The Iron Tiger Boxing Academy looked different after sunset.
The blinding white lights inside cast long shadows across the pavement outside, and the air was thick with the smell of resin and sweat. Most of the rookies had already left, their laughter and chatter fading into the night.
Soon Hae stood near the side door, bouncing slightly on her sore feet, unsure whether she was nervous, excited, or just exhausted.
Ming Tian was late.
She crossed her arms. "Maybe he's not coming," she muttered to herself. "Maybe he's just one of those guys who.."
A quiet click broke her thought.
The side door swung open, and there he was hoodie, mask, and that casual swagger like he had all the time in the world.
"You waited," he said simply, as though he never doubted it.
"I said I would," Soon Hae replied, though part of her had almost gone home.
"Good. Let's get started."
---
He led her down a narrow hall that smelled faintly of disinfectant and machine oil. Instead of heading toward the main gym, they slipped into a smaller practice room she'd never seen before. The walls were padded, the floor was clean, and there was a single heavy bag swaying gently in the corner.
"This," Ming Tian said, dropping his bag, "is where the real work happens."
"I thought the real work happened in the big training hall," she said.
"That's where people perform," he corrected. "This is where they learn how to survive."
---
The first thing he did was take her gloves away.
"You're not ready for those yet," he said, tossing them into a corner.
"What? I've been wearing them for two weeks!"
"Exactly. And in those two weeks, you've been hiding your worst habits inside them. Bare hands make you aware of every little mistake."
She hesitated. "Bare hands on the heavy bag?"
He smirked. "Who said we're starting with the bag?"
---
He set up a small circle of tape on the floor.
"Step in," he instructed.
She did, feeling oddly like she was about to be interrogated.
"This is your ring," he said. "For now, you don't get to leave it. Footwork only. No punches."
"That's… easy," she said.
"Then prove it. Ten minutes. No stepping outside the line. Ready? Go."
---
At first, it was easy. She shuffled forward, back, left, right, imagining herself dancing around an invisible opponent.
But after three minutes, her calves burned. At five, she was gasping. At seven, sweat was running down her spine.
At nine minutes and forty seconds, her right foot slid over the tape.
"Out," Ming Tian said flatly.
She groaned. "It was ten seconds!"
"It was the wrong ten seconds. That's when most people make their mistakes right before they think it's over."
---
They moved on to shadowboxing.
"Forget power," he told her. "Forget speed, Just feel the movement. Like you're painting in the air."
She threw a jab It was sloppy.
He caught her wrist mid motion. "Your shoulder's locked. Loosen it, Punch like you're flicking water off your hand."
She tried again.
"Better. Now the cross. Rotate your hip, not just your arm. Your power starts from the ground."
Her cross was awkward at first, but after a few tries, it snapped forward more cleanly.
"Good," he said finally. "You're teachable."
---
By the time they reached the heavy bag, her arms were jelly.
"Three minutes," he said. "Light taps. You're not here to kill it."
"But..."
"Do it."
She obeyed, her knuckles landing soft, rhythmic taps on the leather. It felt strange she was used to trying to hit hard, not gentle.
"This is about control," he explained. "If you can land light, you can land hard. If you can only land hard, you can't adjust. And in a real match, adjusting is survival."
---
When they finally stopped, she was drenched, her hair sticking to her forehead. She slumped against the wall.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked, breathing hard. "You don't even know me."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he pulled down his mask.
The face beneath was sharp, clean-cut, and familiar.
Too familiar.
Her eyes widened. "Wait… you're..."
"Han Ming Tian..," he said simply. "Luhan's cousin."
---
Her brain stuttered.
"Luhan's cousin? As in Han Luhan? As in the academy's golden boy? As in.."
"Yes," Ming Tian interrupted. "That Luhan."
She blinked at him. "But you're… not exactly… famous here."
"That's the point," he said. "I don't want to be 'Han Family's Other Boxer.' Luhan's got the spotlight. I'm fine in the shadows."
She tried to process this. "So… you train here in secret? Why?"
He looked away, his voice a little quieter. "Because I want to win on my own terms. And because not all the Han family's politics are… friendly."
---
They sat in silence for a moment, the hum of the air conditioner filling the room.
Then Ming Tian stood. "Tomorrow, same time. We'll work on defense."
She hesitated. "Why me?"
"Because you remind me of me," he said, pulling his mask back up. "Clumsy. Stubborn Too proud to quit."
Her cheeks warmed. "That's… not exactly a compliment."
"It is," he said, and then he was already walking toward the door.
---
Outside, the air was cooler, and the harbor lights glittered like tiny stars on the water.
As they walked toward the main road, Ming Tian stopped at a small convenience store.
"Come on," he said. "You earned dinner."
"I thought lunch was part of the training package," she teased.
"It is," he said, grabbing two triangle kimbap from the shelf. "But so is dinner if you survive."
---
They ate on the curb outside, watching the occasional car roll by.
"You know," she said between bites, "if people find out you're Luhan's cousin, they'll expect you to be just as good."
"They already do," he replied. "That's why I don't let them see me yet."
"Yet?" she echoed.
He smiled faintly. "When the time's right, I'll show them. But until then… they should underestimate me. Just like I want your opponents to underestimate you."
---
As she walked home that night, her body was exhausted but her mind was sharp with new thoughts.
Ming Tian wasn't just some masked customer anymore he was a Han. He had the skill, the patience, and maybe even the heart to help her climb higher than she had thought possible.
But the fact that he was related to Han Luhan complicated things.
Her crush. Her idol.
And now… her dream partner's cousin.
This was going to get messy.
---
When she slipped quietly into the restaurant's back door, the lights were off except for the faint glow from the kitchen. She could hear her stepmother humming as she wiped down the counters.
"You're late again," her stepmother said without looking up.
"I was… training," Soon Hae said carefully.
Her stepmother gave a short, sharp laugh. "Training, huh? Just remember, those fists of yours don't pay for rice."
Soon Hae didn't answer.
Instead, she went to her room, dropped onto her bed, and stared at the medal on her desk the one that had gotten her into Iron Tiger in the first place.
She reached for it, the cool metal pressing into her palm.
Her stepmother's words were still in her ears, but now so was Ming Tian's voice:
When the time's right, I'll show them.
Soon Hae smiled faintly.
Maybe… so would she.
---