Fighting

Carefully, Shinwoo observed his opponent for a moment, using the luxury of those three meters between them to assess his next move. He could hear Ikhan shift slightly from a safe distance behind him as he pressed himself further against the wall. Shinwoo didn't turn his head to confirm his assumptions. Instead, he steadied his footing.

He had to bring the other man down. He had tried rather violently to do that for the last several minutes. Or was it hours? Shinwoo couldn't tell, but he was growing weary. Sweat already drenched his shirt. His opponent wasn't even breathing hard as if he was by all rights somehow stronger than he should be. Shinwoo scowled, ignoring the few painful bruises that he already carried, and shifted his foot slightly before rushing at his opponent again.

He feinted a jab with his left hand only to bring up his right hand to hit the rib cage of his opponent, but the man swiftly took a miniscule step aside, moving no than necessary. His firm hand pushed down Shinwoo's fist, bringing him too near to his opponent for Shinwoo's liking. But instead of faltering and jumping back, he let his hand be guided down and used the force of his opponent's movement to hide his next attack. In a fluid motion that seemed more like faltering than attacking, Shinwoo raised his leg to a kick. Even if it wouldn't bring him down, it would leave his challenger dazed for a few valuable seconds.

To his surprise, his foot didn't connect with his opponent's jaw. Instead he felt an iron grip tighten around his ankle, keeping it elevated only centimeters away from the other man's face and leaving Shinwoo standing unbalanced on one foot. Before he could react, Shinwoo felt himself completely lose his balance as his opponent swept his other leg out from under his body with a swift motion of his foot. He would fall hard with no way to smooth the fall, and closing his eyes, he inwardly prepared himself for the crash. A sharp tug on his leg, still in the hold of the other man, surprised him but took the brunt of the fall. The impact against the floor was bearable. It didn't even really hurt, but it drove the air out off his lungs.

A bit dazed, Shinwoo felt the grip around his ankle loosen, and he heard not only his opponent move towards him but also Ikhan. Damn, he didn't want to end up this helpless on the floor! He should have done better. As he snapped his eyes open again, he saw two faces hovering over him. There was a frantic Ikhan, asking him if he was alright, and a silent man with lines of concern furrowing his forehead under the grey hair.

Shinwoo huffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm alright."

Ikhan stopped his urgent questions about his well being, but the concerned look didn't leave either his or Ajussi's faces. Shinwoo refrained from rolling his eyes again and instead sat up, attempting to ignore the hands that tried to help him with that petty task.

"You didn't hurt your head?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine. You just surprised me," Shinwoo tried to reassure the older male who was still on the floor beside him. Unlike Ikhan who was kneeling, Ajussi crouched in a position he could easily jump up from. Even in the training room of his own house, he seemed highly alert. Did that man ever relax? No, Ajussi was relaxed except for the still lingering worry in his eyes. Shinwoo could see no tense muscles, frantic glances, or other signs of nervousness. The alert manner seemed to have been driven into his behavior deeply for him to do it unconsciously. No surprise Shinwoo couldn't land a single blow on that man.

"That last kick was good."

The unexpected praise let Shinwoo forget his ungraceful posture on the floor immediately, and his face lit up. The grey-haired man in front of him had a demure smile on his face now as he stood, and before Shinwoo could make any movements to stand up on his own, the other man held out a hand towards him. This time the teenager gripped it with his own right and let himself be pulled into a standing position.

"Such a forceful kick could render an opponent unconscious immediately," Ikhan observed into the silence.

A cold feeling crept up Shinwoo's spine. What if his feet would have connected with Ajussi's jaw or temple? He had been so engrossed in the sparring fight that he had lost all restraint. First he had only used half his force even though Ajussi had told him that he could go all out, but after no punch or kick connected with its targets, Shinwoo focused more on hitting and less on restraining his assaults. What if he had hurt the man? "I'm sorry, I really am. I should have thought about it."

For a moment, Ajussi looked confused. Then he did something unexpected; he laughed. He did it rarely under normal circumstances and now after being in danger? Perhaps his foot did connect with Ajussi's head after all? "I wouldn't have told you to fight without holding back if I hadn't been sure that I could handle it."

"But if I would have kicked..."

"Then it would be my own fault for not paying attention," Ajussi brushed Shinwoo's concern away with ease, not letting him finish his sentence.

"But still…"

"Ajussi knows what he's doing," Ikhan waved aside his worries. And, if Shinwoo was honest with himself, he actually believed it. The man perhaps wasn't the most talkative person, but everything he did seemed to be deliberate. He should know how much either of them could take.

Before they could resume their fight, the door to the corridor opened.

"It's almost time for dinner. If you want to eat with us, you should get ready."

Shinwoo disbelievingly looked at the headmaster's smiling face. They had been down here for such a long time? "But I don't want to stop, yet!"

He couldn't know if Ajussi ever would agree to another sparring fight. Even though Shinwoo was hungry and felt weary, he couldn't miss this opportunity to fight a stronger opponent, to learn. He was enjoying this but... Shinwoo glanced at the grey haired man with his best puppy dog eyes and met a calculated gaze which softened after a few moments.

"We can resume it another day."

If Ajussi said something, Shinwoo had learned, he really meant it. So he allowed himself a brilliant grin while nodding violently.

"Dinner," reminded Ikhan, directing the general attention back to the headmaster who was waiting at the door. Right, almost forgot that.

"And Shinwoo?"

The boy looked to the headmaster, giving him his full attention.

"Go, take a shower before coming up."

Shinwoo saluted while grinning brightly, still psyched from the adrenaline running through his blood after the sparring match. "Yes, sir!"

He heard Ikhan trying to stifle a chuckle behind him. Ajussi was smirking again but schooled his face into an unreadable mask as soon as the headmaster looked his way. Principal Lee only shook his head as if he was dealing with a bunch of misbehaving children before turning back around to the door to leave. Shinwoo grinned. He really could get used to this.