SpartAce I: School Love Affair

strike one

Jong Kook had been waiting for it. For the first blow. He had been preparing for its impact, but it seems like it was useless.

It had been weeks after Mi Ran had talked to him privately. And he tries to forget about it. He forgets about it whenever he is with Ji Hyo and the guys.

Sometimes, he wants to pretend like his meeting with Ji Hyo's aunt is nothing but a terrible nightmare. And he almost got xonvinced with his illusion when week after week, nothing wrong happened between he and the others.

Ji Hyo and he is just getting stronger, sweeter. He seems to be discovering more in the sweet part of Song Ji Hyo that appears during their stolen moments. And he could not help but feel his stomach go queasy whenever he thinks about her.

It wasn't until the first week of December that the first blow came.

He is excited in going to school, with the thought of snow coming sooner or later in the month and the idea of walking along it with Ji Hyo.

He is heading towards the Taekwondo club when he meet Kim Sung Jae on the way.

"Hyung!", he calls urgently, his brows creased like it never did before and his face long and pouting.

The moment he sees Sung Jae's form, he immediately knows something is wrong.

"What?"

Then another couple of his juniors appear in the hallway and they all head towards him.

"The gym's closed. The club's disbanded.", Sung Jae declares to him.

"What?", he snaps. "What are you talking about?"

His juniors drag him towards a section of a wall in the hallway, where a sign says, "Taekwondo club disbanded. Effective today, December **, 20**."

"What is this bullshit?", he asks, crumpling the announcement.

"It is posted all over the school. Our club is gone.", one of the girl juniors says with  teary eyes.

Jong Kook's brain twists and turns, trying to analyze it, thinking of a possible way to undo it.

But it seems like Ji Hyo's aunt had done her first move. She has used her connections to convince the higher ups that the Taekwondo club does more bad than good towards the students.

Jong Kook takes a deep breathe, feeling the depending stares he is receiving from her juniors.

These people, and he is sure a lot more are still coming, are depending on him. He has to do something.

But he would be a coward if he gives up on Ji Hyo easily. Right on the first strike.

No. He won't. He can't.

He has to take this slow.

"Tell the others not to worry, and that I'll do something about it, okay? And just think of these times as a short break while I sort things out. And make sure this doesn't spread all over th school."

"But the posters.."

"We have to take it all off."

All of them moved in every direction, tearing the announcements from every corner of the school and throwing all of it in the garbage bin.

Fortunately, it is still early for most students to arrive so only a few had seen them and most of them were too lazy to read the signs.

Jong Kook has to make sure this doesn't reach Ji Hyo or the others, or they'llbe worried sick.

Before class started, Jong Kook has already headed to the Student Affairs Office to talk about the issue with the Head.

"As you are well aware, Kim Jong Kook, you had been in a lot of fights before against your schoolmates. And not only you but also your other members. Hot-headed, aggressive bunch, you are. So the heads had been thinking about it for months already. Until recently, a new recruit of yours, a freshman named Kang Lee, had fought against his fellow students and ended them up in crutches. A few of his classmates said he never fought back until recently, when he joined your club."