Sunday morning is not exactly the most exciting time for a game, never is, no matter how strong the sporting spirit is in this town, which is a lot, the crowd is notably smaller for friendly games such as this one.

 

And who can really blame them?

 

It's a Sunday, it’s early and it’s cold.

 

The only people that always show up without fail despite anything are some of the parents, not all because some like to have their only day off to sleep, very reasonable in my opinion, the player’s fan club, which are without a fail earlier than anyone else, the few but hardcore sports fans proud of our local team’s success shouting encouragement words even if the game hasn’t started yet, and of course, the player’s girlfriends.

 

This time the tag also belongs not only to me but to Joy who’s seated by my side, her puffy eyes reveal how she used to be to the no show up crowd for these games. 

 

Welcome to my life.

 

At least she understands and loves the sport.

 

“It should be illegal to wake up so early” the girl groans at the inactivity still going on in the court.

 

I, on the other hand, am happy about the inactivity,  we’re not getting cheerleaders today and that’s more than fine by me.

 

As much as I like rubbing in her face she lost for good now, her sight deeply annoys me.

 

I just don’t like her and no one can blame me.

 

“You could’ve come later, you know?” I state watching Seulgi stretch away from the rest, her face looking at bit pained.

 

I purse my lips worried, she was also a bit nauseous before coming here.

 

“But I haven’t seen Wendy that much” she pouts cutely resembling a puppy.

 

Ugh.

 

This new side of Joy is equally adorable as it is disturbing.

 

"Still grounded?" I yawn being equally sleepy as the rest of the crowd.

 

"Yeah" the girl pushes her teacup my way. "Ends tomorrow."

 

I hum taking a sip of the hot beverage hoping it might wake me up and observing the two very interesting men sitting right in front of us at the other side of the basketball court across where Seulgi is diligently warming up along with the rest of the players.

 

They easily stand out from the rest of us, while we wear jeans, hoodies and sneakers, they wear pantsuits, nice casual button down shirts and brown Oxford shoes.

 

Seulgi said they are supposed to look undercover but to me they stand out like a sore thumb.

 

Or maybe it's just me.

 

Maybe they stick out from the rest because of how aware I am of what today can potentially mean for her.

 

Release.

 

"Rene!" an excited Yeri shows up with sweat covering her forehead "Can I go play with my friends outside?"

 

"Outside where?" I ask watching the girl's excitement slowly fade away from her face.

 

"The hallway?" She pleads "We're gonna play hide and seek."

 

"Yeri…" I sigh "You have to stay where I can see you, ok?" 

 

"Come on, it's just the hallway, Rene!" I can hear Joy chuckling by my side "Joy, please?"

 

"It’s just the hallway" Joy pleads in name of the girl.

 

I can only roll my eyes.

 

"Fine, go."

 

"Thank you, Joy, you're the best!" Yeri jumps to the girl's side and kisses her cheek.

 

"Yeah, sure ok" Joy shows me a cocky smile "but you can't get in trouble or our date today won't happen, alright?" She instructs the girl who nods obediently not wanting to ruin her chances. "Now give me another kiss" she points at her cheek.

 

I ignore the giggling duo and focus on my girlfriend running around in the court, unlike the countless games I've been, today she's silently doing her thing away from the rest, even Wendy.

 

She's so nervous about today's game, so much she appeared at my doorstep at five in the morning asking for some silent comfort.

 

I took her to my room, laid her in my bed, and held her in my arms with her face buried in my neck until it was time to leave.

 

"You owe me" Joy states stopping my train of thought, I glance at the smiling girl grateful and give her her tea back. "Babysitting while you have all the fun and while Wendy is grounded?" She playfully scoffs.

 

"I know, whenever you need me to cover you two from your parents, especially your dad, just say so" I grin making Joy laugh in an embarrassed manner. "He loves me anyway, he's never going to suspect me."

 

"Yeah" she scoffs at the fact. "But it's really unfair, he thinks it's so cool you're dating Seulgi, however if I even crack a joke about dating someone? He goes mental" she rolls her eyes.

 

"Yeah I remember the last time" I cringe holding back a laugh.

 

"But now that you offer…" she tentatively says.

 

"Oh?" My brows shoot up. "You need me to cover up for you? When?"

 

"Ok, so, you know how you suggested I should tutor her?"

 

"Ah, I see" I smirk knowingly.

 

"Don’t even" she rolls her eyes, "it's because I don't want her to get grounded again" she then huffs embarrassed “It really cuts our time short.”

 

"Sure, sure."

 

“Hey, this is serious!” 

 

This brings me back to all the times she shamelessly teased me about my own relationship, every suggestive comment and implications of my time alone with my own girlfriend.

 

Bet she didn't think she would be here so soon too.

 

"It makes me nervous" she sighs making my smirk flatter.

 

"Nervous? About what?"

 

"Being alone with her" she confesses "like, really alone."

 

"Why?" My voice raises, Joy gives me a warning hit on my leg in retaliation "why?" I repeat lower this time. "Is Wendy being pushy to you?" My protective side takes over already feeling alarmed.

 

"No, no, nothing like that" Joy hurries to whisper "please, we just started dating."

 

"Ok, ok" I sigh in relief "so...why nervous? Is it a bad kind or the good kind of nervous?" I opt to ask instead.

 

"I don't know…" she falls silent deep in thought "she's very nice and kind but we haven't had the chance to be alone like this, so I don't know what to expect" we both fall silent listening to the player’s sneakers squeak as they move around the court.

 

“You should tell her” I say looking at my girlfriend’s figure. “Seulgi was always very understanding with me” I refrain to comment on how much she really insisted before anything actually happened though “...and no offense to my girlfriend but, honestly? Wendy is way more mature than her so you should be good talking about things with her” Joy lightly chuckles by my side.

 

“You think so?”

 

“Yeah, honesty is the best policy, don’t you think?” I smile at her.

 

“I guess” she sighs. “Thanks.”

 

“Always.”

 

It’s so weird to think I’m now giving relationship advice.

 

Am I even allowed to do so considering how little restraint I had on the matter that is Seulgi?

 

I chuckle by myself watching how Wendy cutely waves at Joy from her spot making my best friend beam in pure happiness, her worries seemingly being buried in the ground just like that.

 

By the time everything and everyone are ready Seulgi's face screams anxiety as she joins her teammates to hear their coach's words as it is custom from them.

 

Everyone else seems to be oblivious about their captain, which is not surprising, Seulgi did say the coach advised her to keep everything on the down low, so much so, he asked for her parents to not be...well...parents and to please stay out of the game today.

 

While everyone is hyped and slowly walking to their respective spots he pulls the nervous girl aside for a private talk, Seulgi keeps looking at the ground, nodding at every word he says absent-mindedly too into her own thoughts to pay attention.

 

The sight makes my heart clench.

 

Ignoring whatever Joy is telling me about Wendy and how she looks in her uniform, I quickly make my way to the player's bench before Seulgi joins her teammates.

 

"Seulgi" I call her making the girl stop looking at the ground "good luck" I grab her jersey by the hem and before I can get scolded by the coach, which he only does for protocol really, I plant a kiss on the girl's lips. "Do your best."

 

"I will" Seulgi replies with a small smile resting her forehead against mine.

 

"You're cold" I state but she denies it with a shake of the head.

 

"No, I'm good" she inhales more determined.

 

"You'll do great" I peck her lips again "do what you do best."

 

"Yeah" she smiles "just watch me" she then says with nervous optimism clenching her jaw as she looks at the two men. "Just watch me." 

 

"You got this."

 

"Thank you, babe" she smiles visibly more pumped.

 

"Bae Irene, you know the rules," the coach scolds me with a knowing smile "get out of here."

 

"Sorry, coach." 

 

The sight of Seulgi kissing her necklace with her eyes closed making me smile fondly at the burdened girl.

 

Joy is pouting with her arms crossed on her front when I seat by her side again, I raise my brows at her questioning it but she only pouts harder making me scoffs.

 

"I can't do that" she complains pointing at the court. "Mr. Im is over there and he would totally tell my dad" I look over to Joy's next door neighbor a few seats above us.

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

"The kiss."

 

"Ah, the kiss" I figure out. "My Lord you're needy, who knew you would be like this" I joke while Joy pushes me with her shoulder.

 

"Now you know what it feels like to be on the receiving end" I roll my eyes at her accusation a bit embarrassed.

 

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to do that after Monday" I tease back.

 

“Shut up” she elbows me.

 

No matter the hour, if it's really late at night, or early like today, unlike the crowd, the players give it their all no matter what, maybe not as hard as in a championship game but they do play to win.

 

Today being no exception.

 

Seulgi though, she plays today with her heart, pushing herself to be in every position needed in the court.

 

I've never seen her defend in my time experiencing the sport but today she's even trying to do that.

 

The men with the dress pants talk to each other when she does something nice, and I even catch them clapping with the rest when the score changes once again.

 

Halfway through the game, Seulgi playing defense against obviously taller girls gets into a small encounter when she tries to jump block a shot causing her to hit the floor bringing the girl along who falls on top of her in a painful manner for the both of them.

 

"Whoa" I hear Joy say by my side "that looks painful, elbow to the stomach and another in her face" she hisses like she can feel the pain herself.

 

Seulgi stands up rubbing her sore spot in her stomach and helps the girl stand up apologizing.

 

She's pushing too hard, this is how much it means to her.

 

I can finally fix things.

 

I can hear her voice in my mind, I bet she's telling herself that every second down there as well.

 

The Bear's team wins the game, no surprise, the score ends up with them leading with a very noticeable advantage and a very exhausted captain.

 

I follow Seulgi's figure slowly making her way inside alongside a very pleased Wendy telling encouraging words and goofing around the girl making her captain crack a reserved yet happy smile.

 

+++

 

The school hallway is empty by now, because who's going to stay around a Sunday morning really, except for me that is.

 

To be fair, Joy and Wendy are also waiting with me but they are doing it outside while they entertain my little sister Yeri, leaving me alone in case Seulgi needs it like that.

 

None of us were expecting them to talk to her so fast, thought they might give her a card and leave, like in the movies, but she was asked to stay behind by the coach making me and the others nervous for my girlfriend.

 

So I wait, staring a the big bear logo on the door with my hopes high, I might not understand much of the technicalities but even I know Seulgi is really good and her chances of the conversation happening inside being positive are very, really, high.

 

The big orange door opens after what it seemed like an eternity, the first ones to get out are the two men followed by the coach talking very amicably amongst each other, the coach winks at me as he passes me by leaving with the two elegant men.

 

Seeing as Seulgi doesn’t follow I enter the gym thinking she might be changing out of her uniform, but instead, I find her sitting on the team's bench fully dressed with a deep thoughtful expression.

 

“Hey” I almost whisper but she catches it, she smiles briefly at me not looking as happy as I was expecting “how did everything go?” I ask very carefully.

 

“It went great” Seulgi exhales loudly, “they said I’m promising” she glances at me. “That I shouldn't try to defend ever again” she then chuckles pointing at her sore cheek “but said I’m fast, have great endurance, make good decisions on the spot…”

 

"That... sounds good?" I tentatively say not being able to read the girl as well as I'd like.

 

"Yeah, it is great" she agrees biting her lip. She sighs through her nose as I carefully sit next to her putting a comforting hand on her thigh which she quickly catches in hers, she entwines our fingers together while her eyes remain far away.

 

"You don't sound so great" I dare to point out in the softest tone possible.

 

“But it is great” she furrows her brows “they said I have a lot of potential, that if I put my mind into it I could even up my national ranking for my senior year, if I do that there’s going to be more colleges after me” she explains with dry words. “They gave me a card and told me to keep them in mind” she takes a small piece of cardboard from her jacket “and said they would keep in touch” Staring at the card she slightly purse her lips holding back her obvious disappointment “and that’s it” she glances at me with a bitter smile. “That’s it.”

 

It’d be obvious to any outsider to know she expected more out of this, she had high expectations and they weren’t met the way the wanted to, although nothing that she said can be considered anything but positive I can somewhat understand her disappointment if I put myself in her shoes.

 

She wanted everything right now.

 

“You must think I’m being a baby” she mumbles playing with my fingertips.

 

“Most of the time, yes” she smiles puffing some air through her nose. “But you have the right to feel however you want to feel” Seulgi nods obediently now tracing figures on my palm.

 

“It’s just...I thought...” she mumbles trailing off with another sigh “I thought it would go differently, you know? Maybe they would see me play and think I was good enough for them, give me a number and I’d get home and say here it is…” she clicks her tongue trailing off again “here’s the thing you want” she stretches her arm out offering the card to the empty gym. 

 

“Seulgi…” I pull her arm back down finding the words to say back to her, something that could soothe her mind.

 

I settle for putting my head on her shoulder, grab her hand and play with her palm granting her some silence, Seulgi rests her head on mine letting out a long sigh as we both watch the empty and now dark room in front of us.

 

Taking her hand I put it on my lips giving it a lingering peck.

 

“I know I’m being a brat” she chuckles bitterly.

 

“Don’t say that” I softly scold her squeezing her hand.

 

“No, it’s true” she insists raising her brows. “Even after screwing up an opportunity most people can only dream of, I somehow get another chance to redeem myself with another possible amazing opportunity and what do I do? Complain because it’s not happening the way I want it to happen, you must think I’m awful.”

 

“I don’t” I assure squeezing her hand in a reassur