132 — Adding Fuel to the Flames

Su Ah's POV:

She pulled the brim of her cap lower the moment the bus doors sighed open.

Voices spilled out first—laughs, tired cheers, exhausted complaints—then the boys themselves, tall shadows under the streetlights. Su Ah stood across the street, back to a concrete wall, watching as they slung duffel bags over shoulders, pressed knuckles to knuckles, laughing all the way to the training center.

It was almost comical how normal the players looked, completely unremarkable compared to the striking contrast that had been created by South Korea's 6-1 win. Su Ah gently lifted the brim of her cap, exposing a single sharp eye that traced their departure. They didn't linger on any of them for more than a fraction of a second.

What she was looking for was…

Then, that lone eye widened.

Because right there, in the midst of his fellow team members was a piece of her, an irreplaceable part of her entire being. Jae-il—

Su Ah's arms moved at her side in an abrupt, eager motion. Then stilled.

"Idiot." She chided herself.

What was she even doing?

She only knew she had driven all the way here because watching him on a screen wasn't enough. Seeing him on a flat piece of glass and metal was like seeing a reflection of a reflection.

The team was already at the center's entrance.

Within a few moments, Jae-il would vanish behind those sliding doors. She would be left with nothing but an empty street and the cooling, bitter coffee she'd bought at the 7-Eleven down the road. The same coffee she was now squeezing so hard the waxed cardboard cup groaned under pressure.

She could stand here and let him disappear.

Or she could cross that street.

Doing that, though, could put her brother in an uncomfortable position. After the other night's events, Su Ah didn't know how he'd react when faced with her while surrounded by others. She didn't know what could possibly be going on in that thick, sexy head of his.

Still, a small and eager part of her—her ego perhaps, or her heart, maybe both—wanted to try and talk to him, get to see him just a little longer...

The rest of his teammates, between laughs and talks, had almost all filtered into the building, except Jae-il, who lagged behind everyone.

He paused at the entrance, turning to say something to Jun-hwan.

The overhead light caught the side of his face. The sharp cut of his cheekbone, the damp hair curling at the nape of his neck. He laughed at whatever Jun-hwan said, head tilting back, throat exposed.

Su Ah's mouth went dry.

He was still riding the high from the match. She could see it in the loose swing of his arms, the easy grin that hadn't faded since the final whistle. It seemed as though her brother was waiting to take a last drag of the moment. The rest of the team filed inside. The coach. Managers and assistants.

Jun-hwan clapped Jae-il on the shoulder one last time and disappeared through the doors.

Jae-il lingered.

She watched him pull out a phone, to glance down at a text. A strange smile played out on his lips.

Su Ah's feet moved before her brain caught up.

She crossed the street in a diagonal line, cap still low, the coffee laying discarded on the floor, bleeding out.

One step.

Another.

She built up momentum. The wind ruffled the stray bangs that weren't held down by the cap.

Twenty feet.

Ten feet became five feet.

Two feet.

Almost there.

Just then—

He looked up.

Their eyes locked.

Jae-il's expression didn't change at first. Just that same post-match calm. Then recognition flickered. Slow, like someone turning a dial. His brows lifted a fraction. His mouth parted, just enough to let out a quiet breath. Her feet stuttered a little, slowing. The urge to drop to her knees and crawl to him hit like vertigo.

Instead she stayed still, suddenly nervous under his piercing gaze, unsure, scared, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden and not liking it.

"Noona."

She swallowed, sighing, quickly schooling her features.

"Hey..."

Jae-il glanced over his shoulder at the entrance. Empty now. Then back at her.

"What are you doing here?"

The question wasn't accusing. Just… careful. Like he was stepping around broken glass. And, well, after what happened between them, maybe he was.

Not that this mattered, because Su Ah could tell she was already messing it up. No, she had already royally messed it up. Not just by showing up right here, out of the blue, totally unannounced and undoubtedly with ulterior motives, but also because...

Su Ah shrugged. The motion felt stiff. "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd… congratulate you in person."

He tilted his head. "You came all the way here for that?"

She looked away, pretending nonchalance; she could only do so if no intense eye contact was involved. "I'm your older sister, it's not weird..."

It's not weird. Not at all. In the name of science, it should be completely unproblematic. What was wrong, on the other hand, was how the wind blew coldly, ruffling her cap. How it felt like needles down her spine, but she knew it had everything to do with the tension and electrified, anxious energy vibrating between the two of them.

It had little to nothing to do with the elements.

"It is not."

Jae-il shifted his weight, duffel bag sliding down his arm. He caught the strap, readjusted it. His gaze dropped to her mouth for half a second, barely long enough to register, then snapped back up.

She wouldn't have seen it if she hadn't been trained to recognize that very subtle movement, because really, he had the art of acting completely disinterested down pat.

Clearly, he was being reminded of that unfinished business in that back alley, where Jae-il pinned her up a dirty wall and mouth-fucked her.

Despite her inner turmoil and hesitation, Su Ah couldn't help but wish and long for the exact thing she didn't come here for.

If anyone asked, of course, she would lie and say otherwise, say she was only there to offer her heartfelt congratulations on his victorious game...

Which would all work just fine, if he wasn't making this so incredibly fucking hard.

Of course, Su Ah tried to forget it all. She really tried to get better. Hell, it didn't even feel possible after months of trying. This battle inside her head wasn't something she could simply push aside.

Looking at it square in the face wasn't about trying to win anymore, because there was no sweet reward in victory. No, it was about giving the damn thing respect and carrying it like a lead blanket across her shoulders, even knowing every step would further drag her down

God... what was this alluring scent she could faintly smell? What were these sinfully tempting pheromones her poor, defenseless, weak ass self couldn't resist?

Ahhggg!

"I wanted to see you..." Su Ah said, her face not showing an ounce of what was going on inside her head.

Total poker face. Her Unnie could learn a thing or two, perhaps.

"You shouldn't be here." Jae-il looked once again towards the entrance.

Su Ah assumed he was worried about being spotted.

And perhaps his words weren't spoken with hostility or indifference. Instead, they were laced with concern. Jae-il had a good poker face too, unfortunately.

"I know." She answered, a bit too quickly. "I just wanted to see you, and, well, to talk about the other night. About what happened between us."

"I shouldn't have..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair in a somewhat frustrated fashion, cutting the phrase off prematurely. "It was... unbecoming of me."

"Unbecoming..." She whispered, frowning, not liking the use of the word at all. Because 'unbecoming' was precisely what wasn't happening between the two of them. On the contrary, she liked every part of it, even though the entirety of the situation was beyond wrong. "It wasn't anything like that. Why do you keep talking like it was?"

He inhaled a shallow breath, grabbed her wrist, squeezing lightly but pleasurably firmly, and tugged her away from the training center and along the path. His duffel bag bobbed left and right.

Su Ah couldn't suppress a sudden smile.

Not that he could see it with his back turned.

"Where are we going...?"

"This way." He said quietly. "Away from this place."

Jae-il was walking faster.

"You taking me to the back alley, little bro?"

Su Ah couldn't help but let that joke tumble out her mouth. Jae-il however, remained surprisingly unfazed. Or not, it seemed, as her brother let out a small and probably frustrated grunt before glancing back and lowering his voice. "Seriously?"

"Was just a joke." She murmured, a trace of mirth playing on her face and coloring her voice.

He didn't answer right away. Just kept walking, his hand still loose around her wrist, pulling her along like he needed to put more distance between them and the center.

The joke had been dumb. She knew it the second it left her mouth. But it was the only way she could think to lighten the air, to poke at what happened without saying it out loud.

Jae-il finally slowed when they reached a quieter stretch of the path, trees lining one side, a low fence on the other. No one around. Just like last time.

At least there were no vending machines.

He let go of her wrist.

Turned to face her.

"Not funny." He said, but his voice wasn't mad. More tired than anything.

Su Ah shrugged, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Sorry. Bad timing."

He looked at her for a second, then rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "Yeah. Bad everything."

"You played good today." She said. It was simple and safe. Perfect to break the silence.

"Thanks." He glanced down at his shoes, then back up. "You watched?"

"Whole thing."

He gave a small nod. Like that meant something.

Another pause.

Su Ah kicked at a loose pebble. "I didn't come here to make things weird."

"Little late for that."

That got a half-snort from Su Ah.

"Little bit."

"You should've called first."

Su Ah frowned. "Is that how I have to do this? Schedule a block of time to talk?"

"I just meant—" He sighed. "—if I knew I would've... you shouldn't have come out here all alone."

She folded her arms. "Really?"

"Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"What you always do." He said, brows pinched in something she knew was the beginning of his annoyance. "I'm not in the mood."