Mirrored Match // ATEEZ ✔

= 14 =

Sweat drips onto his face, his neck and flows under his muscle tee as he heaves himself up the bar, doing his third set for the morning, his legs bent at an angle. He can see his face in the mirror surrounding the gym, his hair damp with sweat and his muscles bulging as he keeps up with his workout. The 24-hour gym proves to be useful to him as he has been at it since before dawn broke, the place witnessing him as the only person initially. The gym then received more and more patrons while he's still unfaltering with his determination to not stop until he feels fatigue coursing through him.

But then again, fatigue only comes to him when he stops and his mind starts to register his body's current situation, so that makes him even more resilient. He can go on for more than an hour without realizing that his sweat has dripped to the floor and his shirt is stuck to him, while the rest of the gym members look on, impressed.

He notices someone coming next to him, and he half-expects one of his teammates to be there, but gets severely disappointed when he sees a young woman sliding next to him, as if trying to pick out some weights but instead is subtly looking at him. Her face shows that she's waiting for this ridiculously good-looking guy who's been working out like crazy since just now to initiate a conversation, then bringing it further with her.

He ignores her, absorbed in his own training and silently hoping that the woman would get the message. He's starting to get annoyed when it's obvious that she's idling near the equipment rack, this time not being subtle at staring at his body as he lifts himself up. With one last grunt and push, he releases his hands from the bar, snatching his face towel and wiping his sweat. Even as he has wiped the sweat off his face he can see the woman still shamelessly staring at him, this time even going as having her eyes travelling to places on his body that's making him had enough.

"You have a problem with me?" Seonghwa brushes back his soaked black hair with his fingers, taking a look at himself in the mirror before turning to the woman. "I hate to be narcissistic but I'm pretty sure you were looking at me until you're not even blinking."

The young woman pretends to be surprised that she is caught, but in reality delighted that the man she has been eyeing initiated the conversation first, despite him looking like he's hating every single thing that has got to do with her. She does a point to stretch her body slightly, hoping that he knows what she can offer if they go beyond the gym after.

Seonghwa lifts up his eyebrows, feigning innocence when he knows exactly what she's trying to do. He takes a water bottle before chugging it down then wiping the water dripping onto his chin with his hand.

"I was thinking that maybe you'd like to go out sometimes," she starts. "You know, have a little chit chat," she does a little motion of drinking, "go out."

He chuckles. "So you want me to ask you out, give you my number, is that it?"

She licks her lips before shamelessly nodding. "Well..." She approaches Seonghwa who's standing at the same spot, before eyeing him up and down. "I've never seen you before here. We don't usually mingle with our neighbours but," her eyes stop in the middle and he instinctively moves backwards, angling his body away, "maybe that can change."

"Ah..." he trails off, still trying to play innocent. "Yeah, I just recently moved in here and it was my first time at this gym. Heard those from Aurora Heights go here often."

She does an exaggerated gasp before her eyes widen. "So you're from Aurora Heights? You must be pretty well-off then, to be living in the same neighbourhood as Bae Wonshik."

"I live next to him, in fact," he says, almost rolling his eyes as he's tired of this game. "Here, I'll give you my number and we can," he pauses, "talk more."