Chasing After You |Seongjoong|

*15*

Yeosang and Seonghwa sat on the sofa in the Speed Dragons' garage, engrossed in a video game. The atmosphere was relaxed and casual, a far cry from the intense rivalry they were concentrated on. At this moment, they weren't a team focused on getting back on their rivals. They were just two men, chilling with a video game. But that calm atmosphere was about to end as San and Wooyoung arrived. They busted in, noticing Yeosang and Seonghwa, their expressions turning sour.

"So, I see you've made a new friend," San sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What's it to you," Yeosang rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I can't believe you would hang out with someone from the Rising Suns. Don't you have me? Why did you have to go to our rivals?"Wooyoung joined.

Seonghwa, who had been watching the exchange, was taken aback. He didn't know anything about Yeosang and Jongho's friendship. After all, Seonghwa was too busy with his secret boyfriend and hadn't paid as much attention to his teammates' lives.

"What's going on?" Seonghwa asked, his voice filled with confusion.

"Can you believe it? Yeosang's been hanging out with Jongho from the Rising Suns," San said.

Seonghwa's eyes widened. He got caught off by that statement. He couldn't believe their introverted member had made friends among their rivals. But the gears in Seonghwa's head rotated. That friendship could be to their advantage.

"Is that true, Yeosang?" Seonghwa turned to his teammate.

"Yeah, we've been hanging out a bit," Yeosang nodded.

Wooyoung and San exchanged glances. They couldn't believe that Yeosang would betray their team like that. San held a grudge against Jongho, thanks to their fight. They were ready to say more about the matter, but Seongwha stopped them. Then Seonghwa turned to Yeosang, hope in his eyes.

"There can be something good about this whole thing. Maybe you can find out some information about their team," Seonghwa said.

"You want me to spy on them?" Yeosang asked. "I won't do it."

"It will be a huge advantage for us. Think about it!" Seonghwa tried to convince his teammate.

"I can't do that," Yeosang refused once again. He didn't like the idea of spying on his friend.

"Why not? It's for the good of the team," Hwa pushed more.

"I don't care. And you know what? It's not their team that's the problem, it's ours. We are the problem here!" Yeosang got fed up with his team.

The three members of the Speed Dragons watched in shock. They couldn't believe what they were watching. It was rare to see Yeosang having a tantrum. Especially, when he had raised his voice.

"What do you mean?" Woo asked in confusion.

"I raced with the Rising Suns. And you know what? It was the first time my race partner ever tried to adjust to my driving instead of chasing the win for himself. How do you expect to win against them when we can't play like a team? We are lacking to a point where I'm regretting joining you!" Yeosang stormed out of the garage after he said out of this.

The remaining members of the Speed Dragons looked at each other. At first, Wooyoung and San were angry at Yeosang's words. They were ready to badmouth him, but Seonghwa prevented that. Deep inside, all of them knew Yeosang was right. None of them was a team player. So, they sat down in the heavy atmosphere. All of them were silently reflecting on the heavy words.

Meanwhile, Yeosang was driving aimlessly. He wanted to leave his friends and everything. Deep in his thoughts, Yeosang drove to Jongho's work. Before he could think about it, Yeo walked into the mechanic's shop. Inside, Yeosang looked around for Jongho, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found Hongjoong. The captain of the Rising Suns raised his eyebrow at the sight of Yeosang.

"Is Jongho here?" Yeosang asked. He could feel tears burning in his eyes. The boy was ready to cry.

"No, it's his day off," Hongjoong responded. Joong could sense the mood of his rival. "Did something happen?"

"I fought with my team," Yeosang admitted.

"Can you tell me more about it?" Joong asked, trying to help.

Yeosang agreed. The two of them went to the break room, and Hongjoong poured them some coffee. Over the warm drink and calm environment, Yeosang relaxed enough to speak. The boy poured out his soul about everything he didn't like in his team and the argument they had. As he spoke, tears fell down his face. Hongjoong couldn't help but feel a mixture of sadness and anger. How could they treat this boy like that?

"I don't know what to say," Hongjoong sighed. "What you told me sounds more like a bunch of children who don't know how to deal with their emotions. I believe you are not at fault for lashing out at them. Yet, you could address these things earlier. It's important to share every concern you have. Your team can work on the problem and improve. When you return to them, try to stay calm and talk things out. If they are ready to listen, your team will be able to patch things up. If not, you can always come back here," Joong finished, patting Yeosang's back.

"Thank you, Hongjoong. I'll try," Yeosang smiled sadly. "Can I stay here a little longer?"

"Sure, but I have to finish my work. Wanna give me a hand?

Yeosang wiped his tears before joining Hongjoong. The two of them worked on a car, surrounded by the soft hum of a song. This helped Yeosang to calm down and regain his composure. He couldn't believe how Hongjoong accepted him and helped him out despite being rivals. But one thought was going inside his head. That one proposal, Yunho made the other night. Could he finally find his place if he joined the Rising Suns? But what about his current team? Even if they had their issues, they were friends. Then again, in the past year they weren't acting like friends. Yeosang weighed the pros and cons of this heavy choice he had to make.

By the end of the day, Yeosang returned to his apartment. Once he left, Hongjoong called Seonghwa. Over the phone, Hongjoong scolded Seonghwa to his heart's content. And on the other side of the call, Seonghwa was ready to cry. Hwa knew very well he was failing as a leader, and today's fight was one of the proofs. Initially, Seonghwa wanted to visit Hongjoong and share his worries, but the tables had turned.

"Don't you dare to show your face to me until you resolve this problem!" Hongjoong said. "If you can't fix it, this kid is joining my team."

With those words, Hongjoong disconnected their call. On the other side, Seonghwa sat curled up in the corner, crying. Hongjoong was his safe place, but now nothing was going smoothly. His team was a mess. His relationship was a mess. Nothing in his life went the way he wanted to.