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S E V E N 

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This place is bigger than I thought, I said to myself as I surveyed the huge room.

It was built completely of concrete and was set up as a gym, the floors covered in plastic blue mats, and mirrors lining the sides of the walls. A wooden, horizontal bar was set up by one wall, making me wonder if BAP also practised ballet. From the training equipment I’d seen so far, which covered everything from snorkeling, to muay thai, to gymnastics, I wouldn’t have been surprised. I looked at myself in the mirror and grimaced – my bangs were plastered to my forehead, my choppy cut a mess, and I was dressed in uncomfortably skinny jeans and a black long-sleeve. Turning to the person in front of me, I was blown away again by his taut figure and chiseled face, the hardened lines  of his cheek exuding an extremely confident, bad-boy aura.

“Is it necessary to dress like this? Can’t we just stick with simple Judo robes-”

“When you’re out in the streets, no one’s going to pamper you with a dandy robe. The less clothes you’re wearing, the easier it is to fight - but unless you’re planning to go commando underground, then you’re fighting with these clothes on.”

“Alright,” I said, not wanting to sound like a little, whiny, spoiled girl. 

Yong Guk nodded, satisfied with my complacency. It was hard to believe that he was only three years older than me, since the maturity and stealth he possessed was light years from mine.  As we walked over to the center of the mat, I also couldn’t help but look at the scars on his body – a bullet would here, a long, rakish jag across his bicep there – they were like angry paint splotches on the canvas of an artist. I’d wondered what someone had done to him to get those, and suddenly felt an icy chill as I realized that maybe it was him doing the attacking and not someone else. Staring at his face again, I noticed a small tattoo just above the neck of his tank top, right over his collarbone, with the name “Seo Woo” on it in the image of a rabbit. Seo Woo? The name was unique and strange – maybe it was his real name?

“Yah, snap out of your thoughts,” Yong Guk said, glaring at me. "Pay attention." 

I looked up, surprised, and bowed my head.

“The first lesson is to punch me,” he said roughly.

I stared at him in shock, looking blankly at my fists before looking at him. Punching the leader was unheard of in gangs, and if you ever attempted to, you'd be dead and shipped to the bottom of the ocean. He looked at me seriously, not laughing once, and that was when I realized he wasn't joking and he actually wanted me to attack him.  “What? How do you expect me to-” I said, looking at him with a surprised expression on my face.

“Gotta punch if you wanna do some damage, little girl.” He said, smirking. “Unless you don’t know how to?”

“Why-you little-“ I said, snarling at him, taking offence for the insult. 

“You angry? You’re just a spoiled princess, right? I don’t even know why Himchan would even recruit you. Perhaps he made a mistake – heis only human after all.”

Suddenly, a flare of anger shot through me. He was cocky and arrogant, and he had no right to put down his team member like that. Earlier, by joking about killing him, and by underestimating me – I wanted to show him that he wasn’t going to bring me or Himchan down. I owed Himchan so much that I could deal with jabs towards myself, but when it came to Himchan, I couldn’t let Yong Guk get away with throwing insults around about him. A leader should be respectful and understanding towards his other members, especially when they treated him so well in return. No wonder BAP had such a vicious reputation – their leader was the cause of it all. “Don’t you dare talk about Himchan in that way, leader,” I hissed menacingly. We were now staring at each other, our eyes locked, moving slowly in a circle to try and get the best angle at one another.  “You think you’re so good and can say anything you’d like, do you?”

He grinned at me snarkily. “There’s a reason I’m the ruler here, little girl,” He said. “This is my domain.”

“It’s like you want me out of this group. Like you never even believed in my abilities once-”

“I told you I’d be glad to you out the front door,” He said, shrugging his shoulders casually.

“You ty coward, what kind of a leader are you? You joke about killing your members and you're don't give a attitude ticks me off! You know my identity and yet you don’t stop insulting me by using my gender against me. If this is what BAP is, then they don’t ing need you.

We don’t ing need a leader like that.”

His grin turned into a smile, growing wider by the second. “First day in and already picking fights with the leader – we’ve got a tiger here,” He said, laughing.

“You’ve never seen anyone die in front of you – you ING !” I yelled, slamming a punch into where he least expected it. Defaming my brother and defacing Himchan- I’d had enough. I could feel the blood rushing into my hands, and I already knew that I would wipe the smirk off the jackass’s face. All the lessons I’d had finally paid off, as I’d learned that during direct contact, most fighters tried to get towards the face and the neck, since they were vital areas and one solid punch there could easily knock them out. However, the more experienced fighters knew that was where amateurs always began, and were always able to deflect it. So instead of choosing that area, I jabbed him in the ribcage. He stumbled, the wind having been knocked out of him, and I shot another punch into his cheek this time. A bloody lip and black eye ought to give him some embarrassment, I said inwardly, kicking him one last time in the shin. As I tried to regain breath, he sat up, a small, yellowish-bruise forming on his cheek and he smiled.

“Oh, that’s nothing. You’re barely going to be able to knock out an amateur with that punch-”

I slammed into him with my full body, raising his arm and flipping him easily over me.

He landed on the ground with a huge thump, which shocked me. I could hear the noise echo from the room as Yong Guk stood up, stumbling slightly, with a sickening grin on his face. “Now we’re talking. Can you do anything else, little girl? Or did you just over-exert yourself?”

Anger welled in me again and went in for another punch, this time by his left ribcage, but he deflected it easily. Yanking my arm, he spun me to the right, before pulling it backwards so that it was locked in an unnatural position. Letting out a cry of pain, I tried kicking my feet at him, but he easily jumped to the other side of my body and locked my legs with his own feet. Slamming my head on to the floor, I felt my breath coming in spasms, and realized this was why he was known as the best fighter underground. He hadn’t even started with me yet – he barely broke a sweat by pushing me on to the ground - and yet he’d already gained full control over me. I’d studied various forms of martial arts during my years in high school and I’d never met a teacher as skilled and punctual as him – although he was exceptionally ruthless.

Suddenly, he let go, and I let out a sigh of relief, closing my eyes.

“You’re too emotional,  ignoring insults aimed at you but deflecting the ones that come across others. You don’t like being in direct contact with someone and don’t fight when you need to, so you’re not hot-headed and hasty. But you get extremely temperamental when you’re triggered. You fight quite maliciously when you’re angry or when it’s at the expense of someone else.”

“So?” I said, breathing heavily, my cheek still glued to the ground. Was I going to die here, like this? On the first day? 

I didn’t think I could get up after this.

He gave a small chuckle. “Everyone’s first training session was always like this. I'll admit that your skills are pretty good for such a small person like you, although you still need lots of training.”

I looked at him in shock. “You were – you were only testing me? Not trying to kill me? ”

“If I’m going to teach you, then I’ve got to find out your weaknesses. You already know the basics – you’ve just got to know how to harness them.” He said, rubbing at his ribcage. “Who taught you? You pack a solid punch,” he said, grinning again.

“My brother,” I said. Looking back on it, Kwang Su had always taught me to take the first step. 

His eyes softened a bit, and I looked away. Bang Yong Guk was not taking pity on me. I wouldn’t let him. He was not going to feel sorry for me just because my brother died. Frowning, I snapped at him. “Just to let you know, I want to be the best, and not just good,” I said, my words coming out in a rush. I wanted to get my point across about how serious I was and how I only had one goal here. I wasn’t going to be pampered or dallied over like a princess just because I was smaller than them. Although they didn't know I was female yet, I could sense that they thought of me as weaker link in the group. Glancing up again, I saw that he was looking at me with a strange expression, a hint of a smile on his face. “I know,” he said, standing up and beginning to walk to the door. “Under my training, you will become the best,” he added, not once looking back. “There’s too much in you to waste at the moment, and I’ll admit your skills have style and surprise.” He turned his head as he said those words, his perfectly straight teeth peeking out from another smile when he looked back this time.

My heart raced at those words. Or maybe that smile.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, knowing that he’d probably disappeared already.

To my surprise, however, an ice-cold energy drink was suddenly thrown at me from the door, and I caught it instantly with my hands. Looking at the doorway, I saw that he’d left, but the top of the can was still warm from his fingers.

“Work hard to get to your goal,” a voice yelled from the hallway, bringing me strength. 

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Author's Notes # T W O 

• Chappie Recaps FAQ'S! For those that are confused, please let me clear up the situation! ^^

 ☞ Q: WHY IS YONG GUK ABLE TO HEAR IF HE'S DEAF??!?  

A:  In reality and today's modern society, most people who are deaf can read lips, or at least basic body language. 

Being disabled in any way, shape, or form doesn't justify the fact that you cannot be allowed communication! It just means that people who do have these handicaps must work harder in order to get their feelings and emotions across. 

It doesn't mean, however, that they can be isolated from society or unallowed to do what others consider "normal." They are human beings as well and we have to treat them as equals - and my "fanfic" Yong Guk was created to be an example of this. Don't underestimate those who are handicapped - they may be like Yong Guk ^^  

For more information, you should check out Hellen Keller, an amazing woman who was both blind and deaf  but managed to become an amazing political activist, lecturer, and first deafblind person to earn her Bachelor's of Arts degree.  

FUTURE SPOILER: Remember Jung Io (you) )doesn't know that Yong Guk is deaf yet . I was planning to save this as a future plot chapter, but in case there were any questions, you guys know now!. 

• Secondly, BAP comeback! - excitedexcitedexcited - their pictures are SO AMAZING! SUPPORT B.A.P! 
• And thanks to all new subscribers! Thanks for all your support once again, I'll work hard! 

Thank you very gamsa! ^^  Here is some eye candy ~ 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBSaX3jvyEc&feature=related