𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋. - seventeen

STAY GOLD - jun

— in where archery is just a sport to wen junhui.

STAY GOLD
w. junhui

you refused to show any emotion as you plastered on a fake smile, standing on the lower podium as you received your silver medal. a silver medal for the overall score was an amazing achievement for just your first competition at the age of 10. yet, your hands shook in fear. you kept your eyes down, not allowing tears to escape your eyes as you could see from your peripheral vision, the shiny gold medal getting handed out to the boy beside you.

wen junhui.

he went to the same kindergarten as you, and the same daycare. he was quiet and kept to himself. he often drew, and didn't really mix around with his classmates. he usually sticks by his own oddly loud group of friends that came to exist a year ago.

wen junhui wasn't a problem to you, until he started winning.

again, at 11.

again, at 12.

again. and again.

every single time, jun would pull back his bow with such sharp accuracy it was almost scary. he wouldn't even blink as he let go, the arrow darting straight to the center of the target board. you would've been more grateful to have known and to play next to such a talented archer, maybe in a life where winning wasn't so important to you.

you were nice to him. you used to always help him with school work at a young age. but he wouldn't stop beating you.

what's even worse was that it didn't even seem he treated you like a competitor. he liked to provoke and tease you, all while always taking a tray for you in the lunch line. he would smirk and shrug every time you'd run a lap and he'd surpass you. yet you would always find his notebook on your table whenever you would miss class, since you got sick easily.

you remember coming back to school late, maybe around in the evening and hearing whipping sounds in the volleyball hall. wen junhui was getting almost tortured by your school coach, because you forgot to lock up the equipment room after practice. he took the blame, and got severely punished for it. of course, you recorded the incident and submitted it to your school's anonymous forum, where it obviously reached the principal and it got that 'teacher', fired.

your relationship with wen junhui was always weird, and never determined.

even now, at 18, in your last year at high school, you refuse to let him beat you again. not even once.

you shot arrows non stop, again, and again, consistently hitting consecutive 10s with the occasional 9s at your school field. you usually practiced at home, in the decently sized field your family owned, or an archery academy that you and jun both go to, which sometimes would be closed, and your school, since it held two of the country's best archers in the teen division.

the loud shouts of other high schoolers as they played a distance behind you didn't distract you, but you could never hit all 10s. it would go to the last round, and your hands would shake, and completely throw your perfect score.

"ready for qualifiers?"

caught off guard, you fired your arrow unprepared, the arrow landing in the '5' point zone, making you curse under your breath.