Chapter II

Weaknesses

The next morning Yongsun was woken up by a familiar voice gently calling her name, and although she desperately tried to clung to the lingering fragments of her dream, in which she won her league title and Byulyi went back to the States, she eventually had to give up when the voice became more persistent.

“Come on, wake up sleepyhead. ”

Stretching her arms, Yongsun opened her bleary eyes to see Joohyun sitting on the edge of her bed and smiling warmly at her. The sight was enough to make her forget about the dream and focus entirely on the reality, which turned out to be much more alluring.

Joohyun’s long, dark hair were adorably tousled, and her black tee crinkled, exposing her toned stomach, sculpted by hours of hard training. Yongsun felt the tips of her ears grow hot, and went dry. Don’t stare! She rubbed her eyes with her palm in a seeming attempt to get rid of the sleep while in fact, she tried to regain her composure.

Joohyun chuckled softly. “Wheein is preparing some breakfast for us. Better not keep her waiting,” she said and left to the kitchen, after lightly patting Yongsun’s knee.

Hearing their friend’s name, Yongsun sat bolt upright with a panicked expression as the memories from the previous night came flooding. Their ride to the most luxurious club in the city, during which Hyejin explained them her plan; the anxious search for the white BMW, (Yongsun had no idea how the heck her friends knew Byulyi’s car registration number), and the sinister glint of the pocket knife that she held in her shaking palm.

Had I really slashed tires in Byulyi’s car? Yongsun thought as shame gnawed at her conscience. Great, not only had I became the biggest disgrace in the club’s history, but also turned into a petty criminal. She felt a strong urge to hide herself under the sheets and stay there forever.

However, there was yet another aspect to that story. Once they had done the deed, they hid themselves behind the building and waited for Byulyi and her friends. Soon enough they showed up, and the sight of the wasted blonde girl ranting in blind rage was like a balm to Yongsun’s soul. It was soo worth it. She smirked in satisfaction and holding onto that feeling, she jumped out of her bed and went to take a quick shower

Once she finished, she ambled into the kitchen. She noticed Seulgi, her roommate, sitting at the table with Wheen and Hyejin and gobbling down her breakfast. Her dark hair with blond highlights fell messily onto her shoulders that were covered by a leather jacket. Yongsun concluded that she must have came back while she was taking shower.  

“Yong!” Seulgi finally noted Yongsun’s presence and rushed to her. Clasping her hands in front of her as if she was about to pray, she waited with her speech until she properly chewed and swallowed her food. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Yongsun patted her roommate’s arm. “I’m not mad that you couldn’t come yesterday. Besides, the only thing you missed was my utter humiliation.”

Seulgi’s brows furrowed, a fiery look in her eyes. “Girls told me everything. I swear if I ever meet that blond fox, I’ll strangle her with my bare hands.”

The threat sounded disturbingly convincing, and Yongsun made a mental note to never get on Seulgi’s bad side.

“Guys, how about we stop talking about her, huh?” Joohyun suggested as she held up two mugs with steaming liquid. “Here, I made you some coffee.” She handed one of the mugs to Seulgi, smiling bashfully at the younger girl.  

“Ooh, you’re an angel.” Seulgi accepted the mug and without even sparing Joohyun a glance, went past her to sit by the table with Wheein and Hyejin.

Yongsun couldn’t help but to notice how Joohyun’s smile faded a little. “And here’s one for you.” She gave her the other mug, after tearing her lingering gaze away from Seulgi.

“Thank you.” Yongsun smiled, trying not to look disappointed when she realized that Seulgi got the mug with the heart pattern, while she got the white plain one.

She had been suspecting that Joohyun had a crush on her roommate for some time now, and such small details only strengthen that belief, much to Yongsun’s dismay. She tried not to be bothered much by that now and just focused on enjoying breakfast with her closest friends, something that happened very rarely. She sat next to Joohyun, as there was no space left, and dug into her scrambled eggs that Wheein had prepared.

“Soo, how was your night?” Hyejin asked, grinning deviously.

Seulgi’s features twisted into a scowl. She took another sip of her coffee before telling a story of how some girl (apparently, she did not even remember her name) with whom she hooked up two weeks ago, showed up to the party, at which she was DJ’ing, and made a huge scene about how Seulgi left her, stopped answering her calls and messages, and so on and so forth - the usual drama that always seemed to surround Seulgi.

Wheein and Hyejin had tears in their eyes when Seulgi hilariously reenacted the whole incident by making exeggerated noises and faces. Admittedly, Yongsun was also amused, but that was until she noticed Joohyun’s rigid posture and a smile that never reached her eyes.  

“In the end, the security took care of her, and I could finish my set.” Seulgi ended her story with a satisfied grin.

Wheein and Hyejin were still recovering from their paroxysm of giggling when Joohyun clapped her hands, catching everyone’s attention.

“Anyway, I’ve been thinking that since the season is over, and we have our well-deserved two weeks break, maybe we could go somewhere together, like the five of us. I mean, if you have time Seulgi, and if you want, of course.” The last words came out as a jumbled mess, casuing Joohyun to quickly return her gaze to her meal. 

Although Yongsun was not the reason of her teammate’s flustered state, she still squealed internally because of how darn cute the girl was acting.

Seulgi pursed her lips in thought. “I would have to check my schedule, but I’m sure I could spend a few days with you, guys.”

Yongsun felt awful for having that moment of weakness when she wished her roommate would turn down Joohyun’s offer. Seulgi was her best friend ever since she moved to Seoul and started playing for her team, which was over three years ago. And even though Yongsun could never understand her issues with commitment, she knew the girl was a good person who had always been there for her, through all her ups and downs.

“But I think it’s a great idea. Yongie could use a change of scenery after all the stress she’d been put through lately,” Seulgi said and reached out to pinch Yongsun’s cheek.

The corner of Yongsun’s mouth lifted into a lopsided smile. Congratulations Kim Yongsun, you are officially the most despicable person in the entire universe.

“You know what? We could go on a trip to our hometown!” Wheein chimed in excitedly.

Hyejin nodded agreeably. “I have plenty of space at my family house and I’m sure my parents won’t have any problems if we stay there for a few days.”

“So it’s decided then, tomorrow we leave for Jeonju,” Joohyun announced in a tone that did not accept any objections. But Yongsun would not even dare to say no to that heartfelt smile that Joohyun gave her as she said those words.

“Ekhem,” Hyejin cleared , subtly pointing out to Yongsun that she might have stared at their teammate for a second or two longer than it was necessary.

Realizing her mistake, Yongsun jolted from her chair. “I’ll… uhm… do the dishes!” She screeched and saw how her friends’ faces clouded in confusion and suspicion.

Disregarding the odd looks she recived, she began collecting the empty plates, just to jump startled and almost drop all the them when she heard her cell phone ringing. “Crap, my mom,” she muttered, eyes widening in panic.

“You want me to pick it up and tell her that you went to get some food?” Hyejin suggested.

Yongsun wordlessly communicated her approval with a hopeful look. The redhead went to pick up the phone, and Yongsun followed her in case their plan did not work. She still had no idea what to tell her mother regarding the yesterday’s events.

“Chill, it’s just Eric,” Hyejin said and tossed her the phone before going back to the kitchen.

Yongsun heaved a sigh, feeling a ton lighter. Eric was okay; she could handle a conversation with her manager. She put a palm over her chest to calm herself down and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

Eric’s cheery voice greeted her, “Hey! How’s my Zinedine Zidane doing?”

Yongsun scowled, hearing the nickname. She knew that Eric was not alluding to her skills, unfortunately. “I’m fine, now, I guess,” she grouched and plopped on her bed.

“Good, though I’m afraid I may spoil your mood again. But first, good news! You’ve been given just a two match suspension solely for the league matches.”

It was indeed good news as the national matches were approaching, and Yongsun did not want to miss those; that is, assuming the new coach would scout her, despite her yesterday’s stunt.

“And the bad news is…?” She trailed off, bracing herself for Eric’s answer.

“The press is all over that incident. People are analyzing the footage frame by frame. Some claim you were provoked, others, well, let’s just say they are of different opinion.”

Yongsun dragged fingers through her hair. Great, just freaking awesome. It was exactly what she needed right now - hordes of journalists making a sensation out of her humiliation. They just would not let her forget about it, would they?

“I know you hate making statements, but in this situation, I don’t think you have much choice. I’d spoken to Hyojin and she told me what went down in those last minutes. Nasty ruse, if you ask me. But now the question is do you want to explain what really had happened, or are you going to adapt a more neutral stance.”

Yongsun worried her lower lip between her teeth. On one hand, she wanted to tell the truth - Byulyi provoked her, hence she lost her temper. On the other tough, she could already foreshadow the media storm that such statement would cause. They would want to know how exactly Byulyi provoked her, and then they would ask the blonde girl about her version of events. She would surely deny provoking her (because that girl had absolutely no shame and no honor!), and it could go on like that for months.

“Yongsun?”

Eric’s voice brought her back from her musings. “Sorry, I was just thinking. Can we go with the neutral version? I’m sorry for losing my temper. I’m sorry that I let down the supporters and the team, but I promise to do my best in the upcoming season.”

“Sure, I get it. I’ll send you a draft of the statement and after you accept it, I’ll just send it in an e-mail to the press. Hopefully, we won’t have to hold a press conference for this.”

“Thank you, Eric. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Don’t say such things, you’re making me blush!” Eric scolded, but Yongsun could hear smile in his voice. “Anyway, don’t worry, it should all die down soon.”

“Okay, I’ll try not to worry. Thanks again and bye.”

“Bye.”

Yongsun hung up and glanced toward the room’s entrance. “You can come out now,” she said, and four heads peeked from behind the doorframe, staring at her innocently. “You know I would just tell you what he’d told me, no need to eavesdrop.”

Her friends tumbled into the room with Seulgi and Wheein pouncing onto the bed.

“Oh you know us, the impatient types.” Her roommate winked at her playfully, while Wheein wrapped her arms around her in a lose hug and leant her head on her shoulder.

“Are you being suspended?” Hyejin asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

“Yes, but only for two league matches, so it’s not that bad.” Yongsun smiled to alleviate her friend’s worries. It seemed to work as the redhead’s lips broke into a grin.

Joohyun, however, was sitting on the bed across with a frown marring her delicate features. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell the truth about what happened?”  

Yongsun shook her head. “No, Eric says the press went crazy for that incident, and frankly, I don’t think that adding fuel to this fire is a good idea. I really just want to forget about that match and move on.”

“I bet the fox would love the attention. She would bask in the spotlight,” Seulgi said, crossing arms at her chest.

“You’ve got a point there,” Joohyun concurred.

“Don’t worry Yongddonie, we will hide you away from those journalist vultures.” Wheein flashed her a grin, tightening her embrace.

Yongsun felt all warm and mushy inside. She was really lucky to have such friends. “Thank you guys for your support.” Her voice quivered, but she managed to hold back her tears, aware that if she started crying, her friends would join her, prompting a huge sobfest.

“Hey, if you want, we can go to Jeonju even today,” Wheein suggested, tucking a strand of Yongsun’s hair behind her ear.

It was a very tempting proposition as there was nothing Yongsun wanted more than to leave Seoul and just escape the whole drama. Especially, since any minute, the journalist could come knocking on her door, demanding answers that she so desperately did not want to give them. Nonetheless, she could not begin her retreat just yet as there was still one person who deserved an explanation.

“I would love to do that, but first, I need to visit my mother.”

“That’s fine, but we are leaving first thing tomorrow, okay?” Joohyun had this unrelenting look in her eyes that combined with her soft smile, propelled hundreds of tiny butterflies in Yongsun’s stomach.

Not trusting her words, she simply nodded. If by some strange coincidence this whole drama led toward her and Joohyun becoming closer, then hell be damned, she would even consider—wait, no, she would not forgive Byulyi, but she may be a tad bit less angry with her. 

~~~

Yongsun was sitting on a leather couch, her back stiff and folded palms resting on her knees. She tried not to look at the various trophies and medals displayed on the shelves as they all just seem to mock her right now. She took a nervous glance over her shoulder, but her mother was still busing herself in the kitchen, preparing tea and some cake. This time it would be a consolation cake, not a celebratory one that she used to get after the finished season.

Sighing, Yongsun sagged against the couch and her gaze unwittingly drifted to the picture on the shelf. It was her favorite one, showing her mother in a black and white striped shirt with a medal around her neck and a three year old Yongsun in her arms. The woman had not changed much through all those years, her features were still delicate as ever and round eyes never lost their spark, only her hair grew longer. A soft smile curled Yongsun’s lips but quickly faded as she realized that she wore the same shirt, the same colors and number, when she shattered her reputation and stripped their club of the league title.

“Honey, is everything okay?”

Lost in her gloomy thoughts, Yongsun had not realized when her mother entered the living room, placing a cup of tea on a table in front of her. She straightened up but refused to look at her mother, annoyed by her question. She knew exactly what was wrong so why could not she just bring up the topic herself? Why she had to act like nothing had happened?

Her mother sat on the armchair opposite of her, smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Yongsun glanced discreetly at her as she took a sip of her tea. The warm herbal liquid calmed her nerves and she realized that it was not fair to vent her frustration on her mother.

“I’m sorry, mom,” she apologized remorsefully. “I’m just constantly on edge because of what happened.”

“That girl is clever, shameless, but clever.”

Yongsun’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. Had her mom just complimented her worst enemy?

“What do you mean ‘clever’?” She inquired, trying not to sound hurt.

“She was aware of your short-temper and used it against you.”

Yongsun was ready to protest because it was not exactly like that; after all, Byulyi did not simply provoke her, she outright molested her! However, her mother anticipated her retort.

“Tell me, why did you cover her, instead of letting one of your defenders take care of it?”

Yongsun blanched, agape but no sound leaving them. She had not realized it until now. Her mother was right; she should not have been in that position in the first place. Victoria, Jungyeon, Nayeon or Yuri, it should have been one of them covering Byulyi. Yet, when Yongsun saw that blond fox in those last minutes of the match, she just went to cover her as though it was the most natural thing in the world for a striker to cover another striker.

Can’t resist me, can you? Byulyi’s mocking words echoed in her head, making her blood boil. Throughout the season the girl had been constantly provoking her, establishing herself as her biggest rival. That’s why, Yongsun went to cover her and did not even question her own actions. In fact, no one did.

“I can’t believe I let her get into my head so easily,” Yongsun muttered, staring absently at the chocolate cake that her mother brought while she was having her revelation.

“You’ve finally understood, hm?” Her mother sat next to her, looking at her with eyes full of warmth and understanding that actually made Yongsun feel even worse about herself and her actions.

With her head hung low, she apologized once again. “I’m sorry I’ve let you down like that.”

“Darling, you need to look at this incident from a different perspective. Remember that a loss can teach us much more about ourselves than a victory,” the woman said sagely.

Yongsun had a vague idea of what her mother meant by those words, but she nodded nonetheless. She no longer wanted to dwell on the topic; it was energy-draining to say the least.

“Now, let’s try some celebratory cake, shall we?”

Yongusn raised a brow at her mother’s strange choice of words. “Celebratory? But there’s nothing to celebrate.”

“I heard the press in Korea declared you as the female Zinedine Zidane, don’t know about you, but I think this calls for celebration,” the woman said, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Yongsun gasped, putting hands on her hips as she stared down at her mother whose face was now smeared with remnants of the chocolate cake. Despite her utmost efforts, she was defeated by the hilarious image, and her indignation yielded to the ripples of laughter that bubbled inside her.

The rest of her visit was spent on trivial conversations with her mother that took her mind off the drama. She was grateful that her mother once again proved to be her biggest fan, showing her unending support. When she was leaving her family’s house late in the evening, she finally felt relaxed and at ease. Alas, the tranquil atmosphere had to be once again disturbed by the familiar ringtone.

Digging through her purse in search of her phone, Yongsun entered her car. She winced once she found it and saw the caller’s id.

“Please, tell me this time you have only good news,” she whined into the receiver before Eric could utter any word.

“You have been scouted to the national team!” Her manager shrieked excitedly.

Yongsun mirrored his reaction, squealing like a high-school girl during a concert of her favorite idol group.

“However…” Eric continued, his voice suddenly devoid of his earlier cheerfulness.

Putting her happiness on pause, Yongsun began mumbling a string of warnings. “No, no, no, no. I absolutely, categorically, utterly forbid you from saying anything ba--”

“Byulyi also got scouted…”

The phone slipped from Yongsun’s palm and landed with a clatter on the floor of her car. A quiet whimper escaped her lips before her body sagged and her head dropped onto the steering wheel, blowing its horn…

TBC

A/N: Zinedine Zidane is a famous French soccer player, now a manager of Real Madrid. He was known for his great skills and he’s regarded as one of the best soccer players in history. However, he also had a bit of a short-temper. He once said, “If you look at the fourteen red cards I had in my career, twelve of them were a result of provocation. This isn't justification, this isn’t an excuse, but my passion, temper and blood made me react.” Also, in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final played against Italy, Zizou was sent off in the 110th minute of the game after headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest, after the Italian player provoked him. Hence, all the allusions to him in this chapter xD