Ivan | Alien Stage

Ivan was the pride of Korea. At only nineteen, he was already considered the best figure skater in the country. Elegant, precise, and impossible to match, his name filled stadiums and sports magazines. The only thing he couldn't stand were sports that didn't take place on ice.

"Come on, it'll just be one game!" Mizi insisted, dragging him toward the university gym.

Ivan reluctantly agreed. He sat in the bleachers with his arms crossed, convinced he was wasting two hours of his life... until the team captain entered the court.

Till.

The stadium erupted in applause. Tall, confident, and with a smile that could disarm anyone, he took the ball as if he had been born with it. Every pass was flawless; every jump seemed to defy gravity. Ivan, who had spent years dedicating his life to the beauty of movement, couldn't look away.

"What? Bored already?" Mizi asked.

Ivan didn't even answer.

When Till scored the deciding basket, he looked up toward the bleachers. For a second, his eyes met Ivan's. The player smiled naturally and gave a wave.

Ivan's heart skipped a beat far more violently than any of his jumps on the ice.

"...I think I like basketball," he murmured.

Mizi burst out laughing.

"No, Ivan. You don't like basketball."

The skater's gaze remained fixed on Till, unable to hide the slight blush coloring his cheeks.

And, for the first time in years, the ice champion felt like he was losing his balance.