12th November 2024

Hongbin hands his practice paper to Jiyoon, “thanks noona,” he says before heading off to bathe.

Jiyoon carefully looks through his answers, checking for their accuracy and correcting the mistakes.

“Help me!” whines Sohyun as she crumples another sheet of scrap paper and hurling it to the ground.

“If it’s not math I can’t—”

“It’s math,” Sohyun declares as she passes the diabolical problem to Jiyoon.

She takes a break from marking Hongbin’s paper to work through the math problem, “got to think a little different for this one,” she replies when handing the worked solution back to Sohyun.

“If something like this really comes out, I’m just going to guess the answer and be done with it. Seriously, it’s not worth my time,” Sohyun mutters while looking through Jiyoon’s solution.

And Jiyoon’s with them, all the way until both of them finally turn in.

“You okay?” Sungyeol asks as he sits down next to her, where Hongbin had previously been studying.

“Tired. Can’t wait for all this to be over.”

“Three days,” he replies as he takes out some fancy paper.

“Oh, you managed to get their talismans?”

“Finally,” he breathes, and places the talismans on the table gingerly, “I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get my hands on them.”

“From the same place?”

“Thankfully yes. I thought I would have to settle for something less. Now just to write the letter.”

“That should be the easy part, for you, Mr scriptwriter,” Jiyoon replies cheekily.

“You speak as if you’re not a lyricist, seriously.”

“I mean, I’m not the one writing the letter.”

---

2016

Leo raps his knuckles lightly on Sujeong’s bedroom door before stepping in carefully. 

“Yes, what is it?”

“Noona, I got something to tell you,” Leo says as he sits down on her bed.

“Okay, sure, go ahead.”

“Noona, you know that I really like to play football right? And I play football for the school?”

“Of course I know.”

“So, how do I say this…” he allows his eyes to dart towards the ceiling.

“Just say it directly, don’t worry.”

He manages to look her in the eye, “I got selected for the National Youth Football team.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“And I want to play on the team.”

“Okay.”

“For that I need noona’s consent,” he takes a manila envelope and passes it to Sujeong, “everything that noona needs to know is there. There’s going to be an information session where you can see the training grounds and meet the coaches and stuff on the Saturday two weeks from now. I hope noona will go. I really want to play.”

Leo works his earnest pleading eyes before leaving the room.

“I thought normally football teams don’t make such a big deal out of it? Why is it that this time they have parental consent forms and information sessions?”

Sujeong turns to the manila envelope and the search bar for assistance.

Hakyeon points at the boy walking out of the room, and tilts his head to face Taekwoon, “this is totally you. I can literally see Taekwoon written all over him.” 

Dear Seogyeong unnie,

Leo just made the National Youth Football team. It’s crazy right? He’s 14. Just when you think it’s not a big deal, it totally is because apparently quite a lot of them eventually make the national football team. Even if they can’t, they can still make a living out of playing football in a league or something. That’s totally insane. And Leo, that darling, is asking if I’m going to sign the consent form. I don’t know unnie.

Would you sign it? You always say that Leo and Ilsoo should be allowed to do what they like but even back then you thought that he spent too much time playing football. Undoubtedly, if he going to play for the national youth football team, he’s going to spend even more time playing football. Should I act accord