Opposing Hearts - Kwon Jae-Sung x Reader

Chapter 10: Is this goodbye?

You were going to find Kwon.

Wandering out of the arena, you were aware of the hundreds of strange glances from the opposing teams that were headed in your direction. You knew what people would be thinking. You knew what your team would be thinking.
But truthfully, you did not care. You were determined to find Kwon.

Abruptly, you grasped your bag from your locker, intending to hurry out of the back door. However, preventing you from walking out, a voice called out your name from behind you.

"Y/n, hey, are you okay? It is not like you to vanish after a victory." Kenny questioned, concerned.
You gave him a slight smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just looking for someone. Besides, I don't think either Sam or Robby wants to see me right now." You admitted.
Kenny reciprocated your smile. "It's Kwon, who you mean, right? Go, get your man." He chuckled, cringing at his own words.
Despite your distressed mood, a slight chuckle escaped your lips: "Thanks, Kenny, now go and celebrate with the others."

You turned your back, heading to the hotel. Harrowing thoughts endlessly swarmed your mind as you found your breathing had started to quicken in pace. You had to find Kwon. There was something you had to tell him before he left, and it couldn't wait.

Almost plummeting through the hotel door, you scurried past the reception and through the main floor. He had to be here, somewhere. With your hands beginning to tremble in apprehension, you attempted to take a deep breath to try and calm yourself. However, it was not working. All you could think about was Kwon; it was like he was almost haunting you. He was always there - in your mind, on the mat, and even in your dreams. This just intensified your feelings for him, making your heart almost ache for his attention.

Attempting to compose yourself, you perched down on a singular bench, closing your eyes. Before you could notice, a few minutes later, someone had sat beside you.

"Hey, y/n, can we talk?" Robby enquired.
You let out a prolonged scoff, turning to face him. "Oh, so now you want to talk? I wonder, what else are you going to accuse me of?" You spat out, crossing your arms tightly.
Robby sighed. "Y/n, I did not mean it like that. I'm sorry, it was the tournament, the stress of being captain."
You sternly interrupted him. "Please save it, Robby. You don't think I face the daunting pressure of being captain, too? Regardless, it is not an excuse to cheat. I don't need this right now."
Robby, blatantly ignoring this, continued, "But y/n, you are not listening. I was foolish; Zara said you and Kwon-"

"She said to leave it." A voice snarled.
Tilting your head, realisation sent savage, agonising sparks through your body, causing your breath to hitch and your legs to turn into solid stone. It was Kwon.

Muttering in Korean, Kwon harshly continued, "It means lucky bastard. Whatever happened on the mat will never happen again. Do you understand me?" Kwon snarled furiously.

Robby smirked. "Such a shame your time in the tournament is over; it looks like I will never find out."
He stepped closer to Kwon, tension slicing the air like a knife. Robby turned to you, mischievous, as he continued tauntingly. "See you around, y/n. In fact, I might join you tonight, considering I get my room back now."

Robby, satisfied with himself, gave Kwon one last smirk before wandering off to find your teammates.

A scoff left your lips. A piercing rage fuelled inside Kwon, his skin and blood practically boiling with fury. Robby had gotten under his skin successfully.

Attempting to compose himself, Kwon took the spare seat next to you. "He won one fight and took my spot. That should be mine." Kwon snarled with gritted teeth. To calm him down, you lightly squeezed his hand as you nodded sympathetically.

You replied softly. "I know, it was an unlucky fight. It could have gone either way."

However, this seemed to irritate Kwon even further, as he turned to you in an accusing, bitter tone. "Unlucky? I'm the better fighter; he does not deserve it."

You raised your eyebrows in defence. "Don't use that cruel tone on me; it wasn't my fault you lost. I was just trying to take your mind off it." You retorted.

Kwon replied roughly, "Well, it's sort of impossible to do that, y/n. Maybe Robby will go celebrate with you tonight, huh?"

You exhaled sharply, attempting to remain in control. "I know you are angry right now, Kwon, but I'm not interested in Robby; he's only trying to provoke you. I care about you."

Kwon's face immediately softened ever so slightly as his stern expression had washed away completely after hearing your last four words. Attempting to remain composed, Kwon tilted his head back in exhaustion as he replied. "You're right. I should not have lashed out at you; it was unfair and harsh. I apologise."

A slight smirk grew on your face. Kwon had apologised to you? He grabbed your hand tenderly, pulling you closer to him due to his overbearing remorse.

"Anyway, I owe you a congratulations; you almost destroyed Yoon." Kwon slightly chuckled; his furious tone long faded, replaced with his signature smirk.

Satisfied with yourself, you shrugged your shoulders. "Thanks; it wasn't that impressive. Besides, you weren't too bad yourself." You admitted, reciprocating Kwon's smirk.

"Sure, I bet you aren't telling yourself that now. You know, it's a shame I won't be able to see you do the same to Zara." Kwon chuckled.

A sigh left your lips as you realised the truth of the situation. Kwon was going to return home soon, and there was nothing you could do to change this.

The thought that you were going to tell him after the fight instantly rejiggled in your head. "Listen, after the fight, I wanted to tell you something. I-"

Before you could continue, a harsh, echoing voice interrupted. "Can all teams regroup down here?" The host exclaimed.
Bewildered, all of the teams formed a huddled circle around the host, waiting for the news.

"Earlier today, we found a dojo has been cheating, the students consuming certain things that are forbidden in a karate tournament."

A lingering silence swallowed the air as different dojos began to discreetly converse about who they believed the culprit dojo was.

"The dojo that is now eliminated from the final rounds is... Tiger Strike. The dojo with the next highest points, which will be replacing this dojo, is... Cobra Kai."

Kwon's mouth hung open wide, stunned. His teammates all turned to him, ecstatically cheering, causing his signature smirk to creep on his face.

When hearing this, utter relief consumed you entirely. You almost felt the glisten return to your eyes again as your eyebrows rose, a small smile creeping onto your face.

Kwon had turned to you, raised one brow, and displayed an endearing smirk. He had another chance to fight. And he was not going to lose.

It looked like Kwon was going to be here for longer than you thought. But that didn't bother you. Not at all.