The first three men were nothing to the experienced master. Most of these men had no formal training in martial art. They were merely brutes, gangsters and gamblers in search of some quick money. Yunho defeated them all without even breaking a sweat.

But Youngmin wasn't stupid. He sent the easiest fighters out first, meaning to end with his strongest, for dramatic effect. As the tenth and last fighter came on stage, Yunho was finally getting tired.

Jaejoong watched with worry as Yunho came face to face with Lee Soo Man, Youngmin's best fighter. The former soldier had proved his strength and courage many times, and in any other situation, Jaejoong would have been impressed by the man's ferocity. If he hadn't known what kind of man he was, if Youngmin hadn't given the youngest gisaeng boy, Jongin, to the soldier on many occasions, he might even have admired him. But Jaejoong knew what a sadistic bastard Soo Man really was. He had seen it firsthand.

Please, Yunho-sshi. Please win.

"Hey, little . Getting tired yet?" Soo Man mocked Yunho.

"I could be in a coma and still kick your sorry ", Yunho answered, surprised by his own comment. It wasn't like him to talk like that, especially not during a fight. But then again, this wasn't a regular fight.

"We'll see about that. I can't wait to whip and bite that flawless skin. I'll make him moan and cry like a good little ."

That comment had Yunho seeing first red, then white, then pitch black. Deciding to get this over with, he let out a long, roaring scream in an attempt to gather his last energy, before making his move.

The move he chose was a gamble. The Crane Kick was a new move he'd developed, and it was as powerful as it was precise. As every martial artist knows, with precision comes risk. If the opponent moves one centimetre in the wrong direction, it will all be for naught.

Throwing Soo Man off his guard by feigning a kick with the right leg, Yunho made a jump kick with his left leg, kicking the man on the side of his neck. This would temporarily stop the blood from going to the brain, long enough to make him pass out, but not so long that it killed him. For a second, Soo Man just stood in his place, looking at Yunho with surprise in his eyes, before falling flat on his back. As the cloud of dust and sand dissolved, Yunho looked at Jaejoong, seeking something in his eyes, approval, gratitude, even he didn't know. But he found it.

Jaejoong could have made cartwheels around the courtyard, but with everyone's eyes upon him, he opted for a small, courteous nod for tonight's winner, as was customary. Yunho understood, and nodded back, a little longer. When he looked back up, he could have sworn he saw the ghost of a smile on Jaejoong's lips.

With a commanding look in his eyes, Yunho turned to look at Youngmin. He had never felt this kind of adrenaline rush while fighting before, and right in this moment, he felt invincible.

The man had no choice but to declare Yunho tonight's winner.

"As promised, I allow you to spend the night with Jaejoong."

OoOoO

A middle-aged man who introduced himself as Kyung-tak, Jaejoong's personal servant, took Yunho to get cleaned up, and when he was dressing himself in the clean clothes the servant had put out for him while he was taking his bath, the reality of the situation caught up with him.

Wait… What will he expect of me? Is he waiting for me to come and sleep with him? I did win and all… But I've never met him before… It would be completely inappropriate… Not to mention disrespectful… What should I do?

Before he could freak out, Kyung-tak knocked on the door, urging him to finish up.

"C-coming!" he called, hurriedly putting on his new — very comfortable — shoes and leaving the bathroom.

"Don't stress", the elder said, amused by the uneasy face on the previously so fearless fighter. "Jaejoong is a kind boy. He'll take good care of you. Just be nice to him. Please." The servant was suddenly serious.

"I will, I promise."

"Thank you. I know it's not my place to ask this of you, but Jaejoong is like a son to me. I hate that he has to lead this life, but I hate even more that I can't do anything about it, other than plead to you."

"I swear to you, sir, I have no desire to harm him. That's why I even fought tonight in the first place. To protect him from the others."

"Thank you… If you pardon my being so indiscreet… I sometimes imagine that in another time, another life, what if Jaejoong really was my son. I think from now on, I might imagine you as my son-in-law, from time to time. I think Jaejoong would have liked you, in another… situation. You're not like Master Kim, or even the other fighters. You have a good heart."

"You flatter me, sir. Not implying that you're wrong, but how do you know what kind of person I am just after only a few minutes of conversation?"

"Do you really want to know? Alright… I happened to sit right behind you and your friends out there, and I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I saw the fire in your eyes when that bastard Soo Man insulted the boy. I saw just now how you seemed awkward at the thought of spending the night with him. To those men he's a prized commodity. To you, he's human."

Very much so…

"These are all things that make me sure of your good character. But the easiest way to determine a man's worth is by what he chooses to fight for. The others fight for money or glory and nothing else. Today, you fought with your life on the line to protect a stranger. To me, that's enough. This is the room", the servant added, gesturing towards an elaborately painted door.

"I think… In another time, and another life… I would have liked being your son-in-law…" Yunho smiled with a short bow before entering the room, somehow feeling as though he was walking towards his destiny.