Did he get taller?
All the guards couldn't help but notice, and even more though his face was more defined due the lacking food, it wasn't to the point you thought he was missing meals.
Park Ji Hi was quiet and extremely cooperatives as he was taken to the court yard, it was the first time he saw the world beyond the walls in a month.
His big shoes did nothing to shield his feet from the cold floor of the center.
All the prisoners were in big blue uniforms, some were hanging outside their ceil while the others were inside their cell, not a single one of them looked at him with friendly eyes.
It was every man for himself here and it had become common knowledge that he was getting taken to be beaten up by Daryl after he had assaulted the guy in the shower room.
"Its like I said" said, his Hyung as they were taken to the court yard and Daryl was standing there with a smug look on his face with a large group of mocking prisoners behind them. "The guards are being bribed to take you here and look the other way"
And then he was forced to exchange his shoes with running shoes that had no laces to prevent suicide.
Soon, prisoners were betting with smuggled in money and cigarettes on how long he would last.
"20 bucks, if he lasts a minute!" Shouted one person.
"Six Cigarettes on two minutes!" Shouted another.
"Let's goooo!" shouted another.
"100 bucks on 30 seconds!" Shouted another.
Not a single one believed he could win.
And the person who was taking the bets was revealed to worked for Kimeyeong Kim.
"The bets are in, sir" said, a prisoner with the goods. "30 seconds and a minute are the most popular"
"It's our first game in a while" said, Kimeyeong Kim, sitting like a king. "Maybe, I'll join in and bet how long he lasts"
Those who heard him were in shock.
When Ji Ho saw this, his Hyung was laughing.
"Haha. Don't be fucking impressed with that kid. The difference between a detention center and a prison is like heaven and earth. A highschool gang leader who makes a large commission from stealing would never be top dog in prison" said, his Hyung. "The likes of Kimeyeong Kim would be eaten alive if he went to a big boy prison. He's so young that he has a narrow view of the world. Do you know what he's doing? If you makes you believe, he is rooting for you, you're in his pocket if you ever get strong. It's a form of manipulation you can easily learn when you're a teenager"
Ji Ho saw that Daryl was looking at him and unwrapped the bandage around his head, showing that one of his eyes was out of its socket because of the blow.
"I missed you so much" said, Daryl. "I thought I was in love"
"Don't be an idiot by lunging first" said, Hyung. "You have never made a proper fist before so you don't know how to trick your opponent when you attack and he's been in many fights before so he must have some good experience. Get him to come to you and swing. Use your mouth"
It was like he was listening to an old wise training instructor.
"Hey, Daryl" said, Ji Ho to the guy. "Aren't you ashamed that you got beat up by somebody as small as me? You got our whole cell block running scared but you aren't shit, are you? I bet those yellow labels are all fake. I'm sure it was easy picking on guys thinner than you and half out of their mind. I bet you never even got willingly boob, I bet your own mother tried to dodge you when she had to breast feed you. I bet she was relieved when she switched you to that baby formula. And who could blame her, she know you would grow up to be ugly and a dead beat."
Holy.
Crap.
Everybody was stunned by the mouth on Ji Ho.
There wasn't just a regular beating.
Now Daryl had to beat him to death!
Daryl was pissed.
No.
He wanted this shorty to die!
He had to kill this squirt now!
Daryl lunged at him with his fist and it came at Ji Ho in a split second, everybody was convinced that the punch would connect and he would be sent flying, reduced to a mess on the floor.
But this did not happen.
Ji Ho trainning kicked in.
Silence.
Every single person who cheered, stopped cheering and all eyes started to go round at the unbelievable sight in front of them.
It was because Ji Ho had dodged the punch.
Daryl looked shocked.
"Don't stop" said, Hyung. "Don't let him get cautious and think. Get him mad until he loses all his strength"
And Ji Ho did, he had no time to be surprised himself by his reaction.
"Really, you can't even punch a shrimp like me?" Said, Ji Ho. "Aren't you supposed to be top dog in your cell block? What would our cell mates think of you if you can't even punch the weakest looking person in our cell block? I'm sure they would look down of you and piss on you when you go toilet. I'm sure a piss smelling prison uniform looks good on you."
And that did it.
Daryl started to attack him with a barrage of punches.
Now everybody could see clearly, Ji Ho was dodging all the attacks.
Everybody was looking, including Kimeyong Kim and his cell mates in shock.
Seeing so many eyes, it only served as fuel to the fire for Daryl, he couldn't be shamed like this and put more energy into it.
But Ji Ho kept dodging with the smallest movement.
"Seriously, punch me." said, Ji Ho, mocking him. "All these people watching are expecting you to defeat me. Won't you be a laughing stock if you can't even land a single punch on me? All these people, thought you are tough but if you can't even down somebody like me. They would gang up on you and beat the crap out of you. Have you ever been a food gofer? I'm sure you've only made people yours. But its not so bad when you get used to it. Of course, I'll be happy to give you lessons"
More rage.
More energy.
More minimum dodging.
That confident Daryl who everybody thought would end this quickly without breaking a sweat, was now dripping sweat from his forehead, he was breathing heavy and his arms felt like lead, it didn't help that his muscle mass on his arms were several times bigger than Ji Ho.
"W-Why?" said, Daryl. "Why can't I hit you?"
"How sad" said, Ji Ho. "Here, you are talking shit and you can't even hit a pipsqueak like me. I'm sure all those people who work for you and are betting on you to win, are pissed right now. I would be too. You promised that you were going to beat the shit out of me. I'm sure you've been bragged to everybody in an ear shot about how much you'll make me pay. But look at you now. I don't see my blood on your fist's, does anybody in the audience? You are the most pathetic person here. Are you done wasting my time?" And then he dared to turn his back.
He turned his back and began to walk away.
Daryl found the rage in his hear.
How dare this pipsqueak treat him like nothing!
He forced his legs to lung forward.
But even Ji Ho dodged his attack from behind.
Several times.
Daryl slumped down onto his knees.
He was spent.
That was it.
"So that's it" said, Ji Ho, towering over him much to the shock of everybody on the scene.
"Don't get cocky, kid!" said, his Hyung. "He just needs to gather some strength in this moment. Push him over and walk away. End it now"
And Ji Ho pushed him by his chest and Daryl could not even resist, his tiredness was working against him and his heavy body slumped back onto the floor.
He was done.
Ji Ho walked away.
What made this even more profound was that, he wore glasses and didn't have them on today so the group of previous cheering prisoners, found themselves parting like a sea for him.
They expected a beating, but instead they saw the crowning of a new king of the cell block.
Everybody was in shock with what happened, even the guards who were ordered to look the other way was in shock.
For Ji Ho, it was the first time he truly learned that you can really win a fight without throwing a single punch.
It was the first time, he was in a fight and there wasn't even a scratch on him, he had sacrificed nothing for this win.
"I told you kid" said, his Hyung. "If you stuck with Kimeyong Kim advice, you would have been a bloody mess and became insane. Do you think, the other prisoners would be looking at you in surprise right now? Those who say, only those who are insane are strong, have never seen what happens when a same, strong person comes after an insane person. Isn't Daniel Park strong and not insane?"
The fresh air time ended, and everybody was 'escorted' to their cell.
Ji Ho, felt like there was something different immediately when he entered the line and was given his plastic glasses.
He was taken to his cell and immediately those scary looking teenagers, who had greeted him on the first day, face changed when they saw him.
"Hold your head high" said, his Hyung. "You earned this"
So Ji Ho did, he walked in and sat down in his usual space.
Than Daryl came in, just catching his breath.
Ji Ho decided to install fear into him.
"I only dodged" He said, as the large teen sat down. "Can you imagine what would have happened if I had punched you instead?"
The guy face changed and Ji Ho smiled.
Ji Ho had felt fear and seen fear through his life, and his past told him this guy was now afraid of him.
So when dinner arrived, it was mysteriously quiet.
They all walked into the cafeteria, and the moment he stepped in, everybody was looking at him.
He walked to the line, only for a prisoner to come out of nowhere and 'accidentally' slip, when in reality he received a flying kick.
Ji Ho dodged with minimum effort and just continued walking to the line as if he didn't notice.
His skills were real.
He got food and took a seat, it was the first time Ji Ho wasn't bothered while he ate.
Ji Ho felt good.
Really good.
Would have following Kimeyeon Kim advice given him this?
The feeling of being strong from the majority of people here?
"Kid, don't you dare get a big head" said, his Hyung. "If they find out your can't punch, then you are fucked. All it takes is a group to attack you all at once from all sides. So we have to fix this before somebody who can really fight decides to test you in front of the whole center. When your done, go to the bathroom and get into the stall. I'm going to teach you how to punch"
And at this point, Ji Ho was ready to get on his knees in front of his Hyung to give him more wisdom.
He finished eating and then put the tray back, he asked to go to the toilet.
They said yes, after humiliatingly checking him for anything he could smuggle, they allowed him in, after that.
He walked into a cubicle.
"Okay, kid" said, his hyung. "The key to a good punch is your stance and your target. You have a major power problem right now. If you get into a fight, you have to have space for a stance. Doing a jab without power will only backfire on you. So spread your legs apart and bend you knees slightly."
And Ji Ho did so.
The camera watching, thought he was going insane.
His Hyung began to adjust his form and he was told to swing repeatedly until the form felt natural.
Or close enough.
Suddenly a zoomed in image of his biology book appeared before him, opened on the page that displayed the human body.
"Kid, I know the assessment of your power" said, his Hyung. "Here are places you should never try to hit unless you have more power. Do not hit the knee, you will break your fist and look like an idiot. Don't go for the forehead, you need power to do that. Do not hit the ribcage. Do not hit the pelvis. Do not hit an arm"
"Is there anywhere I can hit?" said, Ji Ho.
"Who do you think you are, now? Zack Lee or Daniel Parks? Please, kid. Don't embarrass yourself" said, his Hyung, making his cheeks go red. "You just won against a fighter who throws his strength around, I guarantee you that, that guy has only been through street fights until now. If he was doing a professional sport then you would have been a bloody mess on the floor. There are certain thing's that fighters who are trained by professionals only learn. They are the most troublesome fighters around"
Ji Ho was silent.
"If you want to win at your current strength than go for the nuts" said, his Hyung stunning him. "Even petite woman can do it. It's a man's, one true weakness that would stay with them even if they had 50 years of fighting experience under their belt. The smart one's are the one's who protect their junk with some sort of metal casing. Even in prison, its deemed natural to hit the chest and up, hitting down below is considered a woman only thing to do. That's why they aren't' expecting a guy to do it. I bet you a hundred bucks, that nobody is walking around with a metal casing around their junk right now. Not even Kimyeong Kim. I know its shameful but that is the only area you can injure effectively at you current strength"
No kidding. Ji Ho had to sweat drop.
He tried kicking the area while feeling a wince.
And then the guards came in and dragged him out because he was taken too long.
He was thrown back into his cell and Ji Ho did not dare be cocky in front of Daryl who was clearly not in the mood.
He sat in a blanket but could not sleep.
He was afraid Daryl would attack him or one of his roommates in the night.
The hellhole of Confinement had taught him by force how to stay awake even all night, luckily the uncertainty of how strong he was, made sure the other's left him alone.
And then came the morning, when they all had to do chores, he was scrubbing the floor again with a guy who thought he was a plane.
But nobody told him to fold Daryl blanket like usual and Ji Ho felt like he was taking some of his life back by not falling in line and doing it.
The guards who came to inspect and saw everybody blankets folded except for Daryl, had a different reaction this time.
"How dare you sleep on the job!" said one guard, the casual way they always talked to Daryl was now menacing.
The guy looked stunned.
"We are cutting down your fresh air time to 20 minutes" said, the other guard.
And then they both left.
Everybody slowly turned to look at Daryl who was shocked and stunned at what just happened.
But that wasn't the final blow.
"Food is here" said, the server and Daryl got up to receive the no doubt huge and luxurious breakfast only he would receive.
But the person who always been kind to him, eyes changed when he saw him and said. "Why are you collecting the food? Ji Ho come up. I'm giving you a special helping today"
Daryl looked like he had just been slapped and his smile froze.
Ji Ho looked shocked.
The rest looked between Daryl and Ji Ho.
"Go and get it, kid" said, his Hyung propping him up and Ji Ho did the rest.
He took the food and everybody took theirs.
For the first time, Ji Ho had the big and luxurious breakfast while Daryl had the rice with the beans that made it hard to go toilet.
Seeing this, the message was unspoken but clear.
Daryl was no longer top dog in the cell block, Ji Ho was.
The balance of power had shifted.
And boy was, Daryl pissed.