The night went on and the crowd had left; the clock had struck midnight.  _______ had also left, for she had been exhausted of the day’s length.

Jungshin told all who were there (that is Yonghwa, Burning, Minhyuk, and Eric) to help clean the place up. He promised a monetary incentive so they all consented to his request.

                Once they had finished, Jungshin called them all to the room where the ring stood.

He walked over to the ring and now standing there, he spoke saying:

“I thank all of you. For us, no, for I, to hold something like this party here today in this gym… I never thought such a thing would happen.”

The boys stood still as they continued to hear Junghin. And he continued saying,

“When I was young I aspired to become the strongest man on earth- and I do believe all men, at one point in their lives, dream this dream… And I was very well on my way to doing so, but like the firework’s beauty lasts only a moment and then it abruptly stops, so was I stopped… You see, this ring, this gym were not always mine…

I was on my way to becoming champion, on the champion’s road, but I lacked… Ranked 8^th, I lost, and indeed did I suffer that loss… I could not get up. Then, it came to pass that it would only become progressively worst for me. My trainer, my second (cornerman), who was like a father to me, had grown old and so he could no longer be with me; he left my side. Now distraught, I contemplated of what should become of my life; I hanged up my gloves.

I spent days wondering when my loss would finally come to an end, and I spent nights wondering when I would finally be able to stand up again on my own two feet… I will never forget the name of the man who crushed not only my dreams, my career, but also my very life… He left me partially blind, you know? His name was “First Steps”… And I lived for a season in anger, sadness, and defeat.

Then, one day, I received a letter from my old trainer, who had left me, several months after his departure. Within that letter I found a deed- the deed to this very room in which we all now stand, and the deed to the small plot of land that was beside it… You see, this room where the ring sits was all there was to this gym originally. The main room, the bigger one where all of the training equipment is currently held, was added later. That is why this room and this ring are much worn out than anything else in the gym.

Anyways, I came and took a look at what I was gifted by my old friend, and remembered fond memories of former days. I thought ‘Maybe, just maybe, if I reopen this place for business, my life will change.’  So, I gathered what little money I had left from my boxing days and constructed the gym’s main section and bought all the training equipment that a gym needs. After construction was finished I opened the place for business. I, of course, had left the original section of the room intact- the same as it was from the days of my childhood when I would come here… So I left it unchanged, not wanting to forget all the memories I had of it.

Soon enough, the elderly men (that are now regulars) began to come in. This prompted me to look for help, as I could not handle being alone in a place filled with only old men.  That help that I would hire was Burning. And I laughed when I hired him, thinking of how funny it was to have someone who is older than you working for you.

Then, Minhyuk began to frequent the gym shortly after Burning was hired. I saw talent in the boy, and I wanted to develop that latent boxing talent he had. But, in the end I knew it would be for naught, as I came to learn that he didn’t want to follow in my footsteps and instead wanted to be a journalist or photographer… And even ‘till this day does he bring in his old camera and take random pictures of the gym and its people, and talk of his pictures… I thought he would stop coming, but he didn’t, which in turn gladdened my weary heart.

It came to pass that one day, the day in which Burning spoke to me the most, Burning spoke of his close friend: who like me, was defeated in life… Or so I thought. Wanting to find a person to whom I can relate to, I hired his friend. Boy, oh boy, was I astounded the day he first came for work. Rather than having suffered a defeat at the hands of life, he seemed like a champion. Yonghwa was his name.

My days would finally, after so long, be bright and glad again. Afterwards, I would find Eric, who had suffered from bullying, outside the gym’s entrance; I brought him in, hoping to strengthen him.

Shortly, very shortly, after (a couple of days later in fact), ________ joined us... Our lives would change forever.

                Thank you all for being with me, even until this day. I love you all, and though _______ is not with us in this present moment, I desire that all of us should remain together forever, spending the days just like this...”

As Jungshin finished his speech, the room filled with the applause of his friends. However, the applause would soon stop after a loud knock was heard coming from the gym’s entrance.

“I’ll see who it is. You guys stay here and rest.” said Yonghwa.  Yonghwa walked out of the room and went to see who it was that had knocked so loudly.

Yonghwa opened the entrance and a person with beautiful long blonde hair, and uniquely painted fingernails, stood outside with their back facing Yonghwa.  Yonghwa was dumbfounded, asking himself “Who could this be?”

Yonghwa reached his hand and patted the person’s back, asking “Uhmm, miss are you lost? Do you need something? Because the gym is closed ‘till Monday.”

The person turned around and immediately answered “Miss? I’m a guy!”

Yonghwa’s eyes turned over after recognizing who it was: it was Hongki, an old acquaintance from high school.

“Hongki? What happened to you? Did you get abducted by the grays? Was it in the cornfields?” questioned a worried Yonghwa.

“What?! No, I’m okay. I’m okay. Can’t you tell? I’m a rock star!” replied Hongki as he swayed back his luscious blonde hair.

“YOU, a rock star? In what planet?  I thought you flopped.” questioned Yonghwa.

“I did, well at least here in Korea. But, I swam over to Japan after spending some time in the mountains. And it was there that I made it big. Anyways, I held my concert here today… And, while on the way to the venue, I passed by this gym where I heard some genius music being played. Interested, I came in, and to my surprise, I found you! Out of all the people, I found you playing! Well, I also saw Burning but he wasn’t really playing or singing, I noticed brah. Yes, you were the only one who supported me in the old days, and I felt this was the chance I could take to return the favor.”

Yonghwa began to laugh as he reminisced of the time he spent with Hongki in high school. “Support me how? I’m good” replied Yonghwa.

“OK, well, you see, you have talent… And so, I came here to ask you if you want to go back with me to Japan and join my agency. In short, Yonghwa, you wanna be a rock star?” answered Hongki.

Yonghwa, began to cough. He then cleared his voice and spoke, saying “Wow, this is all too sudden. Idk what to say... I don’t think I can answer you right now. How about you give me your number and I call you tomorrow with my answer?”

Hongki agreed and then got into his red Ferrari and left. Yoghwa would then go back to his friends who were waiting for him.

“Who was it?” they asked.

“Ahhh, it was just a sales lady selling insurance and fingernail art.” answered Yonghwa.

“At this hour?” they questioned.

“Yessss, at this hour...” replied Yonghwa.

“Anyways, I just said a big mouthful. How about you tell us more about yourself, Yongha? How come you were always bad at keeping your jobs ‘til now?” asked Jungshin.

Yonghwa let out a deep sigh and responded, saying,

“I guess it’s about time I answered this question. I’ve never really told anyone about it, not even Burning- But then again, even though we’ve known each other for so long, he’s not much of a talker or one to meddle in someone’s life. Okay, where to start off?

Uhmm, well you see, for every job that I’ve ever had… Well I either resigned, quit, or have been fired… This job is the first job I’ve kept for more than 3 months. And, if I can be honest, whether I quit or was fired- well, it don’t matter… in the end it was probably my fault. Hmmm… And now that I think about it, it’s probably because of the way I am.

You see, at every place I have ever worked at (except this one, of course), there has always been ‘injustice’… Whether the boss harassed me or my fellow coworkers, or whether it was the other way around and the employees harassed their boss; whether there was money stolen from the cash registers or the manager withheld money from my checks… There was always something like that going on, and I could just not stand it: I always tried to make things right, but was either fired or quit, because they didn’t care…

It was during those times that I got short on cash and was compelled to seek Burning, my longtime friend, for refuge; I began to live in his apartment. I’m glad he took me in, but I didn’t want to be a burden to him; I wanted to help him out with the rent. I went job hunting, but that didn’t work out. Same thing happened and I could not hold onto a job… He then decided to lend me a hand, and so he convinced his boss, Jungshin, to give me work. Burning brought me here, and that’s about it for me I guess…”

Jungshin went over to where Yonghwa was standing and gave a him big hug. Yonghwa’s eyes then met with Eric’s and so he asked, “Well, how about you, Eric? Ssik U seems to have some history with you, what’s up with that? Are they the ones that used to bully you?”

“Oh yeah huh, I didn’t tell you guys huh?  Should I tell them, Eric?” said Jungshin as he looked to Eric.

Eric took off his glasses and began to clean them, letting out a deep sigh as he said, “Nah, it’s okay. I’ll tell ‘em.  I used to work at this one place that interviewed up and coming singers. During one of those programs I was coerced into dancing for them… I was praised greatly for it; my dancing skills are out of this world. And Ssik U was also there that day. It was their first interview, but it was also their last. As it turns out, they were completely ignored for the rest of the show, and I became the spotlight… You guys can guess how angry they got... They were severely humiliated seeing as how to they lost their chance at stardom to me, an ordinary person. From that day on they were forgotten.

They didn’t forget me though. Day by day did they come in and bully me- from insulting me to randomly challenging me at dance-offs, to even trying to recruit me into joining their boy group! I got fed up with them and thought that if I bulked-up they would leave me, and so I joined this gym, but they did not stop. I eventually quit that job and worked for this one after-school program, but they even followed me there. I decided to switch jobs one more time, and so I became this entertainment news reporter. Since it was a job that had me constantly moving, they eventually lost track of me- Maybe they just gave upon me.

And so this leads me to a decision… Even after having gained some muscle… I still don’t ‘feel strong’… So, I decided: I’m going to the mountains for a while. There, I will be able to train my mind, body, and soul. I have a shack up there, so don’t worry ‘bout me… I’m telling you guys this so that not one of you should worry for me; I’m leaving tomorrow…

Anyways, Yonghwa, what is it that you, and Jungshin, and Minhyuk have been doing in secret (in this ‘ring room’) since last year? I don’t frequent this room often, and you guys do lock the door after you guys enter it, so what’s up?”

“Secret? Oh, you mean the private boxing lessons that Jungshin has been making me take. Yup yup, he and Minhyuk have been giving me boxing lessons. He said I have a raw natural talent for boxing, and so he wanted to develop it… Anyways, I’m tired of just standing, let’s go into the ring and sit there or something.” said Yonghwa.

And they all went to sit inside the ring. Yinghwa then asked Junghsin  of his old trainer, whether he was dead or alive.

“Him? OH NO, he did not die. He had to leave me on account of the calcium deposits he had on his knees, which caused him problems with walking, and he also had back problems… He told me he had to go to America, where his son was and where he would be taken care of. He could no longer be by my side, and he could no longer take care of this gym (because of his return to America)… He wrote of all of this in the letter that was given to me alongside the deed to this gym… I didn’t tell you guys that?” answered Jungshin.

“No, you never did.” replied Burning.

“One more thing, he also told me

 ‘Whether you hang up your gloves or not after that match, Do not hang up your gloves on this life. What doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger, unless you let yourself be killed that is. You musn’t give up on life, boy! Go the distance!...

…And so the name of this pace is called The Distance, so I can say I go the distance every day, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Holydays, or any other days in which I, for some reason cannot make it.

I would love to tell him that I did not give up on life, but he’s in ‘Murrica, and that’s too far… Yups, ‘Lightning Martinez’ was his name… I think he was a world champion in his days…” answered Jungshin as he lifted his head up.

“Wait, didn’t you have his address on the letter that you received from him? Couldn’t you have written to him?” asked Minhyuk.

Jungshin began to cough and afterwards responded, saying, “Hmmmm, I never did think of such a thing… But, Yongha has that letter now. He said he wanted to laminate it and hang it up on the wall here.”

Burning then yawned and said, “It’s getting late now, it’s 2 am and on days like these, I think it’s better to get as much sleep as possible. We should get going.”

They stood up, stretched and got ready, but were stopped by Jungshin after he told them to wait while. He went to get something- he had a surprise prepared for them. He ran out the door and when he returned he was carrying a big carton box in his arms,

“Look you guys! Fireworks! I bought some, but also was gifted some by the friends we made on that Friday. They came in a while ago and gave these to me as a gift for staying in business. Bamsies also gave me a big bottle of Sriracha Sauce… I think he mistook it for champagne when he bought it… Anyways, c’mon, let’s go light them outside!” exclaimed Jungshin as he enthusiastically waved the box of fireworks.

Yonghwa’s eyes were drawn to the rhythmical waving of the fireworks. He became nervous, and restless, and began to sweat profusely. He realized he had been through this once before. “But when?” he asked himself. His hands began to clamor in anxiousness, but he was able to shake those feelings off.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhh, are these the kind that light up immediately after you pull on the string that is attached?” he asked.

“Uhhhm, yes I think they are. So, be very careful if you wanna take a looksies, we DO NOT WANT TO RUIN MY RING A SECOND TIME. Please, exercise caution.” Instructed Jugshin

“So, you’re telling me I don’t need my trusty lighter or my matches…Hmmm interesting… By the way, Burning was known as Burning since that incident in our Elementary School Days, but I was known as Matches…” whispered Yonghwa

Yonghwa’s hand then reached deep inside the box. And he took one out and began to pull on the string.

At that moment everyone yelled at him, telling him to stop. However, Yonghwa was too entranced with the string so that he did not heed their voices.

“No, Yonghwa! Stop! This room is too small; the whole place will burn down if you light it here!” shouted Junghsin.

But, it was too late. Yonghwa had finished pulling off that string. The firework flew from his hand crazily; it knew no mercy. Yonghwa dropped the box and they all ran away. Glimpsing backwards, they saw the firework crash into the box.

After that, great sounds of explosion were heard from the gym, as the boys now stood outside. Burning quickly called for the firefighters. The whole room was now burning in flames, and it was about to reach the main part of the gym, but the firefighters soon came. They manage to stop the fire before it reached the main part of the gym, but could not salvage the “ring room”.

“MY RIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGG!” cried out Jugshin bitterly. It was that day in which it seemed that Jungshin shed all of the world’s tears.  Indeed, he shed over a thousand tears…

“It’s okay, son Things like this just happen sometimes; I’ve gotten used to it. You should be grateful that you guys still have each other. You all seem like great friends, and I’m sure you’ll realize that you could cry on their shoulder if you need to.” said the firechief as he patted Jungshin on the shoulder in a comforting manner.

He whimpered and sniffled, and afterwards replied, “Yeah, you’re right. At least we still have each other.” And the firefighters then left.

                An hour then passed after the fire, and Yonghwa sat beside Junghsin as he pleaded for forgiveness and comforted him. The other too joined in at comforting Jungshin for his loss.

Then, wanting to change the subject, Yoghwa said “Oh yeah, did I tell you guys what I talked with _________   about yesterday? She told me of the reason why she has stayed working here for so long.”

“Really now? I always wondered of the reason why.” said Minhyuk.

“Yeah, I thought she would quit within days to be honest. “, said Jungshin, as he finished wiping away his tears.

“Yeah, me too!” added Eric.

“I think I know the reason she stayed…” whispered Burning.

“Curious, aren’t we?” answered Yonghwa.

Then he continued, saying, “You’ll never guess why. It turns out she fell in love with one of us! She told me that she came in everyday to work just to see that one’s face. She said, ‘Seeing him everyday causes my heart to flutter and my knees to tremble, and my hands also begin to get clammy. I never once fathomed the thought of falling in love. But, it just happened…”

Then Eric got up, and intermitted, saying, “Sorry, friends, I’ll have to leave you guys to talk amongst yourselves… I’m kinda interested in wanting to know who that ‘one’ is that ________ fell in love with, but I have to leave for my journey- it takes a while to get there, and I want to get there by evening tomorrow; it’s already late being 4 am, and… Well, I should get going. I have to catch various buses and trains, and I might miss a couple if I don’t get ready now…

I’ll be sure to come back here one day: the day I know that I am strong… Until then, goodbye!”

The boys all stood up and went to embrace Eric one final time.

“Goodbye, we will all miss you! It’s too bad you can’t stay any longer. And it’s also too bad you couldn’t say goodbye to _________. Don’t worry tough, I’ll make sure to say so on your behalf. Please be careful, if you are going to the mountains that I am thinking of, be wary of the bears. Goodbye, we will not forget you!” said Jungshin. And the other three nodded in agreement with what Jungshin said.

Eric began to leave, but then Jungshin ran up to him and handed him the bottle of Sriracha sauce that Bamsies had gifted “You might like it, and it might also serve as a type of pepper spray! Aaaaand we don’t need it….” said Jungshin. Eric thanked him and then finally left.

Jungshin returned to his friends and looked at Yonghwa, as he said “Tomorrow’s Sunday, so we’re not working; can we sit here a bit longer and you tell us about who ________ likes?”

“Yeah, that’s a great idea! I want to know too!” said MInhyuk.

Burning felt an urgent sense to leave, but he caved in, and so they sat by the street curb.

                And Yonghwa continued, saying, “So where was I?... Oh, yeah I was getting to the good part, about how _________ feels. I have very good memory, so I remember what _______ told me yesterday word for word. She said:

‘I admire him so much…But, I hate the way he’s not aware of my feelings! Arghhhh, I wish he knew telepathy so he can know my heart, so that he could finally notice me. I so badly want to ask him, ‘How do I look?’ ; to ask him to turn towards me, and to come to me, because I will not always stay waiting for him… If he turns around too late, I might not be there…

It’s a one-sided love that I have for him… And how I long for this to change… I don’t want to stare at just his back… I want to be with him face to face, and for him to tell me how much he loves me too… To tell me of my beauty, of my eyes, nose, lips… and hair… I want him to gaze at me. Oh, every time I think of him I lose my breath. And when I remember how he is not mine, I suspire…

When he passes by me, I begin to perspire, and my very insides start  shaking, my hearts begin to palpate uncontrollably, and my cheeks glow a burning red; I blush… There are nights when I just lie still upon my bed and ponder of how he is so very near, yet so far away. I cry… As the tears flow down my cheeks, I dream of the day when he would be with me, and then I would laugh and smile as many as the teardrops that I had shed…

When I hear his voice, I lose my mines… And when he talks to me in those few instances, I feel so comfortable… And even though I receive solace from his word, I feel that deep inside he is trembling…

He is tired, but he carries all his worries and burdens in his weary heart. Yet, he hides behind his warm smile and behind his laughter.

I want to heal him: to mend his broken heart… I long for the day when he would regain the twinkle in his eyes he might once have had. I want to kiss him slowly on his cheeks, and to lay his head upon my bosom as my arms embrace him… I want to see his cheeks rise, and for him to show me his first genuine smile…

I want him all for myself… I want to be the one standing by his side. I want to grasp his hands firmly and never let go. I want to spend the rest of my days with him. Day and night do I want him to be with me…  I long for the hour in which he would finally say to me ‘I love you’.. I want him to run to me. I don’t want to stay as only ‘his friend’. I’m not happy with just that… I want to be the only one who is around him… I desire for him to only need me, and want me…

But, you see it cannot be this way, because I cannot tell him my heart. I cannot share my feelings for him… I’m afraid. I’m afraid… For the day I pour out my heart before him, is the day in which all of us will change. The friendship we all carry here, the way in which we all see each other…  The way in which we all feel towards one another: it will no longer be the same… That is why sorrow floods my heart and grief fills my days… That is why I bite lips until bleeding whenever I gaze at his back as he passes by me.

My love cannot be, but I have learned to be content even by standing in the same room as him…’

That’s about all _______ spoke to me yesterday. I dried her tears my hands as she talked… But, she also told me not to worry because she will keep on smiling. She also told me not to tell anyone ‘bout this, but whoops! I guess that’s no longer a problem! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAhaha…ha”

“Wow, that’s so sad. How I would love to know the man she loves. I’d love to pull him aside and give him a piece of my mind as I tell him how stupid he is for not noticing her!” said Jungshin.

“Yeah, but I guess she would not answer him in the case that he found out. She’ll play dumb and not say anything on account of the way all of us else would react.” said Minhyuk.

“So, who do you think it is guys?” asked Yonghwa as gave a sly grin.

“I think we should just drop the subject…” suggested Burning

“But why? We’re all friends here!” exclaimed Jungshin.

“Well, to tell you guys the truth… I think it’s me!” proclaimed Yonghwa boldly as he stood up and stretched out his legs.

“Really? Why would you think it’s you?” asked Minhyuk.

“That’s obvious! I’m the one she told all of ‘this’ to, so I must be the one!.... AAAAAAAAAAnd I am the first one she met, and the one who dried her tears.” proudly answered Yonghwa.

“A little too confident, no Yonghwa? It could be me!” replied Jungshin as he stood up.

“PPPPPfffffftttt, it can’t be you!” answered Yonghwa.

Then Burning yawned loudly and suggested for them to leave home, but he was unheard.

“Why can’t it be me?” questioned Jungshin.

“Well, it’s because you’re you!” exclaimed Yonghwa.

“WHAAAAAAAT?????? Aaaaannnnnnd what is that ‘possed to mean?” shot back Jungshin.

“I told you already! It’s ‘cuz you’re Jungshin. What girl would like a man who has already made boxing his lifetime girl?” remarked Yonghwa.

Jungshin’s nose began to flare up and his breathing became intense. Minhyuk took notice of it and so he said, “C’mon, Yonghwa. He’s quite handsome, what girl wouldn’t like him?”

Then Junghsin raised his voice as he said to Yonghwa, “Hey, don’t you be like that towards the hands that feeds you!”

“C’mon, it must be all that smoke we inhaled from the fire…. We should get going and get some rest.” said Burning, but he was unheard.

Yonghwa’s brow rose at Jungshin’s words. He began to laugh, and then said “Feed me? When have you fed me with your hand? Am I some sort of dog to you? I work tiring hours in a place filled with the stink and sweat of men! I work for my bread!”

“I hired you! I gave you this job! If it weren’t for me you’d still be a good-fer-nothin’ bum!”  shouted Junghsin back.

Then Minhyuk got up and stood in between the two, interjecting, “Hey, come down you guys. No need for shouting…. After all, I might be the one she likes.”

“C’mon quit it. Let’s leave….” said Burning, but he was unheard.

“You stay out of this, Minhyuk” said Junghin as he shoved Minhyuk aside.

Yonghwa then walked over to Minhyuk and checked if he was okay. “Hey, don’t you push him! You’re the bum!” shouted Yonghwa. Yonghwa then pushed Junghsin aside.

“DON’T push me! You’re the bum that always wound up losing his job, before you came and groveled at my feet!” shouted Jungshin. He then shoved Yonghwa back, causing Yonghwa to fall on his bottom.

Burning finally stood up from where he was sitting, and said “You guys, knock it off!”

Jungshin turned swiftly to look at Burning and he scoffed at him. “All high and mighty, aren’t we, Burning???? You haven’t spoken a word until now. I don’t suppose you think she likes you, do you?”,  jeered Junghsin.

                Jungshin then sneered at Burning and punched his face, which in turn caused Burning to fall.

Yonghwa got up and immediately returned the “favor” to Junghshin.

“What are you guys doing? Stop it, c’mon!” exclaimed Minhyuk.

However, they did not stop, and so Junghsin got up and hooked Yonghwa with a fierce left. Minhyuk tugged on Junghin’s shoulder with the intention of getting his attention, and his attention did he get: Junghsin turned to Minhyuk and blasted his chin away with a left uppercut, and Minhyuk fell by the wayside.

Now enraged more than ever, Yonghwa got up from where he fell and ran to Jungshin, and he went for Jungshin’s kidney. Jungshin lost his air and began to gag. He fell on his knees desperately gasping for air.

Finally standing up, Burning went towards Yonghwa and begged him to stop. But, Yonghwa didn’t stop and so he aimed at Burning’s face and shot a fierce right. Again to the ground did he go…

Then Minhyuk stood up and began to struggle with Yonghwa.

Burning sat up as he wiped away the blood that came from his lips with his sleeve. “Going for blood now, aren’t we?” scoffed Burning. He got up and ran towards Yonghwa and Minhyuk; he went for their faces, which in turn caused them to fall upon the concrete. Jungshin had gotten on his knee, struggling to get up, but Burning gave him no chance: Jungshin fell to the ground and his head absorbed most of the impact, causing it to bleed profusely.

“Not so Untouchable now, are we Jungshin?” chuckled Yonghwa who saw the blow from the corner of his eye.

Burning’s eyes turned to Yonghwa and met his eyes. “Shut up!! I told you guys to stop, but you guys didn’t listen!!!!” cried out Burning as he began to choke on his words and his eyes began to swell up.

“WHAT? No one tells me to shut up!” shouted Yonghwa in return. He then got up and rushed to strike Burning, who was caught off guard as he dried his tears.

“Don’t you see his crying? Look at him! I thought you were his best friend!” exclaimed Minhyuk. And he got up and ran to Yonghwa. They, again, began to engage in flurry of blows. However, Minhyuk was overwhelmed by Yonghwa’s power, and so he again welcomed the concrete.

Junghsin was steadily rising up from where he had fallen. As blood flowed down his face he yelled at Yonghwa, saying, “I thought you were my friend! You were supposed to be the shoulder I could lean on, but now you throw me to the ground? First you take my ring and now you take away the only woman I’ve ever loved? She’s the one who helped me to smile again! You think I’ll let you get away that easily? I’ll show you why they call me Untouchable! I’ve been holding back until now, but I will no longer do so!!!”

“Yeah, well bring it! You taught me all I know! What can you do now?” Yonghwa mocked.

“No, not everything I know; I only taught you the bare essentials!” answered Junghsin in his anger.

“OH YEAH? Well, I’ve been making good use of those ‘bare essentials’ now, haven’t I? I mean I already knocked all of you out at least once!” said Yongwha with a cocky grin.

Jungshin grit his teeth at then shouted at Yonghwa, saying, “AAAAAArgh, I’ll wipe that smile off your face, just like you did mines!” Jungshin threw himself at Yonghwa. And they fought violently.

Minhyuk, by now was on his two feet. He saw his friends in battle, and saw Yonghwa’s back open. He ambushed Yonghwa from the back, striking the back of Yonghwa’s head. Yonghwa fell to the floor, now joining Burning by his side, who also had fallen.

Burning felt Yonghwa’s breath upon the nape of his neck. He was slowly awakening from his short slumber…

“What are you doing?! Are you a coward?! Didn’t I tell you to never hit a person’s back?” cried out Jungshin as he fell to his knees.

“Are you stupid or something? Is it all the blows you took from your boxing days? We ain’t in no ring!- There are no rules! No referee, no bell, no nothin’…’Sides, if anything, he’s the coward. Didn’t you see? Yonghwa  knocked out Burning as he was wiping away his tears! There’s no way Burning would have been able to see that hit he took through his tear-filled eyes.  Burning couldn’t have seen that coming… I’ve had enough of him! It’s not fair how he was the one ________ confided in. I love her too, I cherish all the pictures I took of her!... It’s not fair, and that’s why I interrupted the two as they were talking yesterday; I was jealous.” answered Minhyuk as tears slowly began to creep from his eyes.

Jungshin then ran towards Minhyuk, and they began to throw their fists at each other. And they fought and fought… It seemed to be a standstill, but that changed once Yonghwa awoke.

Yonghwa rushed over to them, and once he had gotten close enough, he clashed their heads against each other. They fell down from the impact immediately. Burning had at that very moment completely awoken. He shook his head in confusion, but afterwards realized what he had to do. He got up and began fighting with Yonghwa. Minhuyk and Jungshin gathered up strength and would then get up as well, and they joined the bloody fight.

                The sun had begun to rise and the dawn shone upon the beads of sweat, blood, and tears that were flying in the air as our heroes were violently dancing in their flesh-     And it was a beautiful sight to behold, the way all of those beads of sweat, blood, and tears glistened marvelously in mid-air; it was a spectacle unknown to them.              

Now, the sun was steadily creeping further above the horizon, and Yonghwa stood tall over the bodies of his former friends. He began to laugh maniacally as he kicked their bodies. And he cried out

“Oh, you look lovely now, eh, Minhyuk? Look at you, covered in dirt and blood! You look oh so lovely!

How about you, Jungshin??! I thought you were untouchable? Don’t you feel my kicking you???!!            

…Burning, you if any… I thought youse was my friend, my best friend even… But I finally wiped that smile off your face, didn’t I?????   AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAAHAAAAAA”

And he cried out again as he choked on his tears,

“What’s wrong wit us??? We was… We was ‘spossed to be the bestest of friends! Closer than brothers, we was ‘spossed to be… But, look at us… We’re no better than wild animals!!!! LOOK, LOOOK!!! LOOK, at ourselves… Look at me… Mine hands… Mine clothes… They’re full of dirt… and blood… No, not mines, because I woulda been fine with that… But, with the blood of my very friends… I have shed blood, your blood, and because of that, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wash it off… Who, who, who, who, who, who???? Who can wash me clean of all this blood and mire? I’m no better than some wild beast, or even the pig that rolls in its own dirt and eats off it… Who can save me from this pit, this pit that I myself have dug and fallen into??? Who can loosen these garments of grief and sorrow?? Who can set me free of these fetters that I, myself, have fastened onto mine wrists??? Who can give me peace?

I’m alone… who will walk with me? Who will comfort me? From now on, I will walk alone and be like those long dead… Who will give me life? Where will I find life????”         

He left and walked towards the direction of the horizon.

                                                                                      End of Chapter 12 Night/Dawn