambled up, cheeks burning, determined not to let it happen again.
She decided to "dance" instead light bounces, side-to-side sways. In her head, she looked agile. In reality, it looked like she was trying to dodge puddles during a rainstorm.
Hye jin didn't even have to punch hard. One well-timed push sent Soon Hae stumbling into the ropes.
"Soon Hae!" Coach Kang's voice cracked through the noise. "This isn't a school talent show! Stay on your feet!"
The laughter stung worse than the hits.
---
By the end of the round, her gloves felt like bricks. Her chest heaved. Every part of her body screamed at her to sit down and never get up again.
She had just dropped onto the bench when the energy in the room shifted.
The side door opened, and Han Luhan walked in.
---
She had seen him before, but never here, never this close.
Tall and lean, with sharp features and a posture that spoke of years of discipline, he moved with quiet precision. His training shirt clung to his frame, his hair slightly damp as if he had already been working out elsewhere.
Conversations dimmed. Even the cockiest recruits glanced over.
He was the Iron Tiger undefeated in every match for the past three years.
Her heart thudded in her ears.
---
"Han, you're early," Coach Kang called. "Warm up with the rookies."
Han Luhan climbed into the ring like it was second nature. His first moves were fluid, controlled no wasted energy, no unnecessary flash. His punches hit the mitts with crisp, deadly precision.
Soon Hae tried not to stare, but her eyes kept drifting back.
Then, without warning, Coach Kang waved at her. "Soon Hae! In the ring!"
---
She nearly choked. "With him?"
"You want to get better? Learn from the best."
Her legs carried her forward before her brain could protest.
She stepped into the ring, gloves up, heart hammering.
"Relax," Han Luhan said, his voice calm but distant. "Keep your guard up."
She nodded, trying to focus.
The first few exchanges were… gentle. He tapped her gloves, testing her reactions. She managed to block a couple of jabs, even landed a light touch to his shoulder.
Then he moved faster.
One step, one jab, and her guard fell apart.
Another step, a feint, and she stumbled sideways saved from falling only because the ropes caught her.
He didn't laugh. He didn't smirk. He just said, "Again."
---
They repeated the drill. And again. And again. Each time, she lasted a little longer before slipping, but never long enough to feel in control.
By the time the bell rang, her arms were numb, her shirt soaked through, and her pride somewhere under the mat.
Han Luhan gave her a short nod. "You've got energy. Just… aim it better."
It wasn't exactly a compliment, but it wasn't a dismissal either.
---
When training ended, she staggered toward the benches, peeling off her gloves. Her whole body hurt, but there was a stubborn flicker in her chest that hadn't been there this morning.
Han Luhan hadn't treated her like a joke. He hadn't gone easy, but he hadn't ignored her either.
Maybe she was still clumsy. Maybe she'd been tamed into silence today.
But tomorrow… tomorrow she starts climbing.
Even tigers start as cubs.
---