Practicing ice skating and participating in national ice-skating competitions has always been your dream. After years of hard work you can't believe you have actually made it to the finals. It is the National Ice Skating Competition in Seoul and you've been waiting for this moment your whole life. There is only one problem standing in your way: your competitor, Park Sunghoon. You met Sunghoon back in the days when you were still training and you two just never got along. You both are competitive, never likes to lose and always find a way to annoy each other. So, the tension between you every time you are in the same space is always obvious.
You are on the ice ring practicing, when you here a cocky voice that makes you to stop. "Don't try too hard you are gonna lose anyway" you turn around to see non other than Sunghoon. "Don't you have something better to do like practicing? You are not gonna win that easily you know" you give him a death glare as you step closer to him. "Honey, I don't need to practice that hard to win. I am not desperate like others aka you" he continues the cocky smile never leaving his face. "Ok, then go get a life and leave me alone in peace" you say as you skate away from him before he says another word. "What an idiot..." you mumble as you continue skating. You start to increase the speed and you feel like flying. But when you are about to do a trick you stumble and you are about to fall when someone catches you. You turn to see non other than Sunghoon looking at you worryingly while holding you. "Careful there, are you ok? We said practice, not returning home with bruises" he says as he slowly helps you to your feet. "Thanks" you say as you stare at him and you find him staring back at you. You blush and your heart starts beating faster until he says. "Just be really careful ok?" and then he left the ice ring.
What was that? You think as you stay there thinking about the worry in Sunghoon's eyes. You step out of the ice carefully and you remove your skaters as you sit on the bench for a little while to warm up your legs a little bit. You scoff as you think about Sunghoon and how nice he was to you. It's all an act Y/N, get yourself together. After an intense practice you stop and then pack your things and decide to go home. The next couple of days go as usual, but this time the tension between you two has grown. Even tho you seem to hate Sunghoon, you can't help thinking about how handsome he is. But you will never say this to anyone, especially Sunghoon himself. He, on the other side seems different from what he usually is. Deapite the fact that he is still teasing you and you have small fights, he seems concerned every time you are on the ring and you can't explain the situation or why is he like this. The important part is that you both have started to warm up to each other. You speak more than usual and you kinda feel like things are starting to go smoothly between you. Sunghoon is more talkative than before and it looks like he is starting to like you as a friend, considering the fact that you've been talking more the oast few days. You still have your doubts tho but you try not to think much of it.
Sunghoon on the other hand seems more eager to see you and talk to you. Everyday he waits for you to appear in the practice room so he can see you, he always approaches you and his smile always appears on his face everytime he is with you. You can't help but find him cute. But of course you will never admit this to anyone. One day after practice you decide to take a walk to the city. As you are getting ready to leave you hear someone shouting at you. "Hey Y/N wait up!" you turn to see Sunghoon coming your way. "Hey, what's up?" you say with a smile you obviously can't hide. "Are you free right now?" he says and you can feel yourself blushing. "I was thinking to go for a walk, why?" you answer hoping he will say to come along. "Oh, I am free until late today so I was thinking maybe we can go for a coffee or something? I mean, it's ok if you don't want to or want to be alone i just thought maybe we can get to know each other better you know" Sunghoon says, ao fast that he stops to catch his breath as he looks at you waiting for an answer. You stare back at him, your thoughts battling with each other inside your head. Finally you smile and say "sure, why not?" and you chuckle as you see his eyes sparkle. "We finish practice at 9, how about we go out after? I know a place nearby" you say and he nods. "Let's meet up outside then" he says as you continue your practice.
Time passes quickly and you both stop at 9:05. You take off your skates as you carefully step out of the ice and sit on the bleachers. After you pack all your stuff you get up to go outside. As you say your goodbyes to your coach and the stuff, you spot Sunghoon waiting for you in a corner and a smile unconciously appears on your face. "Hey" you say as you step closer to him and he raises his head to look at you. "Hi" he smiles. "Ready to go?" you nod and he takes your bag as you both start walking to his car. It's a ten minute ride but you feel like you don't want it to end. You sit on the passenger's seat while Sunghoon is driving and you can't help but stare at his side profile and his beautiful features. "He is too good to be true" you think to yourself as you let your thoughts take over. You don't even realize when the car stops until you hear Sunghoon's voice calling out your name. "Y/N we are here" you snap and you look at him realizing you've been staring at his face the whole time and you blush hard. "sorry" you mumble and you unbulck your seatbelt and get out as Sunghoon smiles and gets out of the car too.
You enter a small restaurant and you choose to sit at a table in the corner to have some privacy. After you order, Sunghoon turns to you. "Y/N, I need to talk to you" he says in a tone that makes you confused. "Is everything ok? You seem tense since we got here" you ask him and it's true. Sunghoon looked really nervous as he was walking next to you and it looked like he didn't know what to do with his hands. He takes a long breath and then speaks. " The reason I look so tense is because I am here with you Y/N. I know it's gonna sound weird and cheesy but the truth is that, I" he pauses for a second as you look at him and give him an encouraging nod to continue. He takes a deep breath and then speaks again. "The truth is I like you. Like a lot. I know it was very unexpected of me, cause of our fights and competitions before but I've liked you for a long time now. That was the main reason for the teasing. I didn't have the courage to approach you and talk to you starightforward. I am a coward I know and if you don't like me that way it's ok. I just needed to get it out of my chest that's why I told you to go out with me tonight." As he finishes he looks at you waiting for a reaction but you look at him without any expression on your face. "Are you mad? It's ok if you don't like me back or-" he stops as he sees a smile on your face as you let out a small laugh. "Hey relax" you say. "To be honest, I had a feeling you would say this. But the truth is that, I also like you. I just couldn't bring myself to tell you this before, cause of my fear of being rejected" you say as you take his hand. "Fear of being rejected? What do you mean?" Sunghoon asks and you sigh softly. "Well, in the past I had a huge crush on a boy. And I had it for months. But when I finally decided to tell him that I liked him he just laughed at me and told me he will never be with someone like me. It was a long time ago but it still haunts me a bit" you smile bitterly at the memory. "That doesn't mean you will never find true love. And you deserve so much better than him, you are an amazing girl" Sunghoon says as he tighten his grip to your hand. "Thank you for that Hoon, it really means a lot" you say with a smile. "But enough of the depressing stuff right?" you laugh to lighten up the mood. "Yeah you are right" he says eith a smike and you sart to devouring the food that has arrived for a while now as you chat and laugh at your inside jokes.
After that night, you and Sunghoon has officially become a couple. But together with the romance you still have a competition to be prepared of. There is only two weeks left and you both practice together non stop every day. You even stay some days at the shared rooms on the ice skating center when it's too late to go back home. Those nights are the best ones of your life, as you share them together. When the day of the competition arrives you both are nervous but relaxed at the same time. You know it's the big day but you also know that no matter what hapens, you have each other. As you put on your uniforms you hear the announcement for the next two competitors. "Park Sunghoon and Lee Y/N are the next ones to the ring, please take your place". "It's time" you say as you take Sunghoon's hand into yours. "Are you nervous?" he says as he embraces you into his arms. "A little bit, but i know we'll nail it" you say confidently. "May the best man or woman win" he says as you smile and then go take your place as you hear the loud cheers from the audience.
At this point, you don't even care if you win. You only care about the man in front of you. And he only cares about the woman who's staring back at him with her warm gaze. And when the bell rings, signalling for you to start, you feel free. And you feel like home because no competition can come between your love.
HELLOO EVERYONE! I am back after a looong time with a new chapter. I am sorry for the delay but I didn't have the time to finish this one even tho I started working on it months ago. I am pretty satisfied with how it turned out and I really hope you like it too!! 💗
