six
A Worth Obsessing OverA decorative display of banners adorned walls and enlivened the once dreary halls students leisurely walked into. Their school colors were everywhere as black and red ribbons hung from the ceiling above, making each and every corner of the school just as exciting as the upcoming event they highly anticipated. It was hectic, the corridors bustling with a kind of energy only a basketball game could be responsible for.
“Are you excited?” His sister asked with a cheery grin that reflected every other smiling girl in the hall who adored him for entirely different reasons.
Yongguk shrugged. “It’s like any other game. I don’t know why everyone’s so hyped up now. Don't they know the game's three weeks away?”
“It’s called school spirit Yongguk. You should try it some time.” Myu Na playfully elbowed her brother’s side with a smile Yongguk soon brought himself to adopt.
“I guess.”
“You have to be hyped for this…or at least curious, because I heard couch Soo Man from the other school has some kind of secret weapon. Rumor has it, he has a new power forward and he’s really good….so good in fact that Soo Man - ssi keeps him in hiding and refuses to use him in other preliminary games.”
Yongguk was a confident man. He had faith in himself, his team, and his skills, which explained the reason why he exuded such a clam and aloof demeanor before every game when others would usually panic if put in his shoes. “If we lose, we lose. If we win, then we win. That’s all there is to it.”
“Ivy league scouts are going to be there though. Dad and couch Tae Sung really want them to notice you.” But he didn’t care. Yongguk only joined the basketball team because it was a way to pass the time, not because of some kind of basketball scholarship that would probably send him overseas.
“I guess.”
Myu Na sighed, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder as if he needed to be consoled over something that didn’t exist. “You’re worried?”
“Why would I be worried?”
“Because you have a lot on your shoulders…you must be stressed out.”
“I’m not stressed out.” Yongguk reassured. “I’m just indifferent about the whole thing.”
Being the affectionate girl that she was, Myuna wrapped her arms around his brother’s own as they slowly made their way to class. Skinship wasn’t really a big deal between siblings, as far as the Bang family was concerned. Even though her brother was the highlight of every girls wet dream, Myuna never once felt like a target to another girl’s misguided jealousy. She may have been single, had a few guy friends and was probably a little clingy, but no one ever questioned her intentions toward her own brother. That was just wrong on so many levels. “Your friend said you were bent out of shape so I became a bit worried.”
“Friend? Is Minho spouting out lies again just so he can give you a reason to talk to him?” He had to be the biggest flirt on the basketball team. Sure, Minho was a great person to talk to when it came to all things sports related, but when it came to the little crush he had on his sister, things just got too weird for him to endure.
“No, of course not.” Yongguk clicked his tongue in disbelief, not taking his sister's words to heart. “No, really Yongguk, he wasn’t even the one who said that.”
“Then who said it?”
“Daehyun.” She announced with a girlish giggle. “You know, the really adorable Jung Daehyun.”
Adorable? What has the world come to?! Adorable and Jung Daehyun shouldn’t even be in the same sentence! “When did you talk to Daehyun?”
“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” By the confused look on his face, it was more than obvious he knew nothing about what happened between them, and it worried him. “Well, he asked me for a ride to our house yesterday. He was worried about you and he wanted to see if you were okay, which surprised me because I never knew you two were friends.”
That lying son of a snake! How dare he use his sister as a means for transportation to their home. And to make things worse, he brainwashed her and made her believe he was this charming and ‘adorable’ guy when he was anything but appealing. Myu Na was going on and on, and ing on about Daehyun that he had to throw his arms up in the air just so he could escape from not only her grasp, but the Daehyun spiel as well. “Can you stop talking about him?”
Myu Na looked at her brother in stark confusion. “What's wrong? Why are you so angry?”
“I’m not angry. I’m just livid.”
“That’s the same as being angry but on a whole other scale of angry….it’s worse than angry.”
He wasn’t even supposed to be this upset. It was all fun and games in the beginning when he chased Daehyun down with his Motorcycle, but when he came to realize that his 8 page report was on that computer, he almost wanted to crash himself into a wall with how, as Myu Na put it, ‘angry’ he was at the entire situation. The essay for psychology was due tomorrow and after nearly cutting his throat trying to finish it the first time, Yongguk didn’t have the mental capacity to pull an all-nighter to do it again. “I’m not angry…I just…I….ugh!" He groaned in frustration. "I just have to go to class, alright?”
He left his sister in a state of bewilderment as he trudged through the sea of students who were buzzing about the many events that were going on in school. It was going to be a busy year and being a senior in his last year of high school, Yongguk should’ve been having the time of his life. But there he was, fuming over a report he knew he wasn’t going to get back.
He walked into the lively classroom that was as packed and as busy as the corridor he just escaped from. Everyone was gathered in their cliques, a few of them spouting off their cheerful hellos his way as he put on the fakest smile ever just so he could get to his desk unscathed.
For the most part, Yongguk thought the rest of his day would be spent mulling over the possible places Daehyun frequently visited. He wasn’t in school and he wasn’t home (and yes, he was that much of a stalker that he knew where he lived), so he had to find him and find him fast before Daehyun did something stupid like erasing the contents of his laptop.
However, when he reached the back of the room where he usually sat, he had to stop in his tracks and blink a few times as if he couldn’t believe his laptop was right on his desk. It was in front of him, just laying there without a single scratch on it.
‘That’s impossible.’ There had to be a catch to this. Jung Daehyun wouldn’t sneak his computer back to its rightful owner unless it was either rigged with a bomb or something as equally deadly. ‘Unless it’s a decoy to get my hopes up.’
Yongguk rounded the table in a suspicious manner, the man circling the little device despite the strange looks he received from students who watched him inspect his own laptop. They didn’t say anything though. He was the star player of the basketball team and for anyone to question his actions, no matter how strange it was, would simply be social suicide. So they stayed quiet and watched as he bent over every now and then to inspect the device that was as normal as ever.
‘No trip wires, nothing out of the ordinary…so maybe he had a change of heart?’ But that was so off! It didn’t sound like Daehyun at all. With everything - literally breaking into his home, busting his window, sneaking into his sister’s room, singing like a dying whale, hitting him with a pillow, and escaping with a cocky grin on his face - there was absolutely no way he’d simply throw in the towel by returning his computer.
‘Unless…’ With the possibility of erasing everything on his hard drive still on his mind, Yongguk flipped open his laptop and expected some kind of ‘black screen of doom’ to hit him right in the face. Instead, what appeared on his computer screen made him want to jump right out the window of the three story building.
“Faster, Faster! Oh god right there hyung! Harder please! I want your big massive in me!” He pushed every single button, tried to hurriedly stop the wailing, the moans and the mind-splitting groans that boomed out from the speakers of his computer, and even tried to mute the damn thing but he couldn’t stop it. “ Ahhh! Ohhhhh~!' With the volume on full blast, his computer moaned, the springs of the bed traveling throughout the room. "Right there hyung! That’s the spot! Do me! Do me hard!” There was so much screaming, so much , so much unnecessary dialogue that played for all the world to hear that it was hard to think, let alone do something that would stop the gay that got the girls in his classroom screaming from the indecency of it all.
“My god Yongguk, what are you watching over there.” One of the boys on the basketball team said with a laugh as other joined in on the low-blow jibes that made Yongguk unable to suppress the red tint of embarrassment that burned at his cheeks.
“I-It’s not mines!” He shouted over the -fest that made him go absolutely insane.
“Really?” Another joined in. “But that’s your computer. Oh my gosh Yongguk, I never knew you were like that.” They all knew it was some kind of prank gone wrong, but they couldn’t pass up an opportunity to tease the hell out of a man who seemed to have lost his marbles.
Yongguk closed the lid of the laptop, but even then the didn’t stop. It kep on playing the triple x rated movie on a loop as if it could go on for hours upon hours on end.
“Turn it off Yongguk, the teachers coming.”
“What do you think I’m trying to do.” . . . For all he knew, this was the most test day of his life and the only person he could thank for that was the one and only of the century, Jung ing Daehyun. “Goddamn it.” No one ever saw Yongguk so red in the face before, let alone flustered. The usually calm and composed Basketball star was now wrangling his laptop as if shaking the out of it would cease the screams that came out of the B-rated stars who couldn't right even if their lives depended on it.
“Yongguk the teacher's coming. Hurry up and turn that off before you get in trouble.” But what could he do?! He could run out of the classroom with his laptop in hand but even then it would only attract unwanted attention.
‘Holy crap. Holy . Why the hell aren’t you turning off you stupid ?!' The teacher was seconds away from walking in the classroom and in a flurried panic, Yongguk looked out the window to see if the coast was clear and did the only thing he could do at that point: he threw his induced laptop out the window where it shattered upon impact.
Everything was dead.
The sounds died down almost instantly, but not only that, everything that was ever on his 4-year-old laptop - all his pictures, his assignments, his personal files - died with it. He stared down at what remained of his laptop just until the teacher directed him to take his seat.
Yongguk did as he was told as he pried himself away from the window and sat himself down. He wanted to simply bury his reddened features in folded arms, but what stopped him from doing was an array of colors that forced him to stare down at his desk. What laid before him were 9 pastel post-it notes, each one written with a word that made up a sentence he was all too familiar with:
‘So you really want to play hardball, Daehyun?’ He was messing with the wrong guy. Jung Daehyun was stepping into a game he wasn’t going to win, because when faced with an opponent like Bang Yongguk, there was no one who could defeat him on and off the court. ‘Then let’s really get this game started!’
“Everything went well?” Youngjae was careful with his words, making sure he didn’t come off too strongly when questioning Daehyun about his whereabouts this morning. “Nothing went wrong?”
They were standing in front of the bulletin board that displayed the years upcoming events. Unlike the previous years, 2013 looked promising with the potential of scandals to come about here and there. “Nope, nothing wrong. It’s sad though. Not everyone came to see me. I felt kind of rejected. I don’t blame them of course…. but it doesn’t make it any sadder.” Lay and Tao were the only one’s who showed up, which was great because they had a bromance sessions that included hugs and the usual talk of what was currently going on in their lives. The conversation that they had was nostalgic and with Lay’s computer expertise, he was able to do everything that needed to be done to get Daehyun out of the ‘red zone.’ “It doesn’t matter now because what matters is our book. Where is it?”
“In my locker where it’s safe and sound.” Youngjae and Daehyun made their way through the throng of students who went from one class to the next. Everyone was busy decorating their rooms to fit the theme of this years biggest game of the year. Basketball was all the rage nowadays and with their school’s team the top ranking in all of South Korea, it was only natural for everyone to show off their school spirit. “So Hyosung is going to show up at our workplace tomorrow.”
“Really? What makes you say that?”
“She tried calling you last night but when you didn’t answer, she called me.” Ah yes, the lying cheat must’ve found out that those ‘sweet nothings’ Jimin whispered in her ear in that dingy motel alleyway were only filled with the empty promises that were as vacant as Jimin’s heart. “She’s either going to show up today or tomorrow? You work those days, right?”
Daehyun nodded. “I work all this week after school…except for the weekends.”
“You need me to cover for you?”
“No.” He really needed the money. As much as he hated working without a day off, he couldn’t pass up a chance to get as many hours as possible. “It’s okay, my mom has this gynormous bill she has to pay and I kind of want to help out since my bastard of a father isn’t paying child support on time as usual.” Just like Youngjae, Daehyun only had one parent living in their household. His parents had gone their separate ways the day his little brother was born and ever since then, his mother took care of them the best that she could. It wasn’t one of those traumatic events that derailed his life. Their split up just happened, and that was that. Daehyun thought nothing of it.
“Alright, just let me know if you need me to cover for you.”
His old friends may have not forgave him enough to see him, but at least he still had Youngjae to count on. If he lost him Dehyun wouldn’t know what to do with himself. “Is there anything else going on in the school?”
Youngjae took a moment to sift through his own thoughts before his features lightened up in recollection of a rumor he wasn’t quite sure of. “You know those annual themed events that was going on?”
“Events? Like the one only certain people were invited to?”
“Yeah, that one. It’s so happens that people are already getting their invites. Hyosung got hers but she wouldn’t show me it because it’s supposed to be all on the down low.” They had first heard about the exclusive event during their Freshmen year. Everyone was talking about it in whispers, their excitement soaring through the roof, what with the prizes that were involved. Everyone thought the Bang siblings had something to do with it, seeing as they were the only ones who could afford to buy the extravagant rewards only a few were lucky enough to win. No one could really prove it and no one really cared to question it.
The event came up once a year and each year Daehyun and Youngjae went above and beyond to find out where and when these events were held. But alas, the secrets and the location were kept under lock and key, which made the two all the more curious as to what the hell it could be.
As if on cue, a student’s phone rung just as they walked passed her and, upon checking her phone, she squealed with excitement, rejoicing with her other friends who must’ve been invited as they squealed ‘I got in.’ What made people qualified to be invited? They weren’t entirely sure because it was like a few other schools around Seoul were involved as well.
“I also heard Myu Na was on the list.” Then that was it. They had to get in. Despite the failure they experienced the past two years, Daehyun was determined to find out what was going on.
However, before he could get Youngjae pumped up for his ingenious plan, he was forced to turn around when someone across the hall yelled out his name.
“Oh . It’s him.” Instead of trying to flee from his aggressor, Daehyun stood there as the angered male shoved a wad of papers into his chest.
“Where were you yesterday?” Myungsoo, also known as, Mr. I-got-lead-in-publishing-because-of-my-pretty-face, went off on him with one spiel after the next. It was the usual ‘you’re so incompetent’ and the ever popular ‘you're undedicated to a job that everyone is depending on you to fulfill’. He was so into the journalism club that sometimes Daehyun thought about quitting just so he didn’t have to deal with Myungsoo’s nagging.
“I couldn’t stay after school.” He honestly replied.
“We already assigned articles.”
“Well, that’s great…so what do I have?” Myungsoo was well aware of the kind of articles Daehyun was interested in and was actually good at reporting. It didn’t take a genius, nor did it required his presence to assign work.
“I got the art exhibit in Hongdae.” Youngjae gleefully stated, his love for everything that dealt with creativity and expression of self always getting him excited. His happiness only made Daehyun all the more excited to see what he got.
But when he unfolded the papers that contained his faith, Daehyun’s smile dropped as he practically hollered: “SPORTS?!” It better have been a joke because sports wasn’t anywhere near the topic he hoped for. “What the hell?! Why sports!? I never covered sports before and I don’t want to start now.”
“It’s your fault for not coming.” Myungsoo retorted as if that was a good enough reason to ruin Daehyun’s life.
“Couldn’t you give this ty topic to someone else? Don’t I have some type of seniority here?”
“We don’t function on the basis of seniority.”
Daehyun glared, the boy about ready to curse up a storm when Youngjae suddenly stopped him from doing so. “I can switch with you Daehyun. It’s not a big deal.”
“No, you can’t.” Myungsoo’s gremlin face was getting on Daehyun’s last nerve. He didn’t see the harm in trading if Youngjae was more than okay with it. “We need you in the art scene Youngjae. The way you convey words and interpret what you see is what makes you the only one who can cover this event. Daehyun’s blunt approach to certain topics and his inability to stay impartial to the varying views that deals with art won’t make him suited for the art scene.” Facing Daehyun, he continued. “You need something ‘fact’ related, something that doesn’t require a whole lot of opinion and bias, which makes the sports section rightfully yours.”
“No, I can’t.”
Myungsoo gave him an incredulous look. “Why not?”
“Because that means I have to cover the basketball team and I don’t want to do that.” Why didn't Myungsoo break the news to him before he returned Yongguk’s computer. As if the star of the basketball team would ever agree to a pre-game interview, especially if Daehyun was the one conducting it.
It wasn't going to happen!
But Myungsoo had already turned around and started walking away from him as if he didn’t give a damn about Daehyun’s personal problems. “It’s your assignment. If you don’t want to do it then don’t. I’ll get someone else to do it.” The latter wasn't an option. He couldn’t drop out of a club that could possibly promise him a scholarship he had been gunning for ever since his freshman year of high school.
“Fine, I’ll do it!” So he had no other choice. “I’ll write about sports!”
This was a bad day and, as if the day couldn’t get any worse, his phone began to ring that infuriating tune he really didn’t want to hear right now. Daehyun reached into his pant’s pocket and fished out his phone with glowering eyes staring at the screen. At first, he didn’t know what he was looking at, but as he read on and the sound of Youngjae’s own phone caused their gaze to meet in a mist of uncertainty of the text message they both stared at, they finally realized what it all was.
“This can’t be.” Daehyun muttered out as they scanned the contents of the message. Youngjae was too speechless to react, seeing as he was too fixated on the message that read:
THE NIGHTLIFE IS CALLING...
Bring your fake IDs and dress to impress because tonight will be the night we literally party to the brink of dawn. This year's theme will acquaint you with the nightlife of Itaewon, Gangnam, and Hongdae where rules are limited and restrictions no longer exist. Don't let fear take a hold of you. Do yourself a favor and make the most of the night like you're gonna die young. Push yourself to the limit because this year's challenge will take you on a ride of your life.
■ REAP THE REWARDS
₩ 600,000 ○ IPods ○ All expense paid Lotte World passes ○ Trinkets ○ Jewelry Clothing gift cards ○ 8 HD Smartphones ○ Concert backstage passes ○ and etc...
■ ROLL CALL (if attending highlight your name)
∥ Ailee ∥ Amber ∥ Aram ∥ Ai ∥ Bora ∥ Changmin ∥ Chen ∥ Chihoon ∥ Daehyun ∥ Dara ∥ Hyosung ∥ Himchan ∥ Ilhoon ∥ Jongup ∥ Junhong ∥ Jimin ∥ Jongkook ∥ Jongin ∥ Jiho ∥ Kibum ∥ Luhan ∥ Yoona ∥ Minzy ∥ Min Hyuk ∥ Myungsoo ∥ Myuna ∥ Naeun ∥ Ravi ∥ Sulli ∥ Sunggyu ∥ Suzy ∥ Seungyoon ∥ Sehun ∥ Taemin ∥ Tiffany ∥ Woohyun ∥ Youngjae ∥ Yuri ∥ Yongguk ∥ More to be added... ∥
POSTED TUESDAY, JULY TWENTY-THIRD
TAGGED: #Raid #nightlife #challenge
A/N:
Credit for the lovely layout above is from none other than ↬ FEATURING YOU layouts。
I really reccommend anyone looking for a layout of any kind to check out their shop
because damn, their layouts are just super amazing, as exemplified by the black and blue layout <3
So check it out, leave a comment in their shop and subscribe because they are worthy of it all
for the free layouts they provide for people like me /totally fangirling over them right now/ lulz
Anyways, this is a quick chapter post because I'll be gone for a while. This is my last week of
summer courses and I have to buckle down and get done /sobbing/ ╥﹏╥
Comments