diet of lies

Chapter 12~ P'il Chae

"CHAE! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!" JANG SCREAMS.
"Gee I'm coming. Calm your tits." I finish lacing my sneakers. When I stand up I pull down my sports bra so it sits more comfortably on my chest and throws on a grungy tank top. I'm already wearing my long burgundy gym shorts. I shove my school bag into a broken locker unit.

I have to hike over a bench to exit the make-shift locker room.
      "Come on!" He yells again.
"I'm going to knock you out if you don't stop." I bark strapping on my silver sparring gloves tightly.
      "Just fucking get a move on, will ya?" He looks at me sternly. Jang hands me a black mouthguard. I grasp it.
"Let's go." He scoops the air and walks- more like squeezes through an entirely too narrow hallway.

We're at the opening of what's known as the 'arena'. Loud hollering and whistles flood my ears. Flashes of dirty people rustle around like they're in a moshpit. They're contained by metal barriers like the ones at concerts to hold back screeching fans. In reality, the arena is an open space of a deserted warehouse. It is used for gambler fights and other risky activities. The cement floor inside resembles a Jackson Pollock painting with all the bodily fluid stains. The red stains always stand out the most.

Jang pulls me aside right before I walk out into the sight of people.
"I want a killer fight. Blood and guts in all. We've got some wealthy figures in that crowd tonight and they've placed loads of cash on you- you wanna pay you debts right?"
"Yeah."
"Then you need to do whatever it takes to win this shit. You cannot lose these fights." Jang's tone is rough.
"Okay. Whose on the menu?" I adjust one of my gloves
"Three buff guys from Eastside. They're saying they're from Hanik's pack."
I peek around the corner to see a tall man with intimidating tattoos everywhere on his body.
"No mercy P'il. You got me?" He grasps my arms so I'm only focused on his voice.
"I hear ya, boss man." I put in my mouth guard and salute.
"Kickass Chae." He pats my back quickly.

I'm at my starting point and the air is undeniably stuffy and stinks to high hell of body odor. Screams are pounding my eardrums.
"We've got an excellent setup here tonight folks!" The announcer greets with his microphone.
"In this corner- the girl we all love... EUN~!" He rumbles the N with his teeth.

When I started this gig I choose to conceal my real identity to protect my image. Just in case word spread across town about a young girl fighter. And It did. Really quickly. I also didn't want anyone I knew closely hearing my name associated with underground fighting. And definitely not any of my school officials. 'Eun' is a title made by Jang, when he overheard a conversation in the pit about my eun (silver) gloves. It has stuck ever since.

I pump my fists in the air while facing the crowd. It earns more shouts.
"Her first opponent in the opposite corner... TAE-WON!" The entire place sounds like a zoo of wild animals.
"Everyone here has finalized all their bets for the night?" The announcer asks at the crowd. An assortment of 'yes' and 'yeahs' echoes back.
"GREAT! FIGHTERS READY?" He smiles at us.
"As I'll ever be." I talk through my mouthpiece. The other man only nods.
The referee steps in. "GUARDS UP! ANDDD- FIGHT!" The man wearing the black and white striped shirt jolts out the fighting space for his life.

I begin to bounce around, never staying in one place for too long. Tae Won launches his body at me like a bull. I speedily jerk out his path, never once dropping my fists. The built man grunts charging again. This time, I step over and strike the side of his rib cage with a round-house kick. The crowd roars excitedly. Like a pure amateur, he starts throwing rapid punches at me. I locked my arm above my forehead to block his hands. One punch does manage to violently connect with my jaw causing my teeth to notch the inside of my cheek. I retaliate by grabbing another one of his punches with both my hands. I leverage myself on his muscular arm and pivot on the heel of my foot. I send another hard kick easily to his temple. Tae Won falters back griping his head. This is my chance.