Hunter's Jealousy Ignites

Hunter, feeling a little better, set his focus aside and spent the time chatting with his friends. Then it suddenly occurred to him to check, and there was Jiyu standing at the very edge of the stage, awkwardly performing the dance with stiff and unnatural movements.

Hunter nearly spat out the water he was drinking. Instead, he coughed hard while laughing like a madman.

He had accepted the challenge for the ping-pong game because he was certain he would win. His left hand had developed just a little more than his right, but he was truly ambidextrous. He had been giving and taking points fairly so that no one would notice he was better, then finally act as if he had barely won.

But in the middle of the game, their eyes locked. The twin popsicles had vanished, and Jiyu stood alone in front of the photo booth, waiting in line. Then Stephen Burneski blocked her view. For a moment, Jiyu's embarrassed face appeared as she spoke with him, before being hidden again.

‘Do they know each other?’

At that moment, Stephen handed her his phone.

‘No way. That nerd is trying to steal Jiyu Parker's number?’ Hunter sneered.

He knew Jiyu since childhood had always been introverted and cautious. At the playground, if a stranger approached, she would hide behind him. If she didn't run away when a boy stranger asked for her phone number, that would be lucky. But Stephen was proudly punching the air. Hunter blinked in confusion.

‘Did he actually get the number? What if that guy turns out to be some psycho stalker?’

While Hunter was standing there watching that bizarre sight, the white ball bounced once on the green table and flew off. After the noisy cheers, someone shouted a score.

[3-4! Pull yourself together, Triple! The penalty is a kiss or a slap!]

But Hunter couldn't concentrate on the game at all. This was all because Jiyu Parker had suddenly caught his eye.

He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled with a sigh. He pretended not to feel the slow heat climbing up his spine to the back of his neck. Then he let out a bitter laugh.

Whether she gave him the number or not...

What does that have to do with me.

[Lucky you. One point per ten seconds.]

Hunter shouted arrogantly toward the opponent he didn't know. Right then, that damn Alexander de Lafayette appeared.

Jiyu turned away from Rex and stood facing Hunter. Then Rex reached out to touch her face before pulling her into a tight hug.

The moment Hunter saw it, he served the ball. He put too much force into it. The white ball didn't touch the table and flew into the air like a tennis ball.

Right now, this kind of game didn't matter. His breathing was rough, and his eyes were burning hot.

[Fuck.]

Using the reflexes he unconsciously displayed, he received the opponent's serve. But when the ball came back as a receiver, he didn't even try to hit it. Rex had tilted his head suggestively while staring at Hunter and approached Jiyu as if about to kiss her.

[3:6! Triple, you lost!]

Cheers and applause erupted at the same time.

But all the noise faded into the dull thump of Hunter's heartbeat. He had carelessly lost the last three points in a bet for fun and ended up with a penalty.

[Kiss or slap! Kiss or slap!]

The kids around him chanted in unison. But his gaze stayed fixed on the photo booth and wouldn't move.

[Did those idiots go crazy...?]

Hunter muttered after watching Jiyu and Rex's shameless display of affection.

‘Damn it. Even after begging like that, I still haven't done it once.’

The moment he thought that, his body turned to stone.

‘What? Did I want to kiss Jiyu Parker?’ His mind was in chaos. His directionless rage poured like hot lava into his heart. His blazing heart hammered fiercely against his ribs. His whole chest ached with a dull pain.

‘Have they been secretly dating behind my back all this time?’

He had always thought something was odd between the two of them. While the others were distant, Jiyu acted close only with Rex, and Rex never targeted her with his mischievous pranks toward anyone else.

“Fuck.” Hunter spat out a curse at his teeth. In the worst situation, Korean curses came to mind first.

Someone kept tugging his arm.

[Triple, aren't you doing the penalty? Everyone's waiting.] Hunter, eyes fixed on the photo booth, shook off the arm and took a step forward. Expectant faces parted like a miracle in the Red Sea to clear his path.

[What? You're not running away, are you?] Someone shouted from beside him, and cheers rained down.

[Shut up.]

[Hunter? Where are you going? Aren't you doing the penalty?] Someone blocked his way in front with a cute voice. Sienna, her face flushed red, smiled sweetly at him and blinked.

Ugh. The leech who wouldn't stop nagging him. If it weren't a girl, he would have shoved her off by now.

[Going to do the penalty, so move.] He turned his body halfway with minimal manners and shoved through her side.

[Where? Where are you going to...?] Sienna's eyes narrowed sharply, her face turning vicious as she looked around warily. Taking the opening, Hunter passed her and headed toward the photo booth.

[Hey, Triple. What brings you here?] Rex asked lazily with a smirk. Jiyu, startled, pushed the arm off her shoulder and turned back. This time, he didn't hold her.

Hunter stared coldly at Rex with a face like the one he made during the finals of the last tournament when Dimitri provoked him with a low-key challenge.

‘Why again…? Not fighting here, right?’ Rex had mentioned a bet and a penalty earlier. Hunter had no idea what was going on. Now both of them were no longer kids, yet they couldn't stand seeing each other.

The word ‘frenemy’ fit these two perfectly. Rex seemed to do it for fun, while Hunter... didn't like seeing Rex with her at all.

Whatever the reason, ignoring it was the best. Even alone, he didn't want her attention drawn to the two people who stood out. Jiyu glanced sideways cautiously, then saw the line move and stepped forward, pretending not to notice them.

Right after, it was Jiyu's turn. Chloe appeared at that perfect timing with lemonade.

[Olivia! Sorry I'm late, spilled lemonade while walking and had to get a new one.]

[Chloe! Thank you so much!] Jiyu felt like she had been saved by a savior.

[Oh, our turn's coming!] At that moment, Hunter and Rex both surrounded Jiyu. Rex draped his arm over her shoulder and leaned in.

[Don't gamble, Hunter Hamilton. Those ancestral lands of yours will all be wasted by you.] Rex teased. But Hunter didn't respond and slapped Rex's arm away from Jiyu's shoulder.

‘Ah. It's starting again.’ Jiyu squeezed her eyes shut and opened them. There were too many eyes watching. She learned for the first time today that Chloe's small eyes could grow that big.

Trying to slip away from the two while rolling her eyes, Hunter grabbed her wrist.

[Where are you going?] His voice sounded like a growl.

[Eh? Me? I-I'm lining up.] Jiyu shook her wrist free and crossed her arms with Chloe. She wished she could put Chloe in front like a shield and hide behind her. Being focused on by Hunter and Rex because of them was unbearable. Then Hunter stepped right in front of her and said,

[Kiss or slap.] The entire group around them held their breath at the same time.

[Kya!] Chloe spit out her red fruit punch and doubled over coughing.

Jiyu's face turned deathly pale as she blinked at Hunter before turning sharply to glare at Rex. The penalty... Hunter had received the kiss or slap penalty? Rex read the silent question in her eyes and slipped away quietly.

[What are you looking at?] Hunter placed his hand on her shoulder and growled.

[Hunter... why are you doing this?] Jiyu asked, her lips trembling.

[Didn't you hear? Kiss or slap.]

[Why to me- Hunter's eyes shot out laser-like blue anger.

[Why? That guy is fine, but I'm not? Are you two dating?]

[... What are you even saying? Hunter, please stop.] Jiyu, face as white as paper, lowered her head to find a place to hide and grabbed Chloe's arm. Hunter, having understood the familiar pattern, finally looked around.

Realizing Jiyu Parker could handle none of these stares, he stepped forward as if pointing at her. Just then, a group of people spilled out of the photo booth.

Hunter quickly opened the curtain of the photo booth and pushed Jiyu inside. Then he himself stepped in and closed the curtain.