Stronger || PJM

Ch1: Here Goes Nothing

Jimin lets out a groan, his back colliding with the wall behind him. He keeps his teeth clenched as the guy in front of him aims a punch at his abdomen. Jimin grunts and hunches over, racking his brains for a way out of this, but in the heat of the moment and the unbearable pain in his body, he does a move without thinking, and lifts his leg to knee the guy in the groin.

It works, the guy falling to the ground and cursing loudly, and the small smile that adorns Jimin's face falls quickly when the guy's two other friends come at him, one holding his arms and twisting them behind his back as the other hits him in the face, screaming profanities and insults.

It has been this way forever. Bullies coming at Jimin and him fighting back for the first few seconds before they tackle him and hit him harder. He considered not fighting back many times, but it made him feel horrible. He brought the bullying to himself, and so can he get rid of it. He's the only one who can save himself and he knows it, but it never works. Maybe it's because they're stronger, hitting gyms and all. Maybe it's because they're three and he's only one. Or maybe Jimin is just weak and can't fight back, and that is the truth.

It doesn't even bother his family anymore when he walks in with bruises and cuts on his body. There's his father, who hasn't been the same for a very long time and they only meet once a week or so when Mr.Park remembers he actually has a life back home instead of the office he locks himself in. There's his brother, Jihyun, who's actually a nuisance. Well, not so much. He's just an annoying ellemantry school kid who always somehow manages to get Jimin on his nerves.

And then there's Jimin's step-mother, also Jihyun's mother. She is, in fact, the only person whose eyes soften when Jimin walks in with a purple eye and a limp, but she's, in fact, too, the only person Jimin doesn't consider family.

Jimin walks home this day, this time limping, too, but it's not his leg. It's the throbbing pain in his abdomen and ribs. The bruise on his cheek doesn't really bother him as much.

He opens the door and walks in, shutting it behind him and taking off his shoes before walking in further.

A laughter emits from his so-called brother as the little boy leans over and clutches his stomach, a mocking finger pointing at Jimin.

"You got hit again!" Jihyun yells with enthusiasm, chuckling in amusement.

"Jihyun!" His mother comes out of the bedroom, glaring at her son before she glances at Jimin, smiling.

"How was your day, dear?" She asks with a smile.

Jimin rolls his eyes. "What does it look like?"

And with that, he walks to his bedroom, locking the door and throwing his backpack in a corner. He takes off his uniform blazer and lifts up his white dress shirt, taking in the ugly bruise on his rib. Oh no. If he broke a rib it won't be good. Not at all.

His dance instructor would yell at him again, calling him reckless and stupid, and "How will you perform at the show like this?!".

Sometimes he feels like giving up dancing, but yet again, Jimin isn't a quitter, and if he starts something, he'll finish it. He loves dancing, no matter how much his bullies make fun of him for it, because ballet and contemporary are for girls. Or so they say. Sure, the feeling of being looked down upon because he's a boy dancing a girly dance bothered him, but only when he was a kid, when he'd go back home crying because they threw sticky pink glitter on him or pushed him in the hallway.

But it was long gone now. Jimin has grown more confident of his dancing. He loves dancing, especially contemporary, and he simply doesn't care anymore what the kids at school think. It hurts to be thrown with a sanitary pad and kicked in the ass almost every single day, but it wasn't a reason for Jimin to quit dancing. He loves it way too much.

He wants the bullying to stop. Scratch that. He needs the bullying to stop. Not only for his dance competition performance, but for him, too. So with a determined sigh, Jimin pulls open his laptop, and searches for places that teach fighting.

There are a few decent places, but most are expensive. Not that Jimin can't afford it, but he feels like he's spending too much for his dance lessons, and he doesn't want his dad overworking himself more than he already is. Plus, to master fighting, Jimin needs time, and he doesn't have much of that.

He stumbles upon a website. People chat about the best fighting instructors, and the conversation goes on and on, until someone mentions the best MMA teacher I've ever met. Jimin asks about that teacher, and learns to know that Lee had been an underground fight club champion, winning many belts and trophies, and if you want to learn fighting good and quick, Lee is the best.

However, the person also says that sadly, Lee has stopped participating in illegal fights and stopped teaching, too. Jimin doesn't care, and gets the address of Lee's place, where he used to teach fighting.

He heads to his dance lessons the next thing, letting his teacher's words go in one ear and come out of the other as he warms up, ignoring the pounding pain in his ribs.

The lesson doesn't last long, with his instructor extremely mad and Jimin a little unmotivated, so he leaves a little earlier, and takes this as a chance to finally go to Lee.

He goes to the address he got from the internet, and stands still in front of some rusty metal door. He steps forward and knocks.

Here goes nothing.

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A/N: it's been a year yall

I really wanted to make an interesting prologue to keep yall hooked cuz I know the first few chapters are boring but I literally had no idea what to write

Tell me what you think :3

Stay hydrated, don't skip meals and meds or I'll personally come and hunt you uwu

-Fae