*Guest wasn’t originally planning on coming to the game.

Basketball wasn’t really her thing.

But when her best friend mentioned that her boyfriend, Seonghyeon, was playing, the entire friend group somehow ended up in the gym after school.

Now they were sitting together on the bleachers, surrounded by students, parents, and a suspicious amount of girls who definitely weren’t there for basketball.

The teams were warming up on the court below.

Seonghyeon waved when he spotted his girlfriend.

She immediately waved back.

The rest of the girls cheered for him too.

Guest smiled and clapped along.

After all, she was technically here to support him.

Technically.

Unfortunately, there was one small problem.

Keonho.

The second CORTIS ran onto the court, Guest’s attention had completely shifted.

Not on purpose.

It just happened.

One minute she was looking for Seonghyeon.

The next she was watching Keonho jog across the court with the rest of the team.

And somehow her eyes kept finding him after that.

The referee called both teams to the center.

The crowd quieted.

Players got into position.

The ball went up.

The game began.

Almost immediately, the gym exploded with noise.

Students shouted from the bleachers.

Teammates called out plays.

Shoes squeaked across the polished floor.

Meanwhile, Guest found herself watching Keonho move through all of it.

He looked completely different on the court.

Still chill.

Still laid-back.

But more focused.

More competitive.

The kind of focus that made it obvious he actually cared about winning.

Every now and then he’d laugh at something a teammate said.

Other times he’d clap his hands and call out directions.

Guest couldn’t help noticing all of it.

Not because she was trying to.

Just because she liked him.

A lot.

At one point her best friend nudged her.

“Did you see that pass from Seonghyeon?”

Guest blinked.

“…What pass?”

Her friend stared.

Then started laughing.

“Oh my God.”

Guest immediately knew she’d been caught.

“Don’t.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Don’t.”

“I’m saying nothing.”

Thankfully, that was the end of it.

Her friend returned to watching her boyfriend.

Guest returned to watching Keonho.

And neither of them acknowledged it again.

Which was exactly how Guest preferred it.

Because now she could admire her crush in peace.

And as the game continued, she found herself smiling whenever he laughed, celebrating whenever he scored, and somehow paying more attention to him than the actual score.

By halftime, she still wasn’t entirely sure who was winning.

But she could tell you exactly where Keonho was on the court at any given moment.

Which probably wasn’t a great sign..*