Remarkable -- Sookai 💗

Chapter Three

Huening Kai's POV

I woke up bright and early the next morning in my cramped studio apartment. It wasn't much, but it was affordable and close enough to campus that I could ride my bike without breaking a sweat.

It was Friday, and the day of the game with Yeungnam. I still had two classes to attend today—English (fine) and calculus (the bane of my existence).

I dragged myself out of bed and got ready carelessly, brushing my teeth and throwing on some baggy black jeans and a white T-shirt. I packed my backpack with textbooks and my soccer uniform, which I had put in a plastic bag to keep from getting dirty. Finally, I made my way out of the door and hopped on my bike, heading off to school.

Classes went by uneventfully. I struggled to pay attention in lectures, but that was nothing new. My thoughts were usually occupied with Soobin or soccer, and today it was a (un)healthy mix of both. I thought about last night. Soobin was so sweet underneath that standoffish exterior. He bought me ointment for that minor bee sting and even offered to walk me home! It made me feel special, but I wasn't sure if that was the case. He was usually kind and caring to everyone on the team, making sure we were all staying hydrated and feeling well.

Regardless, I wanted to play well tonight to make him proud. I loved it when he smiled at me after a well-executed play and I got to see those beautiful dimples.

—

At 5:00PM, I came out of the locker room after changing and walked onto the soccer field. The game was at 6:00PM, but we needed to warm up beforehand as well as hear some obligatory words of encouragement from our coach and manager.

I took in the view before me. My teammates were on the left side, all in their blue jerseys and cleats. Yeungnam was on the right, their team jersey a fiery red. They were scattered about and engaged in various conversations. The stands surrounding the field were sparsely populated with students and family members—they would soon be more crowded as the minutes ticked by. The light posts surrounding the field had turned on although the sun was still shining, descending lower in the cloudless sky.

I approached my teammates on the sidelines and started chatting with a couple of the guys. Soobin was standing a few feet away from me, talking to Taekyung about potential plays.

"Huening Kai!" I heard someone shout from my right.

Why do I feel like I've heard this voice before?

I looked in the direction of the familiar figure and found myself utterly surprised to see my old high school friend approaching me.

"Yeonjun?" I exclaimed.

It was really him! I was so close with Yeonjun-Hyung when we were younger but I hadn't seen or spoken to him in ages.

We ran towards each other and warmly embraced, our bodies connecting with each other powerfully as I felt his arms wrap around my body. He pulled away slightly to look into my eyes, his hands still on my waist.

"What are you doing here, Hyung?" I asked, "I thought you were at Chuncheon!"

"I transferred. It's a long story but I got offered a soccer scholarship from Yeungnam and decided to accept."

"I can't believe it! It's so good to see you Yeonjun-Hyung," I beamed.

Suddenly I became conscious of my teammates seeing me consorting with the 'enemy,' and looked over to the sidelines where they stood. Scanning the team, I was relieved to see that nobody was really paying attention. That is, until I caught eyes with Soobin. He looked between me and Yeonjun—fuming. His eyes bore holes into Yeonjun, who was standing there innocently with a smile on his face.

Soobin looked so angry that it scared me. I was used to him being cold or even irritated, but this was the first time he looked like he was on the verge of becoming violent.

"Yeonjun-Hyung, I'm sorry but I think my manager is angry," I said to him, "He probably doesn't approve of someone on Sangji being so close with a Yeungnam player."

Yeonjun looked over to my team until his gaze stilled on one person—presumably Soobin. He chuckled.

"Yeah, I'd better head back over to my area before that guy kills me," he said.

"Alright, Hyung," I smiled at him, "I wish you the best of luck, not that you need it."

"Thanks, Kai. Good luck to you, too."

He gave me one last smile before heading back to his team, and I did the same.

I was slightly giddy as I trudged back to to Sangji's side. It was so good to see Yeonjun after all these years, he was always such a good friend.

I spotted Taehyun amongst the rabble.

"Taehyunnie," I said as I walked up to him, "how are you feeling?"

"Hey, Kai, I'm feeling alright. I see you've familiarized yourself with the opposing team," he remarked sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Just that you don't typically see people hugging their opponents like reunited lovers."

Oh no. I didn't think that anyone besides Soobin had seen my interaction with Yeonjun. Well, Taehyun was unusually observant so I figured I'll be fine.

"Yeonjun-Hyung is my friend from high school!" I replied, "I didn't know he was playing for Yeungnam. Seeing him was a complete coincidence—a happy accident."

"'Happy?'" A deep voice came from behind me and my heart pounded.

I turned to see Soobin glaring down at me. His hair was neat and it looked so soft. He wore that team jacket well—giving off an authoritative vibe as he examined my face.

"Soobin-Hyung," I said, faintly surprised at his sudden appearance.

"What do you mean by 'happy?'" He asked, "Do you think its a good idea to be all buddy-buddy with our rival, Kai?"

"No, you've misunderstood. Yeonjun-Hyung is my friend from high school. He recently transferred—I didn't expect to see him here at all," I rushed out.

"'Yeonjun-Hyung?'" He repeated questioningly, "I guess you two are quite close. That or you'll call anyone 'Hyung.'"

I was hurt by his harsh phrasing. Why is he so mad? "I've known him for a long time," I replied, angry despite myself, "Am I supposed to just ignore my friend because we're playing a soccer game?"

"That depends on how seriously you're taking this," he replied and then promptly walked away, leaving me confused and pissed off.

Not the best start to this pivotal game.