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THE LATE AFTERNOON SUN CAST LONG SHADOWS OVER THE LIBRARY ENTRANCE. y/n leaned against the wall, idly scrolling through her phone. She was barely paying attention, her mind too tangled in the thought of abandoning her tutoring session this once. It was Friday, after all, and her friends had practically kidnapped her schedule for the evening. The guilt of leaving Kwon hanging simmered beneath her resolve, but Ri-na's insistence and her general exhaustion had swayed her decision.

She was startled out of her trance by a sudden voice. "Boo."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she snapped, clutching her phone to her chest as she glared at Kwon, who stood there grinning like a child who'd just pulled off the perfect prank.

"Relax," he drawled, clearly enjoying her reaction. "I didn't think you'd actually scare that easy. Didn't peg you for the jumpy type."

She rolled her eyes, brushing imaginary dust off her shirt to mask her embarrassment. "And I didn't peg you for a creep, but hey, here we are."

"Touché," he said, still smirking. "But seriously, why are you out here? Library closed or something?"

"No."

He raised an eyebrow, leaning in slightly. "Then what, you needed some fresh air? Had enough of my charming presence already?"

"I'm waiting for Ri-na and her gang," she replied with a resigned sigh. "They insisted we hang out. I didn't exactly get a say."

"Oh?" he teased, his tone laced with mock concern. "And how exactly did they twist your arm? Threats? Bribes? Blackmail?"

"They held my backpack hostage," she deadpanned, her lips twitching into a reluctant smile.

"Classic move," he said, nodding solemnly. "So no studying today, huh?"

"Apparently not," she muttered, frowning slightly. "But I did grade all your work." She handed him a file.

He opened it, flipping through the pages. "Wait, you actually finished all this?"

"Unlike some people, I know how to manage my time," she quipped.

"Sure you do," he shot back, closing the file with a smirk. "Well, thanks, I guess. Enjoy your little bonding session with the girls."

"Sure will. I'll see ya on monday?" She said, pushing herself off the wall. 

"I guess only time will tell..." He smirked, trying to seem mysterious, making her roll her eyes.

"Goodbye, Kwon." y/n waved him off, walking away without looking back, smiling softly to herself at their exchange. She'd been doing that a lot lately...

In an empty bathroom stall of the school gym, the girl whined to her friends, peeling off her uniform with a groan. She eyed the obnoxious matching t-shirt Eun-ji had insisted on—bright pink with the words "Squad Goals" scrawled across it in glittery letters. She had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, she really wanted to burn it; while on the other, she found it quite cute. The concept more than the outfit itself. 

It reminded her of her first halloween in West Valley High when she went as a skeleton wearing a 'Cl' t-shirt, matching with both Miguel AND Aisha, two of her closest friends. Of course that halloween didn't exactly go as planned, for both her friends ended up getting bullied that night, and she got ridiculed by her own mother for her stupid outfit. But it was still a great evening. She only went for the snacks anyway. 

Once she was done smoothing it out, she left the stall, joining the others who stood before the mirror, taking selfies, all wearing their own identical shirts.

"Look at us!" Mary squealed, spinning in front of the mirror. "We're like a K-pop group, but cooler."

"Speak for yourself," Ri-na grumbled, adjusting the hem of her shirt.

"Oh, come on, guys..." Eun-ji pouted, tossing her arm around y/n's shoulders as they took a selfie together. "Admit it—we look hot."

"In this?" y/n gestured to the shirt with amusement. "We look like a bunch of walking Valentine's Day cards."

"Exactly!" Ri-na scoffed, grossed out by the brightness of the colors. 

"We're totally someone's type now." Sae-mi chirped.

Y/n snorted. "Yeah, a middle schooler's."

Eun-ji leaned closer to the mirror, fluffing her hair. "I don't know, girls, I think the two of them are just selling themselves short. Y/n's got that whole 'hot librarian meets mysterious loner' vibe going on... and Ri-na— Ri-na's got the 'secretly a My Little Pony watcher'--" She shut up instantly upon seeing the silver-haired girl's glare.

Mary, sensing the tension, gasped dramatically. "You're right! Oh my god, y/n/n, teach me your ways."

"Step one," The girl said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "develop crippling social anxiety. Step two, spend all your free time grading papers."

"Step three," Eun-ji added, winking, "secretly be the hottest one in the room and pretend not to know it."

"Step four," Ri-na chimed in, her tone mock serious, "have absolutely zero patience for dumbass boys."

All five of them burst out laughing, the sound echoing off the tiled walls. For a moment, y/n let herself relax, the absurdity of the situation pulling her out of her usual brooding thoughts.

"Alright, alright," she said, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "Let's just get this over with before I change my mind and go back to tutoring."

"Oh, no you don't," Ri-na said, grabbing her wrist. "You're ours for the night, whether you like it or not."

"And you're gonna have fun," Eun-ji added, dragging her toward the door.

Y/n rolled her eyes but let them pull her along, their laughter echoing behind them as they left the bathroom.

***

Kwon arrived at the dojang earlier than expected, his pace purposeful yet laced with an edge of irritation he refused to acknowledge. Despite his best attempts to focus, his thoughts drifted to a certain tutor... He told himself it didn't matter that she had ditched their session—she deserved to relax after the week she'd had, right? Still, the faint sting of being left behind clung to him like a splinter.

The faint rustle of leaves filled the quiet courtyard as he threw his bag carelessly to the ground. His hands automatically went to tighten the belt of his gi, the motion so familiar it felt like muscle memory.

The yard was calm, almost eerily so. Sensei Kim meditated under a gnarled tree, her silhouette sharp against the fading afternoon light. Nearby, Kreese walked alongside Master Kim in deep conversation, their voices a low murmur. None of this fazed Kwon; his focus was singular.

With a sharp inhale, he stepped toward the wing chun dummy. Its thorny wooden pegs jutted out aggressively, but Kwon welcomed the challenge. His knuckles collided with the splintered wood, each strike deliberate, precise, and unflinching. The dull thud of his fists echoed in the yard as he transitioned into a series of kicks and blocks, his movements fluid yet forceful. Years of training had dulled his nerves to the pain; the sharp sting of the thorns was now just background noise.

He pushed harder, anger bleeding into each movement. Not anger at the feeling of being left out—he didn't care about that, of course. It wasn't about her. Neither was it about his insufferable father. It wasn't about anything. Or so he told himself.

The sound of approaching footsteps didn't break his rhythm. It wasn't until the deep, measured voice of Kreese cut through the air that he finally stilled.

"Starting early?" the older man drawled, his sharp eyes scanning Kwon's stance.

The boy shrugged, masking his frustration with indifference. "Had nothing better to do."

Kreese smirked knowingly, stepping closer. "Nothing, huh? You sure you're not working out something... or someone?"

Kwon's jaw tightened, his hand brushing against a fresh splinter embedded in his knuckles. "I'm focused," he replied tersely.

"Focused?" Kreese echoed, his tone mocking. "Or distracted by some girl who's got you on edge?"

The boy froze for a fraction of a second before scoffing. "Don't flatter her. She's just my tutor."

Kreese leaned against the wing chun dummy, his smirk widening. "Is that what you keep telling yourself?"

Kwon clenched his fists, turning back to the dummy. "She's nothing, alright? Just some girl who thinks she's better than she is." His punches resumed, each strike harder than before, the cracks of impact echoing in the yard.

"Interesting." Kreese's voice was low, calculated. "You talk like you're trying to convince yourself of that."

Kwon stopped mid-strike, glaring at Kreese. "Why do you care?"

"I don't," Kreese replied smoothly, pushing off the dummy. "But you should. If you're dragging that energy into my training, you'd better know how to use it."

As Kreese walked away, Kwon stood there, breathing heavily. His thoughts still lingered on Y/N—her teasing smirk, her sharp tongue, the way she seemed to get under his skin without even trying. Growling in frustration, he shook his head and resumed his strikes, ignoring the faint burn in his knuckles.

The last thing he needed was to let her affect his focus. But the harder he tried to block her out, the clearer her voice echoed in his mind.

Kwon collapsed onto the bench, drenched in sweat, his breathing labored as he unscrewed the cap on his water bottle. The cool liquid was a temporary relief to the heat coursing through his body. Reaching for his phone, he unlocked it and began scrolling mindlessly through Instagram, his thumb flicking through posts without care until a bright pink caught his attention.

It was Sae-mi's story—a loud, chaotic video of her and her friends at the arcade, all wearing matching pink t-shirts, screaming and cheering in typical high school hysteria. The camera panned toward a small basketball hoop game. "Hey, stop bullying that kid, y/n/n," Sae-mi's voice said, trying to sound stern but cracking up halfway.

Kwon's lips subconsciously curled up.

The camera swiveled to the culprit, and there she was—y/n l/n, smug as fuck, leaning casually against the machine and watching some kid fumble at the game.

"Really? That's the best you've got?" Her voice was sharp, dripping with mockery as she scorned at the kid that reached barely 4 feet (121 cm) of height.

"Get a life, idiot," the kid shot back in Korean, cheeks flaming red as he ditched the game of basketball and bolted.

Y/n blinked after him, baffled, before tilting her head. "Wait... did he just admit defeat?" Her voice softened into genuine confusion. "And run away out of embarrassment?"

Her friends cackled, egging her on. "Totally! You owned him, unnie!"

Kwon snorted, shaking his head as the video ended. "Poor bastard didn't stand a chance," he muttered to himself, tossing his phone aside. He took another sip of water, letting his smirk linger as if her antics were still playing in his mind.

"Something funny, Kwon?"

He looked up sharply to find Kreese standing there, his sharp eyes scanning Kwon like a hawk.

Kwon wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Just watching dumb kids embarrass themselves."

Kreese arched a brow. "That so? Looked like you were laughing at someone in particular."

The boy shrugged, leaning back against the bench. "It's nothing. Just some girls I know... at the arcade, tearing into some poor kid who couldn't make a basket."

Kreese narrowed his eyes, his posture tightening slightly. "A girl, huh? Same girl from earlier?"

Kwon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. My tutor, y/n. Don't get ideas, Sensei."

"Ideas?" Kreese's tone was calm but razor-sharp. "I'm just... curious. She doesn't seem like the arcade type."

Kwon barked a laugh. "Yeah, me neither, but apparently, everyone from school ends up there after hours. It's practically Jae-chul and his goons' territory."

Kreese's expression didn't shift, but something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "And your tutor? Does she... run into trouble there?"

Kwon glanced at him, confused by the question's weight. "Nah, she's fine. Jae-chul's in detention, and besides, he hasn't bullied anybody in almost a month now." He said.

Kreese said nothing for a moment, his gaze turning distant. Finally, he asked, "And was she someone he bullied as well?"

Kwon frowned slightly, thrown by the intensity. "Uh, used to I guess... Why?"

"No reason," Kreese replied smoothly, stepping back. "Just making conversation."

But his mind was far from idle. y/n... HIS y/n. The fiercest student he had ever trained, now reduced to playful teasing and being surrounded by teenage distractions. Yet, hearing that she'd been a victim to pathetic highschool wannabes like this Jae-chul fellow stirred something dark in him. The girl's going through an existential crisis—

"Anyway," Kreese said abruptly, cutting off his own thoughts, "The students have all assembled. Back to work."

Kwon muttered something under his breath, standing reluctantly. As Kreese turned away, his steps slowed slightly. He had no reason to act—not yet. But he had an arcade to visit. y/n l/n may have forgotten about her inner warrior, but he didn't. And he wasn't going to stop until she'd embrace that side of hers and allow it to take over once and for all.

The Way of the Fist was a privilege, not a gift... And she was his chosen one.

2.1k words

A/N:

guys, guys... guysguysguysguys pookie bears gummy bunnies robo buggies hi-

i'm sorry for yapping but HOLY SHIT! you guys are insane... 4k readers OVERNIGHT?! i don't even know how to process this. i opened the app, checked the stats, and nearly fell outta bed. 

i'm so happy i'll CRYYY, like actually.

sheesh i don't know what to say at this point, i'm just so, SO grateful. every comment, vote, and read just reminds me why i love doing this. and knowing that people connect with what I write? it's surreal... your support means so much to me, it's very motivating.

i genuinely wish my fingers could type as fast as my brain runs because i have so much more i want to write for you, but for now, i'll keep plugging away and hope it's worth the wait. 

thank you for giving this fic a try... i'm glad you all liked it so far. 

if you have any particular feedbacks or requests be it for another fanfic or just some concept about this one that you liked or disliked or wish to see more or less of, feel free to let me know. it is for your entertainment that i write, after all.

p.s. be kind to yourselves, okay? hydrate, get some sleep, have a snack, and cut yourself some slack. you deserve it, even if there may be times when you don't feel like you do.

have a great day/night/life <3