An Unexpected Clandestine

| 7 |

"Don't move." Bora glared at her older brother as she gently placed the cotton ball on his cut. Sungjae hissed in pain, moving his face away from her hand. "Easy for you to say." He mumbled, his lips pouting slightly. "You don't have a deep cut on your cheekbone." Bora rolled her eyes at his comment, continuing to clean the wound as gently as possible. Placing a small amount of ointment and a bandage over the wound, she sighed. "There." She gave a small smile, putting away the first aid kit. Sungjae stood up, putting on a sweatshirt.

"Stop worrying about me." Sungjae unraveled the gauze from his hands. "Get ready for your match." Bora groaned internally. "Don't remind me." She threw a towel at her brother's face, Sungjae erupting in a fit of laughter. "Don't be nervous, you've beaten her plenty of times." He tried calming his sister down, but anxiety was written all over her face. "But she has also beaten me a couple of times." Bora let out a breath, tightly wrapping the black gauze around her hands.

"Veronica Fox is no match for you." Sungjae grinned, taking a sip of his Powerade. His eyes crinkled at the taste of the drink. "I prefer a Gatorade." He placed the blue colored bottle on the nearby table, an unsatisfied look on his face. "Why couldn't they sponsor us?" He scoffed, crossing one leg over the other.

Bora stopped what she's doing, giving him a look. "You know why." She hummed. "I know." Sungjae sighed. "One drunk tweet about not liking Artic Blitz and you're labeled for life." He shook his head, taking a sip of the drink. Bora sighed. "You're lucky dad forgave you." She tied her hair, securely. "I didn't realize it was beer!" Sungjae tried to defend himself. It was true. The poor boy, innocently thought it was apple cider but realized it too late at the time. "Besides, the legal age to drink in Germany is 14, right?" Sungjae shrugged his shoulders, fixing his hair in the mirror.

Taking a look at the clock, Bora grabbed her Powerade and walked out of the private room, Sungjae following closely behind. "Just remember to breath, focus, and don't forget to win." He grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

She chuckled a bit at the statement, but it was not enough to get rid of the nerves that were building up in the pit of her stomach.

"Remember to smile. Don't show them you're nervous." Sungjae whispered into her ear before entering the arena. The loud cheers overpowering whatever he muttered after.

"Yook Bora!" The same deep voice spoke through the loudspeaker. Some were screaming Bora's name in excitement, happy to see the Nation's Favorite Female Athlete. A title that was given recently to her. Sungjae being the Nation's Favorite Male Athlete.

Bora's dad quickly hugged her, whispering words of encouragement into her ear. "Do your best." He quickly kissed his daughter's forehead, massaging her shoulders.

"On the right, we have Veronica Fox!" Several cheers were heard in the arena. Fans from Europe came to cheer for her since she was one of the most likely contestants to win this year. Bora knew that.

The Blonde haired athlete entered the arena, seeming calm. Her haired tied into a high ponytail, she took several practice swings. Bora felt like throwing up. The glares Veronica was giving to her were intense as if she wanted to burn a hole through Bora's skull.

"Guess she's still not over the last fight." Sungjae tried to suppress a chuckle. "Not funny." Bora gritted out. She didn't feel like laughing, not when Veronica seemed to want to kill her.

With a single ring echoing throughout the arena, both fighters entered the ring from opposite sides.

"Start!"

///

"I think it's gonna need stitches." Sungjae gently cleaned the bleeding wound on Bora's arm. Bora gritted her teeth, trying to hold in the pain. The rubbing alcohol stung the opened wound with every touch. "Call the doctor." Bora let out a shaky sigh, trying to avoid seeing the blood that was running down her arm. She had managed to win the fight, but unfortunately, the sharp end of the fence cut her arm.

"I'm just glad I knocked her out before she could do any more damage." She groaned, feeling her blood pulsate and burn around her arm.

The familiar doctor quickly barged into the room with a red plastic box.

He quickly opened the plastic box, taking out a needle and tapping the side of it, some liquid spilling out. "This might hurt just a bit but it'll numb the pain." Bora nodded her head, gripping onto the corner of the chair. "Take a deep breath....and....there." She whimpered a bit at the discomfort. Soon, her whole arm started to feel numb and heavy.

The doctor carefully took out a clean suture and thread. "The cut is deep but not long. It won't need  more than 3 stitches." Sungjae sat beside her. "Just get it over with, doctor." He rubbed her shoulder, noticing Bora's discomfort.

The doctor nodded, getting right to work. After a couple of minutes, he quickly cleaned up and exited the room.

"You feeling better?" Sungjae helped Bora wear her hoodie, careful to avoid the bandaged wound.

"I guess." Bora grabbed her bag, walking out of the room. "That's a relief." Sungjae secured his duffle bag strap around his shoulder.

"Bora!" Her dad ran toward the two figures, a look of worry on his face. "Are you alright?" He stopped in front of the siblings waiting for Bora to respond. "Yes, don't worry." She gave a smile. "I was worried." He let out a sigh, hugging his daughter gently. "I'll meet you guys at home. I have some paperwork to finish." The siblings nodded. "Alight, go home safely." He smiled, patting Sungjae's shoulder before waving goodbye.

"So where do you want to go for dinner?" The brother smirked, searching for places to eat that were nearby.

"Dad said-" Bora was cut off by her brother. "He doesn't need to know." He started walking toward the parking lot, looking for his car.

"Fine." She huffed out a breath.

"I'm in the mood for Pork Chops anyway."