"Friendly" Match
The Other Side of the Mirror
The school was exceptionally empty that day because all the students weren't in their classrooms. They weren't in the labs or computer rooms or halls either.
Nope. The entire school was over at the National Sports Stadium to support their school's soccer team for their first round of competition.
And you might be thinking, what about our dear Sehunnie? That rich nerd managed to get a doctor to write him a letter stating how his health didn't permit any vigorous sport activities for the next thirty months. Yes, and that was how Sehun managed to get out of all those soccer trainings.
The thing about the soccer team was that their loyalty to the Devil was no joke. They were simply devastated that Sehun wasn't able to play soccer with them anymore but he still held that idol post in their hearts. They were waiting for Sehun to recover from whatever he was suffering from and then coming back to them.
Heh. Wishful thinking.
They never even found another official soccer captain to take over Sehun's place and the vice-captain was running Sehun's roles. All of them were waiting for Sehun to come back to them one day, which was rather convenient should they find the enchanted mirror and the real Devil came back, his positions were still waiting for him.
But anyhoo, the SM high soccer team was in for the first match of their season and the school was there to support their favorite team. Many of the girls were still holding up OH SEHUN banners even though he wasn't playing and just sitting at the benches giving mental support for the players. The players were simply energized by the mere presence of their captain and it was quite a strange sight to see. As if Sehun was a real idol or something. Heh.
Sehun sat there at the benches with some of the back-up soccer players as the coach gave the team their prep talk. Sehun seemed rather fascinated with the devotion these boys had for the sport and even if he didn't really like them, couldn't help but feel a little ashamed that he didn't have such devotion for something like that.
"It's too bad you can't play, Sehun oppa." Jina sulked as she passed by him in her skimpy cheerleading uniform. Sehun made sure to keep his eyes up on her face the entire time. "Yeah, too bad." he murmured, not meaning it.
"You'll recover quickly to gain back your position won't you oppa?" Jina clutched Sehun's arm and stared up at him. "You're the most handsome when you're out playing on the field."
Sehun's face fell slightly. Only then? But he didn't know how to play. "I can't, Jina. I have the doctor's letter." he muttered.
"I know but can't you ignore that?" Jina asked him.
Sehun did a double take at her. Excuse me? Like if the doctor's letter was real she'd rather have him break his limbs? Sehun felt a little turned off at that point. "You better get ready for your cheering, Jina. The coach is about to begin his speech." he muttered.
"Alright. Say goodluck to the other boys for me, Sehun oppa." Jina blew him a flirty kiss and ran off. Sehun looked away, his face turning red out of it's own accord and he shook his head to clear the mind.
Match, that was a match beginning dude.
"Remember the strategiess?" the coach hollered.
"YES!"
"Remember to stay cool and think, alright? THINK. Don't play blindly and don't make blind passes. Grab any chances and don't forget to go for the rebound. I want you guys to win this alright? WIN THIS." the coach growled.
Sehun shuddered at how evil he sounded. Gawd, did he have to sound so mean? He looked over at the soccer boys and saw that they were strangely energized by this speech and seemed excited about the impending match.
The coach turned to his favorite star player. "Sehun, anything to say to the team?"
All eyes turned to Sehun and he gulped. All of them looked so full of anticipation and hope and suddenly Sehun realized that even if the Devil was a real jerk and , this guy was really something. To be able to command such respect though some obsession, the Devil must have been an outstanding leader.
A jerky one, but still a leader.
"Uhm everyone just..." Sehun swallowed and blinked at them, hesitating. What should he say. "Kick the ball hard!" he blurted.
"KICK THE BALL HARD!" the players roared, punching their fists in the air.
....
Meanwhile in the audience seats, the EXO-K boys raised their brows at the soccer boys' loud cheer. "Kick the ball...hard?" Kai choked on his cola. "Is that their new cheer?"
Sunmi burst into giggles and eyed Sehun who looked rather uncomfortable with the large, fit soccer members, seeming out of place. "I have an idea who that came from." she murmured.
"Popcorn?" D.O. passed around, munching thoughtfully. "I wonder if the soccer boys are going to win this match since the Devil isn't here to play. He seems to lead the spirits for each game."
"I sure hope they beat the Jinwondo High school team though." Baekhyun muttered, eying the boys from the other side of the field wearing dark green jerseys. "Those guys are plain mean to our school. Jerks."
"Baekhyun." Suho frowned at his use of words.
"They're jerks, what's there to hide about it?" Chanyeol huffed. "I saw them bully a younger boy from our school once. They're so disgusting, I swear. They must be feeling triumphant that Sehun isn't playing."
Sunmi clasped her hands together. "But we will win, I can feel it."
They did.
It was a really close match that made every single person in the audience shiver with anticipation and fear, with the last goal being shot in by the SM high team at the last five seconds, leading SM high to a victory score of 1-0.
The Jinwondo high soccer boys didn't seem to agree with with this result and seemed to lack sportsmanship in this matter. As the teachers slowly filtered out of the place, the Jinwondo soccer boys made their way over to the winning SM high soccer team. They spat on the ground in distaste and slowly surrounded the SM soccer boys.
Specifically, Sehun.
Sehun's eyes darted around them as the boys closed in on him with pure distaste and hatred on their faces. "So, we heard someone isn't well enough to play for his team this season." the leader of the Jinwondo soccer team, Jisuk snickered and eyed Sehun. "What a loss to your team, really."
Sehun watched the guy get closer and closer to him. He didn't like this guy, even back in his world. Kim Jisuk was one of Sehun's competitors in Math Olympiad back in the other world and here, Jisuk was the Devil's competition in soccer. In any case this world or that, Sehun didn't like him.
"We still won your team didn't we?" One of the SM soccer boys spat.
Jisuk ignored that embarrassing point. "I heard your soccer skills seemed to have left you these past weeks." Jisuk met Sehun's eyes. "I didn't believe them of course. How can soccer genes leave you all of a sudden? But I'm getting a little suspicious, Oh sehun." he circled Sehun threateningly. "I don't see you kicking a single ball even when you're not playing. That's really strange for you, Oh Sehun."
Jisuk twirled a ball on his finger casually and Sehun gulped. "Why don't we have a one to one match, Oh Sehun? Just for old times' sake."
Sehun felt his heart drop. Against him? No way, no no no no no way.
He glanced back at Sunmi involuntarily out of habit and saw that she was shaking her head in a similar manner as well. Well, she obviously had common sense. "I have the doctor's letter, Jisuk." Sehun managed to mutter in what he thought was a low, cool voice. "I can't play sports for a long time."
"Oh really." Jisuk snickered. "Are you saying that because you really can't, or because you're scared you'd lose? Just best out of three, a little friendly match between us. The first person who can get three goals with the other person defending can win. What do you think?"
Sehun bit his lip. What did he think? He thought it was a stupid idea, naturally. However, he didn't like how the other soccer boys were watching him in anticipation and hope, like he was supposed to be some sort of god coming to save them from this world.
And not to mention how Jina's eyes were practically sparkling from where she was standing with the other cheerleaders. If he wanted to impress Jina, this was his chance to do so, especially in front of the whole school.
The thing was, he knew this was most likely not going to turn out into a chance to "impress" but a chance to "de-press" as so to speak. Common sense was telling him not to do anything stupid as this and it was easy as ABC to just walk away from this. But then the stupid Kim Jisuk just had to add a single sentence that threw everything off balance and had Sehun rethinking his decision.
"Aren't you going to show what you're worth to your little girlfriend over there?" Jisuk pointed to Sunmi who was standing at the side with the other EXO-K boys. Sunmi couldn't exactly hear what Jisuk was saying since the latter had spoken it softly, only for Sehun's ears, but her expression didn't look too good at the confrontation.
"I must remind you, Oh Sehun, a little friendly reminder." Jisuk snickered softly. "Girls don't stay loyal for long. Look at how close she and that council president are standing. If you don't do anything to show your worth, she's going to leave you sooner or later."
Sehun's eyes shot back to where Sunmi was standing and he couldn't help but notice Suho's comforting hand on her shoulder. It looked like a plain friendly and platonic gesture but at that moment, Sehun couldn't help but imagine it to be more, especially when he knew how Sunmi felt about Suho.
He let out a little growl and snapped his gaze back to Jisuk. "Fine. A match."
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