ONGNIEL ONE-SHOT

Word count: 8505

1

The sun wasn’t smiling from above anymore, instead its glare made everyone bow their heads to avoid it. Spring hadn’t brought what Seongwoo wanted and just walked away. He didn’t expect that the summer would do any better.

He had always wondered why the seasons exist. The summer would chase the bliss of the spring with unbearable heat from the golden orb. The autumn would jazz its way through the humid air, as if in a hurry to cover everything with the white blanket of snow. The coldness would slowly lose its teeth and gently kiss the first blossoms of spring.

And the cycle would begin again.

Seasons; an endless chase of life

Before the academic year would start, the school dance varsity team prepares an annual summer training program for every member. Ong Seongwoo was a dancer and part of the senior dance team. Dancing wasn’t just about the confidence, a form of self-expression or a great sense to match the beat.

It was the ability to captivate one’s attention with the fluidity and passion that made Seongwoo a great dancer.

He was supposed to be the president of the dance varsity if only he wasn’t fond of running away from his responsibilities.

Yet, Seongwoo had already decided that it’s better to live with the lie that he can avoid everything and can never be found,, than live a life based from someone else’s idea.

Lies are always born from lies.

Of all people, Seongwoo should know that he was the most hardworking and enthusiastic dancer in the school. He would be the first to arrive in the dance room and last to come out. During his free times, he would close his eyes and think of every step and positions that he could come up with.

Dancing had been his comfort and refuge from the lies he had been living from within,

The tales over his lips, half-assed smiles and kind words from him had been trying to satisfy everyone’s expectations. Seongwoo had always thought that life would be easier that way while in reality all he wanted to do was none of it.

After a long and exhausting training, he walked around the campus with his earphones on, attempting to block any sound from the physical world. He would do this to imagine and create new choreographies

-or to simply get away.

As he wandered around, he did not notice that he was on the other side of the campus already. It was a new place for him, he had never been in this side before.

There was no familiar sight

-only a faint sound of a ball.

Seongwoo wasn’t aware that there was an outdoor basketball court near the school, or maybe he heard it before but did not care. In this case, Seongwoo was lured by his curiosity and followed it.

Curiosity; a lust of the mind.

The sun was performing its coda, the day was nearing to end. Orange, red, and pink harmonized together, setting the mood for the sundown. Seongwoo looked up and glared at the mocking swirls of colours that belonged to the sky. He scoffed, knowing that darkness would take over soon.

The sound of a bouncing ball and the resonance of the metal ring got louder as he roamed more. He had set his mind not to interfere and go home as soon as he asked the direction going back to the gates.

Before him was a small basketball court surrounded with chain-link fencing with numerous trees and bushes. The concrete was covered with blue paint and the painted area was yellow with white border lines. On one side, there was a ring with fiberglass board.

And a human peach?

Seongwoo thought that there must be something wrong with him. He found it amusing to think that a peach was wearing a plaid red shirt and denim, could dribble around, and even shoot from the three pointer line

-and that he couldn’t take his eyes away from the person.

Seongwoo knew that his school was famous for their dance varsity and basketball team. He hadn’t watched any basketball tournaments for their schedules overlapped many times before. All he knew was that lot of people would go to support them in their tournaments and some would even take photos of and with them.

They were the pride of the school.

Since his freshman year, Seongwoo had been competing in numerous dance battles. He had won several championship titles including the best dancer award for two consecutive years that even caused people to look at him with jealousy and envy.

But these days, he was slowly losing his greed.

Lost: self, somewhere, please (don’t) return if found.

Navy blues soon engulfed the skies, the stars were peaking somewhere behind the haze of black cloud stretched thinly. The moon was preparing to come out and give the world a light in the dark.

Still, Seongwoo was gazing at the human peach.

There were two reasons that Seongwoo could think of why he was attracted to the person. First, his hair was eye-catching enough that you could easily distinguish him from the crowd. The fact that there were no people at all, the peach-coloured hair stood out against the green colours of the nature. Second, he was filled with a feeling of familiarity.

As Seongwoo watched every move the person made, he was reminded of the steps in his past performances. The amount of energy and effort the person put through his actions were something he recognized.

The passion that could move someone just by watching them

-it was similar to his.

Like a magnet, Seongwoo tended to distance himself from the attraction he just felt. It was too scary for him to take another step.

He was about to walk away when suddenly the human peach turned around and looked towards his direction. Immediately, he stood behind a tree and pondered why he was hiding there.

Why was his heart beating so fast?

Heartbeat; sometimes normal, sometimes a mess

As Seongwoo heard the bouncing of the ball, he assumed that the human peach was playing again. It’s already late and he had to go home. Thus, he took a deep breath, walked a few steps and ran away.

Seongwoo ran so fast he didn’t noticed the pair of eyes that followed him until he was gone.

~~

2

The hallway was filled with students greeting and hugging each other. Some would land playful punches and headlocks to their friends. One could easily point out the new students for they walked around looking frightened. The seniors stood tall and proud, confidence born from experience as they only had one year left.

 Seongwoo was constantly late on purpose in order to avoid crowded halls like that. He wanted to escape unnecessary conversations on the first day of school. If only he could not attract any attention at all. What he wanted was a long nap since he wasn’t able to sleep last night.

Unfortunately, he arrived at the school earlier than expected.

Sleep; there will always be a reason to lose it.

Seongwoo went to his class with half eyes open. The throbbing in his head and the noisy chatter of the students made him feel sick. It only got worse when he realized that he forgot his earphones.

“Good morning Seongwoo~”

Several students greeted Seongwoo as he passed by them. As always, he beamed a satisfying smile to acknowledge them and nodded at some people as they called his name. He also conversed with a few people, particularly his fellow senior dance teammates.

Seongwoo thought that would be enough for these people to leave him alone for two to three periods.

There’s nothing good that morning.

Soon the bells rang and everybody ran except Seongwoo; he took his time going to the room. At least, he would be able enjoy the short-lived peace for a moment.

Seongwoo’s first period gone by quietly. He chose to seat near the windows at the back, where he could observe other people and pretend to sleep if they got any close. It was really hard for Seongwoo to make-believe that he was  his true self inside the school.

It was difficult to be himself.

“Prof. Kim won’t be able to attend today, we are free for the rest of the period,” one of his classmate announced at the front.

Seongwoo watched his classmates cheer like they just won the lottery. Some went to their friends to chat and gossip around while few people exited the room and went somewhere.

But Seongwoo decided to stay inside the room and rest.

His eyes were heavier and more tired. He was about to close them when someone called his name.

“Seongwoo!”

“Oh. Hey.” Seongwoo monotonously said after he tried to lift his head to see the person.

“How you doing?” It was one of his dance team mate that constantly bug him to enter dance competitions.

“Good.” Seongwoo said and forced a small smile.

“Are you going to compete this year?”

“Hmm. I haven’t thought about it.”

Actually, Seongwoo had thought of this many times before. He was in a never-ending debate with himself when it came to the dance battle. He wished to perform his last piece as a commemoration of his own final act. But his motivation to perform is a bit lacking due to all these expectations.

“You should go! A lot of people are expecting to watch your last dance in school.”

See?

“I’ll think about it.” Seongwoo replied with a hallow smile.

“Okay.” His team mate said and turned away to face their other classmates.

Seongwoo noticed the tension fill the air. He sensed the stares directed to him and heard a few hushed comments about him. He felt extremely anxious with the situation he was in.

Seongwoo never liked those reactions whenever he tried to express his self a bit more. He never wanted this kind of attention.

An excellent idea: change the subject

“Hey uhm do you know anything about our basketball team?” Seongwoo touched the back of his neck and asked his classmates that was talking near him.

“I only know a little.”

“Me too, I haven’t watched any of their games since I always go to the dance varsity practice.”

“Yeah, same here.”

Luckily, his classmates responded to him.

“Oh. Thank you for supporting us.” He let out a sigh of relief and went to them.

“You should ask that boy from the lower year, he knows a lot of things about the basketball team since he take photos of them.” His classmate said and pointed at the boy with the camera.

“Alright. Thanks, man.” Seongwoo said and strolled his way to the boy at the front.

Seongwoo never had a conversation with the said boy but he looked rather familiar to him. He had seen the boy walking around the campus with his camera hanged on his neck if not playing with it.

Sometimes, he would see him with some group of females that were willing to buy his photos. He was known for taking photos from basketball tournaments and selling them. He even had some photos from neighbouring schools.

It took two minutes for Seongwoo to remember that the boy was one of the freshman who auditioned for the dance team last year. He could still recall the remarkable piece the boy performed. And how numerous dance steps filled his mind after the performance.

Sadly, the boy never showed up after that day.

Disappear: cease to exist, cease to escape.

He lazily approached the boy, grabbed a chair, and sat across him. As the boy noticed that there was someone near him, he turned off his camera and faced the person.

“Hey~” Seongwoo awkwardly said.

“No response.”

“Any chances that you know a human peach who plays basketball?”

Seongwoo considered his question a foolish one. He would’ve shrugged his shoulder instantly if someone would ask him the same question.

“Human peach? Basketball?” The boy with the camera paused, tilted his head, and bit his lip.

Cute: huh, he can do that too

“Ah! Are you talking about Kang Daniel?” The boy said and his face lit up as if he cracked a difficult code.

“Kang Daniel?” Seongwoo’s brows furrowed as he tried to remember the name.

“Yes! The basketball player with pink hair? He is also the current captain of the team. He goes by the name KD sometimes.”

Seongwoo spaced out for he couldn’t understand anything the boy was saying. Abruptly, the boy turned his camera on and search some photos.

“Here. The one holding the ball is Kang Daniel.” The boy told him and pointed out the human peach in a jersey uniform.

Seongwoo noticed how the photo was well-shot. The angle was perfect for the viewer to see the expression of the subject and made them feel like they were watching the scene from above.

What made him hold his breath was that the human peach was looking directly at him, as if he knew that the photographer was taking a picture of him.

“Kang Daniel is really cool. He lets me know their schedules beforehand so I could take photos of them.” The boy added.

“Hmm. Hey, do you know any outdoor basketball court around the campus?” Seongwoo asked, feeling a little irritated for some reason he too do not know.

 “Oh? We have, but no one aside from the basketball team uses it. In fact, only a handful of people know, it exists. Daniel usually practices there alone whenever he arrives earlier than his teammates and sometimes after school too.” The boy answered and gave Seongwoo an unsual look.

If Seongwoo could see himself that moment, he would’ve laughed at the expression on his face. He was pouting and his brows creased as he thought of the relationship of the human peach to this boy.

“Uhm. Do you want to watch them?” The boy nervously asked Seongwoo.

“Watch, what? Them, who?” Seongwoo knew what the boy was talking about, he just wanted to a little bit. He wanted this boy to relax, he was so tensed while talking to him.

“Do you want to watch the basketball team’s practice? They’ll be having a practice game against the neighbouring school later.” The boy said with a small hint of annoyance.

“Can we watch them?” Seongwoo asked then faced the boy.

“Of course! You should go and watch Daniel play. He’s really good.”

Ever since he attended the high school, Seongwoo wasn’t able to go to their tournaments or even see the basketball team play Right away, he got excited with the idea of watching the practice game and

-seeing the human peach again.

Until, he was reminded of his schedule.

“I can’t. I-I have dance practice later.” His voice wavered, eyes shaking.

“Oh. Right. You’re from the dance team that is why you’re not familiar with the basketball team.” Out of the blue, the sound of the boy’s voice got colder.

“Yeah.” It was the only reply Seongwoo could think that time.

Suddenly, a blanket of tension covered the two. Both eyes were shaking and trying to avoid catching glances from each other.

Seongwoo couldn’t take it anymore and stood p.

“I’ll go now.” The boy nodded. “See you around.” He said to the boy and went back to his seat.

All day long, Seongwoo thought about the invitation of the boy earlier. His mind was filled with the images of the human peach and numerous scenarios in the gym. He didn’t pay attention to the class since he was really sleepy. When he’s about to create some choreographies, he was reminded of the offer, again.

And without his earphones on, it would be impossible for Seongwoo to concentrate.

Distraction; will make you lose your mind and do things you’re not supposed to do

~~

3

“Hey. Uhm. Can I go with you?”

The boy with the camera looked up and stopped preparing his things as he heard someone behind him.

“Oh. Go where?” The boy was amused that his instinct was right.

“You know where!” Seongwoo whined a bit.

“I’m just joking. Sure you can, let’s go.”

The boy was supposed to leave ten minutes ago but was sure that he would watch the game with someone else that day.

He knew since he felt the similarities between them.

The walk to the gym didn’t take too long. The two talked comfortably about dances and other things related to it. The boy with the camera introduced his name, but Seongwoo was determined to call him Hoonie.

 “Oh it’s starting. Hurry!”

Seongwoo felt giddy. He wanted to run, to jump, to scream, to tell everyone that he was really happy that he could finally watch the basketball team, but he remained calm. He didn’t want anyone to know that he waited for this for a long time.

As he stepped into the gym, his ears were filled with cheers. The sound of the rubber against the floor made his body shiver. Every time the ball touches the court, it’s almost as if it was following a beat. The thrumming that he felt from the scene was rhythmic and it resonated to his bones.

It all seemed similar to him standing on the stage and performing. Being the center of everyone’s attention and having them focus on every little movement brought familiar excitement that made adrenaline pump through his veins.

It felt great.

The screams got louder as the final buzz was made. The basketball practice came to an end with the score of 82-80, Wanyang won against Houkkoch.

“Hoonie~ I’ll get some drinks for us. Do you want anything?” Seongwoo asked the boy beside him as he continued to take pictures of the game.

“Cherry Blossom Frappuccino, please!” Hoonie answered and grinned at him.

“Okay! Water for you.” Seongwoo retorted and walked away.

With every step he took, he could still feel the energy that flowed through him. He didn’t exactly know how good the players were earlier. He just guessed since he wasn’t able to focus on the game itself.

Instead, his eyes only followed the human peach

-only him.

Seongwoo went to the nearest vending machine to get something to quench his thirst. He checked his pockets and got enough coins for his favourite peach-flavoured ice tea drink. After he put the coins in and pressed some buttons, the bottle came out.

He was about to open it but a hand grabbed the bottle and drink from it.

“Hey! That’s mine!” Seongwoo whined and turned around, ready to punch the person behind him.

But he didn’t.

Seongwoo halted, he did not yell nor punch the person. Rather, he just stood there frozen.

He watched the person as he finished his peach iced tea up to the last drop, and stared at him as he laid down on the bench and covered his eyes with his arms.

“Payment.” Daniel mumbled, but it was enough for Seongwoo to understand him.

“Payment? For?” Seongwoo was still confused, he couldn’t concentrate on what Daniel was saying for he was focused on the person currently trying to catch his breath.

“For watching me the other day.”

“What are you talking about?” Seongwoo raised his voice a little as he felt anxiety crash into him.

“Don’t yell at me. I’m really tired.”

Seongwoo paused for a moment and observed the human peach in front of him. Even if Daniel covered his face, Seongwoo could see that exhaustion took a toll on his body.

Seongwoo decided to lower his voice a little as he thought that the human peach must’ve played harder than anyone in his team.

Concern: minding other’s business, uhm caring

“You saw me?”

“Yes.”

“Watching you the other day?”

“Yes”

“How sure are you sure that I’m the one watching you at the outdoor court?”

“I never said that it was at the outdoor court.”

Daniel was still lying on the bench as Seongwoo suddenly felt weak. The human peach knew. He was slowly losing his mind so he decided to go back to the gym.

Seongwoo wished that Daniel didn’t see his face earlier or else he would combust because of shame.

“You’re here, where’s our drink?”

“Sorry Hoonie, I was robbed by a human peach.”

~~

4

The next day, Seongwoo made sure not to forget his earphones. He avoided people as much as he could and wandered around school with his eyes glued to the floor. He was groggy for he didn’t get enough sleep the previous night night, again.

A legend: when you can’t sleep at night, you’re awake in someone else’s dream, but whose dream?

Seongwoo was looking for his new found friend, Hoonie. He wanted to spend his free time hanging out with him. The boy was a bit annoying but cute at the same time. He had fun talking with him yesterday.

Their conversation felt comfortable and genuine.

What he liked the most about Hoonie was he didn’t pressure him to continue when he said to drop the topic.

His thoughts about his photographer friend was disturbed as heard someone talking, halfway through what sounded like a confession. Seongwoo stood frozen on the stairs, around two steps behind the couple.

“You should stop. This will only hurt you.”

Seongwoo recognized the male’s voice but couldn’t point out who he was. He hid and sat two steps lower where the couple was standing. It would be mo