Woods (II)

 "Seems about right," the instructor murmured under his breath and pushed his glasses back up his nose. The circle started with Myungsoo, then followed Jieun, Chanyeol,Suzy,Yoon-hyung,Jin-yi, and the twins. Everyone looked bored as if they were about to fall asleep; in fact, they just wanted to go to sleep. but it wasn't as if they could say that to the instructor's face, seeing how excited he was about it.

"I will take the honor of spinning the bottle," he laughed awkwardly, revealing his buck teeth. everyone stared mindlessly as the bottle spun at full speed, slowing down little by little. "Can we just go to sleep?" Yoon-hyung sighed, constantly checking for wi-fi as he frowned at the bottle. "Young sir," the instructor laughed. "Ten years into this job and people always call me the relationship mender. you know why? this game right here, is proven to mend all relationships." he raised an eyebrow and watched the drinking end of the bottle point to Se-Jong. 

"Truth or dare?" the instructor asked lecherously.

"Um," Se-Jong rolled his eyes. "Truth?" 

"Oh ho," he sniggered. "you've caught into my trap nice and safe." everyone heard him say.

"The person i am interested in, is inside this room." the instructor shot. Although everyone yawned, their ears were all attentive to what Se-Jong had to answer. Se-Jong looked down then perked his head up in the direction of Suzy. he stared at her and nodded silently, his face growing pink. "True." Se-chan snorted and spun the bottle. the circle had grown more silent, but at the same time- also more into the game.

 The bottle spun and spun, pointing to Chanyeol.

"Question would be asked by the previous victim," the instructor pointed to Se-Jong. 

"Um," Se-Jong stuttered. "I don't know," he made a face. "You would give your life for someone in this circle."

Chanyeol grew silent. without a single hesitation, he nodded firmly. "True."

Chanyeol spun the bottle and it pointed toward Jieun. he shifted his body pose toward her. "Do you like me?" the whole room grew silent, waiting for Jieun. it felt as if the whole world was waiting for Jieun's answer; she could have never felt more pressured inside. She knew that in this situation, nothing would fix the awkwardness in her answer no matter what she answered.

"Um," she laughed half heartedly. "O..f course! I like Myungsoo, and Yoon-hyung, and Se-chan and Se-Jong, everyone.." her voice hummed. Suzy in, chewing on the dried squid packet that she brought with her. "That's such an obvious thing, you shouldn't like Chanyeol." she bit off her squid leg. "He's my fiance', not yours." she wrapped her arms around him contemptuously and watched with pride as Jieun looked to the floor.

"I don't like Chanyeol in that way," she murmured. "I'm not allowed to.." she cleared her breath and spun the bottle.

.  .  .

 Jieun sat outside the cabin, staring at the full mountain view of Korea. Everyone had fallen asleep safe and sound inside their warm sleeping bags, but for some reason she couldn't sleep. The unknown feeling of emptiness inside her heart seemed to exult her insomnia. The night air was cold, and the lights of the city was much more beautiful. She knew that her father was somewhere amongst those lights, she just hoped that she could meet him sooner or later.

The guilt was holding her back, the guilt.

When her father could potentially be in grave danger, she was enjoying life.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" a voice popped up from behind. "Myungsoo," Jieun watched as he took a seat beside her and joined her in the scenic watch. A natural silence flowed through the air, at times like this silence was the answer.

"Can't sleep?" he asked and blew white mist out of his mouth. 

"Yeah," Jieun shrugged. "Insomnia gets me every night, especially at foreign places." she rubbed her hands together and rubbed it against her two arms. She was only wearing a thin layer of outer garment, because she didn't think that they would be staying overnight at a mountain.

"I told you," Myungsoo slipped off his Moncler padding and placed it over Jieun's shoulder. "It's okay-" "Stay still," Myungsoo hushed and crouched down before her, zipping up the padding nice and tight. He smiled and took his seat beside her, inhaling out gently. He slipped his camera out and snapped a few photos, examining them from his camera. "Oh, i have a question." Jieun perked. "What?" "Remember the photobook you gave me last time..?" "You don't like it?" "No no! i love it." "Then what's the problem?"

 She exhaled out.

"At the back of the book," she continued. "What was that Italian you engraved..?"

Myungsoo grew silent.

"Spero si scegli me," he grinned. "I hope you choose me." "What do you mean?" Jieun asked cluelessly. "It was my school motto," Myungsoo said. "Back when i was in Italy. " "Doesn't really sound like a motto.." "I know," he chuckled. "But back in Italy, i was never given the opportunities because i was Asian, because i was Korean. Korean is a minority in Italy and there was huge racism back there, and all i had to fight with was this." he held up his camera proud.

"How come you decided to stay?" Jieun asked. "If it was hard, you could have came back."

"How could i come back?" he said quietly. "I even destroyed my brotherly relationship to get to where i am today."

Jieun was silent.

"Don't you want to be on good terms with Chanyeol..?" Jieun asked. She knew that if he and Chanyeol returned back to normal, Myungsoo would change for the good and he wouldn't be the same gloomy person he is. She heard Myungsoo heave a sigh, running his soft fingers over his shutter camera. 

"I do," he nodded. "i really do. but i also know that the only way to be on good terms with my brother is to give up my dream." "What?" "You think you know Chanyeol?" Myungsoo asked. Jieun couldn't really answer, especially after the bully incident. "Chanyeol's never going to forfeit until he gets what he wants. I know him better than anyone else," he paused to sigh.

"He's still my brother, real or not."

Silence flowed through the air.

"I'll help you," Jieun suggested. "I'll help you and Chanyeol go back to the way it was before." she heard Myungsoo snort. "Jieun, i respect your effort but you-" 

"Why?" she blurted. "I even made you, the ice prince, smile."

"But still, this can't be mended."

"You need to believe that it can. you need to-"

"Jieun," Myungsoo gripped her shoulders lightly and chuckled. "I understand your heart, but you really don't have to." Myungsoo cleared his breath and let the awkward silence fill the time. nothing was getting through Myungsoo and that was stifling Jieun. She saw hope, and she was confident to fix their relationship. Only just, Myungsoo wasn't allowing any room for trial and error.

"I saw that picture of you and Chanyeol in your room. The picture of you and him at the baseball match." "How did you.." "I was looking through your room and i found that picture pinned to your bulletin board. Myungsoo, i can help you go back to that memory, to that time."

Myungsoo heaved a large sigh.

-Flashback-

 "Player Park Chanyeol makes his way onto the field," the announcer rang as Chanyeol ran into the field with his silver baseball bat resting neatly on his shoulder. He stared out into the horizon and observed his fellow teammates' silent strategies. The sun was blazing in the summer sky, and Chanyeol needed to win this game. this game was the only chance he had to prove to his father that baseball wasn't just a muddy game.

Chanyeol held his bat tightly in his hand and waited for the throw. He needed a homerun, he needed this for the team and for his win. over the distance, he saw his father sitting by the audience and observing him with a tepid face. 

Pow

Chanyeol could hear the loud roar of the audience cheering. His feet were dashing to the base, and the base after that,and the base after.. he had hit a homerun. He could hear his teammates telling him to run for his life, and that the baseball bat was still in the air. with a triumphant smile on his face, Chanyeol dashed for his life. Chanyeol was running to the home base; he could feel a presence beside him.

 The opponent was also rushing toward the home base with the ball tightly in his hand. Chanyeol screamed and sprinted toward the base, sliding against the floor and hitting the home base before the opponent could. wild roars filled the stadium and his teammates carried him in mid air, embracing each other in joy. Chanyeol screamed in joy and closed his eyes as he heard the whole stadium chant his name in glory.

"PARK CHANYEOL! PARK CHANYEOL!"

This is why he loved baseball. because he felt like a hero, and he made people happy. Chanyeol could feel tears forming up his eyes; it was his first individual win ever since elementary school and all that hard training had paid off. but his tears also contained fear, for his father was no longer visible in the audience seat. His smile faded, but he was too busy to notice as his teammates rushed him upto the stage to receive the golden trophy for the team.

 Chanyeol sat by the bleachers, staring at the empty stadium. it was so wide, and it made his heart beat. To him, it was still bewildering that he was playing baseball on the number one junior team in South Korea. all those hours of morning and night practices had paid off, he thought to himself. He stared at his reflection through the golden trophy and smiled proudly. 

"Chanyeol," a familiar voice echoed from behind. he turned around and saw the most welcoming person in the whole world. "Myungsoo," he laughed and ran into his arms, laughing with victory. The two joked around and Myungsoo snapped pictures of Chanyeol's victorious moment with his trophy. Myungsoo was the only person in the family who was truly happy for Chanyeol's success.

 The two of them sat back to back on the bleachers and stared at the large stadium, lit with the bright lights.

"It's pretty amazing," Myungsoo went on. "You played in this large stadium with thousands of eyes on you." Chanyeol breathed softly and closed his eyes, resting his head on Myungsoo's tender shoulder. "But the pair of eyes i wanted to impress wasn't there." Chanyeol sighed heavily and laughed at his foolishness. Of course his father wouldn't stay, he had no idea why he even hoped for him to stay until the end.

"You know father.." Myungsoo explained. "He's not very affectionate. he promised that he would let you play if you proved him that baseball isn't just a sport for the stupid. you did more than prove, you showed him. You'll be the best player in this country, i assure you." the two laughed wildly and leaned against each other silently. Myungsoo stood up and set up his triangular stand infront of the bleachers, setting his camera on top.

 He rushed back to the bleachers and hung an extra camera on his neck, ready to pose.

The two smiled, and the camera flashed.

-END-

 "But what happened..?" Jieun asked, completely absorbed in the story. "Father.. didn't keep his promise." Myungsoo shrugged and wrapped his arms around his knees. 'At that time, Chanyeol tried everything. He even escaped from home, tried to commit suicide, starved himself, brought back bad grades, but father ceased to care. He was only fifteen, he wasn't ready to face reality."

"Then he grew up." Jieun whispered.

Myungsoo nodded and stared out into the horizon. 

"Why is Mr.Kim so against Chanyeol playing baseball..?" "Because," Myungsoo said dumbfoundedly. "he wasn't brought into this family to enjoy life, according to father. " "What?" Jieun said with a horrified expression. "I don't even know.. that's what father always says to him." "But i don't understand," Jieun frowned. "Why would someone who is so passionate about his dream.. become a bully?"

"That's just something.. we have to find out along the way."

.  .  .

  Everyone aboarded the van after a long trip down the mountain. All the youngsters were tired because they had left so early in the morning and hardly got any sleep. snoring filled the van except for Jieun and Chanyeol, who just looked out the window silently. Chanyeol was more silent than usual, which was strange because he was always the mood-maker in the family.

His eyes were glued to the scenery as the van drove past.

"Someone remind us to never get tour guides again," Se-chan's father grumbled as the grandparents agreed and roared into hysteric laughing. Jieun stared at Chanyeol, and his face which deprieved of happiness. he looked as if he had lost all hope in life, and his life was a monotone mess. 

"Chanyeol," Jieun called. he looked at her with his depressing face and forced a small grin. "yeah?" he croaked. "Did you not sleep last night?" "Why?" "Nothing.. it's just.. you look tired." Jieun bit her lips. he seemed extremely sharp morning. He didn't even smile once on their way down to the mountain. She could feel his bully pose coming back to him, perhaps it was his lack of cigarettes, Jieun thought.

 She glanced at Myungsoo and chuckled. His head jerked back, snoring with his mouth open.

 "Wake up," Se-chan's father threw a cushion on the boys' faces and they woke up one by one, still dazed. They wiped the saliva off their mouth and rushed out of the car, stretching their limbs with all their might. "This is what happens when you force us on unwanted trips Dad." Se-Jong muttered as they entered the house one by one. "Chanyeol," Jieun whispered and pulled him out of the crowd.

 He looked down at her with his ruffled hair, which seemed to fit him perfectly.

"Do you have time?"

"I guess..?" he shrugged.

"There's something i need to show you." 

"What?"

"Follow me."

"Where are we going?" he grumbled, yawning. Jieun pushed the large door open to the building they had arrived upon. They rushed up the stairs to the second floor and slid the glass door open. She knew Chanyeol was going to like this place, and even if it took time she was going to return him back to the original Chanyeol. "Hyungseok," Jieun waved and the boy behind the counter waved back with an uninterested expression.

 "Two." Chanyeol watched as she slipped a $20,000 bill and pulled Chanyeol through the corridor.

"Do you like it?" Jieun laughed in exultation. 

Before Chanyeol, was an indoor baseball cage. Chanyeol looked around in disbelief, keeping a straight face. It was impossible to know what he was thinking, except for the twinkling of his eyes. Jieun chuckled and picked up a baseball and bat, pushing the bat inside his arms. 

"Come on," she crossed her arms. "Show me what you've got."

A/N

Sorry for late update

If you liked this chapter, please upvote and/or leave a comment