Apple (Jay is in Love, by Park Sunghoon)

01

Jay plays horribly today. In the one hand, it is setting their coach on edge; he gets moody and starts yelling at everyone, even Heeseung, who may it snow, rain, or the world might end, will still play perfectly.

Sunghoon does not know why Jay is missing every basket or why his reflexes are so slow today. He does not ask him; they do not have time to discuss the issue, and Jay seems exhausted. Jay, who usually is one of the most hyped by the game and mostly determined to win, looks as though he wants the game to be done already.

Who knew that Sim Jaeyun would be his salvation and the team's road to glory.

"- Hoon!"

Sunghoon is capping back his bottle of water when his platonic soulmate calls his name. Sunghoon frowns.

"- Are you even allowed to be here?" Sunghoon frowns, both at the boy and at his bottle. Its water tastes weird.

"- Way to greet your best friend." Jake retorts in meek annoyance. He scrunches up his nose and somehow proceeds to look even more like a golden retriever.

"- I'm concerned about said best friend." Sunghoon smiles. "- If the coach sees you, you better start praying."

Jake winces playfully.

"- The game's gonna resume soon." Sunghoon adds. "- Coach's kinda stressed."

"- Ho? Why so?"

"- Jay keeps messing up."

"- Right. What's wrong with him today?"

Sunghoon shrugs, then nods to the boy. Heeseung is talking to him, looking a little too serious while Jay, looks something between annoyed and bored. Sunghoon guesses that Heeseung must be lecturing him.

"- He looks dARK." Jake comments, the last word spoken in his signature Australian accent.

Sunghoon groans softly.

"- Yeah, well." He wants to comment more on Jay's weird mood today, but surrenders with a tired sigh when he catches Jake's worried stare. "- You came alone?"

"- Nah." Jake smiles instantly. "- With Sunoo and Riki." He turns his head to look at one of the rows, and Sunghoon follows his eyes without being told to.

Kim Sunoo and Nishimura Riki are bickering about something, though it looks more like Sunoo whining and Riki laughing at his frustrated state.

"- And Jungwon, he only joined us for the second half of the game." Jake explains further.

Sunghoon's eyes widen.

"- How come? President never comes to any basketball game."

He sees the way Jake's lips twitch briefly in an amused smile when he referred to Yang Jungwon as 'President'. Yang Jungwon, Sunghoon did not know him much. Jungwon has been the president of the students' council since the beginning of this school year; pretty much everyone called him 'president', minus his friends, and Sunghoon supposed that Jake belongs to the category.

"- We dragged him."

Sunghoon frowns a little more, until he catches sight of the president, and sees him nose down to an open copybook. His frown eases; that very much was the Jungwon he and everyone knew. Crazy about studies.

"- He doesn't look very interested in the game." Sunghoon jokes bitterly.

"- He promised he'll hide his notes when the game resumes." Jake reassures with a lighthearted giggle.

Sunghoon stares blankly at the spot beside Jake's feet, and it is at this strange, mid-zoning out instant that he is hit by his Eureka moment.

He grabs Jake by the shoulders and looks him intently in the eyes.