Warning: this chap may hit you in the feels a little. I think it played out like a cheesy soap opera though lol.
There wasn't a second wasted between Hwoarang and Julia as the two of them hopped onto Hwoarang's motorcycle and took off down the street in a flash. Right now there was a whirlwind of emotions swirling around Hwoarang's head...mainly guilt. Did he really cause this? What if Baek was critically injured, or worse...dying? Suddenly, Hwoarang had a lot of things to reconsider; his anger is what drove him to this point. If this was what he was capable of doing to Baek... what if he hurt Julia one day?
The motorcycle skidded to a halt in the parking lot of the hospital as Hwoarang and Julia leaped off and sped into the building as fast as humanly possible.
Hwoarang approached the front desk and didn't bother with pleasantries as he immediately blurted out
"WHERE'S MASTER BAEK?!"
"He's in room 20b." the receptionist said. Those were the only words that needed to be shared as Julia and Hwoarang sped down the hallways and pinpointed Baek's location.
"Please be okay...please be okay..." Hwoarang continued to mutter. It's true that he didn't agree with Baek much, but he didn't want to see the man who raised him die!
"Right there, Hwo!" Julia pointed. There it was: room 20b. Baek was in there, right now, possibly dying. Just the thought of it made Hwoarang scared to put his hand on the doorknob. As his hand quivered, a warm gentle hand reached over and grabbed it.
"It's okay, Hwo... I'm here for you." Julia said softly. The two of them locked eyes for a second as Hwoarang gulped and prepared to confront his master for the first time since that violent morning.
With a silent count to three, Hwoarang opened the door and the two of them walked inside. There, laying in bed hooked up to IV tubes, was his master. His breathing was extremely wheezy, and he let out a cough or two every few seconds.
"M-Master Baek!" Hwoarang cried. He ran up to the bed and approached Baek, who turned and looked at him.
"Ah...H-Hwoarang... you came..." he wheezed. As he said those words, a few more violent coughs escaped his throat.
"Oh God, Baek... what have I done? What have I done?" Hwoarang sobbed as he grabbed his head and shook violently.
"It's not your fault, my boy." Baek coughed. "The truth is, I am to blame. I acted in a manner unbefitting of a sensei when I attacked you. Hwoarang... please forgive me."
"Aw Baek, it's not your fault. I was being an asshole." Hwoarang replied, scratching his head.
"Yes, yes you were." Baek agreed with a smile.
"The thing is, Baek, I mean, master... well... dammit, I'm not like you okay?! I'm not gonna grow up to be some great master like you are! So why do you have to push me so hard? I just wanna have fun in life!"
Baek coughed a few times as he lifted his arm and put it on Hwoarang's shoulder. "Ah, Hwoarang... you're still so young. I've tried and tried to lead you down an honest path, but you just aren't willing to follow me. You'd rather go out and get into brawls, and race that motorcycle of yours down the highway and put people in danger."
"But it's what I enjoy!"
"That's a life that will only lead you to despair. Hwoarang, I don't want to see you get hurt or arrested. I want you to be a strong, upstanding person. Someone that people look up to and respect. But most importantly... I want you to learn responsibility."
"But... I just can't." Hwoarang said bluntly, looking down.
"You CAN. You're just not willing to. Hwoarang... the reason I punish you so much is because you've shown me just how unwilling you are to do right. You never get along with the other students, despite being the most experienced and someone that they should be able to look up to. You never take care of the dojo, the place of my family's legacy and the place you lay your head down at night. You're just... you're such a rebellious little cretin!"
Baek's outburst caused him to start coughing a bit more violently than before as he sat up in the bed and clutched his chest. Julia got behind him and rubbed his back as Baek wheezed in a vain effort to catch his breath.
"Hah...hah... I'm s-sorry f-for that outburst. Hwoarang... the truth is... I've failed you as a sensei and as a father. There's...nothing more...I can do... for you..."
"B-Baek?" Hwoarang said, the worry very apparent in his tone.
"Except...for one thing. It's all... I have left. It's my last ditch effort... at teaching you how to act like a grownup. Hwoarang... I may not sound like it but I still believe in you. That's why...I...I'm g-giving you..."
"Giving me what?!"
"...the dojo."
"WH-WHAT?!"
Baek coughed and hacked as he reached over and forcefully grabbed Hwoarang's hand.
"Listen to me, boy! You are my greatest... s-student! You're the closest thing I have to a son. That's why it has to be you! I'm tired, my boy... I can't keep doing this for the rest of my life. When the two of us fought and you landed that blow, that's when I realized that my time is up. I have to hang up my gi and... p-pass things on to the new generation.
"But Baek! I don't want to!" Hwoarang cried, tears forming in his eyes. "I can't do it, dammit! I'm not like you! I'm not a leader!"
"Y-you ARE... w-well you can learn to be. Hwoarang... forgive me for what I'm doing... but you don't have a choice. You're... a part of my legacy... whether you like it or not..."
"NO! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"
"Heh heh heh... I'm sorry Hwoarang but that's the way it has to be. The students will look to you now for guidance... the dojo is yours to take care of and run on a daily basis. You may not like it, but... this will be the best experience of your life. It will...make you...a better...person..."
Baek coughed and hacked a few more times as he placed both hands on the teary eyed Hwoarang.
"It's all yours now, my boy. Consider this my official retirement, hahahaha..."
Baek's eyes closed as he leaned back against the pillow and let out a long, labored breath. Hwoarang and Julia were full on crying now as Hwoarang threw himself against his master's body.
"NOOOOO! DON'T LEAVE ME MASTER! I'M SORRY FOR EVERYTHING! PLEASE DON'T DIEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Suddenly, Baek's eyes reopened and he angrily smacked Hwoarang across the head.
"I'M NOT DYING, you snot nosed little nuisance!"
Hwoarang and Julia just stood there awkwardly for a second, avoiding eye contact with the obviously angry Baek who now realized they were counting down the seconds until he was out of their lives for good.
"Seriously, did you think a broken sternum was going to kill me? I still have a good 50 years to enjoy a life of retirement, hahahahahahaha!"
"Oh, uh... s-sorry, Baek." they both said in unison, now embarrassed that they were writing Baek off so quickly.
Baek coughed a few times before continuing. "Anyways... I have faith in you Hwoarang. All I ask is that you do a good job preserving OUR legacy. It's all up to you now."
"Yeah... great." Hwoarang said flatly.
"So what will you do now, Master Baek?" Julia asked.
"Hmmm... well, master Wang told me about this kickass retirement home that he's staying at now in America. It's got a pool, golf, tv... and the nurses all wear tight ass pants. I might just go there."
"Oh that's just great. Put all the burden on me and leave the country, huh?!" Hwoarang snapped.
"Oh come on, boy. You can still call me if you need advice. But aside from that, this is a job that you must do on your own. I can't hold your hand anymore, Hwoarang. It's time you stepped up and took a little responsibility for once in your life."
"Grrrr... maybe I should have finished the job back there..." Hwoarang mumbled. He immediately received an elbow to the gut, courtesy of Julia.
"Hwo, be nice!"
"Welp, if you don't mind, I'd really like to eat now. Hey, did you know that there's a Marshall China still open in Korea? Who'da thought?!" Baek said happily.
"Oh, whatever. Go ahead and stuff your face, old man. I hope you choke on it!" Hwoarang yelled, before turning around and storming out of the room.
"H-hwo! Ummm it's nice to see you're okay, Master Baek. Bye!" Julia said with a smile as she hurried after Hwoarang.
Outside in the parking lot, Hwoarang temper had flared back up big time. He was so angry, he was ready to kick the first thing he saw. A discarded beer bottle was the unfortunate victim of his wrath as Hwoarang kicked it with all of his might.
"DAMN THAT MAN!"
Julia put her arms around Hwoarang and pressed her cheek against his to console him.
"How could he do this to me? He knows I don't want to follow in his footsteps, so he decides to retire and put it all on me?! How f**ing selfish can one guy be?!"
"Hwo, shut your mouth!" Julia yelled, letting go of him. "Don't you call him selfish! That man took you in and raised you when no one else would. He trained you and taught you everything you know. He fed you and kept you sleeping in a warm bed. Hell, he kept you out of jail when you deserted the military! All he asks in return is that you look after the dojo that's been a part of his family for decades!"
Hwoarang fell to his knees and banged his fist on the concrete. "But... what if I screw up?!"
His eyes shut tight as Julia witnessed one tear roll down his cheek. She leaned down and pulled Hwoarang close to her, hugging him tight.
"I...I didn't ask for this." he said, his voice breaking. "It's not fair... why do I have to be the one? Why me? I don't know anything about being a teacher. I... what if I let him down?"
"You'll rise to the occasion, Hwo." Julia whispered. "Sometimes, people are put in a stressful situation that they're not equipped to deal with. But it's in those moments that people find strength they didn't know they had. Hwo... you have to find your strength now. It's time to grow up."
Hwoarang didn't say a word for a good long while as he sat there in the parking lot and thought about everything that had happened. His entire life was twisted in an instant; for so long he woke up in the morning and only thought about where he would go start a fight or what sweet ramp he would jump off of or when he would go visit Julia. But now he had to worry about what bills to pay, what lessons to teach, what belts to give... it was all overwhelming to him.
"Julia... please stay with me tonight." Hwoarang said softly, his hands trembling. Julia gave a warm smile and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Of course. Just close the dojo for today and the two of us will stay together and think about things. Okay?"
"Yeah... that sounds good. Thank you Julia..."
The two of them hopped back on Hwoarang's motorcycle and drove back to Baek's dojo. As the two of them walked in, the first thing Hwoarang laid eyes on was the broken window. Now it was HIS responsibility to pay for the repairs. All of it was his now: the punching bags, the dummies, even that damned red oak wood that he had kicked so many times in the past.
With a deep breath, Hwoarang changed the OPEN sign to CLOSED. He turned to Julia, who took his hand with a warm smile.
"Now... why don't we go take your mind off of things for a while?"
Hwoarang happily took Julia's hand as the two of them went to his room to put his mind at ease about the whole situation. But Hwoarang feared that right now, even Julia's love couldn't be enough to release the stress that was currently plaguing him. No doubt, tonight would be the first of many sleepless nights.