[CONTENTID1]Chapter 3: Biggest mistake yet or is it?[/CONTENTID1] [CONTENTID2]

As soon as I step out of my bathroom, Jae-Hwa’s eyes roam over my attire. I can see the look of disapproval when her eyes land on my shirt. Oh boy… She’s going to roast me now.
 

Jae-Hwa tears her eyes away from me, and she casually sweeps her hair to the side of her face. There is a strain smile, her eyes slightly twitching as she forces to soften her facial muscle. “Mina…” She says sweetly before pointing at my top. “What on earth is that?”
 

I glance at my shirt, holding the hem of it as I inspect the cloth. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it – no stains or rips whatsoever.
 

“That shirt needs to go. Really? A panda? What are you five?” Jae-Hwa asks rhetorically, and she disappears into her room.
 

I glance at my shirt again and grumble a bit. Leave it to Jae-Hwa to ruin my self-esteem. Like I said before, there’s nothing wrong with my shirt. It’s an oversized purple t-shirt with a cartoon panda in the middle. I wear this to sleep, so I don’t see what’s the big deal.
 

“Okay, try this on.” Jae-Hwa reappears again with a black off-the-shoulder top. “You are going to an underground fight club – not to a grocery store. With these kind of events, you need to blend in with the crowd.” She lectures me, yanking my shirt off me before she forces me into the black top.
 

After I made tiny adjustments to the new outfit, Jae-Hwa takes a step back with a victorious smile on her face. Her eyes sparkle a bit before she magically pulls out her makeup palette.
 

“We need to do something with your eyes. You have too much of a baby face,” Jae-Hwa tells me while dabbing a gray color onto my eyelid. “I know I’m extra at times, but please understand why I’m doing this.” She stops and takes a step back to see what other colors she should put.
 

“I don’t see why you need to go this far though,” I grumble in annoyance when Jae-Hwa continues to splatter colors all over me. “Isn’t it going to be like the last fight?”
 

“Not quite. This is a bigger fight, which means bigger place and more people.”  Jae-Hwa answers and takes a step back again. “There are going to be all sorts of people, and once they figure out that you’re not supposed to be there, anything can happen.”
 

Honestly, I’m not surprised… I only showed up to the last part of Taehyung’s fight, but I was aware of the dangerous atmosphere. Everyone was engaged in illegal acts – some more than others. Thankfully, I did not have to see anything else but the fight....
 

“You are all done!” My sister holds up a mirror, reflecting my face. I will admit that I look more mature now with all the dark makeup. Leave it to Jae-Hwa to boost my self-esteem too.
 

“Alright, we need to head downstairs. Baekhyun will be here soon.” Jae-Hwa says and quickly places her palette away. “Are you ready?”
 

I guess ready is an overstatement.

Oh my gosh! There are so many teenagers, or were they college students? All I know is that there are too many people here. Everyone, just like the previous fight, is wearing outrageous fashions – more from the girls’ side rather than guys to be honest. Compared to these girls, I look very modest despite my exposed shoulders and short skirt, which Jae-Hwa forced me into last second. Even my sister is dressed modestly compared to these chicks.
 

I glance to my right and immediately notice the little distance between Baekhyun and Jae-Hwa. Poor guy, he’s in love with her, but he knows it will take a while before Jae-Hwa reciprocates any feeling. It could also be “never” for him too, not to rain on his parade or anything.
 

“Who’s fighting today?” Jae-Hwa asks as she peers over Baekhyun’s shoulder, curiously staring at the paper in his hand.
 

“There’s a bunch of big names here today, but I’m really excited to watch the match between V and Vasco. I think a lot of people are anticipating that match too.” My ears perk at the name, and I clench my fist by my side.
 

Okay this is it… I will go through my plan and watch Taehyung fight. This will put a reality check on me, and I will never bother with him again. Besides, there’s three weeks of school left before summer arrives. If I don’t get rid of this weird fascination, then it’s going to be one tough summer.
 

Baekhyun leads us into the place, opening the door before following me and my sister. We are immediately greeted with loud music and the smell of sweat. Neon lights flicker everywhere in the club, synchronizing with the bass of the song. Baekhyun gets in front of us again, his hand wrapped around my sister’s wrist, pulling her along the crowd, while I follow them. I glance around my surroundings, noticing the little distance between some couples. Some are grinding each other, barely leaving any room.

Somewhat disgusted, I tear my eyes away from the scene and look ahead. We finally came to a stop in front the bright red, “Exit” sign. Without any delay, Baekhyun opens the door and leads us down the stairs.
 

“Where is the fight exactly?” Jae-Hwa asks, making sure to stay close to Baekhyun as possible.
 

“It’s down here. There are two doors; one of them leads outside while the other one leads to the other club. We will be going to the other part of the club. No one really knows about it, but it’s used to host events like this.” Baekhyun explains to us, continuing down the stairs.
 

He stops at the last step and turns around to grab Jae-Hwa’s hand, carefully guiding her down. On the inside, my eyes are vomiting from the scene. He’s trying way too hard to be a gentleman, and I know my sister well enough. She’s going to fall for him eventually. As much as a sass queen she is, she’s hopelessly a romantic and will easily fall for the nice guys.
 

“We are here!” Then, Baekhyun opens the door, and we are greeted with loud music   again. Of course, the atmosphere is like the first part of the club, but there are more adults in the area. I gulp nervously as we make our way inside; it seems like a typical club, but Baekhyun explains to us that the crowd is waiting for the next fight. So now? Everyone is just chilling, having a good time, and talking to people. This is not my kind of fun…
 

“The match between V and Vasco is coming up!” An old man shrieks on the top of his lung. He casually makes his way to a group of men, swinging his arms around their neck and laughing haughtily.
 

“Who y’all betting on?” Another man asks in the group.
 

“I heard that V kid is pretty good. It seems like he’s on the rise.” Huh, I knew Taehyung’s good, but it looks like he’s been fighting for a while. I’m surprised he’s just started.
 

“He doesn’t fight too often though. I bet you that kid is a little cocky.”
 

“That little bastard has a fanclub already, and he’s barely been in the business for a year.”
 

“I’m putting my money on Vasco. I’m sure that he’ll win. Besides, he outta teach that kid a lesson.”
 

“If V wins, imagine all the teenager… They would go ballistic.”
 

“Vasco better kill him.  I’m going to place all my money on this guy.”
 

“Same. There’s no way a fighter like Vasco could lose to a teenager.”
 

“I don’t know. That kid, V, is ing insane. He’s so fast and moves like a wild animal.”
 

“Whatever you say, man. I’ve seen him fight against Taemin, and the crowd was full of teenagers. He didn’t even go up against a strong fighter.”
 

I click my tongue against the roof my tongue and tear my attention away from the group of men. How awful… They are all so god damn awful. It shouldn’t surprise me, but I couldn’t help it. How could these people joke around about the lives of people?
 

Thankfully, their conversation ends because people start to scream on the top of their lungs. They raise their fists in the air when the emcee arrives, approaching the stage with a charismatic aura.
 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” He screams into his microphone and earns another round of cheers from the crowd. “Sorry for the long wait, but now we will have our next fight!”
 

To my left, Baekhyun hollers loudly and jumps up and down from his position, obviously excited to see his favorite fighter. Jae-Hwa looks straight ahead with a small smile playing on her lips. She’s most likely excited too.
 

“First up, we have Vasco!” Cheers and boos erupt from the crowd as a man appears from the corner of the club. He appears to be no older than 30 years old. Standing around 6 feet, Vasco’s aura is intimidating and dark. He sports a white tank, showing off the rip muscles in his arms. Unconsciously, I take a step back at the sight of the fighter, feeling an uncomfortable pool at the bottom of my stomach. I do not have a good feeling about this fight. This man obviously has years of experience. After being in the business for so long, I could not see any signs of humanity in his eyes. Those cold gray eyes reflect nothing but bloodthirst.
 

 “And next we have V!” Another round of cheers and boos erupt from the crowd when a familiar figure emerges from the back of the club. I turn my head to get a better view of him, who saunters towards me – eh I mean to the front. Similar to Vasco, there’s a menancing vibe that sends chills down my spine. I couldn’t help but hold my breath as my eyes follow him. Taehyung’s hair is pulled back into a ponytail, yet leaving his fringes in front of his face.

When Taehyung is in the front of the club, he faces Vasco nonchalantly. There’s no sign of fear between the two fighters. They do not seem to be afraid of death, but I’m guessing that’s something they’ve gotten used to.
 

“Let’s start the fight…. NOW!” The emcee announces and moves away quickly before the two fighters attack each other.
Vasco already launches himself at Taehyung, quick with his movements. He already has a hold on him, his arm restraining him by the neck. The crowd is going crazy with the sudden movement. My eyes shoot wide open at the scene, and I can feel my arms trembling my side. That’s a dirty move; I don’t know how Taehyung is going to get out of that. Vasco seems to tighten his arm around his neck, slightly lifting Taehyung off the ground. The teenager kicks his feet in the air, his hands desperately trying to get the older man’s arm off him.

 

“No no no…”  I whisper to myself, and I avert my eyes away from fight.

 

“Are you okay, Mina?” Jae-Hwa softly places a hand on my shoulder. Her eyebrows furrow as she stares at me with a look of concerns. “I know you don’t like violence…”
 

“It’s okay!” I wave her off with a strain smile. “I can handle this… I need to.” Jae-Hwa raises one eyebrow before returning her attention back to the fight.
 

Somehow, Taehyung gets out of Vasco’s grip, standing several feet away from him. He pants loudly and slouches slightly. With his knees bent tiredly and his heavy breathing, I’m not sure if Taehyung could win this fight. It’s been barely five minutes, but Vasco did good damage against my seatmate. He barely used any energy t