TIMEOUT - Part Seventeen
Confused, Kyun shakes his head. "What do you mean?"
"He... hurt another girl..."
Immediately his mother gasps loudly and his father cusses while Kyun's jaw drops in utter disbelief.
"WHAT?" His thoughts are running circles again. "But it... was not y/n, right?"
Quickly, Shownu shakes his head. "No! No, it wasn't her. It um... it was Rose..."
Kyun feels his stomach turning. Sure, things with Rose didn't turn out the way he wished for but this is definitely nothing she deserves. No one deserves this.
"Fuck!" he breathes and looks at his friend in shock. "Is she okay?"
"Yes!" Shownu nods. "She was lucky... as lucky as you can be in this situation... Her friends found them before worse things could've happened..."
The mere thought that this fucker runs around, forcing himself on girls, and just keeps on with his life...
This is so horrible, it leaves Kyun completely speechless.
"This poor girl..." his mom whines and takes a big gulp of her wine...
There's this uncomfortable silence, when everyone seems to be beaten down by this news. And suddenly Shownu leans closer to Kyun.
"Changkyun. Think about what this means!"
Since he has no idea what his buddy means, he shakes his head, confused again. "What?"
"Emery was stupid enough to touch the only girl in this school whose parents are even richer, even more powerful than his!"
Oh. My. God!
Kyun stares at him, wide-eyed.
"Do you mean—?"
Shownu's nodding interrupts him. "He got arrested this morning!"
Again, Kyun's jaw drops and a weird sound of relief and shock escapes his throat.
"There were witnesses, Kyun. Her friends. And... Rose speaking up made others braver as well. Since this morning, seven more girls have gone to the police..."
Chills of pure disgust run down Kyun's spine.
"SEVEN?" his father yells and slams his fist on the table. Seven girls. And that's probably not even the full number...
"Y/n was amongst them..." the Quarterback whispers and this gives Kyun the rest.
"Oh my god..."
He knows he shouldn't be happy about this. He shouldn't feel the kind of happiness he feels right now after so many girls got hurt. But the mere thought that you were brave enough to speak up against your assailant, brave enough to crawl out of your comfort zone, makes him so damn proud.
"She talked to Rose and her parents before" Shownu explains. "They assured her that they won't let Emery's parents destroy her future...And it's easy to keep one girl quiet. But eight? No one will believe Emery..."
There are so many thoughts on Kyun's mind right now. But all he can think of right now is you. Abruptly, he jumps up.
"I need to go to her. I need to see—"
"Kyun, don't..." his friend holds him by his arm. "She was okay with me coming here but..." he gulps. "Give her a little time. This day was hard for her..."
"But I wanna be there for her!" he rants. "I wanna make sure she's not alone with—"
"She's not alone. Josie and Hayden are with her... the ones who've been with her for the past two years..."
Wow. Ouch. Immediately he slumps back on his chair.
"I get it..." he whispers and Shownu looks at him compassionately.
"I'm sorry bro..."
"Don't be..." he says and stares at his plate. "Thanks for telling me..."
If he only knew how you're feeling right now... was it hard for you to talk to the police again? Talking to Rose and her parents about all this? Are you relieved? Are you happy? Or completely devastated and overwhelmed when you think about what will come next?
"Actually this isn't the only reason I'm here..."
Shownu's words rip him out of his thoughts and he looks at him again. "What do you mean?"
His friend smirks. "The coach tried to reach you, too. He called you a hundred times and sent messages. He feels horrible for not believing you... and he wants you back..."
What the fuck? Shownu had so much news and still sat down, eating in peace first?
"What...?" Kyun gasps and his father's eyes are ripped wide open.
"We talked about this..." the Quarterback says. "Me and the rest of the team. And we all would get it, if you'd say no... the coach's behavior will probably have consequences. But... we need you. And we would be so happy if you'd come back and play the championship game with us tomorrow..."
Can it be that he's so lucky? Really?
That all of his worries just... evaporated because Emery was stupid enough to...?
Gulping, he looks at his parents.
"Am I allowed to?"
Both of them have huge smiles on their faces before they look at each other and back at their son.
"Of course!" they say in sync, and Kyun's heart beats a little faster again...
When Kyun crawls into bed early in the evening to be fit for tomorrow's game - even if it's in the evening - he feels better. He just knows he can convince the talent scouts tomorrow... or he hopes so at least. There's still this heavy feeling in his chest because he misses you so much. But his feelings don't matter at the moment. You must focus on this Emery thing right now. Maybe one day you can forgive him.
Still, he can't help but take his phone and send you a message.
I know I'm one of the last people you wanna hear from now. But Shownu was here tonight and he told me...
Y/n, I'm insanely proud of you. It won't make it undone but maybe now you can find your peace with it. I can't wait to watch you live a happier, more fearless life. Even if it's just from a distance.
I'm so sorry that I hurt you 💜
The next day, Kyun stands in his room, packing his bag for the match. He's nervous, he can't deny that. But at the same time, there are other, weird feelings involved he can't quite point out.
When he hears a knock on his door, he raises his head and sees his father walking in.
"Hey, son! Ready for the big game?"
Quickly, he nods.
"I know it's a lot of pressure, but don't try to think too much and focus on your passion and then things will turn out fine!" his father says and claps his shoulder before sitting on Kyun's bed. "Will y/n be there?"
Again he feels this pang in his chest. He knows his dad is just curious but... damn this hurts.
Curtly, he shakes his head while throwing his shower stuff into his bag. "Y/n and I don't see each other anymore..."
"I'm sorry..."
He can hear in his Dad's voice that he really means his words. This makes it even worse.
"Yeah me too..." Kyun replies and sits next to his Dad "You liked her, didn't you?"
"Doesn't matter!" he replies and shakes his head. "You're my son! And if you decide not to see her anymore, it doesn't matter if I liked her or not!"
This is such a stupid answer...
"Still?" Kyun says and his father remains silent for a moment until he nods.
"Yeah, I liked her. Not only for who she is but... you were different in the last couple of weeks... different in a good way..."
He gets it. And it wasn't just because he was fucking happy. He acted differently, was more considerate, thought more about the future...
"But... I mean..." Kyun sighs. "Is it the right thing when you become someone different for someone else...?"
These thoughts kept him awake all night. Before this whole Emery thing, you were already fighting. And the things you were fighting about haven't automatically vanished. What if you both just aren't meant to be?
"I think that depends..." his Dad replies immediately. "She didn't change you to the core. She just brought out good things you were hiding... your potential, your compassion... I don't think it's wrong then..."
"I'm just..." he's so sick of whining about all this. Why is this so damn hard?
"We're so different..."
"I thought the same when I met your mother. And it's true, we are. And at the same time, we're not. I think the reason it works out so well between me and your mother is... we bring out the best in each other and still we accept and love each other's weaknesses. The key is communication and respect... " his father pauses and sighs. "But I get it. Life is weird sometimes. And love is even weirder..."
They fall silent for a moment, both stuck in their thoughts.
"Dad?" Kyun says eventually and looks at his father. "Will you... will you be disappointed if I don't make it...?"
Confused, his father's eyes widen. "Into the NFL? What are you talking about? Of course, I wouldn't! I would be a little sad on your behalf cause I know this is your dream. But no matter what happens..." smiling, he lays his arm around Kyun's shoulder and pulls him closer. "You are my son! And I will always be proud of you!"
Again there's this moment in which Kyun feels so much gratitude for his parents. He's so lucky to have them, he knows that.
"Thanks, dad!" he smiles and leans back again.
"You've worked hard for this!" his father says and gets up. "I'm sure overthinking is normal at this point... but you have it in you! You are talented! And I believe in you!"
If only Kyun could believe in himself that way...
The atmosphere at the sports field is overwhelming. Kyun almost forgot how many people are visiting championship games. Sure, it's nothing compared to a real stadium but already enough for him to be completely hyped.
He stands at the sideline with Joo, Wonho, and Shownu while the Special Team spreads on the field for the kickoff.
Besides the fans and the cheerleaders, there's only one person louder than the rest.
Min.
He started trash-talking the second he laid eyes on the rivals. And it's the most amusing thing in this world.
"DO YOU SEE ME?" Min yells and points at himself. "REMEMBER MY FACE, I WILL RIP YOU APART!"
The friends laugh.
"He has such a huge mouth for a Special-Team-player" Joo chuckles, and Wonho nods. "They will kill him!"
Hyungwon, who's standing on the field as well, rolls his eyes in disgust and pretends to put a gun into his mouth before pulling the trigger. And again the teammates at the sideline crack up.
The Special Team is responsible for the kickoff after every touchdown and the field goals when the team is close enough to reach it. They are important, but compared to the Offense and Defense they're not THAT important, so Min really has no reason to be this overconfident.
"Let's go!" Shownu yells and they all watch the opponents kicking the ball. Wherever the ball lands is the place at which the Offense will start their drive.
The ball flies gently over the field and directly into Min's hands in the end zone.
"KNEEL DOWN!" Shownu shouts as Min suddenly begins to run. There's no need for this kind of risk at the very beginning. But Min apparently sees this differently. This is odd because usually this dude doesn't run any farther than necessary.
"This idiot!" Wonho rants and watches him nervously.
While holding the ball tightly, Min runs over the field, managing to shove away one opponent after the next. After he passes the 20-yard line - the point where they would've started if Min kneeled down in the end zone - the crowd goes crazy.
Kyun and his friends cheer and yell loudly as he passes them while the rest of the Special Team tries to keep the rivals away from him.
The yells turn into excited screams as Min actually manages to run into the fucking end zone. 100 yards within the first seconds.
What a start!
The energetic dude slams the ball onto the grass of the end zone and poses confidently again while the rest of the Special Team jumps on him like dogs.
"Insane!" Kyun mumbles and shakes his head in disbelief.
After the turnover, their opponents manage to make a touchdown as well and Kyun, Shownu, Wonho, Joo, and the rest of the Offense walk on the field for the first time.
Kyun is nervous as fuck and still full of adrenaline as he hears the shouting voices of the audience.
It's a pass-game. This is what he's here for. He has to make it, especially since he can feel the eyes of the talent scouts on him.
"READY!" Shownu shouts. "SET - HUT!"
The second Kyun hears the last word, he pushes away the player in front of him and runs toward the end zone.
But suddenly there's this little voice in his head, telling him to take it slow and that he might get hurt again. The little voice that tells him, he'll never make it, no matter how hard he tries. He tries to ignore this voice and looks over his shoulder.
Shownu and his D-Line manage to make enough time and space so Kyun can run wide. And when the ball comes flying into his direction - it slips right through Kyun's hands.
"FUCK!" he yells and balls his hands into fists. This was an easy ball, how the fuck could he drop that?
Angry, he runs back to the starting position. It's okay. This was the first drive of many, he still has so many chances.
Unfortunately, this fiasco persists through the entire first half. Every time they're planning a running game and Wonho is too occupied by the rivals, Kyun drops the ball, gets tackled, or simply isn't quick enough. Again and again and again.
As his miserable play goes on even through the beginning of the third quarter, his Coach seems to have had enough.
"Im!" he yells. "What the fuck is wrong?"
"I don't know..." he gasps when he arrives at the sideline and takes off his helmet. "I'm sorry!"
The coach eyes him carefully before he sighs. "This isn't only about the championship, Im. Think about your future!"
"I'M TRYING, OKAY?" he yells without meaning to and his coach looks at him a little perplexed for a moment before he nods. "Get rest. We'll take Hanson in the meantime!"
Groaning, Kyun sits down, while Hanson, the other receiver, runs on the field. This is a fucking disaster...
What is bothering him so much? What the fuck is happening?
Suddenly he hears a voice calling his name. And this voice sends the most pleasant shiver down his spine...