DAYTIME STAR
chapter twelve - night of intrigue.

ON THE OTHER HAND, SU-JIN QUIETLY opened the front door, hoping to sneak in unnoticed. But as soon as he stepped inside, he heard his grandmother's voice.

"Su-Jin! Where have you been?" she exclaimed, her brow furrowed in worry. "It's so late!"

Su-Jin scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was with a friend, Grandma," he replied, hoping she wouldn't press for details.

But to his surprise, his grandmother's face lit up with joy. "A friend? Oh, Su-Jin, that's wonderful!" she gushed, pulling him into a tight hug. "You must bring them over sometime!"

Su-Jin chuckled nervously, imagining Sun-Jae and Im Sol in his tiny room. "Uh, yeah, soon, Grandma," he promised, quickly changing the subject.

"I'm pretty tired, so I'm gonna grab a bite and head to bed, okay?"

His grandmother nodded, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "Of course, dear. I'll warm up some leftovers for you," she said, bustling off to the kitchen.

Su-Jin let out a relieved sigh, grateful for the reprieve. As he ate his dinner, he couldn't help but wonder about Im Sol's warning. What if Sun-Jae really did get hurt? The thought made his stomach churn with worry.

After helping his grandmother clean up, Su-Jin retreated to his room, his mind racing. He quickly changed into his favorite pajamas and settled down at his desk, hoping to distract himself with some homework.

But as he stared at his textbooks, Im Sol's words kept echoing in his mind. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and opened his sketchbook instead. But even his drawing couldn't hold his attention for long.

With a frustrated sigh, Su-Jin closed his sketchbook and flicked off the lights, flopping onto his bed. He tossed and turned, but sleep eluded him.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Sun-Jae's shoulder, injured and swollen, and he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that washed over him.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Su-Jin sat up, his palm pressed against his forehead. "I can't take this anymore," he muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

He quickly changed back into his clothes and tiptoed out of the house, chuckling to himself as he made it outside without a sound.

Su-Jin wandered aimlessly through the streets, his mind lost in thought. He didn't even realize where his feet were taking him until he found himself standing in front of his school, the familiar building looming before him.

With a shrug, he slipped past the sleeping guard and made his way inside, his footsteps echoing in the empty halls.

As he approached the natatorium, he felt a sense of calm wash over him. He loved the water, loved the way it felt against his skin, the way it seemed to soothe his worries.

He pushed open the glass doors and stepped inside, his eyes immediately drawn to the shimmering pool. He knelt down and dipped his fingers into the cool water, watching as the ripples danced across the surface. He smiled, feeling his tension melt away.

But just as he was about to slip off his shoes and dangle his feet in the water, he heard a noise coming from the locker room. Su-Jin froze, his heart pounding in his chest.

He quickly ducked behind the nearest row of lockers, peeking out to see who had interrupted his peaceful moment.

And there, standing by the edge of the pool, was none other than Sun-Jae, his expression a mix of determination and confusion.

Su-Jin's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but wonder what the other boy was doing there, so late at night. But as he watched Sun-Jae stare out at the water, he couldn't help but feel a sense of worry wash over him.

What if Im Sol was right? What if Sun-Jae really was in danger?

Su-Jin watched Sun-Jae take off his shirt, leaving him in only his swimming trunks. Su-Jin's face reddened as he stared at Sun-Jae's body, his eyes lingering on the boy's biceps. "Damn," he murmured, his voice low and admiring.

Sun-Jae jumped into the water, his movements fluid and practiced. Su-Jin couldn't help but think, "He's trained, too bad my camera isn't with me today. I want to take a picture of him again."

As Sun-Jae removed his goggles and emerged from the water, Su-Jin felt a surge of panic. He had to get out of there before Sun-Jae noticed him, his eyes scanning the room for a hiding spot.

He heard footsteps approaching, and his heart raced. "Oh no, I'm going to get caught!" He quickly put himself in the towel rack, his mind racing with possibilities.

'Maybe Sun-Jae will take a shower before leaving.' he thought.

As he listened to the sounds around him, he heard Sun-Jae enter the shower room. Su-Jin let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he had managed to avoid detection. He peeked out from the towel rack.

He sighed inside on the towel rack, and he felt a surge of gratitude. "Thank God I'm fit to hide here," he whispered, his voice barely above a whisper. He listened to the sounds of the shower, his heart still racing with excitement and fear.

Su-Jin heard the whispers of the two boys, their voices low and conspiratorial. "This guy believes in that superstition that if he wears the same swim pants before the competition, he'll win a medal."

Su-Jin's nose scrunched up in disgust. He thought that believing in superstitions wouldn't harm anyone. He sighed and continued to listen to the two.

"So, what are you planning?" he asked, his voice low and curious.

The boys chuckled. "He's always practicing before the competition, so he must be flustered when he sees his swimming pants gone."

Su-Jin's eyes widened in realization. 'They 're planning to sabotage Sun-Jae!' he exclaimed in his mind.

Su-Jin felt a surge of anger. Why were these people trying to harm Sun-Jae? He planned to leave the towel rack when a familiar voice spoke up.

"Do you want me to snap your wrist?" Im Sol said, her voice firm and commanding.

The boy named Hyun-gu, who was jealous of Sun-Jae, screamed in startled surprise as Im Sol grabbed his wrist.

'Damn! Su-Jae will hear that!' Su-Jin thought, his eyes widening in alarm.

'Lower your voices, people!'

"Let go," Im Sol said, her voice unwavering.

"What are you doing? Let go!" Hyun-gu replied, his voice laced with panic.

"Should I tell everyone on your swimming team or should I tell the police?" Im Sol asked, her voice dripping with menace.

Su-Jin cheered, his heart racing with excitement. 'Im Sol, you're amazing!' he exclaimed in his mind, his voice filled with admiration.

"Let go of the swim pants and go quietly," Im Sol said, her voice firm.

"Come on, get your hands off it!" Hyun-gu replied, his voice rising in anger.

The two of them stopped when they heard Sun-Jae's shouts. "Who's there?" Hyun-gu's eyes widened in fear, and he let go of the swim pants. He and his friends ran away, leaving Im Sol with Sun-Jae's swim pants in her hand.

Sol's eyes widened in shock when she saw a shadow on the shower room, a warning that Sun-Jae would walk out of the shower room any moment. She panicked and startled when a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Su-Jin!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with surprise.

"Ah, lower your voice," Su-Jin said, his voice low and urgent. "Put your body here in the other towel rack. Go and hide."

Sol nodded, her eyes fixed on Su-Jin. She quickly hid behind the towel rack, just as Su-Jin had instructed. Su-Jin put his head back on the towel rack, his heart racing like hell!

Su-Jin heard the locker door close, and he thought Sun-Jae must be done changing.

He heard a scream from Sun-Jae, and the towel rack beside him fell. His eyes widened in shock. Did Sol get caught?

"Who are you?" Sun-Jae shouted, and Su-Jin heard footsteps running away. He put his palms on his face, feeling overwhelmed.

'This is so messed up,' he thought.

'Why did this happen? This day was a mess.'

He planned not to leave the towel rack, afraid of getting caught by Sun-Jae.

He didn't want to become a disappointment in Sun-Jae's eyes.

He sighed and heard some voices talking, but it was not audible enough to make out what they were saying. Su-Jin thought Sun-Jae and Sol were having a conversation now.

A minute later, he heard footsteps again, and he felt the towel rack beside him was already fixed. After another minute, he heard footsteps getting away.

"They're gone?" Su-Jin popped his head out of the towel rack and scanned around. He put his body outside of the towel rack and peeked through the wall to look around the pool area.

He saw Sol standing there, her clothes wet. Su-Jin thought Sol and Sun-Jae must have fallen into the pool.

"Sol," Su-Jin said, and Sol looked at him, giving a small smile. She looked stressed. Su-Jin sighed and put his palms on her head, giving her a pat.

"What are you doing here?" Sol asked.

"Well, I was just wandering this night because I couldn't sleep, and my feet just dragged me here to school and to this natatorium. And then Sun-Jae entered the building, I panicked, and then I hid in the towel rack," Su-Jin said with a small smile, trying to cheer up Sol.

"So, did you convince him?" Su-Jin asked.

Sol shook her head. "No, he still didn't listen... Ah, I just want to be alone. See you tomorrow," Sol said, starting to walk away, leaving Su-Jin inside the natatorium.

"Ha." Su-Jin said to himself, feeling helpless.

SU-JIN WATCHED IM SOL, his eyes filled with concern. Her expression was one of stress and helplessness, and he felt a strong urge to help her. But he didn't know what to do, and he didn't want to interfere right now. She might need some time to herself.

He smiled bitterly, shaking off the feeling. He felt a drop of water on his face and looked up to see that it was already raining. He put his palm on his face to shield himself from the rain and continued to follow Im Sol.

Im Sol was walking along the pedestrian lane, her eyes closed as she muttered words under her breath. Su-Jin's eyes widened in a flashback of their encounter where Im Sol had almost gotten into an accident.

He started running when Im Sol began crossing the road, his eyes widening in alarm as he saw the car beeping at her. He ran like crazy, grabbing her wrist and saving her from the fast-moving car.

Im Sol was startled and looked at Su-Jin. "What are you doing--" Su-Jin didn't finish his sentence when a light struck them, and Su-Jin's eyes widened in panic.

He pushed Im Sol, trying to save her from the oncoming car.

"I'm going to die?" Su-Jin thought, his eyes fixed on the car speeding towards him. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate, but then he felt a hand on his wrist and a body running alongside the road to safety.

He felt a hand on the back of his head and his face pressed against someone's broad shoulder and chest. He felt warmth for the first time, never having felt someone so warm before.

He felt a hand on both his cheeks, trying to turn his face towards the person in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Sun-Jae asked, his voice filled with worry and like he was out of breath and seeing his sweat.