『 ʙᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜʀғᴀᴄᴇ ⋙ sᴏᴘᴇ 』✔︎

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕪 𝕖𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥

dribble dribble bounce

The basketball squeaked across the gymnasium floor, building enough momentum to land in the hoop with a satisfying swoosh.

Wiping sweat off his forehead, Min Yoongi sighed in satisfaction as he watched his basketball land in the hoop for the fifteenth time in a row, earning whoops and cheers from his teammates.

"Nice one, Min Yoongi!" His coach complimented, a gummy smile forming on Yoongi's face.

No one was particularly surprised about this, since Yoongi was the captain, and unarguably the star player of the team.

As his co-players were patting him on the back and giving fist bumps, Chul watched from across the court, envious clear in his eyes.

Chul was used to this spoiled behavior that Yoongi constantly received from his teammates. Always having to watch others congratulate him for the simplest of things; even if Chul performed just as well.

Yoongi always got the attention.

And Chul was a sucker for attention, as he basically thrived off of praise and acknowledgement from others. Which explained why the boy's ego was so large, as he was used to being admired regularly.

Perhaps it did all go to his head, since he was basically told all his life that he was perfect.

Perfect, you always have to be perfect, Chul persistently reminded himself.

One simple mistake, just one little mess up tore him down completely. His worst fear was disappointing others, and being seen as weak, pathetic, or inferior.

But, after Yoongi randomly popped into the picture out of nowhere, Chul's recognition disappeared into thin air.

An introverted, sweet, likable boy who just so happened to also be phenomenal basketball player took Chul's place as number one. The situation only worsened when the coach and other teammates nominated Yoongi for captain, which Yoongi didn't even particularly want.

He was convinced he didn't deserve the honor as being captain, and insisted someone else take the honorable role. However, the coach would not take no as an answer, so Yoongi finally agreed, even though insecurities constantly picked at him.

Yoongi also gained his popularity with his wholesome and kind-hearted personality. Constantly uplifting others with motivational words of advice, the boy (rightfully so) gradually received respect. Not to mention that Yoongi was incredibly humble as well, as he hated being center of attention and would rather watch other people achieve accomplishments and be congratulated than himself.

Sure, Chul was still widely well known across the school for his outstanding athletic capabilities, but people often strayed away from him due to his cold-mannered personality. Which, in both situations, Yoongi had the upper hand in.

What drove Chul even more mad was that Yoongi simply didn't care for affection, and simply brushed it off as if it was nothing. Others may see it as selfless and modest, yet Chul viewed it as careless and that he didn't value people's kindness towards him.

Which was completely incorrect, but Chul's insecurities and mind games corrupted his own thought process.

"Lee Chul! Stop daydreaming and get over here!" Chul hastily looked up, only to be met with a dozen eyes staring at him from across the court.

With cheeks flushed of embarrassment, Chul hurriedly ran over to where his teammates were all gathered.

"Alright folks, the next game is this upcoming week, so I need all you to practice harder. And no fooling around," the coach emphasized the last part, while shooting a stern glance towards Chul.