It was the day of the competition. Unfortunately for him, it was his right hand that was injured. But fortunately though, Jae Suk had always told him to practice fighting with both hands, so his left hand worked pretty much as well as his right.

Right from the start, Jae Suk noticed that something was off with Gary. He fought with his left hand, which wasn’t his master hand. And the movement of his right hand was restricted. He watched the young man worriedly.

Gary barely managed to enter the finals. There were 5 pairs fighting in the final round, and the winner of each pair will become the leaders. The fight was getting more heated up. Gary’s opponent seemed to have noticed something wrong with Gary too. He repeatedly attacked Gary’s right hand. He took the first few blows rather well, but the sixth blow was too much, he collapsed, dropping his sword in pain. The referee asked if he wanted to give up.

Gary did not respond, and the referee said that if he couldn’t stand up within 10 counts, he would lose.

By the sixth count, Gary still made no movement.

Jae Suk looked from the bleachers nervously. Stand up, please stand up, please stand up, he kept praying, willing him. Hundreds of kids are waiting for you to save them.

At the eighth count, Jae Suk thought Gary had given up. But he noticed a subtle change in Gary. The glint in his eyes were filled with determination. His lips pressed into a thin line as his muscles tensed. Then a small smile crept up Jae Suk’s face. He knew what that boy planned to do. Of course, he wouldn’t be Hee Gun if he gave up that easily.

After the ninth count, everyone thought that the opponent was the winner. His opponent probably relaxed his stance a little. Right at the moment when he let down his guard, Gary sprang up with the remaining of his energy and punched the other male under the chin. The force was so great, that his head tilted back and he fell. He got back up, Gary had already grabbed the sword that he dropped just now and aimed it at the guy. The latter knew that Gary now had the upper hand, because whatever movement he (the opponent tried to make), Gary could easily deflect it.

But of course, the soldiers aren’t trained to give up so easily. Not when they have came so far. The opponent grabbed tightened his grip on the sword and raised it to attack Gary’s right arm. But Gary noticed it as well and shifted out of the way, and at the same time, attacked with a deadly blow on the opponent’s chest.

The other guy collapsed. And 10 counts later, he did not get back up again. He could never get back up again.

The referee announced Gary as the winner. Jae Suk heaved a sigh of relieve. Then Gary collapsed as well.

Gary was brought to a room for treatment. He stayed asleep until evening. Jae Suk came to visit him.

“You aren’t afraid of killing anymore,” he said, caressing the Gary’s cheek. He looked at the young man lying down peacefully. He had grown so much.

Gary’s eyes flickered open. “I still am…” he confessed softly. “But sometimes you need to put aside your fears for the people that you want to protect.”

Jae Suk nodded, thinking that he was talking about the children. But he was talking about Jihyo (not that he knew her name yet). He had just reunited with her, there was no way he would give up so easily. They had too much to catch up on.

Jae Suk left, asking Gary to rest well. Gary went back to sleep.

In the middle of the night, his temperature went up. He groaned in pain.

Not long later, Jihyo came in. her heart ached, looking at him in pain like this. She helped him change his dressing and also gave him some medicine.

“Don’t go…” he pleaded when she left, but she left nonetheless.

In the morning, his temperature was back to normal. He woke up in a daze and saw a lady arranging the things on the table.

“Hey…” he called out, thinking that it was Jihyo. The lady turned around and he couldn’t hide his disappointment. Was it just a dream then?

“How may I help you?” she asked him.

“Uhm… uhm… were you here last night?”

She looked at him curiously, but nodded nonetheless.

His eyes fell. Until he saw a box on the table beside the bed. He opened it, and there it was. Sweetened peanuts. His eyes lit up.

“Who put this here?” he asked urgently.

The lady shook her head and shrugged.

“Wasn’t there anyone else who came in last night?” he asked again. Please, please say yes.

She shook her head. Then paused to think again. “Ah, yes, yes!” she corrected herself. “Physician Song came to look at your injury last night.”

He can’t remember. Was ‘Song’ her last name? What was it that his father used to call her father? He frowned subconsciously.

The lady spoke again, thinking that he was unhappy. “Physician Song Ji Hyo is a highly skilled physician here! I would s