|THE CURSED FOREST|

3

3 days later,

Yeonjun came out of his football stadium, he had been running around for hours, doing drills and learning new plays. All of the physical activity had taken a toll on his body, leaving him exhausted by the time he got out of the stadium.

His mind was lost, Micha hadn't contacted him for days and he felt like she was ignoring him.

"You did well today, Yeonjun." Yeonjun felt a gentle pat on his shoulder and quickly turned to see Jongin smiling softly at him. Jongin, another player in the football team.

"Thank you." He felt a sense of assurance from the comfort, and he returned the smile.

"YOU STICK!" Suddenly Sehun ran past Yeonjun pushing him away. Fortunately, Jongin had been there to help Yeonjun to balance himself. Yeonjun heard other players laughing behind Jungsoo.

"STICK!" Yeonjun heard someone shouting it again as he stood looking down.

His fist clenching on his sides with tears on the verge of bursting out, he stuck his eyes on the ground.

Jungsoo who was standing in the middle of the team, a smug plastered on his face walked towards Yeonjun and grabbed him by his hair to make him face him.

"SHARP 6 AM IN THE MORNING TOMORROW." Jungsoo snarled, his grip tightening on Yeonjun's hair.

"One second late and you'll regret being born." Jungsoo grits his teeth as spit on Yeonjun's face who just bites the inside of his cheeks in pain as nodded.

"Come Jongin, just leave that stick there." Sehun scoffed as giving a disgusted look to Yeonjun.

Yeonjun looked up at the group leaving together, enjoying and laughing while he was standing there alone.

His expression was blank and emotionless, and he moved away without another word, his footsteps echoed with the hopelessness he felt.

•

Yeonjun entered his dorm, his tired eyes roaming around. He could see the books he had left on his desk, the clothes strewn across the room, and the empty cup he had left on the nightstand.

His room was a reflection of his rushed morning for practice which was nothing for him now, as still he was called a stick instead of being recognised.
Yeonjun worked tirelessly, not allowing himself to rest. He pushed through the pain and fatigue, determined to do his best in the face of criticism the whole day in practice.

But despite his efforts, Yeonjun was met with criticism again.

The emptiness around was a reminder to him of the loneliness in his life.

He slowly picked up the bowl of ramyeon he had cooked meanwhile, his hands trembling as he held onto it.
He felt the tears threatening to fall, the sadness slowly consuming him. He took a deep breath before slowly lifting the spoon to his lips, taking a single bite of the food he had prepared for himself.
His emotions had been building up inside and he couldn't contain them any longer.
The loneliness in the room was palpable as the silence filled the air. His lips trembled as the hot ramyeon spilled out of his mouth, and he finally allowed himself to feel the sadness and despair that had been building up inside him. He felt the loneliness engulf him as his tears burst forth, a deep sadness filling his soul.

Even though he was putting in all the effort he could and working tirelessly, he was still feeling like the world was against him.

Everyday, he will wake up early in the morning for his goalkeeping practice, will do his best throughout the day ignoring his fragile state, face harsh criticism for his weak physique and then return to the dorm alone with no friend, no one and live his misery filled life like this. He felt his heart crushing living everyday like this.