Rank One (Park Sunghoon FF)

27

If it weren't for Niki stopping her, Juna would've run straight backstage to see what was going on. If Boram was involved in something like this, shouldn't she have told Juna since they were friends?

"Hey, chill," Niki told her as he pulled her back down to her seat. Juna let her gaze linger on the big screen even though it had already switched to an advertisement slide. "Let's ask him about it later and if anything, we can punch him for you."

Jake stared at Niki, confused. "What? Why would we need to? I'm missing something here."

Jay smacked the Australian boy's arm. "They like each other, Sunghoon and Juna, in case you haven't figured out already."

"What?!"

"That's not true!" Juna immediately snapped. She was already confused about her feelings and she surely didn't need someone else trying to confirm how she felt. She cleared her throat after receiving an eye roll from Jay. "We're just good friends."

"Tell that to Sunghoon." Jay scoffed.

Juna bit her lip and looked down, wondering what his friends would think of her if they knew she only approached Sunghoon for her rank. 

"I think he really likes you," Jay continued when he saw that she wasn't replying. "He's never gotten close to any girl until you came along."

"Yeah...I've heard that before," she said with a guilty undertone, kicking her feet against the ground gently.

"You're just in denial, Juna."

The girl snapped her head at Jay who had an annoying grin on his face. "What? No."

"For once, I think he's right," Niki chimed in, leaning back on his arms. "And come on, every girl on the planet has at least liked him once. You can't be the exception."

Juna crossed her arms, refusing to believe in Niki's words. She couldn't fall for him - even though she knew it was too late to tell that to herself. Things were already too complicated and she didn't need her feelings in the mix.

"Maybe I am."

Jay let out a tsk sound. "You can't do that, Juna. You're like the first girl he's ever actually liked. Don't break his heart."

Juna felt her own heart tear at that statement. It was the whole point of the operation.

"Well, why don't you like him?" Jake asked as he received judgemental looks from Jay and Niki. He raised both his hands up as if surrendering. "She says she doesn't! Anyways, Sunghoon's a good guy, Juna. He's good-looking, smart, talented and popular. And...he's mean to pretty much everyone except you. Can you consider him now?"

The three guys stared at her expectantly, waiting for an answer, but Juna avoided their gazes.

"I don't know."

-

The audience abrupted into applause as Park Sunghoon was announced as the first contestant. The boy walked out with a smile and bowed around him, earning standing ovations and squeals from his fangirls. Even from far away, Juna could see him roll his eyes but she doubted any of the girls noticed.

He made his way gracefully onto the rink as he waited for the music to start. Once it did, he lost himself in the melodies of the song as he spun and twisted and turned, moving elegantly on the ice. He received bursts of applause and cheers from the crowd when he did double and triple jumps in the air. Juna found herself clapping for him, too, forgetting about the heavy feelings that settled in her chest from earlier.

As he did his last spins, the crowd went berserk and besides that, Niki almost knocked Juna off her seat when Sunghoon ended confidently with his glowing face to the audience and a small, proud smile on his face.