Deserve | Na Jaemin ✓

𝟜 | don't blame yourself

Furious pants could be heard in the gym as fast paced squeaking noises resonated throughout the empty gym. It has been two hours since the final bell rang, but Na Jaemin was still too busy taking out his anger through basketball.

The amount of times that he missed the hoop at today's game fumed his anger and he felt as if he let the whole team down. He was the only player that was accepted through this year's try-outs and was disappointed with the fact that he missed all those penalties and three pointer shoots. His punishment was to practice until he dropped, exactly what he's doing right now. The product of his hard practice session was shown through his pale face, shaking body and messy hair. He looked like he ran a marathon, and quite frankly, you could assume that he did.

Again, it has been two hours since the final bell rang, but in one of the classrooms, Park Hyejin was studying until she dropped. Feeling unproductive at home, she decided that it was best to stay at school and finish all the work that she could. Outside, the sun was setting and the air was getting colder as winter was just around the corner. Hyejin took this sight as a cue to pack and go home.

Walking down the hallway, the series of grunts and groans was heard from the direction of the gym. It wasn't unusual for Hyejin to stay in after school, infact, she did it quite often. She carefully peeks in through the small opening of the door finding the popular new kid, stretching his arms out on the cold gym floor.

Hyejin gasps lightly in shock at the state he was in. He looked beyond exhausted and if Hyejin didn't come earlier, she would have mistaken him as a corpse as he laid down still. Hyejin was about to turn away until she heard a series of whimpers.

"I should've practiced harder."

Those words seemed so familiar to Hyejin that she stops in her tracks.

"I should've tried harder."

Hyejin quietly steps in and finds what she assumes to be the boy's belongings. She picks up his water bottle and towel on one of the benches and carefully approaches the boy.

Jaemin jolts at the soft and careful approaching steps as he looks down, embarrassed to reveal his puffy face.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you..." the girl spoke out, "I heard noises in the gym and thought that it was unusual that someone is using the gym at this time..."

Jaemin didn't recognise the voice and so he assumed that he hasn't met the person that is right beside him right now, "I-It's fine."

The two were in an awkward silence before the sound of the metal water bottle landed on the polished floors, "I assume that this is yours." Jaemin quickly rubs his face and looks up at the rough and worn-out white fabric, "You should wipe your sweat off...it's winter and you might get sick..."

Jaemin nodded and quietly thanked the girl, "What are you still doing here so late?"

"Oh." The girl was surprised that the boy initiated a conversation, "I was studying. I like studying at school. It makes me feel calm."

The boy took multiple gulps of the cold liquid and nodded to her answer, "I see."

The girl nodded before standing back up and retreating back from the tired boy, "I-I'll get going now. Sorry for the disturbance."

Jaemin slowly looks up in an attempt to at least take a glance at the girl's face. But she had her face turned away. Jaemin took in her back figure; her shiny black hair, her black knee high socks, the little white bear keychain on her backpack and worn out white shoes.

She reaches the last steps before turning back to say the words that Jaemin never thought he deserved to hear after today's events, "Oh...before I leave...I'm not sure if I have any right to say this but," she smiles and turns her head slightly to meet his gaze, "I'm sure you did everything you could today. So...don't blame yourself too much."

At her words and kind smile, he felt relieved as a few more tears came out.

He nodded and lightly chuckled, "Thank you...get home safe."