hey dolls, i just wanted to tell you that i am currently editing wicked games !!!
up until now i edited chapters one and two, but i think the entire series will be fully edited by the end of next week
i’m adding new dialogues, thoughts and descriptions to the chapters to add more depth to the story being told
if you already read all the chapters that are out and like the series so far, i encourage you to reread it so that some of the things i added can contribute to your liking of the story !!!
editing the already existing chapters is going to help me a lot to continue writing, so you can expect new chapters soon
hey guys, i wanted to talk about my disappearance from here for the past weeks
i love all the support you guys never fail to show for me and for my work, but during the last few uploads of wicked games i got progressively less motivated
i feel like my work is not good enough, i even spoke on it briefly once saying that i believe i put out chapters that i don’t think are good enough and i don’t want to disappoint you guys by writing this story that you all seem to love in a way that does not reach my full potential
i took some time to read works from different creators from here and it only made my motivation worse to see so many talented people who have their way with words in a much more natural and poetical way that i do, and i actually ended up feeling scared and embarrassed to update wicked games
currently i am trying to overcome this growing feeling, i don’t want you guys to worry because wicked games will be finished at some point, you don’t have to worry whether i will abandon this story or not because that is not happening
i just wanted to talk to you about that because it’s not fair to just vanish without explaining myself to you guys, i am doing my best to try and win the confidence i had in the beginning back and continue wicked games
thank you for the patience <3 i’m sorry if my absence left you upset, i will be back soon with new chapters
actually, i lied :( sorry guys, a project from college came out of nowhere and it consumed a lot of my time, i’ll try to put out the next chapter as soon as possible
pairing: lee minho x reader
genre: academic rivals to lovers
wc: 5.2k words
i still don't know where everything went
it was practically possible to hear the sound of the clock hands moving second by second in the silent room, filling the environment with a constant tick-tock. the pen's weight was tangible in her palm, as if it were made of lead, and the rhythm of its heavy strain fed the up and down movement of her chest, drenched in nervousness that didn't seem to have disappeared.
the minutes continued to pass, and the questions on the physics test in front of y/n were answered one by one, with absolute caution, as if she was following a fragile surgery, as if at any moment some bogeyman might appear out of nowhere in the room if she wasn't delicate.
she was well aware that her decision to go to work had significantly reduced the time she would put into her academic performance, but she was never someone who allowed herself to be easily shaken.
now, it was no longer her who taught hyunjin, but studied with him, keeping an eye out for the materials he reviewed when there weren't any in the cafe so that she could take advantage of even the free seconds she had, which became scarcer with the pass the days.
she knew she was being left behind in the eternal competition that was her and minho's relationship, and despite all the hate that many viewers would consider "uncalled for", she found herself a little scarred by an anger that burned her chest like a forrest. fire whenever she saw him in the hallways, backs against lockers laughing out loud at silly things with his friends without a care in the world. the poster child for the aristocratic lifestyle of today's society, a boy with the world in his hands and people who worked for him cleaning his shoes kneeling on the floor of the huge mansion he lived in.
it was nothing more than a raw and genuine hatred inside y/n when all the paths her mind went through when thinking about minho came to the inevitable conclusion that this, all of this was a sport for him. studying was a sport, getting good grades was a sport, excelling, being popular, winking at dumb girls across the cafeteria like you were television's newest heartthrob. it was all one big joke and when she looked at how she led her life, the lack of jokes was almost suffocating, a snake around her neck all the time just waiting for the right time to coil completely against her flesh.
when she felt pathetic, she tried to imagine him cleaning the cafeteria bathrooms using only a toilet brush, or having to listen to customers throwing tantrums over a cup of coffee with a smile on his face, not being able to retort or shout back. these thoughts brought her out of her own exasperated situation and made her laugh. she couldn't tell if it was because of the strangeness of minho's presence in these scenarios, how he would look wearing the uniform she has to wear every day, or if it was because, greater than this hatred was the restless desire that maybe, just maybe, lee minho wasn't exactly how she imagined he was.
but she knew it was impossible for that to be real. it was impossible because minho had only shown her his true personality, so she knew her like no one else.
the anger heats up until it cools down and settles in the throat like a stone, accompanied by a feeling of disgust. despite the considerable efforts she had made, her second-place name on the huge ranking list at the entrance to the school screamed in her face that they hadn't been enough. and the damn name of minho was above hers. she could only feel disgust. disgusted because of him? it was no longer a surprise to anyone. however, the disgust she felt was mostly directed at herself. she should have studied harder, spent more late nights studying until her hand ached and her eyes burned with exhaustion.
but now it was too late, and his failure was exposed to all who walked those halls. the feeling of dismay followed her, like a constant shadow, reminding her that her expectations were not met and that she had lost the opportunity to win.
as soon as she turned to flee to the classroom for her first class of the day, she saw minho walking towards the panel, eyes glazed over the top to see who had won, who had gotten the best grade.
she didn't wait long to witness the look of satisfaction on his stupid face and soon she was stomping against the floor, a red fury circling her entire body and she didn't even consider taking a step to the side to avoid him, and she certainly didn't feel pity when she bumped into him with her shoulder, knocking him off balance slightly.
she only heard a scoff behind her but didn't even bother to turn around, however much she felt like it when she heard him whisper “you need to be tamed, jesus”
but, contrary to what one might imagine, no ghost of a smile appeared on minho's lips when he saw his name at the top. all he could think about was what it meant to have his name on top of all those others, a hierarchy. he imagined his father's satisfaction at seeing him do exactly what he'd demanded, a silent submission, a reminder that minho was just the son and that no matter how much he kicked and rebelled, his father would always win.
he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
“minho" yongbok appeared beside him magically, as if he had materialized there. “i met professor choi on his way here and he asked me to give you your test and congratulated you on first place”
the sheet of paper that yongbok held out to minho made a wave of discomfort run down his spine, but he took it from his best friend's hand none the less.
he looks down at the sheet and looks at the shoulder where the girl had bumped into it on purpose for a few seconds, before the urge to rip the test in half takes over him. ripped it into a thousand pieces and threw it in the nearest garbage, leaving yongbok with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
he pointed at minho, then at the trash can, then at minho, then at the trash can.
“but… why?” he asked.
“it’s just a stupid test, yongie” he shrugged putting his hands in the pocket of his uniform pants and walking unbothered while some people congratulated him on his performance in the hall.
but yongbok didn't understand, so he chose to ask more.
“stupid? i thought you cared about that kind of thing”
“no, at least not now. i have other things keeping me up all night”
“i wonder who that is…” yongbok whispers and pushes the big glasses back into place with his finger.
“what was that?” minho asks suspiciously, having just heard rumbles coming from the friend. minho still can't quite catch the things he whispers when he doesn't want him to hear. it's a normal thing to happen within their friendship, yongbok doesn't know how to shut up and minho can't mature enough to leave his nosy lifestyle behind.
“do you want to go with me to the varsity basketball game on friday?” yongbok asks him as they walk through the noisy halls. minho never went to a basketball game with him in all their years of friendship because when minho didn't want to do something, nothing could make him do it, it didn't matter how much he loved his best friend.
but this time, unlike previous opportunities, minho had a real and concrete reason for not wanting to go. a person, to be precise. as he dragged his steps down the hall, he could see the blond boy approaching, standing out among the other bustling and noisy football players. a feeling of disgust that rose from his feet to his head in a matter of seconds took over his entire body, while yongbok, beside him, seemed mesmerized by the presence of the school's basketball team.
minho's eyes locked on the approaching figure. he had never noticed hwang hyunjin until he bloomed in his field of vision like a very insistent weed. apparently he was the only one who hadn't fallen into the hands of the undeniable charisma he didn't care to hide. for minho, beneath that charming smile and effortless charm, there's something about hyunjin that rubbed him the wrong way. he couldn't explain if it was a gratuitous animosity that resided in the back of his mind, but it was strong enough to make his breath get heavier every time he saw him.
his friend turns to him so quickly, minho wonders if he had a whiplash.
“please minhoooo” for a second he thinks that yongbok, the shy and withdrawn boy who never raised his hand to ask a classroom question in his life was going to kneel on the floor of the packed hallway and beg.
the group of basketball players passes by the two and the air in the hallway disappears for minho. hyunjin smiles at his friends without a care in the world as he hears one of them saying “hyunjin, your pitch was great! i've never seen anyone score that far from the basket!”, cheeks reddening a little at the cheers of his teammates.
minho's eyes travel between him and his friend a few times, until his expression suddenly darkens and he turns to yongbok. “calm down” he says, seeing his best friend's anxious expression. “no need to make a scandal out of it, i’ll go with you”
the words are bitter in his throat but yongbok opens a huge smile and it seems once again that he is going to throw himself on his knees in the corridor, this time to thank him, but minho doesn't give him time to do that and soon starts walking towards the classroom for their first class, lip between teeth and head away from where his feet were taking him.
y/n has never had an easy time functioning in crowded places, a bonus is when those (many) people are screaming like animals and squirming in their seats as if they were trying to keep from flying off their chairs.
her constant hesitation to enter the large gymnasium in the midst of all the revelry and excitement was constant throughout his journey from the cafe to school, under the slowly darkening sky, leaving a gentle farewell to the brightness of the day and giving way to night. her journey was longer than she thought it was going to be, partly because her shift had been increased by a few minutes and her insecurity forced her feet to walk more slowly, needless to say, she was obviously late.
but all roads lead to rome or whatever, and she's been staring at the entrance to the gym for the last few minutes as if, if she walked in, she would be consumed by it.
the screams that rang out to her from the other side, outside the party, were wild and just made her want to get as far away as she could and go seek comfort in the dark and lonely cubicle that was her home, but her feet remained rooted to the ground, neither going in nor leaving.
she just found the courage to put her hand on the doorknob because she remembered the message that hyunjin had sent her earlier: a photo of the place he had reserved specifically for her. it was a front row seat, the most privileged and coveted by those who genuinely enjoy that spectacle of sweaty men hitting each other and running like dogs after a ball.
the seat was the most apparent and she was late, hyunjin must have noticed. she just opened the door because of that. she didn't want to upset him and destabilize him in his most important game, and he really wanted her to be there, for some reason.
sea of screams and cheers hit her full on as soon as the door was opened and the exasperated sound of tennis shoes against the polished wood of the court floor showed that the game was already close. y/n walked quickly to the only empty seat right in front of the court, where there was a yellow sticky note with the word “RESERVED” written in large, shaky letters, staining the paper black.
she sat quickly, taking in every detail of what was going on around her. hyunjin's team was dressed in vibrant orange jerseys, while the rival school's team sported uniforms in a deep shade of dark blue. the players on hyunjin's team moved around the court with an almost choreographed precision, like roots in a perfectly rehearsed dance.
the ball did not remain for more than five seconds in the hands of a single player, passing quickly from one side to the other. it was a frenzy of intense contests, a relentless battle for control of the element that dictates the game. every possession was a source of palpable tension.
it wasn't hard to find hyunjin in the middle, the hair gave it away, vibrating as if it wanted to be seen, to draw attention. he had a focused look on his face, his feet moving him across the court with mastery, and for the first time, she could understand why he wanted so badly to devote his life to this. she definitely hadn't seen him with the same full of life eyes looking at the endless math worksheets.
the court came alive with every jump, every dribble and every accurate shot. energy pulsed through the air, enveloping everyone present, as excited fans applauded and cheered with each play behind her back. it was as if the game itself was a living entity with a life of its own.
in the blink of an eye the ball stops in hyunjin's hands. his eyes quickly scanned the opposing defense, looking for an opening, and with a dribble he was already heading towards the basket. his purposeful stride, hard against the floor, stopped abruptly and morphed into a jump, and at the apex of his rise, he reached out, releasing the ball in a perfect arc.
the entire gym exploded with joy as soon as the ball went into the basket. hyunjin returned to the floor with a smile and a heavy breath, and his gaze went directly to her chair, regretting y/n not having seen his move.
but she had already arrived and was right there.
y/n didn't scream or jump, but a discreet smirk and slow clapping was her celebration for her friend's point, and he was happy because that was the most he could get out of her in that situation. she found herself silently rooting for hyunjin and his team, even though she didn't want to admit it. she didn't want to budge on something she considered so silly, but they were friends now, weren't they? hyunjin had said they were, but his words that could very well be empty didn't make her discover what it was like to be friends with someone overnight, and as much as she imagined that the normal thing within a friendship was to share that kind of joy, the idea of opening herself up to someone still made her body tingle and her breath hitch.
but at that moment, where his teammates were ruffling her hair and congratulating him, she couldn't stop herself from clapping louder, only stopping when the game had returned to normal and the frantic rushing back and forth across the street square will return.
her attention, however, was stolen when her phone started to vibrate inside her purse, which was an unusual occurrence, giving that she almost never received messages.
she reached down to retrieve it from the bag that was on the floor beside her chair, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the “ignore” contact texting.
ignore:
i need to talk to you
ignore:
it's about the study groups thing we have to prepare
her gaze goes up once more to the game, but the magic was gone, which was normal with anything that lee minho got into; for her, ruined. a wave of anger crept up her spine like a parasite. why did he have to send a message right now? it wasn't like she expected minho not to be an inconvenience in general, but she wasn't going to stop being irritated with him no matter how much his antics were awaited.
y/n:
i can't, i'm busy
the message was written with exasperated fingers, and quickly sent. but realized she had forgotten to add something.
y/n:
and don't text me anymore, i'll talk to you tomorrow morning
when she was about to put the phone back in her purse, the screen lit up again, revealing yet another message. she couldn't fight the instinct to ignore it and soon brought it close to her face once more.
ignore:
own, you'd rather i call than text and you're too embarrassed to admit it?
ignore:
if you want to hear my voice so badly, let's meet in the schoolyard to talk about what we have to do
her face heated with anger and embarrassment, even though she was never going to admit that he elicited any reaction from her that wasn't just hatred and disgust.
y/n:
no
y/n:
i already told you i'm busy, minho, i know you can't help but be a pain in the ass 24/7 but now is not a good time, you'll have a lot of time to bother me tomorrow
her attention was snapped back to the game once more as the crowd roared, and apparently hyunjin had scored yet another point. he was smiling as he looked at her in the crowd and gave her a thumbs up, which she instinctively returned without thinking.
the messages stopped for a few minutes and she thought he had left her alone once and for all, but the shy vibration that indicated a new message made her huff and quickly bring the phone closer.
ignore:
i thought you really wanted to be student president, but i guess you just wanted the win, my mistake
ignore:
i'll have to do all of it by myself…
and now he was teasing her pride at his fingertips, and the anger she knew so well every time she interacted with or thought about him came on like a lightswitch.
minho knew he was pushing all the right buttons to piss her off, partly because of years of practice with everything to do with her and partly because he was looking at her, higher up in the bleachers, with a hawk's stare.
from the moment she had entered the court, his eyes had been irrevocably drawn to her, as if she were a walking magnet, and there they remained fixed for a long time. not even when Yongbok grabbed him by the arm, anticipating the basket the player was about to make, could he look away. it was so impossible to even imagine seeing her there, at a high school basketball game. however, what made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up was his theory about why she was there. the motive for that was inside the court, moving majestically across the polished floor with a cockiness that minho thought was all he could take in about him. y/n's eyes were glued to hyunjin's figure, and somewhere in his chest he swore that she was playing with his ego somehow, even though he didn't fully understand what that meant.
he was overcome by a brutally suffocating feeling and felt an unchanging urge that he needed to do something soon to break the gaze she was extending towards hyunjin. he needed it, it was almost vital, but if someone asked him why he would have nothing to answer, but he wasn't worried about his lack of motives, much less his thoughts about what it said about him and what he possibly felt for her instead of the insignificance and disdain he so pledged to feel.
he took the cell phone in a swift motion from the pocket of his uniform blazer and went straight to the contact list.
minho had lied the last time they'd seen each other, during the incident of sooyound locking them in the file room. he'd had her number for years, since begining of high school. it had been very difficult to get it and it really was a long journey, but when he got an idea in his head, he didn't give up easily. what if he wanted to start pestering through her on her phone too? what if she disappeared out of nowhere and never went to class again? what if he just wanted to talk to her? it was always good to be prepared, he told himself during the nights when he had trouble sleeping and he checked the list of contacts just to prove to himself that she was still there, that the contact hadn't been magically erased.
one day he had called her in the middle of the night, a year before, just to test if that number really belonged to her. it was two in the morning and the night was silent, so silent it was too loud for me, and sleep would not come to him at all, no matter how many times he tossed and turned in bed. the cell phone magically appeared in his hand and the contact was already open, curiosity bubbled in his chest and he didn't fight against it for a long time, pressing on top of the phone icon and quickly touching the cell phone to his ear.
the ringing noise seemed to go on forever, and minho was starting to get anxious. for a second, he was afraid that she would know he was the one calling and his fingers itched to hang up the call, but as soon as he moved the phone an inch away from his ear, the noise ceased and was replaced by silence.
"hello?" her voice is hoarse on the other end of the line, showing that she had just woken up.
minho's mouth opened slightly, wondering what to reply, but he stopped himself from letting any words escape his lips. perhaps, if he spoke, everything would be ruined, and a giant inexplicable fear rose in his chest.
“it’s 2 in the morning, what the hell...” he could hear her scoff, but it was in a different way from the scoffs she gave in his presence. she sounded more vulnerable, there was a fragility that seemed to echo in her very core. he was also vulnerable. he didn't know if it was the nocturnal silence that stripped him of his usual mask, the games and teasing that used to mark their interactions, but he did know that it was very different from anything he'd ever been through together with her.
“say something” she whispered on the other end of the line like an impatient but gentle plea. gentle was never a word he thought he could use with her, but all the others he could say fled his mind. the sound of her breathing echoed free as he held his to make as little sound as possible on his end of the line. “say something or i will hang up” she says, more determined but still nowhere near her usual attitude.
minho didn't say anything, he just took his hand slowly until it reached his face and covered his own mouth, pressing it. he knew he wouldn't say anything, but even so, he found it necessary to physically forbid himself, as if something was taking over him and he opened his mouth and said something he shouldn't.
she remained for a few more seconds that seemed eternal, only the sound of her breathing and some groans of tiredness for being woken up reached minho's ears, but he waited patiently to see what she would do.
“well, have a good night then” she said softly and minho brought his legs closer to his chest, curling up. “since you decided to call someone at 2 in the morning and not say anything…” she was stubborn no matter the situation. “don’t wake up anyone else with prank calls like you did right now” was the last thing he heard before the call was disconnected. if he was no longer able to sleep, the rest of his night was spent awake trying to imagine if what had happened had just been a hallucination in his head and, after that, he never dared to look at her contact again.
that is, until that moment.
he opened her contact and started sending her messages, messages where he feigned disdain but gulped as he wrote. when she looked away from the phone to look at hyunjin and give him a thumbs up that's when his patience was cut short and he let out a huff through his nose and sat on the edge of his seat, gripping his phone tightly.
“nice shot!” yongbok exclaimed, clapping his hands wildly to celebrate the school's lead in the game. it was only then that he realized that minho's body was turned sideways towards the court, not even watching the game, and after whispering a "what are you doing?" softly, his eyes followed the direction where his best friend was looking, and noticed the scene, where hyunjin was looking at her right after scoring his point and minho's knuckles turning white around the cell phone, which was open in a chat with a contact with the name “y/n”.
“what are you doing?” yongbok repeated it louder this time so that minho could hear. he didn't turn around to answer his friend, he just lowered his head and went back to looking at his cell phone and typing quickly.
“solving something” he answered simply.
minho, now without self-restraint, opted to openly tease her, joking about the fact that she won the election just to get a rise out of her. and he knew it had worked, because her shoulders hunched as she read what he'd written.
the typing symbol appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again and disappeared from view again. minho waited for her answer, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor.
y/n:
you have 1 minute and that's it
and her answer made a smile appear on his face, and when she started to rise discreetly from her chair, he quickly got to his feet and started to dodge the people sitting next to him, trying to get to her as quickly as possible.
y/n waited to get out of her chair in the middle of a play, while hyunjin wasn't looking, and made sure to leave her purse on top of the chair so he knew she didn't just leave. she walked discreetly to the entrance of the gym, and when she had passed through the door and was closing it, it was opened on the other side, where minho appeared right in front of her.
her breath shook as soon as she saw him, and he was panting as if he'd hurried to get to her. the realization that he too was watching the game and yet pestering her to talk to her made her even more uncomfortable, and she just took a step back to put distance between them and crossed her arms.
“1 minute, and don't abuse it” she turns around until she leans her back against the wall next to the door and looks at him with her head up and her nose in the air.
minho just took short steps until he stood in front of her, regaining the closeness she broke off, a huge gratification in getting her out of the gym that he couldn't explain.
“sooyoung spoke to me today, she said that we need to do full reports with all students who are interested in joining the tutoring group. i'll do one part and you'll do the other, then we'll put it all together when it's ready,” he says, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth that he can't quite control.
"is that it?" she asked in disbelief. “is that the only reason you were bugging me nonstop?”
"me?" he chuckled and also crossed his arms, mimicking her. “bugging you? what are you talking about, y/n? i was just talking to you, it's not my fault you get so rilled up every time you talk to me"
she rolled her eyes and stepped away from the wall, taking a small step towards him and looking him in the eyes.
"is that it?"
the proximity made minho stop for a few seconds, just looking back at her, thinking of something to reply to her. time passed slowly and he only awoke from his trance and looked away when a wave of cheers erupted in the gym and escaped through the thin door beside them. he swallows hard and takes a micro step back, backing up slightly.
“that was it” he whispers without any jokes or comebacks, because during all that time nothing came to his mind except the memory of the day he called her in the middle of the night, as if that memory that had been kept for so long had been unlocked into his brain without further ado.
she snorts with a know-it-all look and tries to circle him to make her way back to the gym, but an anxiety creeps up his spine and he unconsciously steps to the side and places himself in front of her once more. she stops in her step so she doesn't bump into him and looks up at him again, confused by his sudden movement.
“what the hell, minh-” before she could finish the sentence, the door next to them bursts open, and hwang hyunjin, breathing quickly for air, appears in their field of vision.
hyunjin looks at y/n and opens a smile the size of the universe and doesn't even notice minho's presence, and even after noticing, he doesn't care.
“y/n!” he exclaims, walking up to the two. "where have you been? you missed the endgame!”
he grabs her by the shoulders and pulls her out of minho's way.
“oh…” she starts to say, shame rising in her chest. she gives minho an angry look, before turning her attention to her friend once more. “i’m sorry, i…”
“we won!” hyunjin exclaims and the hands on her shoulders yanked her forward as he led her back into the gym. “let's go celebrate! you left your bag in there too, didn't you?"
the door closes, leaving minho alone in the night breeze. he gives in to the uncontrollable urge to bring his hands to his face and press them hard against his eyes, wondering what the fuck has been wrong with him lately, and why the shoulders that were relaxed before in her brief presence are tense, once again.
stay tuned for chapter 15! new chapters (almost) every sunday ☆
taglist: @liphglos@kiyoomimybeloved@lilactangerine @swiftlydirectioning @lethallyprotected @yhawnnzz @whatthefsposts@sleepyleeji @ddazed-lhs @thatoneperson1911 @poutingbean (if you want to be a part of the taglist, send me an ask, comment or message <3)
pairing: lee minho x reader
genre: academic rivals to lovers
wc: 5.2k words
i still don't know where everything went
it was practically possible to hear the sound of the clock hands moving second by second in the silent room, filling the environment with a constant tick-tock. the pen's weight was tangible in her palm, as if it were made of lead, and the rhythm of its heavy strain fed the up and down movement of her chest, drenched in nervousness that didn't seem to have disappeared.
the minutes continued to pass, and the questions on the physics test in front of y/n were answered one by one, with absolute caution, as if she was following a fragile surgery, as if at any moment some bogeyman might appear out of nowhere in the room if she wasn't delicate.
she was well aware that her decision to go to work had significantly reduced the time she would put into her academic performance, but she was never someone who allowed herself to be easily shaken.
now, it was no longer her who taught hyunjin, but studied with him, keeping an eye out for the materials he reviewed when there weren't any in the cafe so that she could take advantage of even the free seconds she had, which became scarcer with the pass the days.
she knew she was being left behind in the eternal competition that was her and minho's relationship, and despite all the hate that many viewers would consider "uncalled for", she found herself a little scarred by an anger that burned her chest like a forrest. fire whenever she saw him in the hallways, backs against lockers laughing out loud at silly things with his friends without a care in the world. the poster child for the aristocratic lifestyle of today's society, a boy with the world in his hands and people who worked for him cleaning his shoes kneeling on the floor of the huge mansion he lived in.
it was nothing more than a raw and genuine hatred inside y/n when all the paths her mind went through when thinking about minho came to the inevitable conclusion that this, all of this was a sport for him. studying was a sport, getting good grades was a sport, excelling, being popular, winking at dumb girls across the cafeteria like you were television's newest heartthrob. it was all one big joke and when she looked at how she led her life, the lack of jokes was almost suffocating, a snake around her neck all the time just waiting for the right time to coil completely against her flesh.
when she felt pathetic, she tried to imagine him cleaning the cafeteria bathrooms using only a toilet brush, or having to listen to customers throwing tantrums over a cup of coffee with a smile on his face, not being able to retort or shout back. these thoughts brought her out of her own exasperated situation and made her laugh. she couldn't tell if it was because of the strangeness of minho's presence in these scenarios, how he would look wearing the uniform she has to wear every day, or if it was because, greater than this hatred was the restless desire that maybe, just maybe, lee minho wasn't exactly how she imagined he was.
but she knew it was impossible for that to be real. it was impossible because minho had only shown her his true personality, so she knew her like no one else.
the anger heats up until it cools down and settles in the throat like a stone, accompanied by a feeling of disgust. despite the considerable efforts she had made, her second-place name on the huge ranking list at the entrance to the school screamed in her face that they hadn't been enough. and the damn name of minho was above hers. she could only feel disgust. disgusted because of him? it was no longer a surprise to anyone. however, the disgust she felt was mostly directed at herself. she should have studied harder, spent more late nights studying until her hand ached and her eyes burned with exhaustion.
but now it was too late, and his failure was exposed to all who walked those halls. the feeling of dismay followed her, like a constant shadow, reminding her that her expectations were not met and that she had lost the opportunity to win.
as soon as she turned to flee to the classroom for her first class of the day, she saw minho walking towards the panel, eyes glazed over the top to see who had won, who had gotten the best grade.
she didn't wait long to witness the look of satisfaction on his stupid face and soon she was stomping against the floor, a red fury circling her entire body and she didn't even consider taking a step to the side to avoid him, and she certainly didn't feel pity when she bumped into him with her shoulder, knocking him off balance slightly.
she only heard a scoff behind her but didn't even bother to turn around, however much she felt like it when she heard him whisper “you need to be tamed, jesus”
but, contrary to what one might imagine, no ghost of a smile appeared on minho's lips when he saw his name at the top. all he could think about was what it meant to have his name on top of all those others, a hierarchy. he imagined his father's satisfaction at seeing him do exactly what he'd demanded, a silent submission, a reminder that minho was just the son and that no matter how much he kicked and rebelled, his father would always win.
he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
“minho" yongbok appeared beside him magically, as if he had materialized there. “i met professor choi on his way here and he asked me to give you your test and congratulated you on first place”
the sheet of paper that yongbok held out to minho made a wave of discomfort run down his spine, but he took it from his best friend's hand none the less.
he looks down at the sheet and looks at the shoulder where the girl had bumped into it on purpose for a few seconds, before the urge to rip the test in half takes over him. ripped it into a thousand pieces and threw it in the nearest garbage, leaving yongbok with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
he pointed at minho, then at the trash can, then at minho, then at the trash can.
“but… why?” he asked.
“it’s just a stupid test, yongie” he shrugged putting his hands in the pocket of his uniform pants and walking unbothered while some people congratulated him on his performance in the hall.
but yongbok didn't understand, so he chose to ask more.
“stupid? i thought you cared about that kind of thing”
“no, at least not now. i have other things keeping me up all night”
“i wonder who that is…” yongbok whispers and pushes the big glasses back into place with his finger.
“what was that?” minho asks suspiciously, having just heard rumbles coming from the friend. minho still can't quite catch the things he whispers when he doesn't want him to hear. it's a normal thing to happen within their friendship, yongbok doesn't know how to shut up and minho can't mature enough to leave his nosy lifestyle behind.
“do you want to go with me to the varsity basketball game on friday?” yongbok asks him as they walk through the noisy halls. minho never went to a basketball game with him in all their years of friendship because when minho didn't want to do something, nothing could make him do it, it didn't matter how much he loved his best friend.
but this time, unlike previous opportunities, minho had a real and concrete reason for not wanting to go. a person, to be precise. as he dragged his steps down the hall, he could see the blond boy approaching, standing out among the other bustling and noisy football players. a feeling of disgust that rose from his feet to his head in a matter of seconds took over his entire body, while yongbok, beside him, seemed mesmerized by the presence of the school's basketball team.
minho's eyes locked on the approaching figure. he had never noticed hwang hyunjin until he bloomed in his field of vision like a very insistent weed. apparently he was the only one who hadn't fallen into the hands of the undeniable charisma he didn't care to hide. for minho, beneath that charming smile and effortless charm, there's something about hyunjin that rubbed him the wrong way. he couldn't explain if it was a gratuitous animosity that resided in the back of his mind, but it was strong enough to make his breath get heavier every time he saw him.
his friend turns to him so quickly, minho wonders if he had a whiplash.
“please minhoooo” for a second he thinks that yongbok, the shy and withdrawn boy who never raised his hand to ask a classroom question in his life was going to kneel on the floor of the packed hallway and beg.
the group of basketball players passes by the two and the air in the hallway disappears for minho. hyunjin smiles at his friends without a care in the world as he hears one of them saying “hyunjin, your pitch was great! i've never seen anyone score that far from the basket!”, cheeks reddening a little at the cheers of his teammates.
minho's eyes travel between him and his friend a few times, until his expression suddenly darkens and he turns to yongbok. “calm down” he says, seeing his best friend's anxious expression. “no need to make a scandal out of it, i’ll go with you”
the words are bitter in his throat but yongbok opens a huge smile and it seems once again that he is going to throw himself on his knees in the corridor, this time to thank him, but minho doesn't give him time to do that and soon starts walking towards the classroom for their first class, lip between teeth and head away from where his feet were taking him.
y/n has never had an easy time functioning in crowded places, a bonus is when those (many) people are screaming like animals and squirming in their seats as if they were trying to keep from flying off their chairs.
her constant hesitation to enter the large gymnasium in the midst of all the revelry and excitement was constant throughout his journey from the cafe to school, under the slowly darkening sky, leaving a gentle farewell to the brightness of the day and giving way to night. her journey was longer than she thought it was going to be, partly because her shift had been increased by a few minutes and her insecurity forced her feet to walk more slowly, needless to say, she was obviously late.
but all roads lead to rome or whatever, and she's been staring at the entrance to the gym for the last few minutes as if, if she walked in, she would be consumed by it.
the screams that rang out to her from the other side, outside the party, were wild and just made her want to get as far away as she could and go seek comfort in the dark and lonely cubicle that was her home, but her feet remained rooted to the ground, neither going in nor leaving.
she just found the courage to put her hand on the doorknob because she remembered the message that hyunjin had sent her earlier: a photo of the place he had reserved specifically for her. it was a front row seat, the most privileged and coveted by those who genuinely enjoy that spectacle of sweaty men hitting each other and running like dogs after a ball.
the seat was the most apparent and she was late, hyunjin must have noticed. she just opened the door because of that. she didn't want to upset him and destabilize him in his most important game, and he really wanted her to be there, for some reason.
sea of screams and cheers hit her full on as soon as the door was opened and the exasperated sound of tennis shoes against the polished wood of the court floor showed that the game was already close. y/n walked quickly to the only empty seat right in front of the court, where there was a yellow sticky note with the word “RESERVED” written in large, shaky letters, staining the paper black.
she sat quickly, taking in every detail of what was going on around her. hyunjin's team was dressed in vibrant orange jerseys, while the rival school's team sported uniforms in a deep shade of dark blue. the players on hyunjin's team moved around the court with an almost choreographed precision, like roots in a perfectly rehearsed dance.
the ball did not remain for more than five seconds in the hands of a single player, passing quickly from one side to the other. it was a frenzy of intense contests, a relentless battle for control of the element that dictates the game. every possession was a source of palpable tension.
it wasn't hard to find hyunjin in the middle, the hair gave it away, vibrating as if it wanted to be seen, to draw attention. he had a focused look on his face, his feet moving him across the court with mastery, and for the first time, she could understand why he wanted so badly to devote his life to this. she definitely hadn't seen him with the same full of life eyes looking at the endless math worksheets.
the court came alive with every jump, every dribble and every accurate shot. energy pulsed through the air, enveloping everyone present, as excited fans applauded and cheered with each play behind her back. it was as if the game itself was a living entity with a life of its own.
in the blink of an eye the ball stops in hyunjin's hands. his eyes quickly scanned the opposing defense, looking for an opening, and with a dribble he was already heading towards the basket. his purposeful stride, hard against the floor, stopped abruptly and morphed into a jump, and at the apex of his rise, he reached out, releasing the ball in a perfect arc.
the entire gym exploded with joy as soon as the ball went into the basket. hyunjin returned to the floor with a smile and a heavy breath, and his gaze went directly to her chair, regretting y/n not having seen his move.
but she had already arrived and was right there.
y/n didn't scream or jump, but a discreet smirk and slow clapping was her celebration for her friend's point, and he was happy because that was the most he could get out of her in that situation. she found herself silently rooting for hyunjin and his team, even though she didn't want to admit it. she didn't want to budge on something she considered so silly, but they were friends now, weren't they? hyunjin had said they were, but his words that could very well be empty didn't make her discover what it was like to be friends with someone overnight, and as much as she imagined that the normal thing within a friendship was to share that kind of joy, the idea of opening herself up to someone still made her body tingle and her breath hitch.
but at that moment, where his teammates were ruffling her hair and congratulating him, she couldn't stop herself from clapping louder, only stopping when the game had returned to normal and the frantic rushing back and forth across the street square will return.
her attention, however, was stolen when her phone started to vibrate inside her purse, which was an unusual occurrence, giving that she almost never received messages.
she reached down to retrieve it from the bag that was on the floor beside her chair, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the “ignore” contact texting.
ignore:
i need to talk to you
ignore:
it's about the study groups thing we have to prepare
her gaze goes up once more to the game, but the magic was gone, which was normal with anything that lee minho got into; for her, ruined. a wave of anger crept up her spine like a parasite. why did he have to send a message right now? it wasn't like she expected minho not to be an inconvenience in general, but she wasn't going to stop being irritated with him no matter how much his antics were awaited.
y/n:
i can't, i'm busy
the message was written with exasperated fingers, and quickly sent. but realized she had forgotten to add something.
y/n:
and don't text me anymore, i'll talk to you tomorrow morning
when she was about to put the phone back in her purse, the screen lit up again, revealing yet another message. she couldn't fight the instinct to ignore it and soon brought it close to her face once more.
ignore:
own, you'd rather i call than text and you're too embarrassed to admit it?
ignore:
if you want to hear my voice so badly, let's meet in the schoolyard to talk about what we have to do
her face heated with anger and embarrassment, even though she was never going to admit that he elicited any reaction from her that wasn't just hatred and disgust.
y/n:
no
y/n:
i already told you i'm busy, minho, i know you can't help but be a pain in the ass 24/7 but now is not a good time, you'll have a lot of time to bother me tomorrow
her attention was snapped back to the game once more as the crowd roared, and apparently hyunjin had scored yet another point. he was smiling as he looked at her in the crowd and gave her a thumbs up, which she instinctively returned without thinking.
the messages stopped for a few minutes and she thought he had left her alone once and for all, but the shy vibration that indicated a new message made her huff and quickly bring the phone closer.
ignore:
i thought you really wanted to be student president, but i guess you just wanted the win, my mistake
ignore:
i'll have to do all of it by myself…
and now he was teasing her pride at his fingertips, and the anger she knew so well every time she interacted with or thought about him came on like a lightswitch.
minho knew he was pushing all the right buttons to piss her off, partly because of years of practice with everything to do with her and partly because he was looking at her, higher up in the bleachers, with a hawk's stare.
from the moment she had entered the court, his eyes had been irrevocably drawn to her, as if she were a walking magnet, and there they remained fixed for a long time. not even when Yongbok grabbed him by the arm, anticipating the basket the player was about to make, could he look away. it was so impossible to even imagine seeing her there, at a high school basketball game. however, what made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up was his theory about why she was there. the motive for that was inside the court, moving majestically across the polished floor with a cockiness that minho thought was all he could take in about him. y/n's eyes were glued to hyunjin's figure, and somewhere in his chest he swore that she was playing with his ego somehow, even though he didn't fully understand what that meant.
he was overcome by a brutally suffocating feeling and felt an unchanging urge that he needed to do something soon to break the gaze she was extending towards hyunjin. he needed it, it was almost vital, but if someone asked him why he would have nothing to answer, but he wasn't worried about his lack of motives, much less his thoughts about what it said about him and what he possibly felt for her instead of the insignificance and disdain he so pledged to feel.
he took the cell phone in a swift motion from the pocket of his uniform blazer and went straight to the contact list.
minho had lied the last time they'd seen each other, during the incident of sooyound locking them in the file room. he'd had her number for years, since begining of high school. it had been very difficult to get it and it really was a long journey, but when he got an idea in his head, he didn't give up easily. what if he wanted to start pestering through her on her phone too? what if she disappeared out of nowhere and never went to class again? what if he just wanted to talk to her? it was always good to be prepared, he told himself during the nights when he had trouble sleeping and he checked the list of contacts just to prove to himself that she was still there, that the contact hadn't been magically erased.
one day he had called her in the middle of the night, a year before, just to test if that number really belonged to her. it was two in the morning and the night was silent, so silent it was too loud for me, and sleep would not come to him at all, no matter how many times he tossed and turned in bed. the cell phone magically appeared in his hand and the contact was already open, curiosity bubbled in his chest and he didn't fight against it for a long time, pressing on top of the phone icon and quickly touching the cell phone to his ear.
the ringing noise seemed to go on forever, and minho was starting to get anxious. for a second, he was afraid that she would know he was the one calling and his fingers itched to hang up the call, but as soon as he moved the phone an inch away from his ear, the noise ceased and was replaced by silence.
"hello?" her voice is hoarse on the other end of the line, showing that she had just woken up.
minho's mouth opened slightly, wondering what to reply, but he stopped himself from letting any words escape his lips. perhaps, if he spoke, everything would be ruined, and a giant inexplicable fear rose in his chest.
“it’s 2 in the morning, what the hell...” he could hear her scoff, but it was in a different way from the scoffs she gave in his presence. she sounded more vulnerable, there was a fragility that seemed to echo in her very core. he was also vulnerable. he didn't know if it was the nocturnal silence that stripped him of his usual mask, the games and teasing that used to mark their interactions, but he did know that it was very different from anything he'd ever been through together with her.
“say something” she whispered on the other end of the line like an impatient but gentle plea. gentle was never a word he thought he could use with her, but all the others he could say fled his mind. the sound of her breathing echoed free as he held his to make as little sound as possible on his end of the line. “say something or i will hang up” she says, more determined but still nowhere near her usual attitude.
minho didn't say anything, he just took his hand slowly until it reached his face and covered his own mouth, pressing it. he knew he wouldn't say anything, but even so, he found it necessary to physically forbid himself, as if something was taking over him and he opened his mouth and said something he shouldn't.
she remained for a few more seconds that seemed eternal, only the sound of her breathing and some groans of tiredness for being woken up reached minho's ears, but he waited patiently to see what she would do.
“well, have a good night then” she said softly and minho brought his legs closer to his chest, curling up. “since you decided to call someone at 2 in the morning and not say anything…” she was stubborn no matter the situation. “don’t wake up anyone else with prank calls like you did right now” was the last thing he heard before the call was disconnected. if he was no longer able to sleep, the rest of his night was spent awake trying to imagine if what had happened had just been a hallucination in his head and, after that, he never dared to look at her contact again.
that is, until that moment.
he opened her contact and started sending her messages, messages where he feigned disdain but gulped as he wrote. when she looked away from the phone to look at hyunjin and give him a thumbs up that's when his patience was cut short and he let out a huff through his nose and sat on the edge of his seat, gripping his phone tightly.
“nice shot!” yongbok exclaimed, clapping his hands wildly to celebrate the school's lead in the game. it was only then that he realized that minho's body was turned sideways towards the court, not even watching the game, and after whispering a "what are you doing?" softly, his eyes followed the direction where his best friend was looking, and noticed the scene, where hyunjin was looking at her right after scoring his point and minho's knuckles turning white around the cell phone, which was open in a chat with a contact with the name “y/n”.
“what are you doing?” yongbok repeated it louder this time so that minho could hear. he didn't turn around to answer his friend, he just lowered his head and went back to looking at his cell phone and typing quickly.
“solving something” he answered simply.
minho, now without self-restraint, opted to openly tease her, joking about the fact that she won the election just to get a rise out of her. and he knew it had worked, because her shoulders hunched as she read what he'd written.
the typing symbol appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again and disappeared from view again. minho waited for her answer, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor.
y/n:
you have 1 minute and that's it
and her answer made a smile appear on his face, and when she started to rise discreetly from her chair, he quickly got to his feet and started to dodge the people sitting next to him, trying to get to her as quickly as possible.
y/n waited to get out of her chair in the middle of a play, while hyunjin wasn't looking, and made sure to leave her purse on top of the chair so he knew she didn't just leave. she walked discreetly to the entrance of the gym, and when she had passed through the door and was closing it, it was opened on the other side, where minho appeared right in front of her.
her breath shook as soon as she saw him, and he was panting as if he'd hurried to get to her. the realization that he too was watching the game and yet pestering her to talk to her made her even more uncomfortable, and she just took a step back to put distance between them and crossed her arms.
“1 minute, and don't abuse it” she turns around until she leans her back against the wall next to the door and looks at him with her head up and her nose in the air.
minho just took short steps until he stood in front of her, regaining the closeness she broke off, a huge gratification in getting her out of the gym that he couldn't explain.
“sooyoung spoke to me today, she said that we need to do full reports with all students who are interested in joining the tutoring group. i'll do one part and you'll do the other, then we'll put it all together when it's ready,” he says, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth that he can't quite control.
"is that it?" she asked in disbelief. “is that the only reason you were bugging me nonstop?”
"me?" he chuckled and also crossed his arms, mimicking her. “bugging you? what are you talking about, y/n? i was just talking to you, it's not my fault you get so rilled up every time you talk to me"
she rolled her eyes and stepped away from the wall, taking a small step towards him and looking him in the eyes.
"is that it?"
the proximity made minho stop for a few seconds, just looking back at her, thinking of something to reply to her. time passed slowly and he only awoke from his trance and looked away when a wave of cheers erupted in the gym and escaped through the thin door beside them. he swallows hard and takes a micro step back, backing up slightly.
“that was it” he whispers without any jokes or comebacks, because during all that time nothing came to his mind except the memory of the day he called her in the middle of the night, as if that memory that had been kept for so long had been unlocked into his brain without further ado.
she snorts with a know-it-all look and tries to circle him to make her way back to the gym, but an anxiety creeps up his spine and he unconsciously steps to the side and places himself in front of her once more. she stops in her step so she doesn't bump into him and looks up at him again, confused by his sudden movement.
“what the hell, minh-” before she could finish the sentence, the door next to them bursts open, and hwang hyunjin, breathing quickly for air, appears in their field of vision.
hyunjin looks at y/n and opens a smile the size of the universe and doesn't even notice minho's presence, and even after noticing, he doesn't care.
“y/n!” he exclaims, walking up to the two. "where have you been? you missed the endgame!”
he grabs her by the shoulders and pulls her out of minho's way.
“oh…” she starts to say, shame rising in her chest. she gives minho an angry look, before turning her attention to her friend once more. “i’m sorry, i…”
“we won!” hyunjin exclaims and the hands on her shoulders yanked her forward as he led her back into the gym. “let's go celebrate! you left your bag in there too, didn't you?"
the door closes, leaving minho alone in the night breeze. he gives in to the uncontrollable urge to bring his hands to his face and press them hard against his eyes, wondering what the fuck has been wrong with him lately, and why the shoulders that were relaxed before in her brief presence are tense, once again.
stay tuned for chapter 15! new chapters (almost) every sunday ☆
taglist: @liphglos@kiyoomimybeloved@lilactangerine @swiftlydirectioning @lethallyprotected @yhawnnzz @whatthefsposts@sleepyleeji @ddazed-lhs @thatoneperson1911 @poutingbean (if you want to be a part of the taglist, send me an ask, comment or message <3)
Hey! Just wanted to let you to know that I am literally in love with wicked games! I don't usually read fics about real people but the way you wrote it really got me hooked!
I'll be patiently waiting for the next chapter even if it comes out 39 years later. That's HOW MUCH I LOVE IT!!!
thank you soooooo much, it means a lot to me to know that i can take a break and take things slowly to sort out everything
your love and support are very much appreciated <3 readers like these make me want to give you guys the best content i could possibly make
you are very much appreciated! can’t thank you enough for your patience with me, thanks for letting me have a moment to breathe
wicked games is amazing. take all the time you need to be satisfied with it, it'll feel better that way <3
thank you sooo much for the kind words, i feel much less stressed about taking a little break due to the support you guys sent me
i just want to organize the story for it to be more complete and enjoyable for you all, because as i said, you deserve quality! i will work hard for everyone that likes wicked games <3
hey everyone, the new chapters of wicked games will have to wait for a bit because i am currently rethinking some things about the story and changing the timeline that i had originally thought for it
i tried writing something to be kind of a filler and not that important and definitive to the overall plot of the story to post last sunday but it wasn’t working and i wasn’t finding myself in it, so i decided to step back and write a better content for you all, because you deserve quality and well-thought chapters
thank you for your time, i will give my best for you all <3
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