Fighter

Chapter 3

"Come one! I know you do better than this! Let's go!" He swung at me. I duck and take a couple steps back. He points his glove at me. "You don't have your head in the game." He taps his head with his glove. "What are you thinking about? The Championship is in two months and you are giving me subpar boxing here. Do you need to be taught a lesson on boxing?"
I shake my head and take a quick lower cut to his side before I take a hop back. I have to stay out of his arms reach. But he advances quickly on me. I hurry to put in a couple punches before I dart away. But I can't he has me cornered. He punches me twice on my left side as I try to turn away. It was a hard hit. I could feel it getting difficult to breath. I drop my hands to my side as a gut reaction. He takes that opportunity to punch my in the head. I drop to the ground. I have to get out of the corner.
I scramble on my knees past him and hurry to get to my feet. Arms up, but my head is ringing. I have to keep fighting. He will only get more upset with me if I give up. I quickly punch him in the back before he can turn around then I dart away. He comes raging at me like a bull seeing a red flag. I quickly duck out of his advances and try to get a quick punch to his head but he is just too tall.
He swings his body around putting everything into his punch. He gets me in the same spot in the ribs. I can feel it, one at least maybe two broken ribs. Keep your arms in and don't let him get another chance to hit you. Dodge, quick punch and then move away. With his size and muscle mass it was my best technique to win if I stayed back and went for his weak points quickly and dart back out of arms reach.
But he was pissed at me because I wasn't on my A game. I knew I should have been better and I don't know why I couldn't focus today. But he was being really rough for a mock fight. The pain in my ribs is increasing. He gives me a hard punch in the arm. Slowly he tries to move around my bad side so I twist around. Nope! Pain lances through me, can't do that. I take a deep breath. I hold out my glove.
"Wait, stop. I can't-" I try to take in another deep breath but it's hard. Breath, C'mon.
I hurry to step out of the ring. It hurts to bend over.
"What are you doing? Get back in the ring. A champion never backs down!" he yells after me.
Dongho is pulling off his gloves and he throws them on the floor of the ring. He moves to step out. He quickly comes after me, grabbing me by the shoulders. He shakes me a little.
"Do you want to be a champion or is this all a joke to you? Are you strong enough?" He shoves me away, hard enough to make me stumble. "Practice is done for the day," he struts into the bathroom.
I didn't see him again till later.
I had practice though so I didn't let it bother me. I let my ribs take the backseat, I couldn't have them preventing me from doing my job. I had 3 private lessons tonight. Maybe I can try and wrap them myself; I go to the bathroom with a bandage. But to no luck I can't reach around my back with the bandage tight enough that it helps keep my ribs in place.
I give up. I guess I'll be able to survive till after and maybe when I see Dongho again he can help me. That is if he isn't still upset with me.
When I come out of the bathroom I look around to see if I can find Dongho but to no luck. He must have left while I was trying to wrap my ribs.
These next couple hours are going to hurt like hell but I can do it. I can make it.
I am strong enough.
***
Seyoon walks in to the gym.
"Hey, you." I beckon him over. "Today marks 3 weeks of training. Take off your shirt."
"I didn't know you were like this," he crosses his hands over his chest in mock horror.
I punch him lightly.
"Okay, I did know you were like this."
I punch him again.
"What do you want me to say? How do I please you?" raises his hands in a white flag gesture.
"Today we are going to measure your body mass index you idiot. Take off your shirt so I can measure you and see your fat index." I roll my eyes at him.
"Oh aaahhh," he grins. Then he proceeds to take off his shirt.
I had to keep my eyes from wandering. He looked great. Fit muscular, he was no longer the scrawny kid that I had saved from getting beaten up months ago.
"What do your fans think of you now?" I giggle.
"Uh I am not sure. I don't know if they have realized yet," he flexes his arm.
"I don't think you've realized how much you've changed." I walk around him with the measuring tape. "You're not as big as Dongho, but no one is going to try to beat you up either." I wrap the tape around one of his biceps. "Flex."
"Wow, look at you. 21 cm."
"That's my name, don't wear it out." He grins at me.
"Huh?" I look at him confused.
"Oh that's my stage name. Wow."
I look at him for a moment. "Alright," I go ahead and go around him measuring his chest and waist as well as the width of his back. It was a little hard to do with my ribs but I kept quiet. I am strong.
"Okay let's get to practicing. Put on your weights."
I could hear him grumbling but he went over and got the ankle and wrist weights.
As we did the drills I tried to wrap my arms around my ribs to keep them still but still every breath hurt.
"Square up," I place my hands in front of my face. I keep myself light on my toes.
He doesn't put his hands up fast enough so I throw a quick punch. He's going to learn fast.
I'll say it one more time. "Square up," I throw a quick hook. But he's fast and he dodges it. I throw another right hook. He backs up a couple steps. My ribs were killing me but I had to act like nothing was wrong. I am not weak. "Don't run away, Fight. Come on!"
He slowly puts he arms in front of his face.
"C'mon, throw a punch at me." I beckon him with my glove.
He starts to shuffle around me, looking for an opening. And he almost finds one as I try to guard my left side with the hurt ribs more than my right side. He quickly darts to my right in a feint and then pulls his fist around to give me an undercut on the left. But I was too quick. I dodge his attack and take a couple steps back. I wasn't going to make this fight easy for him. I quickly give him two punches in quick succession to his stomach.
"You're arms are too high. You're not able to block hits to your torso. Make sure you are keeping them in position."
He quickly lowers his arms a little. I see him tense up to come forward for an attack. Quick retreat. Oh my ribs are killing me. Ouch, I wasn't quite fast enough when stepping back and Seyoon got a good punch on my left side and I cry out in pain. The punch wasn't hard, but my ribs were already damaged and the pain was too much.
Seyoon immediately stopped fighting and put his gloves by his sides. I took this chance to give him a good left hook to the jaw while my right hand curves around to hold my ribs, if they hadn't been broken before they sure were now. I had to finish the match.
But as soon as I punched him back I fell to my knees clutching at my side.
I hear Seyoon crouch down beside me. "Hey are you okay?"
I grunt and lean back on my heels. "Yeah I'm fine." I lift up my shirt to check my ribs.
"Oh, God! Did I do that? I swear I didn't punch you that hard." He is panicking.
My left side is hues of purple and blue.
"Who did this to you?"
I look at him and see the shock on his face. I quickly pull my shirt back down.
"I got them during practice with Dongho. It is nothing." I quickly stand up and walk out of the ring.
"You got those with Dongho?" he walks after me. "He hit you?"
"Yes of course he hit me. We were doing a mock match, that's his job. Just like I hit you."
"That looks a lot harder than something earned in a mock fight." He grabs at my arm and turns me around.
"Let go," I shake my arm out of his grip. "It is none of your business what happens between me and Dongho."
"I just want to help! Has he hurt you like this before?" he is flustered and almost shouting at me.
"This is crossing a line. I think you need to leave, now." I point at the door.
He doesn't move, "If he has done this before then you need to get away from him. This is not something that happens unless he meant to hurt you, bad." He steps closer.
I take a step back and cross my arms over my chest. "Leave. Now."
At that moment Dongho walked into the gym. "Babe, are you there? I'm sorry for what happened earlier." He pauses as he sees Seyoon and I standing there. "What are you doing punk?"
"He was just leaving." I look at him pointedly.
"Well? Move along punk." Dongho comes over to stand by me.
Seyoon quickly grabs his stuff and walks out of the gym.
"What was that all about?" Dongho asks me.
"Nothing, I don't know what was up with him." I grumble.
Dongho turned to me and grabbed my hands in his. "Babe, I am so sorry about earlier. I just got a little frustrated. Forgive me?"
"Of course I forgive you." I smile at our intertwined hands.