Slopes

f i v e

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Donghyuk wanders the halls of Yongpyong's main building. The high, wood-beam ceilings, the green accents along the stairwells, and the crisp winter scent of fresh snow were all that Lee Donghyuk knew. He had only ever been to Yongpyong for tournaments and never got to truly see the full place, he and his team always having to be stuck in the waiting areas.

He jumps when he feels a hand on his shoulder, a soft gasp escaping his mouth.

"Oh geez sorry kid, I didn't mean to scare you." The tall boy, who couldn't be more than 5 years older than him, said. "Please tell me you're Lee Donghyuk, I've already embarrassed myself 2 times by mistaking someone else for you." He nervously chuckles, slowly taking his hand away from Donghyuk's shoulder.

"Yeah...I'm Lee Donghyuk. And you are...?" He raises a brow, awaiting the name of the stranger.

"Oh! Right, I'm so sorry. My name is Lee Taeyong, I'm the team member-manager for Korea's Olympic snowboarding team." He smiles kindly, his warmth radiating that of a mother's. "Coach said I had to pick up you and the other new kid." He bows gently, Donghyuk doing the same. 

"So, if you would please follow me. I believe the other new teammate is quite confused." His eyes crinkle with a sparkle, calming Donghyuk down. He didn't even notice how nervous he was until Taeyong introduced himself. "-Donghyuk?"

"Oh yes sorry. Let's go." He looks at his equipment in embarrassment, making the manager laugh. Donghyuk glares, slightly peeved at the older man's playful nature.

The two boys walk back towards the front entrance, Taeyong craning his neck around every few seconds, looking for the other new kid. But if Donghyuk was being honest, he looked like a worried flamingo. The tanned boy snickers to himself at the thought.

"Ah! There he is!" Taeyong quickly drags Donghyuk by the wrist, racing towards a confused looking boy. "Mark Lee!" The boy turns, eyes widening slightly at the sight of a very excited man dragging a confused teen around his own age.

"Yes..?" Mark raises a brow at the strange duo standing before him. His eyes flicked between Taeyong and Donghyuk. The other boy seemed to be overwhelmed and confused, while the smiling man was practically sprouting rainbows from his eyes.

"I'm Lee Taeyong, and this is Lee Donghyuk!" Taeyong gestures to the teen next to him. "I'm the member-manager for the male Olympic snowboarding team. I was sent to fetch you both since you two are the newest teammates." His smile stretches even farther, his gums on full display. Mark narrows his eyes, this guy reminded him a bit too much of a certain Yuta Nakamoto. They had the same giant smile and the same playful glint in their eye. It was beginning to freak Mark out.

"Oh..." The Canadian wasn't sure about what else to say. Does he introduce himself? That seemed kinda counterintuitive though, considering Taeyong already called his name. Finally settling on just greeting them as normal as possible, Mark speaks again. "Nice to meet you."

Taeyong nods his head so vigorously that both Mark and Donghyuk thought his neck would break. "It's very nice indeed. We do need to go now, though. I promised the coach that I would have you both in his office by 9:15 and it's already 9:07." He suddenly gasps, grabbing onto both Mark and Donghyuk's wrists. "IT'S 9:07!!"

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"So we start practice tomorrow?" Donghyuk asks, clarifying with his new coach. The man nods, a small smile on his face.

"Yup! It's where you'll be introduced to the rest of the team and where you'll fully understand how we run things here. Obviously, it will be much harsher than what you're used to, we expect only the best from you two. You both are quite promising and we are very proud to have you join us this year. I have assigned each of you to have a mentor for a little while. They'll be there to show you the ropes and help you with training, game-play, and anything else you need. Treat them like your big brothers." The coach takes a pause before turning to Mark. "because Korean is a second language for you, I've paired you up with another foreigner. He's from Chicago so if you need any translating help, he's right there for you." Mark nods, letting a breath out in relief. He could barely understand what the other two were saying, their speech going too fast that Mark could just barely keep up.

"Thank you, sir."

"Please," the man smiles. "Just call me coach, it's what everyone calls me. Anyways," He stands, a silent sign for the two boys to do so as well. "I'll introduce you two to your mentors tomorrow morning. Make sure to be here by 8, ok?" Donghyuk and Mark nod, following their new coach out of his office. "You two both live relatively close, correct?"

"Yeah kind of. I live closer to my old training team." Donghyuk sighs, remembering he had promised to meet up with Jaemin and Jisung after today.

"And you Mark?"

"I live in an apartment near here. Maybe 1 kilometer or so away. Close enough." He says, face emotionless. He was tired and really wanted to go to sleep. The jetlag was really getting to him.

"Alright then!" The coach claps suddenly, making Mark and Donghyuk blink in surprise. "I'll see you two tomorrow. We're all very happy to have you on the team!" He ushers the two boys to the exit, waving softly as he watches them leave.

Mark and Donghyuk share a small look before each going a different way.

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"Taeyong!" The coach calls his 'assistant' into his office.

"Yes, coach?"

"Can you make sure Johnny and Doyoung come here by 7:30? I want to make sure they're prepared to have those two as their 'pupils'." He makes quotations with his fingers, not fully sure what to call Mark and Donghyuk when it comes to their positions with the senior members.

Taeyong smiles. "On it coach."

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