It was another ordinary day in Seoul, with classes continuing at Cheongun High School. In the schoolyard, a young man sat alone on a bench, watching the boys play soccer. Just then, he heard a girl's voice.
"Hwan!"
"Hwan!"
The girl quickly dashed from the school entrance to the bench where Hwan-Seok was sitting and hugged him tightly.
"How are you, you idiot? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
The girl's hair was a mix of blue and black, with bangs. Her red school uniform was absolutely dazzling.
"Sorry, Su-Jin, I forgot to tell you. I was sick yesterday and played PlayStation all day."
"Hwan, I know you get bullied a lot, but don't skip school, or you'll fail."
"I'm sorry, Su-Jin, but I get bullied every day."
At that moment, three burly boys approached Hwan and Su-Jin on the bench.
"Su-Jin, what are you doing with this loser? Come over here."
He quickly pulled her toward him.
"Let me go, you scumbag! I want to sit with Hwan. Help!"
"Tell that to my hand. You can't sit with this loser. You're mine."
"Hey, let that girl go!"
The bully sneered and punched Hwan, leaving him bloody and on the ground.
"Guys, beat this loser up. I'm with your lady."
He then dragged Su-Jin away by her arm. The two remaining bullies began to beat Hwan. As Hwan desperately tried to fight back, his nose was broken, and blood was flowing from all over his face. Just then, a security guard and teacher came running down the hall and shouted:
"Let him go, you scumbags!"
The bullies sneered.
"Teacher, don't get involved, or it'll end badly for you."
The teacher ran over and delivered a powerful hook to one bully, then grabbed him by the head and threw him toward the other bully. He then ground both of their heads into the concrete, shouting,
"I'll kill you! Do you understand? Now get the hell out of here before I rip your heads off!"
The two bullies, covered in blood, fled the scene. The teacher approached Hwan.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Your face is bleeding. Let's get you patched up. By the way, my name is Dong Hae. I'm new at this school. Do you always get bullied like this? Didn't you report it to the school administration?"
"It didn't help even when I did. They always exclude me because I'm weak."
"I see. Come with me after school. I want to take you somewhere."
Hwan nodded and started walking toward his classroom. When the final bell rang, everyone rushed out. Hwan's eyes, however, were searching for Dong Hae, and he saw him waving at the end of the corridor. He walked over to him. Just then, his phone rang. It was his mother.
"Son, where are you? I've been calling all morning, and you're not answering. You're driving me crazy with worry."
"Mom, I have something to do right now. Can I call you back later?"
"Come home in the evening, and buy some meat. Your cousins are coming."
And the phone call ended. Dong Hae laughed.
"Was that your dad?"
"My dad went to another country when I was little. I don't know. I grew up without a father."
"I understand. Come on, let's go."
They started walking through Seoul and stopped in front of a boxing gym. The young men chatting at the door called out.
"Sensei, didn't teaching work out? I told you so. Welcome back!"
They hugged Dong Hae. Then, Hwan and Dong Hae entered the boxing gym together. Inside, there were muscular young men working on punching bags and tough guys sparring. A young man with a towel around his neck held out his hand.
"Welcome. My name is Sang. I guess you're new."
Dong Hae smiled.
"Guys, meet Hwan. He's a young man with a big heart. Despite facing tough life conditions, he never gave up. He's the new favorite of our gym now. If anyone messes with him, they'll have to deal with me."
Hwan seemed to be embarrassed. Sang interjected.
"No need to be shy, Hwan. You're our new brother now. Get ready. Let's train you a bit."
Dong Hae stepped in.
"My lion, don't worry. I have a small errand to run. You hang out with Sang and the others. It's your first day, so just relax. I'm always here for you."
And he left the gym. Hwan, in the locker room with Sang, looked at the boxing gloves. He remembered the times he was bullied, and a demonic hatred arose within him. But Sang stepped in.
"How old are you, Hwan?"
"17."
"When I was your age, I was a failure. I remember going through a lot of hardships."
"How old were you, brother?"
"22."
"You're really old."
He gave a slight smile. Sang replied,
"So, you're starting to joke. Nice. Now, take these gloves. Let's start the workout."
Hwan took the red gloves and went to the gym. He started punching the punching bag.
"Wrong! You need to guard with your left hand. You need to defend yourself while you hit, otherwise, you'll end up on the other side."
He smiled. Hwan gathered all his strength and punched the punching bag with all his anger. His hands hurt and were bruised with every punch.
"It's too hard. I don't think I can do it."
"I went through this too, Hwan. Don't ever give up. If you do, you'll always be a pushover. Get stronger so you can protect those you love and never lose."
Hwan couldn't get that saying out of his mind for weeks. And every week, he regularly went to the gym, started running, and began working out. But he was still weak. One day, while he was eating Bulgogi at a Korean restaurant, he felt a punch from behind. He immediately turned around, grabbed the punch, and saw Dong Hae.
"So, there's some progress, Hwan. I'm happy. Will you buy me some Bulgogi?"
Hwan laughed. "Of course, brother. It's no problem at all. But what you did was not cool."
Dong Hae smiled. "Okay, okay, don't worry about it. I have some news for you, by the way."
Hwan got excited, thinking he was about to start boxing matches. Dong Hae continued to speak.
"I got fired from the school because I beat up those bullies. The school administration wasn't very happy with me, so I decided to quit. I'm unemployed now."
Hwan began to speak.
"By the way, who were you before you became a teacher? I wanted to ask you this but never had the chance. Who are you?"
Dong Hae smiled and said,
"You'll find out soon, Hwan-Seok."