The days following his encounter with the mysterious man in black passed with a strange mix of normalcy and growing unease for Yi Shi-Woon. The bullies, noticeably, had left him alone, their glances shifting when they passed in the school hallways. The absence of their usual torment was a relief, but also a constant reminder of the enigmatic figure who had defended him.
During breaks, Shi-woon often found himself staring toward the courtyard entrance, waiting, though he didn't know exactly what. Would he see the man in black again? And why had he said those words? "You are weak because you choose to be." The phrase echoed in his mind, planting a seed of doubt in his deep-rooted belief in his own powerlessness.
One day, while Shi-woon was sitting alone on a bench in the playground during recess, deep in thought, a shadow fell over him. He looked up, and his heart leapt. It was him, the man in black.
"I thought I'd find you here," the man said, his voice as calm and deep as I remembered. He sat down at the other end of the bench, keeping a safe distance.
Shi-woon was speechless for a moment, feeling awkward and insecure. Finally, he managed to utter a timid, "Who... who are you?"
The man smiled slightly, a fleeting expression that didn't reach his eyes. "You can call me Master Goo for now."
Master Goo. The name sounded strange, almost unreal. Shi-Woon watched him warily, noting the way he moved, with a quiet grace and contained tension.
"Why... why did you help me that day?" Shi-Woon asked, feeling the courage to ask the question slowly build up.
"Because I saw something in you," Master Goo replied, his gaze fixed on some distant point in the courtyard. "A latent potential that you're squandering."
Shi-woon frowned, confused. Potential? He, who had always been the target of ridicule and weakness personified, actually had potential for something?
Master Goo turned to look at him directly. "I know you're bullied. I know you feel powerless. But it doesn't have to be that way."
Shi-woon's heart pounded. It was as if this stranger could read his deepest thoughts, his fears, and his secret desires.
"What... what can I do?" he asked, hope beginning to rise timidly within him.
"I can teach you," Master Goo said, his voice now more direct. "I can show you a way to be strong, to defend yourself. I can introduce you to a world you've never imagined."
Shi-woon looked at him in disbelief. Training? Him? The idea seemed absurd, almost comical.
"Train me?" he asked, his voice full of skepticism. "But... I'm weak. I'm not like... like you."
Master Goo gave a small, almost inaudible laugh. "Strength isn't something you're born with, boy. It's cultivated. And you have the will, even if you don't know it yet."
He stood up from the bench and turned to Shi-woon, extending his hand. "I'm offering you a chance. A chance to completely change your life. Are you willing to take it?"
Shi-Woon stared at the outstretched hand, hesitating. The fear of the unknown paralyzed him, but the promise of being different, of no longer being an easy target, was incredibly tempting. He looked into Master Goo's eyes, searching for any sign of deception or mockery, but found only implacable seriousness.
He took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of fear and excitement stir within him. Slowly, he extended his own hand, his palm trembling as it approached Master Goo's.
"Yes," she said, her voice now firmer than she expected. "Yes, I want to be strong."
Master Goo's hand closed around his, a firm and secure grip. In that instant, Yi Shi-Woon felt that his life, as he knew it, was about to change forever. The path to strength, to the mysterious world of the Murim, had just begun with an unexpected invitation in his schoolyard.
To be continued...
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