The Hidden Card || NCT MAFIA

Chapter thirty-four: Lose to better win

"Go."

At Taeyong's signal, Mark and Iseul began circling around the mat, observing each other. There was no trace of anger or bitterness in their eyes, but a spark of competitiveness.

Mark even had the audacity to playfully wink at her before going for her legs.

Iseul hadn't expected him to dive so quick, and, taken by surprise, she fell with the back of her head violently hitting the mat under her. Mark took advantage of her position to secure her legs, while sitting on top of her.
Out of reflex, Jaemin instinctively moved forward, but Renjun's hand on his sleeve made him stop in his tracks. He nodded, a worried look on his face, and went back to his place next to his brothers.

From the other side of the circle they were forming, he looked at his leader, who seemed deep in thought. His eyes were focused on the fight on front of them, and Jaemin was expecting to catch sight of some kind of worry in them, however, it seemed like Taeyong was waiting for something.

When Iseul suddenly rolled over, reversing the position Mark and her were in, Jaemin understood. Taeyong really trusted Iseul's abilities.

The Ace clearly didn't expect Iseul to react so fast after the fall, and she used it to her advantage, just like he had done earlier. She grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. With only one arm left and his face on the ground, Mark was almost stuck.

The boys around them cheered, some of them more surprised than some others. For most of them, this was a first, they had never seen Iseul fight, let alone witnessed Mark having his ass kicked.

Before she could claim victory, though, the young man used all the strength he had in his lower body to push her away from him. As Iseul fell back, she also let go of his arm and Mark didn't waste any time getting up. He tried to punch the girl with his fist, drops of sweat running down his forehead. Iseul ducked, dodging the attack, and tried to kick him in the face with her foot.

It could have worked, if only Mark wasn't such a great fighter -he was the Ace, after all- and he saw it coming way before Iseul's foot even left the ground. He anticipated her movements with a clear precision, and blocked her kick, grabbing her ankle. He used her own strength against her, and with a swift move of his hands, Mark twisted Iseul's ankle midair, causing her to lose her balance and hit the ground, once more.

Some members cheered again, clearly enjoying the nice fight taking place in front of them, while some others remained silent, too baffled by the level of talent Mark and Iseul were demonstrating.

"Iseul's really good," Hendery whispered, earning a nod from Xiaojun.

"She really is."

Jeno stood next to the two, and a faint smile full of pride appeared on his face for a second. They were both right, but Jeno knew it was only a matter of time before Iseul lost to Mark. No one could win against him; they all lost eventually.

It's not that he didn't have faith in the girl, far from it, he just knew his brother's abilities. Besides, Iseul was already better than half of NCT against the Ace.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jeno tried to study Taeyong's face. He seemed focus, completely absorbed by the fight, but he knew that his leader was impressed by Iseul's skills. She was struggling against Mark's tight grip on her, and she let out a sigh when Taeyong's voice echoed in the large basement.

"That's enough."

His voice, though it wasn't really loud, was amplified by the echo in the room and covered the cheers of the members. They all calmed down, and Mark let got of his grip on Iseul, getting up.

He smiled warmly at her and extended a hand to help her stand up. She gladly accepted it, not really trusting her own body after such an exhausting fight. Once she was up, she gripped Mark's arm, pretty sure her legs would let her down the second she let go. The boy didn't seem to bother, even though Iseul could notice the fast rising of his chest as he discreetly tried to catch his breath.

She smiled a little at herself. Mark was strong, but she had managed to make him sweat. Maybe Jeno and Jaemin were right. Maybe she was pretty good, after all.

Judging by the members' facial expressions, they seemed to share her opinion.

"That was..." Kun began, baffled by what he had witnessed.

"Awesome!" Lucas cheered, a large smile illuminating his face.

Iseul chuckled but stopped a second later when the sound of someone clapping reached her ears. Mark and her turned around, only to find Taeyong smiling at them. The others were quick to follow, and soon, the basement was filled with cheers and applause.

Iseul smiled, but she grew confused by the second.

"I don't get it," she whispered to Mark, still smiling. "You won, I lost."

Mark smiled back, a hint of mischief in his dark eyes, "I might have won the fight, but you won something else. You earned their respect."

Iseul's smile grew larger.

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Sorry, that's a very quick and not so interesting chapter, more to come tomorrow!!