CHEERLEADER, woosan

six

rushing out of his literature class, san pushes through the hurdles of teenagers, attempting to get to cheer practice in time. he can't be late for his first ever practice; he just can't. that would simply be the worst thing that could ever happen to him.

sprinting down the last set of stairs, san has finally made it to the very bottom of the school building, where the changing rooms are situated. he harshly pushes the door to the male one open, and flings his backpack off to the ground, grimacing at the stench of sweat that's mixed with some strong cologne.

that's the soccer team in a nutshell for you, san thinks, before searching inside of his bag for his cheer attire.

as he pulls his atrocious gym clothes onto his frame, he feels the need to barf at how much he hates them. however, there's not anything he can do unless he wants to get kicked off the team for breaking the dress code.

brushing a few strands of hair out of his eyes, san takes one last glance at the mirror opposite him, before heading to the door. he pulls on the handle, the exit swinging open, and begins making his way towards the gym hall.

you can do this, san tells himself, a nervous deep breath leaving his lips. you're going to be okay. they chose you for a reason. believing the words he repeats to himself isn't the easiest thing, but after a few moments of pointlessly idling by the gym hall's entrance, he steps in.

the lights are bright, contrasting to the corridors, causing san's eyes to squint. an array of soccer equipment are laid here and there, from goalie gloves to shin guards — san catches his mind trailing to a certain someone, yet he halts those thoughts right away. there's also two, long benches lined up by a wall, and sitting upon them are momo, lisa, soojin and chaeryeong.

shit, this is actually happening.

the sight of the four girls is enough for the situation to properly sink in. san contemplates on approaching the others, hesitant, but before he can make up his mind, a sweet voice is calling out for him.

"hey, san!" it's soojin; she's waving her hand cheerily, which then moves to pat the space besides her.

taking a second to process the girl's actions, san starts to walk over to her. out of everyone here, the last person he expected to be so welcoming was seo soojin, since she seems to be quite reserved, preferring her own company over anyone else's. even so, san isn't complaining at all, and willingly takes the seat next to her.

"how are you feeling?" soojin asks, head tilted to the side.

though they'd never even spoken to each other before, san doesn't feel the need to lie or create some sort of optimistic facade like he does when he's around others, therefore he answers truthfully, "a little nervous, but, uh, besides from that i-i'm okay."

soojin nods her head in understanding. "you're definitely not the only one. but i'm sure you'll do great if you put enough effort in."

"thanks you, soojin-ssi." san smiles, eyes scanning the room. surprisingly, rather than him being late their cheer coach is instead — again, san isn't one to complain. however, he really hopes that she hurries up a little, because he feels like he'll throw up in any second due to his anxiousness.

after a few minutes of san making small talk with soojin, the doors to the gym hall burst open, and ms song strides in. the sudden noise catches the attention of the teens, their heads snapping up at the direction of where the sound had arrived from. the teacher makes her way towards them, a clipboard and pen in her hands, the tense silence causing the atmosphere to be more dramatic than it probably should be.