in which an aspiring athlete meets an actual athlete
all similarities to other stories are probably coincidental.
thanks.
lowercase intended
@vantaeday,,2019
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if any of his friends had noticed any change in him, yeonjun was glad that they did not mention it. he had always been the more unfazed one in the group, and as much as he loved his friends, this was a side he did not want to show anyone — not yet anyway.
"oh, they left already?" minyoung came out of the washroom, casually drying her hands on her pants.
"yeah, they were real eager to explore the city... night life and stuff..." he cleared his throat awkwardly as she took a seat next to him on the couch.
the both of them sat in silence for awhile, neither knowing how to bring up what they each wanted to say.
"i-"
"so,-"
both of them started at the same time, and there was another awkward pause.
"this is ridiculous," yeonjun stared at the small space minyoung had put between herself and him when she had sat down, "come here."
with a swift tug on her elbow, she was next to him in an instant. overcoming her initial surprise quickly, she settled her head into the space between his neck and shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. they sat like that for awhile, and yeonjun relished the way her steady breaths calmed him down for what had to be the first time since he arrived.
"this is the way it should be, should i come home?" he carefully broached the subject, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
her initial calm was replaced with a small start of surprise, and she turned her head to look up at him with concerned eyes. she didn't say anything for awhile, preferring to think of a more appropriate response.
anyone could have immediately pooh-ed at the idea of him returning home when he had worked so hard to get to this point, and say that it was silly for him to think like that. she stared at him thoughtfully for awhile, letting her fingers absentmindedly trace his jaw as she thought of an answer to his seemingly casual question.
deciding that it would be better to get him to open up to her, she asked a very simple question.
"why?"
"just, because."
"are you not happy to be here?"
"i -" he faltered, and minyoung grabbed onto that.
"what's wrong?" she asked to no response.
shifting her hands to cup his face instead, she tried again.
"what's wrong?"
he closed his eyes this time, but let himself lean into her touch as he spoke.
"i'm just really tired."
it was a simple sentence, but those four words seemed to force yeonjun to acknowledge how he was feeling, and he soon felt salt in his mouth. the hands cupping his face were warm, and had now moved to wipe the tears that had started to fall from his closed eyes.
