Paul Park's face turned dark as Danny Dean hurled crude insults at him. Furious, he couldn't help but let out a wild yell and shifted his body, ready to throw down right there on the street.
May Gu quickly stepped forward to block Danny Dean, her voice sharp as she scolded Paul Park: "Stop right there! Paul Park, you call yourself a Taekwondo black belt, a master, and yet you want to pick a fight in public with someone who’s never trained? Is this what passes for class among Korea’s so-called martial arts experts?"
Paul Park froze mid-step, but glared fiercely at Danny Dean behind May Gu and growled, "Fine, I won’t hit him—but that fatso insulted me and Korean cuisine. He’d better apologize, right now! Or I won’t let him off. I’ll show him what real Taekwondo from the Republic of Korea feels like!"
Danny Dean was not having it. Normally, he was a total wimp, but standing in front of his crush, May Gu, he knew she liked guys with guts. If he didn’t show some backbone now, he’d never get close to her again. This was his moment to man up!
Somehow, courage bubbled up from nowhere. Danny Dean suddenly pulled May Gu aside and strode up to Paul Park, sneering, "You want me to apologize? You must be dreaming! Look at yourself—long horse face, tiny bean eyes, begging for a punch. You’re out here just to get roasted! And that so-called Korean Taekwondo of yours? Please! You learned it from the Japanese, and the Japanese stole it from us Chinese. So by seniority, your skills are two generations behind mine! You should be bowing to your grandpa, not showing off!"
Danny Dean was a history major, so he actually knew a thing or two about the origins of Korean and Japanese martial arts. His words were harsh, but not entirely off base. Taekwondo, once called Taekkyon and Hwarangdo, started in ancient Korea as folk martial arts. When Japan invaded Korea in 1910 and set up a colonial government, all cultural activities were banned, and Taekwondo went underground. Some people left for China or Japan, taking the art with them. Later, it mixed with Chinese and Japanese martial arts to form a new system. The term "Taekwondo" was coined by a Korean general named Choi Hong-hi, who studied in Japan and learned Shōtōkan Karate, which he blended into Taekwondo. So really, Taekwondo is a mash-up of East Asian martial arts.
Since Taekwondo borrowed from Japanese Karate, and Karate itself came from ancient Chinese martial arts, Danny Dean’s ranking-by-seniority dig at Paul Park was actually pretty clever.
Paul Park couldn’t stand it. As a Taekwondo black belt, he knew the history all too well. Danny Dean’s words were nasty but had a kernel of truth. With his classic Korean pride, Paul Park was easily triggered, especially since the Japanese had always bullied Korea in history. He just couldn’t let that go.
Paul Park shot back at Danny Dean, refusing to back down. "Fatso! Cut the crap. Your Chinese martial arts are just flashy moves—nobody respects them internationally, not even the Olympics! Compared to our Korean Taekwondo, you guys are way behind! Our Taekwondo is the real deal. Your Chinese schools are all scattered and weak. You guys never make it to the big stage! Against Taekwondo, you’d better step aside! If it weren’t for May Gu, I’d have knocked your fat teeth out already! Hiding behind a woman—pathetic! Ha!"
The moment he finished, not only did Danny Dean’s face change, but even Shawn Young and Joanna Gong were cringing. The most intense reaction came from May Gu herself. She marched right up to Paul Park and said coldly, "Paul Park, I started learning Taekwondo because I admired its spirit. But you, as a black belt instructor, talk like this? Bullying the weak? You’ve totally trashed the true spirit of Taekwondo! He—"
Danny Dean felt totally bummed out. It stung to have May Gu step in like this. If his uncle could put up with it, his aunt definitely couldn’t!
Danny Dean’s forehead heated up. He stepped forward and snapped at Paul Park, "Damn it, Park! You think your Taekwondo is so tough? Fine! Let’s go one-on-one. I’ll use my Dragon Claw technique and squeeze the life out of you!"
"Oh yeah? One-on-one, huh? Let’s hit the West Gym right now! Anyone who chickens out is a loser! A limp-dick! A little wimp!" Paul Park sneered and turned away, not giving Danny Dean a chance to back out. He led his crew toward Southern University’s West Gym. The guy had been studying in China for years—he even picked up the lingo, calling guys 'little wimp.' Not bad!
"Fine, West Gym it is! You think I’m scared? Let’s go!" Danny Dean shouted, but inside he was sweating bullets. Still, he couldn’t lose face in front of May Gu—today, he had to man up, no matter what.
Danny Dean rolled up his sleeves and said to Shawn Young and the others, "Bro, sorry, gotta go throw down! Guess I’ll have to skip dinner tonight! We’ll catch up next time!" With that, he hurried after Paul Park and his crew.
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page for more hilarious action!
Shawn Young knew Danny Dean was just putting on a show for May Gu, acting all heroic. So Shawn quickly caught up and grabbed Danny, whispering, "Fatso, are you sure you can take down that Park guy?"
"Bro! Even if I can’t win, I gotta go! I already bragged in front of a girl—today, whatever happens, I’m going all out! Damn it!" Danny Dean admitted in a low voice.
Shawn Young already had a plan to help Danny Dean out. He patted Danny’s shoulder and said, "Just go for it, Fatso. I’ve got your back!"
Danny Dean thought Shawn Young was just trying to comfort him. He nodded, "Thanks, bro. If I get hurt, remember to ask for leave for me, alright?"
By now, May Gu and Joanna Gong had caught up. May Gu walked right up to Danny Dean, "Fatso, are you crazy? Paul Park is president of the Southern University Taekwondo Association—and he’s the coach! He’s taught thousands of students, including me. You think he’ll go easy on you?"
"Doesn’t matter, I already said it. A man’s word has to count! He insulted me, fine—but he dragged you into it too. I can’t stand guys who bully women. Damn it! Just for that, I have to teach this Korean punk a lesson!" Danny Dean said, looking all tragic and heroic.
May Gu’s heart warmed, tears almost springing to her eyes. In that moment, Danny Dean looked bigger and cuter than ever. She’d never had a guy willing to go to bat for her before. Her voice softened, "Yeah, Paul Park may be sleazy and a perv, but he’s a Taekwondo black belt. He’s seriously tough! He always gets payback, so you’d better be careful. Even if you—if you can’t beat him, I—I’ll still—"
As May Gu spoke, her cheeks flushed pink. Danny Dean caught the look and was overjoyed. He remembered Big Bro Xu Dong’s advice—when a girl gets all shy and her eyes sparkle, she’s into you! Just keep pushing, and you’ll win her over!
Seeing May Gu’s reaction, Danny Dean was sure she was falling for him! To seal the deal, he decided to go all in. He asked her straight up, "May, honestly, I’m only fighting Paul Park for you!"
"For—for me? Why?" May Gu asked, surprised.
"No reason, I—I like you! So I can’t let that jerk bully you! For you, I’m giving it everything I’ve got!" Danny Dean stopped, staring seriously at May Gu, his chubby face deadly earnest.
"Oh my—you can’t just say stuff like that right now! You’re making me—so embarrassed!" May Gu’s heart was pounding, her cheeks blazing red. It was the first time a guy had ever confessed to her, and even though he was a bit chubby, he was definitely manly!
"May, will you be my girlfriend, win or lose?" Danny Dean struck while the iron was hot, going all in.
"You—you—I—I haven’t decided yet—" May Gu was totally flustered. Love had hit her out of nowhere, and she was caught off guard.
"May, for you! I’ll take whatever comes! So, say yes to me!" Danny Dean said, grabbing May Gu’s soft hand, looking totally sincere.
"Don’t—don’t do that—let me think—" May Gu tried to pull her hand away, but Danny Dean held on tight. He was burning his bridges now.
"No need to think—we’re settled!" Danny Dean said, then did something crazy. While May Gu wasn’t paying attention, he leaned in and planted a kiss right on her lips.
"Mmm—you—you—you stole my first kiss! Boo hoo—my pure lips, twenty years of innocence, just gone, and right here on the street! Oh my god—" May Gu freaked out.
"Stole it? So what! It was gonna be mine sooner or later! I gave you my first kiss too! Doing it on the street is perfect—now everyone knows May Gu is Danny Dean’s girl! Haha!" Danny Dean cackled with pride.
"Oh, you wanna take advantage of me? Not so fast! Take this—" May Gu’s fiery side showed itself. She jumped on Danny Dean, wrapped her arms around his neck—"smooch!"—and gave him a blazing hot kiss.
Shawn Young and Joanna Gong stood by, stunned, staring at each other. Those two hooked up so fast—it was like animal instinct!