Rank One (Park Sunghoon FF)

19

Juna's phone rang at the worst possible moment. When they were about to step on the ice, she had gotten a call from her mom. Juna tugged on his wrist to pull him back from the rink.

"What's wrong?" He turned back with a frown.

"My mom's calling. I think I've been out for too long," she explained, her thumb hovering over the green button. With shaking fingers, she managed to click the button and bring the phone up to her ears. Sunghoon pulled her to a nearby chair and stared down at her with concern.

Instead of hearing screams, her mother calmly said, "Your piano teacher's here. Your dad thought you'd want extra lessons before the competition."

Juna looked up at Sunghoon and nodded her head as if saying he didn't need to worry about her. "Yes, Mom. We're almost done. I'll come home in about ten minutes."

With that, the call ended.

"So?" Sunghoon prompted.

"I have to go home. But since we're already here, why don't we skate one round?" Juna gave a small smile. Sunghoon returned it and offered her a hand up. They walked to the rink together and Sunghoon entered first, holding out his arm to her so she could balance herself. Once her feet were both on the ice, she started to move slowly. Her ankle still hurt but she shoved the pain aside. The injury was irrelevant at the moment.

"It's slippery!" Juna exclaimed as she almost slipped but was held upright by Sunghoon. Her heart did a backflip when she saw his hand on her waist.

"Careful, your ankle hasn't even healed yet," Sunghoon said with a chuckle. He held his hand out in front of her, waiting for her to take it. When she did, he slowly guided her around the rink. She lifted her injured leg up as he supported her movements, doing most of the work for her so that no pressure was put on her ankle. 

Arm in arm and smiling from ear to ear, they completed the lap. Everyone must've thought they were a couple from the way they were holding onto each other to the way they looked at each other pretty much the whole time. Juna completely forgot that she was supposed to be acting and faking her actions. Somehow, Sunghoon had made her feel genuinely happy and she did the same for him. 

"Sunghoon! Take me here for my birthday," Juna said excitedly as she watched him take off her skates. While skating, she had seen a girl with a birthday hat on, laughing as a guy, probably her boyfriend, spun her around. They were dancing on the ice together. It looked so romantic and Juna wanted to experience that, too. If she had seen this only a few days ago, she would've asked Heeseung to go with her, but at that moment, she knew that it had to be Sunghoon. 

He looked up from his kneeling position, intrigued. "When is that?"

"In three months. So towards the end of the school year."

"But I can take you here every day if you want to."

Juna nodded, a big smile plastered on her face. "But especially on my birthday, because I want to spend it with you here. It'll be special. Promise you'll take me?"

"I promise."

-

TIME SKIP

Over the next two weeks, Juna tried to compensate for leaving their hang-out early by bringing Sunghoon strawberry milk every day, which he happily drank every time. Juna would always laugh whenever she found money stuffed in her pocket or backpack, knowing that Sunghoon was trying to pay her back. They had grown closer, much to Juna's delight. She was still planning to proceed with the operation and things seemed to be going well. She was sure that Sunghoon had taken a liking to her. It made her feel bad, it really did. The whole operation thing. But she needed his rank, badly. Since after the competition, her parents would keep yelling at her for always being ranked second, she knew it. And she didn't want to keep getting abused.

On the other hand, Juna and Heeseung had drifted apart. She tried to text him on multiple occasions but he simply didn't answer. He avoided her at school, too. With a completely healed ankle, she started playing at the EN-Prince's morning practice again but Heeseung never even looked her way. Every time she tried to speak to him, he would suddenly make up an excuse and leave her hurt and confused. She had no idea why he was suddenly avoiding her as if his life depended on it. Eventually, after a week or so, she reluctantly left him alone even if it pained her to do so. She figured he probably needed some space.

On the flip side, she and Boram had decided to be friends since they both didn't have many. Boram started opening up more and was no longer the shy and timid girl everyone knew her as. Now instead of sitting with her study group at lunch, Juna would sit with Boram and they would talk about their lives and such. Sometimes, Sunghoon would even join.

Juna's life was starting to look up during those two weeks - she just wished Heeseung wasn't avoiding her. But other than that, she was happy with everything else. Sunghoon, Boram, her parents being decent to her. And her grades were improving. She just needed to wait until the ranks were announced. 

However, Juna wasn't totally worried-free because she still had the competition that weekend. She had practiced hard for it. Especially since she knew both Sunghoon and Boram were going to be there. She couldn't disappoint them. And her parents. She needed to get first place - no matter what.

The day of the dreaded event finally arrived. 

Juna was sitting in the waiting room, shaking her leg anxiously and practicing all the notes in the air, pretending that a piano was there. The door swung open, revealing Boram and Sunghoon who ran to her side, snapping her out of the daze that she was in. All the other contestants stared at the trio.

"Juna, you got this," Boram smiled, taking Juna's shaking hands in hers. "Don't be nervous. I know you can beat everyone here. Just believe in yourself."

Sunghoon sat down next to her. "We'll be here to support you, Juna. You're going to do great."

Juna beamed at the two gratefully. "Thank you, both of you. I'm so happy right now..." Her voice slightly grew quiet.

Everything would be perfect if only Heeseung...

Juna felt her eyes tearing up and she hung her head so no one would see. Her best friend was nearly gone from her life. This would be the first competition that he wasn't there to cheer her on for. The first competition where he wasn't there to hold her hand before she went onstage. The first time she wouldn't receive a bouquet from him. The realization made her heart break into millions of pieces. He wasn't there for her anymore.

-

"I miss you, Heeseung. I miss my best friend."

Ahn Juna