His Bodyguard (Boy x Boy)

(Extra)ordinary

Hyunwoo's body sunk into the soft mat on the floor. He could hear his heart beating against his chest. He just finished another round at the dojang. His opponent: his father, who would never go easy on him.

"Hyunwoo, get up!"

Hyunwoo cringed at the sound of his father's voice. His tone wasn't oppressive or demanding. It was as firm as an oak tree. Waiting for him to get up and try again... Hyunwoo raised his body back up mechanically. He wouldn't dare tell his father he wanted to continue resting. Has it already been an hour? Maybe two...?

"Honey! That's enough!" Hyunwoo looked up. He thought he saw an angel. Close enough... it was his mom. He tried to conceal his smile. Behind her leg was his younger sister, hugging onto her like a little bear cub.

His father tried to protest, but she gave him a sharp, but playful glare.

"Dinner will be served in five minutes, don't be late..." while his father wasn't looking she winked at him. Hyunwoo smiled. He felt like the weight of the world had been lifting off of his shoulders. His father sighed, while walking towards him.

Hyunwoo gulped, anticipating a lecture, but instead his father laid his hand gently on top of his shoulder.

"Do you know why I'm training you, son?"

"Yes... so I can be as strong as you one day"

Hyunwoo's father grinned. The creases beside his lips curved ever so slightly, and he leaned in further to be at eye level with his son.

"I want you to be able to protect what you care about the most."

Hyunwoo, who was only 10 years old at the time, wasn't sure what he meant. His father chuckled a little.

"One day..." he said, "you'll understand..." Hyunwoo watched the broad back of his father walk away. Thinking over and over again what he meant... there would be one day he would need to protect someone? Did he mean with his fists? Or with something else? Hyunwoo scratched the top of his head, and then turned around again.

He laid down one more time once he saw that his father had left the dojang and exhaled... while closing his eyes, drifting into a sleep...

*

"Hyunwoo!!!!!"

What time was it? I heard my name being called half a dozen more times and decided to grab a hold of my phone to check the time.

Shit.

8am... I overslept.

I threw the covers off of my body and ran towards my door. When I opened it, my father was already there glaring at me. He reached out and pinched my ear tightly. I yelped out in protest as he walked into my room.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry!!!"

"I told you to set your alarm!" my father sighed while letting go of my ear. I looked down, feeling guilty, and my father smacked my arm. "Get ready! The class begins in 15 minutes. You know I'm going to be late for your sister's..."

"Sorry, I was just up late--"

"Look, son... I know how hard it has been for you these days... finding work is difficult... but that friend of yours is just..." he patted my arm a few times, and then cleared his throat. "I made breakfast. Have some quickly before you go to the dojang"

I watched my father leave again without saying another word. I exhaled, turning around. I looked out of my window. Clear blues skies again today...

I washed my face quickly. Put on my dobok and belt and then raced downstairs. There was soup waiting for me.

When I finished eating I arrived at the dojang. The parents were dropping their kids off one by one. I greeted them, reassuring them I would take care of their children for the next hour. This was the 8-10 range class that my father took on each season. He used to train Olympians, but after my younger sister started getting sick, it was difficult for all of us to maintain the business at its original capacity.

We had more younger students. Which wasn't a bad thing but... they were a handful.

"Teach, did you oversleep again?" one of the youngest kids asked me. I had all 7 of them gather, but they were all intrigued by the 'panda-like' dark circles under my eyes.

"Maybe he got a girlfriend" one of the young boys said. A few of them laughed.

"No! Oppa wouldn't do that! He's our teacher!"

"Who said he can't date, that's stupid!"

"Stupid is a bad word!"

"I'm gonna tell!!"

They were already sticking tongues out at each other. More than coaching and training, these sessions felt more like babysitting. I didn't know how my father handled them. It was a mystery to me.

"Okay, let's all focus and-"

"But you haven't told us, Teach! Are you dating?!!"

"Hey!" I looked at them, all their little eyes were now piercing towards me. Suddenly I felt outnumbered. I tried composing myself. I yelled, "Attention!" as firmly as possible and they all got in line.

I sighed and them told them we needed to return to our lessons...

After what seemed like a never-ending class, the parents came to pick them up one by one.

Soon, they were all gone, with the exception of one... Minsu, whose 'driver,' typically picked him up usually around twenty minutes after the others. I let him practice on his own a little more, observing his movements and correcting his positions from time to time.

I grabbed a towel for him to wipe his sweat, and we both sat outside together. The sun beaming on my face. It had only been spring for a week now, but it felt like summer.

"Minsu... how come I never see your parents come and pick you up?" I had wondered about this for the longest time. I didn't think it was inappropriate to ask since he had been in my family's care for a few months now. I've only ever seen the person hired to pick him up attend belt test and belt rank ceremonies.

"They're too busy to attend to trivial matters" I stared at him... trivial matters? The emotional and physical growth of their child wasn't important to them? He was still so young... the way he talked sometimes surprised me. It left me speechless. They were probably rich and uncaring. Or perhaps they were indifferent?

"I see..." I replied, and then asked as thoughtfully as I could, "do you want them to come?" he looked at me blankly and then shrugged his shoulders. I could hear a car's horn go off into the distance. He then thanked me for the class today and said he'll see me next week before running off.

I sighed, leaning my back against the steps I was sitting on. Dealing with kids was draining. I don't know how my parents managed to have 2...

My phone suddenly started ringing. My father was calling, and when I answered he briefly asked me about how the class went before asking me to bring the lunch he forgot to the hospital.