Introduction to Romance

III - Forfeit

A new afternoon has come, wherein the match of Yonsei University vs. Hanyang University was about to start in just a few minutes. Kim Go Eun, Suzy's best friend and vice chairwoman, broke the deafening silence in the GAC executives' office.

"Hey, Suj," Go Eun called her. "You're not going to watch the basketball game?"

Suzy turned to face her. "No, unnie. I'm not interested." She answered with a forced smile.

Suzy was still mad with what Joohyuk did yesterday, that she lost all her spirit to watch Yonsei's game.

"But you were interested yesterday?" Go Eun questioned.

"Ah. Yeah. That was just yesterday though. I only got curious," Suzy answered dismissively.

Go Eun eyed her suspiciously but didn't push further. "Okay then. We'll just go to the gymnasium and watch. You okay here alone?" she asked a little worried.

Suzy smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks unnie, enjoy watching. Don't worry, I'm just tired." She replied.

Go Eun waved as she went with their organization mates and headed to watch the match. Suzy was left alone in the office and decided to get some sleep.

She lied down on the couch in her small office space and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would provide an escape from her swirling thoughts of Joohyuk's impulsive kiss.

But no matter how hard she tried to shut out his image from her mind, it kept creeping back in - his mischievous smile that made her heart skip a beat, his playful banter that always left butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

As much as she wanted to be angry at him for crossing boundaries so carelessly, there was an undeniable pull drawing her towards him - like magnets unable to resist each other's force.

But she knew better. She's not going to give in so easily. Especially not without a sincere apology from him. Soon enough, Suzy fell asleep, tired from the conflicting thoughts that bothered her mind.

As sleep began to wash over her, Suzy found herself drifting into a dreamlike state where reality and fantasy intertwined.

In her dreams, Joohyuk was there, his presence impossible to ignore. He stood before her with an earnest expression on his face, his eyes filled with regret and longing.

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly, his voice carrying the weight of sincerity. "I didn't mean to cross any boundaries or make you uncomfortable."

Suzy felt a surge of emotions welling up inside her as she gazed into his eyes - frustration mixed with adoration, anger mingled with pining. She wanted nothing more than to believe in the genuineness of his words.

But waking up from her dream brought Suzy back to reality - a reality where Joohyuk had yet to apologize sincerely for what happened yesterday.

With a sigh, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up on the couch, feeling both disappointed and determined at once. She couldn't deny that there was something between them - an undeniable chemistry that seemed impossible to ignore.

But chemistry alone wasn't enough for Suzy. Respect and trust were just as important in any relationship - whether it be friendship or something more.

She glanced at the clock on the wall, two hours had passed and realized that it was probably time for Yonsei's basketball game to end. A part of her still longed to watch Joohyuk play - to root for him and his team like all those other students who supports Yonsei.

Fifteen minutes later, all of Suzy's organization mates were back at the office. They all seemed happy from what they had watched.

"Yonsei won as expected!" Suzy heard someone say with full glee lacing their voice.