“Whoooooo! Go, Byun Baek Hyun!”   The practice for the football team was going extremely well that day as everyone gave it their very best for the upcoming match. Everyone was in top-notch condition and played using their uttermost strength. On top of that, the cheerleading squad was there to cheer them on as if it was the real thing.   Being the head of the cheerleaders, Hyun Mi was especially enthusiastic to cheer them on that day. She made sure she didn’t do anything weird or embarrassing to keep up the perfect image as head cheerleader while elegantly and cheerfully supporting them. Especially when Baek Hyun turned to her with a dorky smile and waved at her in appreciation of the support, she felt herself melting in glee. She bit her lips bashfully and quickly turned around to grab something to drink to compose herself.   “Aren’t you being a little too obvious?” a very familiar nagging voice asked.   Hyun Mi nearly spit out her drink as she realized her best friends had decided to distract her by paying a visit. She glared at Ki Bum and Woo Hyun who looked rather displeased with her fangirling over the team’s quarterback.   “Obvious about what?” she asked, pretending not to understand his words.   “Go Byun Baek Hyun!” Ki Bum poorly imitated her with an attempt at a girly squeal before he returned to his usual sassy self. “Ya! If I were Baek Hyun, I’d probably trip myself from all the noise.”   “If you were Baek Hyun, I wouldn’t cheer for you even if my voice depended on it,” Hyun Mi told him with an annoyed look.   “Perfect! Hearing you talk will be a distraction for my victory anyway,” Ki Bum continued with a proud smirk.   Hyun Mi gave her best friend an annoyed look before she just laughed it off. She had been friends with Ki Bum for the longest time now, and their conversation were usually nothing but insults. Even so, they both knew the insults were a form of affection.   “Don’t you think so, Woo Hyun?” Ki Bum requested for back up.   Hyun Mi turned to her other friend with a hopeful look. Unlike Ki Bum, Woo Hyun still , but never insulted her to such extreme measures. In fact, the things he said were the complete opposite of insults. Others might cringe at it, but she had gotten so used to it after their many years of friendship.   “I agree,” Woo Hyun nodded.   “What?!” Hyun Mi was taken aback, feeling betrayed by the one she thought was on her side.   “I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on my games, thinking that an angel was talking to me,” Woo Hyun continued with his playful grin.   Hyun Mi couldn’t help but smile bashfully at his cheesy line. As expected, Woo Hyun wouldn’t insult her.   “Ew! It’s so disgusting I don’t think a shower can wash off the cheesiness,” Ki Bum commented with an exaggerated shrill. Sometimes he wondered how he could stay friends with the two of them when they were being so overly disgusting all the time.   “But Hyun Mi, how come you never cheer that loudly for me?” Woo Hyun suddenly asked as his eyes darted back to the guys playing football.   “Even when I don’t cheer for you out loud, I’ll always be cheering for you in my heart,” Hyun Mi spoke sweetly, placing a hand against her chest in the most genuine way.   “Ah~ That must be the reason why I never lost a game,” Woo Hyun nodded with a grin.   “Oh mai gosh, how are we still friends?” Ki Bum yelled out loud towards the heavens.   “Seriously though,” Woo Hyun nudged her shoulders as they noticed the boys were finishing up their practice. “It wouldn’t hurt to cheer for me during practice too. The opposing team is really scary and brutal.”   “I will, I promise. Just tell me when,” Hyun Mi told him as her eyes were fixed on the one guy who was now doing a weird victory dance with his friend Chan Yeol. But as soon as Hee-Jin appeared in the picture to give her boyfriend a congratulatory hug, Baek Hyun soon turned away. He caught Hyun Mi’s eyes and soon motioned her to come.   “Sorry guys, be right back,” she told them and excitedly went to meet with Baek Hyun.   “She isn’t serious, is she?” Ki Bum asked with a skeptical look.   “Ya, haven’t you seen how she replied to all my cheesy lines?” Woo Hyun nudged him with a grin. “She must like me.”   “Uhm, hello? Have you not seen how we fight so affectionately? Clearly she likes me,” Ki Bum said proudly.   “You’re both wrong,” Mimi spoke as she and Sohee appeared behind the two guys.   “What?” Woo Hyun and Ki Bum asked, looking at the two other cheerleaders in shock.   “She’s that friendly to everyone,” Mimi continued while shaking her head.   “She’s so approachable it makes her unapproachable,” Sohee added some wise words.   “The guys who try to hit on her ends up getting friendzoned,” Mimi said, slightly pointing her finger towards the two guys in front of her.   “Except Baek Hyun! He might actually have a chance,” Sohee cheered gleefully.   “True, true,” Mimi nodded with a small giggle. “Soon, we can all go on double dates, or triple dates.”   Woo Hyun and Ki Bum were left horrified as the two girls walked away after dropping the bomb on them. They continued staring at their friend who was obviously receptive to whatever Baek Hyun was telling her. He made a lame joke, but she kept laughing like there was no tomorrow.   They went to Hyun Mi who waved at Baek Hyun as he left to hit the showers with the others. When she turned around, she was surprised to see her two best friends giving her a judging look.   “What happened?” Ki Bum asked, trying to be nonchalant about it.   “He told me he’d buy me some oreo ice cream since he could hear my cheers from aaaaaaaaall the way there,” Hyun Mi giggled as she pointed to a faraway distance.   “Seriously?” Woo Hyun asked with a small chuckle. “If it’s just ice cream, I guess I worried for nothing.”   “Why would you worry?” Hyun Mi asked him. Before he had the chance to answer her, Ki Bum had already interrupted them.   “How old are you to be so excited over some ice cream?”   “I’m one day older than you,” Hyun Mi answered him while flattening her eyes. “Besides, it’s not the ice cream I’m excited about, but the person offering me one.”   Woo Hyun and Ki Bum gulped, their eyes widened in shock. Judging on the way things played out, it seemed Mimi and Sohee were right about Baek Hyun having a chance. There was no way they would let this happen.  

 

“Hahahahaha, you two are doomed,” Seul Yi laughed as they met up for lunch. She was laughing at Woo Hyun and Ki Bum who looked a little solemn that day.

  “This isn’t a laughing matter. We should help them!” Ki Kwang spoke as he quickly fed some muffin to Seul Yi to stop her from laughing.   “No! I might get fat!” Seul Yi wailed as she took the muffin away. “Woo Hyun might still have a chance, but Ki Bum is totally doomed.”   “No! Ki Bum oppa has a higher chance!” Maerin yelled in disagreement. “Don’t worry, me and Tae Min oppa will always support you! I was right last time about HeeYeol, so I’ll be right about you two!”   “But Woo Hyun should end up with her. The last time during our soccer game, he couldn’t concentrate at all and almost got hit by a ball,” Ki Kwang said.   “But Ki Bum hyung was working so hard to get her the discount she wanted from his work place,” Tae Min added.   “Yes! You tell him, oppa!” Maerin cheered as she and Tae Min high fived.   Woo Hyun and Ki Bum stayed quiet as the others continued arguing on their behalf. Despite everything, there was one person who was exceptionally quiet as she stared at them with a flirty gaze.   “What is it, Jaelyn?” Ki Bum asked out of curiosity.   “Since you both don’t have a chance, know that I’m available,” she told them with a wink.   “Stop it, unnie!” Seul Yi shook her head at the elder’s behavior.   “What? You can play with guys, but I can’t?” Jaelyn asked.   “I stopped playing after I found my Ki Kwangie oppa," Seul Yi cheered with a giggle.   “At least let me give them my number,” Jaelyn insisted as the girls suddenly ended up playing tug of war with Maerin and Seul Yi trying to hold the elder back.   “Woo Hyun,” Ki Bum suddenly spoke as he turned to his friend, trying to tune out everyone else’s chaotic chatters. “I am serious about her though.”   “So am I,” Woo Hyun said as he grinned back. “So I guess our friendship is officially ruined when it comes to girls?”   “This is weird, we don’t usually fall for the same type of girl,” Ki Bum remarked.   “She isn’t just any girl,” Woo Hyun spoke as he took a sip from his tea, ignoring Ki Bum’s frustrated stare at his cheesiness.  

 

The following weeks, Hyun Mi was slightly confused and flustered at the things the guys did. Her best friends weren’t acting as themselves and kept doing everything to try and get her attention.   One time, Ki Bum had bought her a box of chocolate. She thought the random gesture was sweet, until he decided to remind her not to eat too much or she’ll get fat. In his case, the moment he got her to believe he was nice, he quickly became his usual Ki Bum self again.   On the other hand, Woo Hyun was expressing his romantic nature through a love letter. Others might think it was old school, but she secretly enjoyed reading the cheesy things he wrote to declare his so-called love. It wasn’t a secret she had always loved his greasy lines, but everyone knew she never took them seriously.   This time, however, it was as if the two guys were demanding her to consider them seriously. It was weird.   “Will you come to cheer for us again later?” Baek Hyun asked, interrupting her thoughts as he walked her to the next class.   “Huh? Oh, of course!” she flashed him a sheepish smile, momentarily forgetting she was actually walking with him at the moment. “I’m afraid you guys won’t be able to win without our cheers.”   “Very true. I know I gained a lot of strength from the cheers,” Baek Hyun continued as he shyly looked at her. “Especially yo-”   “There you are!” Woo Hyun appeared at the perfect timing as he grabbed Hyun Mi’s wrist and casually pulled her away from the other guy.   “Were you looking for me?” she asked, blinking in anticipation at what he was going to say next. Ever since the weird behavior, it was harder to predict their random actions.   “When am I not looking for you when you’re constantly on my mind?” Woo Hyun responded without his usual cheeky laugh.   Hyun Mi flinched a little at the words, seeing his intense stare on her. This was unusual. He would normally laugh or make it clear he was just joking around, but his lips remained a thin line as if he meant every single word spoken.   “W-what is it?” she couldn’t help but stutter at this new side of her friend.   “I’m having a soccer practice later. I want you to cheer for me,” Woo Hyun said.   “But today is the football club’s-” As Hyun Mi’s eyes darted towards Baek Hyun, she felt Woo Hyun placing his hand against her cheeks to keep her eyes on him.   “You promised me before, remember?” he asked in a low whisper.   Hyun Mi gave him a slow nod, wondering why her heart suddenly started to beat faster towards him. Was it the close distance? Was it his attractive voice? Was it the way he looked at her?   “Alright," Woo Hyun grinned cheerfully as he let go of her. “See you then."   “I’m sorry Baek, I guess I can’t come see your practice today,” Hyun Mi told him.   “If we lose, you owe me an ice cream though,” Baek Hyun joked.   “You won’t lose,” Hyun Mi told him confidently.   “If we win, let’s celebrate with an ice cream,” Baek Hyun added with a childish grin.   She laughed and nodded. “No matter what happens, we’ll get ice cream.”  

 

After classes had ended somewhat later that day, Hyun Mi immediately headed towards the soccer field to keep her promise. To her surprise, however, she saw that Woo Hyun was all by himself without the rest of the soccer team. As he ran around the field to chase after the soccer ball, she couldn’t help but admire his hard work and well worked out body.   “You can close your mouth now. Don’t drool because of me,” Woo Hyun told her, breaking the trance she was in.   “I wasn’t!” Hyun Mi was flustered as she walked towards the field and placed her bag on one of the benches. “So where’s the rest of the team?”   “I told them not to come today,” Woo Hyun answered as he picked up the ball from the ground.   “Aren’t you the captain? How can you tell them not to come to practice?” she asked him with a laugh of disbelief.   “Cause I wanted to be alone with you,” Woo Hyun answered simply. He flashed her a playful grin before he ran off towards the field to practice more on his dribbling skills. “The others are happy though. Ki Kwang gets to go on a date with Seul Yi.”   “R-right…” Hyun Mi didn’t even know why she stuttered after Woo Hyun’s usual greasy line, and sat down on the bench. She continued to watch him as he proceeded to dribble the ball and attempt to kick it into the goal from a faraway distance. One of his weaknesses was to correctly shoot the ball as it bounced back to him every time. It frustrated him since even the opposing teams were aware of this.   Maybe he needed some help.   “Woo Hyun ah!”   The guy looked up from the soccer ball to trail after the direction of her voice. As soon as he saw Hyun Mi standing on the bench with the blue pom poms in her hands, he started to smile. But when she threw away her perfect well-maintained image to do an overly weird adorkable dance, he just couldn’t help but laugh hysterically. This was one of Hyun Mi’s side that only he and Ki Bum got to see.   “What are you doing?” he asked in between his laughter.   “Supporting you,” she answered with an aegyo movement that would normally make people want to punch her. But in Woo Hyun’s case, he just kept laughing, completely smitten.   “You being here is the greatest support I need,” Woo Hyun spoke with a genuine smile.   Hyun Mi halted her movements, completely flustered. She had to quickly distract herself to stop her heart from racing at his words. “Try making a goal!” she encouraged him.   Woo Hyun gave her a nod. He stood at a small distance from the ball and took a deep breath in his current stance. It seemed like he was meditating or praying under his breath as he kept his gaze fixed on the ball.   “Come on, come on… You only got one chance,” Hyun Mi chanted to herself, watching in anticipation. When Woo Hyun started r