I ruffled my black hair in frustration as I went back to the court. I squeezed by a couple of people crowding near the snack bars on the beach, and I avoided a couple of guys who were staring at me intensely. I tightened the towel jacket around me, but the material didn’t cover much. ‘Where were the courts again?’ I tiptoed to look over the taller men on the beach.

“If you really hate showing your body, why not wear a t-shirt and some shorts? Though that won’t be so y” A voice whispered near me. I jumped back to see Taemin smirking at me. His hands were comfortably in his pocket and he cocked his head to the right with his eyebrows raised. Cautiously, I stood trying to calm myself down.

‘Don’t let him get to you, let it go.’

“So are you really just Kookie’s friend? I’ve never seen him hang out much with ladies? What’s your name” Taemin took a step closer towards me, and I instinctively moved back.

“…Seulbi…And how would you know anything about Jungkook?” I asked back calmly. Taemin chuckled as he stepped forward. He took a piece of my hair and twisted it between his fingertips. I controlled my anger and gritted my teeth as I watched his fingers rub my hair.  

“His father owes my family a sum of money that he should be paying off. Last year, we loaned his dad a few hundreds to help his precious little son move to Seoul. The Lee Family you see is in charge of all sorts of businesses from insurance companies to even beauty industries. The fashion magazine photo shoot is sponsored by the Lee Family.

With all that money at our finger tips, my mother took pity on the man”  Taemin shrugged. “When I saw Jungkook wearing dirty sweat pants, he piqued my interest. I offered him a deal: if he listened to what I say, I’ll cut of his father’s debt by half” Taemin smirked and released my hair. I widened my eyes and forced myself to breathe in and out.

‘Keep Calm, Keep Calm’

“Really, such a pitiful looking fool”

‘Keep Calm’ I tightened my fists.

“Ah~ maybe I should increase the debt to just see his expression?” Taemin laughed.

*Slap*

My hands were burning from the sting, but I simply glared at Taemin who stood there shocked. He grasped his slightly red cheek with wide eyes. My patience has completely run out.

“I don’t know much about Jungkook, but I understand the desire of wanting to relieve some of the burden off your parents. All my life I learned to sacrifice and although my siblings may be annoying sometimes, it was all worth it.

How dare you toy with a person’s life and call someone pitiful when you don’t even have a shred of perseverance and resilience Jungkook had to build up?!” I snarled at Taemin. Taemin stared at me with wide eyes. I heard the calling and footsteps of his group of friends coming towards us. Taemin gently touched his burning cheek and chuckled for a moment.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that. So I guess you’re not really that sweet, submissive girl, a façade eh? Inside, you’re a pretty ferocious girl, aren’t you?” Taemin grinned at me and ran his fingers through his hair. The other four guys soon reached Taemin. One of them asked if he was alright and Taemin waved his hand, motioning to them that everything was alright.

“But I advise you to work on handling your patience and anger. You succumb to your emotions more easily than you think….then, until we meet again” Taemin bowed with chivalry before leaving with his group. I watched the five of them walk away on the sand. People parted for them and stared since they exhibited royalty and elitism. Biting my lower lip, I ruffled my hair and tried to calm down. I’ve been getting intertwined with so many different problems, lately.

After hearing the announcer shouting that the next game would begin in a few minute, I wandered about until I spotted Jungkook, surrounded by a group of girls again. I quickly tried to drag Jungkook to safety while I felt daggers digging into me from the icy looks given to me.

When we stepped onto the court, I tied my long hair into a ponytail unwillingly since it showed off more of my skin. The sun was at its highest point of the day and I felt my skin burning with warmth. I stretched my arms and legs, preparing for our match. My feet shook the sand off lightly and tried to find a balanced position. Feeling uncomfortable and awkward, Jungkook averted his eyes from me. I scolded him that he better concentrate on the game and stretch. Jungkook mumbled under his breath about skin exposure. I blinked a couple of times when the feeling of being exposed sunk in.

I grasped my stomach when I heard a group of guys whistling at me. Blushing hard, I did my best not to throw rocks at them. On the other side, Mika and Kai stepped onto the court. I glanced to see Kai, sulking and glaring. He grabbed and gripped the ball tightly and appeared ready to serve. Mika threw fists at any of the guys who dared to cat call her. Behind her were Hanyang and Yondei’s team who had gathered to see once they heard about our volley ball match. I unclasped my arms, telling myself that winning this game was more important than my own insecurities.

“1,2,3 LET’S BEGIN!” the announcer shouted.

Jungkook and I quickly got into formation, but even before I had moved my arms, Kai had spiked the ball across the net. It hit the sandy ground with so much impact that sand particles poofed up in the air. Coughing, I glanced at Kai to see him keep a more dark stolid expression.

‘He really wasn’t going to let us win. Why the hell is he even here in the first place?’ I angrily bit down my tongue so I didn’t start yelling at him in front of all these people and ruin my precious image. I picked up the volley ball and dusted it off. The rubber felt hot against my skin, and I felt chills down my spine, already knowing that winning this match might be impossible.

‘…Like hell I was going to give up” I gripped the ball tightly and glared at Kai. He looked a bit taken back by my expression, but still was in perfect form. I released the volley ball and served it. The ball arched towards the other side, but as expected, Kai was already there to spike it back down. Jungkook dived for it, but the ball hit the ground before Jungkook got to it.

Over and over again, Kai seemed to block and spike the volley ball to our side. I ran towards the net trying to stop him, but he jumped higher than me, looming over me. He strongly slammed the ball down and it sped past me, creating a sand crater. I panted when I came back down from my jump. Jungkook and I were covered in sweat and sand. I wiped my brow with the back of my wrist because my hands were too dirty.

I glared at Kai who calmly stood showing no signs of exhaustion.  ‘Does he really want to be a beach prince? He’s always helped me at times like this…so why now?’

“This is the last matched point and he’s got complete control of the game” Jungkook walked over to me and held the ball in his right hand so that we could plan for a few minutes. His black hair was damp with sweat, and his rolled up t-shirt showed his muscles with drops of water all over them.

 ‘What’s with him? He’s not even panting and keeps hitting the ball in tight spots!’

“Yeah, you’re right. Don’t worry though” I forced a smile and patted Jungkook on the back. Jungkook scrunched up his eyebrows and I saw the fiery determination lit in those eyes. He nodded slowly before walking back to his position. I clenched my fists and concentrated in calming myself down. I couldn’t let Jungkook see I was worried or angry. Worry sank in as I tried to calculate our chances of winning against Kai. If we miss the shot, Kai will win the game.

Jungkook is trying so hard, but is Kai just playing around with his resolve? I know that Kai doesn’t truly want to win, but then why is making Jungkook suffer so much? The anger and frustration within me started to build up.

‘Damn it, he’s always pissing me off, but when I really need help he’s always there. Taking me out, treating me with food, paying for my taxi rides, the preliminary match, even obediently running his soda runs…for once he even made me think he was a nice guy. But he’s being the most annoying now! So, So…why’

 “WHY THE HELL IS KAI MY ENEMY?” I shouted out with frustration. The court became suddenly quiet as people watched me. I gaped for a moment and felt the blush reaching my face as I realized what I had just done. Although he was surprised at my sudden yelling, Jungkook tossed the ball into the air and served it to the other side. Kai widened his eyes in surprise from hearing my shout. He hesitated for a moment, forgetting the ball that was going to drop, but Kai soon bolted toward the ball and shot it in another tight corner. I reached for it, but I was too far away. Jungkook sped towards the falling ball. He dived for it

“I’ll definitely get it!” Jungkook shouted. He barely reached the ball, but was able to bump the ball back into the air. However, it was awkwardly passed back into the air and the ball started heading toward the left side of the net. I bit my lower lip and ran with determination. I twisted my body to hit the ball on the other side.

‘I’ll get it even if it kills me’ I stretched my arms out and bumped the volley ball to the other side. I grinned as I saw it go over the net. However, my moment of  happiness last for a couple of seconds as I tripped over my own legs and lost my footing. I closed my eyes tightly, knowing that I will hit the ground. However, before I fell, firm arms caught me. I looked up to see Kai panting and holding me.

“Sunbae…you really are stupid” Kai muttered, but smiled weakly. “I give up” Kai whispered in between his breaths.

--

 I lied on the wooden porch that was on the side of the training house. Evening had set in, and I could see the stars trickle across the sky. I ran my fingers through my freshly washed hair, tired and exhausted. I fanned myself as I felt the night breeze blow warm air into my face. I finally got up and saw the campfire lighting in the front porch of the training house. Since it was the last day, Yondei and Hanyang were having a barbeque together. Laughter and fighting could be heard drifting into the air with the barbeque smoke.

I wandered off, telling them I wanted to rest for a few moments. Truthfully, I was too tired to force a smile and act like the sweet Seulbi.

But I advise you to work on handling your patience and anger. You succumb to your emotions more easily than you think

“Oh shut up” I muttered to myself and massaged my temples. In the end, Kai forfeited the game, allowing Jungkook and I to win. After winning, people flooded towards us and asked us to head toward the photo shoot session. We profusely declined and apologized over and over again which took some time. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to find peace within myself. I closed my eyes and tried to lie back down on the smooth wooden boards. As I was enjoying the tiny bits of silence, my eyes shot open when I heard the soft playing of piano music. I got up slowly and looked inside the empty training house. Walking carefully, I followed the music. I hummed with it because I had heard this song somewhere before. I passed room by room and turned a left down a hallway that I knew existed but rarely needed to walk in. My feet soon took me to the back of the training house that had its own porch. When I slid open the paper doors, I found an empty brown, old looking piano. The seat was pushed in and there were no music sheets anywhere.

 In the quiet night, I could only hear the crickets chirping softly. But I knew I heard the music somewhere.

“Sunbae, why are you creepily standing there?” A voice asked behind me. I jumped to see Kai raising an eyebrow at me and then glancing around the empty porch. I breathed in and out, trying to calm my heart rate down.

‘Could I be really just hearing things?’

“Ah…I just thought I heard something back here” I forced a smile at Kai who smirked.

“Ah, ghosts maybe?” Kai walked into the back porch and sat down by the wooden steps so that his feet touched the sand. He looked up at the night sky, enjoying the silence. I became frigid at the word, ghost,  and laughed, telling Kai to stop joking. Kai sighed a moment and glanced back at me.

“You know you can stop pretending” Kai said to me. I looked at him and forced another smile.

“Sunbae, I don’t think it’s healthy to hide and pent up all your emotions inside. At least when your with me, know that you don’t need to force yourself to smile or laugh when you’re tired” Kai said to me seriously. My right hand went towards my left arm, hugging myself. I uncomfortably stood.

“Stupid brat” I muttered under my breath. Kai chuckled when he heard those words and motioned me to come closer. I reluctantly did and frigidly sat next to Kai. Silence settled between us and all we could hear was the distant laughing from the front porch. Bored, I drew in the sand with my feet.

“Everything turn alright?” Kai asked. He leaned back and stretched his long legs. I stopped to look at Kai curiously.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t think you would have played in a volley ball contest so seriously if it was simply just for fun. Is Jungkook alright?” Kai reworded his question again and glanced over to me. I blinked my eyes and a surge of anger filled when a light bulb went off in my head.

“You knew!?” I exclaimed and gaped at him. Kai shook his head.

“Sunbae, you told me before that sometimes people need to hide how they truly feel due to circumstances and learn how to let go. Have you noticed though that you always tend to sacrifice yourself for others? Your interests, your likes, your wants for someone else?

So I assumed that you were only trying so hard because this was important to Jungkook. Majorly important by the looks of your face during the match” Kai lied on the cold wooden porch and closed his eyes. I looked down at him in disbelief.

“Then why did you try so hard to win!? If you knew that then, my god. Jungkook’s problem was very important and if you understood that then why couldn’t you just-?”

“Because I hated seeing you like that. Wearing clothes you never liked, feeling uncomfortable on the court, being gawked by all those guys, and then finally taking most likely sensual pictures during the photo shoot? Who knows what people will do with your pictures?” Kai opened his eyes seriously and looked at me deeply. For some reason, I felt a sense of relief fill me. All day, I had been wondering why he had been playing volley ball. I even thought that he might have liked Mika or he just hated me now.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Yah, for some stupid reason like that. Like I said, Jungkook’s problem was really important-”

“And no matter what, you are the most important thing to me” Kai rose and leaned close to me. He stared into me as he said each word. I felt my face becoming red when Kai’s fingers inch closer to mine. He was too close that I could feel him breathing.

“But in the end, I had to give up because I thought you would really hate me, Seulbi Sunbae” Kai chuckled softly. He grasped my hand and glanced to see my embarrassed and blushing face.

“Y-Y-You’re an idiot, you know that?” I stuttered as I tried to retract my hand away. However, Kai held onto my tightly. He smirked.

“Oi, Sunbae…I got first place in the exams. A higher than you, Rank 2 Sunbae. Well…I guess it’s not that fair since my test could have been “easier” since I’m a year younger than you, but then again…a deal’s a deal.

But Sunbae, you’re really terrible at keeping promises. Didn’t you say that you’ll spend time with me if I won? So at least, stay like this for a few moments” Kai whispered softly into my ear. He raised his other hand and gently felt my hair. I closed my eyes, blushing hard and shaking slightly. As the warm breeze blew around us, it muted any other sounds but the beating of our hearts. I felt my pulse racing quickly, but I stayed there. Centimeters away from Kai, centimeters away from his lips that never touched mine. 

--

Piano Playing that Seulbi Heard (Same From Chapter 6)