Faded Sun| SunSun

[Chapter 16]

"Sunghoon!"

That bright smile, one no person could easily forget. Halting his routine, the boys music still played in the background, as he skated over to Sunghoon.

"I'm so happy you're back!" Hanbin cheered, catching himself on the rinks border. He rested both arms on the barrier, smiling happily at his friend. "How's Seoul?"

"It's interesting to say the least, really different from home." Sunghoon replied, to Hanbin's excited nods. 

"I bet! I hear the competition is way more competitive in Seoul. There's this one skater I really like, he's on the Olympic team too." Hanbin chimed. He'd unfortunately been unable to make it onto the team himself, but that didn't stop him from keeping up with the skaters. "Lim Jimin, do you know him?"

Sunghoon scoffed, shaking his head slightly at the mention. Of course, out of all the skaters Hanbin could obsess over, it had to be his rival. Just like Sunoo, people seemed to be drawn to the male, to Sunghoon's utter discomfort. Yes he seemed nice, and yes he was very talented, but Sunghoon hated him, and that wasn't going to change. 

Hanbin was too sweet, Sunghoon didn't have the heart to discuss the males unappealing attributes. He decided instead to pander to the obsession, leaving out the messy details.

"Yeah I do."

"Ooh amazing! Tell me about him? Is he really that handsome in real life?" 

A sigh slipped Sunghoon's lips, as he gritted his teeth. "Yup, really, really handsome."

Hanbin basically melted at the comment, clearly thinking to the handsome skater. "What about his personality? Is he as charming as everyone says?" 

"Very." Sunghoon said, forcing on a fake smile.

"Ah I think I'm in love!" Hanbin squealed, clutching his hands over his heart. "I want to know everything? What food he likes, his hobbies, shoe size-"

"Hanbin this isn't time for chit chat!" 

To Sunghoon's relief, Hanbin's questioning got cut short. Light footsteps pattered along the edge of the rink, coming closer to the two boys. The man was familiar, even more so than anyone else Sunghoon could encounter at this rink. His old coach, the person who got him to where he was today. He couldn't deny that he missed working with him. Leeteuk was great, but he could never replace him. 

"Sorry coach, I haven't seen Sunghoon in ages." Hanbin apologized, feeling a hand pat his shoulder.

"It's alright, I'll give you a few minutes to talk to Sunghoon. I know you'll only complain if I don't." He chuckled, brushing past the boys. A few steps were taken before he swung around again, making eye contact with his former student. "It's good to see you Sunghoon."

"Likewise coach." 

The man disappeared through the glass doors, heading towards the offices. It was a bittersweet feeling, he really did miss training with Coach Jimin. Though, he didn't have much time to reminisce, as Hanbin sparked up the conversation again.

"How's Sunoo? Are you two still going strong?"

"I guess we are." Sunghoon shrugged. "He's actually debuting soon."

"Debuting!" Hanbin gasped, excitement draining from his face. The gasp seemed one more of fear, which in turn, made Sunghoon anxious. 

"Yeah, is there something wrong with that?" Sunghoon asked, cocking a brow curiously. 

"Oh no, no, there's not! It's just..." Hanbin trailed off, seizing his frantic movements. He darted his gaze away from Sunghoon, making unsteady eye contact with the ice. 

This was really strange, to see Hanbin acting like this. Sunghoon felt out of the loop, which he was, since Hanbin clearly knew something he didn't. Resting his arm on the barrier, the boy patiently waited for Hanbin to speak. 

"You're going to have to break up, right?"

Break up.

Not again.

Sunghoon's heart raced, as his posture stiffened. His brows furiously furrowed, turning his head towards Hanbin. That came out of no where, not one person had ever brought that up to Sunghoon, not even Sunoo.

Hanbin clearly caught wind of Sunghoon's shock, awkwardly waving his hands in defense. He didn't mean to overstep, it was a completely innocent question. "Ignore me! I- um, I-I don't know what I'm talking about."

Did he think Sunghoon was mad? He would be right. Though, he wasn't mad at him. He was more angry that this hadn't been discussed before, nor that the thought had crossed his mind. This was a genuine concern, he needed to know about it.

"Explain please." Sunghoon requested. "Why would we have to break up?"

"Well...Uh..." Hanbin scratched the back of his neck, not sure how to approach this topic. "Idols can't really date, can they? Especially not someone of the same gender. It's not fair at all, but it's the way it is. His company might force you two to break up."

"Oh." Was all Sunghoon could get out. If this was true, everything could change. Relationships broken, and not only his own. Sacrifices would have to be made, something that shook him to his core. The idea that, Sunoo...

 could be taken away from him.

"If they haven't said anything about it yet, you might be okay! Don't worry about it, really. I'm sure everything will be fine!" 

He could hear Hanbin speak, but he didn't listen. Nothing he could say, would better how Sunghoon now felt. A clump built in his throat, as his body started to shake. His breath quickened, eyes fixing on one spot, his mind clouded with negative thoughts. 

"Hanbin we should practice now." Coach Jimin stated. "You can come by another day Sunghoon."

The sentence was hardly finished, as Sunghoon hurried out of the rink. No goodbye, he didn't have time for that. He rushed through the glass doors, sprinting out of the building. His body collapsed against the cold brick, tumbling to the floor. He hit the concrete, grazing his hands. Sunghoon pulled his knee's close to him, ducking his head down, uncontrollably hyperventilating. One thought played over in his mind.

I'm about to lose Sunoo. 

____

Hanbin's back, stan tempest!

Also things aren't looking the best rn, but I assure you this book will not end up the way you probably assume.

Please vote if you like this chapter.

Real talk- I had no original plans to write a sequel, so I'm doing this for anyone who wanted to know what happens after the events of thin ice. I worked really hard to plan a good story, that had actual plot, and developed the story further. I genuinely work so hard on this story, so I'd really appreciate if I could get some more support. It takes less than a second to vote, and it would mean a lot to me.