Breathe in and count backwards from one hundred please. Remain calm, it’ll be over before you know it. Start counting.

100...99...98...97...96...9...5...

Jonghyun held out her reins to me, shaking me from my daydream. I thanked him and bowed to the stable hand, taking control of Midnight, leading her from the stableyard to the stadium. She was already warmed up, but I still checked her leg wraps to make sure they were secure.

“Choi, if you chew your lip any harder it’s going to come off! Are you sure you are okay? Do you want some more food or something to drink?” Jonghyun asked.

I shook my head, chuckling. I can do this. I can do this.

~

“UP NEXT IS CHOI MINHO OF SOUTH KOREA RIDING MIDNIGHT.  HE HAS AN INCREDIBLE TIME TO BEAT, BUT HE HAS A NEAR PERFECT TRACK RECORD AND HAS OUTSTANDING TIMES FOR ONLY BEING 18,” the announcer boomed over the microphone as I sat at the starting line.

The crowd was cheering loudly, all sorts of people I didn’t know hooting and cheering for me to begin. The time started once Midnight took a step over the line. I didn’t like to rush though. As the silence sliced the air and the crowd settled, I leaned over and whispered into Midnight’s ear as I always did before competitions.

“We are going to be perfect, girl,” I cooed in her ear, patting her neck.

I sat up, chin held high, holding my hand up to signal I was about to start. I urged Midnight forward, squeezing knees inwards to kick her off. We flew forward towards the first jump.

1...2...3.....squeeze up....over, I thought in my head as we soared over the first, second, and third hurdle. I pulled the reins tight, forcing Midnight around the first turn. We headed towards the water jump, making it over cleanly.

We ran through the rest of the course soaring over the jumps without any faults. We were coming up on the home stretch towards the triple. I tightened my grip on the reins squeezing as we went over the first. Midnight collected herself, immediately going for the second, but something in my mind clicked. I was at the Olympics, riding the horse I had trained since she was young. This was our moment.

We landed, Midnight collecting herself for the last jump. I reached forward with her, feeding her enough reins to reach her neck and push us over the last jump. I stretched forward, giving her space until I pulled us together as we landed perfectly. I heard the crowd go wild as we passed the finish line. I looked over at the scoreboard and noticed that we had the best time. I bowed to the crowd, a smile spread across my face.

“You did it! No one can beat that!” Jonghyun screamed as I dismounted Midnight in the waiting area under the stadium for final results.

“I wouldn’t be so sure, but it was a great run,” I beamed.

We sat down and waited for the other competitors to run through the course, keeping a close eye on the monitor as they all displayed near perfect runs. The stable hand cooled down Midnight as I waited, my eyes never parting from the scoreboard. There was only one competitor and I had never felt such a tighter knot in my stomach. They had a very clean run. Waiting for the final scores to be put up seemed like it took an hour when in all actuality it took a mere three minutes.

Time seemed to stop. I could muffled cheers as my eyes seized up and the call of my name in first. Jonghyun pulled me up from my seat and hugged me, pushing me into Midnight’s saddle. It took me a few moments, blinking furiously to clear my mind, before I urged Midnight towards the winner’s circle.

We had won gold.

We had won olympic gold.

It’ll be over soon, a voice said in my head.

They placed a blanket of flowers over Midnight’s neck and a gold medal around my neck. We rode around the circle in a slow walk, posing for the camera with our newest awards.

It was a success, good job, the voice said.

I felt a tightness in my chest as we made the last lap around the winner’s circle. I put my hand over my heart and began gasping for breath. I tried my hardest to gain control over my breathing. The last thing I remembered was falling off Midnight, blinded by the camera flashes.

~

I woke up in the hospital, mind groggy from the competition. I had won, but here I was still in the hospital. I looked around and noticed there was a boy in my room, lying on the bed parallel to mine, shuffling cards. I opened my mouth to speak to him, but only a hoarse rasp escaped my lips. It was loud enough to get his attention, though.

“Minho!” he exclaimed, getting up from his bed. “You are awake! Let me call Tiffany. Oh thank god, I thought you weren’t going to wake up.”

He pushed the nurse call button on the remote that controlled my bed before seating himself in a plastic chair near me. I examined the boy, wondering what he was in the hospital for. He must know me for my athletic achievements. I smiled to myself, happy I was popular.

The nurse came in, who I assumed was the Tiffany the boy was talking about. She looked at my monitor, jotting down notes about what the screen read, then proceeded to take my blood pressure and check my knee.

“How are you feeling, Minho?” she asked, feeling my forehead with the back of her hand.

“Great,” I smiled. “Why wouldn’t I be great after what happened? This was only a minor setback.”

“What do you mean, Minho?” Her voice sounded confused.

How could she be confused? Wasn’t it obvious why I was happy?

“You must not watch the Olympics,” I chuckled, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I won gold in show jumping.”

Her face did not change. She tried to smile, but failed, only confusing me more. This girl was not seeming to know who I was or what I had done. I was about to speak up and explain the situation to her when Jonghyun came into the room.

“Hyunnie!” I boomed, glad to see my friend.

“Minho how are you?” he asked, looking at Tiffany for a moment before refocusing on me.

“I’m good. Just telling this nurse about the gold medal I won.”

Jonghyun bit his lip, looking around nervously. I was becoming confused again. Why were they acting so strange.

“Minho,” Jonghyun began before stopping.

He took my hand in his and the back of it with his thumbs. He looked at me as if something died. I was so puzzled with his strange behavior until he said I didn’t win.

“What?” I exclaimed. “Impossible. You are lying.”

“No. Don’t you remember? You fell on the last jump and hit your head. You never finished Minho,” he whispered, holding my hand tighter.

“The anesthesia might have caused you to have false dreams that seemed like reality,” Tiffany noted.

“It can’t be. I won, Jonghyun. Tell me I won. Tell me I didn’t just waste my whole life,” I begged.

“I’m so sorry,” he breathed, barely audible now.

The tears poured out of my eyes some time after he apologized to me. I slowly began recalling the reason behind the throbbing pain in my leg. I recalled the boy whom I shared a room with and the way I had treated Jonghyun before the surgery. Slowly - no - painfully I remembered everything that I had seemed to have forgotten in my fantasy world.

I don’t know how long Jonghyun sat on the edge of my bed holding me as he my hair and whispered calmly in my ear. I don’t know when Tiffany left us. I don’t know when Kibum joined us, rubbing my back, finally seeing the true Choi Minho - a sobbing failure.

A/N: Sorry for the wait~~

Work has been crazy;;;;

What do you guys think of poor Minho?

More Minkey next chapter ~~^^