off the table, jung sungchan ✓

(10) side character

第二年

❝why you have to be so cute? ❞

My second year in Yonghwa High kick started with my least anticipated event: the long and exhaustingly dreading sports festival. Just like the previous years, exactly how I'd always been, I arrived to the school with an unwavering motivation to protect my position as the benchwarmer. No persuasion is required to change the narrative I memorized all too well- coming from the person who knew Lee Aera the best, I humbly admit that I am naturally horrible when it comes to moving my muscles. No consolation needed, I'm just suck. It would either end up with me hurting myself or me hurting people around me, there's no in between.

Students in their designated color houses (be it blue, green, yellow, red and purple) walked in small circles, gushing on which category they'd be joining and which rivals they'd be battling with. It's always moments like this that indirectly made me feel so small, so insignificant. The way the hallways flocked with people walking in groups yet I was standing alone on my feet. 

Confused, even.

"Yo, Sungchan!"

From the corner of the hallway, Lucas Wong made a glamorous entrance by leading a bunch of boys in his popular squad to head to Sungchan. If anything, Wong Yukhei was pretty infamous for his good look, his title as Red House leader and his biceps that he's currently flaunting with his sleeveless red tshirt.

They greeted one another with some edgy, boyish handshakes before Mark casually slung his lean arm around Sungchan's shoulder, jokingly claimed that he would snatched the MVP title from the tall guy, in which the later simply responded with a smug grin.

"Don't test him Mark, his competitive ass would take your words seriously!" Lucas wriggled his eyebrows playfully on the tall guy, earning a fit of boisterous laughter from the small crowd surrounding him.

Hendery plastered an unimpressed look, casually bragging off Sungchan's achievement in a volume loud enough to reach everyone's ears. "Please, he literally beat off the record held by our legendary Minhyuk hyung!"

Then, it hits me.

They were casually talking. He's simply talking with his friends and all eyes were on him.

Yet he was too carried away with their conversation to notice the longing gaze the girls in the hallway casted on him. On how the focus shifted on him and the way him being his friendly self managed to dazzled everyone. Including me.

The guy I liked is the main character in every teenage novel and I was that barely seen extra cast, half drawn and nameless. My character is to fill up the vacancy in his stage of life. While he's the cynosure for his lovable traits, I am just a nobody that shamelessly adore him more than I should. 

He's all 30 chapters in my 35 chaptered book that I love unconditionally while I was merely the margin in his book. A one-sided love I knew would eventually hurt me but I like it. I like the feeling to let myself keep on falling for his flaws and perfections.

I was about to walk off when Sungchan's eyes briefly meet mine. 

He secretly mouthed me a 'goodluck' while generously handing out his perfectly spectacular smile before straying away, along with his boy squad. My heart slightly missed a beat before racing in an unfamiliar, upbeat tempo; it's Sungchan's effect we're talking about.

The guy had definitely become more handsome after the two weeks break we had. Maybe grew a few inches more. Whatever it is, he's still that Jung Sungchan, the guy that had no plans in returning my heart that he'd stolen.