"Pass! Pass!" Park Dong yelled, waving frantically from the corner.
Seojin ignored him.
A quick crossover.
He drove forward, slipping past one defender, then another.
A spin, a clean fake and he launched upward, slamming the ball through the hoop with a sharp swish.
"WOOOH! SEOOOJINNN!!"
"AHHH LOOK AT HIM!!"
The girls sprawled across the upper bleachers practically lost their minds some clapping wildly, others waving towels like makeshift cheer banners.
A few even screamed, "Marry me!"
At the sidelines, Suwon choked on his water. "Damn, calm down he's not in the NBA!"
he muttered, coughing. "And don't you guys have class? Why are you even here?"
Park Dong jogged over, scowling. "Bro, seriously? You could've passed to me. I was wide open."
He smirked. "So was the rim."
Suwon trudged toward us, groaning. "I don't even know why I bother. He's hogging all the points and all the attention."
"And the girls," Park Dong added bitterly. "Especially the girls."
He just dribbled back onto the court, tossing a grin over my shoulder.
"Relax. I'll pass next time."
He paused, then added, "Maybe."
Time passed quickly.
After walking Seolhyo near her house, I headed home.
Water still clung to my skin as I stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped low around my waist.
My hair was damp and slightly messy, strands falling over my forehead as I ran a hand through it.
I dropped into my gaming chair, flicked on my computer, and logged into Cyworld.
My profile loaded.
At the top was a photo I'd posted recently me leaning against a railing during our summer trip, hair falling into my eyes, sunlight cutting a sharp line across my jaw.
Below it, comments poured in like an avalanche.
[User_haeun23]: "Who took this picture??? He looks like he came out of a romance series."
[User_rin_lover]: "This guy goes to Sangji High, right?? Someone tell me his class!!"
[Sunny_96]: "OMG… he even looks hot in the school uniform. I'm dead."
[xxcutie]: "STOP being so handsome or I might fall..."
[linagirl]: "Is he a trainee idol?? If so, what's his name his visuals are insane."
I stared at the screen, then muttered, "…Oh. I forgot to set it to friends only."
The comment counter ticked higher every time I refreshed.
Visits today already past a thousand.
Every photo on my page was one Jinkyung or Seolhyo had taken me playing basketball, staring out the classroom window, even one where I was just sitting with my chin propped on my hand, squinting my eyes at the camera.
Seolhyo had insisted on that one.
I leaned back, letting out a quiet laugh. "This is ridiculous."
My phone buzzed. I grabbed it from the desk.
Messages flooded in.
Suwon: Bro, your Cyworld is blowing up. Didn't you just post a few days ago? How does it already have this much traffic?
Park Dong: I fucking hate you.
Jisung: …Bastard. I hope you stop breathing in your sleep.
I snorted, then opened Seolhyo's message.
Seolhyo: You didn't set your Cyworld to friends only?
:Yeah, I forgot. I'll do it now.
Seolhyo: Hmph. You totally did it on purpose to attract some girl, didn't you.
I chuckled, stretching back in my chair.
The towel slipped slightly at my hips, and I adjusted it absently, shaking my head with a smirk.
The attention was flattering sure but I could already imagine a certain fierce cat scratching me if I didn't lock it down soon.
As I scrolled, one photo caught my eye.
I smiled softly.
I set my account to private, shut down the computer, and took off the towel now Im in my birthday suit decided to sleep.
At the same time, Seolhyo sat cross-legged on her chair, facing the desk in her room.
In front of her was a computer one Seojin had given her, saying he had too many at home and barely used them.
When her brother asked where it came from, she'd casually said it was from Irina.
Her parents won a free computer and has no use to it anymore.
She rested her chin in her hand, eyes fixed on her slider phone.
No reply.
She sighed softly. Seojin was probably already fast asleep he never left her hanging like this on purpose.
Still, the silence lingered longer than she liked.
With a quiet flick of her thumb, she shifted her attention back to PC and open Cyworld and to Seojin's profile, scrolling through his posts.
And then she saw it.
Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth in irritation.
His comment section was flooded dozens, no, hundreds of comments stacked endlessly, the guestbook overflowing with hearts, emoticons, and shameless confessions from strangers who clearly had no sense of restraint.
[pinkbby_91]: "Who is this guy??? His face is insane."
[s2_ahyoung]: "Guys don't be so blinded he probably has a dozen girls wrapped around his finger."
[nanastar]: "idc he's hot."
[cutieheart]: "Does anyone know if he has an older brother… he's way too young for me 😭"
[hyo_jel]: "I have a big FAT question… is he SINGLE???"
Seolhyo stared at the screen, jaw tightening almost imperceptibly.
She scrolled further and nearly choked at every new comment that came into view.
Her brows knit together. Without realizing it, she muttered under her breath, "Gosh… are these girls seriously this thirsty?"
She continued scrolling down.
Then she froze.
There it was the photo.
The same one Seojin had seen at before he went to sleep.
Seojin sat at a wooden table, one hand lifted, fingers gently brushing back someone's hair as they lay with their head in his lap.
His expression was so soft, so focused in a way that overflowed with warmth and quiet affection.
That "someone" was her.
Of course it was.
Her face wasn't visible the angle caught only the fall of her hair and the faint curve of her cheek turned away.
Jinkyung must have made sure of that before giving the photo to Seojin, just in case her brother or lackeys that might recognize her stumbling across it.
Even so…
The closeness between them was impossible to ignore.
The comments beneath it spilled with envy.
[mysterygirl101]: "Who's the girl?? Lucky…"
[cutiesputnik]: "He's not showing her face maybe she's ugly."
[sweetbreeze]: "That gaze… he looks in love."
[zoegonegirl]: "I wanna be her T_T"
[herpie]: "I want someone to look at me like that."
Seolhyo slapped her palm lightly against the desk, heat rushing to her face.
"In love? Geez…"
She quickly minimized the window, Cyworld's background music still leaking faintly from the tinny desktop speakers.
With a sharp click, she shut the browser then powered off the PC entirely, the monitor dimming until the room fell quiet.
Snatching a pillow from her bed, she hugged it tight and padded over, flopping backward onto the mattress.
Her cheeks burned, as she stared up at the ceiling, but slowly, a shy smile curved her lips.