The air still clung to her skin like a wet towel by the time Soon Hae left the Iron Tiger Boxing Academy.
She trudged down the steep slope toward the harbor, legs heavy as sandbags, the August sun stabbing her eyes with every reflected glint off the shop roofs.
Her shirt clung to her from the drills, but that wasn't the worst of it the worst was that her hair still dripped faintly from the "wake-up call" Han Lu Han had given her in front of the entire beginner class.
A whole bottle of cold water.
Not a splash, not a cup. The whole thing.
He could've just shaken my shoulder, she thought darkly, kicking a loose pebble down the road. But no Prince Perfect has to make a show of it.
****
Her father's weathered seaside home came into view, wedged between the corner bait shop and her stepmother's busy little restaurant.
She could already smell the sharp tang of frying mackerel and hear the familiar metallic clatter of woks from the kitchen.
The moment she stepped inside, her stepmother's voice sliced through the air like a knife.
"Soon Hae! You're late again! Customers have been waiting!"
"I...training ran late..."
"No excuses." The woman's head popped out from the kitchen window hatch, cheeks flushed from the stove's heat. "Get changed. Help with the tables. And for heaven's sake, tie your hair back you look like you wrestled a squid."
---
By the time Soon Hae tugged her damp hair into a bun and swapped her training shirt for a faded apron, the lunch rush was in full swing.
Fishermen with sunburnt forearms hunched over steaming bowls, merchants fanned themselves with paper menus, and a group of teenagers monopolized the corner table, laughing far too loudly.
She wove between them balancing two trays one with bowls of seaweed soup, the other with fried mackerel and rice.
"Two soups to table five!" her stepmother barked.
"Got it!" Soon Hae called back, though she was already halfway there.
Her two stepbrothers sat at a small table near the back, books spread before them, faces hidden behind homework.
They didn't dare talk the kitchen's atmosphere was too volatile. But when she passed, the younger one gave her a sympathetic glance that said, Sorry you got caught in the storm again.
---
For nearly an hour, she was a blur delivering orders, refilling tea, scraping plates, catching a dropped spoon before it hit the floor.
Sweat dripped down her back, her arms ached, and still the orders kept coming.
When the last customer left and the door's bell jingled shut, she dared to think she might be free. But her stepmother emerged with a rag in hand.
"Wipe the tables, wash the dishes, sweep the floor. Then you can take a break."
Soon Hae stared. "All of them? I've been.."
"Unless you like to skip dinner tonight," her stepmother cut in, handing her the rag.
With a resigned sigh, she got to work.
---
It was nearly two in the afternoon when she finally stumbled outside into the blinding sun.
She leaned against the restaurant's side wall, letting the sea breeze roll over her. The salty air cooled her flushed cheeks, and she closed her eyes for just a moment.
"You look like you fought three rounds with a bulldozer."
Her eyes flew open.
Standing a few feet away, hands in his pockets and an amused glint in his eyes, was Joon seok the very same masked troublemaker, who broke the elders o ring bell.
---
" Joon seok?" she said, blinking. "What are you doing here?"
"Passing through." His gaze flicked over her apron and damp hair. "Thought I'd grab lunch. But you look like you need it more than me."
"I can't," she said automatically. "If my stepmom sees me"
"She's not going to chain you to the sink if you take thirty minutes," he interrupted, lips quirking. "Come on. My treat."
"I really shouldn't..."
"You really should," he countered, already turning toward the street.
****
She hesitated, glancing back toward the kitchen window. But the smell of sizzling meat from a nearby stall made her stomach betray her with a loud growl.
They ended up at a street vendor just a block away, where the air was thick with the mouthwatering scent of marinated beef hitting a hot grill. The ajumma behind the counter recognized him instantly, greeting him with a fond slap on the arm.
"You again? Bringing trouble with you this time?" she teased, nodding toward Soon Hae.
Soon Hae flushed. "I.. I'm not trouble."
Joon Seok only grinned. "Not yet, anyway."
****
They sat at a wobbly metal table under a faded red awning. Plates began arriving almost immediately bulgogi glistening with sesame seeds, kimchi with the perfect sharpness, steamed egg in a black clay pot.
"Are you feeding the whole academy?" Soon Hae asked, eyes widening as the table filled.
"Just you," he said, pouring tea into her cup. "You burn enough energy falling asleep during training."
She froze mid reach. "You heard about that?!"
"Everyone heard about it. Lu Han's little ice bath? Already a legend." His smirk was annoying ing. "Some of the guys are calling it 'The Glacier Awakening"
She groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I'm never going to live that down."
"Maybe not," he said easily. "But you can make sure it doesn't happen again."
She peeked through her fingers. "How?"
"By proving you're more than the academy's comic relief." His voice was calm, but there was something sharp underneath. "You've got something I saw it when you sparred last week. You just… trip over yourself too much to use it."
She snorted. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
They ate for a while, the silence between them surprisingly comfortable.
The bulgogi melted in her mouth, sweet and savory all at once. The kimchi made her eyes water, and she chased it with steaming spoonfuls of the egg custard.
"You're serious about boxing, aren't you?" he asked suddenly.
"Of course I am."
"Good. Because I've been thinking…" He tapped the table. "The academy's training is fine, but it's built for the average recruit. You? You need something different. More focused."
She tilted her head. "Different how?"
"I can teach you."
Her brows shot up. "You? You're not even in the academy."
He leaned back, smirk never wavering. "Doesn't mean I don't know how to fight, and besides I train there.."
Something in his tone made her pause it wasn't bragging; it was certainty.
"And why would you do that?" she asked cautiously.
"Because watching you trip over your own feet is painful. And because…" He shrugged. "You remind me of someone."
Before she could ask who, he stood, tossing a few bills onto the table.
***
"Think about it. I'll be at the pier tomorrow morning. If you're serious, meet me there."
And then he was gone, swallowed up by the crowd of market shoppers.
Soon Hae sat for a long moment, the bustle of the street blurring into background noise.
She wasn't sure if Joon Seok was a gift from the universe or a walking disaster waiting to happen.
Either way, she knew one thing: tomorrow morning, she'd be at the pier.
---