Nighttime

At a five-stars hotel in Tokyo

Xu Jiao was practising with Tian Yu and she had doubled her training time. After training for three hours, her body began to show some signs of tiredness but her eyes were still burning with energy.

“Haaa!” Xu Jiao leapt up into the air and hit the foot target in Tian Yu’s hand.

“Ding dong!” The doorbell rang.

Tian Yu opened the door to see a lady standing outside with an embarrassed smile on her face. “I’m sorry! We have received complaints from the other guests that it’s already 11pm and they need to sleep. We are thinking if you can…”

“Haaa! Ask them to put earphones on to sleep!” Xu Jiao shouted back.

“Yes, I’m sorry. We will lower our volume.” Tian Yu gave the lady a bow and closed the door after the lady walked away.

“Ignore them! Let’s continue, shi xiong!”

“Xu Jiao, you are too nervous!” Tian Yu commented.

“Nervous? Haaa!” Xu Jiao scoffed. “I will definitely defeat Lee Rin! I know I can defeat her this time!”

Tian Yu put his hand on her left shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.

“Ahhhhh!” Xu Jiao winced in pain.

“Your muscle is already so tensed like metal. Your footwork is so rigid!” Tian Yu lectured. “Can’t you feel it yourself?”

Xu Jiao pouted.

“What are you worrying about?” Tian Yu asked. “It’s not about Lee Rin right? When you decided to participate in this tournament, you still didn’t know that Lee Rin is taking part and you were already nervous at that time. Why?”

Xu Jiao sat on the floor dejectedly. “I’m afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“I’m just very afraid, shi xiong.” Xu Jiao shook her head. “Do you feel the same when you first took part in an overseas tournament?”

“No.” Tian Yu replied, recalling the tournament he had five years ago. At that time Joon-gi was ruling the Taekwondo world and gotten the championship of that international tournament, whereas he got eliminated during the semi final and didn’t get to fight with Joon-gi at all.

“Why aren’t you afraid?” Xu Jiao was surprised.

“I am a rookie in many people’s eyes and nobody will know who am I. Even if I were to lose a match, I have nothing to lose.”

“Don’t you feel disgraceful for losing?” Xu Jiao asked, clenching her fists tightly. “If we were unable to win, it would be a shame! A permanent shame! If you were to participate in a tournament, you must make sure you win!”

“Then if that is the case, only one person should participate in all tournaments because there would only be one champion.” Tian Yu replied.

Xu Jiao stared angrily back at Tian Yu like he had just said the worst thing on earth. “Others can lose but not me! Although nobody said anything, I know all the Chinese Taekwondo athletes remembered my father’s match twelve years ago! He had all the hopes of all the Chinese but he still lost in the first round! Tomorrow’s match is my first formal tournament! If I didn’t even make it for the first round…”

And then she turned her head away from Tian Yu, not wanting him to see her red teary eyes. She was born to be a winner so she disliked the feeling of losing.

---

Staring at the wooden beams in the ceiling, Rin couldn’t stop thinking about her match tomorrow. All preliminary rounds would take place in the morning and if she were to get into top sixteen; she would have to take part in the afternoon matches all the way to the final. This was her first International tournament and this was much bigger than the past tournaments that she had participated in Korea.

She felt a little nervous but she didn’t feel that nervous because Jaejoong had already told her to treat this as her first match at the inter-school Taekwondo Tournament. Even if everyone was cheering for Eunjung, she could still focus and finish her fight.

Rin turned around and tried to make herself sleep when she heard coughing sound from the other side of the sliding door.

It was Jaejoong who was coughing.

Rin sat up from her bed and looked towards the paper door. Ever since this morning, Jaejoong has been coughing and he couldn’t even hold the foot target properly in his hands during their evening training.

She began to feel worried, suspecting if Jaejoong was sick.

“Are you okay?” Rin asked, stretching her hand out to the sliding door.

“I’m fine.”

“Just let me see you.” Rin insisted.

“Go back to sleep.” Jaejoong said. “The room is a little stuffy. I want to go out for a walk. Don’t wait for me! Sleep first.”

“I…”

“I’m fine. I will be back soon.” And then Rin heard the sound of footsteps getting out of the room.

Rin got up to open the curtain and saw the familiar figure walking out of the building. She was surprised to see how thin he has become. The moonlight made his shadow look even thinner than before.

She knew that Jaejoong didn’t want her to worry and he’s afraid that his consistent coughing sound would affect her sleep. He wanted her to be in the best form to fight her first match.

But how could she not worry when he was out in the night alone.

Rin sat by the window, hoping to see Jaejoong come back.

But as the time passed by, Rin felt like her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier until she finally fell asleep.

It was dawn when the sliding door slid open. A frown appeared on Jaejoong’s face when he saw Rin curling up like a kitten and sleeping by the window.

Jaejoong picked her up from the floor and put her back on the tatami. He just sat by her side, wanting to give her more time to sleep.

The sun had risen