Guardian Angel

Time to Panic

Forth and Beam sat opposite each other at Beam's favorite Korean restaurant. Forth felt his hands and feet very cold at this moment, just like the smile that was etched on Beam's lips.

Forth picked up Beam at his dormitory by car. He really wanted to give Beam the best and make their date special. Beam didn't say anything all the way through, only replying briefly with a word or two of Forth's words and questions, until they finally sat down on chairs in the corner of the restaurant.

"Beam, say something," Forth said very carefully. He didn't want to ruin this date. His friends had told him that he lost to Phana in the campus moon competition. He won second place and the title of favorite, but it all meant nothing to him. He just wanted to win Beam's heart.

The seniors also sent a message that they would be waiting for Forth and The Fantastic Four on the football pitch Monday, to see them carry out their 90-time circumnavigation penalty. They thought Forth and Beam had become official and kept their promise by reducing the penalty of 10 roving from 100 roving.

"What do you expect me to say, when I'm at a loss as to what to call you. Poom? Forth?" Beam asked as he stirred the jajangmyeon in his bowl, not wanting to eat it.

"Beam, please forgive me. I didn't mean to hide the truth about who I really am. I've tried to tell you several times, but for some reason there's always an obstacle that makes me finally stop explaining," Forth said quietly.

He cupped Beam's hand on the table and squeezed it gently. "However, the fact that I've fallen in love with you since our first meeting and love you even more now, that's not making it up at all. It's the truth, Beam."

Beam looked into Forth's eyes, trying to find something odd in there, but he only found Forth's sincere shady eyes and looked a little worried.

"I don't like people who fight and you have a reputation for that," Beam muttered as he pulled his hand off the table. "I don't like being in a state of constant worry, thinking that someone I care about might be in danger from fighting. That's... ridiculous, to me. Getting hurt from fighting."

"Beam, I can't promise not to fight anymore, but I want you to know, my friends and I never start a fight. We accept challenges, but not all challenges we take for granted. We fight for good reasons."

Beam shook his head. "Same thing. You'll still get hurt."

"Not the same, Beam. When you're fighting for a reason, you're going to fight with fairness. Who's your opponent, how to deal with it, how many of them, that's what it is."

"When I found you in the field that night, you weren't the victim, were you? You beat them all, didn't you? How many people?"

"Nine," Forth said doubtfully. "They bullied and injured several of my juniors until they were admitted to the hospital. My friends and I went to them nicely to ask for an explanation and responsibility, but they cheated. They stopped me that night when I was on my way home from campus. My motorbike was damaged and they tried to gang up on me. After all, for me, I was defending myself."

Beam sighed. He thought, for one person who could beat and knock down nine people at once, Forth's injuries were insignificant.

"How many martial arts are you good at, Poom?"

Forth is feeling happy. Beam still calls him Poom. He loved the tone Beam spoke every time he said it, reminding him of his grandmother, who had died years ago. His grandmother loved and pampered Forth very much and only  grandmother called him Poom.

"Only . . . a few," Forth answered doubtfully. "Karate, taekwondo, wushu, muaythai, kickboxing, and err... Jiujitsu."

Beam's eyes widened. He stared at the man in front of him, unable to believe that he had been doing such a ridiculous thing all this time.

Why he tried to protect a man who was able to defeat nine people alone and mastered many types of martial arts.

Beam sighed. "You must have thought of me as an idiot this whole time, Poom."

Forth was wide-eyed, as Beam stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Oh, God, what have I done, Forth panicked inwardly.

*****