Sun's soft words had completely ruined all of Moon's defenses. Moon slowly turned his head, and their eyes locked in the air. In that heavy, electric silence, the regret in Sun's eyes and the soft sadness in Moon's eyes melted into each other.
Just as a word was about to leave Moon's lips, a loud noise and happy laughter rose from right next to them.
Bee and Mint had lost their balance on the shrinking paper and rolled onto the green grass, holding each other. As Mint laughed and messed up Bee's hair, the Professor shouted, "Bee and Mint are out!"
With that sound, Moon quickly snapped out of the magical moment. Feeling his cheeks burn hot, he shook himself, gently pushing Sun's chest to collect himself.
Looking away, he whispered through his teeth "We will talk later."
He immediately focused on the tiny piece of paper beneath his feet and returned to the game. Sun took a deep breath and nodded; at least he knew he had a chance now.
The tournament continued ruthlessly. With every blow of the Professor's whistle, the papers became even smaller. Five or six other couples from the different groups lost their balance and were eliminated one by one with screams and laughter.
Only three couples were left in the area, the ones with the strongest determination and the biggest tension: Wee and Ten, Bank and First, and of course, Moon and Sun.
The papers were now as small as a handkerchief. This situation was driving Ten completely crazy. Ten was an incredibly competitive boy; he hated losing any race in his life.
But at the same time, standing this close to Wee, feeling his playful breath on his face, hurt his pride. Trying to stand on his tiptoes at the very edge of the paper, he shot a sharp glare at Wee.
"Look at me P'Wee, don't you dare come near me. I am going to win this game, I can stay balanced on my own!" he hissed, his face bright red from determination.
Wee, on the other hand, was enjoying this completely. He narrowed his eyes with pleasure as he watched Ten's grumpy yet cute behavior. "Oh really? How are you going to stay on this tiny paper alone, you grumpy thing?" he asked in a teasing voice.
Just then, a gentle wind blew, and Ten's other foot in the air shook. He was completely losing his balance, about to be eliminated. While Ten opened his eyes in panic, Wee saw this as a perfect chance.
Moving with great speed, he slipped his arms under Ten's legs and back, suddenly scooping him up into his arms in one quick move.
Ten didn't know what hit him. He wrapped his arms around Wee's neck by reflex to keep from falling, screaming in shock.
"What the hell are you doing?! Put me down, you idiot! We are going to lose because of you!"
Wee just laughed, holding Ten even closer against his chest. He locked his eyes onto Ten's shocked stare, his voice dropping slightly but keeping that playful tone:
"Calm down, grumpy. Look down, does any part of my foot touch the ground? Both of my feet are right in the middle of the paper. There is nothing against the rules. Besides... you didn't want to lose, right? Then stay quiet in my arms."
Feeling the warmth of Wee's chest and his strong arms so close, Ten suddenly went quiet. His cheeks turned bright red, though no one knew if it was from anger or embarrassment.
He hid his face against Wee's shoulder and kept muttering quietly, but he didn't loosen his grip around Wee's neck. The activity area had suddenly warmed up with the sweet fight of these two stubborn boys.
~~~
While the activity area was shaking with Wee and Ten's crazy move, all eyes suddenly turned to the small paper where Bank and First were standing. Bank was staring at First without even blinking, completely crushing him with his gaze.
The paper was so small now that they were standing nose to nose. Bank already knew from First's nervous eyes that he was hiding something, and he was determined to corner him.
"You are still staying silent, First." Bank whispered, his serious tone sending a shiver down First's neck.
"You are not good at lying to me. What did you and Sun talk about in the restroom? If you don't tell me the truth, I will push you right here and make us lose."
First was trying to balance on one foot while completely melting under Bank's heavy pressure. A drop of sweat ran down his forehead. He helplessly turned his head and looked at Sun on the other side.
His eyes were begging, signaling "Save me, he is going to make me talk!" Seeing First's messy state and Bank's strong look, Sun sighed.
Knowing there was nothing left to hide, he gave a small nod, giving permission as if saying, "Okay, just tell him."
First took a deep breath, locked his eyes onto Bank's, and whispered:
"Okay, I'm telling you! Sun and Moon had to stay in a single room with one double bed because the hotel ran out of space.
Last night, they had a very close moment, but Sun didn't want to be selfish, so he pulled away and turned his back. That's why they were so cold to each other this morning!"
Hearing this, Bank's brain completely short circuited. The questioning look on his face instantly turned into pure horror and shock.
At that moment, he completely forgot they were in a game, standing on a tiny piece of paper. With the effect of the shock, he took a wild step backward and shouted with all his strength:
"WHAT?!"
As Bank stepped back, First lost his balance and stepped onto the green grass with him. First wrinkled his face and looked around, his expression saying they were totally screwed and embarrassed. The Professor immediately blew his whistle: "Bank and First, you are out!"
While everyone looked at them in surprise, Bank didn't care about losing the game at all. His eyes were wide open as he stared at First. He suddenly moved forward and grabbed First's shirt collar tightly. Starting to drag him away, he spoke sharply:
"You are coming with me. Now, you will tell me everything from the very beginning!"
As First was being dragged behind Bank, he looked back at Sun as if saying, "Save me." but there was nothing to do.
Watching this dramatic scene, a dangerous smile appeared on Moon's lips. He turned his gaze from Bank and First to Sun, who was still holding him tightly by the waist. The paper was so small now that it was impossible to separate.
Moon slowly leaned forward.
He brought his head close to Sun's neck. His lips were so close to Sun's skin that his warm breath felt like a storm against Sun's neck and behind his ear.
"If you don't want to end up in the same situation as First, and be dragged away like that by me..." Moon whispered, his voice very low, very attractive, and highly threatening.
"...you will explain everything to me nicely. Down to the very last detail, okay?"
Sun swallowed hard from the warm breath hitting his neck and the words he heard. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it would pierce his chest. He then again, was holding himself back from the things that he could do.
On top of that, Moon's sudden leaning completely ruined their tiny balance. Their feet were about to step off the paper.
With a quick reflex, just like Wee did to Ten, Sun slipped his strong arms under Moon's legs and back. He quickly picked him up into his arms as if he weighed nothing.
While Moon held onto Sun's neck in total shock, Sun locked his eyes onto Moon's surprised, shining gaze.
Feeling the warmth of the boy in his arms through his entire body, he answered in a deep, manly, and determined voice:
"This is why I directly went to sleep, you are easily the best at making me go crazy. Don't you realize that whenever you get close to me like this, you… Okay, I will talk about it later."
~~~
With this sudden move from Sun, the area shook with excitement once again. Bee and Mint, who were already out of the game, completely melted when they saw this romantic scene.
Mint covered her blushing face with her hands and hit Bee's shoulder softly in embarrassment, while Bee giggled and made sweet, admiring noises at her reaction. Both of them couldn't take their eyes off the couple.
Suddenly, Wee, who was still holding Ten in his arms, grew incredibly proud when he saw Sun's move. Wanting to bring more energy to the crowd, he shouted with all his strength:
"That's my boy! Go get 'em!"
Wee's excited shout gave Sun a big boost of motivation, and Sun tightened his grip to make sure he wouldn't drop Moon.
Since both of the remaining teams were now carrying each other, this both funny and incredibly sweet view made everyone around pull out their phones immediately.
Flashes were going off from every angle as they took photos to capture this unique moment. Admiring sounds like "Ooooh!" "Woaah!" and "They are so cute!" rose from the cheerful crowd.
The Professor laughed in a warm, fatherly way at this romantic and chaotic scene. To brush off the heavy romantic vibe in the air but also keep the game going, he shouted playfully:
"I think love is in the air, young people! But watch out, that unwanted motivation might let you lose Wee!" bringing the focus smoothly back to the competition.
Meanwhile Ten, who looked quite small in Wee's strong arms, felt completely cornered by all the cheering and photos. Trying to hide his bright red face, he rolled his eyes and shook his head in a tired, fed up way.
Then, he locked his eyes onto Wee's playful, victorious gaze. Speaking in a threatening yet whiny, complaining tone, he muttered:
"I will make you pay for this later, P'Wee. For now, just focus on the game and DO NOT drop me and let us lose!"
~~~
The Professor's whistle blew this time with its most ruthless tone. In the area, there was literally a battle for survival going on. When the papers were folded for the last time, the remaining tiny squares were almost hard to see with the naked eye.
Everyone held their breath, and all the eliminated students formed a circle around the two couples to watch this breathtaking final.
The strong wind blowing from the sea doubled the difficulty of the tournament, but both teams made an honorous effort to stay balanced.
Wee didn't care about the drops of sweat running down his forehead while carrying Ten in his arms. His muscles were tight, and his teeth were clenched.
He fixed his two feet on that tiny piece of newspaper so well that he looked like a plane tree rooted deeply into the ground. Ten, on the other hand, had completely put his embarrassment aside and focused entirely on the hunger to win.
He wrapped his arms even tighter around Wee's neck, freezing his legs in the air and giving his center of gravity toward Wee's chest.
"Wee, don't move an inch." Ten whispered, his voice shaking with excitement. "The wind is blowing from the left, lean yourself a bit to the right. Don't you dare drop me!"
Wee smiled gently at Ten's relentless directions. "You are the balance center, grumpy, just hold on tight." he said in a raspy voice.
He didn't take his eyes off Ten's face even for a single second.
On the other side, the situation between Sun and Moon was much more dramatic. Ever since Sun picked Moon up in his arms, his heart was beating so irregularly and hard that he knew very well it wasn't just from physical tiredness.
Moon's light body was in his arms, but the emotional distance between them was still like a canyon. While holding onto Sun's shoulders, Moon tried to avoid eye contact.
But the space was so small and the wind was so unstable that Moon had to bury his face against Sun's chest whether he wanted to or not.
Sun took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Moon's hair like it has its own gravity.
"Moon, look at me please." Sun said, his voice so low it almost got lost in the wind.
"I will keep my promise, I will tell you everything. Just don't look at me like I'm a stranger."
Moon flinched at Sun's helpless tone. Just as he was about to raise his head and say something, a sudden and very violent wave of wind hit the area from the sea.
Moon's sudden movement and the trick of the wind completely ruined Sun's balance on one foot. While Sun's left foot shook wildly in the air, he grew terrified that Moon would fall and get hurt.
Instead of saving his own balance, he chose to put Moon down safely on the ground and knowingly took a big step outside the paper onto the grass.
The Professor's long whistle, announcing the end, echoed through the area: "And the game is over! The winners are Wee and Ten!"
The students around the area broke into a huge storm of screams and applause. Wee, with the great excitement of victory, forgot he was still holding Ten in his arms and started spinning around wildly.
"We won, Nong Ten! That's it!" he shouted. No matter how much Ten tried to complain, he couldn't resist Wee's pure joy. He gave Wee a light tap on the shoulder and smiled widely.
"Alright, we won, put me down now, you idiot!" he said, but there wasn't a single bit of anger in his voice.
~~~
While the celebrations continued in the game area, a total storm was breaking out far away from the crowd, under the shadow of the palm trees. Bank had dragged First by his shirt collar all the way behind the equipment shed where nobody was around.
First, not knowing what to do against Bank's angry and determined look, raised his hands in the air, trying to look like an innocent victim.
"Bank, take it easy! My shirt is going to tear, let go of me, damn it!" First complained, wrinkling his face.
Bank let go of First's collar sharply but didn't open the distance between them at all. Leaning one hand against the wooden wall behind him, he completely put First under his little shadow.
He narrowed his eyes, not wanting to miss even the smallest change of expression on First's face, just like a detective.
"Look at me, First. I could look sweet and all of that from the outside but…" Bank said, his voice icy and extremely firm.
"Now, you are going to tell me everything that happened in that restroom, what Moon might have heard, and what you just mumbled at the table down to the very last detail. Sun and Moon... they had to stay in the same room, in the same bed, and what did you say happened between them?!"
First took a deep breath and swallowed hard. He knew he had no place to run, and besides, lying to Bank was one of the hardest things in the world. He reached his hand to the back of his neck and messed up his hair with nervousness.
"Okay, okay! Don't get mad right away, I'm telling you." First said, lowering his voice completely and checking around.
"Since there was no two double beded room left in the hotel, the guide put them in a single double beded room. Last night, they got very close in bed. Moon actually made a move and brought his face closer.
But Sun, that idiot, your stupid friend... just because he wanted to create a safe space and didn't want to act selfishly, went ahead, said 'good night.' turned his back, and went to sleep!
So naturally, when Moon woke up in the morning, he felt rejected and worthless, and built those icy walls against Sun. The situation is completely this! Atleast this is what I only know for now, I swear!"
Bank went crazy with anger and shock upon hearing this. He put both hands on his hips, laughing with frustration, and turned around. "I can't believe this Sun!" he shouted, then immediately lowered his voice and leaned toward First.
"That boy is a total fool! A kid like Moon, who is so fragile and has a hard time showing his emotions, gets that close to someone for the first time in his life, and he just turns his back?
To be fair, this is not what Sun does usually. He would not reject something like that, well… I guess he really cares for him.
I really can't believe it! And you knew this from the beginning and kept it from me, right, First?"
First dropped his shoulders with guilt under Bank's loaded looks. "I swear I just found out, Bank! Sun confessed to me when I cornered him in the restroom. Would I ever hide anything from you?" he said, giving Bank's chest a light tap, trying to look cute.
Bank took a deep breath, and as his anger slowly calmed down, he couldn't resist First's sweet behavior and shook his head. "Anyway... looks like we are the ones who are going to fix these idiots' mess…" he said.
~~~
Meanwhile, at the other corner of the beach area, Sun slowly put Moon down on the grass, as if he were placing a priceless crystal that he was terrified of breaking.
Even though they were eliminated, there wasn't a single sign of regret on Sun's face. His only worry was that the boy in his arms wouldn't get hurt and that this tension between them would end as soon as possible.
The moment Moon's feet touched the ground, he fixed his clothes and tried to put that distant expression back on his face, but the light pink color on his cheeks gave him away.
The feeling of safety he felt while in Sun's arms was still affecting his heart rate.
He turned his head and looked at Sun.
"Yes?" Moon said, his voice not as icy as this morning but still distant.
"It's time to keep your promise, P'Sun. You picked me up in your arms and told me you would explain everything. I'm listening."
Sun took a deep breath. He locked his eyes onto Moon's, not running away this time. He started talking with an expression so honest, it was like he was laying his soul out in front of Moon:
"Last night... when you got that close to me, when I could feel your breath on my skin, I was really the happiest man alive, Moon.
I wanted to hold you, to kiss you and wanted to embrace you in my arms more than anything.
But right at that second, what I told First at the pub came to my mind. I remembered what a hard time you were going through and how broken your heart was.
I was so afraid of rushing you and hurting you because of my own selfish feelings. If I kissed you at that moment, I would feel like a scum who just took advantage of your weak moment.
I wanted to protect you, Moon. But First showed me the truth in the restroom today... while trying to protect you, I actually rejected you. I probably made you experience another heartbreak. I swear that wasn't my intention. I just... care about you so much."
While listening to Sun's long explanation made with a shaking voice, Moon felt the tightness in his chest slowly melt away.
When he saw that pure protection instinct and deep love in Sun's eyes, all the ice of heartbreak inside him melted one by one into water.
So, he wasn't rejected as he thought; on the contrary, he was left alone at that moment because he was valued too much.
A slight, very sweet smile appeared on the corners of Moon's lips. This smile was like a sun clearing up all the heavy weather. He took a step closer to Sun, closing the distance between them himself this time.
"You are a total idiot, P'Sun, you know that right? Do I look like a person that leans to take a kiss from everybody?" Moon said, his voice very soft and warm this time.
"If you want to protect me, don't do it by escaping from me when I face you to embrace me. Do it by holding me tighter.
Never leave me alone like this ever again."
With these words, Sun felt like he owned the entire world. A huge, boyish smile of relief appeared on his face. He gently caught Moon's hand and locked his fingers through Moon's, holding tight. "I promise." Sun said, his eyes shining brightly. "Never again."
~~~
After the big celebration and congratulations in the game area, Wee and Ten went back to their room to get some rest and shake off the sweet tiredness.
The air inside the room was still warm with the joy of the victory they had just won. As Ten sat on the edge of the bed unbuttoning his sneakers, a small smile he couldn't stop appeared on his face.
Wee was walking around the room, wiping the sweat from his neck with his shirt collar, and he couldn't help but tease Ten.
"So, grumpy, what do you say?" Wee said, blinking as he leaned toward Ten.
"We won thanks to me at the end of the day, you know that, right? You were as light as a feather in my arms, but holding you during that last wind still took a lot of skills."
Ten rolled his eyes, but this time there wasn't that old anger in his voice.
"Oh, what a big skill! If I didn't tell you the direction of the wind, you would have rolled onto the grass a long time ago, P'Wee. You should thank God you have a smart partner like me." he said and giggled softly.
"Yeah, it would be great to have a 'partner' like you." Wee said, peeking at Ten.
The attraction between them, even if not put into words, was felt in every corner of the room.
They actually started to like this strange but sweet period where they hadn't named things yet and weren't even proper friends.
Just then, a sharp and loud notification sound rose from Wee's phone, which he had thrown onto the bed. It was a voice message from an unknown number.
Wee didn't hesitate at all because Ten was there; wanting to prove that he had nothing to hide, he easily tapped the screen and played the voice note on speaker.
A very cheesy, flirtatious, and purposely deep male voice broke the cheerful silence of the room:
"Hey Wee... Videos of you carrying someone in your arms started spreading like wildfire on the internet today. It made me remember the old days... I wonder if I should come back into your strong arms too, what do you say?"
When the voice note ended, all the warmth in the room turned into a block of ice in a single second. Time stopped, and those sweet smiles from a moment ago froze on Ten's face.
The guy who sent the message was just one of Wee's meaningless, one-night stands from the past, before he even came to this city.
Hearing those words, Ten felt like a needle pierced his heart. The small, innocent piece of hope that had started to grow inside him was broken into pieces instantly.
He knew there was a spark between him and Wee, but they weren't even proper friends yet. They weren't even close to flirting. So, even though his pride was hurt like crazy, he put a mask of ice on his face.
Acting as if nothing happened and as if the voice note was none of his business, he stood up and turned his back.
The moment Wee realized how bad the situation was, he went into total shock. His face fell, and his hands shook as he quickly locked his phone.
Seeing Ten's icy, silent withdrawal, a terrible panic covered him. He immediately took a step forward, raising his hands helplessly.
"Ten, look... I swear it's not what you think." Wee stuttered, his voice turning thin with fear.
"That guy... That was a stupid one-night stand from a long time ago that means absolutely nothing to me. It looks like he just lost his mind when he saw the video, it really has nothing to do with me!"
Ten slowly turned around. He hid all the sadness in his eyes completely, building giant defense walls that were impossible to pass instead. He placed a teasing, careless smile on the corners of his lips.
"Why are you explaining this to me, Wee?" Ten said, his voice so flat and emotionless that it hit Wee's heart like a knife.
"There is really no need. I am not someone that needs an explanation for this,trust me."
Wee grew both sad and angry at Ten's extremely distant and careless attitude.
"What do you mean there is no need, Ten? I thought there was something between us. At least I expected you to get mad or demand answers! You can't just act like nothing happened!" he shouted.
This time, Ten couldn't stay calm. All the jealousy, sadness, and broken pride built up inside him reached a breaking point instantly.
He took a hard step toward Wee, locking his eyes onto his, and screamed with anger:
"Oh, then what is between us, P'Wee?! Tell me, what are we?! We are not even proper friends yet! It's clear you are used to carrying people who come and go in your life in your arms! That little game you played with me, those bets, today's game...
Was it all just a part of your long list? I am not one of your one-night stands, you can't treat me like that! Who are you to explain things to me, and who am I to ask you for answers?!"
"I didn't play with you!" Wee yelled, his chest rising and falling fast.
"My feelings for you have nothing to do with those stupid things from the past!
When I held you in my arms today, I truly felt like I won my own prize rather than that stupid money and school scores, Ten! How can you not see that?"
"I don't see it, Wee! Because you walk around leaving a ton of mess behind you!" Ten said.
A tear was about to fall from his eyes, but he quickly looked away because of his pride.
"I am not going to be just a background character in this story. Now excuse me, I want to be alone."
Without giving Wee a chance to say another word, Ten slammed the bathroom door hard and locked it from the inside.
Wee was left alone in the middle of the room, with his phone in his hand and a giant regret in his heart.
The big victory they had just won a moment ago had now turned into the heaviest defeat of their lives.
Wee stood in the middle of the room, feeling completely lost as the fear of losing Ten grew bigger with every passing second. He couldn't let Ten hide behind that door, allowing the ghosts of the past to divide them.
With a sharp decision, he walked heavily toward the main room door. He grabbed the handle, opened it, and slammed it shut with a loud crash.
After faking his footsteps to make it sound like he walked down the hallway, he completely held his breath, locked his eyes onto the wooden doorframe, and waited.
Inside the bathroom, when Ten heard that heavy slam, he felt the suffocating knot tightening his chest ease a little. He slowly walked toward the mirror.
His eyelids were shaking and the whites of his eyes were completely bloodshot, looking like a bowl of blood because of the fierce, raw struggle he fought just to push back his burning tears and not cry.
Trying to calm himself down a bit, he let out a shaky breath and turned the bathroom lock with his trembling fingers.
The sharp metallic click echoed in the quiet room. Completely sure that Wee was gone, Ten dropped all his defense shields, opened the door, and took a step out into the hallway.
At that exact split second, a shadow jumped out from the darkness of the room and turned Ten's whole world upside down.
Before Ten could even realize what was happening or that Wee hadn't actually left, Wee's strong hand locked around his wrist.
With a sudden, fierce rush, he pulled Ten out of the bathroom. A sharp gasp escaped Ten's lips as his back hit the hard wall of the hallway; however, that breath was cut short as Wee's large body completely crowded him in. Wee trapped him between his own body and the wall, leaving zero space for escape.
All the air inside the room vanished in an instant, leaving nothing but their burning skin.
Wee placed his shaking yet completely determined hand on Ten's delicate chin.
His fingers gripped his jaw tightly, tilting his head up so Ten had to look directly into his red, tearful eyes that he was trying so hard to hide out of pride.
He wrapped his other hand tightly around Ten's thin waist, pulling him so hard against his own chest that there wasn't a single millimeter left between them.
A fire was raging in Wee's eyes; seeing Ten in so much pain and completely broken up close was tearing his own soul to pieces.
With his lips so close they were almost brushing against Ten's, Wee whispered in a deep, shaking, and intensely possessive voice:
"Do you really think I would just stand by and let you cry because of me?"
End of Chapter 15.