Chapter III

 Love is Blind

Slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder, Yongsun closed the door to her apartment and ran down the stairs to meet her friends, who were already waiting for her at the parking lot. As soon as she stepped out of the building, the morning breeze mussed her hair, giving her goose bumps despite her wearing a denim jacket. The sun was barely over the horizon, its warming powers still not awoken, but Yongsun hardly minded as she enjoyed such crisp mornings. Besides, soon she found herself in a warm embrace, courtesy of Wheein.

“Yongddonie, don’t worry. We’ll be there for you,” Wheein said, her back gently.

Yongsun hummed in agreement. After overcoming her initial shock caused by Eric’s announcement, she called her friends and when she found out that all of them had gotten into the national team, she immediately felt better. Granted, she still had many apprehensions, but all of them could be put on hold, at least for the time being. 

Once Wheein let go of her, Hyejin slung her arm over her shoulder leading her to the car. “We won’t let her get anywhere near you,” she said with a cheeky grin.

Yongsun was not sure how the redhead wanted to achieve that since the interactions between her and Byulyi were inevitable, even if she could not imagine those without her strangling the blonde on the spot. Anyhow, she appreciated her friend’s sentiment.

“Uhm… Seulgi isn’t joining us?” Joohyun asked meekly as she took Yongsun’s bag to put it into the car’s trunk.

Yongsun gave her friend an apologetic smile. “She didn’t come home for the night. She messaged me saying that she’s sorry, but she can’t join us today. She’ll try over the weekend though, and she sends her congratulations. I’m guessing she must have met someone new at the party yesterday. 

She did not add that last remark to discredit Seulgi in Joohyun’s eyes; it was rather a matter of saving her friend from false hope and future disappointments (or so she reasoned).

“Oh…” Joohyun muttered brokenly.

And Yongsun could pinpoint the exact moment in which the girl’s heart broke, or at least chipped away. It was when her shoulders drooped and eyes dulled, face gradually hiding under a curtain of indifference.

“Well, her loss. Jump in guys, there’s a long ride ahead of us,” Hyejin said, taking her position behind the steering wheel. Wheein sat next to her, which did not leave Yongsun and Joohyun with much options.

Whenever Yongsun, Wheein and Hyejin were traveling together by car, they were always so loud, singing songs or acting out scenes from popular dramas, that everyone who passed them must have heard their antics. Today, however, the ride was spent in an almost unbearable silence. Yongsun assumed it had something to do with Joohyun who was staring morosely through the window the whole time.

If she had known that such would be the effect of Seulgi’s absence, she would have found the girl and dragged her out of whoever’s bed she was sleeping in currently, just so that she could join them on their ride. She also mentally berated herself for her earlier excessive honesty, implying that Seulgi ditched them for another hook up. However, putting aside all the mistakes that she somehow managed to commit before even properly starting this day, she still could not comprehend why Joohyun was attracted to Seulgi in the first place. Sure, the girl was attractive, but Yongsun believed her teammate was not some shallow person who went only for the looks. But then, taking into consideration every other aspect of Seulgi, one could only conclude that she was Joohyun’s polar opposite.

Coming from a rich family, Seulgi never really had to try hard to get things she wanted, something she herself once admitted. As a result, she had this carefree personality, always doing whatever she felt like doing and never caring much about the consequences of her actions. She was the type to easily get bored, having a constant urge to come up with something (or someone) new that would occupy her time.

And Joohyun was like her antithesis. Her parents were not well-off and they actually objected to her playing soccer. They only agreed after she had promised to take up some part-time jobs. Although juggling her work and trainings must have been exhausting, Joohyun never felt discouraged, and it paid off; she became a professional soccer player. Yongsun always admired not only her skills, but also her sheer determination and tenacity.

The pictures painted by their personalities were so jarringly contrasting that Yongsun wondered how those two could ever form a relationship other than lukewarm friendship. What’s more, Seulgi seemed to be of similar opinion as during the several encounters she had with Joohyun, the only sentiment displayed by her was nothing more than a common courtesy exchanged in a few words. Joohyun, however, either did not notice that, or did not want to notice.     

Yongsun glanced at her teammate who was still glued to the window pane, looking like a sad, abandoned puppy. People say that love is blind, she thought and found it hard not to agree with that saying.

 ~~~          

Byulyi was standing in front of the patio doors, holding a cell phone against her ear. The mid-June sun had not reached yet this part of the house, or should she say mansion, and she was starting to get cold, being clad only in a pair of denim shorts and a bikini top. Jackson, her manager, was telling her about transfer offers, but she tuned him out as soon as he began listing countries and clubs. Her attention focused on Sooyoung who wrapped her arms around Tiffany to throw her into the oval pool. The latter’s outraged expression elicited a soft chuckle from Byulyi.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Hearing as her manager’s voice rose in volume and irritation, she tore her gaze away from her teammates and concentrated on the conversation. “I’m flattered that all these clubs want me, but moving out again would be a huge pain in the ,” she stated.

Jackson huffed out a frustrated breath. “Fine,” he conceded. “Sometimes I wonder why do you even hire me since you never bother to listen to me anyway.”

“Someone has to do the boring stuff for me,” she retorted cheekily.

Her manager gasped, “Oh, you little--”

Byulyi hung up, cutting off his incoming rant. She turned off her phone and tossed it onto the white leather couch before leaving the room to join her friends in the backyard.

“GERONIMO!” Dahyun shouted, sprinting past Byulyi to jump into the pool.

Byulyi’s eyebrows inched up as she stared at her fellow striker. Dahyun had been running and jumping for over an hour now. She was like that pink bunny from that battery ad, never running out of energy.

“Does she have a switch off?” She asked as she took a seat on a lounger between Wendy and Mina. The former girl invited her closest friends from the team to spend some days at her mansion before she would leave to Canada for trainings and matches with her national team.

She looked up from above her book ready to answer Byulyi’s question when Mina cut in. “I heard she shuts down around gorgeous girls,” she intoned in a nonchalant manner.  

Byulyi gushed with a smug grin, leaning closer to the girl and cutting her line of vision. “That must be a lie unless our Dahyun is blind and can’t see you.”

Mina cocked a single eyebrow at her. “Wow, no wonder you do not have a girlfriend. Your flirting skills are way too greasy.”

Byulyi’s smile faltered a little; the comment was eerily similar to the one she had received a long time ago. She quickly brushed it off though before her subconscious would dredge up more memories.

“Puh-lease, I can have any girl I want,” she said in a mock-arrogant voice, leaning back in her seat. 

Mina snorted a chuckle, and Byulyi slanted her an exaggerated glare. She had a soft spot for the midfielder from Japan. They had both joined the team at the beginning of the season and being the only ‘new ones’, they naturally gravitated toward each other.

Their friendly bicker came to an end when Wendy spoke up after tossing her book aside. Apparently, the flaming romance of Juan and Penelope was not as interesting as Sooyoung chasing Tiffany with an obvious intent to repeat her earlier stunt.

“Speaking of getting girls, don’t you guys think that Sooyoung should just get together with Tiffany,” she said, her lips curling into a sly grin. “I mean just look at how happy she is around her. She finally acts like her old self.”

“I think she’s just happy because Taeyeon isn’t here to shove her relationship with Seohyun in her face,” Byulyi expressed her more realistic opinion on the matter.

Although she wished her friend would just get over her break-up with their captain, she was not sure whether getting involved with another teammate was such a great idea. It would only further complicate things, creating more chaos and drama.

“I am with Byul on this one,” Mina said, exchanging with the striker an acknowledging nod. They both became Sooyoung’s closest friends after the girl had come back from her loan to rejoin the team.

Wendy seemed to ponder on their words for a second. “I guess, you’re right,” she conceded with a shrug and picked up her book.

“Choi Sooyoung, keep your hands off me!” Tiffany shrieked and crouched behind Byulyi’s lounger to hide from the unrelenting goalkeeper. “Byul, tell her to stop bullying me,” she whined, pouting childishly.

Sooyoung approached them, cackling like a cartoon villain. Byulyi decided to curb a little her nefarious attempts, at the same time, trying to check whether Wendy’s earlier observation was indeed groundless.

“You know, Mina told me that my flirting skills are greasy, but I think that’s better than the kindergarten methods used by you,” she teased, flashing her friend a devious smirk.

Sooyoung’s eyebrows furrowed in indignation. “Oh really? Maybe I should just change the target then, huh?” She questioned as her expression smoothened and her smirk rivaled that of Byulyi’s.  

The striker was on the verge of retorting when Sooyoung lunged at her like a viper in attack, effortlessly lifting her from the lounger, and without a warning, threw her into the pool. A shrill yelp escaped Byulyi’s mouth as her body collided with the cold water. Seconds later, she emerged from the pool, looking daggers at her howling with laughter friend.

“You’re so dead,” she muttered darkly and ran her palm over her face, but in that split second when she had her eyes covered, Sooyoung fell into the pool next to her, splashing water all over the place and making Byulyi’s attempts at drying her face pointless.

“Take that Choi Sooyoung!” Tiffany beamed in triumph, which did not last long, since Dahyun tackled her from behind, and they both fell into the water. “Yah! Could you give me a break! Seriously!” She ranted, splashing water at everyone around her.

Byulyi’s anger forgotten as she guffawed at her teammate’s tirade. And to think that Jackson wanted her to leave this bunch of idiots. No way in hell! She never had this much fun in her life and she never felt more at home than while being with them. Well, maybe with one exception, but that was in the past, no longer relevant…    

Once the evening came, and the sun sank over the horizon, Wendy suggested they should make a bonfire. Since no one really felt like returning to the house yet as the weather was still nice if just a bit chilly, the proposition was met with enthusiastic approval. Each of them was delegated to a different task and soon enough they gathered around the flame, drinking beer and roasting marshmallows.

“So what do you guys think about our new national team?” Dahyun asked as she plopped on the grass next to Byulyi and Sooyoung, passing them two cans of beer.

Sooyoung gave a lazy shrug. “I don’t care about who is in the team as long as we win,” she said flatly and took a swig of her beer.

“What about you Byul? Betch you can’t wait to meet your sweetheart,” Dahyun sniggered and bumped Byulyi’s shoulder, almost spilling her beer.

Byulyi’s nose scrunched up as she chuckled at the term of endearment. Somehow she imagined Yongsun’s reaction after being called a sweetheart by her - the puffy cheeks, flared nostrils and the euphemistic curses thrown at her in affront. The conjured image was so damn cute and hilarious that it made her jerk her head back in laughter as though she had just heard the funniest joke ever.

“Oi, Blondie, you may want to ease up on that beer,” Sooyoung said, but Byulyi found it hard to take her seriously as her voice already had that drunken lilt to it.    

“I think it’s going to be interesting,” she finally answered Dahyun’s question, wiping tears from her eyes.

“That’s for sure,” Dahyun agreed and reached for another can. “Wanna bet that the first match will end with someone storming off from the locker room?” She said, offering her open palm for anyone to shake. She quickly retracted it though as Sooyoung fixed her with a glare. The goalkeeper must have assumed that the bet’s scenario included her and Taeyeon as the potential winning conditions.

Fortunately for Dahyun, Mina had shown up just in time to save her from the awkward situation. “Dubu,” she cooed sweetly as she knelt in front of the girl. “Could you show us your victory dance.”

“Sure,” Dahyun beamed at her. “Hold my beer Byul.” She stood up, wobbling for a second before regaining her balance. Mina held her up and led her towards Wendy and Tiffany.

Byulyi was not sure whether it was a good idea for Dahyun to perform her infamous victory dance, which she always danced after scoring a goal, while being intoxicated, but before she was able to voice out her concerns (her reflexes were a bit dulled already), the girl bent in half and began flapping her hands up and down like a… like a… drunk eagle?

Byulyi almost choked on her beer as she snorted with laughter which died the moment she noticed that Sooyoung’s scowl was still firm on her face.

“Oh come on, cut her some slack, she was just joking,” she coaxed, nudging Sooyoung with her elbow. “Do you really think she considered you and Taeyeon in that bet? I mean, you already play in the same team, and I’ve never seen any of you storming out of the locker room.”

“Let’s just say the national team is a whole different story for Taeyeon,” Sooyoung said, crushing the can in her hand and tossing it aside.

Byulyi rolled her eyes at her overdramatic friend, speaking in riddles. She was too damn buzzed to try and makes sense out of her words.

“Why didn’t you just stay in Japan?” The question was out of before she could reconsider it.

She did not want to sound harsh; she was just genuinely curious. She still remembered that faithful night when they met up for a Game of Thrones marathon at Mina’s place. Of course, it would not be a proper marathon without a drinking game. The rules were simple: take a shot whenever someone dies or is shown ; needless to say, they did not made it past the fifth episode.

When they gave up, they began talking, and at some point, Sooyoung confessed to them, in a drunken slur with pauses for hiccups and sobs, that Taeyeon broke up with her because she was against her departure for Japan. But that was not the worst part of it. After Sooyoung came back, she found out that Taeyeon had been dating her cousin, Seohyun, for several months already, yet no one from her friends deigned to tell her about it beforehand.

She had mostly forgiven her teammates now, understating they had no ill intentions, just did not want her to worry about things that were beyond her reach anyway. As for Taeyeon, that was the part which confused Byulyi the most. For some unbeknownst to Byulyi reason, because really, who in their right mind would want such a control-freak girlfriend, Sooyoung still had some feelings for the captain, but what she was planning to do with them was a mystery to everyone.

Byulyi observed the goalkeeper as she was staring absently at the orange flames, munching on a marshmallow.

“That would be easy, wouldn’t it?” She spoke up in a detached voice after what seemed like forever. “But I’m not a fan of easy solutions.”

Byulyi pondered on her answer. Easy, huh…?

“Does that mean you’ll try to win her back?” 

“I haven’t decided yet.” She threw some sticks into the fire and watched them as they burnt, feeding the flames. The silence lingered between them again. Byulyi did not want to pry any further as the topic of Taeyeon was visibly souring Sooyoung’s mood. She sipped her beer realizing after a while that it was actually Dahyun’s, but since the girl was still caught up in some shenanigans with Tiffany, Wendy and Mina, she assumed the striker would not mind anyway.

“What about you?” Sooyoung’s voice caught her off guard. She looked at her, waiting for a follow-up question. “When are you going to tell us the real reason why you left the States?”

Byulyi averted her gaze, a corner of her lips lifting in a crooked smile. “There’s nothing to talk about,” she muttered, standing up from the ground and brushing the dirt off her hands. “I’ll be going. I’m kinda sleepy.” She dug her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, and when Sooyoung said nothing to her statement, she turned around an walked way.

Just like she did over a year ago…

~~~

With a ball tucked under her arm and a bag slung over her shoulder, Yongsun snuck out from Hyejin’s house early in the morning and jogged to the nearby soccer stadium where she practiced her free kicks. She had been doing that every morning since their arrival. It was a type of a therapy for her. The trainings cleared her mind from all the unnecessary thoughts that kept on nagging her in the late hours after everyone went to sleep, tired from all the playing and fooling around done during the day. The drama around the incident seemed to mostyl die down, at least on the part of general public who ahd found new scandals to get exicted about. However, Yongsun was well aware that in order to regain supporters' trust she needed to be in her best shape for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Drops of sweat trickled down her temples as she kicked the ball and sent it flying way over the goal’s crossbar. She grimaced, wiping her forehead.

“I don’t know if you are aware, but a break means that we actually take some rest from playing soccer.” A familiar voice teased, growing in its intensity with each word.

Yongsun eyes drifted to its source and she saw Joohyun coming her way, wearing a pair of training shorts and a jersey, her long hair tied up in a ponytail. 

“Joohyun…,” she mumbled, perplexed to see her friend. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question. It’s eight in the morning and yet, here you are, up and kicking.” Joohyun grinned at her, giving her a knowing look.

Yongsun diverted her gaze to the grass under their feet because that smile was just too darn blinding. “I just like to start my day with some exercises,” she said and went to retrieve a water bottle from her bag.

Joohyun glanced behind her shoulder at her. “Fair enough. Mind if I join you?”

Yongsun shook her head, trying to contain her inner giddiness. It had been a while since she had a chance to train with Joohyun alone.

“How about some quick one on one then, hm?”

Yongsun almost sputtered her water, heat crawling up her neck as her mind conjured various ‘one-on-one’ scenarios, none of which included playing soccer. “S-sure,” she stammered.

Gawd, I’m acting like a total love-struck, idiot. She poured the remaining water over her head to cool herself down and trotted toward Joohyun, who had managed to run for the ball and put it in the middle of the pitch while she was busy having her melt down.

“The first to score a goal, wins,” Joohyun stated the rules, flashing her a challenging smirk.

Yongsun nodded wordlessly to avoid tripping over the letters again.

“Three, two, one!” Joohyun counted down.

They ran toward their respective goals and after touching the posts, they sprinted back to the ball. Joohyun was seconds faster; in one fluid motion, she swung her feet ready to kick the ball, making Yongsun think she wanted to pass her on her right side, but only stepped over it, then took it in the opposite direction with the outside of her foot, passing her on the left.

Yongsun spun around and chased after her teammate, angry that she fell for such a simple trick. Once she caught up, she tried to attack from the side, but Joohyun kicked the ball further and jumped over her stretched leg. Her friend was already in the penalty area when she kicked the ball aiming for the goal. However, Yongsun managed to block the shot with her body. The ball bounced from her to the side and she dashed to it, kicking it further from her goal. They exchanged determined glances as they raced to it.

Once again, Joohyun was faster, but only because she made a well-aimed slide, sending the ball over the touchline the moment Yongsun was about to kick it. She was actually glad for that since it allowed her to take a breather while Joohyun retrieved the ball for her and put it on the spot where it crossed the touchline.  

Yongsun stood in front of the ball, eyeing her opponent and trying not to become mesmerized by her beauty. Thank God we aren’t playing in opposite teams, a fleeting thought crossed her mind before she resumed the game, leading the ball along the touchline at full speed. When Joohyun made an attempt to whisk it away, Yongsun tapped the ball and rolled it to her other foot while spinning and changing the direction. She charged straight at the goal but as she neared the penalty area Joohyun reappeared next to her, preventing her from shooting at the goal.

Their taunt bodies pressing against each other in another scuffle for the ball. As much as she enjoyed the contact, Yongsun knew she needed space to make another shot. She feigned a kick and when Joohyun reached to block it, she dragged the ball behind her support leg to change the direction. Not wasting her time, she kicked it and it fell right into the net.

She raised her hands in a silent gesture of triumph before falling onto her knees then lying down on the grass. She was dead tired from all the running.

“Nice shot.” Joohyun’s grinning face appeared above her.

“Thanks,” Yongsun said sheepishly and sat up when Joohyun plopped next to her.

“Guess, I’ll have to put even more effort into training to finally beat you. That roulette was pretty sick,” she complimented and punched Yongsun’s arm lightly.

“Well, I have to live up to my nickname, don’t I?” Yongsun quipped, making her friend chuckle.

They settled into a comfortable silence that did not last long though, interrupted by Joohyun’s question, “Can I ask you something?” She rubbed her lips together in a nervous manner.

Yongsun had to avert her gaze no to become hypnotized by that slow movement. “Yeah,” she replied, plucking a few grass blades.

“Do you think I have a chance with Seulgi?”  

Yongsun stopped her idle action, feeling for a moment as though she got hit in the stomach with a ball. Colors drained from her face and she gulped in a deep breath. Why the universe had to hate her so much to put her into such situation?

“Sorry, I kinda assumed you guessed that I had feelings for her as I’m not the subtlest person in the world, but it seems I surprised you.” Joohyun chuckled awkwardly.

Yongsun closed her eyes for a brief second. Please, tell this is some bad joke. But it was not; her crush was really seeking advice from her, regarding her crush that happened to be her best friend. To top it all, she was accusing her of obliviousness while in fact, she was the clueless one. Hello! I’m pretty sure the title of the least subtle person belongs to me. She had no idea what to say so she decided to play dumb.

“No, I’m sorry. I’m your friend, I should figure it out,” she mumbled, glancing briefly at her friend.

Joohyun was smiling, but it was a rather somber smile; the one that says it’s okay when really it isn’t.

“Anyway,” Yongsun continued. “You know how Seulgi is…” she trailed off, trusting Joohyun knew what she meant by that.

“I just think she hadn’t met the right person, you know?”

“Why do you like her so much?” Yongsun blurted before she could bite the words back, wincing internally at her accusing tone.

However, Joohyun did not seem to catch it as her lips quirked up in a timid smile. “She’s just so… free. I wish I would had it in me; this kind of confidence and bravery when you aren’t afraid to speak your mind, approach people, or simply try new things.”

The more Yongsun listened to her, the more she realized that she did not know her friend as well as she thought she had. She was certain that Joohyun was impressed by the qualities she herself possessed and that she did not have any insecurities while the truth turned out to be quite the opposite. She had to repaint the picture of her in her mind.   

“I know it’s stupid but could you like…” Joohyun paused, hesitating as her cheeks covered with red hue. “Try to find out what she thinks of me and mention a few good things about me,” she mumbled, the last part almost inaudible.  

Yongsun’s chest constricted painfully. As much as she wanted to say no, she just could not. She could not crush her friend’s heart like that, even if her own feelings had just been trampled, and though unwittingly, it hurt just as much or even worse.      

“Of course I can,” she answered, forcing a smile.

“Thanks! I knew I could count on you.” Grinning from elation, Joonhyun threw her arms around Yongsun’s neck.

Yongsun's prickled with unshed tears. She pulled away from her friend, avoiding her gaze and run for her ball. Once she got it, she went to retrieve her bag.

“The last one at home cooks the dinner!” She yelled before throwing herself into a mad dash.

She did not know whether Joohyun followed her, but frankly, she did not care, she just had to get away from the girl. Once she reached Hyejin's house, she burst through the door like a hurricane, dropping her stuff in the corridor before fleeing to the bathroom. She locked the door and sagged against them as tears began streaming down her faces.

Moments later, a quiet knock was heard. “Is everything okay, Yongie?” Wheein’s voice was so thick with concern that Yongsun almost felt it seeping in through the doors. 

She washed her face above the sink and calmed herself down before replying. “I’m fine. I’ll just take a shower.”     

 “Oh, okay, I thought you were in such rush because you heard the news…”   

Yongsun’s eyebrows bunching together as she wiped her face with a towel. “What news?” 

“The coach called us in the morning, we’re a set to play a friendly match in Vietnam on Monday.”

“Monday? But that’s like in three days,” Yongsun muttered under her breath, squeezing the towel in her hands. 

Screw the shower, she needed a long, hot bath.

TBC

A/N: I'm doing my best to write the soccer scenes as clear as possible, at the same time trying to write them as dynamic and interesting. However, if someone still cannot imagine what the hell they are actuallydoing, here are the links to the videos that show the tricks Joohyun and Yongsun perfromed in this chapter: in order of apperance Rivelino, Roulette (performed by Zinedine Zidane ;) ), Cruyff turn. Thank you for all the subscriptions and don't be afraid to leave comments! I love to read what you guys think about the story :D