Wheein knew that her mom could be extreme when it comes to teaching, but she didn’t think her mom would go this far. 

“Are you absolutely positive you did everything you could do to stop mom??” Wheein nervously asked her mother again as she watched her mom and girlfriend dance in the ring.

“Listen, ya know how your mom is. There’s a method to her madness,” Byul flinched at the sudden pop of glove meeting flesh, “.....I think.”

Wheein deflated as she knew the truth in her mother’s words. Words that were proven right. As her mom fought each of her students, she taught them valuable lessons. Seeing how her mom would point out their weaknesses and use the stress of the match to drive her point home, Wheein knew the method to her mom’s madness. Anyone could train for hours on end and just spar, but you only truly learned a skill once you are under the stress of actual application. Hence why her mom took the bait. It was the perfect opportunity to give her students the harshest, and best, lesson of their time here. But Wheein still had one question to ask her mom’s madness.

Why fight Hyejin?

Wheein looked on as her mom and Hyejin continued to dance and marvelled. They entered the ring as Yongsun and Hyejin, but became the dragon and lion the moment they raised their gloves. It was a fascinating transformation to witness. 

Yong’s friendly demeanor shifted to cold cut steel. The perpetual small hint of a smile that was on her face vanished and shifted to a stoic frown. Her eyes shifted in order to examine and expose any weaknesses in the person in front of her. Her footwork was fluid and it was the true definition of dancing. She weaved around the ring so smoothly that she might as well be a snake.  Her defense was impeccable even though it just looked like she was just reacting. Years of fighting underground and illegally was Yong’s greatest strength. That ability to adapt on the fly and just flow without needing to think about the next attack was a feat that took ages to even begin to master. Her ring name of Dragon perfectly describes her. The weaving in and out like a snake in the air, the quick punches that would hit as she passes by to get behind her opponent, the power her usual finish punch would have, clear characteristics of a dragon.

Hyejin’s calm and laid back demeanor shifted to something calculating and fierce. Her gentle eyes hardened and could burn a hole through steel as they shifted from that of a kind person to a focused predator in the jungle. It was frightening, and in Wheein’s case, a bit of a turn on. Hyejin’s eyes remained focused on her target, using her periphery and ability to read her opponent to help her. While her footwork wasn’t as beautiful as Yong’s, her main strength in footwork came in her ability to change stances whenever she pleased. She could start off orthodox, then take a step and shift to southpaw and vice versa. Her ability to make the transition so smooth that it seems to happen within a blink of an eye is her greatest asset. She may not weave in and out like Yong, but once the fight turned into close quarters, that’s where she excelled. Yong had the tendency to keep her range, only coming in to sneak in shots, whereas Hyejin would be a bit more stationary. She would stalk her opponent instead of weave around them out of range. Yong’s punches were quick and held little power unless it was supposed to be a finisher. Hyejin’s punches were all power shots. Even though she had to adjust her technique a little in order to compensate for her back, it was a blessing as it made Hyejin more calculating. It made her think two steps ahead so she wouldn't have to waste energy. Her more predator on the hunt approach were clear characteristics of a lion. 

Two vastly different ways of fighting. Two powerful fighters. If Wheein didn’t have the worry about her girlfriend making it out alive then this would be a fight that Wheein would enjoy. 

“Man, those two are amazing,” A new voice filled the air around her.

Wheein looked and found another young woman, a bit taller than her, with short hair and wearing sunglasses. Her attire was the definition of nonchalant cool. Crisp jeans, clean shirt, rugged vest with various patches where the sleeves were ripped off, all were the perfect picture of what her mother says every now and then.  Standing beside her was a cool cat. 

Wheein nodded and gave her attention back to the ring. She barely recognises the person beside her. The older sibling of one of the students here. But, what was her name?

“Hey, you’re Wheein, right?” The stranger asked.

“Yep. And you are….” Wheein faded as if she was trying to remember the stranger’s name and hide the fact that didn’t know it at all. 

“I’m So-yoon. Oh, before I forget, I really like your name by the way,” So-yoon said in a cool tone. 

“Thanks, I got it for my birthday,” Wheein blurted before she even had a chance to digest what So-yoon just said.

So-yoon’s chuckle was low and deep as she tilted her head curiously.

“Well I be damned. You’re cute and funny as hell,” So-yoon said as she leaned in to be heard while also lifting her sunglasses just enough to wink at Wheein.

 The crowd was going wild as the fight between the lion and dragon continued. Unlimited rounds, each round 3 minutes each. The perfect chance to test one's skills and stamina.

“Uh, thank you?” Wheein said with a small chuckle as she tried to focus back on the match but alarms ringing in her head. What So-yoon just said, it was eerily like what Hyejin first told her back before they started dating. When they first started to begin talking to each other. Wait. Was this flirting? Was So-yoon flirting with her? But why?

Wheein saw the smirk grow on So-yoon’s lips but before she could try to worm herself away she felt eyes on her. Looking around the immediate area, her mother wasn’t in sight so that rules her out. Looking around some more she saw that everyone’s focus was on the ring. So just who was looking at her? So-yoon turned her attention back to the ring and--

Oh.

Looking at the ring herself, she met Hyejin’s piercing gaze. Even with Yong in front of her, Hyejin’s focus was on Wheein only. Due to the protective gear, Wheein couldn’t read Hyejin’s expression, but she could imagine it. If she saw that So-yoon flirted with her then it’s only logical to assume that Hyejin had some sort of reaction. 

But, what kind?

Hyejin had never been the overtly jealous type.  Nor has Hyejin been the overtly possessive type. If anything, anytime someone ever tried to make a move on Wheein without knowing who Hyejin was yet, she was just amused. While Wheein was left flustered at having to tell a person that she’s taken and that her girlfriend was Hyejin and all, Hyejin just snickered. Clearly amused at the situation despite Wheein’s chagrin. 

Yet Hyejin’s gaze was something Wheein had never seen before. 

“I gotta ask cuz it’s been buggin’ me but you were in Anderson’s class, right? In Art History at 2?” So-yoon asked.

“Hm? Oh, yea. You were in there??” Wheein responded half heartedly. Her eyes remained focused on the dancing dragon and the crouching lion.

“Yup. Sat in the very last row, all the way at the top. I know it’s a long shot, but I need to know, what did you get on the bonus question? Cuz I put Jesus Christ Superstar."

Wheein couldn’t help but laugh a little bit at the absurdity of the answer. 

“The question was what his favourite song is and it was Heaven on their Minds,” Wheein couldn’t help but keep giggling. 

“Ah . Close enough though, right?” So-yoon shrugged with one shoulder.

Wheein felt eyes on her again.

“If you meant the musical, then yes. If you meant the song, then no,” Wheein grinned before turning her attention back to the ring. 

The bell rang and Yong and Hyejin retreated back to their corners to plan their next attack. Wheein quickly scampered over to Hyejin’s corner. Quickly forgetting that So-yoon was right next to her.

“Hyejin--” Wheein started.

“Who was that?” Hyejin asked once she took off the protective head gear and continued to give Wheein that gaze from before. 

“Hm? Oh, that was…...uh….” Wheein thought for a moment and realised that she already forgot the name, “Someone from school?”

“Hmm,” Hyejin hummed before taking a big swig of water and placing it back in the bucket.

“Are you alright?” Wheein asked. Not only was Hyejin giving her that weird look, but Wheein was also worried about Hyejin’s back. She hopes Hyejin and her mom won’t take things too far but it’s already round something and neither seemed ready to budge. 

“I’m fine,” Hyejin answered abruptly before putting back on the headgear and got up to meet Yong in the middle. Rest time was over. 

Out of reflex, Wheein reached out to try to stop Hyejin from walking away but being on the ground was her undoing. That and the ropes. And the fact that the bell rang once more to start round four.

The twang in Wheein’s heart was unmistakable. Hyejin’s lacklustre response and mysterious gaze squeezed Wheein’s heart. It wasn’t like Hyejin to be so…...distant. It felt foreign and wrong. Hyejin didn’t even touch her or kiss her like she usually does when she’s resting in the corner and it made Wheein feelt empty and cold. Just what was it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hyejin desperately wanted to end this fight. Her mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions. She saw Wheein with that other woman and at first, she felt pride. Of course people would notice her Wheein. Afterall, Wheein was the most beautiful person on the planet, inside and out, so it was only natural for her to attract all sorts of people. Said people tried to shoot their shot and it was amusing to see them deflate once it was clear that they had no chance with a goddess that was Wheein. Though, the main reason as to why she was amused was due to how flustered Wheein would get. But there was no harm in it.

So why was this different?

Simple.

Wheein responded well. 

It was clear that the other woman wasn’t a friend, or else Hyejin’s mind would be clear instead of this massive whirlwind of conflictions. While Wheein may not have noticed the look of the woman’s eyes, Hyejin did. And therein lies her confliction.

She was jealous. Albeit mildly. 

She was resigned to that fact that this would happen one day. She believes that Wheein deserves the best, even if that means that the best results in Hyejin no longer having a place in Wheein’s heart. 

She felt possessiveness rise within her. Something ugly.

As she danced in the ring with Yong, her heart wasn’t in her punches. Something that Yong noticed immediately. The power wasn’t there. The intensity. The passion. The fire. All were absent from her punches. All faded as Hyejin’s mind tried to scramble itself to make sense. 

She was jealous that someone else was able to make Wheein laugh so easily. Someone who wasn’t a friend. A clear indication that Wheein immediately felt somewhat comfortable enough around that person. 

She was resigned as her belief made her be. Wheein deserves the best. And if that wasn’t her then so be it. It’ll be painful but she shouldn’t impose her selfish desire onto Wheein. Especially if Wheein doesn’t want it. If Wheein doesn’t want her, doesn’t even want her around, then she’ll kindly step back and let Wheein go. Even if that means having half of her heart being ripped to shreds.

She was possessive as she knew the woman eyed Wheein up and down. As if Wheein was just another body to add to the count. Wheein doesn’t deserve that. Seeing anyone looking at Wheein liked that always made Hyejin feel this way. Was it possessiveness? Or was it protectiveness? She has yet to discover where that fine line was and she didn’t want to bother finding it right now.

“Does your resolve falter this easily?”

Yong’s voice was low but Hyejin was still able to hear her despite the roar of the crowd. 

Hyejin flinched and dropped her guard just enough for Yong to slip in a hook.

“Come on, Hyejin-ah. I know you can do better than this,” Yong coaxed.

During the previous round, Yong saw that Hyejin’s focus was elsewhere. As they continued to dance, Yong saw the source of the distraction. Wheein was talking to someone else. And, was that person flirting? If so, then there’s the source of Hyejin’s unfocused state of mind. 

Hyejin gritted her teeth as she tried to bring her power back.

Yong easily dodged the next barrage of attacks.

“Are you going to let one person get to you? What happened to your intention,” Yong stressed the last word with her own barrage of attacks. Easily pinning Hyejin in a corner.

Hyejin’s mind snapped back to when Yong first asked her what her intention was with Wheein. The intention that has since evolved to something greater and grander while still maintaining its origins. Her intention when she told Yong how she truly felt about Wheein. Her intention when she told Wheein’s grandmother her plans for the future. 

Her intention to love Wheein now and forever. 

With a growl, Hyejin felt her mind melt away as the flow came back to her. 

“Here we go,” Yong smirked as she prepared herself. 

But not enough.

Hyejin sold her faint so well that Yong actually fell for it. The resounding pop as Hyejin’s glove made contact with Yong’s face was deafening. The silence of the crowd reached her ears but she didn’t stop. Taking the small window as Yong reeled backwards, Hyejin positioned herself behind Yong and out of range. 

The pop echoed as the crowd froze in amazement. Wondering what would happen next. Yong reeled for a moment before catching herself. Taking a moment to shake her head to bring her back to focus, Yong chuckled. 

“Finally,” Yong turned around to face Hyejin, and the lion saw the shift. The dragon that she had been fighting was but a farce. Something crafted in order to be legal and less imposing. Now, the real dragon was out. The real dragon that was forged in street and bar fights. 

Yong widened her stance and became more rooted. Her body visibly relaxed to the point of seeming too loose. Her gloves lowered a little as she unclenched herself. She became unorthodox.

Hyejin smirked. This was the fight. The real fight that she promised Yong all those years ago. The fight to prove herself. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If Wheein wasn’t worried about Hyejin, then she would’ve been cheering with the crowd. 

“Hey, kid, what did I--” Her mother came back from wherever she was and saw exactly what she missed.

“Why is mom fighting like that?” Wheein saw the shift in style that her mom was using. It was loose, and held no rhyme or reason. It was wild. 

“She’s really into this,” Came the enigmatic response.  

Wheein was going to question her mother more but the battle of titans entranced her. 

Yong’s wild style competed nicely with Hyejin’s own semi-wild style. It was clear that the both of them were letting it all out. Nothing was held back. 

Loud pops as their gloves made contact with flesh echoed all around the gym. Squeaks of their shoes as they shuffled around the ring accented some of the punches that were being thrown. Sometimes it sounded like fireworks as both of them launched their own barrage of attacks on the other. Sometimes it was quiet, except for the squeaks, as the recharged for just a brief bit before going at it again. 

It was the longest three minutes ever. 

The dragon’s true form was frightening and powerful. Yong’s dance in the ring seemed like she was flying around. Her punches had the added torque that her previous style didn’t have. Making the resounding pops heavier and deafening. 

The lion bore it all. Sometimes chasing the dragon, sometimes retreating. A game of tug of war. But everything was calculated. Each punch that made contact, she absorbed. Like iron in the forge, each hit molded her. Once 50 seconds were on the clock, she launched her plan.

She wasn’t a dragon by any means. She didn’t have years of formal and informal training like Yong. But, she did have Yong as a teacher. And what’s one way to beat a teacher? By using the methods they mastered.

She used Yong’s footwork. Easily adapting it to suit her needs, she met Yong head to head at every turn. Momentarily, she became Yong’s equal. 

The crowd roared as they saw what Hyejin was doing. 

35 seconds left.

Yong saw what Hyejin did and felt nothing but pride. Finally, it was time to finish this. She placed herself across from Hyejin on the other side of the ring. 

30 seconds left.

Hyejin shared the same thought and easily mimicked Yong again. It was time to finish this. It was time to prove herself to Yong, but to also herself. 

25 seconds left. 

They launched themselves toward each other as the crowd yelled in excitement as to what the final blow would be. 

20 seconds left.

They met each other in the middle with such speed, that it was obvious what kind of punch this would be. Their most powerful one yet. Using their torque, they launched their final attack. Yong used mostly her momentum to launch a right hook. Aimed at Hyejin’s head out of habit. Hyejin used the torque that Yong drilled into her, starting from the bottom, to launch a mean left hook. 

7 seconds left.

The contact of the gloves resonated through everyone and bounced off the walls as their punches hit their mark.

3 seconds left.

Both bodies fell on the ground as the bell finally rang.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“--So remember to always keep rooted. It’s why your punches were so weak. Hwang, remember to not stand so straight. It decreases your power significantly. Hey, Bravo, good job with the footwork! Just remember to relax so you don’t trip over yourself. Gahyeon? Amazing use of combos! With some more fine tuning and practice you’ll be a force to reckon with,” Yong debriefed with her students as she held an ice pack to her eye. Moonbyul was carefully hovering over Yong in case she needed anything else.

Wheein paid no attention as to what her mom was saying. All of her focus was tending to Hyejin. Her poor injured lion.

“Hey, Wheein-ah?” Hyejin’s muffled voice  easily found its way to Wheein’s ears. 

“Yea?” Wheein patted Hyejin’s forehead with a cool cloth and gave her another ice pack to place on her swollen cheek. 

“Sorry…” Hyejin whimpered. With the adrenaline of the fight vanished, her senses came back to her. Her senses and foolish emotions.

Wheein looked at Hyejin with a gentle smile. Grateful that her lion was back and being clingy as usual. 

“It’s alright. Can you tell me what was wrong though?” Wheein patted the rest of Hyejin’s torso with another cool cloth.

“That--”

“Hey! Amazing fight out there!” So-yoon appeared in front of them with a broad smile. 

Hyejin immediately wrapped an arm around Wheein and brought her closer. Wheein didn’t even blink an eye. 

“Thanks. Didn’t think it would go on for that long though,” Hyejin answered as clearly as she could with a swollen cheek. 

“I didn’t think the Dragon could last that long either. Her stamina must be through the roof,” So-yoon mused, “Well, anyway, see you next time. Your fight with the Dragon inspired Hwang  to train even harder. And maybe I’ll see you in class next semester.”

With that, So-yoon took her leave with her little brother in tow. 

“Oh! So that’s Hwang’s older sister! Huh, I wonder why he goes just by his last name?” Wheein verbalised her thoughts, not noticing how So-yoon brought the shift in Hyejin’s attitude. 

“Yea….” The mental tornado made its way back into Hyejin’s mind. Her clear and resolved consciousness once again became confused.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Wheein asked as she placed a hand over Hyejin’s.

“Just--” Hyejin shook her head in annoyance. She had so many thoughts but she couldn’t verbalise them. She wanted to say everything at once but where could she start? The origin of her issue or the superficial issue of subpar jealousy?

“Were you jealous??” Wheein asked. She mentally reviewed every moment where Hyejin’s attitude shifted and noticed the common object in them. So-yoon. So, the next step was to determine what about So-yoon caused such a shift in attitude? She noticed the flirting, but there were plenty of times where others flirted with her in front of Hyejin and during those times Hyejin didn’t have such a shift in attitude. What was different then? But it was obvious. It seemed like she reciprocated, or at least responded well enough. 

But, was that really jealousy? What was jealousy? For her, she was jealous of Sujeong for having such a deep connection with Hyejin. A connection that could one day be a problem. So what of Hyejin? Is simply flirting enough for Hyejin to be jealous?

“A little, but,” Hyejin shifted uncomfortably for a moment, “It kinda avalanched to something else in my mind?”

Wheein furrowed her brows and tilted her head. 

“What do you mean?”

Hyejin growled in annoyance. Unable to truly convey what she means as even she doesn’t truly understand. She knew how Wheein thought, and if she were to properly convey herself, without causing confusion, then she needed to run through everything in logical order. 

“I….I don’t know..” Hyejin flipped the ice pack over to the cooler side and placed it on her cheek again. 

“Hyejin-ah, I love you, and only you,” Wheein held onto Hyejin’s hand. Thinking of nothing else to ease Hyejin's burden, Wheein elected to say the one thing that will always remain true. The one thing that she knows will calm Hyejin down a bit.

“I love you too,” Hyejin felt pathetic. Her inability to convey herself  was causing Wheein to worry and the last thing she wanted to do was cause Wheein to worry. She caused enough of that to last a lifetime today, “ I’m sorry.”

“Hyejin-ah….” Wheein brought Hyejin in for a hug and placed a kiss on Hyejin’s forehead, “Promise to tell me when you find the right words?” 

Hyejin nuzzled into Wheein’s neck, “Promise.”

Wheein hummed as she enjoyed the sensation of Hyejin wrapping herself around her. Albeit a tad awkward since Hyejin had to hold the ice pack but the sentiment was there.

“Feelings and thoughts are stupid,” Hyejin mumbled before she kissed Wheein’s neck and causing fluttering laughter to escape from Wheein’s lips.

“You mean feelings and thoughts  that you can’t convey are stupid?” Wheein ran a hand through Hyejin’s hair. Gently petting her lion.

Hyejin grunted in agreement, “At least it’s easy to convey how much I love you.”

“Oh? Which is how much?” 

“ A whole bunch! It’s as big as the universe!” Hyejin proudly declared. Placing more kisses on Wheein’s neck and collarbone.

“It’s expanding??” 

“Yup! Everytime I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell  you, my love for you grows more and more by the millisecond.” 

Wheein felt herself blush just as her mother came into view with a tin foil tray in her hands.

“Hey kids, you guys want some lamb-- O-oh. Uh, sorry for interrupting.” Byul quickly turned back around. 

“Moth--Damnit, she already made her assumption,” Wheein grumbled. 

“I mean, we are having a private and tender moment where I’m freely admitting my never ending love for you and--”

“You really want some lamb, don’t you?”

“YES.”

“Come on, before my mother starts telling my mom and then we have to deal with the both of them being weird about it.”

"Hey, Wheein-ah?" Hyejin asked as she got up to stretch a little and waited for Wheein to join her.

"Hm?"

"How cool did I look up there?" Hyejin grinned before yelping in pain as her wounded cheek yelled at her.

Cupping Hyejin's head into her hands, Wheein brought her in close so she could kiss the injured cheek. 

"You looked hella cool," Wheein honestly answered before leading Hyejin to the lamb.

Hyejin was beaming the rest of the day with Wheein thinking that she looked cool, and as her confusion melted and she was reminded of her resolve and intention once again. Confident enough to tell Wheein what was wrong with her before she forgets and it festers into something devestating. Well, until she fell into a food coma.