Running to You | Park Han + JL + Steven | Haneulz + Stejay AU

Chapter 15: Arrival at Jungsan

The bus pulled into the rival school's campus just after noon. The campus loomed large in front of them. There were tall brick buildings with curved rooftops, shaded courtyards, and a pristine quad lined with students already milling about, their voices bright in the midday sun.

Inside the bus, the KNSU boys were quiet. Not from nerves, at least, not the kind they'd admit to. but from the sense of collective anticipation that came right before battle. JL pressed his forehead against the glass, blinking at the sunlight bouncing off the roofs, tracking the figures gathering near the entrance gate.

Then they stepped off the bus.

The reaction was immediate.

Gasps and whispers. There were audible squeals as phones rose in the air. 

"Oh my god, is that them? That's KNSU, right?"

"Wait is that the one from Twitter? The foreign one with the crazy sprint?!"

"THAT GUY IN A MUSCLE SHIRT SMILED AT ME, RIGHT? THE ONE WITH THE BICEPS??"

"I think that's Park Han, the one with the nose. He's so hot. I wish he would look this way!"

"Who is that with the long black hair? He looks like a villain. I'm obsessed." 

"That's Chih En, AI Prince! I need him."

It was as if the entire rival school population had collectively lost its mind. The KNSU boys had barely made it ten feet from the bus when the sidewalks were already clogged with students pretending not to gawk, some failing completely.

JL, blinking rapidly, tripped lightly over the curb. A girl near the barricade mumbled "Oppa" in a quavering voice and burst into tears, overwhelmed.

Han reached out instinctively, a hand bracing the small of JL's back, steadying him with effortless strength.

"You okay?"

"I think I just made someone cry," JL whispered. 

Han said dryly, "Easy there, 'oppa'."

JL blushed all the way to the tips of his ears. Han's palm felt solid and strong against JL's shirt, and when he finally took it away, it almost felt wrong.

Woongki was already grinning and waving like a rockstar, flinging hearts and winks like confetti. One girl screamed and immediately ducked behind a friend, giddy.

Kyungho descended with a regal air, carrying two duffels like they weighed nothing. His broad shoulders were exposed, rippling with muscle. A group of Jungsan boys stopped mid-laughter as he passed by. 

Shuaibo, at least an inch taller, strolled behind him, long legs carrying him at a model's pace, giving a lazy peace sign to a passing phone and murmuring something in Chinese. The person filming shrieked and started fanning themselves, mumbling something about a stiff neck and dying happy.

Steven adjusted his waistband mid-step, and the internet would later replay that exact moment frame by frame.

"Are we being stalked?" Juwon muttered, looking around. "No," Jeongwoo said. "Just being stanned."

"Same thing," JL muttered, stepping carefully around a discarded smoothie cup. He still managed to accidentally kick it.

"I've never seen people tweet while crying," Chih En said, peering at a student live-streaming from behind a tree.

"Welcome to cult status," Shuaibo said, adjusting his sunglasses.

As they approached the registration tent, the rival team from Jungsan University stood waiting. They were tall too. Muscular. Cocky. And, to their credit, they looked unimpressed.

"You the pretty boys from KNSU?" one of them called.

Steven stepped forward, deadpan. "Just prettier than you."

A ripple of laughter went through both teams. "Hope you brought more than hair gel," another Jungsan member said, folding his arms.

Kyungho raised an eyebrow. "How about championship trophies? Hope you have enough shelves."

More laughter. "Okay, that was a good one," the Jungsan captain admitted, grinning. "I'm Min Jae. Let's keep it clean, yeah?"

"Let's crush it," Jeongwoo added.

The two teams shook hands.

JL watched from behind Han, still a little flushed from earlier, still catching his breath from all the screaming. Han glanced back, just for a second, and their eyes met.

Then the PA system crackled to life, the intial whine reaching across the field. 

"Will all participating teams move to the main track for our opening ceremony. Calling all participating teams, please move to the main track".

Game on.

[Your comments and votes each chapter mean the world and support this story. Thank you for reading, and see you in the next chapter! ✩✩✩ - Martiné]