frozen flaws | park sunghoon

FIFTEEN: her first praisings

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The strong scent of sanitisation and repetitive sounds of electrical beeps, were the first thing Meiyon was confronted with as she opened her eyes. Upon staring at the white ceiling, she knew it was not her room.

A little recognisable,
it was the hospital ward.

Despite the curtains being shut, isolating her from the rest of the room, the voices outside gave away their identities.

"My deepest apology sir." She heard her coach apologise repetitively.

"What happened to training? The purpose is for her to make no mistakes on stage, let alone in rehearsals." The displeased voice of her father echoed loudly.

"She's too careless." The disappointed voice of her mother scoffed. "Competition is tomorrow."

Although words like these are harsh and blunt, Meiyon had grew up hearing their remarks and criticism. She was used to their disappointment and high expectations.

Her parents were the catalyst to her obsession in wanting to be perfect where all her flaws are forced to be eliminated. She believed that one day, she would finally gain their approval.

There was a moment of silence until she heard another voice interfering.

"Wait, are you Park Sunghoon?" Her mother sounded surprised.

It surprised Meiyon too. How did her mother know him? Could it be that they found out he was also her coach for a period of time? They were not going to be happy...

"Yes, I am." Sunghoon replied politely.

Just as Meiyon was going to step out of bed to prevent another argument, her assumption was wrong.

"Oh my goodness, you look so much better in real life than on screen!" Her mother's tone was now as gleeful as ever. "Honey! This is Park Sunghoon, the rising star who began skating and winning competitions when young! He won the foreign skating event in Russia last year!"

Of course, Sunghoon was surprised by the amount of details the mother knew, but who was the most surprised would definitely be Meiyon herself.

How could she have not known? As a fellow skater, it would've been common sense to learn about other competitive skaters.

But then it all made sense when she recalled her own personality. She had been so fixated on being flawless that she had disregarded everyone around her besides Kim Yuna.

However, it was still hard to believe that someone so powerful and skilled was there to coach and help her all along. So humble, Sunghoon never mentioned any of his victories and only stated them as 'won a few'.

Meiyon didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or ashamed of her past reckless actions. He was technically her senior yet she treated him like an enemy.

"Meiyon is my friend." Sunghoon began. "Out of all the skaters I came across, she is probably ranked top in being the most hardworking. She has her own standards and goal which helps her to perform to her best potential. That's why, we all know, when we see her on ice, she is absolutely flawless."

"Is she really that good?" Her father asked softly.

"Yes sir, really good. She may even be better than me. Hard work will always pay off and don't forget, she is also still a student. The course she is majoring in isn't the easiest so her being at the top for both her passion and study is incredible. Please don't undermine her effort just because of this incident. She pushed herself so hard to the point her health was her last priority." Sunghoon's tone spoke sincerity

"Really?" They both asked.

"Definitely. I can vouch for him." Coach Yoon finally spoke again.

"Not only do I respect her as a friend, but also as a fellow skater." Sunghoon spoke again. "I hope you can only support her rather than insult her."

Silence hung in the air until her father spoke again. "I know she's hard-working. Perhpas my expecations for her has always been so high because she has always been so good."

This was the first time Meiyon has ever heard her father praise her. Even if it was not direct, it was still about her.

These words were enough to lift the heavy bricks of burden over her shoulder.

Who knew she would be crying not because of Sunghoon, but thanks to Sunghoon.

2/12/2023 --> i go back to december all the time.