Remarkable -- Sookai 💗

Chapter Eleven

Huening Kai's POV

My tears poured out like they were sourced from a broken water fountain. I kept trying to stop—painfully aware of how dramatic I was being. Finally, I was forced to compose myself when I heard voices chattering outside. They grew louder as the team approached the locker room.

I quickly scrambled into the hallway, not wishing for my teammates to see me in this state. I wanted to talk to Taehyun, but there was no way to isolate him from the rest of the guys. So my only option was to run away.

After escaping that grim locker room, I found myself in front of the school. I enjoyed admiring the pretty green trees that were dancing in the wind, but my heart was still heavy. I needed a voice of comfort. Soobin was out of the question, Taehyun was preoccupied...

My mom! She always knows what to say.

Quickly, I pulled my phone out from my pocket and called her. My mom was one of the few constants in my life. My dad left when I was young, and his absence had left an ever-present yearning in my heart. Of course I loved my mom, and my stepdad was nice—although I had only really met him a few times—but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss my father.

Clutching my phone against my ear, I sincerely hoped that my mom would answer now, of all times.

There was only one ring before the telltale beeping of a declined call. My heart sank lower.

—

Soon enough, I was sitting on a bench near a street food stall by the entrance of my university. I scrolled aimlessly through my contacts, hoping that there would be someone—anyone—that I could confide in.

That was when my newest contact caught my eye.

Yeonjun-Hyung. I called him in a last ditch effort.

This time, after one ring there was no declination. Instead, there was his soft voice speaking on the other end.

"Kai?"

"Hi, Hyung," I sniffled despite myself.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"Nothing... I just had a bad day,"

"That's nothing your hyung can't fix," he said playfully, "Can I meet you somewhere?"

I paused for a moment. I wasn't sure if I should be making Yeonjun feel obligated to care for me when I was down. But I really did need a friend.

"I'm in front of the University, right near a tteokbokki cart."

—

"Kai!"

Yeonjun approached me with his usual confident walk, a smile gracing his lips.

I stood up as he embraced me in a warm hug; his hands remaining on my shoulders when he pulled away.

I had to admit that it felt nice to have a friend greet me with such casual kindness. It felt like Yeonjun cared for me, but not to the extent that he felt as though he held a stake in my personal success.

"Thank you for coming here, Hyung," I said, "I had a pretty bad game today. We played against KU and they totally smoked us."

I definitely didn't want to give Yeonjun the full details of why I was so upset. I couldn't reveal my crush on Soobin to anyone.

"KU?" He questioned, "Well of course you guys lost! Why are you feeling down about that, silly boy?"

The look he gave me made me feel like I was, in fact, being silly. But it felt good. It made me realize that perhaps I was being a bit too dramatic. That perhaps Soobin's response was warranted.

As Yeonjun guided me to the tteokbokki stand and began to order us some snacks, I felt a bit more relaxed. He paid the cashier and handed me the delicious rice-cake and we made our way back to the bench.

—

We chatted absentmindedly about soccer and schoolwork as I gazed at the weightless sky. I munched on my tteokbokki. I wanted to give my full attention to Yeonjun, but I couldn't help but think of ways to reconcile with Soobin. He meant the most to me—and I hated that he was irritated with me.

"How is soccer going?" Yeonjun asked, as if on cue.

"It's difficult," I responded truthfully, "The team isn't performing very well."

"I know the feeling. But if its any consolation, you are a great player—the success of the team doesn't define your individual ability."

I was touched by his words, but before I could respond, I heard the telltale chatter of a group of college-aged boys, and looked over to see the soccer team walking past us.

First, I saw Taehyun and four other teammates stroll by. Taehyun waved excitedly at me, while the others were more cautious with their greeting. Surely they were confused by my attitude on the field.

I waved back just as hesitantly. That was when I spotted Soobin walking alongside Beomgyu. The two of them seemed to be in their own little world, talking with no care in the world. That was when I realized that things actually could always be worse.

My hand was frozen in the air when Soobin finally looked me in the eye. The world stopped.

But the eye contact ended as soon as it began. Soobin fixed his eyes forward and continued walking as if he had never seen me in the first place.

I watched them until they were no longer in sight, Yeonjun's conversation falling on my own deaf ears as I found myself unable to concentrate.

—

The rest of the week passed by insipidly.