A bead of sweat trickled down her brow as she rocked back and forth. It had been some time since she had felt her own strength as it was in its natural element, free from any emotions. All that was on her mind was her training and the desire to put her skills to use. She paid no attention to the sweat glistening on her brow and instead lurched forward to meet her target. Pushing off from the ground with just the right amount of force, she went airborne and twisted her body to prepare a spinning back kick. As soon as her foot connected with the head of her target, she realized that she had used a little too much force, for a sickening tearing sound rippled through the empty dojo.

Juri touched down and sighed as she inspected the standing body-shaped training bag. Normally an indestructible pummeling bag, the effects of Juri's kicks had proved too much for it to stand against. The woman sneered when she saw sand trickle down from a gaping tear in the body bag's neck. On one hand, she always got a kick out of destroying something that was practically indestructible, but on the other, the body bag belonged to her and would have to be replaced, meaning it would have to come out of her purse instead of S.I.N.'s coffers.

"Well damn," she cursed as she took the body bag and laid it down on its side. She rubbed the tear in its neck and gazed over her shoulder. "Mrs. Tong? Do you have any duct-tape?"

The elderly woman looked up from her brooming and dusting and murmured.

"There should be a roll in the office. Try the desk." She huffed and ruffled a strand strand of white hair out from the side of her face. "Juri, it would be better to sew the scar up."

"Like stitches?" Juri asked. She moved past the older woman and into the office only to return with a roll of duct tape. "I fought with stitches once. It was awful. I don't imagine it would be much better for the bag."

"What makes you believe that duct tape will succeed where sewing fails?"

"Simple. I put a few strips over a bad gash one time and everything was fine." Juri's face fell at Mrs. Tong's look of concern. She sighed as she tore out a strip for the body bag's tear. "Oh come on, I'm kidding!"

"You've got a strange sense of humor," Tong murmured. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to her sweeping. "I learn something new about Han's daughter every day..."

Juri looked on and smiled at this. It had been a few weeks since the woman had made her less-than-triumphant return to South Korea, to her hometown of Seoul, and already she was making a better name for herself. So many people expected a conflict to flare up between her and the community, but the woman kept her distance and held her tongue against the silent judgements of the people. Juri stayed out of the public eye and made it clear that she meant no trouble to the citizens of Seoul and they realized the feeling was mutual. In turn, plenty of citizens began to ease into their roles and no longer worried so much about the spider making a web in their district. Though there were always naysayers and skeptics about, so far the Korean woman was doing just fine.

So fine, in fact, that Juri had managed to gather all the paperwork required to start up old man Tong's dojo. She went to city hall and other places to apply for permits and prove her worth as a teacher of the martial arts. In any other country Juri wouldn't have much trouble starting a dojo, but here she was back in South Korea, the heart of taekwondo and self-defense martial arts. The requirements and work needed to become a dojo owner were difficult and tedious. After running through half a dozen pens and a couple pots of coffee, Juri managed to get all her information and papers together. She could now teach children how to defend themselves as well as other age groups.

The victory was short-lived, however, when Kyung Song stopped in to congratulate Juri on her success. To an onlooker, the exchange would be empowering, uplifting, and kind coming from someone who already had an established dojo. The man clearly was looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with a fellow owner, and their respective dojos would fare well in the coming days due to friendly competition. But to Juri, one of the few people who really knew what was going on, she saw Kyung's congratulations as belittling. He mocked her, challenged her, and saw her as a defanged snake. Nobody noticed this but Juri, and she was furious.

Competition was in her blood. She was a taekwondo prodigy and she would not be upstaged by some talentless hack with deep pockets and a pack of little pups swarming around his ankles. Juri soon lost sight of her previous desire to help kids defend themselves and survive in the world. It was still one of her goals, but now she wanted to see Kyung's wolfish grin turn upside down when her class beat the everliving daylights out of his. Unlike during her time in S.I.N. or in free-for-all fights behind closed doors, Juri was in the public eye, and she needed to adhere to something worse than ideals or societal norms.

Juri, the irrepressible force, had to play by the rules.

"In hindsight, beating up the body bags before the first day of class wasn't the best idea," Juri mumbled as she applied a thick strip to the tear. She ran her hand over the strip and eased out any creases before repeating the process a few more times. "Maybe I should buy tan tape next time. A kid'll see this and think 'I'm next'!"

"A teacher who practices the art every day and shows an eagerness to learn new things is very inviting for new students," Tong said. She finished up with her tidying up and replaced the brooms and dustpans. "Jin always practiced before and after classes."

"That's right. I hardly saw him without his dobok on," Juri replied.

"Yours fits very well, despite your... Ahem, creative improvements."

Juri's first thought for her professional taekwondo attire was to wear what she always wore. Yet in a setting where there were children and normal citizens, wearing a sinister breastplate that showed off her midriff along with a set of cut-away baggy trousers wasn't the best choice. Juri put aside her breastplate and spiked bracelets, but she refused to part with her trousers or belt. To appease the old woman who she now saw as her advisor, Juri took black cloth and patched up her white pants until they were to her own liking. She kept her gloves and black wrappings as well, and with her new dobok top, she looked like any sensei should.

Regrettably, Juri had to tone down her hair as well. It was an outright travesty, but it had to be done so people wouldn't see her as the woman of S.I.N. anymore. Instead of her usual devilish horns, the woman kept her hair back in a simple ponytail, at least for now until people no longer were unnerved by the previous style.

"I like the skull belt."

"Wouldn't your black belt suffice?"

"I like the skull belt," Juri repeated. She stood up from her work and massaged her gloved fingers. "Besides, I'm an instructor now. That means I have a black belt, and I doubt anyone's gonna doubt that. Some people like Kyung like to have their belts hanging out with their trophies on display, as if they have to prove something. Me? I don't care for that crap."

What the woman liked to forget was that she kept all of her old taekwondo trophies and put them up on display in her home. Tong, ever the wise old woman, chose not to reply to that.

"Well, everything is in order for the day. You may want to see about getting extra help, Juri," Tong remarked. "Many hands make light work, and honestly, I don't see myself tending to the dojo for much longer. It's yours now, in spirit and deed."

"I don't plan on making you work at all," Juri retorted with a chuckle. She looked over at Tong with a warm smile. "You're like, the only person in this city who I can stand. You don't have to work if you don't want to. It may be my dojo now, but you're always welcome to stagger in here and see what's up."

"Thank you, Juri." Tong sat down on one of the benches against the walls and laid her head back. She gave a wrinkled grin. "But I'd much rather see the children come back to the dojo. You don't mind if I stay for your class, do you?"

"No no, not at all!" Juri went around to the various body bags and pushed them off the mats and against the walls. She made sure that the five taekwondo tenets on the walls were visible before realizing that she was as ready as she could be. "I don't get it. The kids should be here soon, but I d-"

"Excuse me, but is this the Taekwondo Academy?"

Juri looked to the entrance of the dojo and noticed a few kids were poking their heads in. Behind them were adults, most likely their parents or guardians. A prim and proper office lady stood behind a pair of scruffy-looking munchkins and seemed to speak for the group, for she was the only adult who came inside with the children. She asked the question again and Juri nodded. Soon enough there came the rest of the would-be students and their parents. They glanced up at Juri every so often as they prattled about and got a feel for the dojo.

A week ago, Juri had made her rounds in the city blocks with a stack of flyers and papers promoting her dojo. She plastered them over lightposts, buildings, anything she could find that would highlight her new business. She focused most of her attention towards the poorer districts and in residential blocks, though she did dip into the heart of Seoul every once in a while to cover up Kyung's flyers. It didn't hurt to have a few kids from commercial families bunched in with the working class. After all, Juri herself came from a well-off family, and instead of wanting to become a banker or an office worker, she decided she wanted to fight.

The possibility of finding kindred spirits amongst the children gathered was pretty damn low. Juri looked over at what she had and deduced that the youngest child was seven, and the oldest was around fourteen. Each kid looked the same in her mind, no matter if they were boy or girl. It would be their determination that would differentiate themselves from each other. There were rough and ragged boys, prim and proper girls, oblivious little sprouts and obnoxious tricksters, and they were all Juri's problem now. I must be so blessed, Juri thought with a frown as she looked on at a chubby boy picking his nose.

The pickings weren't all that bad when there were around twenty students. Juri noticed that the two kids from the alley fight, Hyun and Seok, were present with a parent of their own. They looked nervous, but eager to learn something new.

"Alright, yeah. I guess this is everybody for now," Juri murmured. She produced a clipboard and held it under her arm as she gestured to herself. "Glad you all could make it. My name's Juri Han and I'll be the instructor for this term."

Han's reputation preceded her. After explaining what she expected out of the students as well as elaborating on what her personal goals were, a few parents got the impression that the woman was not the type of person they wanted to leave with their children. These closed-minded people became defensive and refused to see that Juri meant well. They took their children and left while hitting a solid blow against the woman's ego. Fortunately, only a fifth of the people left, leaving the rest dumbfounded.

Registration was a key part of any martial art school. Juri enforced a reasonable fee for the term that took into account medical materials, dojo supplies, refreshments, and the occasional field trip, though she was shooting for the stars on the last two. Her fee was costly, yes, but it was much better than whatever Kyung Song charged, so the parents were relieved. In fact, many of the parents were delighted that someone had breathed life into old man Tong's dojo once more, and the fact that Juri was once a student under his wing helped cement their respect. She was still on thin ice, but she could see that there were some people rooting for her and expecting great things out of her time with new students.

After registering new students, Juri spent the rest of the class period getting the children and parents acquainted with herself, the dojo, and the equipment. She made sure to tell them all that getting hurt was a given and that they were most likely going to learn some things that weren't taught in traditional taekwondo classes. Juri wasn't going to play by the book for the most part, but she would stay within the guidelines and values expected of her. There were no objections to this. The children, while a little unnerved by their new sensei, were eager to learn. That, or they just wanted to be able to knock out a bully with a well-aimed kick.

"Excuse me, Han-sensei?" asked a little girl as she raised her hand.

Juri looked over at the girl and glowered. She wasn't sure why, but she hated being called 'sensei'. Sure, she liked being in charge and letting others know that, but when it came from the lips of a child, Juri couldn't help but shudder in disgust. It would have to do for now, at least until Juri came up with a better title for herself.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Are there grades? How do we, uh... What exactly do we have to do to pass the class?"

"There aren't any grades. This isn't school or college," Juri huffed. She looked over at the kids and shook her head. "Look, I'm not asking for much here. If you want to succeed, you'll have to want it. Each of you must be willing to give their all. I don't want to hear that you can't do something because it's too hard. Nothing is too hard, okay?" Juri leaned into the little girl. "So, when you go to class tomorrow, I expect you all to keep training until you can't get back up. Do you understand?"

The little girl nodded, as did some of the other children. Hyun and Seok understood very well after the event in the alley, and Juri had high hopes for them. Well, Hyun more than the cowardly Seok. Juri stood up straighter and ran her hands down to her hips. So far things were going well, but now came the hard part. It was time for philosophy, or rather, the philosophy of taekwondo as it was summarized in an oath and the five tenets. The new sensei walked onto the blue mat and beckoned the children to follow her, which they did like sluggish ducklings following after mother goose.

"Before I let you go for the day, there's one thing you have to do before I consider you my students," Juri stated. She folded her arms across her chest and glanced over at Mrs. Tong for reassurance before taking a deep breath. "You must all take an oath."

"What kind of an oath?" Hyun asked, voicing the question on the minds of many of her peers.

"This dojo operates on the standards set by the ITF, so it's a mandatory one," Juri explained. She lifted her hand to the wall behind her where the five tenets were. "Now... Repeat after me. I shall observe the tenets of taekwondo. I shall respect the instructor and seniors. I shall never misuse taekwondo. I shall be a champion of freedom and justice. I shall build a more peaceful world."

Juri suppressed the urge the scowl as she relayed the oath. It was a good philosophy and encouraged people to better themselves while being peaceful towards others, yet it was one Juri could not follow. She had taken the oath before when she was young and had adhered to it as much as she can. When she grew up and became rebellious, Juri broke her oath with her constant fighting and disrespect. It would be during her time in S.I.N. that she abandoned all hope of adhering to the oath that she broke time and time again. It was ironic that she was teaching this to children.

The children echoed Juri after her every sentence and followed her to the tenets written on the walls. Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and an indomitable spirit. These were the tenets to be observed and strived for by all practitioners of taekwondo. Juri made sure that everyone read the tenets and stuck around to explain the parts of the oath that went right over the heads of some of the children. She doubted that she could be a great teacher when she couldn't adhere to the oath, but when she looked at the children and parents around her, she realized that she didn't have to make such an effort to do so.

Do as I say, not as I do.

"I'll see you all here tomorrow at three o'clock. If you have any questions, I'll be here for a few more hours," Juri said.

Soon most of the parents and students left the dojo and left Juri alone with her thoughts. She felt a mixture of relief and unease at how the day had gone. On the one hand, she was happy that there were enough potential students to have a good term, and that their parents were open-minded about her. Juri would be a good example and would teach what she could about taekwondo and more. On the other hand, she was nervous about the future and how she would handle being around children. She had made her choice to help them, but children were always so... Needy, annoying, and insolent at times.

A few parents continued to talk or encourage their children before heading out. Juri could hear a few of their conversations and picked up that they were talking about her. Though she wasn't in S.I.N. anymore, people were still wary of the woman, as they should be. The spider shrugged at this and went to share a few words with Mrs. Tong, who, for the most part, was very impressed with how she handled all the information and answered questions to the best of her ability. She did not showboat by showcasing her skills to the children, and neither did she try to intimidate them.

Juri was delighted to call it a day, but before she could do so, she noticed Hyun and Seok loitering around.

"Oh it's you two. What's up?"

"Can I use one of the body bags?" Hyun asked as she brandished her fists.

"And can I practice on the mat?" Seok asked.

"Sure kids. Knock yourselves out," Juri said with a wave of her hand. She looked on as the two pranced onto the large mat and dragged a body bag with them. "Heh... Crap, I'm going to be busy..."

Mrs. Tong appeared next to Juri with a cup of tea in her wrinkled hands. She offered it to Juri, but the woman declined with a smile. It was going to be a busy term for the new instructor, one filled with crying children, sprained ankles, bloody scrapes, and petty fights. These weren't chiseled and built kids from Kyung's class. All of these kids were like anyone else, and they had as many strengths as they had faults. Juri would have her hands full, but as long as she had the advice of the old wife of her beloved mentor, she figured she would be fine.

"You know... This might just be fun in the long run," Juri confessed. She waved her hand over the mat and chuckled. "Behold! My army of children!"

"Just be yourself, but more than that, be sensitive to their needs," Tong replied. "I know you'll do well."

"Yeah, I got a feeling I'll do alright. We'll see when class starts tom-"

"Han-sensei?" came Hyun's startled voice. "I uh..."

Juri looked up and noticed Hyun had knocked over a body bag. Sand was trickling down from a gash in the bag's neck despite the strips of duct tape keeping it closed. Juri shook her head and growled in disgust as Tong laughed beside her.