Breaking the Ice | 엔하이펜 | HEEHOON

04

I'LL BE CAPTIVATED

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Coach?

Sunghoon certainly did not expect he would be called such a title it was very ridiculous. He thought it was kind of — off? Ice knight, Ice Prince, Ice Breaker, or whatever endearing title that the world had given him was enough for Sunghoon to hear and listen. Being called Coach wasn't exactly one of them and as long as he was here, he would prevent that from happening.

"Don't call me that. I have a name, obviously," replied Sunghoon eyeing the other with an eyebrow raised — which the other managed a good chuckle, as he took off his ice skates and walked a little closer to Sunghoon.

This was the first time he saw the male up close. Heeseung was tall, slender, and had a debonair physique. If Sunghoon could stand up he could say that he was the same height as he had. Funny thought of that.  

"Then what do they call you? Great and Noble one?" Heeseung asked a little bit of mockery and a little bit of tease though Sunghoon wasn't actually enjoying it, and just stared with eyes narrowing at the other. Heeseung bit his lower lip and coughed to avoid the awkward silence that engulfed them. "Kidding — If you don't want me to call you by your name, I can just you know continue calling you, coach, my coach."

 "Sunghoon, it's Park Sunghoon. . ." he replied as cold as it ever was.

"Hoon! Hoonie! Honey?" Heeseung just coming up with different kinds of nicknames made the former figure skater grow irritated as he is now.

"No, Just Sunghoon. . .." Sunghoon still giving him that cold fret stare, made Heeseung once again chuckle. A sudden feeling of seeing his reaction go irritated felt satisfying for the male but he knew he had to stop otherwise. "Ah, that's kind of boring. . . I want something thrilling! Coach is better. . .  I'll stick with a coach!" but Heeseung would not stop just there.

Sunghoon gave an eye roll at him, such a stubborn this person was and they only met by a day yet Sunghoon just might have had enough. "I can't stand being with you but anyways if you are busy, I best be on my way."

He pushed the wheel of his chair turning around but Heeseung just had to stop him from going back and grab the handle of the chair and allowed him to pull him closer and then he gently pushes him carefully, parking at the nearby lake. "Not today, Coach! Today you're going to watch and criticize and tell me that I did a great job!"

"Stop! I have no time for this!" yelled Sunghoon but it was too late, he was at the near edge of the littoral land, where the water meets the land of the lake. The ice knight watched the young skater putting on his skating shoes and hurriedly skidded his way towards the thick ice, arms extending, heads up, and letting the breeze touch his cheek on a beautiful afternoon.

"BOOOOOO!" Sunghoon yelled at Heeseung, acting all bored when deep inside he truly wanted to see what tricks were up in his sleeves, and what level of figure skating this mysterious skater was up to.

He had no idea why all of a sudden, his consciousness had led him here on a fine afternoon, all he knew was he was here watching someone else do the thing he loved the most. "I haven't even started yet." Heeseung smiled, and Sunghoon wondered how long this smile lasted, he smiled for no reason like it was a signature look for him to plaster forever.

And he admits, it felt warm.

"Just get on with it will you?" Sunghoon said to the other, dismissively waving his hand.

Heeseung took a deep breath and allowed himself to set out, bracing himself and then he started to do the tricks that Sunghoon had taught him yesterday. He did one leap of a jump, a one-foot spin then skated backward. He even tried the leap to land one foot though almost out of balance, he manages to stay on track. All of these trying to impress Sunghoon.

He catches his breath with a pose and looked at Sunghoon himself with a smile, did he impress him? No reaction, Heeseung is starting to believe he had no emotions at all, but that was his best one yet out of all the years he practiced. He was sure at least no one was surprised about what he did.

"Tadah?" said Heeseung with jazz hands, Sunghoon staring at the young skater lifted his shoulders into a small light shrug and spoke. "Meh, it was okay. . . I mean I've seen better but it was okay."

"Well, I'm no pro, coach, at least tell me that I did a job well done." Heeseung laughed going over toward the other, well as long as he heard from someone that it was okay, that was already an achievement for him. He had never been the one to show what he can do, this young male in a wheelchair was the first to see his passionate love for figure skating, but he wouldn't say that would he?

"I told you it's Sunghoon, not coach, and I said it was okay, obviously an equivalent to a job well done."

"It's not. . ." Heeseung replied, his eyebrows squirming at Sunghoon in a teasing manner. Sunghoon just raised an eyebrow at him shrugging again before turning his back and pushing his wheelchair, rolling away from the other. "Whatever you say. . ." Sunghoon replied. He just wants to go back inside, not only is it has become cold — he wants to rest and sleep the hours remaining.

"Leaving so soon Coach?" exclaimed Heeseung.

Sunghoon just continued to move, not even hesitating to look back and reply to him. "Bummer just wanted to listen to what improvements I could try to make. Planning to join the annual figure skating contest."

This had to be a trick just for him to turn around. Nice try Heeseung it isn't going to work, or did he figure out who he was? Sunghoon silently prayed that he did not. "And I don't have anyone," Heeseung continued.

That made Sunghoon stop, what was he doing? He was like blocking someone from achieving a goddamn dream, his once dream that became a chance of being real had become a dream to others. What would his mother say? His mother never stopped him from reaching what he previously was, a well-known figure skater, global, all around the world, well almost. Before it was taken away from him.

Almost half of the whole year lurking in his room, where was he going with this if he taught this young rookie skater right in front of him, what are the chances?

"I'm not good at figure skating." Sunghoon lied. "You need someone way more professional to teach you, not the most crippled one." Sunghoon stared at his broken legs, broken bones, a broken past.

"That doesn't make you any less good. . ." Heeseung replied, a soft smile on his features, that smile again, Sunghoon thought. The young skater then continued. "The way you taught me yesterday proves it otherwise that though not much of an experience, they have the knowledge and didn't you say that you were a fan?"

Sunghoon was silent for minutes, maybe seconds before he inhaled deeply and spoke. "Was. . . I was a fan. . . and you're right I may know a fan, of course, I didn't just watch I also read how it works."

"You dreamed of being a figure skater, didn't you?" Heeseung asked him, and all the ice knight did was nod at his response. "All my life." If only Heeseung knew, if only you knew.

"Then there you go!" Heeseung chuckled, "Come on Mr. Hoon, be my coach." Heeseung paused a long mere silence before he continued.

"I'll be your legs, we can be a dream."