Chapter 06 • Different Perspectives

0.1 • Kang Hyewon, the Unlucky Girl

KANG HYEWON

I am Kang Hyewon, and I am a liar. I am the worst person alive. I don’t like repeating what I just said. I am Kang Hyewon.

I lied about being rejected by Coach Kwon Eunbi, and Miyawaki Sakura. I never really confessed, and I don’t even plan to. I only have one person in my mind. I did it to be able to be closer to her, since she, herself has had her own share of short and sad relationships. Sakura, Chaeyeon and Nako are the only ones who knew about my crazy little thing for her.

I used Han Chowon to my advantage. I never really liked her, I am a very honest person, I don’t mind her cursing me to death for being an honest person for telling her my answer to her weird questions of choosing what to what. I thought I was already down for her, but I never was. I was afraid of messing up in front of her because I don’t want to be alone. I thought she was already dating her but she wasn’t. She was a fool for not telling her that those eat outs after every training were dates disguised as eat outs.

Let me tell you a story, a story about the miserable me. Hyewon's bizarre misfortunes— sorry, I didn’t mean this to become a JoJo’s bizarre adventures ripoff. I love anime, that’s why.

It all started during the start of my sophomore year. I was the vice-captain back then, the other freshmen have transferred to other teams, Chaeyeon was the only one left from the monster batch, leading her to become the captain, and I, a second stringer promoted to the first string as a starter member. We welcomed some of our new members, the transferees from the West, Miyawaki Sakura, and Yabuki Nako—she was a freshman but in just a week, she was offered a transfer notice to South from the West. Then there is she, a tryout back then. She was one of the middle school players that high schools wanted to get their hands on, but here she is, the South successfully got her. She is Kim Minjoo.

I fell for her the first time I saw her. It felt like I was intoxicated. I fell for her when she entered the gym along with the other tryouts. She quickly joined the first string, and the starter players the same week she arrived. I was  also paired up with her and our play was one of the best that our school was boasting to its sister schools—after she gets a rebound, she’ll pass it to me and I’ll make the shot, ‘we can’t be stopped’ according to the schools we defeated during practice games. Us, five, immediately became good friends despite being enemies on court even though we’re teammates. My feelings were only known to Chaeyeon and Sakura.

… Sophomore year, the day we won the Nationals.

“Chaeyeon, how do I confess to someone?” It was the time when Sakura and Chaeyeon were being so secretive with their relationship, that the only ones who knew about it were Coach Kwon, and us, the first five starters.

“Well ugh… You tell her you like or love her?” Chaeyeon wasn’t so sure about her answer.

“Wow, that’s very helpful.” I sighed. It actually makes sense. And so I have decided that day. She was sitting on the chair in front of me, eating her own burger and sipping on her milkshake.

“Captain Lee, who is she confessing to?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“Wait—oh. Okay, I got it.”

I mustered up my courage to tell her what I feel about her, “Y’know what, Min—” the child sitting on the high chair on the table beside us started crying. It was so loud that Minjoo can’t even hear me. She kept on making a confused face, and mouthing her huh? what? on me.

“I’m sorry, Hyewon. I didn’t hear you. Can you say it again?” I am Kang Hyewon, I hate repeating what I just said. I shook my head and smiled at her.

“The burger here is so tasty.” I told her.

… Senior year, the day before the loud sound on our roof, the day before we saw a black bag on our roof.

I was on my way back from a family conference, I know it was cowardly but since I can’t really sit relaxed on our family car, I decided to send her a message about my feelings.

‘Hello Minjoo!’ I sent her.

‘Hi. What’s up?’ She replied.

‘I have something to tell you.’ I sent her. I thought that maybe that time, I could tell her what I feel.

‘Sure, what is it?’ She replied.

‘Minjoo, I have this weird romantic feelings for you. Please go on a date with me.’

‘I know I never really showed you how I love you, but let me try just this one time. Let’s date, and everything would be up to you.’

I was typing and sending messages one after another, only to discover that they weren’t sent. I was on a low coverage area, and my phone can hardly even get signal. When I arrived in the area with a good signal reception, turns out that the only message that was sent to her was just short ‘hehe’ message I sent after typing all of my feelings to those unsent messages that my phone automatically deleted.

‘Hyewon? What’s that hehe for? Please, you’re my senior but stop playing around like this. I’m off to sleep, goodnight.’  She replied.

I hate it.

… Senior year, after the Compass training camp.

I decided to go home that day, Minjoo and I were about to ride a train. She was on the other platform next to where I was. That day I decided to confess my feelings to her.

I stood on the other platform, I took a deep breath.

“Kim Minjoo! Listen to me!”

“I—”

A train that is currently having its maintenance check just passed by our station, and the space between us. After it successfully passed by, Minjoo shouted back.

“Hyewon, what are you about to say?”

Her train has just arrived. I raised my hands and smiled at her. I am Kang Hyewon, I hate repeating what I just said. I shouted.

“Bye-bye!”

She glared at me before waving back a goodbye.

See my misfortune? I hate my luck. I told Chaeyeon, Sakura and Nako about what happened to my confession on the train station. They just laughed at me.

“What the heck was that, Hyewon? Your attempts really as if it was destined to be interrupted!” Chaeyeon was laughing so hard she was rolling on the floor.

“I can’t contain my laugh! Oh my gosh, it hurts! Hyewon you’re too unlucky!” It was Nako, she was also laughing at me. I hope you grow smaller than you are now.

“What’s that Hyewon? F-Rank luck? Girl, your luck is lower than our Destiny Grand Order accounts’ gacha luck!” Sakura was even comparing my luck to our game accounts.

When I knew about her feelings for Chaewon, it really broke me. I heard about her relationship with An Yujin from Nako, and how tragic it was. She kept on looking at other people for love but she won’t even look at me, I was always beside her. Kim Minjoo, why won’t you look beside you? I am here, and if you ask me ‘Kim Minjoo or food’ or ‘Minjoo Kim or Minjoo’s Kimbap’, I’d always choose you more than anything else. That’s how I love you.

0.2 • Choi Yena, Bicycle.

CHOI YENA

Since middle school, I've been living alone, they died on one of my birthdays. Both my parents were servants of Law, my mother was a prosecutor, and my father was a defense attorney. My older brother, Choi Sungmin, was one of the popular cyclists of his time. I never knew how they died, some said it was an accident, some said it was intentional—it never showed in the television despite the three of them being widely influential on their fields, it wasn't on newspapers, as if it was purposely hidden from me. But if there was something I clearly remember that day, it was the fact that it was my birthday, and that I was waiting for them to come home that day. My parents from a courtroom work, and my brother from a competition.

I waited and waited until what arrived was a group of policemen telling me they died, giving me three urns that supposedly have their remains as ashes. They cremated them without asking me. They said it was because they can't be recognized. After that, I lived alone on that house that once felt small and narrow, suddenly seemed big and spacious after the three of them died. None of my relatives would even adopt me, since then, I learned how to live alone. To cook for myself, and to take care of myself even if I really wanted to die back then. I was keeping myself from committing suicide by hugging my female classmates whenever I feel like wanting to slit my throat, or I feel like wanting to jump off from the school's rooftop.

The day came when I can hold myself no more. I decided to take my life once the night comes, I was crying, even thinking that I could finally meet the family I really missed so much. But as I was planning my not-so-grand death, that one friendly little bundle of joy, Jo Yuri, gave me a new will to live.

“Yena, what's wrong?”

“I miss my family. They died in an accident a few weeks ago.”

I saw her eyes back then, the corners of her eyes were sparkling, she was about to cry, she knew I wanted to end myself. But as she stood in front of me, she wiped her tears with