"What was that earlier?"

“What was what?”

“You know, that.”

“What?!”

Minhyuk lets out a sigh and darts his eyes away, his finger fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “I mean your dumb chant for Hoya.” There is a pause for a moment, before the frown Alice’s face melts into a hearty giggle, and it is his turn to scowl. “What’s so funny?”

“He’s my teammate. See?” she points at the alphabet emblazoned on her orange outfit. “Of course I’d support him. And besides you won anyway, so what is the big deal?”

“Well,” he stutters, shifting his weight on the other foot. “I could’ve ran faster and increased the gap if, um, if you, you know―”

“If I had cheered for you?”

Minhyuk doesn’t trust his own mouth so he nods instead, albeit slowly.

“But Lee Minhyuk-ssi, you’re not from my team, so it would’ve looked weird for me to cheer for you. Plus you’ve had enough cheerleaders in your team,” she gestures at the sea of pink not far behind him. “And, it’s easier to say chant Hoyaya than Minhyukhyuk.”

“My point is,” he attempts to look at her in the eyes, but his effort fails within seconds. He scratches the back of his neck although it’s not itchy before shoving his hands into his pockets. “Just don’t go cheering on another guy in front of, um, your boyfriend.”