The Duel

Tae-sik arrived earlier than Lee expected, despite the run around he gave his opponent.

Gun shots were heard from the floor below them.

Making So-Mi sat up in her hard seat, and Lee standing straight in anticipation of a great fight.

-----

Tae-sik was greeted by more of Lee's men as soon as he arrived at the building.

Some of whom he recognized as the men Lee had put on guard at the Choi apartment.

This time the fight was to hurt. To weaken.

Before he met the actual true opponent

"Ahjussi..!"

Tae-sik heard the call coming from the floor above.

And that voice was enough to turn Tae-sik into the fighting machine he once were.

-----

"It's unfortunate he's starting to kill again," Lee shook his head in mock sadness. "I mean, even if does get out of this alive, he will need to do time again for his new crimes."

Sounds of gun shots continued before So-Mi and Lee heard grunts and thumps of fist fights and bodies thrown to walls and across floors.

"I thought you were going to fight him man to man?" So-Mi shouted.

"I am," Lee smiled. "I'm just making him warm up a little."

"That's cowardly, isn't it?" So-Mi sneered, her chest heaving in anger and apprehensiveness. "Weakening him before finally meeting you."

"I never said I play fair," he shrugged and smiled, almost evilly, whipping out his gun. "I'm done with the nice guy act."

"God! And you expect me to docilely follow you after all this?"

"Maybe not docilely. But follow me, you sure will," he leaned down towards her and run down his gun nozel down her cheek. "Who else would ensure that Omma in the village will stay safe?"

And the smile came on again to camouflage the vile threat.

So-Mi could only stare at him with indignant disbelief.

-----

After minutes that seemed like hours to So-Mi, Tae-sik appeared by the second floor door.

Making So-Mi gasped at the sight of his battered state.

Cuts could be seen across his face and indicated by his slashed clothes.

His shirt plastered to his body  with sweat and blood.

The same white shirt he wore when he sent her to her Omma's earlier.

Now stained with a big patch of deep crimson at an area just above his waist.

Yet he walked into the room in slow steady purposeful strides.

With a dangerous air emanating from his lithe body.

A semi automatic in his hand.

And a murderous look in his eyes.

Anticipating the arrival, Lee greeted the newcomer with a cynical smile.

"Aah... you arrived at last... Your gun, Cha Tae-sik-ssi," Lee requested, aiming his own pistol towards So-Mi. "Slowly please..."

Tae-sik complied, slowly leaning forward to gently place the gun on the floor.

"You sure took you time to rescue her this time," Lee smiled, tucking his gun back behind him.

Tae-sik walked forward slowly, his now empty hands by his side.

A picture of relaxed confidence.

Not giving away the harried experience he just had running from one end of town to another, and wading the human obstacles Lee put him through.

Nor the pounding fear in his heart for So-Mi's safety.

"She doesn't need me to rescue her," he lifted his shoulders carelessly. "She's capable of looking after herself."

Lee laughed at the apparently absurd suggestion.

"Like this?" Moving slightly to the side to showcase the tied up So-Mi.

Tae-sik circled his opponent, familiarising himself with the surrounding.

And simply shrugged again, to show his nonchalance.

Camouflaging the slight twitch in the eye he gave So-Mi to enquire her well being.

A twitch that was met with an affirmative blink of the eye from the latter.

Unknowing to Lee, while he was on his tirade, So-Mi's right hand was discretely but efficiently cutting through the thick ropes.

With a beautiful, intricately carved silver and titanium hilted miniature sickle.

That she expertly tucked between her shoulders within her bra strap.

Easily accessible, with her hands tied to the back.

< I wanted to get you a taser for Christmas ... but seeing how well you fight, I think this is more appropriate. >

An unconventional present from an unconventional man.

But laden with more love than anyone can hope to receive.

"But then again, you know I'll never hurt her, that's why."

"Oh?" Tae-sik lifted his eyebrows and nodded towards So-Mi's now bruising cheek and torn lip. "Did So-Mi just bit herself, then? Making herself bleed?"

"Mianhe. I didn't mean to hurt this pretty girl, but she was being bad," Lee smirked again, reaching the spot where Tae-sik placed his gun, and kicked it away, towards the bookshelves. "Besides, she was never the target. It's you whom I'm really after, anyways. But I bet you don't know why."

"Well, actually I do," Tae-sik answered, catching Lee off guard. "To avenge your brother. And make her join your team."

"Smart, really smart," Lee smirked.

"But then again," Tae-sik smiled cynically. "That's just an excuse, isn't it?"

Lee frowned at the unexpected questioning.

"Your real reason is even simpler than that."

"Really?" Lee cocked his head. "And what is it?"

Both men were now slowly circling each other. Like tigers in a ring. Waiting for the right time to pounce.

"To simply keep the girl."

A statement that made Lee's face fall.

"It just kills you that a pretty girl like her, could choose an Ahjussi over you. You, who has never had problems in collecting your pretty young, or not so young, ones to be by your side."

Lee's face paled at the statement, confident that he had always been discrete with his conquests.

Tae-sik cocked his head, narrowing his eyes as he spoke.

"And in a way I pity you," it was Tae-sik's turn to smirk. "Having to kill the opponent, just to keep the girl. Don't you think she must choose you herself?"

"She would have chosen me, if not for you," Lee growled. "You had to come and spoil the scene."

The Ahjussi simply shrugged, and smiled.

"Well ... I saw her first."

With a furious snarl, Lee made a lunge towards Tae-sik, and the duel finally started.

At the move, Tae-sik quickly bent down to retrieve a palm sized sickle tucked in his right sock and slid it on the ground towards So-Mi's legs.

"So-Mi!" He shouted, before attending to Lee's attack.

Lee was right, he was good.

It was like fighting Ramrawon all over again for Tae-sik.

Swift movements of the forearms and knees connecting and attacking each other.

It was like a college wrestling match.

Only more brutal. With no holds barred.

A fight between the leanest and fittest.

On whom can out maneuver the other.

By grabbing arms and twisting them in ways that can make grown men cry.

Credit goes to Lee, whom like Tae-sik, discarded his gun, foregoing a quick kill for a more satisfying body combat.

And the younger man gave just as good as he got.

Tae-sik's forearm managed to push Lee's adam's apple in a way that made the latter choke.

Resulting in Lee kneeing Tae-sik in the groin.

And while the latter double over in pain, Lee took advantage and grip locked him from behind.

"What, no other weapon on you?"

Lee asked, feeling Tae-sik up.

"I promised someone that I'd do right this time. So I'll just break a few bones and leave the rest to the authorities."

"Always so ing confident," Lee snorted, still holding Tae-sik from behind, his slightly taller frame made it an easy feat. "Pity you have to pay later for the men you killed downstairs."

"Who said I killed them," Tae-sik answered, grunting,to pry himself from Lee's death grip. "I just shoot to maim. Not kill. Didn't they teach you that trick at the academy?"

And Tae-sik used Lee's momentary stunt reaction to back flip him, twisting and cracking the latter's little finger in the process.

"Aah... You're a graduate officer. You didn't go to police school," Tae-sik grinned sarcastically, still holding on to the little finger. "I forgot."

-----

Through out the fight, So-Mi managed to break free from her confines and she proceeded to pick the bigger knife by her feet to cut the ropes on her legs.

Surprising Lee when she got up from her seat.

"She broke free," Lee shouted for his back up, kicking Tae-sik in the stomach.

Flipping up from his reclined position, nursing his broken finger.

And whipping out a knife of his own.

"Ahjussi!" So-Mi shouted, reciprocating Tae-sik's earlier action, to slid the knife back to him.

A moment later two goons, with one holding on to his head in pain and the other brandishing a knife, burst into the room.

So-Mi ran towards them from behind the shelves and cracked a chair on one of their backs.

Knowing knife fights are often swift and deadly, So-Mi wanted to keep Lee's men away from the main fight.

And fought them herself.

Luckily for her, with one fighting with a headache courtesy of his earlier fight with Tae-sik, and other slightly dizzy after receiving the hit with the chair, So-Mi managed to hold her fort a good while.

But the sight of So-Mi fighting two men at one go, was enough to push Tae-sik over the edge.

Going after Lee like a man possessed and desperate to finish his own fight as quickly as possible to help her.

Like with Ramrowan before, Tae-sik's knife slashed across his opponent's body, while at the same time receiving some of his own equally.

Both men moved back and front, pushing each other to the brink and oblivious to any pain.

Lee's beautiful face had the same murderous intent as Tae-sik's.

So-Mi managed to bring down one of the men with her own sickle when the other approached her from the back, with his own knife high in the air, ready to swing down on her.

"So-Mi!" Tae-sik shouted, cautioning her when suddenly a shot rang from nowhere to hit the thug squarely between the eyes.

Bringing both fights to a sudden stand still.

And from the distance, the siren could be heard growing louder as the police came closer towards the building.

Tae-sik took advantage of the sudden stilted moment, and elbowed Lee to the ground.

And simultaneously jumped up to throw the weight of his knee on Lee's lying lower leg, breaking it cleanly in two.

Making Lee writhe on the floor in pain.

Prompting him to grab the gun behind his pant waist, in retaliation.

And pushing himself up with his elbow, he pointed it towards Tae-sik despite his excruciating pain.

Without thinking, So-Mi jumped forward from her earlier position, to act as a shield for her Ahjussi.

Lee was startled at her sudden move but it was too late.

The trigger was already pulled.

And in slow motion, as Lee's bullet flew in the air, another shot was fired directly to his heart.

Lee's bullet hit So-Mi squarely on her right shoulder, making her fall onto Tae-sik.

While the other bullet reached its intended target.

Inducing Lee to fall back and finally lie still on the ground.