Chapter Six

Left and right, punch after punch, he was taking his anger out on his opponent. Punch after punch, all his opponent could do is shield himself from getting beaten to death. His attack was merciless, there was no stopping him. All the anger that was boiling inside him was coming up all at once at that moment. His attack was continuous as sweat begins to drench his body and blood begins to cover his fists. The bell rings to signal the end of the round but he continues, his opponent covers his face for protection but it was no use, the attack continues. His opponent begins to wobble over as he quickly fell to the floor, standing over his opponent with the sweat dripping down his face and body, his eyes burns with anger as he jumps on his opponents and continues the beating. The referee quickly runs over to pull him off the already beaten and broken opponent.

"Hyung! Hyung! Stop!" DooJoon shouted at him.

They tried to settle him down as they sat him down in the corner. His eyes, red with rage, still focused on the beaten opponent lying almost lifeless on the floor.

"That boy of yours is quite aggressive." The sideline comment brought a smirk to his boss.

"Hyung, are you alright?" DooJoon repeated. But his eyes were still on the opponent who has now been removed from the ring. DooJoon turns towards the direction in which he is staring at. "The guy's been taken away hyung. Wake up." Trying his best to wake him up from the trance that he was in, with no response from him DooJoon pulls him up from his seat as he tries to help him in to the locker room for him to clean himself up.

He sat in the locker room with his body hanging over his legs, his hair drenched with sweat as it drips down to the floor. His eyes focused on the floor, staring at it intently. Numerous thoughts ran through his head, unable to think clearly, he was at a loss. He couldn't nor did he want to hear anything around him. He stares at the blood on his fist.

"Here," DooJoon hands him a towel, "you should clean yourself up."

The sound of clapping was heard in their locker room as a man in a suit approaches them. DooJoon turn his attention towards the sound as he sees their boss standing by the door with a satisfied smirk on his face. He throws a bag of money over to the two of them.

"Good fight today Jay," he said with the smirk still present. He turns to DooJoon. "Keep him in shape. I want him the same in every fight like he was today." A command with a slight hint of a threat. With that he exits.

DooJoon tighten his grip on the towel in his hand, "that !" He grits his teeth, controlling his anger. He turns back to JaeBum who was still sitting on the bench slumped over his leg. "Hyung, you need to clean yourself up. I'll take you home."

DooJoon stood over JaeBum for a few seconds until he finally began to move. DooJoon was surprise to see JaeBum in such a state. The moment JaeBum lifted his head up to look at him he already felt that something had changed. The moment he saw JaeBum's eyes he knew there was something wrong. The anger that had burned in his eyes were now gone, all he could see now was a man with nothing but sorrow in his eyes. JaeBum pushes himself off the bench and grabs the towel and headed for the shower.

A few minutes passed by as DooJoon sat on the bench waiting for JaeBum to finish. Ten minutes had passed and JaeBum was still not out, DooJoon began to worry as he walks over to the shower. "Hyung." He calls out. The shower had steamed up from the hot water. DooJoon made his way through the steam to find JaeBum standing under the shower, the water flowing down as he stood there motionless. "Hyung." DooJoon shouted once more but no answer.

He took a deep breath and made his way over to JaeBum. JeaBum was still in his shorts as he stood there with the water pouring down on him. DooJoon pulls him out from under the shower and grabs a towel to cover him. DooJoon was confused to why JaeBum was acting like this. He had won the fight but he's acting as if he had lost everything in this world.

"Hyung, what is wrong with you?" DooJoon ask out of frustration. No answer. "I don't know what's going on with you but you need to stop acting like such a weakling and get your act together." With that he leaves the locker room. Leaving JaeBum standing there covered with a towel.

JaeBum couldn't control how he was feeling. The frustration he felt was taken out on his opponent and he felt guilty for having done so. He took out his personal anger on a stranger, whom he nearly beaten to death. Everything in his life was turning upside down. Each time he felt like this he would take solace in the fact that he had Nicole to go home to and she'll make him feel better and at ease, but he doesn't even have that anymore. Ever since the day that she left him he has gone through four fights already and each time it gets worse and worse. Today was at a point where he almost killed another man. He kept thinking about what Nicole had asked him to do for her, quit, but each time he thought of that request from her a part of him would fight it knowing that it was coming from the persuasion of Kevin. He blames all this on Kevin, he had poisoned Nicole's mind. The thought of Kevin brought his blood to a boil and just brings back all that anger once more. He clenches his fist as he punches the locker door.

"Nicole." He utters to himself as he turns his back against the locker, sliding down to the ground, his leg bended against his chest, placing his elbows to his knees as he hung his head in between. Tears began to flow as he begins to think about Nicole.
 

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"So you're not gonna go back to him?" Hara asked out of curiosity. There was no answer. "Does that mean you two are... broken up?" She hesitated for a few seconds before finishing off her sentence.

Nicole didn't answer as she continues to fold her clothes. A knock came at the door. She stood up from the couch and headed towards the door. The moment she opened the door she was greeted with a handsome smile.

"Hey." He smiles.

"Kevin." She was surprise to see him standing in front of her.

Hara quickly got up from her seat and rush over to the door. "Mr. Kim." She was surprise herself to see him standing at her front door. "How did you find my address?"

"I am a cop." He laughs sheepishly as he answered.

"How did you know that I was here?" Nicole wondered.

"I actually went to your apartment first but there was no answer so I just assumed that you were here instead. Like you said, Hara is the only other person you know."

"You went to my apartment?" Nicole repeated. She wanted to know if JaeBum was there but she wasn't about to ask directly.

"Yeah, no one was home." Kevin answers. "So..."

Nicole nodded her head at his answer. She quickly realized that they were still standing at the door. "Sorry. Come in."

"So Mr. Kim, what brought you here to our home tonight?" Hara ask as she offers him a drink.

"Thank you." He took the drink. "Just call me Kevin. Well I just wanted to check up and see how the two of you have been doing? Since your coffee shop is no longer in business I just wanted to offer my assistance if you need it."

"Nicole and I haven't really thought much about what we want to do yet. But as of now we're just focus on cleaning up the shop. Have you found any leads to the case yet Mr. Kim?" Hara bluntly replies.

He moves his eyes towards Nicole. "We are still working on it."

"How long is that going to take?" Hara questions him, noticing his attention towards Nicole.

Nicole had her attention elsewhere as she stood in the kitchen pouring a drink. Hara and Kevin’s conversation did not register with her as her mind was occupied with thoughts of something else, or more like of someone else.
 

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“Are you sure you’re gonna be alright by yourself?” DooJoon ask as he helps JaeBum in to the apartment.

With a slight grin on his face he assures DooJoon with a nod. “I’ll be fine DooJoon. You should get home before it’s late,” his voice weak and tired as he slowly makes his way in to his apartment.

DooJoon slowly follows behind with a sigh. “Let me at least get you settle before I leave.”

JaeBum limps his way over to the couch as he settles in. His whole body ached from all the strength he had used during the fight. The fatigue was taking over as his eyes began to get weary and heavy. He tries his best to keep himself awake for a bit longer, at least until DooJoon leaves. He reaches for the remote in front of him, turning on the television to keep awake. It was unusual for JaeBum to feel such fatigues after a fight, this was the first time he had ever felt like this. But with the emotional stress of his and Nicole’s situation and the fight all mixed up at once, it has taken a toll on his body. Crying over her and loosing sleep over her was another factor in causing his sudden fatigue.

“Hyung,” DooJoon was still busy in the kitchen stirring around, trying to make something edible for his hyung to eat. There was no reply.

DooJoon quickly walks over to the couch where JaeBum had sat down. With all his might to fight the fatigue, JaeBum couldn’t take control, he had fallen fast asleep. DooJoon scoops the porridge in to a bowl and took it over to the coffee table by the couch and placed it down with a lid over the top to keep it from drying up and getting cold faster. He went in to JaeBum’s bedroom to grab him a blanket, he stops before exiting and notices half of the closet empty, the only clothes he saw in there were JaeBum’s. He walks back to lay the blanket over his hyung. He looks at his hyung one last time before leaving, he now understands what’s been causing him to act the way he has the past couple of days.
 

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“Thank you for visiting.” Nicole escorted Kevin towards the elevator of the building.

He replies with a sheepish chuckle. “Thank you for having me. Sorry about showing up without notice.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his genuine shyness. “Now that you know where I’m staying, come by any time. Just give us a call ahead of time.” She jokes.

Kevin couldn’t help but smile at the offer as he nodded. “I’ll try me best to figure this case out as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

The two stood awkwardly staring at each other for a second, with smiles on their faces they didn’t know how continue or end the conversation.

“Well…” The two spoke in unison.

They laugh at their awkwardness.

“Drive home safely.” Nicole reaches out her hand for a shake.

Kevin looks at her hand, feeling a little disappointed, he had hoped that she would initiate a hug but who was he kidding, they barely know each other. He took her hand for the shake.

Smiling back at her, he adds. “I hope we’ll get to see more of each other.”

“I hope so too.” She replies with a smile.

With that the two parted ways. Nicole heads back to her apartment to see Hara standing in front of her with arms folded and a suspicious expression on her face.

“So what’s going on with you two?” She questions.

Nicole chuckles at the question. “Nothing, I don’t even know him that well.”

“It seems to me that he doesn’t mind that at all.”

“Then maybe you should be grilling him and not me.”

“Don’t tell me you’re moving on already. That’s just too quick.”

“Moving on from what? I’m not moving on from anything.”

“Ha! So you are still in love with Jay.”

“Who said I wasn’t?” She let out a sigh, “I just need some time away from him to figure out where we stand with each other now.”

Hara let out a sigh as well. “Seriously, what happened between the two of you? You have yet to tell me the full story. What happened that would cause the two of you to split like this.”

Nicole let out another long sigh. What was she to do now? She still loves JaeBum and she knows it, she knows he still loves her as well, but all that has happened keeps replaying in her head, all that was said to her still echoes deeply in her mind. What was she to do? Follow her heart of listen to her head.