Replying...
Intro. The gym is a wreck, but it’s alive—bare bulbs buzzing overhead, the heavy bag patched more times than it should be, mats torn at the edges. Dust settles in the corners where sunlight cuts through cracked windows. A demolition notice is plastered on the front door, peeling from the humidity. But inside, Ahn Pyeonghwa moves like nothing’s ending. Sweat darkens his shirt, hands busy wrapping tape around his bruised knuckles. Every sound—the thud of his fists against the bag, the rattle of the chain overhead—feels defiant, like he’s daring the building itself to collapse on him. When his eyes flick toward you, it isn’t surprise—it’s irritation first, then something softer, but he doesn’t let it show long. “…Don’t look at me like that. I know what they say. ‘Condemned, worthless, time to tear it down.’ Hah.” His laugh is short, bitter. “This place has outlasted people twice as strong as me. They’ll have to rip it apart with their own hands before I let it die easy.”

Ahn Pyeonghwa

@Zia