ALWAYS You: Swan's Shadow [YOONGI] (Book 3)

Chapter 4

"And fight!"

The ringmaster's voice was drowned out by the erupting shouts and cheers of the crowd.

The sound of the boxing bell clinged and clanged against Soo-ji's eardrums, a rush of wind hemmed in around her head as a heavy weight fist flew in all directions. Her head was the fist's target, eager to crunch Soo-ji's skull under its fingers.

But Soo-ji, too good and too skilled for such a brash knucklehead, saw all of it coming. His fist came at the left side of her head and Soo-ji instinctively ducked under his arm. His fist came from the right, she already dodged. She backed away from him, avoiding each of his blows with ease and composure.

"So the food I gave you at the store wasn't enough, kid?" The 7/11 man laughed, chasing Soo-ji around the boxing ring with a hail of punches. His beefy legs stalked towards her, each footstep sending a wave of earthquake across the platform as it readied to crush Soo-ji under his feet.

Soo-ji didn't answer him, focusing her attention on where his blows aimed next. With a powerful fist like his where Soo-ji could see his veins popping out from the bottom of his wrist all the way to his arms, she knew that if she came into contact with it, she would've been brain dead within seconds. At one point in this cat and mouse chase, she wondered how silly she looked to the spectators below, but Soo-ji never wanted trouble. She only ever intended to lose the match by defending herself until the ten minute mark was up, take the money and call it a day. She knew, confident and without a single doubt, that if she wanted to win this guy, he would've been on the floor within seconds from the sounding of the bell.

The clock ticked down. And at the corner of her eye, she could see Jackson Wang no longer sitting sluggishly bored at his chair. He watched her, with interest and curiosity, at how such a small measly girl like her could already last seven minutes when the others barely lasted two. At one point, she even caught him glancing at the clock, excited by the fact that she might just be the first one to make the ten minute mark.

"Oi, Black Swan," 7/11 yelled out to her, catching Soo-ji's full attention, "the time's almost up." he huffed and puffed, tired from the chasing. "A word of advice. You're meant to lose the fight to get the money in your name!"

"One minute left!" The ringmaster's voice boomed out across the speakers, "we might have our first draw!"

Like a ticking clockwork, Soo-ji's thoughts began to run havoc in her head. A draw would not do, she realised as much, and with the seconds ticking down, she locked her teeth together in a tight grip and made the ultimate choice.

Purposely lose the fight. Not fight back. Because every wound she would get would be worth it for the sake of her gang.

An uppercut punch, strong and catastrophic, slammed straight under Soo-ji's chin just as she closed her eyes.

She was instantly knocked backwards. Her free falling body slipped into an infinite stretch of silence as her legs gave way under her. In her hazy state of mind, Soo-ji couldn't exactly tell what happened to her next. She felt the back of her head slam into the ground, her teeth chattering inside her blood-filled mouth and a large weight pinning her down to the floor. Her eyes remained closed, but she could definitely feel blows after blows hailing down her head like raining thunder.

"Stop! STOP!" She heard Yeonjun's voice peep through the ringing in her ears. "THE TIME'S UP!"

The weight finally got off her. And Soo-ji, bruised and battered, could finally draw into a choked intake of breath. She laid there, trembling in excruciating pain, but still managed to peep open an eye. Her opponent was excited for sure as he roared into the crowd. Jackson Wang, disappointed because he was hopeful for her, sat back on his throne with a bored look again.