Chapter Eighteen

Nik started pacing the room as soon as Lily had taken off with Choongjae. “Saving the best for last?” Hyemi asked her as she laughed. The Texan looked more nervous than she thought was logical.

Nik stuck her tongue out at her new friend and mumbled, “He may have changed his mind.” She looked out the window as Choongjae helped Lily into the van.

There was a knock on the door. “I guess not,” Hyemi grinned, opening the door and letting Pilkyo in.

“Guess not what?” he asked.

“She was starting to think you changed your mind.”

“Definitely not. Are you ready?” He let his gaze trail up and down his date, who fidgetted under his scrutiny. He offered her his hand and gave her a warm smile.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she took his hand.

“It’s a surprise. Go ahead and grab your stuff. I’ll go with you when you are working with your students.” Nik nodded to him before running back into hers and Hyemi’s room, grabbed her gear bag and a change of clothes, then headed back. Pilkyo grabbed her hand once more and escorted her out of the hotel and towards a motorcycle sitting outside. “It’s a good thing your gear bag is a backpack,” he laughed and pulled two helmets out of the saddlebags.

“Hyemi’s going to be mad at you for making me put this on and ruining the hair she worked so hard on,” Nik teased as she pulled the helmet on.

“We should have taken a photo first, then,” he pouted.

Nik laughed and pulled the helmet off and tried to fix her hair the best she could using the bike’s mirrors. “There, almost good as new. Your phone or mine? I loaned my camera to Dongwannie.”

Pilkyo pulled out his phone and then motioned for Nik to sit on the bike. He pushed her to sit up a bit farther on the bike and sat in behind her, wrapping one arm tentatively around her waist and then grabbed the selca stick from the saddlebag and used it to snap a few photos. They then hopped off, put the helmets back on, and got back on, this time with Pilkyo in the front so that he could drive.

“So, where are we going?” She was sitting back some and hadn’t quite figured out where to hold on.

“For a ride,” he said as he started the bike up. He heard her ‘huh?’ and decided to continue, yelling over the now cranked motorcycle. “You mentioned in one of your videos that you used to go riding before you got pregnant and that you hadn’t been since. So, we are going for a ride. Please hold on to me, I haven’t driven someone else around in years.”

Nik swallowed nervously but slipped her arms firmly around Pilkyo’s waist and braced her hands on the flat of his abdomen. She couldn’t help but smile to herself when she felt him flex through his shirt. Moments later, they were off. It took twenty minutes to drop her gear bag off at headquarters and then get completely out of the city, but once they had, there was absolutely no traffic. Nik wondered to herself how he knew where he was going, but decided to just enjoy the ride.

They rode in silence for over an hour. Pilkyo had turned down a deserted dirt road and they cruised slowly, hitting the occasional bump that comes with dirt roads. Nik had to hold on a little tighter and she could feel Pilkyo laughing as they hit each bump.

It was already after noon when they arrived at a river with an old bait shop sitting in front. Pilkyo helped Nik off and then swung his leg over. He didn’t say a word to the confused look she was shooting him, much to her dismay. They headed into the bait shop where he left Nik standing in the doorway as he talked to the older gentleman standing at the counter. After a quiet conversation, the man walked to the back and returned with a picnic basket, two poles, and a cup of worms. Nik smiled as she leaned against the entry, waiting for her date to return with his stuff.

Pilkyo once again didn’t say anything, just offered Nik his elbow as he guided them out to the river and sat everything down. He baited up their poles then handed one over to her, and Nik couldn’t take the silence any longer. “This is a bit different from that fishing show y’all did, isn’t it.”

“Better company this time. Junghyuk hyung had the most fun on that trip.”

“You seemed like you had fun. You should be nicer to him.” She cast her line into the water. “He loves you.”

Pilkyo rolled his eyes. “I’m as nice to him as I can stand to be.” Nik poked him in his rib just as he attempted to cast his line and it only went about half as far as it should have. “What was that for?” He frowned.

“For not being nice to Junghyuk.” She winked and sat down on the ground while Pilkyo reeled back in to recast. “This is not the kind of date I had imagined you ever taking someone on. Definitely not complaining, this is sort of perfect. Just surprised.”

Pilkyo made to sit down and pulled the picnic basket next to him. “You talked about fishing with your Dad in a video. Said that you enjoyed being out in nature.”

“You seem to have watched several videos,” she said quietly. She watched Pilkyo hold the pole with one hand and open the basket, pulling out some fried fish with what looked like fried green tomatoes and a container full of greens. “Oh my gosh,” she moaned at the delicious smell.

“Did I do well?” He was smirking. That smirk nearly infuriated Nik. He knew dang well he did well and she had no idea how he had done so well.

Nik frowned and stuck her tongue out at him. “You know you did well. How’d you convince the guy to get this together? How did you find this place?”

“Wasn’t too hard. Explained to him our situation. Asked him the best food for a date like this. He said his wife’s food was best, so I asked how much it would cost to convince them to feed us.” He broke off a piece of the fish and held it out, waiting for Nik to take a bite. Nik narrowed her eyes and quirked one of her brows at him before leaning in and taking a bite. “Is it good?” He asked, taking a bite for himself afterwards.

“Remind me to go in and get the recipe for her batter and these tomatoes. Oh my gosh they are wonderful.” She offered him one of the tomatoes and he opened his mouth and waited to be fed. She rolled her eyes at him before shoving the whole thing into his mouth, laughing when he struggled with the large bite.

They ate for a while and sat in silence, barely getting a nibble on their lines. Once the food was gone, Pilkyo reeled in his line and laid it down before laying down himself using his arms crossed behind him as a pillow. Nik looked down at him and he stretched one arm out. She chewed her lip for a moment before she, too, reeled in her pole. As she started to lay down, she felt herself being pulled in closer and onto her side, using Pilkyo’s free arm as a pillow. He smiled down at her and her heart did a flip.

They laid like that for a while. Nik eventually rested one of her arms on Pilkyo’s chest, nervously drawing circles and random shapes. She was about to doze off when she heard his voice. “What time do we need to get you back?”

“Hmm? Oh, probably need to head back soon,” she stretched her arm to rest her hand on his shoulder and moved her head from his bicep to his chest.

“Yah, are you asleep?” He shook his body to try and wake her. He rolled over so that she was now the one laying completely on the ground and he looked down at her. Nik pouted but began to wake up. “Can’t believe I have actually had a date fall asleep on me.” He was teasing. He ran his hand up and down her side, using his other arm to brace himself at her side.

Nik stretched one hand up to run her fingers through his hair and bit her lip. “I’m sorry. You were comfortable. You’re right. We need to go.” She sighed and sat up, letting him sit up so they didn’t collide as she got seated.

They packed up and headed back to the bait shop, thanking the man repeatedly. Nik even got the recipe from the owner’s wife. They rode back quickly, Nik feeling more comfortable so she rested her head on Pilkyo’s back.

Back at headquarters, Nik was greeted by several students. She quickly changed and then began working with one of the older boys that had come while instructing the others to get warmed up and start practicing. Pilkyo stood to the side to watch Nik work and smiled. She obviously was very knowledgeable and took a great deal of joy in working with her kids.

After working for a while with the first boy, she instructed him to work his double ssahng jeol bahng form while she started working with the next student. In the middle, Pilkyo and the first student shouted “Look out!” and Nik turned around in time to barely step in front of her student and then get nailed in the face by a flying ssahng jeol bahng.

“Ahhhh...shhh...flaming bad words,” she groaned, touching her now bleeding lip. Pilkyo was beside her in seconds, obviously concerned. Nik put pressure on her lip to slow down the bleeding, keeping her head tilted up so the blood wouldn’t drip on the mat. “Hey baby, run to the bathroom and get me some wet paper towels,” she called to the girl she had just prevented from getting it. She at the blood, wincing slightly. “Alright, honey,” she addressed the first student. He was trembling and felt horrible. She sighed and pulled him into a hug. “Accidents happen. At least it was here and not where there are a bunch of spectators.”

After the incident and Nik had wiped her face with the paper towel, everyone went back to training while Nik watched over everyone.

Training was over two hours later and Nik had went to change back into her date clothes. “It’s almost supper,” Pilkyo informed her as she came out. “I was hoping you could give me a tour of the facilities before we leave, though. And maybe a demonstration?”

“That’s really what you want to do for the rest of the date?” Nik asked. When Pilkyo nodded, she smiled and walked him back to the front of the building. Each corner of the facility had some historical facts about her organization. She showed him the Mastership Plaque with everyone that had ever made the title of Sabumnim. They walked through the hall that had their founder’s photo with his wife right after they had moved to the United States. She was so passionate about everything as she explained everything and gave him a tour.

Once they made it back to the training room, Pilkyo slipped his shoes back off and stepped onto the mat. “Come on, show me what you got,” he smirked.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” she grinned as she, too, slipped her shoes off. “I mean, at your age it’s pretty easy to break a hip.”

“Oh, at my age, huh?” And like that, they started sparring. Easy stuff, basic technique and light contact. They were laughing as they went.

“You keep up well for an old man.” She aimed a kick to his head but hadn’t counted on him moving in instead of blocking with the pace and lightheartedness of how they had been going. He swiped her foot and they landed with her back on the floor, him with one knee between her legs, the other on the outside, one hand catching her head to make sure it didn’t slam against the mat and the other bracing himself beside her head. “Cheater, that wasn’t taekwondo,” she faked a pout.

He laughed but then his eyes focused on the bruise. “How’s your lip feeling?”

She at it absently. “Tastes like metal,” she laughed nervously. They were so close, closer than they had out when they had been resting after fishing. She fidgeted with her hands out to the side of her.

“Metal?” he asked. His eyes met hers again as she nodded, then looked back down to her lips. “May I see?” He didn’t give her a chance to question him. He leaned down and brushed his lips to hers softly, trying to make sure he didn’t hurt her. She sighed when she felt his tongue brush the cut on her lip and moved both hands up to his back. Pilkyo bent down farther, resting his weight more on her as she ran her hands up and down his back harder. She whimpered softly when he bit down and his eyes opened to make sure he didn’t hurt her. He hadn’t, but he still pulled back to breathe for a moment. “Does it hurt?” He leaned down to kiss the cut softly.

“In a good way,” Nik said against his lips before leaning up and capturing them again more roughly. Pilkyo let out a low moan as he slipped his tongue back into , exploring it as she arched into him and let out moans over her own. Nik’s hands were roaming up and down his chest and neck, ending up tangling in his dark chestnut hair.

They laid like that, making out until Pilkyo pulled back again. He cursed under his breath as he rested his forehead against Nik’s. “We...probably need to stop...before we go too far.” He was completely out of breath and Nik could feel him pressed against her.

She leaned up to peck him on the lips once more before falling back and nodding. “We need to get back to the hotel so that we can all get supper. That was the plan, right?” Pilkyo confirmed and then slowly made his way to his feet before helping Nik up as well. Nik smiled and blushed when she saw the way they looked in the training room mirror. “We look thoroughly…” she looked down instead of finishing her dirty remark, biting at her bruised bottom lip. Pilkyo smirked and wrapped his arms around her as he looked into the mirror. “We should probably straighten ourselves before we leave.”

After going to the bathrooms to make themselves look a bit more presentable, they rode the bike back to the hotel to meet up with the rest of their family.