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ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ. β .β
THE TWO TEENS REACHED THE ENTRANCE OF A SLEEK,Β ultra-modern hotel that looked like it catered exclusively to celebrities and oil tycoons. The mirrored glass doors glinted in the morning sunlight, a stark contrast to their disheveled appearances.
Y/N, however, didn't care about appearances at that moment. She stumbled to the nearest pillar and dramatically slumped against it, her breaths coming in heaving gasps. "Did we seriously have to run the entire way?" she wheezed, fanning herself with her hand.
Kwon, standing beside her, looked infuriatingly composed. Not a bead of sweat graced his forehead, and he wasn't even slightly out of breath. He simply glanced at her and shrugged nonchalantly. "Forgot my wallet," he said, as if that explained everything.
The y/h/c-haired girl gawked at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "So?! We could've called a taxiβI could've paid! You think I wouldn't have minded throwing a couple of bucks if it meant not drowning in my own sweat?" She gestured wildly to herself, emphasizing the sweat-soaked state of her clothes.
Kwon smirked, leaning casually against the same pillar. "Oh, no, no, no," he said, shaking his head. "You don't get it. Paying a potential scammer you call a taxi driver? That's one thing. But letting you pay for me? Never." He crossed his arms smugly. "What kind of gentleman do you take me for?"
"A sweaty one who's clearly trying to kill me!" she shot back, glaring at him.
He chuckled at her outburst, then leaned forward slightly. "You're fine, princess. Just... hydrate or something."
Y/n groaned loudly, dragging her hands down her face. "I hate you," she muttered.
"No, you don't," he replied with an infuriatingly confident grin.
Before she could retort, Kwon straightened and nodded toward the entrance. "C'mon. Everyone's already inside." He started walking toward the doors, leaving her to grumble under her breath as she followed.
Once inside, the hotel was even more extravagant. The marble floors gleamed under sparkling chandeliers, and the air smelled faintly of orchids and money. y/n felt out of place immediately, given her messy state, but Kwon strolled in as if he owned the place.
He headed straight for a couch near the reception area, grabbed a complimentary newspaper, and plopped down, opening it with dramatic flair.
Y/n, on the other hand, ducked behind a counter, pretending to tie her shoelaces but mostly using the opportunity to stay hidden. She peered out cautiously as Daniel Larusso approached Chozen, who stood stiffly near a large arrangement of orchids, glaring at them as if they'd personally offended him.
"What's the big emergency?" Daniel asked, his tone sharp.
Chozen didn't answer immediately, still glowering at the flowers. Before he could speak, Sensei Kim emerged from the shadows, her expression as cold and sharp as ever.
Daniel froze, his eyes narrowing. "What's she doing here?" he demanded, his stance immediately defensive.
"Uh... we just crossed paths," Chozen said, clearly flustered.
From her hiding spot, y/n turned to Kwon, who had abandoned his newspaper act and joined her behind the counter. She leaned closer, her voice barely a whisper but dripping with mischief. "Crossed paths, huh? Pretty sure the path in question is Sensei's legs."
Kwon choked so hard on his own saliva, he immediately clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound, his shoulders shaking with barely-contained cough.
"You're a menace," he whispered back, flicking her nose gently, a scolding yet amused gesture. "And gross. You do realized she practically raised me, right? That shit isΒ disturbing on so many levels."
Y/n grinned wickedly, rubbing her nose but clearly proud of herself. "Can't unhear it now, can you?" she teased, her tone sing-song.
Kwon shot her a half-hearted glare but didn't deny it. Instead, he shook his head, his lips twitching with the effort not to laugh again. "You're lucky I don't have my wallet. Otherwise, I'd bribe the receptionist to kick you out for that comment."
"Admit it, though," she whispered. "You're dying inside."
"Yeah, and not in the way you think," he muttered, smothering another laugh as he turned his attention back to the scene unfolding near the orchids.
Kim, sharp as ever, glanced briefly in their direction, and both y/n and Kwon immediately ducked lower, their banter forgotten as they focused on staying unnoticed.
The moment Chozen muttered, "By mistake," both of them bristled, their brows furrowing in unison.
"Mistake?" The older woman's sharp scoff echoed through theΒ lobby.
Kwon let out an incredulous grunt, his voice low and disdainful as he muttered under his breath, "Miyagi needs to watch his mouth. How dare he disregard Sensei like that? He's lucky she even lets him breathe the same air as her."
Y/n blinked at him, caught off guard by his protective tone. "Wow," she whispered, tilting her head slightly. "Didn't know you had such a soft spot for her."
Kwon just rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything, Chozen's next words yanked them both back to reality.
"We found man who kidnap you. Follow him here."
Their eyes widened as they exchanged a stunned glance.
"Kidnapped?" y/n whispered. "The sensei of Miyagi-do was... kidnapped?"
Kwon's lips pressed into a tight line, his expression a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "That's... not half as funny as I would normally expect it to be."
Before either of them could process further, another figure strolled into the scene, his footsteps deliberate and his presence commanding. Kreese.
"Well, well, well..." Kreese's smirk was as sharp as the edge of a katana as he joined the group. "The gang's all here."
"What's this about?" he asked, his voice smooth yet edged with danger.
"You called Kreese?" Chozen's tone was disbelieving as he directed his question to Da-eun.
"Of course, I did," Kim replied coldly, her arms crossing over her chest. "I have questions of my own."
Kreese's gaze shifted to Daniel, his smile hardening. "You know, I haven't forgotten about yesterday's assault."
Kwon squinted in confusion, leaning closer to the girl. "Sensei was assaulted by the kidnapped sensei?" he mumbled, trying to piece together the increasingly convoluted drama.
Y/n frowned but didn't answer, still focused on the unfolding scene.
"In all fairness," she added, unable to resist a jab, "Kreese has aged terribly. I wouldn't be shocked if he fell over after Daniel did so little as sneeze in his direction."
Kwon shot her a withering glare. "Can you take this seriously for five seconds?" he hissed, though the corner of his mouth twitched, betraying his amusement.
Kreese, oblivious to their commentary, continued his verbal sparring. "Actions have consequences, Daniel," he said, his tone heavy with implication.
The younger man, calm and unwavering, countered smoothly. "As you're about to find out."
The air grew thick with tension as the four senseis stared each other down, an unspoken challenge crackling between them.
"Let's go..." Chozen finally muttered, placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder.
The group began making their way toward the staircase, their footsteps purposeful and their expressions grim.
Y/n and Kwon crouched lower behind the counter, their eyes meeting again.
"What do you think they're going to do?" the girl asked, her voice barely audible.
"No idea," Kwon replied, his jaw set. "But we're not leaving until we find out."
In perfect sync, as if responding to a wordless command, they bolted upright and dashed after the adults, climbing the staircase two steps at a time.
As they reached the next floor, they ducked behind a staircase railing near a display case holding an expensive-looking suit. y/n peeked out cautiously, her eyes scanning the hall.
"All the doors are open," she muttered, furrowing her brows. "Weird, right? I mean, hello? Security? Privacy?"
When Kwon didn't reply, she turned around to find him frozen, his head tilted back slightly, and his eyes fluttering in warning.
"Are you seriously about to sneeze right now?" she hissed.
He nodded, his expression helpless.
Panicking, y/n slapped her hand over his mouth just as he sneezed, muffling the sound. But the warm, wet sensation of his sneeze into her palm made her freeze in horror.
"Ewwwwww!" she whisper-yelled, cringing as she wiped her hand furiously on his shirt.
Kwon jerked back, offended. "What the hell, y/n! This is the only clean shirt I had left!" he snapped, his accent thickening in his annoyance.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she hissed sarcastically, flailing her arms. "Next time, I'll make sure to carry a silk hanky for your royal snot! Disgusting!"
"Well, maybe don't shove your hand in my face next time!"
"Maybe don't sneeze during a stealth mission!"
"Like I can control that?"
Before their whispered argument could escalate further, Daniel's voice drifted down the hall. "There he is," he said, his tone sharp.
"Now we get answers," Chozen added.
The two teens snapped their heads in the direction of the voices and saw the adults disappear into one of the open rooms.
"Come on, let's go!" Kwon grabbed y/n's arm, dragging her along before she could protest further.
They skidded to a stop outside the room, peering in cautiously. The man with the long hair from the beach was inside, now dressed in a red tank top, speaking to someone taller with his back turned to them.
"Nice job... you got them running scared," said the taller man, his voice eerily familiar.
Kwon leaned closer to y/n, his voice a whisper. "Isn't that...?"
"Hey- wait..." Daniel's voice cut through.
"Sensei Wolf?" his tone was incredulous, pointing at the long-haired man. "You sent this thug to kidnap me?"
"Long hair goon came to kidnap us?" Kwon muttered, his accent thick and disbelief clear in his voice. "Why?"
"Because, Danny boy..." another voice purred, smooth and taunting, from within the room.
Y/n and Kwon craned their necks, but from their vantage point, they couldn't see who had spoken. The adults turned toward the bathtub area, where the voice seemed to have come from.
"What would life be without a few surprises?" the mystery voice continued, its tone dripping with menace.
Y/n nudged Kwon with her elbow. "Who is that?" she whispered.
"I don't know," he whispered back, his unease growing.
The tension in the room was palpable as the adults stood frozen, their faces pale.
"We go in?" Kwon asked, his hand inching toward the door.
"Are you crazy? No!" y/n shot back, her whisper sharp and incredulous.
"It's probably not as bad as you thinkβ"
"Not as bad? Have you never seen a horror movie? This is exactly when the idiots get caught!"
"We're not idiots-"
"Debatable!"
Their hushed argument was interrupted by a sudden, heavy thud from inside the room, followed by a sharp intake of breath. y/n and Kwon immediately fell silent, their gazes snapping toward the door, dread creeping into their veins.
The room fell into tense silence, the air thick with animosity.
"You were behind my kidnapping?" Daniel scoffed, crossing his arms as he stared into the tub, presumably at the man lounging inside.
"Your obsession with your mentor's past made it way too easy," the man inside chuckled, his voice smooth and smug. "Plus, I couldn't resist reintroducing you to Mr. De Guzman here." He motioned toward the long-haired man, who smirked, his posture relaxed but predatory.
"Ready to go again, Danny boy?" De Guzman taunted, flexing his knuckles.
"You've got to be kidding me," Daniel sighed, sounding more exhausted than intimidated.
"Enough, Terry," Kreese snapped, stepping forward, his tone hard. "You've got three seconds to get out of here, or we're going to make you get out."
"Terry?" the girl whispered, the name striking a chord in her memory. She nudged Kwon, her voice barely audible. "Wait- that's the guy who ruined Cobra Kai back in the Valley? Terry... Slither or something?"
Kwon raised an eyebrow, looking half-amused. "Slither?" he mouthed silently, shaking his head at her warped memory.
Meanwhile, Kim's face darkened, her fury unmistakable. She stepped forward, her voice cold and sharp enough to cut glass. "You go after my children," she began, her tone deadly. "You think it's acceptable to target stupid, hormonal teenagers in dark alleys like cowards? You dareβ"
Her tirade was interrupted as two women suddenly pushed past Kwon and y/n, startling them both.
"Shit-" the girl hissed, grabbing Kwon's arm and dragging him to hide behind the wall.
The two women, dressed in matching hotel uniforms and carrying towels, walked casually into the bathroom.
One of the women greeted warmly, her voice carrying a pleasant lilt as they approached the man in the bathtub, saying something in Spanish.
"SΓ, Gabriella," the man replied smoothly.
And then, without warning, it happened.
The next moment burned itself into the teenagers' minds, scarring them irreparably. An older man with a slicked-back white ponytail stood up in the middle of the room, stark naked.
STARK. NAKED.
Everything dangledβeverything. Wrinkled, unholy, and horrifying.
"Oh my god," y/n whispered, her face twisting in utter disgust as she spun around so fast she nearly hit the wall. "I think I'm going to throw up." She clutched her stomach, gagging dramatically.
Kwon, meanwhile, had frozen in place, his eyes wide before a snicker bubbled out. "Well, that's disappointing," he muttered, barely containing his laughter.
Y/n elbowed him hard in the ribs, her glare murderous. "Shut up! Why are you even looking?! What's wrong with you?!"
"Just saying," Kwon choked out between stifled laughs. "For all his swagger, you'd think he'd have... you know, more presence down there."
Y/n covered her ears, groaning loudly. "I don't want to hear this! Ever! Oh my god, why am I here?!"
The two of them were mid-hushed argument when Kim's sharp voice carried out from the room, her tone laced with suspicion.
"What was that?"
"Crap, move!" Kwon hissed, grabbing y/n by the wrist.
The two of them bolted down the hallway, darting around a corner just as Kim's footsteps began to echo out of the room. Neither of them spoke a word, both too rattledβand disgustedβto even process what they had just seen.
As they finally stopped, catching their breath, y/n leaned against the wall, her face still burning. "I hate everything about today."
Kwon just smirked, wiping at his eyes from laughing so hard. "Admit it. This mission just got a lot more memorable."
y/n shot him a glare that could kill. "Shut. Up."
And with that, the two of them moved on, neither willing to risk being spotted again...
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