The Smile of Pain

Beep-beep!

"This wasn't a dream, damn it, I feel so alive..." Dash woke up, and the first thing he did was celebrate that this wouldn't be a dream. This was the first time he woke up thanks to an alarm, and he could say he hated it.

As he walked to the bathroom, the first thing he did was brush his teeth, and after finishing his other necessities, he descended the stairs. When he left the house, he saw a man, and that was Mr. Kim, who from today would teach him martial arts.

"You managed to wake up, my congratulations, Mr. Hale," said Mr. Kim with slight approval.

"Since alarms exist, this isn't much..." Dash murmured as he stood firm in front of Mr. Kim, who was looking at him seriously.

Mr. Kim nodded and said, "Your father gave me the green light to teach you properly, so I hope you can withstand the training. It won't be easy, but you will learn what you want as quickly as possible."

"I'm ready, sir!" shouted Dash with his chest puffed up. He would definitely improve and find out if he had talent or if he needed to exert more effort than others.

"Very well, first of all, I will teach you the principles of the martial art I will impart, and that is Kung Fu... First, respect for oneself, for others, and for the tradition of Kung Fu."

"Wow, he acts like a true master..." Dash murmured absentmindedly, wanting to go straight to action. But Mr. Kim had assumed the role of a teacher and said, "Second, perseverance, which you will implement in constant practice and patience since they are fundamental to mastering the art."

"Yes, sir!" shouted Dash, who, although it didn't seem like it, was a sponge absorbing everything he was being taught.

"You must have control of the mind, body, and emotions since it is essential for the development of true Kung Fu; that would be the third," said Mr. Kim, looking at Dash with absolute tranquility.

Having known a bit about Kung Fu, Dash already knew a lot, and the next thing Mr. Kim mentioned was efficiency. According to Mr. Kim, Kung Fu focuses on the efficient use of the body and the minimization of unnecessary effort.

Having flexibility not only physically but mentally, as if he thought something was merely ridiculous, he wouldn't pay attention to anything he wanted to learn.

This long explanation ended with balance and harmony, something Dash didn't need because the last thing he wanted was to be harmonious with idiots.

"In fact, Mr. Kim... I've been searching on the internet, and there are many tournaments in China held every year. The most exclusive ones are every four years, so I would like not to be harmonious but aggressive."

Mr. Kim nodded without saying a word to Dash's request, who seemed very excited.

This was strange because if he were truly a master clinging to traditions, he should have scolded him. But by not doing this, he gave Dash more reasons to take the hard path of this training.

"Remember, Dash, the most important thing is that Kung Fu is not used to harm but to protect the integrity of each person and keep safe those who matter to you." Mr. Kim was a bit worried about this, but for some reason, he didn't want to be harsh with a child who was just starting and who might possibly give up halfway.

"I understand, sir!" Dash said with a serious look. At this moment, all he wanted to feel was his body and that he could be stronger. If time passed without doing that, the torture would be too much because it would show all that desire to run he had before.

"And finally, call me Shifu..." Mr. Kim said with an expectant look.

"Wasn't it Sensei?" Dash asked, slightly confused.

"This is not karate; this is Kung Fu..."

Dash frowned and said, "Let me see if I understand, you're a Korean teaching me Chinese Kung Fu, but I can't call you Sensei because that's Japanese?"

At this point, Dash wondered, what the hell is the difference if everything is mixed up like a vegan salad?

"It doesn't matter, let's start with the warm-up..." Mr. Kim put on his hoodie, and then he started jogging.

Dash, who was taken by surprise, did the same and followed Shifu Kim. Supposedly, this was the warm-up, but for him, running for five minutes was a living hell.

All this torture for Dash was a blessing; every time he ran or breathed was truly a miracle for him. That's why he didn't give up; he followed the training to the letter and didn't fail at anything.

According to Mr. Kim, he had to improve his physical condition, flexibility, balance, and leg training. They would focus on these in the first few months, and after that, they would move on to concentration, posture, alignment, agility, and coordination.

But Dash would make sure that in those months, he could learn all that on his own. Not only that, but he would double his efforts just to feel that it had been worth it.

Similarly, he knew he wouldn't die from doing exercises like these. Besides, he was aware that he should first focus on improving the strength, endurance, and condition of his body before asking about real Kung Fu.

...

On Sunday night, two days after a long training session, Frederick, along with his wife Elena, heard a report on their son's training.

"Did he pass your test?" Elena asked, still confused. She had made sure to tell Kim to be tough on her son so that he would abandon the idea of learning contact doctrines.

"Ma'am, your son is a beast who doesn't give up even if he can't take it anymore... It seems he won't give up even if the training increases, so it seems your son is very serious about wanting to learn." Mr. Kim understood Elena's concerns, but he still had to be clear with the results.

Proud of his son's discipline, Frederick told Elena, "It's better for him to train outdoors than spend the whole day on those video games; surely, all this will do him good."

Elena nodded and said, "It seems to be the case; from what I heard, he's not bothered at school, so he'll be fine then."

"So, Mr. Kim, I would appreciate it if you continued training our son without considering him someone important... He is your student; teach him properly."

"Yes, Mr. Hale, I bid you farewell." Mr. Kim smiled slightly and went home.

No one understood why an eleven-year-old worked so hard on something he shouldn't like, but only Dash knows that he does all this for himself. He wanted to know how far he could push the limits of his body.

He wouldn't waste this new opportunity; that would be unacceptable.