Chapter 4
Seungmin woke with a start, his heart pounding and his body aching with unfulfilled desire. The dream lingered, leaving him confused and yearning for more. He had a dream about a dream. Crazy right?As he got ready for school, he couldn't shake the feeling of Minho's touch or the softness in his voice from the dream. But he knew he had to face reality.
When Seungmin arrived at school, the familiar sights and sounds greeted him, but his mind was elsewhere. He spotted Minho in the hallway, surrounded by friends, that same arrogant smirk on his face.
"Did you sleep well, Seungmin?" Minho teased as Seungmin walked past, completely oblivious to the turmoil within Seungmin.
Seungmin scowled, trying to push the dream to the back of his mind. "Fine," he muttered, avoiding Minho's gaze. He couldn't let Minho get under his skin, but every interaction with him was now tinged with the memory of the dream.
Throughout the day, Seungmin struggled to focus. In every class, his thoughts kept drifting back to the dream, to the way Minho had looked at him, spoken to him. It was hard to reconcile the dream Minho with the real one.
In gym class, Minho continued to outshine him. They were running laps again, and Minho easily finished first, as usual. Seungmin pushed himself harder, trying to use the physical exertion to clear his mind, but it didn't work. As he crossed the finish line, he saw Minho waiting, that infuriating smirk still in place.
"Keep up the good work," Minho said, patting Seungmin on the back in a way that felt more like a challenge than encouragement.
Seungmin gritted his teeth. "Don't worry about me," he shot back, trying to keep his voice steady.
In the classroom, it was the same story. Minho continued to excel, his name always at the top of the leaderboard. Seungmin found himself working harder, staying up late to study, trying to match Minho's scores. But no matter what he did, Minho always seemed to be one step ahead.
During lunch, Seungmin sat with Jisung, who noticed his distracted state. "You okay?" Jisung asked, his voice filled with concern.
Seungmin sighed, poking at his food. "Just... a lot on my mind."
Jisung nodded sympathetically. "Minho getting to you?"
Seungmin hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. More than I want to admit."
Jisung patted his shoulder. "Don't let him get to you. He's just a guy. You can beat him."
Seungmin wished it were that simple. But it wasn't just about beating Minho anymore. It was about understanding the confusing mix of feelings he had toward him. He wanted to hate Minho, to see him only as a rival. But the dream had changed everything.
After school, Seungmin stayed behind to practice in the empty gym. He needed to clear his mind, to work off some of the frustration and confusion that had been building up all day. As he shot basket after basket, he didn't notice Minho entering the gym until he heard his voice.
"Still here?" Minho asked, his tone curious.
Seungmin turned to see Minho leaning against the wall, watching him. "Just practicing," he said, trying to sound casual.
Minho walked over, picking up a basketball. "Mind if I join you?"
Seungmin shrugged, unsure how to respond. "Sure."
They played in silence for a while, the only sounds the echo of the basketballs bouncing and the swish of the net. Seungmin felt the tension between them, the unspoken words hanging in the air. Finally, Minho broke the silence.
"You're pretty good," he said, surprising Seungmin.
"Thanks," Seungmin replied, still wary.
Minho paused, then looked at Seungmin with a serious expression. "Look, I know I've been hard on you. It's just... I see a lot of myself in you. And it's... confusing."
Seungmin's heart skipped a beat. This was closer to the Minho from the dream, the one who was honest and vulnerable. "Confusing how?" he asked cautiously.
Minho sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I guess I didn't know how to deal with it, so I turned it into competition."
Seungmin felt a flicker of hope. Maybe there was a way to bridge the gap between them. "We don't have to be rivals, you know. We could just... be."
Minho looked at him, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Just be, huh? That sounds... nice."
Seungmin nodded, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. "Yeah. Nice."
For the first time, they played together without the edge of rivalry hanging over them. They laughed, shared tips, and for a while, it felt like the dream had come to life. But as the sun began to set, reality started to creep back in.
Minho looked at Seungmin as they packed up their things. "You know, we could try to understand each other better. No more hiding behind competition."
Seungmin smiled, feeling a spark of hope. "I'd like that."
The next few days were different. Seungmin and Minho still competed, but it was friendlier, less intense. They started talking more, sharing bits of their lives, their dreams, their fears. Seungmin found that the more he learned about Minho, the more he liked him—not just as a rival, but as a person.
One afternoon, as they sat on the bleachers after practice, Minho turned to Seungmin with a serious expression. "I've been thinking a lot about that dream."
Seungmin's heart skipped a beat. "Me too."
Minho took a deep breath. "I think it meant something. I think it was trying to tell us that there's more to this... to us."
Seungmin nodded, feeling a rush of emotions. "I feel the same way."
Minho reached out, taking Seungmin's hand. "So, what do we do now?"
Seungmin looked into Minho's eyes, seeing the same mix of fear and hope he felt. "We take it one day at a time. We figure it out together."
Minho smiled, a genuine, warm smile that made Seungmin's heart soar. "Together."
As the sun set, casting a golden glow over the field, Seungmin realized that their journey was just beginning. There would be challenges ahead, but as long as they faced them together, he knew they could overcome anything.
And so, with their hands clasped together and their hearts open, Seungmin and Minho took their first steps into a new and uncertain future, ready to discover where their newfound connection would lead them.
-Akin
