Today is the day.

If Haeri thought her nerves were bad at the previous game... well, she wishes she felt like that now. Because it's champs day and she really feels like she's going to throw up within the next five minutes. Joonmyun puts her on the starter team next to Sehun and pats her on the shoulder when she makes her way up to her seat. Once again, the teams sit through the normal routine; the proctor runs through the rules, and the players all introduce themselves. Then it's time to begin.

For the first half of the game, Haeri answers absolutely nothing. At least half the questions she knows the answers to, but she's either too scared and unsure to buzz or somebody else gets there faster than her. It's frustrating, and she feels incredibly useless just sitting there dumbly. When Joonmyun calls the first time-out and comes over to give them advice, Haeri grabs his arm.

"I can't do it," she pleads. "I'm not helping at all."

"You're staying in the game, Haeri," he answers, a stubborn look on his face. "And that's the end of this conversation."

"Why!?" she exclaims. "Put somebody in that's better than me, there are plenty of others out there that could play instead of me. I'm costing us points."

Joonmyun just shakes his head. "I know you have it in you. If we lose, we lose. But we aren't having fun unless we're buzzing." He shoots her one last meaningful look, then takes his seat in the audience again.

Haeri clenches and unclenches her fist and ignores Sehun's puzzled look from the corner of her eye.

It's alright for you, she thinks rather bitterly. You're getting almost all the questions.

Slowly, however, things begin to pick up for her. The game is just as close as the previous one had been, and it's nerve wracking, but Haeri manages to answer a couple questions as the game proceeds. Joonmyun nods approvingly at her, and she can't help but roll her eyes.

Finally, the game is down to the last minute and neither team is pulling ahead. Even the proctor is sweating slightly in the tension that fills the room. Seoul High gets a point, then the other school. Now the two schools are tied and then the proctor is reading out the question that Haeri knows will be the last.

"What is the name of the book that begins with the line 'Call me Jonah'?"

Haeri's mind goes into overdrive, and before she knows what she's doing, she's slammed her hand down on the buzzer, just as the timer screeches the end of the game. Whether or not she gets this point will determine the winner and the loser.

"Seoul High, Lee Haeri," the proctor acknowledges, then waits expectantly for her answer. Haeri's mind goes blank for a precious second.

Somebody - Sehun? - nudges her hand comfortingly, and she snaps to her senses.

"Cat's Cradle," she answers, voice somewhat shaky, but it doesn't even matter anymore because the proctor nods and Seoul High gets the point and suddenly everybody's cheering and crowding around her and-

-and it hits her that they've won! She, Lee Haeri, answered the deciding question, and at that thought a huge smile spreads across her face. She feels on top of the world. She feels like she can do anything.

She turns to Sehun, still grinning, and finds to her surprise that he's grinning too. He holds up his hand to her, and she high fives him as hard as she can, laughing. She can't seem to stop laughing, and doesn't mind this at all. She feels suddenly that she should say something to Sehun, and the right words come easily for once.

"Thanks for being my partner this whole season," she tells him sincerely. "I used to think you were a jerk, but... you're not. You're pretty cool and the best math partner I could have asked for, and I hope that we can be friends."

To her utter shock, she's suddenly enveloped in a very comfortable hug.

"Thank you too, Haeri," Sehun smiles down at her. "I'm glad you don't think I'm a jerk anymore." He pauses. "Now, I have a very important proposal for you."

Haeri feels her heart beating faster.

"What is it?"

His eyes twinkle.

"How would you like to go on a date with me?"