Realistic or Modern over the net

[pasta]

OVER THE NET​

Muse A: reveriee | Muse B: pasta |​

Muse A was forced to move schools after engaging in one too many fights. His new school is well known for its volleyball team. Muse B is the manager of the volleyball team, and unlike most of his teammates, he doesn’t play. A year before, Muse B was in a car crash and suffered a knee injury, which made him unable to play competitively. It was an unfortunate loss for the team as he practically carried them to the championship. His love and passion for the sport prevented him from leaving the team, so he stayed to manage it.

While walking to their next class, Muse B and the team captain spotted Muse A running from school staff. Amazed by the student’s athletic ability, the two volleyball players decide they need to convince Muse A to join their team.

Deciding he wanted to make his mother proud after disappointing her countless times with school fights and calls from the principal, Muse A joins the team. While Muse B is pleased with Muse A joining, he still feels he needs serious lessons and practice.

“You have to prove yourself.”

Muse A can’t help but pick fights with some of the volleyball team, and he disrespects the captain and manager. Luckily, Muse B takes an interest in Muse A. Mistaking his caring nature for romantic gestures, Muse A begins to fall for his teammate.

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

The day was slow and stale. The only thing Minwoo was looking forward to was practice, as upsetting as it was to sit on the sidelines and watch. The period before the practice was torture, and he felt he couldn't even explain the mind-numbing stuff the class fueled. It was an English class; he was terrible at foreign languages, to begin with, and it didn't help the teacher scheduled an important chapter test for that day. As soon as the class was over, he was out of the classroom and on his way to practice.

"You had a test today, right?" Jaeho, the team captain, inquired as the pair wandered down the hall. Tall and muscular, the captain towered over a lot of the school; his dark hair was on the shorter-side, and his features were soft but intimidating, which got him an abundance of female fans.

"Yeah, for English." Minwoo shrugged as he absentmindedly tugged at the zipper of his team jacket, a matcha-green, and gold two-toned track jacket with the team’s title on the back; a lot of the team’s members sported it throughout the school day to show off their status.

“And?”

“And, it was supposed to be huge. Easy, though,” he added. It was only easy because the night before, he studied relentlessly over the foreign language until everything became an eyesore. He had been worried the entire week he would fail because he kept mixing up certain words. But, of course, his honing of the subject guaranteed success. “What are you doing after school?”

“I don't know… sleep?” His friend laughed. “I’m not going out to eat again; I cannot lose any precious sleep time. Take the first years out this time; I am sure they are dying to get to know the famous Seo Minwoo,” he joked as he elbowed the shorter. “They’ll lose sleep time to hang out with a good volleyball player.”

“Ah, I doubt they even care much. Besides, it is not like I’m playing much anymore.”

The other male hummed before speaking, “Yeah, and I doubt they care you are not playing. You still bark at them from the sidelines like some sheepdog.” He paused before raising a finger with frivolity. “And we are the sheep to you.”

“Animals? Maybe I am the king ordering all of my knights chidingly --”

“Okay, you’re getting cocky now. I’m the king because I am the captain,” the taller of the two butted in curtly.

“Fair,” Minwoo mumbled as he adjusted the bag, weighing down his shoulders.

The afternoon was beautiful with a deep blue, cloudless sky. Every time the wind struck, confetti of whirling yellow leaves flitted through the air. Trees in a mosaic of fall colors hung over the two athletes, drooping tendrils losing foliage with each breeze. The pair was on their way to the gym building, but without speaking decided they were taking their sweet time to enjoy the weather.

A crisp breeze bit at the pairs' skin; breath visible and smoky, Jaeho made it a point to groan in annoyance at the bothersome wind, earning an amused chuckle from the team’s manager. While the air was chilled, there was something still comfortable about it; Minwoo, if was given the opportunity, would not mind spending a few hours on a park bench studying.

“You think we will be late. The coach might throw a fit,” Jaeho pointed out as their steps slowed.

“No,” Minwoo answered as he pulled out his phone to wave the time in the other’s face. “We have ten minutes. Plenty of time. She’ll be fine -- I mean, we’ll probably be early.”

“Yeah, but we have to change.”

“How long does it take you to change, man?”

“I don’t know, man.”

Minwoo deemed Jaeho to be the person he was closest to; they were best friends and met through their shared appreciation for volleyball in middle school. Unlike him, Jaeho was much more spirited and loved to tease a lot of the teammates. It was always a little irritating, but he meant well, so the team put up with him. It would be thought the captain would be more strict than Jaeho was and be more like Minwoo, but the captain knew the game very well and had strong leadership qualities. Not to mention, he was an incredible player and even as dumb as he could come off as he was intelligent and sharp.

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

"You! What the hell are you doing? Why aren't you in class?"

Yonghan peered at the man from the rooftop of the school's main building, dangling his legs and popping open another hi-chew packet. He winced -- watermelon. He hated watermelon candy. Yonghan spat the offending piece of taffy out, nonchalantly watching it fall four floors to the ground. The angry staff member, who was previously sticking his head out the door and squinting at what was probably a view of Yonghan's shoes, suddenly shrieked, stalking out of the doorway. Yonghan leaned back, letting the staff member scream at his dangling legs.

"Get down from there this instant! Clean up after yourself and get to class!"

"Class is gonna be over in a few minutes," Yonghan hollered. "What's the point, man?"

Yonghan couldn't see the school staff member, but he smirked, knowing that the other guy was probably fuming enough to fry an egg on his forehead, with all the heat that was coming out of his face. The redhead let out a pleased sigh, tuning out the faint yelling in the background to immerse himself in the endless blue of the cloudless, cerulean sky.

"You damn kid! Making me go up there to deal with your crap! You're going straight to the principal!"

"You got me feeling like a psycho, psycho," Yonghan sang quietly, not really processing the staff member's words until a few seconds afterward. He shot up, leaning over the edge of the building and staring down at the ground. Not a living thing in sight. Yonghan cursed quietly, knowing that he would have to get moving soon. Hopefully he didn't see my hair.

Yonghan knew he wasn't really the kind of person to run away from conflict -- hell, everyone at his old school knew that too. But he had just transferred to this new high school, due to his recent and unfortunate expulsion from his old one -- which definitely tolerated a lot of his shit, Yonghan would give them that. His mother was reasonably upset, but maintained an optimistic attitude, saying, "Yonghannie, this is a fresh chance. Do better at this new school, okay? I have faith in you." Yonghan didn't want to disappoint his mother more that he already had.

With that thought in mind, Yonghan jumped up and started running, grinning as he leaped from the main building to what he thought might've been the gym (he wasn't quite sure -- it wasn't like Yonghan cared to familiarize himself with the campus). The second building was a little shorter than the first, and Yonghan laughed with glee as he landed smoothly, rolling to lessen the impact on his body. Students were starting to walk out of class, but most of them weren't in the area to see Yonghan quickly travel down the building, landing on his feet with a satisfied grin. He started jogging, knowing that the staff member couldn't get to him -- especially if he didn't see his red hair -- but Yonghan wasn't going to take his chances so early in the game. There weren't many students around, but Yonghan had to hope that the few who were there weren't gonna be snitches.

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

Jaeho was the first to notice a student with red hair hopping from building to building. His mouth fell agape, arm extending to stop Minwoo from proceeding without him. “Dude, Minwoo,” he alerted

“What? You have to go to the bathroom or something?”

“No, seriously, look.”

Minwoo’s gaze flew to the tops of the school structures. Squinting through a curtain of parted bangs, he saw it. “What the hell.” A student with bright, colored locks was rooftop hopping with poise. It was a considerable dangerous act, but he proceeded with amusement. How could that even be possible? Did this guy not care about the consequences? However, in his cloud of confusion, he found the actions of the stranger to be charming.

The team had been lacking since his involuntary leave, and they were frankly seeking someone to replace his position. They needed a person with a striking jump and one who was able to pack a powerful spike. The athletic ability and bold behavior the teenager on the rooftop exhibited left the pair in awe. Minwoo’s eyes met Jaeho’s, and wordlessly, the friends decided they needed to get in contact with the mysterious male.

He rolled. He fucking rolled.

“Did he just?”

“Yes,” Minwoo answered immediately.

They followed, pinpointing the building the kid traveled down. Silently, the two classmates moved as quickly as they could in the direction of the new student.

“Hey, you, rooftop kid,” Jaeho called out, waving a long arm in the direction of the stranger. “Yeah, we need you to come over here for something important to do with that awesome thing you just pulled off.”

As they approached their target, Minwoo recognized who they were addressing. He had overheard rumors about the new student from a few of his teammates. As a lot of them liked to remark, his hair matched his character. By the teams gossiping, it became clear to him that the male started tons of fights and had to leave his last school because of it. The volleyball manager wasn’t too worried he would get into a fight, but he did worry his friend would say something and set off the guy they were trying to pursue. Jaeho had a habit of going too far with jokes, pushing their buttons until they exploded. And, once the person blew up at him, he feigned innocence, while continuing to tease the shit out them.

“We’re not going to snitch on you,” Minwoo added amiably.


reveriee

 

[reveriee]

Fuck, that felt amazing, Yonghan thought to himself with a satisfied grin. He could practically feel the adrenaline pulsing through his veins and the edorphins rushing to his brain. Shit, I need to do parkour more often.

“Hey, you, rooftop kid.” Yonghan's euphoric mood quickly evaporated, a hard scowl replacing his previous grin. He hoped that any passers-by would just go and mind their own business, but clearly, that was not the case. You'd think people wouldn't fuck with me, but nooooo.

He turned around and saw two guys clad in what Yonghan vaguely recognized as the team jackets of the school's infamous volleyball team; he wasn't one to care about school gossip, but even he had heard of the school's volleyball team and their godly status.

“Yeah, we need you to come over here for something important to do with that awesome thing you just pulled off,” the same voice called out -- Yonghan immediately labeled the guy as Thing One. Thing One was tall and muscular, with an appearance that was undeniably indicative of an athlete, even if he wasn't wearing the stupid jacket. Thing Two -- who had remained silent so far -- was a bit shorter, at around Yonghan's height. The redhead grudgingly admitted to himself that they were both good-looking -- with their looks and their standing as volleyball players, Yonghan could assume that they were probably fairly popular.

Yonghan bristled slightly, feeling a little irked. What the fuck did these popular guys want with him? Besides the incident on the roof with the random school staff member, Yonghan's day had been going pretty well.

“We’re not going to snitch on you,” Thing Two finally spoke up, as if reassuring Yonghan.

Yonghan narrowed his eyes, glaring at the two of them up and down. He felt jittery; he just wanted to run home and watch a Red Velvet fancam, not deal with these people. "What the hell do you want?" he asked brusquely, deciding to get it over with. As much as Yonghan didn't want to be in the current situation, it wasn't like he was gonna run away. I'm not a fucking coward.

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

"What the hell do you want?"

The sharp comment made Minwoo react little; his eyes remained indifferent and dull. But it did not stop him from questioning what the hell they were doing. He wasn't sure going in with no plan would work; they had not discussed what they would say or do once the pair reached the target. He analyzed the situation, eyes falling on the male before them; while the new student seemed irritated and even made it clear with his words, he did not run or pull some aggressive move on them. It was a great sign.

“I am Jaeho and this Minwoo. We want you,” Jaeho began, his voice light with a joking edge. “Not in a gay way, but --” He threw his arm over Minwoo’s shoulders. Blue in the shade, the shorter of the two, shook his head at the joke; it was awful and unfunny. “-- See, my associate here and I, we’re on the volleyball team, and we’re looking for someone to fill a position. We want you to join the team,” Jaeho elaborated fervently.

“We want you to consider joining the team,” Minwoo interjected with correction, taking a more serious role over his counterpart. “Practice is now. You can watch and see what you think," he paused for a moment, "Coach will give you a pass, so it doesn’t hurt whatever class you have now. Even if you decide against joining, you’ll have a free period now if you just sit and watch.” He felt he articulated it well enough; he reckoned the last part would at least get the red-haired male into the gym.

Minwoo couldn't guess how their coach would react; she had been trying to scout out students with valuable attributes for months now. The students in the science classes she taught, either did not care or when they tried out for the team, they were atrocious. It would make sense she would be pleased to see a plausible applicant, but she had a habit of being unpredictable, especially if she found how the boys found the candidate.

Jaeho, eyebrows raised, wide grin, and arms out in a way that said, well, what do you think? “Hey, Minwoo will take you out to eat even, a free meal. You need some more buddies, right?” It just seemed like Jaeho was attempting to tack on random, fatuous benefits to get the dude to agree.

“Right.” As kind and caring as he was, Minwoo was not sure he was up to take this newcomer out to dinner when he scarcely knew him. But, if he did join the team, he supposed he did need to familiarize himself with him.

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

“I am Jaeho and this is Minwoo. We want you,” -- Yonghan was immediately unimpressed -- “not in a gay way, but --” -- and was gradually becoming even more so.

“-- See, my associate here and I, we’re on the volleyball team, and we’re looking for someone to fill a position. We want you to join the team,” Thing One -- Jaeho -- said very enthusiastically. The words, "why the fuck should I do what you want?" were on the tip of Yonghan's tongue when the other guy -- Minwoo -- interjected.

“We want you to consider joining the team,” Minwoo said, and Yonghan calmed just the slightest bit. The redhead stood there, a stony expression on his face, as he grudgingly listened to Minwoo explain whatever the two of them were proposing. The offer to skip the next period was tempting -- Yonghan's next class was math. He hated math, even more than he hated science, which was the class Yonghan had spent the entirety of sitting on the rooftop and eating hi-chews.

Why should I do what they ask? I can ditch class any time without sitting in on their little practice session, Yonghan thought grumpily. At the same time though, it wasn't like Jaeho and Minwoo were trying to pick a fight with him. They were being . . . somewhat nice, which was something Yonghan rarely experienced. Strangely enough, he didn't feel the urge to punch either of them in the face (although seeing Jaeho trip and fall wouldn't be out of his interests).

“Hey, Minwoo will take you out to eat even, a free meal. You need some more buddies, right?” Yonghan stiffened slightly.

"I'm fine on my own, thanks," the redhead responded, sarcasm thick like honey on his tongue. Is this guy mocking me? I don't need his shit.

Yonghan was ready to reject their offer and hopefully never speak to either of them again, when for once in his life, logic stood in the way of his impulses. Mom would be really proud of me if I joined a school activity, Yonghan thought to himself, hesitating reluctantly. Especially if it's a team sport. She always wanted me to have more friends. Yonghan definitely wouldn't have signed up for anything completely of his own volition, so the fact that an opportunity literally walked right up to him was rather telling. Besides, if I really fucking hate it, it's not like they can force me to join their cult.

And you get to skip math~~ The voice in Yonghan's head sang eagerly, and the redhead made up his mind.

"Fine, I'll go to your practice."

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

Initially, Minwoo believed the student’s sarcastic statement that he was fine on his own was a complete rejection. He honestly wasn’t prepared to try and persuade him to change his mind and doubted Jaeho could do it on his own. As determined as he was, he was set on preserving his and Jaeho’s faces before the jokester of the two offended the man before them. Prepared to turn away in defeat, he looked over to his companion about to gesture to leave when the student accepted their offer. A small, pleasant smile fell onto his features while the male beside him beamed like an idiot.

“This dude is great,” Jaeho commented, gesturing to the student. “We probably have like five minutes, so we gotta speed up, or the coach will throw a fit.”

“You’re too scared of her,’” Minwoo deadpanned as he shook his head and gestured to the bright-haired guy to follow them while they walked. “She’s not nearly as bad as he likes to pretend,” he reassured. “I’m stricter than her, at least for now.” It was true; he had a habit of correcting other teammates far more than she did. At this point, she left a lot of the corrections and orders to Minwoo. However, when the real training began, a week or two before the first game, she really stepped up and showed her severe coaching tricks.

It only took a minute or two to reach the gym building. While it was considerably smaller than the rest of the structures, the gym was still pretty big. Through the large windows, most of the volleyball team setting up the net was visible. Maybe they were a little late compared to everyone else, but they were still on time. Minwoo felt fortunate, considering he didn’t have to rush to change like Jaeho; he just had to sit on the bleachers and watch everyone play -- as painful as it was -- at least changing wouldn’t make him late.

“Your name is Yonghan, correct?” He inquired as he glanced at the newcomer, seemingly showing genuine interest. “Because--”

“Where’d you hear that?” Jaeho cut off as he opened the front door.

“I was just getting to that. I heard Woosung mention there was a new student named Yonghan,” he explained with a shrug and followed the taller into the building. Again, with the team's gossip, he had managed to learn bits of knowledge about the new student. “So, I wanted to know if it was him,” he finished before directing his interested gaze back at the topic of conversation.

Jaeho didn’t wait to hear an answer like Minwoo as he had more pressing business to tend to; as soon as he was in the gym, he was running to the far right to reach the changing rooms.

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

The two volleyball players looked genuinely happy at Yonghan's response -- Minwoo's reaction was more subdued, but Jaeho looked like his smile could split his face in two.

“This dude is great,” Jaeho gestured towards Yonghan, and internally, the redhead preened at the praise (he wouldn't dare tarnish his reputation by openly reacting, but Yonghan was a normal guy who liked to be complimented). “We probably have like five minutes, so we gotta speed up, or the coach will throw a fit.”

Yonghan's mood dampened at the mention of the coach. Fuck, if I have to join this team, I'll have to let that old fart boss me around. Like I'm gonna let that happen.

“She’s not nearly as bad as he likes to pretend,” Minwoo spoke to Yonghan as the redhead trailed behind the two volleyball players. “I’m stricter than her, at least for now.”

Fucking hell, does that mean I have to listen to this guy order me around instead? I don't even know which option would be more unbearable. Yonghan grimaced; the situation he had got himself into was starting to look worse and worse.

But every time he thought of backing out, Yonghan imagined how proud his mother would be if he joined the team. Yonghan was always rather reclusive, but ever since Seongja's death and his father's suicide, he kept to himself even more, and gave even less of a fuck about school than he did when he was younger. Yonghan could tell that his mother didn't want to push him, but the sadness was always evident in her expression. As demoralizing as it would be to be forced around like a puppet, Yonghan was set on making his mother happy.

Fine, I'll try to be . . . "cooperative," or whatever. Yonghan practically felt his insides cringe as ensuing pictures of being bossed around and told off flashed through his mind. But if those bitches try anything with me, I'll drag their bleeding asses across their squeaky gym floor.

“Your name is Yonghan, correct?” Minwoo asked as the three of them entered the gym. Yonghan said nothing while Minwoo responded to Jaeho's interjection. He wasn't surprised that there were already people gossiping about his reputation; Yonghan drew attention to himself like a moth to a flame.

The redhead was surprised to see Jaeho run off to what was probably the locker rooms without Minwoo, who had stayed behind with the redhead. "Yeah, I'm Yonghan," he said, before asking bluntly. "Why are you still here?" Yonghan thought that Minwoo would be rushing to the locker rooms by now; the other guy didn't really seem like a slacker -- something Yonghan was quite familiar with.

Did that sound rude? Yonghan thought. Maybe, I don't know. Should I really care, as long as I got my point across?

Mom would probably want me to be "friendly," though.

The redhead sighed, before adding blandly, "aren't you supposed to go with that guy?"

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

The blunt comment caught him off guard, glancing over at the other, brows knitted together, nonplussed before he finally let out a soft chuckle. Was that the right reaction? He didn’t know. The reason he was not changing like his friend was actually quite grim, so probably not, but he could not help but find the new student's dismissiveness funny. "You really don’t care, huh?" he observed with an amused look. “Quite charming,” he complimented.

“Anyway,” he began, eyes instinctively going to his right knee. “Car crash,” he stated as he patted his leg. “It happened a few days after the season ended. My knee was just -- I guess you could say crushed, shattered, I don’t know. I mean, there were other injuries, but that's why," He paused, "to put it bluntly, why I can’t play anymore. It’s pretty painful to even try.”

Nonchalant. At least, Minwoo tried to act indifferent towards the incident. A part of him was embarrassed; who was on the volleyball team but didn’t even play -- besides the waterboy? He supposed it was his brother talking; he had definitely said something like that to him before in a whispery croak while they passed each other in the hallway. Asshole.

While his older brother stopped beating him up after reaching high school, he didn’t end the mean comments. Minwoo couldn’t see them stopping anytime soon; the dude was 23 and was still doing it. His brother’s vile remarks dug into his head and had become a massive nimbus on his consciousness that never went away.

“I don’t think the team really needs me, but coach keeps me around,” he added as he approached the bottom bench of the bleachers and took a seat, soon gesturing to Yonghan to sit beside him. “They’re generous,” he joked.

If he looked at it differently, he was getting a free period out of it, minus the notes he took for the coach, and the advice he would occasionally bark out at the team. If he wasn’t so intent on watching the game, he could’ve used most of the period to study. But, he always made a valiant effort to be useful to the team. He was the team manager after all, and if he didn’t do anything for them, he’d probably burrow through his own head with hateful comments about laziness or letting his team down.

Watching the team was a tantalizing activity, especially when they screwed up because every time he knew he could have saved the ball if he was there. He harped out advice instead to smooth over the ping in his heart and perhaps his slight irritation.

“So, what school did you come from?”

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

Yonghan did not expect Minwoo to react aggressively -- from what he had seen, the other guy was pretty mild-tempered. But when he chuckled? Yonghan had bristled slightly, insecure and unsure of what was happening. Is he . . . making fun of me? Why is he laughing?

"You really don’t care, huh?" Minwoo said, the amusement clear in his tone, and Yonghan wasn't sure if Minwoo was somehow being nice or if the redhead should lash out at the other teen for laughing at him. “Quite charming.”

Yonghan's face flushed -- but not from anger, surprisingly enough. Is he not mad? Yonghan wasn't used to such . . . gentle reactions. When Yonghan had to interact with others at his old school, the more aggressive and flippant ones would usually end up in a fight with him, while the others who didn't want any drama would treat Yonghan with mild disdain, or some other muted negative reaction -- they all knew of his unsavory reputation. In general, Yonghan was avoided as much as possible.

So the fact that this guy -- Minwoo -- was tolerating Yonghan's shit (he called me charming, Yonghan's stupid brain added unhelpfully) was almost revolutionary. Usually, when Yonghan didn't know how to react to something, he would punch it in the face, but it seemed that he couldn't even do that this time.

"Oh," Yonghan responded blandly after Minwoo was finished explaining the car crash. He sat down next to the other teen, dropping his bag next to him and grabbing another hi-chew, chewing it so he wouldn't have to focus on his own awkward speaking. Fortunately, it wasn't watermelon-flavored. "That sucks."

You idiot! Why did you say that? You sound like a dick. Hurry up, do something to fix it!

"At least it happened after the season was over," Yonghan added belatedly.

Wow. Wow, Roh Yonghan, that was great.

Shut the fuck up, I'm not perfect. Stop bothering me, brain, I'm moving on.

"I went to Guro High School," Yonghan answered. "Near Daerim." Yonghan still lived in the area; it was considered dodgey by Seoul standards, but Seoul standards were fairly high anyway.

The conversation descended into a brief silence after Yonghan's curt words. The redhead reached into his bag, grabbing a watermelon hi-chew. "Want one?" he offered.

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

“Guro High School,” Minwoo repeated with a small nod. He could recall facing them a few times over the net. They were memorable matches because Guro High School had a terrible volleyball team. After winning the game, the Suseonhwa High School team made an effort to flame the opposing school; Minwoo never ended up saying anything, but Jaeho went to town.

Silence washed over them as a wave washes over-sand. He didn’t mind the silence; it helped him concentrate on his team more. The students had divided themselves into two groups, one on either side of the net, but they hadn’t begun playing yet. They were waiting for their coach, who was surprisingly running late. From the corner of his eye, he could see Jaeho had made it out of the changing room. He was late, but their coach hadn’t arrived to reprimand him. He got a free pass.

His attention was soon back on Yonghan as he was offered a piece of candy. “Sure,” he blithely answered as he held his hand out. “Thanks.” He tore the package of the fruity sweet with his canines and popped it into his mouth. A part of him was surprised the delinquent offered him the candy. He didn’t even think people like him ate sweets, which was admittedly ignorant on his part. Regardless, the small display of generosity stood out to him like a white tulip in a field of red.

“Minwoo, Hyung, where’s coach?” A short first year called out from the backline of the right team.

He shrugged. “I don’t know, just start the game. She’s probably at the office or a meeting.”

“Zero serving zero.” Jaeho’s voice reverberated throughout the gym, clear and direct, while he held the ball in one hand and bumped it up and forwards with his first.

Minwoo watched as it began to bounce back and forth over the net until one of the second years on the left side attempted to spike it down. He had jumped up high but landed the spike with a weak strike on the ball -- a dud. The opposite side managed to avoid the loss because one of them descended to their knees to bump it up. It was a smooth save.

“Yesung,” he started, lecturing the second year who had lost the point, voice stern and hard as he stood up. “If you’re not going to hit the ball down hard enough, don’t bother to spike it, play it safe,” he instructed. “If this was real, it could’ve been endgame -- think about it.”

Yesung nodded with understanding and a glowing red face, embarrassed.

“Sheepdog,” Jaeho grinned and pointed at his buddy by the bleachers. “Just vicious. Scary,” he quipped before returning back to the team.

“Scary,” Minwoo mocked to himself with a small laugh before sitting back down. “This is just the beginning, so they’re still warming up. It’s not as cool yet, I guess,” he explained, twisting his torso so he could face Yonghan.

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

Yonghan leaned back, satisfied, when Minwoo accepted his proffered hi-chew. He can eat all the disgusting watermelon ones if he wants.

Yonghan tried to watch the volleyball team play -- he really did -- but soon enough, his eyes began to wander around the gym, the volleyball practice doing little to capture his attention. Yonghan was always one to be easily bored. He was only satisified by doing, never by watching.

Uncaring of whether it would seem disrespectful, Yonghan grabbed his phone, scrolling through his music until he reached his Red Velvet playlist. He put his left earbud in and left the right one dangling, humming satisfyingly when the first notes of In & Out began to play. As boring as the volleyball practice was at the moment, Yonghan was relieved that he didn't have to be in math. Small mercies.

Yonghan passively watched the ball bounce back and force between the two sides, focusing more on the song playing in his ear rather than the practice. His attention was finally drawn to the match when some kid on the left side tried to spike the ball. Yonghan watched the weak strike, deeply unsatisfied; it felt like winding up for a powerful serve in ping pong, only to miss the ball completely. I know fuck all about volleyball, but I know for sure that I could spike that ball ten times better than that kid.

Yonghan was mildly surprised when Minwoo stood up and started lecturing the kid -- who was apparently named Yesung -- about what he did wrong. Oh yeah, he's here for a reason, Yonghan recalled belatedly. The redhead already knew from watching Minwoo lecture the kid that if he chose to join the team, it would not be a smooth ride.

“Sheepdog. Just vicious. Scary,” Jaeho joked, pointing at Minwoo. Not scary. His barking is bothersome like a dog's, though, Yonghan's bitter side quipped.

“This is just the beginning," Minwoo said, turning to Yonghan. "It’s not as cool yet, I guess.”

Yonghan nodded. "Yeah, I can tell," he commented monotonously, ripping open another hi-chew packet, before adding waspishly, "when is it going to not be boring?"

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

“When is it going to not be boring?"

Minwoo blinked, surprised more than anything, but he kept his reaction composed. Were they finally now crossing into vituperation? He doubted it would ever get that bad, but he could imagine having to calm down some incensed teammates if Yonghan joined and fights broke out. He wasn’t sure having the new student on the team was worth the disputes. There are a few volleyball players who had a habit of attempting to push around a newbie and mess with them out of tradition. Hell would probably break loose if they tried it with Yonghan.

But was it fair to base these assumptions on rumors he frankly knew nothing about? Probably not. Again, he scarcely knew the dude, so who was he to judge.

Sighing, he grabbed his bag before moving back to face the team. “Right,” he said, speaking a little icier than he expected with a frigid, unmoving expression. "I get that it is boring to watch," he commented as he plunged his hand into his bag and fished around for his composition book; it was blue with team written on the front using a permanent silver marker. “It’s not going to be boring if you play it though,” he said, and with the notebook in hand, he searched for a writing utensil, preferably a pen.

Internally he was annoyed. The inimical kid sounded like a mini-version of his brother, but less targeting -- thank god -- and more general with his remarks. And, like with his brother, he shut his mouth and ignored it the best could. Still, something was charming about the idea of just not caring enough to say your unfiltered mind.

Chill fluorescent lights dazzled off his wire-framed spectacles, creating an annoying glint that bothered the hell out of him. Irritation was amplified. He set his bag back down and pulled the composition journal into his lap. Minwoo had randomly pulled out a pen, not caring the color; ironically, he had picked a red one. It amused him enough to unscrew the cap and draw a little chibi, cartoon character of Yonghan. Pissed as he was, he was determined to at least befriend the new student. It was a challenge, and he needed to succeed at it.

“Look,” he said, turning the picture to the male beside him. “It’s you. I thought the red pen was very fitting." His eyes lit up, and he put a hand out to signal the other to not speak. "Wait, wait, wait," he repeated as he pulled the notebook back down. Pen pressed down on the paper, he drew another quick sketch. "Now," he began, drawing out the word as he finished up the drawing. "I am there too." A little paper dreamland; he doubted the other cared much for it, but he thought it was cute.

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

Yonghan flinched slightly at Minwoo's icy tone, before backtracking at the thought of, what the hell am I doing? It's not like this guy is a threat.

“It’s not going to be boring if you play it though," Minwoo said, still relatively placid. How am I supposed to know that if I'm just sitting here doing nothing? Yonghan immediately thought indignantly. He stayed silent, side-eyeing Minwoo as the latter fished around his bag for something.

What the hell is this guy doing? Yonghan glanced apprehensively at the unappealing blue composition book Minwoo had taken out (of course he has one of those ugly-ass composition books). Was Minwoo going to write a note sending him back to class? Yonghan doubted it -- he probably didn't have the authority.

Even if he did, it's not like I'd willingly go to math, Yonghan remarked snidely. Then again, the notebook did have the word "team" written on the cover, so maybe Minwoo was going to show Yonghan a play? That sounds almost as boring as math, maybe even more so.

"Look," Minwoo finally spoke, turning the book towards Yonghan, whose eyebrows shot up in surprise. “It’s you. I thought the red pen was very fitting." Minwoo had drawn a chibi version of Yonghan, the red ink matching his hair color.

Aww, I'm cute, the voice in Yonghan's head -- which he quickly dampened -- cooed. The redhead appreciated art -- be it music or manga or movies, anything that could be experienced in palpable way appealed to Yonghan far more than numbers or words ever would.

"Now, I am there too." Yonghan glanced at the page once again; now, it displayed two cute chibi versions of Minwoo and Yonghan, standing side by side. Yonghan didn't have the heart to dislike it; unfortunately for his aloof, tough guy, delinquent image, Yonghan was way too soft for cute things.

"Red suits me a lot better," Yonghan commented off-handedly. "You're more of a blue guy, honestly." It was almost comical how much Yonghan and Minwoo differed in temperaments; Minwoo seemed like a still, tranquil pool of water, extinguishing wildfires that would have anyone else screaming in terror. Yonghan, on the other hand, was definitely more of a wildfire than a gentle stream.

It almost looks like we're . . . friends, the voice in Yonghan's head whispered as the redhead stared at the two sketches. Yonghan never had many friends -- he knew he definitely didn't make it easy for anyone, but even before his . . . temperamental phase, Yonghan was always the shy, lonely boy in the corner, whom people either overlooked or teased. Maybe it would be nice to have some friends, the voice piped up.

Friends are difficult, Yonghan thought to himself, but the statement didn't have much heat behind it. Maybe I would have friends if I joined the volleyball team? The redhead glanced up at the match, the thought immediately evaporating into a whisp of nothingness when he was reminded of the group of people. Yonghan didn't do well with people, and definitely not when there were multiple of them. The volleyball team looked like it would be a harem of sweaty guys Yonghan definitely wouldn't get along with.

Maybe there are nice, patient people who I wouldn't get into fights with all the time on the volleyball team. Yonghan immediately dispelled that thought; athletes were especially prone to fights -- Yonghan would know.

But Minwoo is nice and patient, Yonghan was surprised to find himself stumbling across that thought. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was true -- somehow, Minwoo hadn't blown up at Yonghan . . . at all. Sure, his tone wasn't all sunshiney one hundred percent of the time, but Yonghan didn't have high standards regarding his interactions with other people anyway.

If I join the team, I'll make my mom happy, and I might be able to have friends, Yonghan realized. Maybe there are more people like Minwoo. Perhaps his emotional, needy side was finally breaking the surface of the ocean Yonghan attempted to drown it in; it had to be screaming, for Yonghan to be influenced by it so much.

True to his spontaneous nature, Yonghan made a decision in a flash, his mouth running before his head could stop it. He turned his torso to face Minwoo, and made his declaration.

"I'll join the team."

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

Minwoo’s mother had always told him he was a mixture of the water and wood personality types like his father, so being compared to blue didn’t surprise him. He glanced down at the drawing before nodding. “You’re right. I guess that makes us opposites then... That’s kind of cool,” he remarked, popping the cap back on the pen. His dark gaze fastened back on the game, eyes following the ball closely for the most part until he would break it to check the players' forms.

“I’ll join the team.”

Astonishing. Minwoo broke his focus on the team to look at the male beside him. To be entirely honest, he didn’t think the new student would join the team, and the shock left him silent for a few moments. He figured responding to news like this would be better suited for Jaeho, who could give an excited, pat-on-the-back-type answer. All he could do was smile, personable, and genuine. “You caught me off guard with that one,” he admitted, raising a hand to scratch the side of his nose. “That’s great, awesome, actually.”

“Well, Yonghan, welcome to the team,” he congratulated with a small smile. He supposed the only thing left was to get in contact with their coach and let her know they had a new teammate. If she was held up by office issues, he supposed she should be there any moment.

Almost on cue, a woman, no older than forty with short dark brown hair and elfish features, sped walk through the doors of the gym. Coach Lee. She had a permanent, tight, feline scowl that often broke when she started speaking. In high school and college, she had been a prime member of her volleyball team but eventually retired from the sport to focus on her main passion: science and teaching. Minwoo found both those concepts uninteresting, but he did find it admirable how she still managed to fit volleyball into her everyday life.

Since volleyball could no longer be the main focus in his life, he hoped to follow in her footsteps and somehow keep the sport close. His dream to be a professional player, once warm and ambitious, now hung over his head like a poisonous vapor. He liked math, so he supposed he could do something related to it as an actual profession like finances. God, finances. But, the wounds were still healing, and he hated seriously considering it as a viable career choice.

The athlete stood up immediately, half-bowing as he greeted her before sitting back down. She smiled at him for a moment before her gaze zoned in on Yonghan. Curious, she pointed at him, cat-like eyes squinting in confusion. “Ah, coach, this is Yonghan, a new student. He wants to join the team,” he explained. “So, he’s checking it out to get a better idea. Both Jaeho and I can rep that he’ll be a great addition.”

She nodded, not saying much. She flashed a wide grin at the new student before mentioning that he would probably need some type of extra training if he had no prior history with the sport -- which the manager was always up to provide.

“Looks like you’ll be a member, but,--” he paused, turning his gaze to Yonghan, “if you’ve never played before...” He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not too hard to learn anyway. I can be a good teacher, I guess. No sheepdog to newbies, or whatever Jaeho calls it.”

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

“Well, Yonghan, welcome to the team.” At Minwoo's small smile, Yonghan felt his spirits lift a little -- but only just a little. Maybe one percent at the most.

Almost immediately afterward, Yonghan's attention was drawn towards a woman who was striding through the doors of the gym. Considering the fact that she looked many years past her youth, said woman must have been the coach Jaeho and Minwoo were mentioning earlier. Her facial features almost resembled those of a cat, and her mouth was set in a stern scowl -- Yonghan was distinctly reminded of Professor McGonagall.

As the coach approached, she smiled briefly at Minwoo, before squinting her eyes at Yonghan. His hackles raised at the potential hostility; Yonghan was not afraid to lash out, which was made clear with his track record. He knew it would do him no favors -- when had it ever? It wasn't like he was going to stop, however -- Yonghan vehemently refused to bow blindly to authority.

Yonghan stayed on edge throughout Minwoo's explanation of his presence, only relaxing once the coach smiled widely at him. Hopefully, that meant that she wasn't the typical uptight teacher with a stick up their ass -- Yonghan always clashed the most with those types.

Yonghan felt an unreasonable tinge of disappointment at the mention of extra practice -- it was obvious that it would be required of him, considering that the only other time he had touched a volleyball was during mandatory gym classes. But Yonghan hated being ordered around; he fought it like a drowning man fighting his way to the surface. Yonghan especially despised being forced to go the extra mile for anything that he didn't sign up for purely out of passion. I guess I'd rather be doing extra volleyball than extra math, he muttered to himself reluctantly. And Minwoo's nice enough, I guess.

Minwoo turned to Yonghan. “. . . It’s not too hard to learn anyway. I can be a good teacher, I guess. No sheepdog to newbies, or whatever Jaeho calls it.”

"It can't be that hard," Yonghan replied, a steely undertone of unflinching confidence in his words. Gymnastics sounds harder, and I already do parkour. How hard can it be to smack a ball around?

"Your 'sheepdog' business isn't going to work with me anyway." If Minwoo tried to order Yonghan around, the redhead was sure that it would end in a bloodbath. He leveled his gaze with Minwoo's. "'Cause I'm no sheep."

Yonghan rose to his feet, already jittery from sitting for so long without doing anything. "So when do we start?"

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

"It can't be that hard."

That made him snort. The confidence in that kid was incredible, but with such an ego came consequences like embarrassment. Minwoo planned on proving him wrong. The sport was not about hitting a ball back and forth; it demanded skill, patience, and control. He doubted the guy even knew how the game worked, and his arrogance was comical.

The athlete watched in amusement as Yonghan pointed out the sheepdog business would not work on him. How could someone have such an aversion to any type of serious training? Then again, Minwoo was used to authoritative figures; he could be compared to an amenable dog. He was already comparable to a well-trained canine meant to tolerate the pummeling and rough behavior of a child known as Jaeho He had a strict, glacial calmness about him that entertained the comparison.

“Yeah, I figured. It’s only a joke though.” He shrugged. His amusement only heightened as the student jumped up, eager to begin, and he raised a delicate eyebrow. “You’re going to have to get your schedule changed first, but I suppose the coach can do that for you,” he said as his unfocused gaze turned to the team. “And then you get the stupid jacket -- extra training can start today, after school, if you’re available.”

The athlete was well aware after school meant 10:00pm earliest, depending on whether there were plans to study or not. And, while he saw no problem with late-night exercise, he wasn’t entirely sure Yonghan would feel the same. But he can’t join the team if he doesn’t learn to play. So despite any protests or empty threats, without training, he simply wouldn’t be able to.

“If you don’t learn to play, you can’t join,” he reminded, glancing up at the standing male, overhead lights reflecting off his glasses. "So this after school stuff is important."

Gaze leveling on the team, he caught a pattern a few of the players were playing. It wasn’t bad nor good, but it was certainly predictable. He jotted, ball keeps being spiked right-side, down in the notebook under the little drawings, figuring it wasn’t too pressing and could be addressed later. Towards the end of practice, they could go over it and figure out a few alternative plays.

“Now I can draw us playing volleyball,” he joked, referring to the chibi characters on the page.

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

"Extra training can start today, after school, if you’re available."

Yonghan immediately grimaced; before his spontaneous decision to join the volleyball team, he didn't participate in any extracurricular activities -- hell, he barely studied -- but he still only managed to get home by 10:30 because of the school's stupid mandatory self-study period. Yonghan didn't mind exercising at night -- doing parkour among the Seoul city lights and under the dark blanket of the night sky was a brilliant feeling, but the redhead didn't want to spend any more time in school than he had to.

If the subway fucking closes before sheepdog is done with me -- Yonghan sighed. Many Korean students walked to and from school, but due to his recent expulsion, he had to go to Suseonhwa, which was, unfortunately, further away than he would've liked. Before, going to and from school was fun (though the school part definitely wasn't), since Yonghan lived close enough to run there, although it involved scaling buildings and the more than occasional trespass.

After his expulsion, though, Yonghan had to take the subway every day; the station was, conveniently enough, only twenty meters away from his apartment building, but the subway closed at midnight. The bus line closed a bit later, but the stop wasn't as close to Yonghan's apartment as he would've liked; he had recently managed to get into a scuffle with a local drunkard who roamed the streets in the late hours of the night -- Yonghan wanted to avoid him as much as possible, in fear of making his mother upset at him getting into a fight with someone so questionable.

But even if it didn't appeal to him, Yonghan was too stubborn to allow late-night practices to deter him from making his mother happy. "Yeah, yeah, I'll go to your training after school," he muttered in response to Minwoo's reminder. "Just don't make it run too late."

---​

After Yonghan followed the coach to get his schedule changed, she disappeared into a small storage closet, before coming back out with a matcha green jacket in hand. "This is one of the team jackets we have leftover from a previous player," she had explained. "You'll get your own with your name on it, but for now, you can take this if you'd like. It's clean and it looks about your size."

Yonghan wrinkled his nose in mild disgust. To his chagrin, the school colors were gold . . . and matcha green. He was aware of it, but didn't have to personally face it that often, considering that the male uniforms involved much less color than the female uniforms did. The two-toned track jacket, however, was definitely more in-your-face than anything Yonghan had seen the girls wear. The gold was amenable, but Yonghan looked on in horror at the mass expanse of pale green. His hair was still a bright cherry red -- he didn't know whether the jacket would make him look fashionable or like a knockoff Christmas tree.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he said, lightly pushing the jacket back towards the coach. "It clashes with my hair."

The coach snorted, before saying, "suit yourself."

Yonghan zoned out for the rest of his classes, deciding not to skip or do anything too out-of-line for that day. The most disobedient he had acted was during English class, when the teacher snapped at him to, "read the board, Roh Yonghan-ssi, if you are not going to pay attention!" The redhead had tried, but the letters seemed the float around, and the words were utterly incomprehensible; of course, instead of admitting his struggles, Yonghan had simply stayed silent, staring stonily at the teacher.

Fortunately, the teacher had only scowled and returned to teaching the class, not bothering to deal with Yonghan. His classmates had murmured slightly, staring at him apprehensively, before getting back to work.

Finally, after hours of self-study -- which wasn't really self-study, and was more of Yonghan flipping through his books, acting nonchalant and uncaring, when in reality, he could barely understand anything beyond the easier 50% of the material -- the redhead headed towards the gym, humming Fancy by Twice and chewing a piece of mint gum that wasn't so minty anymore. He walked in and caught a brief glimpse of Minwoo, before calling out, "if it's important to know, all I know about volleyball is from the first half of Haikyuu, season one." Yonghan paused to spit out the flavorless gum in the trash can near the gym entrance, before adding, "and I'm left-handed."

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

After volleyball, the day was a painful, slow burn and exhausting. Lunch had been a bright light in the dark; the team usually sat together in a tight group like a cult while their little fan-group sandwiched around them. How strange it was to be school-famous enough to have a group of fans. Frankly, Minwoo found the ordeal ridiculous; being a semi-celebrity was laughable. When he was in the hospital, he swore the girls visited more than the team did. They were never alone, though, always in awkward, small clusters, blushing. In little ways, they would act like the accident was more affecting them than it was him, and sometimes it felt that way.

He enjoyed self-study. It was a peaceful quietness where he could focus on school-based stuff entirely without the loud voice of a professor. He felt, in that silence without a teacher’s honing or help, he was able to truly learn what they had discussed in class. Teachers only muddied his train of thought, just shut up and provide the notes. So, he took the period seriously, mind hardly diverging from Korean, mathematics, history, and whatever subjects he had loaded onto his schedule.

Under the fall, crisp moonlight, the weather fell to a bitter temperature. The cold hair closed in around his skin like a sheet of metal as he stepped from the school structure with an onslaught of his classmates, all freed briefly from the iron grips of school. Of course, they’d all fall back into the suffocating grasp within nine hours at most if they didn’t plan on going to private academies or tutors after their brief release. What a shitty, repetitive process.

Minwoo toyed with the idea of going off track and grabbing a bite to eat before meeting up with Yonghan. He needed a coffee and a snack. His eyes burned from his lack of sleep from the proceeding night; he needed some type of energy-booster to refresh his sleepy mind. Hopefully, at some point, he could slip away for a convenience store run.

The white, fluorescent lights of school buildings contrasted with the violet sky and created a structured silhouette around the frames of the structures. He followed the same tarmac path, lined with thick trees with their drooping, colorful tendrils he did that morning. Rather than take his time, he sped up a bit. There wasn’t much to marvel at in the bleak darkness.

As expected, he was first to reach the vacant gym, but his solitude was short-lived. After setting down his bag, Yonghan popped through the building’s door. Minwoo raised his head and turned from the bleachers, opening his mouth to say something but stopped.

Left-handed and is “educated” on volleyball through an anime.

Minwoo snorted and placing a hand over his mouth to cover his mirth before nodding. “I don’t know what that even entails,” he commented, referring to the anime. “But, I assume it means you know how the game works?” the athlete asked as he forwarded to the gym closet, which he had the key to because he was trusted by school staff. It wasn’t a privilege any athlete could get, and it was quite the achievement. “I know a lot of the team has probably watched that, but I haven’t. I don’t watch much TV.”

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

Granted, Yonghan hadn't watched that much of Haikyuu yet (he eagerly reminded himself to spend more time binging it), but even if he had watched none of it, Yonghan still had a faint grasp of the rules of volleyball from gym class. He didn't remember much from the class, but he did recall enjoying volleyball -- at least, when it came to spiking the ball.

"I guess," Yonghan answered Minwoo's initial question, before grudgingly admitting, "I don't know much about positions though." The redhead knew the basic rules -- three touches max before going over the net, etc. -- but he didn't know anything about what a libero was. Libero . . . that's a weird word.

"You don't watch TV?" Yonghan asked, though he was not really surprised. Minwoo did seem like the kind of "traditionally good" student that Yonghan most certainly wasn't. He seemed like the kind of guy who would study diligently and keep a low profile -- the ideal Korean citizen. If anything, more like Seongja than Yonghan.

"Well, that's boring," Yonghan commented, mostly under his breath, raising his voice for the next part. "You're missing out."

What did Minwoo do in his free time? Perhaps Yonghan was exaggerating the other teenager's "diligent student" image, but the redhead couldn't think of anything; all he imagined was Minwoo slaving over school -- like most Korean students did -- except he probably never went out to karaoke, or watched Kpop award shows in hopes of his favorite girl groups winning a daesang (like Yonghan did, ahem). Yonghan couldn't make any assumptions on Minwoo -- after all, he really didn't know the guy -- but the redhead couldn't imagine living the life his mind painted for Minwoo (although it was a reality for many students, disgustingly enough).

"Anyway, what are we gonna do?" Yonghan quickly changed the topic. He was always one to be impatient, although his politeness managed to hold him back more in his youth. It was a different story, now that his gentler demeanor had been thrown out the window (funnily enough, Kid Yonghan seemed to be a lot more like Minwoo than Present Yonghan). Of course, Yonghan wanted to avoid missing the last subway, but for the most part, he just wanted to stop talking and start moving.

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

“Maybe I am missing out,” he said, shrugging as he unlocked the storage closet. “But I don’t really care. I prefer reading.” Nonchalant, he stepped into the dim room. It was substantially colder than the rest of the gym, similar to the changing rooms; there wasn’t any venting in those parts of the school buildings, so it was hot and muggy in the summer and chilly in the winter. It wasn’t too big of a deal, but the changing rooms in the summer became an insufferable, sweaty hell.

Reaching up, he pulled the chain hanging from the ceiling, watching as the room lit up, dingy and green. The buzzing of the fluorescent bulbs filled the room as he rifled through the gym equipment. He glanced back as Yonghan spoke, asking what they were going to do. “I was thinking we could play some volleyball,” he joked, reaching out to grab a ball from a rack. “No, seriously, probably some exercises, perfecting the bump...” He trailed off with a shrug. “Easy stuff.”

Minwoo left the closet, his gait playful and free while he absentmindedly threw the ball between his hands. Even having the leather sphere just fall into his palms made him nostalgic and starry-eyed. For a moment, he would be free until he was reminded of his situation; sometimes from a sharp pain that pinged in his knee from a wrong movement, or a sudden intrusive thought. There always had to be something that broke it for him. He was a pinioned bird kind of like Nari, but he would never be released from his cage. With a sigh, he lowered his hands, one hand clasped around the surface of the sports equipment.

“Alright, I suppose we can start with the basics. In your case, that’d be a kind of refresher -- I guess.” He paused. “But, professional volleyball is stricter than a gym class, you know.” He wanted to remain as casual and inviting as possible to win Yonghan over. This wasn’t new behavior, he pulled it on almost anyone and was well aware of the consequences, but the new student was a boy, so he doubted much would come from it.

Right? Right.

It was the girls he had to worry about; his kind, accepting allurements were easily misinterpreted for something more than it was. He had more than enough ease, making people feel like they were valuable to him like a prized heirloom. A part of him felt guilty, but another really liked the attention, desired it almost.

“Obviously, bumping is the most basic you can probably go. Legs slightly bent, making sure the ball is right over your head -- pretty self-explanatory.” He tossed the ball underhand to the student. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you already know how to do it. Though, do you know how to do a proper volley?” He asked, miming the overhead hit with his hands.

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

Yonghan wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Reading is hard," he muttered. And boring. Reading was just staring a block of text -- movies and TV shows had color, movement, music, and things that made them a lot more entertaining than words on a ground-up tree.

Yonghan listened to Minwoo go over his plan for the training, growing more and more disappointed by the second. Easy stuff, he repeated to himself, his interest slipping away like water off a stone. Yonghan was definitely no volleyball aficionado, so easy stuff was probably the "logical" thing to do -- but easy also meant boring and monotonous. Regardless, Yonghan understood that it was inevitable; he knew he was setting himself up for disappointment as soon as he walked into the gym.

"Alright, I suppose we can start with the basics." Yonghan's eyes followed Minwoo as the latter spoke, walking out of the small, dingy-looking storage room. "But, professional volleyball is stricter than a gym class, you know."

Yonghan snorted, muttering, "I know that. I'm not that dumb." He paused, before adding belately, "this isn't really pro volleyball, though. You have weird fangirls, but this is just high school."

That was not to say that the Suseonhwa volleyball team was bad by any means; at Yonghan's old school, their volleyball team had been absolutely pulverized by Suseonhwa (although, Guro High School didn't set the bar particularly high). But even at Guro, there were a few gossiping girls who had whispered about the other team after they had gone to the game the previous night, their loyalties already switching.

Once Yonghan actually started going to Suseonhwa, however, talk of their legendary volleyball team was ever-present, all around him, in flashes of, "oh my god, did you see Seojun's biceps? He's so fucking hot," and, "Jisoo, let's sit around the volleyball team at lunch!" Yonghan easily gathered that they were popular -- the idols of the school, the BTS amongst them all, perhaps -- but he rarely heard of their actual skill. Of course they're good -- why would shitty athletes be popular -- but how good can they possibly be?

(Besides, they're not that hot, considering that's practically all I hear about them.)

Yonghan lazily went through the motions as Minwoo quickly went over bumping. He caught the ball Minwoo had tossed at him with ease, eager to actually do something for once.

"Yeah, I can volley," Yonghan bumped the ball, then set it in Minwoo's direction. "This is basic stuff. Come on, let's do something harder."

---​

After a few hours of practice, Yonghan slouched over by the bleachers, reaching into his bag for a grape hi-chew. Minwoo was nice enough -- training with him could've been worse. Contrarily, Yonghan already knew that team practices would not be a pleasant experience for him -- he cringed at the thought of having to deal with more people.

Yonghan was not fond of the repetitive exercises Minwoo had made him do again and again and again, but he did relish the feeling of the blood pumping through his veins and the light sweat dotting his forehead. At the end of the day, Yonghan was far more of a sports person than a school person, and even the monotony of repeated drills wouldn't take away from that.

Yonghan's almost euphoric mood was immediately taken down a few notches when he checked his phone. The model was a few years older than anything his classmates had, and there was a crack the size of the San Andreas fault running through the middle of the screen, but it still worked, fortunately enough. What was not fortunate, however, was the time. 11:58.

"Fuck," Yonghan muttered; he wasn't going to make the last subway, and it wasn't like he lived around the block. It took over half an hour for him to get to school via public transportation -- which wasn't too unreasonable, considering how many stops were made -- but Yonghan knew that even he wouldn't be able to get back home in even twice that much time if he were to walk.

The redhead glanced briefly at Minwoo, before turning away, shaking his head at himself. Yonghan didn't know how Minwoo would get home -- most students took the subway or the train if they couldn't walk. If Minwoo fell into the former group, then they were in the same predicament. If he fell into the latter, he certainly wouldn't be any help to Yonghan.

Yonghan bit his lip, wondering if he should ask . . . for help. As soon as the thought struck his mind, he vehemently shut it down. He didn't want to ask Minwoo for help -- hell, he didn't want to ask anyone for help. He was too proud for that.

And even if Yonghan didn't want to admit it, he was a little shy.

So Yonghan sat on the bleachers, chewing his hi-chew, contemplating what to do under his blank expression. Deep down, he hoped Minwoo would say something first -- the redhead would feel much better if he didn't have to start the conversation.

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​

 

[pasta]

SEO MINWOO

Training went better than anticipated, or maybe he only felt that way because Yonghan didn’t give him a hard time. Regardless, he could see himself instructing the new student routinely. He didn’t know how he would behave towards him in practice though. Minwoo had to admit, he was tough and austere on everyone, and he could not soften up to replicate the way he had acted that night for the sake of keeping Yonghan content. And if he showed any type of special treatment with the way he dealt out criticism, how would that reflect on him? Then again, he could use the justification that Yonghan was new.

Sighing, he zippered his bag closed; his mind kept straying to the nearing car ride with Minseok. Usually, his dad would pick him up, but work was keeping him up late. Of course, it was presumed his brother would step up to grapple at any chance to appeal to their parents and feign being a doting older brother while being entirely the opposite. If all went well, the tobacco-scented car would be completely silent, and he could only hope for that. Most of the time, by the end of the trip, he would be left shredding his own brain apart over a few poorly-worded insults hurled his way.

He casted his gaze onto Yonghan, and a brief frown fell on his face. It was late, and considering how far he probably lived from the school one could only assume he didn't have a way home. Walking, maybe, but that seemed unlikely.

“Yonghan,” he began, yawning as he rubbed his eyes with the pad of his fingers. The lack of sleep was catching up with him, a regard which manifested itself into dark circles and clung deliciously to his limbs like a parasite.

“The subways are probably closed by now, and you live relatively far from here, right? How are you getting home?” He paused. “My brother’s picking me up… if you need a ride or anything, I’m sure he’d be fine with taking you home. And, I mean, worst-case scenario, he refuses, and you have to sleep over my house.” Taking a seat beside the new student, he pulled his bag into his lap. “Which wouldn’t be terrible,” he pointed out.

Minwoo was terrified of asking his brother to extend the car ride, especially when it was assumed the older wouldn’t have any intention of burdening himself with extra work. And, even if his brother agreed, Minwoo risked the chance of being belittled and humiliated in front of Yonghan. He could picture it, blisteringly lurid, public mortification of the great Minwoo. But, Yonghan’s safety came before Minwoo’s reputation, and he was willing to put up with the torment.

reveriee

 

[reveriee]

"Yonghan."

The redhead turned to look at Minwoo . . . who was beginning to look like a zombie. Or a goblin? Yonghan wasn't too familiar with his mythical creatures. Regardless, there were smudges of darkness underneath Minwoo's eyes, and his body seemed to be weighed down as if it was moving through molasses. Maybe if I studied as much as I should, I would look like him. The thought only made Yonghan feel even more turned off from the prospect of schoolwork than he already was. Maybe he was dumb, maybe his grades weren't the best -- and maybe he would crash and burn in the competitiveness of South Korean society -- but at least Yonghan slept.

Yonghan was a little surprised to hear Minwoo extend his offer of a car ride. He probably shouldn't have been -- despite their lengthy acquaintance of one day, Minwoo already seemed like the kind of person who would be generous like that. Then again, who would leave someone in this situation out to dry? Yonghan immediately identified himself as someone who would not extend any assistance to someone in his position -- after all, he wasn't one to deal with people -- before feeling a flush of shame overtake him. Fuck you, Yonghan, that's wrong.

". . . worst-case scenario, he refuses, and you have to sleep over my house."

Yonghan jerked back, jarred at the idea of having to sleep at Minwoo's home. Considering how casual the other teen was when he brought it up, it probably wasn't a big deal to him, but the thought of sleeping over at the house of someone he knew for scarcely a day made Yonghan feel . . . vulnerable. Uncomfortable, perhaps -- he doubted he would be able to sleep in that situation. Besides, he didn't like the idea of having to interact with Minwoo's brother more than he had to -- and on top of that, having to meet his parents. Yonghan shivered -- parents were intimidating, way more so than teachers or principals. The redhead felt more uneasy about having the parents of someone he knew dislike him, rather than having a strenuous relationship with an authority figure. For the past five years or so, he didn't have to bother with meeting a friend's parents -- Yonghan wasn't sure how he felt about that changing.

"Thanks," Yonghan said quietly, his tone a little gruff. "I'll take the ride, but I'm not sleeping at your house -- if your brother doesn't want to take me home, I'll just walk." Yonghan paused, before awkwardly tacking on, "thank you. Again."

Oh my god, why did I say that. I sound really dumb. Why can't I talk to people and be smooth all the time? Yonghan sighed softly, taking out his phone to have something to do with his hands. He quickly responded to his mother's text, before opening up Candy Crush. Seongja wouldn't be bad with people, Yonghan thought gloomily. Seongja would be charming, and nice, and generous, and kind.

pasta

ROH YONGHAN

shadows of the past keep on chasing me

© pasta​