⏤ 𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝘂
times have really really  changed  ,
yet they always stay the  same  .
(๑'^'๑) ✿ ꕥ ₓ ꒰ 🐞 ꒱ ㅡ

₊˚⊹♡ THERE'S A WISE SAYING THAT GOES LIKE THIS: Do not be very upright in your dealings for you would see by going to the forest that straight trees are cut down while crooked ones are left standing.

"Remember, you need to concentrate! Focus! Now get out there, and show them how Scorpions are." Sensei Jung snapped, Kang Eun-taek gulped. "You fail again and you'll regret it when the tournament is over."

The students around them became silent. Eun-taek was terrified. His body ached from the tips of his hair to the heels of his feet.

The Tang Soo Do Championships were brutal. This wasn't a rehearsed demonstration or sporting competition. This was real, and it felt like a matter of life and death.

The man he was facing was a big guy; six foot one and weight in at two hundred and fifteen pounds of almost pure muscle and unfortunately he also had the innate fighting ability that one day would make him the 1966 karate heavyweight champion of South Korea.

Eun-taek was nowhere near as big, but a little more than six feet, his lean frame reminded those around him of a boxer, though perhaps he carried even more explosive power in his fists.

A loud cheer filled the arena as Eun-taek nodded to his Sensei and took his position on the tatami mat.

Kim Jimin watched from the stands, and like the rest of the onlookers, was excited and fearful all at once. No one was looking at her; she wasn't a player in this but just a kid of nineteen who would soon lose her childhood due to an accidental pregnancy from the boy her age on the mats beneath her.

Panic pushed through the crowd as the fight began, but the chance to see such a high-class fight kept them hovering; like the crowds who had once flocked to the gladiatorial contests in ancient Rome, they were drawn by the spectacle of violence and the scent of danger.

The man threw a punch at Eun-taek and rapidly paid for his rash action when he hit the ground with a sickening thud. The announcer called out the score, two more wins, and Eun-taek would be crowned champion.

The man two took languid steps forward. Eun-taek was concerned for the man's well-being, but like the rest of the onlookers, he was curious too. This, after all, was what he was trained for; this life or death situation he was told to imagine while punishing his body at the dojo. This would be the moment of truth.

The big guy yelled again as he made his move. With astonishing speed, Eun-taek moved forward to meet his attacker, and then, with perfect timing, he sidestepped and the man's fist went past him.

He recognized his movement as a variation of a basic technique he had been taught years ago. The result can be devastating as the attacker's own momentum can be used against him.

Eun-taek heard a grunt and his open hand hit the big man's throat just below his adam's apple. The man straightened and then a fist crashed against his jaw. The crack brought a gasp from the crowd.

The man at his feet coughed and slowly stood up. He swayed and scratched his head as he tried to figure out what had happened. He didn't even look at him.

Eun-taek had been content with his standing, but he knew his Sensei would only be satisfied when the opponent was stretched out on the mat.

Angry shouts echoed from his opponents' side.

Kim Jimin wanted to scream as she saw the man's Sensei gesture a move she'd never seen before.

Now oblivious to what was going on around him, the man managed to put Eun-taek into a chokehold. Breathing hard, the man flipped Eun-taek and something hit him.

The impact was severe; arms and legs violently closed as Eun-taek's body collapsed onto the mat. Fearing imminent death, he screamed out loud.

"For Master Kim." the man croaked before plunging another deathly jab into Eun-taek's chest.

There was a wise saying that goes like this: Do not be very upright in your dealings for you would see by going to the forest that straight trees are cut down while crooked ones are left standing.

It could be understood as; the good die young.

THE YEAR WAS NOW 2002, AND the pain of labor was a prison for her mind. In that jail cell of fear and confusion, time passed without her being able to keep track. Her stomach tightened, and she heard her own scream without being aware of making it. She lay still as the medication was administered, waiting for the agony to subside. In times to come, she'd forget these moments as effectively as formatting a hard drive, but always she'd recall the love she felt for her baby, her precious child, one born in perfect love.

There she was, a girl at last, and in seconds she was there, eyes opening, mouth rooting for milk.

Tiny fingers curled around Kang Yoomi's pinky. She watched the newborn peer through brand new eyes at what must be such a strange world afterlife in the womb. Her legs kick in a tiny jagged motion, looking for that resistance they were used to she guessed, but finding nothing but air. Yoomi wondered if it was unsettling or relief, it must have been pretty cramped in there.

Kang Jihyun knew he could pick her up if he wanted to, it was his newborn daughter, but he was scared to break her. She was such a doll.

Jihyun wanted to drink this moment in, this moment with his little girl in his hands. Her eyes were more brilliant than he could have dreamed they would be, her hands more delicate. She felt so light, looks so perfect, and smelled so divine.

In the lit room stood family and friends, each one ready to make a pledge to how they would help this baby girl for their lifetimes. She was a precious gift, a pure soul. This child freshly arrived from heaven, and it was their job to fill her with so much love that she could be happy on Earth - safe and content in the knowledge that not only her parents, but her entire extended family loved her and watched over her.

The baby was passed from person to person, each holding her, cuddling her, before carefully placing her into the arms of a trusted other. The ceremony was beautiful beyond measure, not with inexpensive flowers or fancy food, but in the sharing of genuine heartfelt emotion.

The newborn was then passed to Kim Jimin.

I am her protector for as long as I live and my love for her will last for all time. She thought. "Remember," The room became very quiet. "The older she gets the more curious she will be." Jimin walked over to her son, Jihyun, and handed him his daughter. "To keep her safe, you must keep her away from the art that killed her grandfather."

The Kang family watched Jimin pick up her belongings.

"You must continue the promise to keep her away from Karate."

KIM YOOJUNG as 𝐉𝐈𝐄𝐔𝐍 [𝐉𝐈𝐉𝐈] 𝐊𝐀𝐍𝐆

TANNER BUCHANAN  as  𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐘 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐄

━━ I ONLY OWN JIJI and anyone unfamiliar. i do not own anyone else.

━━ HEAVILY INSPIRED BY THE KDRAMA MY NAME <3

━━ FACECLAIM CHANGE FROM go minsi to KIM YOOJUNG <3

━━ TANG SOO DO CHAMPIONSHIPS was before the sekai taikai tournament, just to have s5 timeline 'line up'. since i have no idea when kim sun-yang actually began his teaching techniques, for the sake of this FIC just go along with it lol.

━━ THIS STORY CONTAINS violence, explicit and suggestive language, mentions of death, and other mature themes. if you are disturbed by any of the topics said, i advise you to leave now and do not read any further. your health is more important that this book.

━━ DON'T BE A SILENT READER ! interact, comments and votes motivate me <

━━━ 𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆!

PUBLISHED 09.20.22
FINISHED 00.00.00

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍
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