every move woohyun makes, dongwoo blocks - the sweat is running down woohyun’s face and he can feel the thin kimono sticking to his back. dongwoo’s katana comes dangerously close to his neck and woohyun unbalances in his haste to wrench himself away; it takes an inhuman effort to stay on his feet but by the time he’s recovered himself dongwoo calmly has him backed against the side of the house, tip of the steel blade nudging just on the other side of gently into his ribs.

woohyun is panting even as dongwoo has hardly broken a sweat, and dongwoo steps away as woohyun pushes the hair out of his face dejectedly.

"why are you so afraid to die?"

woohyun looks up at the question, and dongwoo runs calloused fingers lightly over the scars on woohyun’s cheek that hark back to a time when death was all he lived for.

"remember when you first came to me? you were just a boy. every time i knocked you down you got up again. you’re different now. when i knock you down you take longer each time to get up."

 ”i have more to lose now-“

"and if you carry on this way you will lose everything."

even you? woohyun doesn’t answer.