Writtern by: "splash"

Pairing: Woogyu

Prompt: Sunggyu is forcedby his own twin brother to join his place in the soccer team, led by team captain Nam Woohyun. There's only one problem- he doesn't know how to play soccer.

(words: 3,663)

Soccer for Dummies

“Hyung~”

Sunggyu sighs as he marks his book before looking up at his twin brother. He asks, “What do you need?”

His twin brother, Sungyoon, gives him a big toothy smile, “Why do you always think I need something from you when I talk to you?”

This time, Sunggyu carefully places the book on the coffee table before leaning back in his seat.

“Okay, I know you’ll think this is ridiculous.”

“I knew it,” Sunggyu huffs. “You only call me hyung when you need something from me!”

“I don’t even really need to call you hyung,” the other almost snaps. “We were born just two minutes apart!”

Sunggyu frowns at that and tries to stand up and leave. Sungyoon stops him, however. He begs holding his brother’s arms, “No, I’m sorry! Sunggyu hyung please! Okay, I’m really sorry! You really need to help me! I’ll do anything after I come back! I promise!” He gestures to his chest and makes a cross mark with his finger.

“The heart’s on the left side,” Sunggyu comments dryly.

“Whatever!”

“Fine, fine, tell me. And what do you mean when you come back? If you’re going, just go.”

Sungyoon coughs a little, thinking of how to phrase the situation. “So you know how I play soccer in school?”

“Yeah…”

“We have training this summer.”

“Yeah…”

“But Hyerim and her family are going to Spain this summer and she said I could go with them because they can get discounts and you know how much I want to watch a game.”

“What do you mean? You always watch games. That’s all you do.”

“But this will be different! The players will be different! The crowd will be different. They’ll have a different energy. And who knows? Maybe a team on the big leagues will play!”

Sunggyu says with a smile, mockingly, “Who knows?”

The sarcasm is lost on Sungyoon, however, and he continues, “I know right! So I really want to go and mom and dad are okay with it because Hyerim’s parents already called but I really need to go to this stupid training. That , Nam Woohyun. Just because he’s captain now. He thinks we need intensive boot camp. I know I’m good. I’m really good, Sunggyu. You can’t tell because they always make me the goalie but I’m great on the field.”

“So?” Sunggyu eyes him skeptically. “You’re just an incoming sophomore next fall. You can just skip on this and go to Spain.”

“No,” Sungyoon sighs dramatically. “He said that anyone who doesn’t go is automatically kicked out of the team. What a !”

“What do you want me to do? Talk to him?”

Sungyoon grins this time.

It is probably safe to say that Sunggyu has no real idea about soccer. All he knows is that a player needs to kick the ball so it goes inside the net to get a point and there will be another player who makes sure it doesn’t get in but that is all he knows. He doesn’t know how many players there are in a team or what these players really need to do. Sungyoon says he doesn’t need to worry and Sunggyu wonders why he would worry anyway. It is a simple sport. Or, so he thinks.

Their mother drops Sunggyu off at Sungyoon’s school before driving Sungyoon to the airport. Sunggyu doesn’t study here. He studies at a private arts school across town. It’s not that he is dumb, like what most people think when they hear this. He is far from that. He studies music and literature and he feels as though other things will only waste his time.

He hears yelling from across the field upon entering the school gates. He sighs.

Some boys call his brother’s, his, name. They shout, “Sungyoon-ah!”

“Great,” he mutters.

“We didn’t think you would come.”

Sunggyu is puzzled because if Sungyoon planned this perfectly, he would have never mentioned anything to anyone he didn’t trust. He answers despite himself though, “Uh? Why would you think that?”

“Hyerim told us.”

“Oh.” Figures, he thinks, Sungyoon’s girlfriend is nice and thought but she doesn’t think things through sometimes.

“No. Why would I risk being kicked out of the team? You guys need me.” Sunggyu mentally congratulates himself. He sounds like his confident twin brother and everyone laughs. He’s not giving anything away.

“Line up!” someone shouts. Sunggyu is surprised. He knows it’s sort of a boot camp but is sounding like a military general necessary?

The fascist, Sunggyu thinks that it’s most probably the Woohyun guy, tells them to put their things in their locker and they have to pitch tents. He also holds up their itinerary for their two-week stay. Sunggyu mentally adds, in hell. This guy is the devil.

 They have warm ups in the morning. They run until they die. Then at exactly 3 P.M., they have soccer matches – where they switch positions and teams from time to time, Woohyun computed and listed all the possible combinations.

“Of course, it’s not all about training,” Woohyun interrupts Sunggyu’s thoughts. “This is a chance for all of us to get to know each other better and build stronger relationships to become a better team.”

The boy on Sunggyu’s left whispers to him, “I swear Woohyun dreams of soccer balls and farts soccer balls.”

Amusing, Sunggyu thinks. He politely snickers in acknowledgment.

“We’ll also have to cook our own meals. The school doesn’t want to cover that,” Woohyun adds and a collective groan from everyone deafens Sunggyu.

“I know, I know, guys. But it’s alright! We can take turns. I already made a list for cooking assignments.”

“Why can’t our moms just brings us food?” someone asks.

Good luck to me, Sunggyu thinks to himself because both their parents are always working.

“Well, good luck to me,” Woohyun says. “And some of you, too. Some of our parents can’t come here. And this is a good thing. It will teach us about responsibility and trust… that none of us will poison each other.” Woohyun gives a loud laugh but no one reacts so coughs and moves on to what he was saying.

Nothing Sungyoon could ever give Sunggyu would make camp worth it. But if there is anything Sunggyu isn’t, that is being a quitter.

Sunggyu can do the running but what he worries about is the matches. What if he gets an unfamiliar position and he just stands there and that’s the wrong thing to do?

Maybe, it’s just like basketball where everyone runs after the ball just in case someone is free or if they can retrieve the ball?

Simple enough, Sunggyu thinks.

“Sungyoon-ah,” someone calls him.

“Oh,” he replies. He never knew Sungyoon was popular and great, because he doesn’t know anyone here aside from Woohyun hyung. Sunggyu assumes he’s a ‘hyung’ because why else would he be captain if he’s not a senior?

The one who called him turns out to be Woohyun.

“This is your chance. I guess now you’ll stop bugging me to make you one of the strikers.”

“Ah, thanks, hyung,” Sunggyu answers.

“Hyung?”

Sunggyu mirrors the puzzled look on Woohyun’s face.

“Sungyoon-ah, we’re just in the same year,” Woohyun explains as if Sunggyu has gotten amnesia.

“Yeah,” Sunggyu says as he nods dumbly.

“Why did you call me hyung? You weirdo.”

“I didn’t,” Sunggyu lies. “I said Hyun.”

Woohyun gives him a look. “Okay,” he says finally with a growing grin on his face. “I guess we’re close friends now? You’re even giving me a nickname.”

“Yeah. Weren’t we friends?”

“No,” Woohyun sighs. “I know I’m strict but it’s a big responsibility and I just don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

Sunggyu processes the new information but maintains a straight face. Then, he answers, “That’s predictable. I understand. Just,” he hesitates, “Just be a little more cool. All these boys want to be good, too. Sungyoon thinks soccer is his outlet for the stress when his lessons get complicated.”

“Okay,” Woohyun says after a pause giving Sunggyu another puzzled look. “Is it normal for you to refer to yourself in the third person?”

“Oh, yeah. Uh… It’s a bad habit.”

Woohyun offers his hand for Sunggyu to shake and Sunggyu shakes it.

Sunggyu’s first role in the team against Woohyun’s team is a midfielder and what in the world it means, Sunggyu doesn’t care.

He lines up with the boys who said they were also midfielders and then he looks ahead at the opposing team.

“Sungyoon! What are you doing there?”

“What? I’m a midfielder, too.”

“On the other side,” the boy hisses. “You’re on the wrong team.”

“Oh.”

The boys he pass all laugh at him but Woohyun gives him a sympathetic look. This is the most embarrassing day Sunggyu has ever had but he comforts himself, telling himself that it’s not him getting embarrassed. It’s Sungyoon.

The game starts and Sunggyu just keeps running. He is all over the place and he cannot even see where the ball is. All his teammates shout at him suddenly then, there is a boy kicking the ball in front of him.

“Steal it!” They all shout at him.

Sunggyu makes a menacing face, at least he thinks, when he crouches a little bit then he follows the boy, not letting him escape. Then, he looks down and tries to kick the ball away.

There’s a roar of laughter when Sunggyu blinks and the boy is out of sight. He looks down and sees the boy holding his leg. It is so obvious he is holding in his tears and cries of pain.

“Sungyoon, kick the ball! Not Jaerim!”

Sunggyu stutters.

“How bad does it hurt?” another boy asks the wounded. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“N-no,” he manages to say. “Just give me an ice pack or something.”

Sunggyu says sorry over and over. When some of the boys help lift Jaerim up, he just shakes his head at Sunggyu and Sunggyu feels very terrible.

There’s a hand on his shoulder and a voice saying, “He’ll be fine.” He turns to see Woohyun.

“But what if it’s a fracture and he can never play anymore? Or walk?”

“No offense but your kick didn’t look hard enough. He was most probably acting just so he can go home.”

“You think everyone hates you that much?”

Woohyun shrugs and runs to the boys who are sitting outside the white line painted on the grass.

“Okay, team!” Woohyun shouts and Sunggyu gets ready.

It’s barely 6 P.M. and everyone is complaining that they just want to sleep. Woohyun, however, unsurprisingly, is still lively and he is charge of cooking dinner with Sungyoon, Sunggyu. And Sunggyu learns Woohyun is also skilled at cooking.

“Now, I get why people don’t like you,” Sunggyu jokes.

“Why? Tell me.”

“I’m only kidding.”

“Oh,” Woohyun says sighing.

Sunggyu blurts out because he cannot take it anymore, “Stop beating yourself up just to please people. You’re good at things and it looks like you can do anything. It’s a little annoying because not everyone is supposed to be good at everything.”

Just half a day with Woohyun and he thinks he has gotten him all figured out. He regrets saying it but then, Sungyoon can be impulsive, too. Maybe it’s fine.

“But,” Woohyun answers after a pause. “But I’m not good at everything.”

“It doesn’t look like it.”

Woohyun looks down and just as if Sunggyu doesn’t have enough guilt in his system, he feels really terrible for making Woohyun feel terrible. The boy just wants to be liked and he is trying hard. What is wrong with that?

“It’s not your fault though. People are self-centered so when they see someone else being good at things they wish they were good at, they either admire them or hate them. I see you’re really passionate about soccer. That’s really a good thing and I know you want to lead your teammates together. I even think Sungyoon is wrong about you. You’re a really good guy, just misunderstood. If you could just tone down the intensity a little bit though…”

“Okay,” Woohyun says doubtfully. “Thanks for the advice, Sungyoon.” He emphasizes on his brother’s name that for a moment, Sunggyu worries he is already caught.

“Do you have a twin brother or something?”

Sunggyu’s eyes widen at the question and then Woohyun adds, “Where is your evil twin? You’re so nice to me today.”

“I’m not!” Sunggyu practically shouts. “It’s just annoying that it’s already like this on the first day!” He looks away, afraid that he is caught. But then, he hears Woohyun sigh.

“Well, like they say, tomorrow is another day,” Woohyun says smiling a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Sunggyu mentally notes how much he hates that smile.

Days pass and everyone still complains and Sunggyu doesn’t get any better at soccer.

Woohyun tells him one night, “This is probably futile.”

“That’s a fancy word.” It’s something Sungyoon would say teasingly but it’s something Sunggyu said in genuine surprise.

Woohyun frowns at him.

“I’m going to tell them to go home tomorrow.”

“What? But everyone is getting better.”

“What?” Woohyun asks annoyed. “What did you say? I couldn’t hear it. It sounded like bull.”

“Hey!” Sunggyu shoves him playfully as he laughs. “You know, when I feel like giving up a piece on the piano, I think about why I started to like music in the first place.”

“I didn’t know you play the piano or that you like music!”

Another slip-up, Sunggyu thinks. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Woohyun nods thoughtfully.

“I started liking soccer because I had no friends and my classmates bullied me. It’s when I kick the ball and I imagine it as all my problems and when it goes into the goal, there’s a rush inside me. It fills me up and in those moments when people are cheering my name and my teammates clap me on the shoulder and smile at me, I feel happy. I feel infinite.”

Sunggyu looks at him doubtfully. It’s probably nothing but before he can stop himself, he asks, “Did you get that from The Perks of being a Wallflower? Are you okay? Do you get depressed?”

Woohyun is stunned. He turns to look at Sunggyu then he looks away. “I…” He begins. “No. Not like in the book. I’m… It’s nothing like that. I just get it. I mean, how it feels from the outside looking in. But something happens and then you feel like anything is possible. Like, I can dream. I can actually be an athlete and people would accept me.”

“People accept you,” Sunggyu affirms. “You can just be a fascist machine with no consideration for people’s health sometimes.”

“I’d like to see you be captain.”

Sunggyu laughs a throaty genuine laugh while hitting his leg. “Oh boy! Me, captain? I’d be ten times worse.”

“If you understand how I feel, why don’t you try harder then?”

Sunggyu looks at Woohyun uncomprehending his words.

“I’m sorry,” Woohyun suddenly blurts out. “I didn’t mean…”

“No, you mean it.”

“I’m sorry, Sungyoon. I know you try. I know the others try. It just gets frustrating. It’s all just a game to you.”

Sunggyu puts a hand on Woohyun’s shoulder. “Hyunnie, but it Is a game.”

“Not to me,” Woohyun huffs and leaves to sleep in his tent.

3 A.M. Sunggyu wakes up and he feels the need to run and stretch. He jogs slowly as he listens to an audiobook called Soccer for Dummies. He does the stretching routine alone and then takes an actual run. He sets the field with a net and some orange cones. He watches himself as he kicks the ball here and there through the cones.

Sunggyu discovers that it’s not that his body coordination is a mess per se. He’s just always been afraid of the ball.

“Sungyoon-ah!” the boys call him while he shoots a ball straight into the net. They clap and cheer collectively while he sees Woohyun looking at him doubtfully.

“I’ve decided to show you guys my real skills. How about we play for real this time?” It’s amazing, Sunggyu thinks. He sounds just like his confident twin brother who never admits his weakness.

In the airport, when Sunggyu and his parents pick up Sungyoon, he leaves out things about Woohyun when Sungyoon asks him. Sungyoon doesn’t seem to care at all how it went anyway. He excitedly talks about everything he has seen in Madrid.

“Talk all you want now,” Sunggyu tells him. “You can’t brag about this at school.” Then, he laughs.

“They wouldn’t understand anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Sunggyu asks.

“Soccer is just a game to them. They don’t understand the rush when you make a goal.”

Sunggyu tries hard not to ponder on the thought and tries hard not to miss the person who said the same thing to him. Instead, he answers, “You should give them more respect. They are your teammates. There is no ‘I’ in team.”

“Did Nam Woohyun tell you that? What has he done to you?”

Sungyoon leaves laughing at Sunggyu’s shocked-and-angry face.

After a week when school starts, however, Sungyoon starts asking Sunggyu weird questions.

“Did you say anything to Woohyun about me not liking him?”

Sunggyu’s cheeks visibly reddens. “No! I told him you like him and he wants to give you a chance to be a striker – whatever that is.”

On another occasion, Sungyoon brings Woohyun up at the dinner table. “Sunggyu, how did I become best friends with Nam Woohyun? Everyone says we stuck together like glue at camp.”

“We weren’t together that often.”

Sungyoon chews on his food loudly staring at Sunggyu the whole time. Sunggyu decides to eat in his room. He feels embarrassed because before he was out of earshot, Sungyoon shouts after him that Woohyun said that he hopes they could be closer after what happened at camp.

One night, Sungyoon barges into Sunggyu’s room. “What happened between you and Nam Woohyun?” Sungyoon demands.

Sunggyu hesitantly answers, “Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me like I can’t see how you fidget.”

“Nothing really happened! Why are you asking anyway? Don’t talk to me like you don’t owe me! You went to Spain because of me. Don’t you remember?”

Sungyoon snaps and just shouts. “He asked me out!”

Sunggyu frowns thoughtfully. “What? How could he?”

Annoyed, Sungyoon yells, “He asked me out thinking I was you, stupid!”

“What did you tell him?”

“Do you like him? What was I supposed to tell him? I told him to stop creeping me out.”

“What did you do that for?”

“He suddenly took my hand and confessed to me saying he doesn’t agree with perks of being a wallpaper and you need to fight for the love you think you deserve. What do I know about being a wallpaper? I don’t like him. I also don’t like him for you!”

“You’re wrong about him!”

“He’s a control freak!”

Sunggyu pushes him out of his room and slams the door right in Sungyoon’s face.

It’s not that Sunggyu doesn’t want to tell Woohyun and apologize for tricking him. It’s that he’s afraid that after all the lies, Woohyun will not accept him.

He laughs bitterly. Look at him now. He was the one cheering Woohyun up and telling him to stop worrying about what people think but now he is the one worrying about what Woohyun would think.

The only difference though is that to Sunggyu, Woohyun is not people. Woohyun is a friend he has grown to admire and has grown interested in.

The following Saturday, Sunggyu shows up at Sungyoon’s school with a number 9 – Woohyun’s number – painted  on his right cheek. He cheers loudly at the stand.

Woohyun looks up at him at one point in the game, puzzled and almost shocked. However, Woohyun runs and continues to play the game.

His brother is still goalie and he wonders why.

Jaerim shoots a goal and everyone cheers and Woohyun claps his shoulder with a warm smile on his face. The game turns intense when it suddenly starts raining. Soon the field becomes muddy and if it were anymore possible for Woohyun to be intense, this was the time. There are two boys in front of him blocking him from the goal. Woohyun passes it to a teammate and everyone runs after the teammate. Woohyun runs around them then he shouts. It seemed like a flash of light but suddenly everyone is standing up and cheering loudly.

“Nam! Woohyun!” They all chant. Sunggyu is louder than the others.

Sunggyu waits for them all to clean up and leave but Sungyoon sees him.

“What are you doing here? You never come to support me,” he says accusingly.

Sunggyu feels a little guilty about that but he doesn’t answer and instead, looks down ignoring his brother.

All their, Sungyoon’s, teammates, give them a long glance but walked away without any questions. Woohyun is the last to leave but he doesn’t look at any of them.

“Woohyun!” Sunggyu calls but Woohyun doesn’t turn around so Sunggyu runs after him and blocks his way.

“Please let me through,” Woohyun says sternly.

“I’m Kim Sunggyu, a second year student taking music and literature. I have an identical twin brother named Kim Sungyoon who is obsessed with soccer and begged me to take his place so you won’t kick him out of the team. It’s nice to meet you, Nam Woohyun! Please! Please! Let’s start over again as friends!”

He says it all in one breath that when he offers his hand for Woohyun to shake, its already shaking.

Woohyun eyes him for a while and his shaking hand.

“Kim Sunggyu?”

Sunggyu nods. Woohyun takes his hand but instead of shaking it, he pulls Sunggyu and hugs him tight.

“You lied to me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“But you also showed me truths.”

Admin Note: Don't let Sunggyu play soccer. Just don't. lol. Other than that, this is a nice read if you want some break from all the angst^^ Good job Splash!!

-Myungjhejhe-