Chapter 12

D-day

“Are you ready?” Yongguk asked wearily as they were on their way to the gym.

Determined, Amanda huffed up earnestly. “As ready as I'll ever be,” she said.

“The guys are already there,” he said, glancing down at his phone.

“What about the others?” she asked, clearly referring to the two people who hurt her.

“Yep,” Yongguk answered with a sigh. “They're warming up as we speak.”

Amanda groaned in exasperation. “Aw man!” she exclaimed. “If I had known before, I should have just gone to warm up myself.”

“Relax,” he placed a hand on her kneecap. “Just do your best. And remember, it's not an actual fight, it's just sparring.”

She brushed him off. “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” she mumbled, clenching her fists angrily. “Either way, she better be ready because I know I am.”

Yongguk groaned, shaking his head. “I'm gonna need a drink after this,” he muttered under his breath as he rubbed his temple with his hand.

“Right, well we can go grab one AFTER I win my fight!” she offered.

“IT'S NOT EVEN A REAL FIGHT!” he snapped, breathing heavily.

Amanda sneered, rolling her eyes. “Someone's a grouch,” she muttered under her breath.

“I heard that,” he shot back.

She glowered at him in return. The car ride then grew silent the rest of the way.

As expected, they found the rest of the guys sitting against the wall facing the ring as Amanda and Yongguk entered. “Hey,” Daehyun stood up. “You're here.”

“For a moment I thought you were gonna back out,” Youngjae sneered.

Amanda shot him a look. He immediately softened. “We were stuck in traffic, thank you very much,” she huffed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Youngjae brushed her off, motioning to the ring. “You should get up there before Himchan hyung grows impatient.”

“Not sure why he's growing impatient when he's the one who volunteered to run the match,” she remarked before turning to Yongguk. “Come on.” She then proceeded to walk off, leaving Yongguk behind momentarily.

He turned to the younger guys, sighing heavily. “Wish me luck, guys,” he told them.

“I don't think you're gonna need it, hyung,” Daehyun remarked.

Yongguk glanced pointedly at Amanda. “I'm dealing with her, of all people,” he muttered under his breath.

“No one asked you to,” Youngjae chimed in.

Yongguk shot the brainy member a look before proceeding to make his way over to the ring.

“I don't think I like where this is going...” said Zelo, trailing off.

“Likewise,” Jongup added wearily.

Daehyun and Youngjae turned to the youngest members. “No one does, boys,” Daehyun sighed heavily before his lips curled into a smile as he turned his attention back to the ring. “But the least you could do is try to make the most of it.”

“Yeah, enjoy it for what it's worth,” Youngjae replied earnestly.

“What if Amanda noona gets hurt?” Jongup asked worriedly.

Youngjae sighed. “She'll be fine. If the fight gets out of hand, Himchan hyung will stop it. And besides, she has Yongguk hyung standing in her corner so she'll be in good hands,” he tried to assure the dancer. Jongup relaxed a bit soon after.

“Now, are you ready?” Yongguk asked as he helped Amanda into her gear. He had already adjusted her head gear, all that's left was the boxing gloves as well as the mouth guard. Even though this wasn't a huge match, it was Amanda's first time sparring so she had to take what she could get.

She gave him a look. “As ready as I'll ever be, Gukkie,” she said earnestly.

“Stop calling me that,” he snapped.

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she muttered, allowing him to put on her gloves.

He then reached into his pocket for a mouth guard. “Open up,” he instructed her.

Obediently, she did as she was instructed as Yongguk proceeded to place the mouth guard into . “Thanks,” her voice was muffled.

He patted her shoulder before exiting the ring. “You got this, Amanda,” he said softly into her ear.

Her face heated up suddenly when she realized his face was inches from hers. “Don't jinx it,” she mumbled, looking away sheepishly. What the heck? She thought to herself. For some reason, she was reminded of the time she felt something for him. It can't happen again. She glanced over at Ryan, who was helping Sue warm up. I like Ryan... she told herself. It's Ryan, I like... not Yongguk.

“Alright, are you ladies ready?” Himchan announced, garnering everyone's attention before summoning the girls to the ring. Amanda eyed Sue fiercely as she held up her gloved hands. Sue followed suit. “Touch gloves and let's get started, shall we?” Himchan finally said before stepping out of the way.

The buzzer soon sounded off. Amanda and Sue touched gloves before circling around the ring. Amanda refused to tear her eyes away from her prey in the form of Sue. It was Sue who attempted to throw the first punch. Amanda blocked it with ease.

“Good job, Amanda!” Yongguk and Ryan exclaimed in unison, taking her by surprise.

Amanda glanced over at her crush in confusion. What the...? Isn't he supposed to be on Sue's side? Why is he encouraging me?

Her thoughts were soon interrupted when suddenly, fist soon came into contact with her jaw, catching her completely off guard. “Ooohhhhh,” the whole room grew silent.

“This fight just got interesting,” remarked Daehyun, as he leaned forward.

“No kidding,” Youngjae agreed, refusing to tear his eyes away.

“I can't watch,” said Zelo, burying his face in his hand. “Tell me what happens.”

“Amanda noona is still standing,” Jongup informed him.

“It's okay, Manda,” Yongguk called out to her. “Just walk it off.”

Amanda's eyes widened, seemingly stunned as she stared back at Sue in disbelief. Did she just punch me? That's it. It's on.

Immediately, she stood up straight before facing Sue. Amanda maintained her fighting stance as she proceeded to circle the ring with Sue. She managed to get a few jabs in but found herself outnumbered by the kicks and jabs coming from Sue herself.

Grunts and yelps echoed throughout the room. Amanda soon found herself growing exhausted and outnumbered. The buzzer soon sounded off allowing an intermission. “Alright, five minutes,” Himchan announced.

Soon, Amanda made her way to her corner, where Yongguk placed a stool against the turnbuckle. She sat down to catch her breath, as he handed her a bottled water. “You're doing great,” he told her as he leaned forward to adjust her gear.

He removed guard finally. “I can't do this,” she panted, shaking her head.

“What?” he perked up in disbelief. “Yes, you can. You can't give up now, Manda.”

She blinked back tears glancing over at her opponent and the guy of her dreams. “He was cheering for me.”

Yongguk sighed, glancing over his shoulder. “I saw,” he said dryly. “But you can't let that discourage you. You have to pull through.”

“She's doing better than me,” her voice broke. “I mean she has him training her for crying out loud!”

“Don't say that,” he told her. “You have to be confident. I mean, look, you got a few good hits in. I think you did fine with or without him. Just one more round to go and then we're good to go.”

She gave him a weak smile. “Would you mind if I tagged along for drinks with you after?” she asked.

He gaped at her momentarily before his lips curled into a smile. “Of course you can,” he chuckled, reaching over with his thumb to wipe her tear away. “If you lose, you're buying.”

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Sounds like a plan,” she finally said, standing up.

Yongguk placed the mouth guard into . “You can do this,” he said, leaning in to kiss her forehead.

She took a moment to gather her wits. Yongguk was acting strangely, she thought to herself but that was beside the point at the moment. She had a match to win. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. Patting her shoulder one more time, he proceeded to exit the ring. She glanced over her shoulder. “Thank you,” she mouthed. He simply nodded in return.

“Alright, one last round,” Himchan announced glancing from one girl to the other. “You ladies ready?”

They both nodded.

“Alright,” he said as the buzzer sounded off.

Immediately, Amanda moved in quickly, catching Sue off guard. “Amanda, what are you doing?” she called out to her.

Amanda didn't seem to hear her as she continued to strike, without resting. Sue managed to get a few blocks in but found herself a bit outnumbered by Amanda's sudden shift in demeanor. Like a light switch, Amanda was initially the underdog until now. Soon, Sue was soon knocked to the ground but that didn't seem to stop Amanda from jabbing and kicking.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Himchan's eyes widened. “Amanda, it's over! Hey!” he tried to grab her attention to no avail. “Hey, Manda! Fight's over! AMANDA!”

“AMANDA!” voices echoed throughout the room but she didn't seem to hear them.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong hands pry her away from Sue. Fussing, she cried out. “PUT ME DOWN!” she demanded. “PUT ME DOWN!”

“BANG!” Himchan exclaimed with a fussy Amanda in his arms. “A little help here!”

Stunned for a long moment, Yongguk ran into the ring to help Himchan. “LET GO OF ME!” she shouted.

“AMANDA!” Himchan snapped, running a hand down his face in frustration. “It's over!” he exclaimed, looking at Yongguk. “Keep her in check, will ya?” He instructed before walking over to Sue, who was being tended to by Ryan. “You okay?” he asked.

Sue glanced over at Amanda wearily before turning to Himchan, nodding. “Is she okay?” she asked sheepishly.

Himchan glanced over his shoulder then sighed heavily. “She will be,” he said turning back to face them. “Are you hurt anywhere? I'm really sorry about that.”

Sue nodded wearily. “I'm fine. I'm not hurt or anything. I'm just more concerned about her, that's all,” she said.

Ryan found himself glancing at Amanda. “I never knew Amanda had that in her,” he chuckled, shaking his head. Sue glanced over at her boyfriend wearily before glancing over at Amanda. Soon, she stood up, proceeding to walk over to Amanda's corner.

Yongguk sensed a presence from behind. He tensed up when he found himself facing Sue. Soon, Amanda found herself looking over his shoulder at Sue. Immediately, she tensed up, clenching her jaw angrily. “Let go of me, Yongguk,” she demanded.

“Not sure if that's a good idea,” he said softly.

“Let go of me,” she pushed him away before walking over to Sue.

“Amanda,” Sue uttered sadly.

“How long were you going to keep it from me?” Amanda snapped, prompting the shorter girl before her to flinch.

Sue looked away sadly. “I'm so sorry, Amanda...”

“You knew I liked him!” Amanda cried, unable to hold back her tears any longer. “Was my directness not enough for you?!”

“Oh boy,” Youngjae muttered under his breath.

“You said it,” Daehyun gaped.

“This is a lot more scarier than the fight itself,” Zelo remarked.

Jongup nodded in agreement.

“What's going on here?” Ryan intervened, glancing from one girl to the other in confusion.

Amanda looked over at Ryan with tearful eyes, laughing bitterly. “How convenient,” she sneered. “What, perfect timing, Ryan!”

He softened. “Manda, what's wrong?”

“You know what?” she announced. “Since I've kept it to myself for so long, I may as well just come out with it.” she turned to Ryan. “Ryan. I like you.” she declared. “Not like as in you're a great guy friend. I mean, I like you as in I have feelings for you.” Ryan gaped at her for a long moment, seemingly stunned. “Now, I don't expect you to say anything because,” she turned to Sue, “I'm already too late. I know that. I would have appreciated a heads up instead of getting slapped with it on Facebook and Instagram.” Sue looked away sadly. Glancing at the both of them, she finally said, “Congratulations. I wish you both really well.”

With that, Amanda managed to finally remove the boxing gloves from her hands, tossing them onto the ring's surface before storming out of the room. Shortly after, the rest of BAP followed her out the door. “Good job, back there,” Daehyun slightly applauded her.

“Yeah, you sure told 'em,” Youngjae added.

“Why, what's going on?” Amanda couldn't help but ask.

Himchan blew out a deep breath. “I'm pretty sure they feel like ,” he remarked.

“You didn't have to throw them under the bus like that,” Yongguk added.

Amanda shot him a look. “Well at least I told them how I felt,” she shot back.

Yongguk raised his hands in defeat. “You know what? You're right,” he said. “I am in no mood to argue with you.”

“Good,” she said with a mischievous grin. “So what now?”

“I don't know, you tell us,” Yongguk said.

“Does that mean we're coming back to the gym?” Jongup asked curiously.

Amanda turned to face him, softening. “It's up to you,” she said, glancing at the building. “I'm done. I don't think I could face them for a while.”

Himchan shrugged. “If that's what you want to do then I'm down,” he said glancing at the other guys.

“Okay, sounds good,” the rest of the guys murmured.

Soon, the group glanced at their leader expectantly. Sighing in defeat, he relented. “I guess I'm done too.”

“I'm sorry for making you guys do this,” she looked away apologetically. “I didn't mean to make you guys waste your time.”

“Hey, don't apologize,” Himchan placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah, this wasn't too bad,” Daehyun remarked. “I mean the maknaes enjoyed it, right guys?”

Jongup and Zelo nodded in agreement. “Yes we did.”

“And we got to learn something new,” Youngjae added. “Like learning about a different style of fighting, not to mention a new culture. I mean you should have seen Ajarn commend us for our Lao speaking skills.”

“He did?” Amanda beamed proudly. “I knew you boys would make me proud.”

Just then a loud growl could be heard within the group, the attention was soon shifted over to Daehyun. He chuckled nervously. “Could we grab something to eat?” he asked.

Everyone chuckled in unison. “Yeah, I'm starving too,” Amanda said. “Time to eat my feelings.”

As the others proceeded to make their way into the van, Amanda and Yongguk were the last to enter.