U Got It // Cho Seungyoun

XVIII

"Why are you bruised on your face?" My face falls, as I remember the bruise on my jaw and arms. "Oh nothing, I just fell." I chuckle lightly but cringe as I hear how fake it is. "Yeah, sure. Come on, be honest." "We got in a fight with the volleyball girls." His face is blank for a moment before he bursts out laughing. "I get that you are rivals but you guys are the only ones who actually fight. Isn't this like the third time you fought?" I glare at him, "No, it's the second." "Wow, huge difference." He grabs my hand and drags me to the nearest drugstore to get some ointment for the bruises as well as some snacks.

We sit down at a table just outside and it's quiet for a while as Seungyoun focuses on applying the cream to my jaw. "It's okay, I can do it myself." "Then why didn't you do it earlier?" I move away from him with a small pout, "Because I didn't have time." I grab one of the snacks and shove it in my mouth, sitting back in my chair, away from him. But I can't stay mad as the flavor hits my tongue, the flavor of my favorite snack. "So, why do you and the volleyball team always fight?" "Honestly, it used to be just a rivalry but this year with Mina they suddenly all became little devils. They think they're above us and -ugh, I just want to beat them up." I mutter and clench my fists just at the thought of them. Seungyoun simply chuckles at my actions.

We continue talking for a while, my previous awkwardness and rule to avoid him, already out the window. Even so, I'm still praying for him not to mention what happened the night before. We grab our stuff and start heading back to campus, going through the big garden.

"So, why were you avoiding me today?" I almost choke on the food after hearing his sudden question, breaking the silence. I panic before saying the first thing that comes to mind. "I don't know what you're talking about." "Really? 'Cause your cheeks are turning incredibly red right now." He mutters with a smirk. I basically slap my hands on my cheeks and shake my head, denying his claims. "No they're not." "Was it about last night?" I feel my heartbeat increase and I try to stay neutral and calm, "What happened last night?" I see his face slightly change expressions but goes back to how it was before in a second. "Come on, Yeseul, you think I'm going to believe you? Don't you remember how you kissed me last night?" I squeal and quickly cover his mouth even though there is no one anywhere near us. "I didn't kiss you!" "Really? Because if I remember correctly, a certain Kang Yeseul grabbed me and decided to kiss me in the middle of a club last night." "Oh my god, I'm gonna cry." I pull my hood over my head and pull on the strings so that most of my face is hidden.

Seungyoun pats my head and laughs at my embarrassment. "Don't avoid me anymore. Without you, I have no one to properly tease. So you have to stay by my side at all times, as you normally do." I glare at him and gently push him away. "I see, our friendship is just an excuse for you to torture me." He nods with his typical smile. "Exactly."

We walk back to my dorm building and continue our conversation involving plants, which one is better. Once the conversation ends, I'm about to say goodbye but Seungyoun quickly leans in to give me a quick kiss, which leaves me stunned in my spot. My mouth drops in shock while he's already walking away, still facing me. "Seungyoun! Why would you-" "You're not allowed to avoid me! I"ll see you tomorrow!" I watch him still surprised while he walks away laughing, I don't notice my cheeks burning.

I can't avoid Seungyoun even if I tried.

Today is the day we leave to go to regionals and Seugnyoun and Yohan as well as some other friends will be coming to watch the competition and support our school. Sadly, Seungwoo can't come this time but he promised to come to the nationals. Even though it is a tradition for us to go see each other's competitions, it's inevitable to miss some.

It's currently Sunday morning, which means that since the day after the ball we have mostly spent all that time practicing every second of every day until we can't feel our limbs anymore. So far, the coach has been pleased with our rehearsals which is always reassuring, considering how strict she is. But it still is regionals so it's still a lot of pressure on us, especially those who have their solos. I still recall the time the coach held me back and I take a deep breath in. 'It's okay, you will do great. They don't call you the ace of the team for nothing.' I try to reassure myself, praying that this competition will go well and that I will be able to move onto nationals.

Seungyoun and I decided to go to town in the morning, close to the bus station where most of the friends and other students will be taking the bus. "At what time is your bus?" I ask the dark-haired guy walking next to me. "At 12 p.m." I nod, taking in his words. "You'll probably get there an hour or so before me because of the stops." We sit down on a bench in a park, sipping on coffee. "Are you nervous?" Seungyoun asks, already knowing the answer. "Yeah, how can I not be?" "You're the ace! And that's coming from me, the best football player in South Korea." He says, raising his hands as if trying to prove a point. "Oh thank you, god Seungyoun for your incredible compliment. I wonder how I can try to deflate your ego a little bit." I slightly hit his arm. "We'll see who is better at your next game. It's in two weeks right?" He nods with the smirk from the previous comment still there.

"I say you're going to do a great job, I mean you won last year's nationals from what Seungwoo told me." My cheeks heat up and I recall the championships. "I won previous championships but last year's win was definitely the one that affected me the most. It was the first major competition I had won in a while, after my dad died." Seungyoun's mouth takes the shape of an 'o' as he listens to what I say. "My dad also died when I was 21." As soon as he says that, I feel like a small burden has been lifted, like someone else can understand what I went through.

"After my dad passed away, my mom panicked and basically abandoned me. I was already at the school so I didn't have to worry about having a place to stay. It wasn't as hard as it could've been and honestly, my coach, despite how often she makes my blood boil, she  has acted more as a mother figure than my mom ever did. That's also why I got so mad when I saw her the other day, she acted as if she didn't do anything wrong. And I get it, we all cope in different ways but she left me all alone, I had no way of contacting her, it was as if she just disappeared." I feel lighter, finally being able to talk about what had happened in a really long time. Seungyoun inches closer to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders.

"Do you think you'll ever forgive her?" I shrug, "Probably one day." He nods and leans against the back of the bench. "I'm lucky my mom was there the whole time with me. She really did a lot to make me feel the love of two parents even though being a single parent. I'm very grateful to have her in my life, she's someone I have a lot of respect for."

We continue sitting and talking for a while until we decide to go to the bus station as Seungyoun's bus will be arriving soon. As we get there, I recognize Yohan and some other familiar faces. Yohan waves at us as he sees us approaching. "Hey guys! Yeseul, how are you feeling?" Yohan asks with the same amount of energy that he always has, this time, a bit more excited as he will be seeing his girlfriend compete. "Feeling as nervous as I normally am." I let out a breathy laugh. "I'm going to go back to campus to get ready to go on our bus. I'll see you guys soon. Oh, and text the group chat when you arrive." They hum as they answer me and I wave them off as they get on the bus after giving a small hug.

Not too long after, I walk back to campus, which luckily, isn't a far walk from the bus station. I enter my room and grab my suitcase that has all my clothes and makeup and the separate costumes that are layered on top, making sure they don't get ruined. Once everything is ready, I walk down to the front of the gymnasium where the rest of the team is waiting for everyone to finish putting their bags in.

Yoona waves me over to her and we stand and wait for the coach to do roll call and one by one enter the bus. I sit next to Yoona as Hyejin sits next to another friend from the team and soon enough, we start our long journey to the arena where the competition will be held.

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Rip i keep telling myself that the next chapter will be better because it'll have a better plot but it's never the right chapter lmao sorry that these chapters have been kinda boring