FOREIGN ATTRACTION (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER 13: TRAINING

With just one week remaining before the tournament, I find myself back on the field, and truth be told, it's all because of Liam. As for today, it's been an exhausting day, but thankfully, it marks the end of our training sessions for this week. Tomorrow being the weekend, and with the coach having important commitments, training isn't mandatory for Saturday. I'll likely spend the day working instead.

Now, at our restaurant, Ran, Sungjin, and I are indulging in a well-deserved meal and drinks to recuperate from the week's strenuous efforts for training. Ran opted for ramen, while Liam went for bibimbap.

"Here, give it a try. Aunt Julia's ramen is unbeatable," Ran insisted, offering Liam a spoonful.

Liam hesitated momentarily before accepting the offer. "Hmm, not as bad as I remember," he remarked.

"Wait, are you dissing my aunt's cooking?" I teased. "Wait don't tell me, 우리 라면 맛없다고 하던 그 한국놈이냐? [Are you the Korean guy who said our ramen was not delicious?]"

"You mean from my first visit here? 내가 반지를 잃어버렸을 때 [when I lost my ring]" Liam recalled, to which I nodded. "Yep, guilty as charged," he admitted, seemingly proud of his previous critique.

"How dare you!" I exclaimed, before launching into a playful tickle attack, having recently discovered Liam's ticklish weakness.

"Tita Julia si Gelo oh [Aunt Julia help]" liam shouted so aunt could hear her. His Filipino accent rang proudly through the air. Aunt Julia simply chuckled and motioned for me to cease my tickling assault.

"Wow, now he's picking up Tagalog?" Ran expressed his surprise. "He's learning from the best," I quipped.

"But why do you guys always talk to me in Hangul? I can't understand a word," Ran complained, eliciting a subtle laugh from Liam and me.

"Speaking of which, when is our competition?" Liam inquired, his tone serious. "Are you serious? How do you not know?" I thought to myself, a tinge of frustration creeping in.

"We have almost a week left, but the exact date? Not a clue," Liam admitted.

"It's on February 27th," Ran supplied. "Yeah, and UP Fair is on the 28th, so I'm not sure how I'm going to handle both, and divide myself for that" I added.

"By the way, When's your birthday, Sungjin?" What a random question huh? Ran turned his attention to Liam, while slurping his ramen.

"I'd rather not say," Liam replied, maintaining his air of mystery.

"Oh, come on, don't be so secretive," I joined forces with Ran in coaxing Liam.

"It's in February," Liam replied blandly, his conversation suddenly dry. "What day exactly?" I pressed him for details.

"February 25th," he stated. With today being February 22nd, that meant his birthday was just three days away. The pressure was on – what should I get him? "If you're done talking, can I borrow your AirPods? I'll return them tomorrow," he interjected. I almost didn't hear him because I'm too focused on his upcoming birthday, I should at least make it special.

Handing over my AirPods, I realized that's what he needed. I'd have to save up to get him a pair, perhaps by picking up extra shifts.

With dinner finished, Ran bid us farewell, hopping on his motorbike. It was just Liam and me, waiting for a taxi outside the restaurant.