𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄

#.. ELEVEN

Jiseok was amazing. Watching his performance was absolutely different from his usual personality. He was suddenly so serious and didn't seem nervous at all. All the camera's were on him, he was the main event in the next four minutes. And Seungmin swore he fell in love once again. The music started and watching Jiseok move so gracefully to it was just so satisfying to watch. Neither of them were experts when it came to skating elements but every single one of them looked flawless. Jiseok was a master on the ice, as if he belonged there. Four minutes were over in just some seconds, it happened fast that Jiseok was standing in his ending position, trying not to let it show how heavily he was breathing through, while he received a standing ovation by his friends and everyone else. Gunil held Jungsu up, as if he was standing on his own feet, while the younger clapped. It made Jiseok smile.

He skated back to his place, his knees feeling like jell-o. He made it. As soon as he got off of the ice, he was hugged by Seungmin and Jooyeon, both of them telling him that he was "fucking amazing" and that he'll definitely win this competition. The camera's still captured all that, Jooyeon was the first one to notice. He waved at it and laughed so hard. Just as Jiseok heard the familiar hissing of the camera moving away, he allowed himself to collapse. He only saw black after all the spinnings and physical effort. The last time he ate something was five days ago after all. But no one knew - He didn't want anyone to know. His coach immediately gave him water to drink as Jooyeon and Seungmin helped Jiseok to sit down, holding him in place. Everyone was worried, but for Jiseok it was usual to feel like that after his performance. He always felt better by the time the results were announced. Just like this time.

So far only the bronze medal was taken. In order to create a mood, the speaker took extra long to announce the places. It made Jiseok crazy. He certainly wouldn't get any medal, that was one of his worst performances. But being hyped by his friends, he believed he actually had a chance. Hearing that he received the silver metal was a shock. "The silver medal, meaning the second place, goes to... Kwak Jiseok, who achieved a total of 266.30 points! 97.25 in his short program and 169.05 in his free program - Applause!"

[...]

Getting to Jooyeon's meant a lot of screeching about Jiseok being so cool and stuff. But they were also annoyed, because the first place only had a 0.68 point difference to Jiseok. "You could've easily won that gold medal!" Jooyeon exclaimed and everybody agreed. Still, Jiseok was happily jumping around. "I don't care. I'm glad I get to stand on the podium at the end." He wasn't that happy on the inside, though. Knowing that his father would absolutely roast him, especially only because the first place was so close. Jiseok didn't want to think about that, only imagining how bad his father would scream at him made it harder to breath. So he tried to listen to their conversation about the things they could do at Jooyeon's. "We could play Mario Kart?" "Oh, please not!" Jungsu groaned, getting major flashbacks. "Hyeongjun always beats me! If you think you're the best player, Hyeongjun is still better."

The said boy just laughed. "Jungsu, you're just incredibly bad at Mario Kart." Jungsu gasped audibly and that's how the two boyfriends started bickering with each other. Meanwhile Jiseok and Seungmin had their own talk. They were walking behind Jungsu and Hyeongjun, Jooyeon and Gunil in the very front. "Did you recover from before? You still seem hazy." Seungmin expected Jiseok to be lying, but he was completely honest. "Not really. I mean, I'm feeling better... But I'm scared. I don't want to go home tomorrow." Oh. As an encouragement, Seungmin grabbed Jiseok's hand. "You can do it. I know it's easier said than done, but don't listen to your father. You gave your best today and pushed yourself to your limits, that's good enough."

The moment Seungmin realized he actually grabbed Jiseok's hand, he immediately let go, a little bit embarrassed. But Jiseok started missing the warm hand, so he took it again, intertwining their fingers. "Thank you." he whispered and smiled fondly at him. Seungmin noticed how flustered he suddenly got. This was so unlike him, normally he's always the one flirting and making others shy. There the roles were reversed. That's just the effect Jiseok had on him.

They entered a rich looking area, many of the houses big and modern. It made all of them feel a little worthless, but for Jooyeon it was a normal thing, seeing these buildings everyday. "These houses probably are worth more than my paychecks in five years" Gunil said, absolutely stunned. "You work?" Jooyeon asked as a response. All of them had their own talks now. Jiseok and Seungmin were in their own world in the very back, Jungsu and Hyeongjun were still bickering with each other. And Jooyeon ane Gunil were also talking to each other in the front. "Yeah, I mean not anymore. I was a cashier. You know, just did a part-time job while I was at school. But I quit because I won't be there for a year anyway. And also I think about moving back to Korea."

Jooyeon nodded and smiled. "So you can spend time with us, huh?" he teased and received a smack on his neck. "You're so in love with yourself, oh my god" They both laughed and shortly after they arrived at their destination.