Chapter Text
⏰ 7:05 PM
The ice was on fire under my skates. Every push sent white shards flying into the freezing air, and tonight, I was there to destroy everything.
The rink at Seoul University was vibrating like a stadium gone wild.
Seoul Lynx versus Yonsei Tigers.
The game the whole campus had been waiting for with impatience.
Me, Jeon Jungkook, captain of the Lynx, number 97, I was ready to give them the show they deserved.
And of course, across from me, there was him.
My rival.
Kim Taehyung.
Blond hair sticking out of his helmet like a walking provocation, that arrogant smile stuck on his face.
We’d hated each other since the first mixed practice in freshman year.
Top scorers, the same stats clinging to us, the same girls circling around us like flies.
A rivalry that made every confrontation even more personal.
“Ready to get crushed, Jeon?” he called over the noise of the skates, just loud enough for me to hear.
I shot him back an icy smile, jaw clenched.
“I’m gonna crush you and your whore hair, Kim. You look like a slut with that color.”
Taehyung burst out laughing, that deep, insolent laugh that made me want to smash his face in even more.
The whistle blew.
From the face-off, the war began.
Taehyung was everywhere: fast, vicious, always one step ahead.
Every time I touched the puck, he slammed me into the boards.
“You’re skating like shit today, captain,” he growled, pinning me.
“Your stats this season are pathetic. Even the scouts are gonna wonder why they’re wasting their time on you.”
I shoved him back with everything I had, sending him sprawling across the ice. The crowd exploded.
Jimin, skating nearby, yelled at me:
“Fuck, JK, stay focused! Ignore that blond piece of shit and play your game! He’s just trying to get under your skin like always.”
I nodded quickly, blood boiling.
Jimin had been my best friend from the start, the one who always had my back on the ice and off it.
He knew exactly how Taehyung got inside my head.
We won 4-3.
I’d scored two goals.
Taehyung had put in three.
A close win, but a win all the same.
In the hallway toward the locker rooms, our shoulders slammed hard into each other.
Taehyung leaned in, voice low and mocking:
“Not bad, Jeon. Shame you still stay in my shadow in the overall rankings.”
I clenched my fists.
“Next time, I’ll make you eat the ice with your whore hair, Kim.”
His laugh followed me all the way to the locker room.
⏰ 9:05 PM
Back at the Lynx dorm, I collapsed onto the common room couch, a cold beer in hand.
My muscles were screaming, but it was a good kind of pain.
Jimin threw himself down next to me, legs sprawled across my thighs like it was his designated spot, his black hair still wet from the shower.
“Seriously JK, Taehyung is a fucking cancer on skates,” he grumbled, stealing a sip of my beer. “He lives to mess with your head. Every game it’s the same shit. Did you see how he hits you? That guy is obsessed with you.”
I chuckled, running a hand through my damp hair.
“Yeah, and I’m obsessed with the idea of punching his face in. On the ice, off the ice…”
Jimin shrugged, a crooked smile on his face.
“Drop that crap. Focus on the next game, captain. We need you in top form. Jin, Hoseok and I have your back. But stop letting that blond eat your brain.”
Jin, sprawled in the armchair across from us, grumbled without looking up from his phone:
“Or just beat the shit out of him for real, that’d be simpler.”
I laughed and took a sip of my beer.
“Yeah well, anyway, good night guys, good game.”
Jimin and Jin nodded at me.
I went upstairs and stretched out on my wonderful bed.
Ah, my bed.
With all these practices I barely see it anymore. But damn, I miss it.
My phone vibrated on the nightstand, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I grabbed it distractedly, expecting the usual Snap from some girl.
Instead: a new friend request.
👤April.57
No Bitmoji.
No profile picture.
Just a simple, mysterious username.
Probably another girl who’d been at the game.
I accepted without thinking.
A few seconds later, the message arrived.
👤April.57
Good game Jungkook 🔥
I smiled.
Classic.
After every win I got about a dozen “good game Jungkook” from different girls.
Not exactly complaining.
🧑🏻jeonjk97
Thanks ;) Were you in the stands?
👤April.57
Yeah… and you were impressive. Especially that second goal.
The conversation took off right away.
She was funny, teasing, knew hockey well and asked the right questions.
No heavy flirting, just a smooth connection.
For the first time in a long while, I caught myself answering without overthinking.
👤April.57
You must be wiped. You’re allowed to complain. Is it hard being captain?
I stared at the screen, heart beating a little faster.
No one talked to me like that.
Not without some obvious ulterior motive.
🧑🏻jeonjk97
Yeah… it’s heavy sometimes. The pressure, the expectations.
👤April.57
Tell me everything. I’m here to listen.
The conversation went on for almost an hour.
I spilled it all: the rivalry, the mental fatigue, that constant feeling of having to win everything. April.57 replied perfectly — jokes that made me laugh, words that hit just right, sentences that made me smile like an idiot.
When I finally closed my eyes that night, I had a smile on my lips.
A mysterious girl who seemed to understand me without even knowing me.
It felt good.
Really.
I have no idea who was behind that screen, but I want to find out soon.