A few days passed by.
Joe lived in a rundown apartment building with peeling paint. A bald man with a large belly stood in the hallway and pounded on Joe's door.
"Yabuki! Get out here! Open the door!"
The man shouted and kicked at the wood.
"I was nice to you because you were from Japan! I was nice because you are sick!
Anyone else would have thrown your trash on the street by now!"
The door finally creaked open.
Joe stood there with messy hair and sleepy eyes.
The bald man opened his mouth to scream again but he stopped. He looked at Joe and swallowed his words.
The landlord was a huge boxing fan. He knew exactly who Joe Yabuki was. When Joe first moved in, the man was excited to have a legend in the building. That feeling had turned into bitterness over the years.
He was especially angry because his wife kept helping Joe. She invited him to dinner and brought him food, which made the bald man burn with jealousy.
Joe was not a massive guy but he was handsome. He had long hair and a face that women noticed. Joe knew this was a problem so he stayed away from the wife as much as possible.
He did not care what the landlord said to him.
"You owe me two months of rent."
Joe rubbed his face. "I know."
"You know? Then where is the money?" The man's face turned red. "I am not a charity! This pandemic is killing my business too! Pay up or get out!"
Joe exhaled slowly. "Can you give me a few more days?"
"What?"
A woman walked down the stairs from the floor above.
"Honey, what is all the noise about?"
The bald man turned around and his angry expression softened.
"Why are you down here?"
The woman walked over and looked at Joe with a sad smile. "Mr. Yabuki, I am sorry. He has a short fuse but he means well."
The husband glared at her. "Keep out of this! This is business!"
The woman grabbed his arm and tugged on it. "That is enough. Stop it."
She looked at Joe again. "Three more days, okay?"
Joe nodded. "Thank you."
The bald man wanted to keep yelling but his wife dragged him toward the stairs.
"Come on, let's go."
Joe closed the door and leaned his weight against it.
'Three days.'
He needed cash fast. That meant he had to find a job. He had no degree for an office and his shaking hands made construction work impossible.
He remembered a job posting he saw a few days ago.
Bodyguard.
Most people thought it was hard physical work. During the pandemic, it was mostly just standing around. People were staying inside so there was nothing to do. Most guards were being fired because they were bored and useless.
Joe washed his face and put on his best clean clothes.
---
A taxi pulled up in front of a tall glass building.
Joe got out and adjusted his mask. He walked inside and took the stairs to the third floor.
The sign on the door said Dream On Capital.
He walked in and saw three other guys waiting in chairs. One guy had no mask on at all. Another had his mask tucked under his chin. The third guy was wearing his properly.
A side door opened and a man walked out.
His name was Moon Gwang-mu. He was the one who posted the ad. He had a big smile on his face.
The men in the chairs stood up. Joe remained standing by the wall.
"Hello everyone. Did I keep you waiting?"
Gwang-mu walked straight to the man with no mask.
"Why aren't you wearing your mask?"
The man gave a small bow. "I will put it on right now."
Gwang-mu held up a hand. "No. I asked why it was off. Tell me."
The man looked annoyed. "We waited for thirty minutes. It is hot in here and I couldn't breathe."
Gwang-mu let out a short laugh. "If you can't handle a little heat, how can you protect a client?"
The man snapped. "What does a mask have to do with anything?"
Gwang-mu's smile died. "Get out. Leave now."
The man rolled his eyes and headed for the door. "Forget this."
Gwang-mu watched him go. "Punk."
The second guy quickly pulled his mask up over his nose.
Gwang-mu turned to him. "You had yours down too."
The guy shook his head. "No, I didn't."
"I saw you."
The guy sighed. "It was just on my chin."
"The chin is not the face. Get out! Get the hell out of here!"
The second man cursed and slammed the door as he left.
Gwang-mu mocked him. "Oh no! Damn it! Idiots."
He turned to the third guy. "Take it off. Let me see your face."
The guy pulled his mask down.
"What is your name?"
"Cheon Dong-woo, sir."
"Height?"
"187 centimeters, sir."
"What can you do?"
"I did kickboxing and hapkido for ten years, sir. I studied Security Services in college."
Gwang-mu nodded. "A real pro. Did you serve in the military?"
"I was exempt. I tore my ACL playing volleyball."
"Oh. Then we are done. See you later."
The guy looked confused. "Why? Why am I rejected?"
"I need a Marine. Get out."
"You didn't put that in the ad!"
"So? Why does that matter?"
"You wasted my time!"
Gwang-mu stepped closer. "Who do you think you are talking to?"
"You can't just screw people over like this."
Dong-woo lunged forward. He threw a straight right at Gwang-mu's nose.
Gwang-mu moved his head a few inches. The fist went past his ear.
He grabbed Dong-woo's wrist and twisted it hard.
Dong-woo yelled and his body bent sideways.
Gwang-mu kicked the back of the guy's leg.
Dong-woo hit the floor face-first.
Gwang-mu dropped his knee onto the guy's back and pinned him.
THUD!
"Are you finished?" Gwang-mu asked.
Dong-woo struggled but his arm was pulled back at a painful angle.
"Let go!"
Gwang-mu pressed harder. "I asked if you were finished."
Dong-woo gasped for air. "Yeah. I'm done."
Gwang-mu stood up and brushed the dust off his pants.
Dong-woo got up slowly. He held his sore shoulder and looked at the floor.
Gwang-mu patted him on the back. "Maybe next time, kid."
Dong-woo groaned and limped out the door.
Gwang-mu finally looked at Joe.
Joe reached for his mask to take it off but Gwang-mu stopped him.
"You? Do not bother. Are you a Marine? If not, leave."
Joe did not move.
"Are you deaf?"
Joe stared at him. "I am Japanese."
Gwang-mu's eyes went wide. "Then why are you here?"
"I need work. I need money. I am the right person for this."
Gwang-mu walked over and patted Joe's arm. "Listen. Just go home. I have had a long day and I do not want to deal with this. Goodbye."
Gwang-mu turned his back and started walking away.
Joe stayed where he was.
Suddenly Gwang-mu spun around and threw a fast punch at Joe's head.
Joe stepped to the side. The fist missed by an inch.
Gwang-mu grinned.
'Fast.'
He threw a low kick at Joe's knee.
Joe jumped back and the foot hit empty air.
"Not bad."
Gwang-mu started moving faster. He threw a left hook and a right straight. He tried to sweep Joe's legs.
Joe dodged every single hit.
His feet moved in small circles. He did not waste any energy. He moved just enough to make Gwang-mu miss.
Gwang-mu stopped to catch his breath.
'This guy is different.'
Joe stood there. His hands were shaking a little bit but his eyes were like ice.
Gwang-mu lunged in. He tried to grab Joe's arm to wrestle him down.
Joe did not move away this time.
He grabbed Gwang-mu's wrist and yanked him forward.
Gwang-mu tripped.
Joe drove his knee upward into Gwang-mu's stomach.
Gwang-mu blocked it with his palm but the force knocked him back three steps.
'He is stronger than he looks.'
Gwang-mu charged again with a heavy right hand.
Joe ducked low. The fist went over his head.
Joe stepped into the man's space. He hit Gwang-mu hard in the center of the chest.
CRACK!
The air left Gwang-mu's lungs. He flew backward and slammed into the office wall.
The drywall shattered. Dust and white powder exploded into the air.
Gwang-mu slumped to the floor and coughed.
Joe stood in his fighting stance. "Am I good enough?"
Gwang-mu rubbed his chest and stood up. He coughed one more time and straightened his shirt.
"You can fight." He leaned against the wall. "But it doesn't matter. I still only hire Marines."