CHAPTER 18

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Soccer practice was amazing. We played an actual game instead of doing drills for the full time. Luhan said he and Minseok would divide the two teams soon for more focused practices. Those two teams would also be our teams for large group scrimmages. Later, they would set seven smaller teams for a tournament. They wanted to see what kind of skills everyone had before they split us up.

Today I had been put on a team with Taekwoon and Baro. They were amazing players and really nice guys. It was easy to play alongside them. I just hoped that they would be on my final team.

“That was a good scrimmage boys. You all know when next practice is, so see you then. Hit the showers,” Luhan dismissed us.

I ran to the ball that had been ditched at center field and took it down to one of the goals. I kicked it hard, earning a nice swooshing sound as it caught in the back of the netting. I felt so good playing as part of a team. At one point during the game Baro passed the ball to me, and I almost scored. Just thinking about again made me feel good.

“Aren’t you going in?” Leo asked coming up behind me.

“Did you see how close I was to scoring?” I couldn’t help but shout my excitement at the stoic boy. “If Minseok hadn’t come after me, I could have done it!”

“I saw. You really have been improving.”

I gave Leo a warm smile before going to retrieve the ball.

“I need to burn off some of this energy before I go in,” I only half lied to him. I was still excited, but I also wanted the locker room to myself.

Leo only nodded before turning and walking off towards the building. He was always so straightforward. I really liked that about the kid.

I goofed off for about ten more minutes before I decided it was safe to head in. I put the ball away in the storage shed to kill another minute. I entered the locker room just as the last few people were staggering out. I really did have perfect timing.

I rummaged through the locker I kept my bag in and pulled out my towel, shampoo, and soap. Showers were usually a peaceful time for me, but since coming to camp, they had become an activity of high stress. Knowing that all the boys had headed back to camp already gave me a second to catch my breath. I was going to take this opportunity to enjoy myself and get extra clean.

I stepped into the large, open stall and took a showerhead by the tiled wall that separated the space from the rest of the locker room. The wall was tall enough that only my head could be seen. I carefully draped my towel and clothes over the wall so they wouldn’t get wet. I also wanted them close by just incase I needed them.

Water dribbled out of the spigot as I turned the dial before it settled in a steady stream. I could feel my worries wash away in the warm water. Summer would come to an end sooner than I’d realize. I would finally be able to drop my charade and return to my normal life. I’d have to deal with the secret of attending a boys’ camp, but it wouldn’t be nearly as dangerous as trying to keep the secret while there.

“Hey Jisoo, do you…”

I whipped around, eyes wide and heart pounding. A scream was lodged in my throat as I scrambled for my towel to cover myself. I was already too late. Taekwoon stood there at the stall opening, eyes bulging and mouth hanging ajar. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before he stiffly looked to the side and fixed his gaze on the floor.

“Um… I-I’ll just talk to you later.” He quickly turned around and left.

“, , ,” I swore. I pulled my chest compressor from the wall and sloppily secured it around my body before throwing on my clothes. He saw.

He saw everything.

I rushed from the shower, sliding on the wet floor before realizing that the water was still running. I slammed the water off and ran to gather my things so I could chase after Taekwoon.

What would I say when I finally caught up to him? I knew there was no use in trying to cover up my secret from him. Honesty would be the best policy, right? I hoped he wouldn’t be mad at me. I didn’t want him to be. I also didn’t want him running off to tell everyone what he had just seen. Talking to him needed to be my first priority.

Rushing out of the locker room, I looked around frantically for Taekwoon. He wasn’t outside of the building. He wasn’t even near the field. I was only been a few steps behind him. How could he just vanish? I hurried back towards camp with a sense of urgency I had never felt before. I had a new priority; it was finding Taekwoon.

I figured maybe he would have just gone back to his cabin. He seemed like the kind of guy who liked to deal with his thoughts in solitude. I trudged through camp towards his village, hoping I would see him before I had to go door to door looking for him. As I reached the entrance to his village, I couldn’t help but be over come by a sense of dread. I still hadn’t seen the boy. I was starting to lose hope.

A door to one of the cabins opened, and a familiar looking face popped out. My luck hadn’t run out just yet.

“Hongbin,” I called out as I ran towards the boy.

“Jisoo, what’s up?” He seemed surprised to see me.

“Taekwoon- Leo, he lives in this village, right?” I panted out.

“Yeah, he’s actually one of my roommates. I haven’t seen him since he left for soccer practice though. Aren’t you in the club too?”

“I am. I’m just coming from the fields actually. He kind of disappeared. I need to talk to him, so if you see him, let him know. I’m going to keep looking for him.”

“Seems important,” Hongbin mused. “I’ll let him know you’re looking for him, when I see him.”

I said my thanks and headed to the next best place, the dinning hall. The rest of the soccer