Seo Jin stayed where he was.
His chest rose and fell, his fingers tightening in the sand.
And very slowly, he began pushing himself up until he got back on his feet.
A faint murmur came from the men who were watching him, surprised at how he found the strength to get up after that blow.
Kang Dae raised a brow.
"You can stand?"
Seo Jin wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. A thin streak of blood smeared across his skin.
"You told me to get up."
The trainer studied him for a short while before he erupted into laughter.
"Fine."
He stepped forward again.
"Let's see how long you can 'get up' again."
He didn't warn him at all. The next attack came fast. A fist shot toward Seo Jin's face.
Seo Jin reacted on instinct, using his arm to block the blow. The impact shook his bones and forced him to take a step back.
The difference between them was very obvious. Kang Dae moved like someone who had fought and trained for years.
He wasn't even using his full strength.
Seo Jin, on the other hand, was moving purely on instinct, trying to protect himself from being beaten to death.
Kang Dae threw another punch.
Seo Jin barely ducked in time, the wind of it brushing past his temple.
"Lucky," Kang Dae commented.
His leg swept out suddenly.
Seo Jin didn't see it coming.
The kick slammed into the back of his knee and sent him crashing down into the sand again.
The laughter returned.
"Too slow!"
Seo Jin pushed himself up with one elbow, coughing as dust filled his mouth.
His ribs screamed in pain.
Kang Dae walked closer.
"You've never been trained before," he said casually.
It wasn't a question.
Seo Jin spat sand to the side.
"No."
Another kick landed against his side.
Not hard enough to break anything.
Just enough to hurt.
"Then why the hell did the boss bring you here?" Kang Dae asked.
Seo Jin forced himself up again.
Slow and painful.
The men watching grew quiet as the trainer tilted his head.
"You really don't know when to give up, do you?"
Seo Jin rolled his shoulder, ignoring the throbbing pain in his ribs.
"If I stay down," he said hoarsely, "you'll just keep kicking me."
"Smart," Kang Dae commented with a smirk.
Then he lunged again, but this time Seo Jin was already ahead.
The punch still landed…
But not cleanly.
He twisted just enough that it grazed past his jaw instead of smashing into it directly.
A few of the guards exchanged looks.
Kang Dae noticed that too.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're watching my shoulders."
Seo Jin said nothing.
Kang Dae threw another punch, but Seo Jin managed to step back.
Barely.
The trainer's fist came in again and finally caught Seo Jin's stomach.
Air burst from Seo Jin's lungs as he clutched his stomach in pain.
Before the trainer could pull his arm back, Seo Jin's hand shot out on raw instinct and caught his wrist.
For a split second…
Kang Dae actually paused.
Seo Jin tried to twist the arm the way he had seen street fighters do before.
It didn't work.
Kang Dae broke the hold easily and shoved him back.
Seo Jin stumbled two steps before catching himself.
Silence hung in the air of the training ground.
Kang Dae chuckled. "So you do bite."
Seo Jin straightened slowly. His breathing was rough, his body hurt everywhere, but his eyes were still sharp.
"I'm not a punching bag."
The trainer smiled. "I can see that, because you keep getting back on your feet."
Seo Jin couldn't help but nod. All his life, no matter what he faced, he always got back on his feet or found a way out of it.
His skin was just too thick.
The next punch came even faster than before.
"You keep getting up," he repeated.
The hit knocked Seo Jin sideways.
He dropped to one knee again, sand spraying beneath him.
Someone in the crowd muttered under their breath.
"This guy's crazy."
Kang Dae stood over him.
"You can quit," he said casually.
"No one here will blame you."
Seo Jin stayed where he was for a second longer.
His breathing was uneven.
"You can quit." The words lingered in his ears.
He could. He really could. But what would happen then?
If he quit, then he would truly be accepting that he was useless trash picked up by their boss.
As long as he didn't admit defeat, then he wouldn't be trash.
He let out a quiet breath, almost like a laugh, but there was nothing amusing in it.
Seo Jin slowly lifted his head.
For a brief moment, something flickered across his face.
"No," he said, his voice still rough from the strain.
He pressed his palm into the sand and pushed himself up once more.
His movement was very slow.
There was no stance, no attempt to raise his guard. He was just a man forcing himself to stay upright when his body clearly wanted to collapse.
Blood still lingered at the side of his lip.
Kang Dae clicked his tongue softly.
"Stubborn."
He stepped closer, stopping just within striking distance.
"You think standing is enough?" he asked.
But Seo Jin did not answer. He hardly had the strength to stand, let alone speak.
Kang Dae's fist moved again.
Fast and precise.
It slammed into Seo Jin's side. A sharp sound echoed as his body folded slightly from the impact.
For a second, he looked like he might fall. The watching men leaned forward, waiting.
Seo Jin's knees trembled.
His vision blurred slightly, but he did not fall.
Kang Dae paused this time. Not because he was tired.
But because he was watching.
Closely.
Seo Jin straightened up.
Kang Dae let out a short breath through his nose.
"…Tch."
Then, without another word, he stepped back.
The sudden shift caught a few of the men off guard.
"Training ends here for today," Kang Dae said flatly.
A few of the guards blinked in surprise.
"That's it?"