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Hyunjin stares at the bruises and blisters that cover his feet, grimacing when his body flinches at the hand that touches his back. He turns around, seeing his manager handing him a clipboard.
“This is your schedule until the tournament.” The blond takes the clipboard, his eyes immediately taking note of the grueling schedule he had. He hears his manager walking away, leaving the gymnast to his own company in the lounge room. Hyunjin sighs when he hears the door close, placing the clipboard beside him before turning his attention back to his aching feet.
If the ache in his feet wasn’t enough, he still has his hands to worry about. The blisters covering his fingers and palm are painful enough that Hyunjin considered talking his manager out of such a tortuous schedule. But a few days off of training would only take him out of his grind. Hyunjin couldn’t afford a break; not when the competition was in a few months.
“That looks painful.” The voice snaps him out of his thoughts and he looks up to see a gymnast he somewhat recognises watching from the other end of the room. You watch him with a water bottle in your hand and a duffel bag hanging from your shoulder, your heart sympathising with the gymnast rips that cover his hands.
“It’s just a gymnast thing,” Hyunjin mutters before turning back to look at the skin that’s tearing away from his palm.
“I have something that might help,” you say as you move towards the couch he’s seated on, taking the empty spot beside him; your bag dropping to the ground. He watches as you rummage through your bag before pulling out a small tube of ointment. “Give me your hand.” You hold your hand out in front of him. Hyunjin stares at your hand for a moment before placing his hand in yours, palm facing up. “Yikes,” you suck a breath in through your teeth. “Your skin must be really dry for it to get this bad,” you mutter before squeezing a dollop of the ointment onto his wounded skin.
“Shit!” he yelps when you start massaging the ointment into his hand, the sharp pain running through his palm. You stay silent as you continue to tend to his hand, while Hyunjin is trying to hold back his noises of discomfort.
“If you just let it breathe, it should be fine in a few days.” You look up and flash him a small smile.
“Thank you.” He gives you an awkward smile, watching as you stand up and pick your duffle bag off of the ground.
“Try to moisturise your hands more often to stop your skin from being so dry.” You rummage through your bag once more, pulling out a small bottle of lotion from your bag and holding it out. “Give this lotion a try. It works really well for me.” Hyunjin takes the bottle with a less awkward smile.
“Thank you, uhh…”
“(Y/n),” you finish for him. “My name’s (Y/n).”
“I’m Hyunjin,” he introduces. You nod in acknowledgement. “Thanks for the ointment and the lotion.”
“Your hands looked really rough. I thought I could at least help a little bit.” Hyunjin opens his mouth to speak more, but he’s cut off by the voice of someone he recognises as one of the coaches.
“(Y/n)!” The man pokes his head into the room. “Let’s go, I’ll drive you home.” You turn to your coach, making your way towards him before turning to Hyunjin.
“See you around,” you wave at him before leaving. The gymnast waves back silently until you disappear behind the door. He turns his attention back to his hand, noticing how the ointment was starting to relieve the pain he was feeling. Hyunjin let out a sigh when his eyes landed on the clipboard sitting on the other side of him. He picked it up carefully, trying not to get any medicine on the paper or to let the plastic of the clipboard brush against his hand. He has a long way to go and the blisters were just going to keep tearing into his hand until he could finally afford a break.
“Try the bars again,” Hyunjin’s coach orders.
“Coach, I’ve done the bars five times already,” he groans.
“And you’ll keep doing it until you get better. What kind of gymnast can’t do a routine properly just because their hands are ripped?” Hyunjin sighs inwardly as he drags himself towards the parallel bars. The routine is so engraved in his mind at this point that he can do it with his eyes closed. He lifts himself up on the bars, getting a steady grip before he pushes his body up, legs hanging in the air. “Keep those legs straight, Hyunjin!” Coach Lee barks.
Hyunjin feels his body tense further purely out of frustration. He straightens his body even more, the muscles in his leg clenched as they point upwards. His hands walk him to the middle of the bars where he swings downwards, swinging his legs out in front of him.
“Exactly like that!” his coach praises. His voice slowly becomes a blur as Hyunjin does his routine. The way his body moves is muscle memory, tensing when they have to and only relaxing when he finally sets his feet back down onto the cushioned mat. “We still have a lot to work on for your bars. We’ll continue it tomorrow.” He brushes past Hyunjin, leaving the gymnast to dwell in his own frustration.
Hyunjin picks up his towel off of the ground, making his way to the changing room when he looks towards the other end of the gym, catching sight of you swinging on a horizontal bar. He stops moving, turning his full attention into watching the way you flip yourself into the air; landing more graceful than he could ever. He’s impressed at how swiftly your body moves and how you make it seem so effortless. Hyunjin watches as your coach runs up to you with a smile on his face and the gymnast already can tell that he’s praising you.
You turn at the feeling of Hyunjin’s eyes on you, flashing him a smile and a wave. He waves back, giving you the same awkward, tight lipped smile before heading into the changing rooms. Hyunjin didn’t have that many friends who were gymnasts—he typically spent his time on his own despite most of the others having made at least one friend.
Being on his own was something Hyunjin appreciated but loathed at the same time. He loved his own company. Hyunjin wasn’t one to hang out with that many people, especially when he was training. He thought that it would just disrupt his focus while he was swinging on bars. The only thing about being alone was… being alone. As much as Hyunjin loved his own company, he always felt a little sour whenever he’d see the other gymnasts hanging out during breaks.
He thought it was too late to actually try and befriend anyone since most of them had either already known each other from before or had clicked the moment they first met at the start of the training period years before. The ones that he was friends with had either moved out to compete in different countries or had stopped gymnastics completely; leaving Hyunjin to his own company once again.
Hyunjin stepped out of the showers, letting out a heavy sigh as he stretched out his body one last time. The hot shower only soothe the ache in his muscles slightly, but it was enough to at least make him feel less frustrated. He shakes out his body before putting on a black t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and moving into the lounge room to rest on the couch. He plops himself onto the softened leather, resting his head onto the armrest and scrolling through his Twitter while waiting for a friend to pick him up.
“How’s your hand?” He looks up from his phone to see you stepping out of the female changing room, your hand rubbing at your hair with a towel.
“Better,” Hyunjin lifts his hand up. “They usually don’t heal this fast, so I have your meds to thank.”
“Have you been moisturising?” you question as you sit on the sofa chair beside the couch. Hyunjin nods with a hum. “That’s good.” You don’t say more before you start scrolling on your phone, allowing your Instagram to take the time away before your coach would drive you home. A few minutes pass and you’re starting to get bored. The other gymnasts have either already headed home or are in the other lounge which is slightly bigger and usually more crowded. You glance at Hyunjin, watching the way his brown eyes flick across the screen. “How are you getting home?” you question, breaking the silence. Hyunjin looks away from his phone, his eyes moving to you.
“A friend of mine is picking me up,” he states. You hum, realising that he isn’t much of a talker. Hyunjin always had your eye. Actually, Hyunjin had all eyes on him. He was always the lonely but extremely talented and extremely attractive gymnast among the group that would train in the same gym. Since the gymnasium was relatively quite big, it was more popular among the athletes in the area. With two separate lounges, you wonder how there weren’t more athletes taking up the smaller one you were in with Hyunjin. “What about you?” he questions, realising you were probably hoping to talk more.
“Coach Kim is taking me home,” you hum.
“Does he always take you home?” Hyunjin questions further. You nod.
“He thinks it’s dangerous if I head home on my own since our training usually ends at night.” He lets out an ‘ahh’ as response before it goes silent again. Except this time, it’s awkward. It’s so painfully awkward between you two. Hyunjin’s cursing himself silently for making it so weird—he blames himself—while you blame yourself for failing to carry the conversation. You open your mouth to speak, but Hyunjin’s phone rings in his hands.
“Hey hyung,” he answers immediately, grateful that Chan called just in time to save him from the situation at hand.
“I’m outside,” Chan chirps as Hyunjin pulls himself off of the couch, grabbing his bag off of the ground and waving at you before leaving the room.
“I’m on my way.” He hangs up. When in Chan’s car, he lets out a heavy sigh as he sinks into the passenger seat.
“Long day?” The older man questions as he pulls out of the parking lot.
“Remember that gymnast I told you about? The one who gave me the ointment for my hand?” Chan nods. “She came into the lounge while I was waiting for you and it got so awkward.”
The older man glances over at his housemate with another nod, “yeah, she gave you the lotion too, right?”
“She asked me how I was getting home and I said a friend was picking me up, but that was it. I didn’t say anything at all after that and it felt like she was hoping for a longer answer, so I asked her how she was getting home and she said that her coach was taking her home,” Hyunjin rambles, “and it started getting awkward but I started asking her if he sends her home everyday. Understandably, she said that he just wants her to be safe and I didn’t say anything anymore and it got even more awkward!” Chan blinks a couple times, his mind taking in the essay the gymnast has just rambled out into his ears.
“Wow, Hyunjin,” he laughs after a moment. “I knew you were awkward, but I didn’t think you were that awkward.”
“Hyung, you have no idea,” Hyunjin groans loudly, his hands moving up to cover his face.
“Didn’t you say she was cute, or something like that,” Chan glances over at him.
“I never said she was cute, I just said she was being really helpful,” he turns over to look at him.
“Ah,” Chan hums. “Why don’t you just try talking to her more until you get past that awkward phase?”
“You think I’m capable of that?” Hyunjin scoffs. “Hyung, it took me two years before I finally started conversations with you and even then, you only kept talking to me because Minho hyung asked you to.”
“Yes, it did take us a long time, but what I mean is that maybe you should just talk to her more,” he clarifies. “If she wants to get to know you, she’ll continue talking to you like I did.”
“You really think she’ll start conversations with me for two years?”
“Hyunjin, think positive,” Chan groans. “This is exactly why you haven’t made any friends at that gym.”
“I’m a shy child!” Hyunjin whines. “I would love to continue my conversations with her, but I get so shy that I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t force it, just let it flow. The more you force it, the more awkward it’ll get.” Chan stops at a traffic light, turning to look at his younger friend. “If you think it’s awkward, it’ll just get even more awkward. You need to want to interact with her without making it too obvious or she’ll think it’s awkward too.”
“That’s a lot of awkward things I need to avoid when I myself can’t even talk to another gymnast after Minho hyung left for Japan!” Hyunjin’s embarrassed he’s so awkward. His body slumps in the passenger seat as his mind just won’t stop replaying how painful being in the lounge room was. The way you looked around, trying to find something to distract yourself was etched in his mind and he just wished that he had something fun to do with you to pass the time.
“Why don’t you ask Minho whether he knows her?” Chan suggests. “He introduced us to each other and he told me he made a few other friends at the gym before he moved.”
“Huh,” he pauses. “Wait, you’re right. Maybe Minho hyung might actually know who she is.”
“Let me call him,” he offers, “I was speaking to him on the way to your gym, so I don’t think he’s busy right now.”
“Minho hyung? Busy at nine p.m.?” Hyunjin snorts as Chan flips through his contacts on the screen of his dashboard. The younger man admires the car. He’s jealous that Chan’s managed to make quite the living simply off of winning international swimming matches while Hyunjin’s only just managed to make it past state.
“Hyung!” Minho’s voice rings through the speakers. “Weren’t you on the way to pick up Hyunjin from training?”
“Yeah, he’s in the car with me right now,” Chan hums.
“Hi hyung!” Hyunjin greets brightly. He misses seeing Minho everyday, but he’s glad that the older male chose to chase his dreams of becoming a figure skater in Japan.
“Why don’t you call me more?!” Minho immediately scolds. “I told you to call me every night after I left, and I only get calls from you once a month! Am I not a friend that you desperately want to keep in contact with?” he fakes hurt, enticing a laugh out of Hyunjin.
“Hyung, I’ve been really busy lately. Nationals are in a few months and that’ll determine if I can move to Internationals,” he chuckles.
“Wow!” Minho gasps. “Jinnie, you’re definitely going to get through!” His encouragement makes Hyunjin’s lip part in surprise. “You’re one of the best gymnasts I know! You better drop by Japan during competitions and visit me!” He blushes. Chan glances over when Hyunjin doesn’t respond, a giggle leaving his lips when he sees just how red his face has gone.
“You made Hyunjin blush.”
“Aww, Hyunjinnie always blushes whenever I compliment him,” he chuckles.
“Only because he doesn’t believe them,” Chan reaches over and ruffles Hyunjin’s still damp hair, earning a whine as the gymnast slaps his hand away.
“I’m not that good,” he rolls his eyes. “The other gymnasts look better than me. I just look… stiff.”
“You are not saying that right now,” Minho scoffs. “Hyunjin, you’re an amazing gymnast! You can even ask Jisung. Actually, do you want me to ask him right now? He just got home from practice.”
“Hyung, you don’t have to—”
“Babe!” he calls out, causing both Chan and Hyunjin to flinch before the older man lowers the volume. “Is Hyunjin a good gymnast?” They wait for a moment before a very distant “of course” comes through the speakers. “See? Even Jisung agrees.”
“Jisung doesn’t know anything about gymnastics,” Hyunjin stubbornly grumbles.
“He’s a figure skater; he knows a thing or two,” Minho hums nonchalantly.
“I guess that’s valid,” he shrugs. “I’d rather get input from a figure skater than a swimmer.” He glances over at Chan who’s still smiling.
“Did Channie hyung try giving you advice again?” he snorts.
“I may not be a gymnast, but I know some technique,” Chan rolls his eyes.
“Hyung, you’re a swimmer. Gymnastics is different because we don’t have the weight of the water,” Minho snickers.
“I was just trying to help. Hyunjin was really upset that time,” he defends.
“Did Coach Lee get to you again?” he questions, but Hyunjin stays silent. “Hyunjin, you know he’s just an asshole, right? He picks on the tiniest details even when you’re doing everything exactly the way you’re supposed to.”
“I know that,” Hyunjin mumbles. “It just fucks with me sometimes. Seeing the way the other coaches interact with the other gymnasts makes me… sad.” The scene of Coach Kim approaching you with a wide smile on his face plays in his mind. Hyunjin could practically hear the praises that were flowing out of his mouth just from how bright you looked.
“Coach Lee has this weird mindset that nothing’s right if it’s not the way he’d do it,” Minho groans. “He thinks that if your legs aren’t exactly at a ninety degree angle, then you’re automatically doing the whole routine wrong even if it’s just for training.”
“He sounds like a dick,” Chan claims.
“He is a dick,” Hyunjin scoffs. “‘Straighten those legs, Hyunjin’, ‘You’re not using your arms, Hyunjin’, ‘Maybe tomorrow you’ll look less like a baby deer learning to walk’, blah, blah, blah,” he mocks.
“God, he’s such an ass,” Minho sighs. “I thought you were gonna switch out to another coach?”
“I don’t want to risk switching into some random dude when a competition is so close. At least Coach Lee knows about my history. I would have to get all of my records from that asshole if I find a new coach,” he mumbles.
“I can ask Jisung and I’s coach if he knows any good coaches in Korea,” he offers.
“I feel like that’s unlikely.” Chan reaches over and punches Hyunjin’s shoulder. “Ow! What the fuck?!”
“Think positive, Hyunjin. God!” He scolds. “You’re always so negative when it comes to gymnastics. It’s like you don’t want any help at all!”
“Don’t you know Hyunjinnie, by now? He’s always such a sulky dude,” Minho snickers.
“You know what? I’ll ask my swimming coach if he knows any good gymnastic coaches and you can’t reject any of the suggestions I give you.”
“But—”
“No rejection!” Chan cuts him off. Hyunjin sighs before slumping in his seat once more. “Always so negative,” he grumbles in English. “Anyway, we didn’t call you about the coach. Hyunjin’s too awkward to make his own friends, so we’re wondering if you know one of the gymnasts that trains at his gym.”
“Oooh, is Hyunjinnie interested in someone?” he teases.
“I’m not interested in her that way,” Hyunjin defends. “Her name’s (Y/n).”
“(Y/l/n)?” Minho questions.
“I don’t know her full name,” he confesses.
“The only (Y/n) I know is (Y/l/n). She’s pretty chill. She’s a really good gymnast, though. Like, wow, I watched her do a routine once before I left for Japan and she’s so cool,” he gushes. “Is she the one you’re interested in? I don’t talk to her as much as I used to, but we still keep in touch. I could get you guys to meet if you’d like.”
“No!” Hyunjin squeaks, his eyes widening. “It’s okay, I don’t need to get to know her.”
“Aww, come on, dude. I got you,” Minho chuckles. “We can just pretend I didn’t know you already knew each other. You just have to act surprised as if you didn’t think she was the person I was talking about.”
“Hyung, you really don’t have to…” Hyunjin trails off softly.
“Hyunjin, you do know that we’re in the same discord server with her, right?” There’s a teasing edge to his voice, almost as if he already knew that they would end up meeting eventually.
“Is she?!” He exclaims.
“Who else do you think Hopper is? That’s her discord name,” he hums. Hyunjin feels like he’s been frozen in a block of ice. How could he not have realised that Minho would most definitely add his own friends to his own discord server. “I add all of my athlete friends into my discord server because they’re chill.”
“Which server are you talking about?” Chan pipes in, “we have two of them.”
“The one I made more public,” Minho hums.
“Baby photos?” Hyunjin questions. He hums in response.
“I don’t invite people to Stray Kids; that one’s ours only.” There’s a moment of silence, the soft sound of Jisung humming in the background on Minho’s end of the call filling the car as Chan parks in the basement of his and Hyunjin’s apartment. “Alright, I invited her to a movie night tonight in one of our private channels so only the members with that specific role can join.”
“Why not open it to the entire server?” Hyunjin questions.
“I’ve invited so many people to the server, it might just crash if I invite everyone.”
“What movie are we watching?” Chan asks.
“I’m thinking something both (Y/n) and Hyunjin might enjoy,” Minho mutters, as though his mind is busy with something else. “That way they have something to talk about next time they get stuck together.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he glances over at Hyunjin who obviously doesn’t think it’s a good idea. “Thanks for the info, Min. We’ll see you later.”
“Alright, bye!” Chan presses the phone icon and it hangs up. He turns to Hyunjin and ruffles his hair.
“Don’t worry about it, Hyunjinnie. I’m sure you guys will get along fine.”
Hyunjin sits at his couch, picking at the skin of his fingers while Chan brings out a bowl of popcorn, setting it onto the coffee table.
“Don’t be so nervous, man. It’s not like she can see you,” he reassures the younger male with his hand on Hyunjin’s back. “I have push-to-talk on, so she won’t even hear you unless I actually turn my mic on.”
“I just don’t want to make her think I’m weird,” he mutters.
“You’re not weird. You’re just shy, and that’s not a bad thing, okay?” Chan gives him a soft smile, his brown eyes trying their best to soothe Hyunjin’s nerves. He nods silently, making Chan pat his back gently before sitting on the couch beside him.
“Is everyone here?” Seungmin’s voice comes through the speakers of Chan’s laptop.
“Waiting for one more person,” Minho tells them, earning a hum in response from Seungmin. Hyunjin immediately perks up at the sound of his voice, his entire body sliding off the couch to move closer to the laptop.
“Seungmin!” he happily calls out.
“Hyunjin? Why are you using Channie hyung’s account?” The footballer questions.
“We live in the same apartment, remember? It’s easier to use one account to avoid our voices playing through two different accounts,” Hyunjin hums. “Wait! But that’s not the point! Seungminnie! I haven’t spoken to you in so long!”
“Only because you’re always so busy with practice instead of playing Overwatch with us,” Seungmin laughs. “We’re always online, Hyunjinnie. Just join us anytime—you’re always welcome for a game.” Hyunjin’s heart warms. He loves his friends more than anything else, but he finds himself becoming too busy even for one game whenever competitions are slowly approaching.
“I promise after I finish Nationals I’ll join for a few games.”
“That better not be a broken promise!” Jeongin laughs. “You always say that, hyung, but you always end up sleeping at nine and waking up at one in the afternoon.”
“It’s a wonder how your body stays fit when you’re not practicing with how much you eat after competitions,” Changbin chuckles.
“I’m just built differently, okay?” Hyunjin jokes. “But I promise. I’ll join for a few games if I’m still alive after Nationals.”
“Don’t overwork yourself, hyung,” Jeongin advises. “No matter what happens, you’re always doing your best!” Hyunjin’s smile widened.
“Yeah, Jinnie,” Jisung agrees, Minho’s icon lighting up to let them know that the pair of figure skaters are most likely in the same room and only using one laptop. “You’re going to do great!”
“We’re all cheering for you, Hyunjin,” Felix pipes in.
“Thanks, guys.” Hyunjin ignores the blush on his cheeks. He’s absolutely flattered that his friends are always so supportive of him. He just wishes that he could at least attend some of their games to cheer for them such as Seungmin and Jisung have done before. He remembers all the times his friends had attended his tournaments to cheer him on like when Minho came back from Japan even though his own tournament was only a month away. Or when Felix had stopped by his game when he was participating in a football tournament in Seoul.
The familiar ding of someone joining the call comes through the speakers and Hyunjin’s breath hitches in his throat when he reads the names. Hopper. You’ve joined the call.
“(Y/n)! Hi!” Minho greets you as bubbly as he always does.
“Hey, Min oppa,” you greet. Oppa? Minho mentioned you knew him, but Hyunjin didn’t think you were close enough for him to let you address him that way.
“I’m sure you know most of us by now.”
“Mhm,” you hum, your eyes going over the icons and names that you remember until you stop at one unfamiliar icon. “Who’s CB97?” you question.
“That’s Channie hyung. I don’t think you’ve met SpearB either—that’s Changbin,” he tells you.
“I only know Felix, Jeongin, Seungmin and Jisung,” you mutter as you read through their names.
“Oh, (Y/n) there’s someone else who’s with Channie hyung. I think he goes to your gym,” Jisung hums. Hyunjin freezes even further if possible.
“Is there?” you question curiously. “Who is it?”
“Do you know Hyunjin?” Chan asks, causing Hyunjin to try and pull his hand off of the keyboard to turn his mic off.
“Hwang Hyunjin?” you ask in surprise. Hyunjin’s entire being stops moving. “Yeah, I know him.”
“How does she know my last name?!” Hyunjin mouths to Chan who all but shrugs before hitting him on the back. “Yeah, Hyunjin,” he spits out.
“Oh! Hi, Hyunjin!” you immediately chirp. “How are you?”
“F-Fine,” he stutters, “I—uh—got back from training just a few hours ago. I-I didn’t think that you would know Minho hyung.” Hyunjin clears his throat.
“Min oppa knows everyone in the gym,” you snort. “I’m pretty sure he even made friends with the janitor.”
“I’m just a social butterfly, okay?” Minho giggles.
“Quite the butterfly who left me here alone when you flew off to Japan,” you scoff.
“I call you every once in a while, don’t I? Shouldn’t that be enough for you?” he teases.
“Ugh, whatever you say Mr ‘I’m so handsome’,” you roll your eyes.
“I am handsome!” he scoffs.
“Kids, kids, that’s enough fighting,” Chan butts in, chuckling lightly. “May we please begin the movie? Should I remind you that Jeongin has classes tomorrow morning at eight a.m. and he needs good rest?”
“I can stay up late. I’m not a child,” Jeongin grumbles.
“You can’t stay up late and in our eyes you are a child because you’ve overslept for almost half of this semester,” Seungmin snickers. “If I wasn’t here to wake you up whenever you oversleep, you wouldn’t have made it to any of those classes.”
“Jeez, fine, okay, I have the tendency to oversleep, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t sleep late.”
“Yes, it does, Innie,” Jisung laughs, “as long as we’re here, we’re always going to baby you.”
“Always gonna be the youngest,” Changbin chuckles.
“Let’s start before it gets too late for Innie,” Minho announces as he starts streaming on his laptop. Hyunjin sits himself back onto the couch, pulling a blanket over his lap and curling his legs up while Chan sits beside him. Hyunjin knows exactly what movie is playing on the screen because it’s his favourite, but before he can open his mouth to say anything, your voice comes in through the speakers.
“The Nightmare Before Christmas!” you gasp excitedly. Hyunjin feels his heart flutter with excitement just from how excited you sound. His phone dings beside him and he checks it to see a message from Minho.
Min hyung:
It’s her favourite movie. Have fun with that knowledge :)
Hyunjin looks back up to the screen. Maybe letting Minho introduce him to you was a good idea after all.
Hyunjin wakes up the next morning to the blare of his alarm. God, he hated having morning classes on the same day as practice. He lets out a loud groan as he rolls over to grab his phone off of his bedside table, swiping the screen to turn the alarm off. Hyunjin lays in his bed for a moment longer just staring at the ceiling when he hears knocking on his door.
“Hyunjin, get up! I have to be at uni early today so it’s either you shower quickly or you take the bus to class!” Chan calls through the door. Hyunjin groans even louder, he really didn’t want to take the bus to class; not when he has to wait in the cold. Autumn was not exactly his favourite season only because it was starting to get colder.
“Give me fifteen minutes!” Hyunjin calls back as he groggily pulls himself out of bed. He takes a quick shower, deciding to settle for a beanie and putting on a white sweater and just a pair of black jeans, grabbing a thick hoodie off of his chair.
“Alright, let’s go,” Chan immediately climbs off of the stool at the counter the moment Hyunjin emerges from his bedroom. The younger male doesn’t say more, trailing his flatmate down into the car. “Hyunjin, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can take you to the gym today,” he apologises as he drives towards Hyunjin’s university.
“Is it the TA thing?” Hyunjin glances over at Chan who nods wordlessly, his eyes focused on the road. “It’s okay. The gym isn’t that far from uni anyway.”
“I’ll be able to pick you up, though. You’re gonna be fine, right?” he glances over at him.
“Hyung, I’ll be fine. My stamina is insane,” Hyunjin chuckles. “If anything, I‘ll just run to Seungmin’s apartment since his is the closest.”
“I’m just saying you should be careful,” Chan advises. “If you’re in trouble or anything just give me a call. I’ll leave immediately to pick you up.”
“Don’t worry about me. I promise I’ll be careful,” he reassures him as Chan stops outside the gates of the university.
“Just give me or Seungmin a call, okay? And get along well with (Y/n)!” he waves as Hyunjin walks past the gates and into the campus, turning around to wave at Chan. He waits until he’s driven off before making his way towards the building. Hyunjin sighs when he reaches the cafeteria. It’s still too early for him to enter his classroom, so he settles for buying bread and moving to sit in the library where he can at least take a short nap before classes start.
Hyunjin sits down at one of the tables with no students, opening his bread packet to start munching while running through his notes on his phone. His future as a gymnast was still in its works so at least if anything happened, he would have a degree in sports science to keep him close to what he loves doing.
“Hyunjin?” Your voice makes Hyunjin snap his head in your direction, staring at you wide eyed.
“(Y/n),” he squeaks. Minho hadn’t mentioned that you go to the same uni as him, but how had Hyunjin failed to notice your presence around campus?
“I didn’t know you studied here.” You take the empty seat beside him, your textbooks splaying out on the desk in front of you. Hyunjin’s eyes flicker from the textbooks before flicking back to you.
“Uhh, yeah, I do,” he clears his throat. He hadn’t prepared for meeting you so suddenly, his words are caught in his throat as he just stares at you wordlessly.
“So…” you trail off, feeling that familiar awkward tension starting to build between the two of you. “What are you studying?” you question, remembering Minho’s advice to carry the conversation due to how shy Hyunjin could get.
“S-Sports science,” he stutters softly. “W-What about you?”
“I’m taking graphic design,” you gesture to the textbook. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s the only other thing I enjoy doing other than gymnastics.”
“Graphic design is cool,” Hyunjin nods. “I-I’m taking sports science because then if I don’t do well in gymnastics, I can become a coach instead.”
“That’s nice,” you hum. “So, how do you know Minho oppa?”
“Minho hyung and I met at the gym a few years back. He was still a gymnast back then and he clawed his way into my life even when I was too shy to talk to anyone,” he explains, feeling his shyness fading away ever so slightly, “I remember the first time we met, I didn’t say anything and I just listened to him talk about how excited he was to start doing gymnastics because he took a break a while before that. Then, he just kinda… stuck around and started introducing me to his friends.”
“Minho oppa managed to pull you out of your shell, huh?” you muse. Hyunjin nods.
“He’s a really good friend, and I’m glad he refused to leave me alone. Minho hyung ended up leading me to his friends who ended up becoming my friends. So, I’m glad he stuck on to me. When he left for Japan, I was sad because I thought I wouldn’t be able to stay friends with everyone else,” Hyunjin replays the memories in his mind as he speaks. “Channie hyung found out we were both athletes, so we ended up becoming closer. He offered to move in with me since he knew that I wouldn’t be able to make much on my own. Channie hyung found the apartment just a few minutes away from campus, so he drives me back and forth from uni to practice.”
“I’ve never spoken to him, but he sounds really nice,” you hum.
“He is,” he nods, “Channie hyung’s a great guy. He’s studying at a different college quite a few minutes away, but he still picks me up from campus to take me to practice.”
“Quite the big brother, huh?” Hyunjin nods.
“He treats me really well.” For once, when he stops talking, there’s no awkward tension surrounding you two. “How did you meet Minho hyung?”
“He was one of the gymnasts I first met,” you start, “he came up to me when I was alone and started asking about me. When he found out I was pretty heavy on games, he invited me to Baby Photos and that’s where I started playing games with your friends.”
“Minho hyung’s a social butterfly. I remember when he told Channie hyung and I that he was moving to Japan, we knew instantly that he would end up making friends. We were right; he brought Jisung into the server not even a month after he had moved to Japan.”
“Jisung’s pretty special to him, right?” you question. There was a brief moment to you that made you realise that just maybe Jisung and Minho were closer than you thought. Hyunjin’s brain, on the other hand, short circuits. He doesn’t know if Minho had already told you about his relationship with Jisung, but he doesn’t know if he should tell you since you’re already questioning it.
“Uh…” Hyunjin trails off.
“Is it a personal thing?” Your eyes widen when you realise that maybe you’ve stepped yourself into something that you shouldn’t have. “I was just wondering because I heard Minho call him ‘baby’,” you mutter.
“You should ask him yourself because I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell you anything,” he tells you. You nod in understanding. Instead of dwelling on the topic, Hyunjin moves to asking you about your major to change the topic. You don’t question it anymore, making a mental note to maybe be a bit more careful around Minho and Jisung to avoid letting it slip.
Hyunjin stays in the library, wasting his time away by talking to you. He finds it surprisingly easy to talk to you despite the previous awkward encounter. Hyunjin’s honestly more surprised that he’s actively engaging in a conversation despite barely even knowing you.
“Oh shit,” his eyes widen when he sees the time. “I gotta get to class. I’ll see you later?” He looks up at you to see you nodding.
“We can head to the gym together.”
“Alright, I’ll see you then,” he waves as he stumbles out of the library.
Hyunjin looks around the campus gates, waiting for your appearance. It had become a regular thing for him to wait for you. Since Chan was getting increasingly busy, Hyunjin thought maybe walking would be easier to save his flatmate the trouble. The first time, Hyunjin had almost forgotten if you hadn’t bumped into him in the hallway in between classes. It’s also given him more chances to talk to you, opting to walk to the gym rather than having Chan drive back and forth like he normally would even when Chan wasn’t busy.
“Hyunjin!” you call out. He turns around, a small smile pulling on his lips when he sees you running towards him. “My class went on a few minutes longer than it should’ve. Were you waiting long?”
“Not at all,” he reassures you. “Are you participating in any of the upcoming tournaments?” Hyunjin asks as you both step out of the gates.
“Yeah,” you nod, “I’m going into Nationals and that’ll determine if I qualify for International tournaments.”
“Nationals?” he turns to you. “I’m going into Nationals too.”
“Are you?” Hyunjin takes note of the way your eyes perk up when he nods. “I’ll be cheering for you then. Since men and women are split into different categories, we won’t have any rivalries,” you joke.
“Ugh, that’s not even close to true,” he snorts. “Have you seen the way Haneul noona and Mark hyung butt heads? They argue all the time even though they’re not in the same category.” You stifle a laugh at the reminder of the two gymnasts. “It’s ironic because if they just combined their skills, they could be one of those pairs that would end up winning gold medals.”
“They really do complement each other’s skills, don’t they?” you giggle.
“Whenever I see them doing a routine and it just so happens that they have to work together, they come up with the coolest routines ever. I don’t get why they keep fighting all the time,” Hyunjin mutters.
“Maybe it’s because they used to date…?” You turn your head to look at him.
“Did they?” he turns to you in shock.
“Yeah,” you nod. “Both of them have said that they used to date a few years ago. It didn’t work out because of some compatibility thing, but they seem to work better as gymnastics partners rather than a couple. Moving aside from gossip, Minho oppa mentioned that you’re trying to find a new coach?”
“Oh, yeah,” Hyunjin turns his attention ahead as he nods. “Coach Lee puts me down a lot.”
“The whole gym can see that. He yells a lot. You do know that every athlete in the gym thinks he’s too hard on you, right?” You note how he visibly tenses, his steps faltering slightly before he continues walking normally. “Hyunjin, you don’t believe him, do you?”
“I personally take his yelling everyday,” he mutters. “Of course I believe him.”
“Hyunjin, he’s just a dick,” you state.
“Coach Kim actually praises you. Coach Lee just tells me I need to work on everything. Everyday, it’s something different from the last,” Hyunjin sighs. “Could we not talk about this, please?” he glances over at you. You nod silently, allowing silence to fall between you two as you approach the gym.
“I guess I’ll see you later?” you turn to him when you reach the separate changing rooms. Hyunjin nods silently as he disappears into the men’s room, leaving you to sigh. You didn’t mean to upset him. You honestly felt bad for how terribly his coach would treat him during training. You know you aren’t the only one who thinks so too.
“Hey coach,” you greet Coach Kim.
“(Y/n)! Have you warmed up?” he questions brightly when he sees you stepping onto the cushioned mat.
“Not yet,” you shake your head.
“Let’s get started with that then we can move on to the horizontal bars since you mentioned that you were struggling with it, yeah?” He smiles. Just as you’re about to start stretching, a familiar voice booms throughout the gym hall.
“Why didn’t you warm up before?!” Coach Lee’s voice echoes throughout the now silent hall. You turn to see Hyunjin staring blankly at the ground while his coach continues to scold—more like degrade—the young gymnast.
“Sheesh,” Coach Kim grimaces. “That man is way too hard on that kid,” he sighs.
“You think so too?” you quickly ask. Your coach turns to you in surprise but nods nonetheless.
“I mean, look around,” he gestures to the other coaches and athletes who silently avoid trying to look in Hyunjin’s way. “That kid didn’t even do anything wrong.”
“Should we say something?” You want him to say something. Coach Kim turns back to you, a wide eyed look on his face.
“Do you know Hyunjin?”
“He’s a friend,” you nod. You don’t have to say anything else, watching as he turns around to face Hyunjin and Coach Lee; who is still yelling at him.
“Lee, could you keep it down, please?! You’re disrupting the whole hall!” Despite earning a glare from the other coach, he’s managed to shut him up for the time being. You watch as Hyunjin’s head immediately snaps up when he hears Coach Kim’s voice, his lips parting in realisation as you give him a pursed lip smile. He nods his head in your way before returning to stretching.
“Thank you,” you look at Coach Kim who offers you a smile.
“No one deserves to be treated like that,” he claps a hand on your back. “Plus, it seems like you’ve managed to get to know him. My entire time training athletes in this gym, I’ve yet to see him actively talking to anyone.”
“He’s just really shy,” you hum as you start stretching your neck. “I got the chance to talk to him because of a mutual friend.”
“Well, he doesn’t look like a bad kid. I remember seeing him with another gymnast a few years back, but after that kid left, I’ve only seen Hyunjin on his own—don’t forget your shoulders,” Coach Kim reminds you when he sees you moving straight to stretching your arms.
“Oh, right.”
“Maybe it’s good for him to finally have a friend. I can’t imagine not being able to vent when you have someone like Lee as your coach.” He lets out a sigh before turning back to you. “Alright, less talk, more work. We’re gonna get you into Internationals and soon: Olympics.”
“Hey, (Y/n).” You turn around at the sound of Hyunjin’s voice, seeing him step out of the gym to join you on the sidewalk.
“How was practice?” you ask, watching as he stands beside you.
“The usual,” he shrugs, eyes trailing to the ground. God, he was always so awkward with ‘thank you’s only because of his tendency to stay out of the spotlight. “But, uhh, Coach Lee was much quieter this time. I wanna say thank you.”
“For what?” you quirked an eyebrow.
“I assume that Coach Kim wouldn’t have said anything unless you had something to do with it,” his hand moves to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. “He would’ve just stayed quiet like the other coaches really do.”
“Well, we couldn’t just let him yell at you like that,” you sigh. “Even Coach Kim thinks you deserve a nicer coach.”
“Does he?” Hyunjin looks at you. You nod, opening your mouth to speak when the familiar red car drives up.
“(Y/n), let’s go before your mother freaks out,” Coach Kim urges when he rolls down the window. “Oh! Hyunjin!” His face lights up when he sees the gymnast. “How was practice, kid?” You quickly round the car, sliding into the back seat.
“Coach Lee didn’t yell at me as much. Thank you for that,” he smiles.
“Aww, it’s nothing,” he waves it off. “You’re a wonderful gymnast, Hyunjin. Don’t let Lee’s words get to you, yeah?”
“Sure thing, coach.”
“Hyunjin,” you roll down the window, “I’m playing Valorant with Felix later. You better join in, too.”
“I’ll try and squeeze some time,” he nods.
“If you don’t join, you have to buy me a chocolate bun from the cafeteria,” you warn. Hyunjin laughs, nodding his head.
“I’ll see you later, (Y/n).” He raises his hand, waving at you as Coach Kim drives off. Hyunjin watches the car turn, disappearing behind a building when he realises his hand is still up. He stares at his hand in confusion. Usually when he sees his friends off, his hand lowers the moment they drive off. What an awkward thing to do, he thinks.
He holds out the plastic wrapped bun in front of you, causing you to turn to him and huff in response. “I passed out as soon as I got back,” Hyunjin sheepishly confesses.
“Yeah, like the billion times you did before,” you grumble as you take the bun from him. “In total, you’ve bought me about six buns in the past month,” you huff as you pull the chair out beside you, patting the seat to ask him to sit down. Hyunjin obliges, the sheepish smile never leaving his face.
“Nationals are in two months—I’ll start joining games after then,” he promises. You quirk an eyebrow at him and rip the plastic open.
“You said that the first time I invited you to a game last month,” you claim, biting into the warm bun.
“(Y/n), I promise I’ll make time after,” Hyunjin reassures you. “I just get really caught up with practice whenever tournaments get close. You can ask Felix because I’ve skipped on him and Seungmin before.”
“They both mentioned that,” you nod. “Have you relaxed at all in the past two months?” Hyunjin pauses to think about it before shaking his head no. “At all?!”
“On weekdays, I finish classes at four, then I head to the gym and practice until 9:30. On weekends, I practice from ten to six.”
“Hyunjin,” your eyes widen in disbelief. “You’re definitely overworking yourself.”
“I only ask for more time about four months before a tournament. If I’m not practicing for anything, I’m only at the gym for about three hours a day.” He shrugs as if he’s not practically working himself to death.
“Is that why your hands were so bad?” you question. He nods.
“I’ve had worse,” Hyunjin looks down at his scarred palm. “Once I kept practicing even though I had a rip, and somehow it cut open my palm. There was blood everywhere and Coach Lee yelled at me for being careless.” He curls his fingers into a fist. “But I’m pretty sure I didn’t do anything about it in the first place because, for a moment, I didn’t care how hurt I got. I just wanted to keep going.”
“That’s not good,” you state.
“I know,” he chuckles, turning to you. “I think at the time I just wasn’t feeling myself.” Hyunjin’s smiling softly, but you can see the darkness hidden behind his bright eyes. You reach out, taking his hand into yours. He’s surprised—flustered—at your action, his cheeks burning red. You silently stare at the scar that runs across his palm, wondering just how bad the wound had to be to make such a large scar.
Hyunjin’s unable to think of what to do as your thumb runs along the scar, igniting every sense in his body. He swallows thickly as he can only watch, body frozen as you continue to look at the scar.
“You’re a dumbass,” you mutter.
“H-Huh?” he stutters.
“You’re a dumbass,” you repeat as you let go of his palm. Hyunjin doesn’t make you repeat yourself. He knows that you’re trying to mean something else from the vibe you’re letting out, but he refrains from asking for a clearer answer as to what you mean. “You should stop overworking yourself and take a break every once in a while. It’s not good for you if you keep going without stopping for at least a moment.” He watches as you take another bite from your bun. Hyunjin doesn’t say anything, leaning back in his chair as silence fills the space. It’s not awkward anymore like it used to be. Rather than that, the silence between you two is now comforting to him.
For once, Hyunjin finds himself waiting outside the gym rather than in the lounge room. His hands stuffed in the pocket of his pullover hoodie. The temperature was starting to drop, making Hyunjin wish he had grabbed a thicker sweater on his way out. He stares up at the night sky, eyes locked on the bright full moon that shines its light onto him. The buzz of his phone makes him pull his hand out of his pocket, checking the notification.
Channie hyung:
I might only be able to leave uni in another hour or so. You sure you don’t want to just take the bus home?Hyunjin:
I can wait. It’s too late for any of the busses to be running anyway.
His eyes flicker to the time; 9:54. The last bus made a move five minutes prior, sending a small sense of relief through Hyunjin. He doesn’t like taking the bus. It’s usually too crowded for his liking. Letting out a small sigh, he heads back into the gym, deciding to at least wait in whatever warmth the heaters have to offer.
Hyunjin’s surprised when he steps back into the gym hall, seeing you jumping through a neon blue hoop in your hand. He looks around; you’re the only person left in the hall. Two months of knowing you and he knows he shouldn’t be too surprised that you were the kind of person to practice until you tire yourself out; he’s seen you passed out in the university library before. You turn around at the sound of the door closing, surprised to see Hyunjin walking in.
“Hyunjin? Wasn’t Chan supposed to pick you up half an hour ago?” you question as you watch him approach you.
“He’s a bit late. Ever since he became a TA he’s been getting busier and busier even at night,” he explains. “How’s rhythmic going?”
“Harder than I expected,” you sigh as you look at the hoop in your hands. “I’m used to the actual props not moving, but now I need to pay attention to how I move everything around.”
“Well, you’re not going to be doing it for Nationals right?” Hyunjin sits himself on the floor. “Not too much to worry about.”
“I won’t be doing rhythmic in tournaments until I’m certain I want to,” you hum, taking a seat beside him and placing the hoop by your feet. “Are you nervous for Nationals?”
“It’s too near for me to not be,” he nods, “but nerve will just put me off if I dwell on it, so I try not to think about it too much.” He turns to you, “what about you?”
“This is my first time participating in a competition that will determine if I’ll make it to International tournaments. When I realised it’s only in a month, I almost shat bricks,” you chuckle nervously. Hyunjin bursts into laughter.
“Bricks?” he laughs.
“Yes! It’s so nerve wracking my stomach starts hurting,” you pout, hitting him for laughing at your despair.
“I’ll be cheering you from the sides, so don’t worry,” Hyunjin smiles when he’s composed himself. “You’ll do amazing, (Y/n). I believe that you’ll get through.” Your heart flutters at his words and you turn ahead.
“I just hope that I can at least make it to finals. Even that much is enough for me,” you mutter softly. Hyunjin’s eyebrows furrow. Did you think you weren’t good enough?
“Never aim for less, (Y/n),” he shakes his head. “Always aim for the big leagues. Picture it, (Y/n),” Hyunjin moves closer to you, his hand moving up in front of you. “‘Olympics’ youngest artistic women’s gold medalist: (Y/n) (Y/l/n)!’” His hand moves across the sky as though he pictures a large banner. “And the crowd goes wild just for you.” He imitates the cheering of the crowd while you laugh at how silly he looks. Throughout your time knowing him, you realised that all you needed to do was to break through his shell. Hyunjin was brighter than anyone thought he was.
“There’s already a youngest gold gymnast,” you remind him.
“It’s bliss to still imagine,” he smiles, settling down. “Ever since I can remember, my dream has always been to win an Olympic gold medal. I’m barely even halfway there, but I’ve never given up on it. If I did, I would be focusing completely on classes instead of practicing everyday.” Hyunjin turns to you, “I’m gonna get that medal. I don’t care if it takes twenty years—even if it’ll take forever, I will get that medal.” You watch him from his side, pure admiration filling your heart. Hyunjin turns to you when he realises you’ve gone quiet. He stares at you, his mind wondering why he doesn’t feel flustered like he usually does.
“I admire your determination, Hyunjin.” You turn ahead. “If you’ll be cheering for me,” you turn back to him, “I’ll be cheering for you as well.” Hyunjin looks into your eyes, simply staring into them and wondering what else could be brewing in your head. His eyes flicker down to your lips for a moment before moving back up to your eyes, the only thought in his mind is how sweet your lips look.
He finds himself leaning in slowly, his face inching closer to yours until his breath fans over your face. His eyes check yours, silently asking for permission in which you nod. Just as he’s about to press his lips against yours, his phone rings in his pocket; causing the both of you to jump.
Hyunjin pulls his phone out of his pocket to see Chan’s caller I.D. “Hey,” he greets, clearing his throat so as to not sound too frustrated.
“Sorry I’m late,” he quickly apologises, “I’m outside.”
“Alright, I’ll be there in a bit.” Hyunjin hangs up and looks at you, only now realising the bright tint of your cheeks. The situation finally hits him and his own cheeks are burning as well.
“W-Was that Chan?” you squeak out, clearing your throat.
“I have to go,” he nods. “I’ll… uhm… I’ll see you on Discord tonight?” Hyunjin clears his own throat.
“Yeah, definitely, yeah, I’ll see you then. Sounds like a good idea,” you ramble. Hyunjin gathers his stuff before standing up, walking past you to head to the door. He stops, glancing over his shoulder to look at you, unaware of you muttering silently to yourself about how awkward that almost kiss was. Before he can think, Hyunjin moves back, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek. The gesture shocks you and before you can stop him, he’s dashed out of the hall. You stare at the door as it closes, a soft chuckle leaving your lips.
As usual, Hyunjin missed out on the gaming session you had with Jeongin and Chan the night before. You’re wondering why until Chan actually brought it up, mentioning the fact that Hyunjin was acting extra weird after practice and went straight into his bedroom without another word.
When it’s time for you to head to classes, you half expected Hyunjin to avoid you completely. Instead, a familiar hand holds out a chocolate bun in front of your face while you’re sitting on a bench in the park at a time in between your classes. You turn to see Hyunjin smiling at you.
“Hey,” you greet him. “I see you realised that you missed out on games again,” you tease as you take the bun from his hand.
“Yeah, well, I told you I’d buy you a bun every time I missed out on games,” he chuckles as he takes the spot beside you. “I, uhm, kinda wanted to talk to you about l-last night.” You turn to Hyunjin, seeing him looking at you. You turn your body to face him. “I-I—God I’m terrible at these. I don’t know what it meant to you, b-but I get it if I got the wrong message and—” You cut him off by pressing your finger against his lips.
“Want me to tell you what I think?” you raise an eyebrow as you move your hand away from him. He nods silently. “I think that two gymnasts maybe became friends through a very extroverted figure skater and maybe they both have some strange feelings about each other.” You watch as Hyunjin’s cheeks turn crimson when he realises what you mean. “I like you, too, Hyunjin.”
“I don’t know these…” his hands move out in front of himself, “feelings. I’m not good at these kinds of things.” His confession makes you giggle. “But I know that I really like you, (Y/n). I don’t think I really realised it until last night.” Hyunjin pauses, clearing his throat. He really wasn’t used to these kinds of situations. “I-I was wondering if maybe… uhh… maybe you’d—Uhm—like to t-try? This out, I mean.”
“I would like that,” you nod. Your heart fills with pure joy when you see how happy he looks.
“M-Maybe since we were interrupted last night, we could… you know…” His face is completely red by now. “I-I wanna kiss you—if it’s okay with you.” You take his hand in yours, giving him a gentle squeeze to calm him down.
“I would like that, too,” you smile. Hyunjin gulps before deciding to lean in slowly, his face inching closer and closer until once again, you feel his shaky breath on your face. He hesitates for a moment, looking into your eyes before pressing his lips to yours. It’s exactly like he thought your lips would feel. Hyunjin pours all of his hidden feelings out through the soft and gentle gesture, his chapped lips molding with yours ever so softly. When he pulls away, you’re breathless, leaning forward to chase after the faint taste of coffee that coated his lips.
“You’re cute,” he giggles when he’s realised what you just did. Your cheeks redden as you struggle to come up with any kind of an excuse. “It’s okay,” Hyunjin’s hand raises to pet your hair softly. “I liked it too.”
“Hyunjin!” The sound of your voice makes him turn around to see you running towards him.
“(Y/n)? You shouldn’t be here,” he quickly takes your hands, urging you to return to your bench where the women gymnasts were waiting.
“I know, but since you’re going up now I wanted to wish you good luck,” you shake your head. “You’re gonna do great out there, okay?” Your hands raise to cup his face, which Hyunjin holds onto your wrists. You can feel his hands nervously shaking when they come into contact with your skin, understanding how nerve wracking it feels for him. “Go do your best, Hyunjin.”
“(Y/n)!” Coach Kim calls out. You turn around, giving him a nod before turning back and press a quick kiss to Hyunjin’s lips.
“Good luck, Jinnie.” Hyunjin’s flustered as he watches you scurry back to your bench, turning around just in time for his turn. When he reaches the floor, he can see you watching him with bright eyes. Knowing you’re there just makes him want to do more. Hyunjin wants to do the best he can.
Thus, he does the best he can. Hyunjin was determined before, but now, when he flips himself into the air, he’s confident. While he’s spinning in up the air, he knows he can do it. Every trick he does, there’s an obligatory applause from the crowd. He catches a glimpse of you watching him intently, your knee bouncing as you watch him nervously.
Hyunjin finishes his routine perfectly, adrenaline rushing through his veins when he realises that he’s done the absolute best he’s ever done before. Despite the cheering from the crowd, the only confirmation he needs that he’s done his best is seeing you excitedly jumping up and down. He shakily gets off of the platform, taking deep breaths to calm the blood rushing in his body. It was his last round, meaning Hyunjin was done for the day.
“You did well,” Coach Lee praises.
“Thanks, coach,” Hyunjin mutters as he picks up his water bottle.
“Hyunjin, I carry a message from (Y/n),” Coach Kim claps a hand on his back, making him turn to face the coach.
“Kim,” Coach Lee greets bitterly, receiving only a nod from your coach.
Hyunjin gives him a questioning look when he turns back to the gymnast. “She’s really proud of you, kid. She thinks you did a great job. I think you did a great job.”
“Thank you, Coach Kim,” he bows to your coach. He glances over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of you waving at him with a wide smile on your face.
“Now, Hyunjin, whatever the results are, just remember that you did an amazing job, yeah?” he smiles. “Hell, if they don’t give you at least a bronze, I would be upset.” Hyunjin blushes, flattered by the comment.
“Thank you, coach.”
“Also,” Coach Kim leans closer to whisper, “I think I found you a coach that would most definitely treat you a million times better than Lee.”
“Did you?” he gives him a bewildered look.
“Mhm,” he nods, “I’ll give you the details later. For now, you should rest until the results are announced.” He gives Hyunjin another pat to the back before moving back to where you are. The young gymnast watches as you make your way up the platform, his eyes perking up when he realises it’s your turn.
Hyunjin watches you intently, his eyes mesmerised by just how beautiful you look. You make the flips and spins look so effortless, standing tall on your feet with so much confidence on your face. He really has taken a liking to you since your first meeting the few months before. His heart flutters as he watches you land your finishing flip, ending with a bright smile and a bow to the cheering crowd. He cheers as well, earning a small glance from you and an even bigger smile. He watches as you scurry off of the platform and straight towards him.
“You did so great!” Hyunjin praises. You immediately wrap your arms around him.
“Did I really?” you pull away to look him in the eyes.
“You were amazing, (Y/n),” he nods, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to your nose. “Now all we have to do is wait for the placements.” He looks up, the announcer’s voice echoing throughout the stadium. Hyunjin’s attention turns to the judges, watching as they discuss amongst themselves.
“Whatever happens, you did great,” you pull his attention back to you. “You did a really great job out there, Hyunjin.”
“You did too,” he smiles. You press one last kiss to his cheek before running off to the changing rooms, Hyunjin going to cool himself down in the changing rooms while they wait for the announcement. He sits on the bench by the sidelines, his knee bouncing nervously while he watches as the consolation medals are given out to the gymnasts who didn’t make it to the top 3. His teeth chew on his bottom lip when he realises he’s actually made it to the top 3.
“For the Women’s category,” the announcer starts, making Hyunjin whip his head in your direction when he realises your name still hasn’t been called out either. That means you’ve made it to the top 3 as well. “And for the gold medalist for the women’s category; (Y/n) (Y/l/n)!” Hyunjin’s heart might almost burst out of his chest when he hears your name. You, on the other hand, burst into tears. You really weren’t expecting to get gold.
“You did it!” Coach Kim immediately bounces on his feet. “(Y/n)! You did it! This means you qualify for international tournaments!” It’s the last gold medal you need—the last medal you need to qualify for an international tournament—which has pretty much locked a spot for you in the tournament you were aiming for. “Go get your medal, kid,” he ushers you towards the winner’s podium.
Hyunjin watches as you take your medal, his heart melting at the sight of you trying to compose yourself while you receive the medal. Just the sight of you winning gold is enough for him to be happy. When you’ve walked off of the podium, it’s only waiting to see Hyunjin’s placement. He needs one gold medal to qualify for the tournament in Japan; just one more.
“The gold medalist for the men’s category,” the announcer pauses. Hyunjin can feel his heart pounding in his chest. They’ve only announced the bronze medalist, meaning it could be him or the gymnast from Busan. “Hwang Hyunjin!” Everything around him stops. He’s gotten the gold medal. He made it. If he gets past the tournament in Japan, he qualifies for the Olympics. He’s almost there.
As he moves to take the medal, he’s almost in disbelief at how far he’s gotten. Hyunjin receives the medal and a bouquet of flowers, taking a quick picture before he stops to stare at the medal that hangs from around his neck. He sees his reflection through the shiny coating of the medal and he realises that he’s one step closer to his dreams.
“Hyunjinnie!” He barely hears you before you’ve thrown yourself into him. He lets out an ‘oof’ from the soft impact before wrapping his arms around you. “We did it! We’re going to Japan!” Your smile is so bright it finally knocks him out of his daze. A smile slowly creeps up on his face, reaching his eyes when he realises that the medal is real.
“Oh my god,” he breathes out. “Oh my god, (Y/n), we qualify for Japan. We’re getting closer to the Olympics.” Hyunjin’s grip around you tightens. “You did so well, baby,” he praises softly.
“Baby?” you pull away from him. He face contorts in horror at the realisation, his cheeks turning red.
“I-It just came out. I-I’m sorry—” You cut him off with a kiss to his lips.
“I like it,” you giggle when you pull away.
“So… we’re official?” he questions, his lip caught between his lip as he waits for your answer. You nod immediately.
“I’ll be your girlfriend if it means we can cheer for each other and chase our dreams,” you take his hands in yours, “together; as a team.”
“Hyunjin, I need to speak with you,” Coach Kim pulls the two of you aside. “I have exciting news.”
“Is this about the coaching?” he questions.
“I pulled a few strings, but I’ll be coaching you starting next week,” he smiles. Hyunjin blinks a few times before it’s actually registered in his mind. “Don’t worry about all your details and your medical history, I got it all from Lee. It took a bit of convincing, but he let me take you.”
“Really?” Hyunjin’s eyes widen as a smile creeps up on his face.
“I’m your coach now, kid,” Coach Kim smiles.
“Hyunjin!” you wrap your arms around him once again, bouncing in excitement. Hyunjin just holds onto you with the biggest smile on his face. Everything seemed to slowly fall into place. He pulls away from you to bow at the coach.
“Thank you for taking me under your guidance,” he thanks.
“It’s no problem, Hyunjin,” he chuckles. “I promise you I’ll get both of you into the Olympics.” Coach Kim pats both you and Hyunjin’s heads. “And I promise I’ll do my best to help you get that gold medal.”
“Where’s Hopper noona?” Jeongin questions when he notices the lack of your username in the call.
“I’m not sure,” Minho mutters. “The tournaments happened today, but if she wasn’t joining she would’ve told us.” It was unusual for you to not at least let him know if you weren’t joining. Two dings alert the gamers waiting in call, all of them switching to Discord to see the arrivals.
“Jinnie hyung!” Jeongin excitedly calls.
“You came!” Felix cheers.
“How was the tournament?” Seungmin questions when he realises you’re on call as well.
“We have two announcements,” you giggle, glancing over at Hyunjin. You’re both waiting to see if they’ve noticed that your voice is coming out of both of your accounts.
“One is that both (Y/n) and I got gold!” Hyunjin announces. The call of his seven friends erupts in cheers while Chan cheers in the dining room of their apartment.
“Is that Channie hyung in the background?” Changbin questions.
“Mhm,” you hum.
“Wait,” Jeongin pauses, squinting his eyes to look at his screen. “Hopper noona, are you in the same room as Hyunjinnie hyung?”
“Yep,” you smile.
“Are you gonna play Overwatch in the same room?” Jisung questions, his voice playing out of both his and Minho’s icons as well, letting everyone know that they were in the same room.
“Yep,” Hyunjin grins.
“What’s the second announcement?” Felix presses, clearly getting impatient.
“Well, the reason why Hyunjinnie and I are in the same room is because—”
“You’re dating!” Minho gasps. Both you and Hyunjin are surprised by his exclamation. “Please tell me you’re dating so I don’t look like a clown in front of my boyfriend.”
“Yes, we are,” Hyunjin chuckles.
“Ahah! See?” he exclaims—presumably to Jisung. “Now you owe me a thousand yen.”
“I’ll give it to you tomorrow after breakfast when I can break up my big bucks,” Jisung grumbles.
“You are a thing!” you exclaim as well, Minho calling Jisung as his boyfriend confirming your suspicions.
“You bet on whether (Y/n) and I would get together?!” Hyunjin exclaims.
“You didn’t know?” Chan questions with a bagel in his mouth. “I thought they made it obvious,” he mutters, voice muffled.
“You knew?” he turns over the couch to look at the older man who shrugs.
“Everyone in the call knew. No one wanted to take part in it because it would be unfair since Jisung was the only one who didn’t think you would.”
“Does that mean everyone thought we would get together?” you turn to Chan who nods.
“Well, we didn’t know we just had a feeling. You two are perfect for each other.” Both you and Hyunjin blink a couple times while staring at him before turning to each other, blinking twice before turning to your respective laptops.
“Is that true?” Hyujin questions.
“Of course! You both laugh at everything, you both get really awkward around new people, when you lose bets you actually pay up—unlike our lovely Changbin—and you’re both amazing gymnasts!” Minho explains.
“Yeah—” Changbin pauses. “That’s not true! I transferred the thousand yen last week!”
“A thousand yen took you three months, hyung,” Felix snickers. His comment starts to cause a bicker to form between the group, giving you the chance to turn to Hyunjin.
“Min oppa really planned this out, huh?” you chuckle.
“I don’t know how I didn’t see this from him,” he laughs. “He does this all the time. Like how he tried to hook up Channie hyung with that girl who swims in the same pool as him.”
“Didn’t work out,” Chan shakes his head. “She scares me. She was really into some weird stuff and it’s not anything ‘kinky’ it was really scary,” he shudders, causing you to laugh. You turn back to Hyunjin, noticing how he’s staring at the gold medal sitting on the coffee table.
“What’s on your mind?” you question softly.
“The fact that we’re both one step closer to our dreams,” he hums, putting the medal down on the coffee table before turning to you. “Let’s chase them together, yeah?” Hyunjin smiles when you nod.
“Let’s.”