chapter four; 

                 super bowling

» jaejoong "Hey, Jaejoong, wanna come to the club with us tonight?” Junsu elbowed me as we were getting our stuff out of the locker after a hot and sweaty soccer practice.

“Can’t go, I have work.” The automatic answer earned groans from all over the locker room.

“Jae, my man, you’ve been missing out on everything!” Our captain Taecyeon shook his head disapprovingly. “No offense, I like you and all, you’re a great additional to our team, but you’re not a part of the family if you don’t hang out with us aside from practice.”  It was true that I don’t hang with the guys a lot, despite the fact that they are the few people I’ve met before school even started. Growing up, I had always loved the sports, soccer the most, so I signed up for the tryouts, got on the school team, and had been practicing three to four days a week with these guys ever since. After practice, I’d usually go to Solar Café to meet up with Dara, go straight to work in the bowling alley, or head back home to help around the house. The guys usually wanted to go to lounge bars and clubs to party, but that was not really my thing.

“Yeah, Jaejoong. We gotta have a steady relationship in order to improve our teamwork,” Junsu winked playfully, earning some laughs.

“Next time I’ll be there,” I promised. “Just not today, I have to head down to the bowling alley for the evening shift.”

“I don’t get it. What’s so great about that job anyway? The place is full of grannies and annoying kids,” Onew whined. “I’d rather work at McDonald’s, at least there are some decent chicks to check out once in a while.” He froze. “Unless…there are chicks at the bowling alley that you’re hiding from us?!”

All eyes were on me after Onew’s outburst.

“There are no ‘chicks’ there,” I calmly explained, using air quotations for the word they were all breathlessly waiting to hear about. Sounds of disappointment filled the locker room, and Jun K. even threw his towel on the ground in utter despair. I could not help but shake my head at their exaggerated reaction. Their lives were really just about soccer, girls, and parties. Throwing my duffel bag over my shoulder, I walked out the door. “See you guys tomorrow at practice.”

Biking from the school fields to the bowling alley was a relaxing 15 minutes. Not a worry in my head as I wind over the streets of the new town, wind smelling of faint flowers and ears filled with good music.  After locking up my bike in the parking lot, I walked into the bowling alley, to be greeted by laughter and the smell of shoes. It was actually a pretty easygoing working environment, with parents bringing their kids and the elderly bowling club coming to have a great time. My new boss, Mr. Granger,  is a nice guy, with a round beer belly and smile like Santa. He's also really generous with the pay, and loose with the rules. I'm pretty lucky to have landed this job. I like interacting with the customers, and getting to help little kids with putting on their bowling shoes or showing them how to get a strike.

As if that wasn't enough for you, the guys from my soccer team later dropped in as a surprise, saying that it was their way of celebrating me getting a new job. Those goofs, anyone here could tell that they were having the time of their lives bowling until their hands hurt. I could not help but laugh at them. They may seem like beasts on the outside, going to the hottest clubs and partying hard, but here they’re just like five-year-olds, being competitive and loud at the game. Despite all this, I cannot help but feel the way I do. I simply can't get the image of Dara getting picked up by a strange guy the day before.  Who is he, really? It drive me insane knowing they live together. Dara said so herself that he's the most important guy in her life. That thought does not sound good in my mind.
 

"Hey Kim, when are you going to come down and play with us?" Nichkhun hollered from his seat next to Taecyeon. So far, Chansung was in the lead, with six strikes and pumping his fist in the air to brag. "You keep on bragging how good you are, but I see no action!"
 

"I'm working, Nichkhun," I reminded him patiently for the tenth time in an hour. I wanted to get down and play as well, but it won't be a good impression on my boss if I do that. I want to keep this job. 
 

"Always the golden goody-good boy," Wooyoung chuckled, pretending to wipe tears from his eyes. "You're gonna be such a good husband, yo." I faked a move to throw the mop in my hand to them playfully, but did not feel offended at all. This was just how the boys are. After the short time training together, I already feel at home with them. At the moment, my boss walked towards me with another new part-time employee called Clara. 
 

"Jaejoong, you can go play a couple of games with your friends," he encouraged enthusiastically. The boss was really something. No wonder everyone in town loves to come here. "Clara needs to know how to do the rounds by herself anyway." The girl named Clara smiled at me shyly. I could hear some of the guys whistling lowly in appreciation. Of course she was not bad-looking, but she's definitely no Dara. I wiped my forehead of imaginary sweat, trying not to sound like a ert in my head. Why was I thinking about Dara so frequently today? I had just saw her the day before.  

"Thanks, boss!” The guys hooted in appreciation and I went back to the storage closet to put back the mop. While sitting down to put on my own bowling shoes, someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was Dara. I had to rub my eyes, twice, to see that it was not my hallucination, but the actual Dara, that was in front of me, smiling brightly.

“I’m here to challenge you to bowling!” She explained gleefully, throwing her arms out in a “ta-da” position. Today she was wearing cute overalls and her hair in pigtails, like one of the fifth-grade girls in lane 15. How adorable.

“Alrighty then.” I returned the smile. “Since you came all the way here to challenge me, it’s only proper that your game’s on me.”

“No, it’s okay.” Dara shook her head. “You just started working here, there’s no need to spend your first salary on me! Besides, Jiyong’s paying.” Dara beamed at the mention of Jiyong, with sparkles in her eyes.

“Oh, you’re here with Jiyong?” I tried to act casual as I looked around for the figure of that guy I saw back in Solar Café. I had previously been happy beyond description that she came to visit me at work, but now it was looking as if it had just been a coincidence, with her coming here with Jiyong on a date. I felt a bit disappointed.

“He’s not here yet, silly,” Dara hit me playfully on the shoulder. “He’s got the night shift, so he’ll be late. But he’s coming in later. I need some practice before he gets here, and you can totally help me!” I was completely helpless when it comes to her begging puppy eyes.

“I guess,” I sighed as she spun around happily in victory. After I regist