by the sidelines • haechan

fourteen

Either take it as an insult, or as motivation.

I shook the words out of my mind one last time as I made my way to the training centre. After what happened yesterday, I was so determined to beat him and make him choke on my dust, but now that I think about it, it was probably another stunt to push me off my lane.

"I can't believe I let him get to me again." I let out an exasperated sigh, stopping right in front of the entrance to the gym as another thought hit my head. Then again, it's not doing me harm in any way. In fact, this may be beneficial to me after all. Like Coach Yoon said, hold your friends close, and your enemies closer.

"Right, he wants competition? I'll give him competition."

I tightened my belt and strode into class, only to be met with a full class of students whose eyes shot bullets upon my entrance. Freezing on the spot, my eyes darted to the front, where Coach Lee was standing with his arms behind his back.

"You're late, Yoojin," he stated calmly, which sent a chill down my spine. My head whipped towards the digital clock on the wall, then back to him in a wave of panic. Don't tell me...

I quickly dumped my bag and ran to the front, taking a deep bow to him and the class. "I'm so sorry, I must've misread the time," I apologised, lowering my gaze to the floor as he sighed.

"No exceptions, go to the back and do 100 jumping jacks," he dismissed and I immediately jogged to the back, beginning my workout with a heap of stares from the others. I did not even dare look towards the end of the hall, where a bright grin could be seen at the corner of my eye. What a situation to start the day.

The class started as I watched them emptily, trying my best to ignore the frequent looks I get from the rest of the class. Some were out of pity, while others were just plain mockery. One, in particular, was more scornful than ever.

I glanced towards Donghyuck, my eyes meeting with the mocking ones of his as he continued grinning with satisfaction, causing me to wince in mortification. This is complete torture.

Luckily, I managed to complete the punishment right before they went into speed training, hastily taking a bow before joining the class as they lined up at one end of the gym. Alas, I found myself standing next to him.

"Your tardiness is unexpectedly expected," he commented, the corners of his lips pulling up again. I was this close to smacking him.

"Shut up, I don't want to hear anything from you," I shot him down and concentrated on Coach Lee, who was demonstrating a series of unfamiliar sprinting techniques. I guess every coach has their own variation of training.

"Of course, discipline doesn't develop overnight, but I thought you'll at least show some decency."

I scowled at the boy who was once again crawling up my nerves. He really doesn't run out of things to say, does he?

"Before I rip your mouth-"

"Those at the back, do you have something to say?" Coach Lee raised and everyone in front of us turned, causing me to heat up with embarrassment again. I bowed quickly in return before shooting a glare at Donghyuck, who was hanging his head but smiling widely.

---

We were finally dismissed after a whopping five sets of footwork training, and they call that light. As I gulped down a mouthful of water, I looked through the dispersed group of students who were getting ready to leave. Something felt off.

"By the way, is Youn not here today?" I stopped the sweaty Donghyuck in his tracks as I half-whispered to him. I can't believe I didn't notice such a huge presence missing when she's probably the only person I'll willingly talk to here.