Silver (Girls of the Wild's fanfic)

12: Scar

       "Harder!"

       Wham.

       "Faster!"

       Wham.

       Eunseung looked into the room, sure her face could be seen in the glass window.

        Hyeshin Kim was at the punching bag, practicing her kicks, while her coach shouted orders. Although they had extreme power (the bag kept practically splitting in half each time she kicked), it took time for her to prepare each one. Eunseung didn't have a right to say anything, though. Hyeshin's kicks were, in the beanie wearer's opinion, much better than her own.

       Eunseung knocked loudly, making her jolt from her last kick.

       The coach looked irritated at the interruption. "Get in here!"

       Eunseung grabbed the handle and pushed the doors open, warily approaching.

       "Well, you sure took your sweet time," Hyeshin sniffed, wiping herself down. "What took you so long, anyways?"

       Eunseung blinked in surprise. "I was preoccupied..."

       She snorted. "We can see that."

       "Did you send Minam Lee?"

       "Technically, I did," the coach drawled. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and darker skin tone, beard not cleanly shaven. His cheekbones and chin were prominent, skin rough as his attitude. "Are you the girl Hyeshin was telling me about?"

       "...Yes sir."

       "Hmph. Well, I'll let Hyeshin show you where to clean up, just don't waste any more of her time. She's already wasted enough with her injuries."

       Eunseung narrowed her eyes. Injuries were a part of life. Making sure they were completely healed for the next fight was inevitable. Waste? More like a time to reflect and see how you could've done better. To gain some humility, as well. The great Hyejin Pak learned that lesson too late... if she even learned it at all.

       "Don't mind Coach," Hyeshin advised, amused at Eunseung's evidently evident annoyance. "He means well. Just doesn't know how to express his worry."

       "Ah... Ok. You urged the coach to have Minam come and get me, though... And he couldn't have come and gotten me before my little... disagreement. Why am I-"

       "Later," Hyeshin dismissed, pointing to a pile of clothes. "Get washed and change into the green track suit. Then we talk."

       Eunseung opened her mouth slightly to argue, but realized how uncomfortably sticky she was. Plus, it was stupid to argue about something like that. She closed her mouth again and nodded, walking over and grabbing the folded clothes. Then she followed Hyeshin out of the boxing room.

       Down the stairs to the second floor, left turn out of the staircase, first right in the hall, and the sign is there... Eunseung noted.

       "Alright, I'll leave you now," Hyeshin announced. "If you're not in the boxing room in less than twenty minutes though, I'll send someone down."

       Eunseung nodded and Hyeshin left, walking into the quiet shower room. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, noticing her dark circles in contrast to her sickly-pale face. Her cheekbones and jawline were slight but definite, nose miraculously only somewhat crooked from a break that never healed properly—and only if you looked for it. Eunseung shook her head. She was wasting what little time she had to shower... to look at herself. Wasteful.