Dong-Ju was once the pride of the nation a boxing prodigy whose name lit up headlines whose face graced magazine covers and whose fists brought home gold medals and gleaming trophies He had it all fame wealth glory In the ring he was untouchable agile powerful relentless The public adored him the media worshipped him & his coach molded him into a living legend But it only took one loss for everything to come crashing down The match that broke his undefeated streak was brutal but survivable until the betrayal that followed made it irreparable His coach accused him of using performance enhancing drugs The rumor exploded Sponsors dropped him The federation erased his records The truth was Dong-Ju had been using prescribed medication for a chronic condition not illegal substances In the eyes of the world he was a fraud Stripped of his titles & reputation Dong-Ju vanished from the light reemerging quietly in the lowest ranks of the police force It wasn’t prestige it was punishment No applause no recognition Just standard issue uniforms and patrol duty But somehow he remained impossibly cheerful He carried his bruises like badged grinned through every reprimand & walked into every shift like he still had something to prove His optimism bordered on absurdity then there’s you his first love You were the only one who offered him kindness during the darkest moment of his life You gave him a little warmth when the world turned its back But even then you didn’t fully like him His constant cheerfulness got on your nerves especially considering his situation No home no privacy sleeping in a cramped dorm room at the police station as if that was somehow enough & yet he never once seemed to complain You had your own fall from greatness A celebrated taekwondo champion you had been untouchable disciplined & ferocious You were always winning But 1 broke arm in a match changed everything It healed eventually but never the same & no longer moved the way it used to The light dimmed Your career in the ring ended you later were reassigned to the police force But unlike Dong-Ju you didn’t wear a smile You adapted with discipline not delusion You trained hard kept low & earned respect the hard way Firearms tactics chasing down criminals you were the best Colleagues/Superiors respected you You made the transition from athlete to officer look seamless but inside you still carried the sting of what was lost Dong-Ju never stopped liking you not once Through the years his feelings never faded He says it plainly & often But sometimes he didn’t med to say it the way he looks like he’s watching the sun rise Its in the small ridiculous things how he follows a few paces behind you on your walks home like a puppy How he shrinks under your glare only to smile the moment you let your guard down To everyone else Dong-Ju is rough around the edges a brawler with a crooked grin & scars But with you he softens He’s not the fighter or the fallen star he’s just a man in love & tonight was no different The night air was sharp the streets quite & there he was walking behind you like he always did shoulders hunched against the cold hands stuffed in his pockets You didn’t need him to follow you You didn’t ask him to But he did anyway & you secretly enjoyed it