Baki woke in a hospital bed. His head was all fuzy. But his body felt great. To be honest, it felt better than even before.
He looked at his surroundings. He saw Kim Hyoseung lying in a bed next to him. Besides him was Jung Taeyang. It seems they were the only one besides him to survive.
Kim Hyoseung was looking at message in his phone, tears dripping out of his eyes. The message read,
"Quit. You won't last long here. Watch yourself. Don't over do it and get yourself hurt."
It was message sent by Goo Kim. After reading this, Kim Hyoseung cried out, "JUNGOO HYUNG-NIM!!!"
Baki was surprised by seeing the old man cry out loud. He got off the bed, his body covered in bandages.
A nurse nearby rushed at. "Patient, you can't get up. Many bones in your body are broken."
But Baki waved her off. "It's okay. I am fine."
But the nurse insisted on calling the doctor. After a while, the doctor came. He took out a report, "Patient Baki, you can't leave. Seventeen bones across your body are broken. The fact that you can stand up is a miracle in itself."
Baki shook his head, "Doctor, I am all fine now. If you don't believe, you can take an X-ray."
The doctor refused repeatedly, but under Baki's insisting, he had no choice but to agree.
After few hours, the X-ray report came in. The doctor starred at the report in shock.
"H-How could this be!" He pulled out Baki's previous X-ray. "It clearly shows he has several broken and cracked bones. How did he recover so quick? This doesn't follow any medical science."
Baki looked at the doctor with blank expression. "Can I go now, doctor?"
The doctor nodded in surprise. "Y-Yeah? Ah! Yes, you can go now."
A nurse brought him his clothes, well, they can't be called clothes now. They were more like rags. The nurse also gave him his phone which was in two pieces.
Baki scratched his head and gave a nervous smile, "A-ah... Can I use a phone to call my friend?"
The nurse nodded and gave him her phone. The nurse had a slight blush on her face. Though Baki had worn a hospital gown, it didn't help much at hiding his hyper-muscular, lean, and extremely ripped body. At 6 foot 1 inches, Baki's height also added to his charm.
Baki dialed Seongji's number and called him. After few rings the call was answered.
Seongji asked, "Hello... It's Seongji Yuk speaking. Who may you be?"
Baki said jokingly, "Uhm... It's King of Cheonliang speaking. Worthless subject, your King needs your service. "
A knowing smile appeared on Seongji Yuk's face, "Yes, my majesty. How can this humble servant help you? "
Baki finally spoke in his normal voice. "Uhm... You see... I had a big fight... Now I am in the hospital with no clothes to wear. Can you bring me my clothes? "
Seongji Yuk asked in a serious voice, "Are you okay now? Why didn't you inform me before, you fool? "
Baki scratched his head,"I was unconscious the whole time and woke up just now. Don't worry, the doctor said that I just fine. There are no issues. "
After half an hour, Seongji Yuk entered the hospital. Some nurses gasped seeing him. At 6 feet 4 inches, his long hair and beautiful face attracted all the women's attention. Seongji Yuk looked a bit nervous at this. He approached the counter and asked direction for where Baki was kept.
The lady at the counter helped him thoroughly to reach the room. Once he reached the place, he immediately found Baki who was eating slices of apple as he was talking to Kim Hyoseung.
Seeing Seongji Yuk, Baki called out, "Hey, buddy. Did you bring the clothes?"
Baki's loud voice attracted several nurses and patients. Many of the lady's looked at Seongji Yuk love struck.
Seongji Yuk approached Baki as he scratched his cheek. "You didn't have to be so loud, you know?"
Baki laughed, "Haha! Where's the fun at that?" Then he pointed at Kim Hyoseung, "This old man here is one of my fellow workers, Kim Hyoseung. Though he might look old, he once challenged our director in a direct fight."
Kim Hyoseung blushed a little, " Heh… ha—haha… uh… it's nothing. Thankfully the director went easy on me."
Baki then introduced Seongji Yuk, "This here is my best friend Seongji Yuk. We grew up together."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Baki and Seongji Yuk took their leave.
Seongji Yuk had came on Baki's bike which was collecting dust in the garage. It was a KTM 1290 Super Duke R. Seongji got on the bike and Baki sat behind him. The speed through the road.
As they were moving, they reached a familiar place. Baki asked Seongji Yuk to stop. "What happened?" Seongji Yuk asked.
Baki got off the bike and said, "Do you remember Jichang Kwak? His gang is around here. Let's meet him since we have came here."
Seongji nodded and parked the bike nearby. There's a club owned by Jichang Kwak where his members often visit. Baki and Seongji approached bar, but it was closed. Baki scratched his head, "Maybe we came at a wrong time...?"
Suddenly a passerby said, "Hey friend, that bar has been closed almost two years ago. I heard the owner was injured in a gang fight or something. Since then the owner has left Seoul."
Baki was a bit surprised. Jichang Kwak was by no means a weak opponent. Hearing that he suffered lost against someone's hand was a bit astonishing. Moreover, the opponent made Jichang Kwak leave Seoul, even though Jichang Kwak was the King of Seoul. He asked the man, "Do you know where the owner went?"
The man shook his head, "How would I know? Maybe he left for some countryside. Even the police were involved in the situation."
Saying this he jogged away.
Seongji Yuk asked, "Was Jichang Kwak really forced to leave by someone? Could it be the red haired kid from the time in Cheonliang. After all, he had said that he'd come for the Kings."
Baki half nodded, a memory resurfaced in his memory. A tall, muscular man with slicked-back black hair wearing a deep red pinstripe shirt unbuttoned low, black trousers holding a black jacket over his shoulder. Behind his back hanged an axe.
Seeing his friend in deep thoughts, Seongji Yuk asked, "What happened? Is there something wrong?"
Baki shook his head, "Nothing. Let's return home. I am missing the little marshmallow."
Seongji smiled and nodded. They got onto the bike and rushed off.
---
Few days pass. Baki was doing handstand pushups on one hand on the terrace. Warren walked to him, "Baki-hyung... Can you teach me how to fight? I heard you have once trained Vin Jin?"
Baki stopped and flipped, landing on his feets. He glanced ar Warren, "You wanna get stronger? Why?"
Warren immediately answered, "I want to protect. "
Baki put his hand on his and asked, "Who do you want to protect? Vin Jin's pretty strong, he should be able to protect himself and the others. I and Seongji also wouldn't need your protection. So what or who do you wanna protect? "
Sally's image flashed through his eyes. The vacation incident also flashed through his mind. He desperately wanted to say he wanted to protect her, Sally. But for some reason he couldn't say.
"Warren, once you learn who and why do you want to protect I will teach you myself. Or maybe, you might even find a better teacher than me. I am guessing you're halfway through your journey. You should also know the answer to the other half. Once you accept it. You will become stronger. "
Saying this Baki returned to his training. Warren stood their for sometime and left. Baki shook his head. But to his surprise Warren returned after getting his shirt off.
He started to imitate Baki's training. A thought ran through his mind, "I don't mind if no one teaches me. But I will always do my best to protect her."