Daydream » VKook

7. Teacher & Enemy

I heard a loud pounding on my door.

"Wake up, son! There's no time for sleeping in!"

My father's pleasant wake-up call sure inspired me to get out of bed, alright. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand and saw the hand ticking to 10 AM. To my father, that was considered sleeping in late. He was the kind of man that would wake up to the crack of dawn. A wise and disciplined man, I'd admit. He would meditate as the sun rose and practiced Tai Chi as a part of his daily regimen.

But this time, I didn't want to wake up and get out of bed. It had been a couple of days since that ass-kicking I got in the alley, and yet, my body was still incredibly sore. I continued to ignore my father's wake up calls and pulled the covers over my head. I blocked out the light, only wanting to sleep for the remainder of the day.

The next moment, I heard keys to my doorknob as it attempted to unlock the door. It seemed like my father was trying to get inside and had enough of my disobedience. A couple of different keys jingled as it sounded like he was trying multiple keys to unlock my door. I chuckled lightly under the sheets, knowing that I was safe from my father trying to enter. 

Things went silent for a bit. I assumed that my father gave up and continued on his day. But before I could finish that thought, the door burst open with my father came charging in. I immediately shot up from my bed and pulled away my covers to see my father, who broke the door off of its hinges.

"Appa! Why the hell did you do that for?" I shouted with bewilderment.

He obviously stood above me with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face, acting as if he didn't care or acknowledged his fault for breaking down my bedroom door.

"This is what happens when you do not listen to me." My father firmly stood his stance.

"So, you're going to start busting down my door and destroy property if I don't obey you?"

"If you do not show the proper respect to your mother and me, you certainly won't get respect from us. And respect comes with understanding and privacy. At this point, you've lost your privacy. That means your bedroom won't have a door."

"So, why do I have to wake up now?" I shouted at him.

"You are to continue your training." He confirmed as he pulled the blinds up and stripped the covers away from my bed.

Hearing the word training immediately made my muscles react to a painful feeling. Any other day I would be jumping with excitement to train. My eyes caught a glimpse of the dark clouds rolling in, looking like it was about to storm. I couldn't imagine why my father would want me to train in that kind of weather.

"No, please, not today. I'm still sore from all of those pull-ups you made me do in front of those kids." I complained.

My father's eyes showed annoyance and impatience.

"Son, you've been begging to train Kendo for the past couple of years, and now you're going to wimp out of it? I told you from the start that there's a lot of discipline when it comes to this sport. So you need to show me that you absolutely want this, or else I'm not going to waste my time on you!"

My father was great at making me feel guilty. Then again, I would always feel guilty no matter what I did or didn't do. He threw me a bone when it came to allowing me to train Kendo, and for me to spit that bone back at him, my father saw it as a sign of disrespect. This was something I had to push through—the pain and laziness within me.

"Fine." I got up from my bed and stood tall without trying to show the pain my body felt.

"Meet me at the front door in five." My father ordered.