Being competitive was a trait you inherited from your mother. She was a star athlete back in high school, a champion debater in college, and now, the feisty coach of your alma mater's male volleyball team. And just like your mother, you accepted all challenges given to you, and never took no for an answer. You always strived for the best, wanting to prove to them, to yourself that you could accomplish any task you set your mind to. For you, all things were possible thanks to a little recipe your mother taught you: a few cups of hard work, some tablespoons of will power, and the secret ingredient: a pinch of fire and adrenaline that drove you to your maximum potential.

And for the past twenty-two years of your existence, not even the sky was your limit. _[1]

But then this thing happened; this thing on your hands--this dreaded, cursed, wretched thing from the planet Earth. Its multi-colored faces drove you to the edge; this thing mocked you, ridiculed you, poked fun at the fact that it has indeed bewildered you.

"This is impossible!" you exclaimed, slamming the toy down on the mahogany dinner table.

The dormers present in the lobby stopped whatever they were doing, and looked at you, wondering what it could be that vexed Lu Han's normally calm and cool roommate.

Chen got up from his seat on the floor, and made his way towards you. He pulled out the chair right across yours, and sat down, blinking his worried eyes at you. "What's wrong, Noona?" he asked feebly, his voice almost a whisper in spite of the silence that hung in the air. His ruddy cheeks grew pale when he saw the glare you were giving the toy right in front the two of you. He averted his look away from yours, and stared, instead, at the object of your frustration.

A Rubik's Cube.

"This, Chen," you seethed, pointing at the toy without removing your gaze. "I'm usually very good with puzzles, but not this. This is different, and it's making me mad. I've been going at it for two and a half days now; I've watched those videos on Youtube, read the manual, and all the ty things that could possibly help me. I'm at a losing end here, Jong Dae."

And with that, a magnificent idea was born inside of Chen's head.

You + Rubik's Cube = A chance for his Hyung to make a move.

A move.

You know, that thing Lu Han has not been doing ever since he fell in love with you.

(At this, Chen kind of wants to roll his eyes--out of pity for his Hyung, and out of disbelief at how sinister he was being right now. He swears that it's Lay's, his roommate, fault. Lay's mischievousness was creeping into his system, unfortunately.)

Chen smiled--an innocent grin that cannot elicit any suspicion. Time to play matchmaker.

"You know, Noona," he began--rather cautiously, too, because he was scared that you would just suddenly explode, "Lu Han-hyung's skilled with this. He can solve it in less than a minute! You should talk with him about it."

Okay, giving his Hyung additional, bonus points that will make Noona like him more--check.

But you deadpanned at him, and it was then that Chen realized that his plan could very well be a failure.

You stare at him as if he's said the most obvious thing in the world, and you don't like it one bit. Your pursed lips are that of dissatisfaction. "I know, Chen" you said, "Of course I know. But there is no way I am going to that bastard."

Chen cringed; that last word right there was said with so much contempt, it frightened him. If it were possible, his cheeks turned even paler, as if all the hemoglobin in his blood drained out. "...W-why not, N-noona?" he stammered, goose bumps lining his arms as you shifted your glare from the Rubik's Cube to his poor, weak self.

"Because, Chen, that bastard and I made a bet. If I can solve this thing in three days, he'll buy me as many Adventure Time merchandise as I want," you explained. "Ugh, damn it, mother, why does your competitiveness run through my blood? Couldn't you have passed me a more mellow trait, like, I don't know? Cooking? Oh, wait, you're not--"

"And if you don't?" Chen interrupts your little monologue.

You bit your lip, snapping out of your weird usage of apostrophe._[2]

"I have to be his personal driver for two weeks."

You frowned. "That bastard," you muttered, "He has his own car, and he has two feet that work perfectly. I swear, Chen, your Hyung is such a lazy ." With one last, exasperated sigh, you stood up and headed for the kitchen. "Damn it, I need some milk to calm myself," you declared, scratching your head hot from being so angry and frustrated.

When you return, however, you find that the Rubik's Cube is missing.

And so is Chen. 

Author's Note:

Hello, everyone! It's been such a long time, hasn't it? I'm sorry for being gone for almost three weeks! I just got back from my field trip, so I'm still a bit tired.

T.T

Nonetheless, it was a fun trip 8D Too bad I wasn't able to take photos. 

OTL

This chapter was supposed to focus on Lu Han's affinity for Rubik's Cube, but it turned to this instead, so...I'm still not sure if I should write a sequel or prequel or neither. If ever I will, I'll do it after The Beach, Etude House Adventure, and Countdown. 

In other news, just an update on the Taemin chapter: it is no where near being finished. 

:))  #suchatroll

I haven't had the time to write thanks to academics, field trips and other shizz, so please bear with me. 

Anyhow, for those of you who have missed it, here's the chapter preview for Taemin's story:

"I discovered dance when I entered Junior High."

For the first time in my life, I felt alive--free from my mother's demands, and from my obligations as her son. 

~

"My naive, fragile heart told me that she was what I wanted."

But I would soon realize that "wanted" is not the same as "needed." 

~

"I honestly don't know why I even agreed to do this in the first place, but the principal asked me to. So here I am."

Despite her words, however, I saw the shimmer in her sharp eyes, clearly telling me that what she said was different from what she felt. 

~

"I was gifted with the skill to easily read people's faces. Yours is no exception."

She was only an upperclassman with whom I had no relations, except for the tiny fact that I was under her wing. Except for that, I had nothing to do with her, and she had nothing to do with me. 

So I don't know why I ended up crying in her arms. 

And another preview (remember that preview about Lu Han discovering your weakness?):

Your allergy has got to be the weirdest in the entire world. 

That, and you have quite the sensitive tongue. 

Again, thanks for reading, subscribing and commenting!

Comments are appreciated! 

Footnotes:

[1] International Age

[2] Apostrophe the figure of speech