I accepted it into my soul and heart, there's no more denying I like Kang Seulgi. No matter how much of a prick she is and how easily she gets on my nerves, I do like her, even if its just the beginning of a crush forming, even if it's just fleeting. I can't deny it.

 

I went through all the stages. Denial, rage, a mini breakdown, more denial and now I'm in the acceptance stage. I even tried to justify it as lust because she's so attractive, I mean, everybody at school is like that when it comes to her, they don't even know her and yet talk about how hot she is and how they would kill to make out with her.

 

But it isn't her slim and toned body that appears in my dreams at night, nor the thrill of dating Kang Seulgi, the captain of the basketball team and everybody's hero, like those girls she complains about.

 

No.

 

Is her stupid comments and little notes, her gentle smile and all the other cringe worthy stuff nobody lusts over. Thoughts that only a person who's crushing on someone would have, the romanticizing of everything the other person does. Like instead of seeing her insistence as bothersome and creepy to have for a stranger, I see it as determination, a positive thing.

 

Like the lead of those bad romantic young adult novels that are so popular right now.

 

Ugh.

 

Who would've thought I'd be into her.

 

Everybody except me, apparently.

 

itsStill, even though I accepted it I decided to play it cool. I'm still not so sure about how deep my feelings are for the other girl and most importantly, I don't know how deep her feelings are towards me. So acting harshly doesn't seem the correct thing to do at the moment.

 

Besides I have the suspicion she likes I'm being difficult, it makes sense, I doubt someone like Krystal Jung just said yes to her on the spot, she doesn't seem the type, she looks more like the type who makes you suffer until you can't take it anymore.

 

And I know for a fact she has a problem keeping focused on anything that isn't bouncing a ball up and down.

 

So I rather play hard to get until we have our date. It'll give me a chance to resolve my feelings and don't come off as desperate for her, plus I want to see how compatible we are in a romantic setting because as nice as she is to look at, I want to see how would we be in a relationship because unlike Joy wants me to I don't go with the flow, I don't do casual.

 

It could totally backfire since I don't look like Krystal at all. I'm not tall, slim, nor have the appeal she has, nor share her passion for sports and I'm not that...flexible. But whatever, that's the plan.

 

I wonder if going to meet her at the gym a couple of hours before the game because she asked me to falls in playing hard to get...Well, I'm already on my way anyway.

 

I zip up my sweater to protect myself from the cold breeze feeling anxious to meet her. I couldn't even see her that much thanks to the preparations for her game, she still made time to say hi to me in our lunch hour before hurriedly going back to the gym.

 

It's not something you want when you finally realize you are kind of but not totally sure crushing on someone...Not seeing them enough. So when she called me and instantly begged me to meet her I didn't even put on a fight and accepted right away.

 

I don't think I'm doing the whole playing hard to get very well…

 

Not when I'm getting out of breath fastening my steps to the point where I might as well start jogging trying to get as fast as possible to our meeting place.

 

Finally, I reach the school's building where I have to put a stop to my steps and take out my phone to give a call to the other girl. Being careful of someone seeing me,I wait for my call to be answered tapping my foot on the ground. “Yah Seulgi I'm here.” I say as soon as I hear the other girl's breathing and the noise of a lot of people talking in the background.

 

“Really? I mean… um.” She falls silent for a second. “Can you meet me at the science lab? Try not to get caught, you're not supposed to be here.” She says in a hushed tone, she doesn't say anything else and hangs up the call. Questioning my life and choices, I stealthy move around the halls hiding behind the walls every time I hear someone approaching.

 

When I finally get to the place I twist the knob just to find the door is locked, huffing I rest my back against the door and wait for stupid Seulgi to arrive. There's no one on this floor so I can relax a little bit now and try to keep...or rather fake my cool, I use my phone as a mirror checking my makeup, I tried really hard to look like I didn't spend an hour fixing myself today as if I look like this every day when I wake up.

 

I pocket my phone when I spot the captain in her full gear running towards me grinning happily, the closer she gets the faster my heart beats. When she's considerably close I notice she isn't exactly wearing her basketball shorts, instead, she's wearing tight short shorts almost completely covered up by her long orange jersey revealing her very, very long pair of legs “Why aren't you wearing any pants?” I whisper while the other girl takes out a key and opens the door. “And where did you get the key?” Without answering either of my questions she takes a hold of my arm and pulls me to the classroom closing the door behind us.

 

“Hi.” She whispers still grinning. “I was really surprised when you called, didn't thought you were actually coming.”

 

“Told you I was.” I reply taking a step back for every step forward she makes. “About my questions...”

 

“Janitor.” She holds the keys up laughing making her eyes disappear, ok now I get what Joy meant. “And basketball shorts are too uncomfortable.” She says scrunching her nose like reliving something. “Plus they're ugly, I only wear them for the games.” We both laugh, me a little bit awkwardly trying to keep my eyes up away from her exposed legs. The last thing I need is being caught ogling her in the act but it's not like staring at her face is any better, not when she's smiling like that.

 

“So...” I walk around the table behind me in hopes to keep a distance between us but this is Seulgi we're talking about, she follows my steps keeping us close, suffocating and excruciatingly close. “W-why did you want to see me?” I say clearing my throat. “Aren't you suppose to be doing...captain stuff?”

 

“Captain stuff?” She chuckles. “The coach and Wendy are there so don't worry about that.” She puts a bag on the table and points to it. “I wanted to give you this.” Carefully I take the bag a look at its content and retrieve a black and orange snapback with the little white bear and our school's name sew on it. “Since I know you don't have any school spirit in you, I felt the need to give you this so people don't go crazy on you at the game.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yeah, people are very serious about this kind of stuff if they see you there without anything-”

 

“I mean did you really called me here just to give me this.” I show her the hat. “It's cute and everything but you could've given it to me right before the game.”

 

“I'm just concerned about your safety.” She grins “Also...” She slides her fingers on the table taking a few steps forward. “I wanted to see you but...that's pretty obvious, isn't it?” She says showing me a shy smile.

 

Play it cool, play hard to get. My brain chants screaming hoping to get my attention.

 

“We haven't seen each other much lately and I was getting kind of frustrated.” She stares at her fingers quietly drumming the table. “It was an impulse thing really, I didn't expect you to come.” She exhales through her nose, a little smile plays on her lips. “But you did because you felt the same way, right?” I chuckle scoffing because really, only Seulgi can ruin a moment so quickly with her comments, with her cheeky grin and flirty aura totally changing the scene.

 

“Right.” I say amused rather than bothered, another side effect from being crushing on someone. “And why are we in the science lab? Any special reason?” I try to divert the subject looking around the classroom.

 

“Girl's bathroom isn't really romantic.” She shrugs leaning into the arm resting on the table getting even closer, the chant my brain keeps doing seems to be fading away sounding like someone trying to call you as you speed up on a car. “Are you going to wish me good luck?” She raises her brows showing me that cocky smile of hers... This little prick.

 

“Good luck.” I lightly push her away from me giggling. “If we're done here... See you later.” I can hear her laugh behind me as I reach for the door but before I can open it she puts a hand on it keeping it closed.

 

“That's not how you say good luck before a game.” I hear her dangerously close, I look to my right and see her arm still pressed against the door. “You need to follow the tradition.”

 

“Is that so?” I slowly turn around, my breathing gets stuck meeting her eyes. I put my hands behind me pressing myself against the door. “Then h-how is supposed to go?”

 

“Everybody knows if you don't kiss the player you're dooming them to failure.” She says keeping a straight face.

 

“Everybody?” I crack up a smile.

 

“It's like a tradition back from...biblical times.” She almost laughs but keeps herself composed pressing her lips together. “Some girl didn't kiss Jesus and he ended up losing an important game, didn't you read the bible?” I on the other hand had to press my forehead against her shoulder to laugh.

 

“Is that so? I have to look it up.” I meet her eyes again bitting my lower lip.

 

“It's kind of a big deal, people really believe in it.” With her free hand she takes the glasses off me. “Do you want to doom the start of the tournament?”

 

“I thought you were into the whole waiting for our date thing.” I breathe a little nervous now with my blurry vision unable to show me how close she is and if she's actually going for the kiss. “You know, your plan of keeping everything romantic and comfortable.”

 

“Like I said, I'm feeling frustrated and you look really nice in that shirt and those jeans, besides...why stop the inevitable.” Her voice comes out breathy and needy like she needs this, she needs our lips pressed together and it makes my body tremble “And at this rate, I'm not sure we're going to have that date.”

 

“What makes you so sure I'm going to let you?” Despite what I say my hands travel from my back to her neck. “Right now or after our date.”

 

“Call it a gut feeling.” She confidently says. Now I can feel her breathing and I can smell her sweet peach like scent invading my senses, one of her hands pressed against my cheek and the other one rests comfortably on my waist. “You can always push me away.”

 

My initial plan and convictions crumble right in front of me as I close my eyes and grip at her jersey, time seems to stop around us and nothing else seems to matter. I can't even seem to hear anything besides our heavy breathing, I feel our noses touch and I inhale sharply inwardly.

 

“Oh captain, where are you?!”

 

Quickly, Seulgi pulls back and turns us around away from the door holding me in her arms and pressing my face against the crook of her neck. “Stupid, Wendy.” She mutters under her breath looking over the small window on the door while I try to calm myself down still feeling my heart ringing in my ears.

 

Being close to her isn't good for my health.

 

“Yah! Captain idiot, is time to fulfill your duties.” We hear close by. “The coach is pissed already, you got fifty push ups under your belt.” This is the second time I hear someone call her bear, I want to ask why but this isn't the time. Seulgi clicks her tongue annoyed by the interruption and loosing her hold on me.

 

I pull back from her embrace once the voice fades away. “I should go before she returns.” I mutter barely audible. She puts the glasses back on me and finally I can see her sulking clearly mad at the poor Wendy.

 

“Yeah.” She sulks harder knowing that now the moment is ruined and I can use my brain again she lost her chance to get what she wants. “I'll see you later.” She passes me the snapback she got for me, I look at the object in my hands and then back at the sulking Seulgi. Standing on my toes I press my lips against her cheek really close to her lips, I hear a little gasp as she quickly puts her hands on my waist.

 

“I'm just following the traditions... Good luck, captain idiot.” I breathe pulling back rubbing with my thumb the spot I just kissed and quickly escaping through the door before she reacts just like she does to me.

 

Definitely not playing hard to get.

 

 

+++

 

 

 

My mom had no idea where I was going when I rushed out of the house, but when she saw me return with the team's snapback in a hand and unable to form a proper sentence, she already had a lot of theories forming on her mind.

 

And this time I'm sure it wouldn't be so far from the truth.

 

Still, she doesn't say anything about it which is weird because she's really childish and I can tell she has a lot to say already, I won't complain though.

 

We go to the gym once the hour of the game is close, I carry Yeri on my arms who's wearing a uniform much like Seulgi's, jumping excitedly unable to contain her excitement, it's cute, is almost making me feel excited as well. Almost rather than that, I feel anxious to face Seulgi after what happened earlier, If I think about it I still can feel her breath ghosting me and the warmth of her hands on me.

 

When we get to the gym Yeri rushes us so we can get the best seats before other people do. There's a couple there on the first road, we take a seat next to them and I put on my new snapback remembering what Seulgi said about crazy fanatics, I believe her, sports people are crazy.

 

The gym is decorated with more steam logos than usual, talk about overkill, there's also a DJ putting on some music and the gym just looks cleaner than when we have P.E. I feel out of place already, unlike my sister who's running excitedly around the place.

 

“Ah, Irene, nice to see you here.” The man seated next to us says, he stretches his hand out to me with a very familiar smile.

 

“Hi, Mr. Kang.” A blush spreads on my cheeks remembering our last meeting. I shake his hand and notice the woman besides him. “This is my mom and my sister.” I say to him. “Mom, this is Seulgi's father.”

 

“This is my wife.” He says after shaking my moms hand. “Honey, this is Seulgi's tutor, the one who's making our idiot daughter able to play.” He laughs, I can see from where Seulgi got her charm from. I stretch my hand out politely smiling at the woman but what I meet is an icy glare that chills my bones.

 

“I recognize you.” She says flatly not taking my hand. “From my daughter's phone picture.” In a second I can see one hundred ways she has judged me already in her eyes, I open and close my mouth trying to find something to say and save myself while she shakes my mom's hand, but nothing comes out.

 

“Honey don't be like that.” I hear him mutter once we are back on our seats. “You don't even know her.” Yeah, give me a break! Don't be so quick to judge me when your daughter is the one who's at fault here.

 

“They are all the same anyway.” I faintly hear her say with a very displeased tone.

 

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