[drama] the game
Title: The Game
Chapter 32: Cruel Fate
Features: Kang In, Heechul, Hankyung, Siwon, Kibum, SuJu
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Beta: fifteen_half
[Kang In’s POV]
‘Hey, why won’t you wear the seatbelt?’ Leeteuk glanced quickly over me before he diverted his focus back on the road. ‘Come on, put it on.’
‘It’s broken.’
‘What?’
‘It’s broken.’
‘What do you mean it’s broken?’
‘I mean, it’s broken.’ I repeated for the third time and caught Leeteuk staring at me like I was speaking in some Chinese.
Ever since the accident, Leeteuk had been very particular with all these safety on the road regulations. It was a good thing that he didn’t get traumatized by it, although his habit of pressing breaks for unnecessary purposes was still unchanged. It still got me carsick, even for a short distance travelling. But my car was in the workshop and manager hyung’s driving was not any better than Leeteuk’s, so…
‘What was the other word for broken?’ I asked mordantly as I tried to buckle up the seat belt only to prove my point. The closure had been crooked that the insert could not fit in anymore. Someone must have forced open it without disengaging the fastener. I let Leeteuk have a closer look anyway, just in case that could change his perspective about me.
‘He’s so gonna pay for it!’ He exclaimed.
‘Who?’
‘Kim Heechul!’
‘You lent him your car?’ Leeteuk looked at me helplessly and at the moment I couldn’t imagine how pissed he was because his dimples were distracting me. I really thought he was smiling. ‘That is so stupid of you, hyung...’
‘I know!!’ Leeteuk’s sudden outburst almost gave me a heart attack and I cursed myself for provoking his anger. Realizing the fact that I was in a car with him driving didn’t make me feel any better. ‘He even insisted me to drive that night! He always hates my driving!’
‘Okay, hyung, you can get him later but right now, just calm down please-’
‘How can I calm down? He broke the seat belt!’
I gulped, swallowed all the words I was intending to say. It sure didn’t make sense anymore when I failed to get his attention. Should one get this angry for a broken seat belt? It was just a fucking seat belt after all.
Leeteuk hastily grabbed his casual bag from the back seat when we were caught in a red light and started to tunnel it. I knew he was looking for his phone but that was not the reason why I grabbed the bag pack from his lap. Older people tend to get mad over ridiculous matters and they definitely had a weird way to express their anger - Leeteuk, Heechul and now, even Hankyung had already started to show off the equivalent signs. Was it really the sign of old age?
‘You can’t make a call now.’ I said but for his own reason, Leeteuk didn’t let go. ‘Hyung, you’ll never win the verbal fight with Heechul. No one ever can.’
I’m not sure if he ever agreed with the statement but Leeteuk finally gave up and shrugged. The light turned green and he hit the gear, almost breaking it with a little too much vigour. A silent curse slipped pass through his lips as he drove in unspoken anger and I knew better not to interrupt his meditation. After all, the carsickness had really gotten to me. I let my head lay back on the seat and closed my eyes, thinking of fishes and monkeys and ducks - anything - that can even down my vertigo.
My body jerked forward when the break was pressed in an instant. And if it weren’t because of my swift movement to hang against the door knob, I’m sure my forehead would have ended up hitting the dashboard. Leeteuk muttered an apology even before I could think of anything to utter. I decided to leave the matter as it is and got out immediately, happy to be on the ground safely.
Leeteuk was searching for something through his compartment when I got to the driver side. I leaned down to the door panel, knocking on the glass slightly as I watched him wipe his old fashioned sunglasses with his own faded shirt. Eventually, after he had put on the shades and checking himself out on the back mirror, he rolled the window down, sticking out his elbow, looking up to me like some kind of gang leader.
‘Hyung, the last time I made the CD stuck in your player, you made me pay for it and you didn’t talk to me for almost a week. And consider what I had done wasn’t as bad as what Heechul did, you know, this is pretty serious damage. The broken seat belt...’
‘What do you suggest?’ Leeteuk asked abruptly.
‘Mental torture?’
‘Got it.’ He said coolly and drove off just like that.
The meeting went pretty long, with the additional no-one-gets-it jokes from manager hyung. I basically agreed to everything because I couldn’t stand it anymore. My stomach was grumbling throughout the meeting and I wondered why I let Shindong have my sandwich at lunch. It could be the worst decision I have ever made in my entire career.
It was raining so heavily outside the building. I couldn’t afford to get sick when the comeback schedule was just around the corner, leaving me no choice but to stay inside the building with my grumbling stomach until the rain stopped. The cold had started to get to me so I decided to warm myself with a cup of coffee.
Maybe it was called fate - being at the same place and at the same time - when I heard the accented broken Korean spoken from the hallway. My heart started to pound with excitement and my stomach was filled with butterflies and I thought I was shivering too - but that could be just because of the weather. But all these indications were becoming more and more observable and I started to wonder if it has something to do with his presence. Because I think it was and it is bothering me.
I was calculating my steps, trying to remember what to do and what to utter because I’ve been thinking about this a lot, practicing how to apologize and all, but everything had gone away the moment I saw him. He was leaning closely to the only casement in the hallway as he was speaking through his hands free device. And his finger was tracing the pattern formed by the droplet on the other side of the window glass. The evening light from the outside outlined his perfect Chinese features in the dimmed hall and I, without thinking much of the consequence, took out my own phone and snapped a picture of him.
Hankyung flinched at the sound of the camera, throwing a surprised look over me. I quickly averted my eyes to anywhere but him. I was surprise too, at the fact that I could have possibly gone out of my mind - just what was I thinking by doing that? It was like digging my own grave; I wasn’t even forgiven and yet I already committed another crime. Hankyung still had that horribly shocked expression on his face when I looked back at him, giving me yet another shivering thought. Have I become his stalker now?
‘Hey, uh, I have to go now.’ Hankyung said into the device. ‘I’ll call you back later?’
I watched him snap his phone off and I was counting again for the right time to speak up - maybe to try and give him some kind of explanation. But the moment he turned to me, I went totally blank, my brain could not function and my tongue couldn’t work out a single word to utter. He just stared at me for a second or two, I thought he would say something but he just turned around and walked away from me.
‘Hey!’ I managed to shout. He was already at the other end of the hallway before I could convince myself to go after him. ‘Hey, hyung, wait up.’
If I ever doubted my feelings to feel such attraction to the Chinese man, this would be the only time. I wondered why I let myself undergo such complexity just to make him talk to me again. What was about it that was so important to me to have his forgiveness?
‘Hyung!’ I reached out and grabbed his hand in attempt to make him stop. But he was being rebellious so I had to tighten my grip and force my words out. ‘You wouldn’t have ended the call if you didn’t want me to talk to you. Now, could you please listen to me?!’
I know that yelling wasn’t the appropriate way to persuade someone to listen to you but somehow it worked with me. I managed to calm the dancer down but he still refused to look at me. He let his eyes wonder around, his expression were as cold as ice.
‘You want me to apologize, right?’ I asked him in the most polite way I could possibly be but only to receive another of his fierce glance. ‘What?’
Without a word, he snatched his arm free from my grip and started to walk off again.
‘Hyung! Wait a minute! You told me to not talk to you and I already did, right?’ I reasoned as I followed him closely from behind. ‘You want me to apologize and that is what I‘m trying to do now but you-’
‘Just don’t, okay?’
’What?’ I grabbed his arm again. ‘Don’t what? What do you want now?’
‘I don’t want anything from you.’ He shoved me to the side. ‘Just… just leave me alone!’
‘No, I don’t want to.’ I said stubbornly.
I could feel my anger beginning to light up the moment he tried to walk away for the nth time that evening. Part of me wanted to give up, but a part of me just didn’t want to let him go, so I gritted my teeth and followed him around, much closely this time.
‘Well, the least you can do is to tell me! Why are you avoiding me?’ I asked as we made pass through the entrance hall. I wondered how he planned to end this act because obviously I won’t renounce. It wasn’t like I would get to catch him alone like this again - without Shiwon tailing him around. So, no, I won’t budge.
‘You’re having fun doing this, aren’t you, hyung?’
My words echoed through the empty hall but it didn’t slow him down, not for once as he constantly walked towards the porch. Rain was still pouring heavily on the outside and showed no sign of stopping. The cold seeped pass through my sleeve and I halted my step once I got to the exit. I didn’t really think he would walk out through the rain but when he moved even closer to the end of the terrace, I decided right then, that anything was possible.
‘Hyung, you’re being ridiculous and you know it!’
Hankyung had finally stopped marching. He was standing just underneath the sheltered spot. His front clothes were already soaked by the spluttering rain but he didn’t look like he would retreat from there. Worry creeping through my skin and it was a helpless feeling because I didn’t know what to do. He just won’t listen to me anymore.
‘Hyung, come on, get back inside.’ I said as I got to his side. It was freezing and I was shivering as the rain started to splash on my pants. I thought of just dragging him back inside but I couldn’t make a move. ‘Hyung... standing here won’t do us any good. You’ll get sick-’
Hankyung let go an exaggerated sigh. ‘Like you care.’
Something along the words - could it be the tone of his voice - really pissed me off. How can he say things like that when I was in front of him, getting all wet just to get him talk to me again?
‘You’re right; I don’t care if you get sick.’ I replied sharply and throw my gaze away from him. ‘Go ahead. Run. Be an idiot-’
Hankyung didn’t wait long, didn’t wait until I finished the line, didn’t wait to consider if I really meant those words. He sprinted through the rain, stepping into the puddle pavement, running away without looking back. And I was just standing there; watching his blurry figure slowly disappear from my sight. My heart wasn’t feeling anything, nothing - empty. But my eyes grew hotter and something warm was dripping over my cheeks and I was sure it was just the rain.
I wished it was just the rain.
It must have been the rain.