Was it okay for Byunghun to feel annoyed over how the guys wouldn't practice because of the new manager and the old manager?

The team was infatuated Son Naeun, the adorable first-year who couldn't do anything. It was clear that she only got in because she was attractive, as Sunyoung always had a thing for attractive managers. Whether it was cleaning the boys' gym towels or fetching a box filled with water bottles, she would skip over to a guy and strike up a conversation. If the guys were busy, then she would walk over to the coach, up to him by complementing the polo shirt he was wearing or how well he coached the team.

On the other hand, Byunghun discovered that his crush had joined the cheerleading squad. It turned out that if she was a cheerleader, she would be able to cheer for Jongdae from afar. Not only was it a nice change for her, but she also gained new (fake) friends and slowly changed. Byunghun didn't like the way she was changing, but Jongdae apparently had no problem with her endless flirts and heavy makeup. Since she was high up on the social pyramid, she was able to visit the gym to see her boyfriend. After all, the cheerleaders would do a lot of their practice in the gym.

He heaved a sigh, watching the girls practice stacking a pyramid. The boys were taking a ten-minute break, warming up or cooling down. He turned around and saw Sohyun approaching the court with a mop, sweeping up the slippery floor. As expected, the boys were chatting with Naeun, who wasn't planning to help out sooner or later. Sunyoung watched for a few seconds, but then her attention was back on Jongdae when he cupped her chin.

Feeling bad about Sohyun's lonely state, Byunghun walked over to a nearby bucket and pulled out a mop. Soon, he joined her at the courts, sweeping the court besides her. Sohyun paused, surprised to see him.

"M-May I ask why y-you're here?" she stuttered. He was reminded of Sohyun's bad habits with guys; her stutters made it difficult for guys to talk to her.

"I'm here to help, of course. Do you really think that you can clean this entire court alone? Obviously Luna can't help you, and Naeun isn't going to help you any time sooner. Besides, I usually cleaned the courts back when Luna was the manager." He smiled as he reminded himself of the old times where he tried to spend every free time with Sunyoung.

"Oh, I s-see. Then, t-thank you," Sohyun said quietly, sweeping the floor again.

"You should act less formal around me. You use phrases like 'thank you' or 'may I' and so on. Just say, like, 'thanks' or 'why are you here.' No need to be so uptight," Byunghun criticized. "See, this is why the guys aren't talking to you. You're too awkward and it's tiring to strike up a conversation."

"I-I apolo–I mean, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm not interesting," Sohyun muttered, looking away.

"I didn't say that you should be sorry for that. What I'm trying to say is that if you're going to talk to them, then try to be like them. Look at Naeun! She's great at flirting, not to mention that she knows how to read the atmosphere. Then there's Luna. She might be a cheerleader, but she still has the playful attitude of hers," Byunghun pointed out.

"So you're saying that I-I shouldn't be m-myself?" Sohyun asked.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. He watched her face fall into a solemn expression. She heaved a sigh and walked away with her mop in her hands, sweeping on the court far across from where he was standing. Byunghun scratched his head, wondering if he had said something wrong.

Since he was young, he never really had to talk much. It was always Dasom who did a lot of the talking. She was an expert on giving advices, too, but Byunghun never really listened. Therefore, he wasn't sure how effective words were, and he would always say anything that popped up in his head. It was clear through people's reactions that they were bummed about Byunghun's critics, but he could never notice. The one who showed him the consequences was Jieun, but she didn't even know that she was torturing him through her long stories about Hyunwoo.

"Lee Byunghun!" The captain wrapped his arms around Byunghun's neck, playfully choking him. Byunghun groaned, despising the man he least wanted to see. "What are you doing here? Are you cleaning? Leave that up to the managers!"

"Oh, leave him alone, sweetie!" Sunyoung said, skipping next to her boyfriend. "He likes doing this. He always did this since I was the manager."

Byunghun felt his heart skip a beat. She noticed.

"Really? Now that you mention it, he did do a lot of the dirty work with you," Jongdae said, pondering on Byunghun's actions. "He was awfully close to you, too…"

"Aw, are you jealous? Don't be, sweetie. He's just another…" Sunyoung stared at him for a few seconds. "I guess he's just a friend. I don't know, we never really talked much."

Ouch. The poor boy felt his back cringe.

"Really? So you weren't that close to be friends, yet he was still around you and helped you with the manager stuff? That's weird," Jongdae said. He finally released his grip around Byunghun, who only stared at the ground.

"Ha! Oh my gosh, the answer is so obvious!" Sunyoung flashed him a smirk. "You're a neat-freak, right?"

Freak. Out of all the words she could've used, she just had to use "freak."

Jongdae laughed, causing Sunyoung to join him. Byunghun tightened his grip around the mop's handle.

That's not it, he wanted to say. I'm not a neat-freak. I just did all that to get your attention. I like you, Luna. I really, really–

"I think you should apologize," Sohyun said, returning back to the bucket full of water. The couple stopped laughing and stared at the hard-working manager. Jongdae frowned at her, while Sunyoung gave her a haughty look.

"Excuse me?" she said, raising an eyebrow. Byunghun looked up with wide eyes.

The old Sunyoung wouldn't have said such a thing; the old Sunyoung would've apologized earnestly, then try to bring up a happier, lighter topic. The new Sunyoung was more intimidating, giving the first-year a threatening vibe as if someone had stepped in her territory.

"I said that you should apologize to Byunghun. No one likes being called a 'freak.' Trust me, it's the worst," Sohyun said. "Plus, why are you here? Shouldn't you be practicing?"

Sunyoung clicked her tongue. "Geez, I picked the wrong manager. Good thing I picked two managers."

"I was just suggesting that you should apologize to him. You hardly know him, yet you're making fun of him. If he wants to help clean, then just leave him be. He did no harm to you, did he?" Sohyun asked.

"Jongdae! Talk to her!" Sunyoung complained, hiding behind her boyfriend.

Jongdae slowly approached the new manager with easy steps. "Look, I don't mean to take sides or whatever, but in all honesty, it was just a joke. I think that you should apologize to my girlfriend over here for being disrespectful."

Sohyun opened , but the words wouldn't come out. She stared at Jongae's gaze, trembling at the sight of his tall height. Remembering how Sohyun was no good with guys, Byunghun decided to step in, hiding Sohyun behind his back. She stared at him, startled to see him commit such a delicate action.

"Sorry, Captain. Luna, you can go back and have a few more minutes with your boyfriend. It seems like coach is getting ready for more practice," Byunghun quickly said, stepping back with Sohyun. "Now, if you'll excuse us…"

He swiftly grabbed ahold of Sohyun's wrist and pulled her to the other side with the bucket and mops, hoping to get as far away as he could from the couple. He glanced back, and saw Sunyoung stick her tongue out at them while Jondgae managed to sneak a kiss. Before their lips touched, Byunghun faced forward and stopped at the corner of the court, where he gently dropped the bucket and began to soak the mop.

"Are we done? Did you get this side yet?" Byunghun asked, his back facing the couple.

"Y-Yes! W-We're done. I-I'm sorry for getting i-involved," Sohyun apologized, looking down.

"Nah, it's fine. I needed you to in. Thanks," he said, grinning while patting her head. It took him a few minutes to recognize how small her head was, not to mention that her short, wavy hair was incredibly soft. He kept brushing her hair for a while, liking the silky texture interwining his fingers.

"Hey! Lee Byunghun! Hurry up and come to the court!" Daehyun screamed at the other side. Byunghun snapped out of his thoughts, then withdrew his hand.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to touch your hair that long. It's just… Do you use conditioner? Dasom told me something about using conditioner for her hair so that it gets softer," Byunghun said, anxiously glancing back. He watched the members gather at the other side of the court, and he saw Daehyun signalling him to come. "You know what? You can answer that later. I need to go. Good work!"

He jogged over to where the guys were gathered in a large circle. By the time he arrived, the coach was already starting a lecture, telling them how they could not afford to lose any games against a certain team. Byunghun crept next to Daehyun, who kept looking back. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what Daehyun was looking at.

"Hey, what were you doing over there with Sohyun?" Daehyun whispered quietly.

"Just chatting. Why?" Byunghun asked.

"No, nothing. She looks really red, that's all," the blond boy murmured, facing back at the coach. Byunghun scrunched his eyebrows together, and slowly glanced back to sneak a peek. His eyes slightly widened, and his head whirled around. His eyes were on the coach, but his mind was somewhere else. Indeed, Sohyun's face was red, and he kind of wanted to know if she was coming up with a fever.

Dasom shivered as she and Jieun walked across the gym. Jieun noticed, and decided to ask why she suddenly felt the chills.

"I feel like someone close to me got the wrong love interpretation," Dasom muttered, glaring at the gym. "I feel as if I should march in there and tell someone, 'Idiot! She likes you!'"

Jieun laughed. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"No, I really feel this strong urge to go in the gym and tell someone about what blushing is," Dasom said, her eyes still on the gym. "Should we go inside? Byunghun is in there, anyway."

"Kim Dasom, if I knew you any better, I say that you're just being delusional and that there's nothing wrong. Besides, the guys are about to go back to practice," Jieun pointed out.

"True. Oh! Do you think Byunghun is done with the journal?" Dasom questioned her, her face glowing with glee.

"No idea, but I don't care. Come on! My sixth sense is telling me that Hyunwoo is at the agricultural building!" Jieun exclaimed, dragging her friend away from the stuffy building.

Byunghun sneezed as the boys were practicing any game strategies the coach was offering. He suddenly lost the ball to the captain, who easily passed the opposite team to make a point. Daehyun, who was part of Byunghun's team, jogged over to him and patted his shoulder.

"You okay? You seemed to be getting a cold," Daehyun said. "Though they usually say that if you sneeze, someone is talking about you."

"I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick. I think there's a fever coming around, too. Watch your health!" Byunghun warned him, remembering how crimson Sohyun's cheeks were.