The end of June is getting closer and they need to start practicing if Eunji is going to get ready for the fall season. They compare schedules and decide that they can start after lunch and work until dinnertime, except on the days when Bomi has her dance practices. Eunji will be in charge of gathering supplies and Bomi has to compile a list of possible exercises.

Bomi shows up at Eunji’s and her mother lets her in, hugging her like she hadn't seen her in years.

Eunji approves of her plan to start out with a brisk jog in order to loosen the muscles and improve stamina. The singer also approves of her suggestion for stretching and using free weights to increase muscle mass. She does not approve of doing nothing but running drills.

"You're going to have to learn how to throw. I'm a receiver and I need to practice catching. I need to practice defense too, but we can't do tackling. We can do two hand touch or something."

Bomi nods warily. Though she had told Eunji she would learn to play in order to help her, but she’s unsure if she could actually play American football.

That night, Bomi texts Chorong.

Bomi: Today was a good day. Eunji and I have decided to play football. Wish me luck. Have beautiful dreams Rongie :).

The first practice was disastrous. Eunji was strong but she wasn't as in shape as they thought she was. Bomi couldn't throw a football to save her life. The crude obstacle course they set up in the old park to test Eunji's agility turned out to be a little more dangerous than they anticipated.

The second wasn't much better. Bomi still couldn't throw, Eunji was still a little out of shape, and the course was still dangerous. Even more so when Bomi ran after her to simulate a defender. She was fast, too fast, and she ended up dodging a board and tripping over her feet and crashing into Eunji. They both had scraped knees and elbows. Her mom was gracious enough, for once, and didn't say anything as he bandaged them up.

Things went a little better in the third practice and Bomi's throwing had improved (barely) but she was still disappointed with herself. She tells her parents so at dinner.

"It's going to take time, dear." El says.

"I know. I just wish I could do better with the throwing. Eunji knows how to throw, but she's no quarterback and she doesn't know enough to teach me well."

Doojoon quirks his eyebrow, "You know, Bomi, I was the quarterback for my high school team."

Bomi beams excitedly.

After dinner Doojoon finds an old football in the attic and they are out in the backyard to play catch. He shows her how to properly hold the football, fingers between the laces, and how to stand solidly. He teaches her to catch too, to pull the ball into her body and cradle it like a baby. Somehow, with her dad’s patient voice telling her what to do and his strong hands showing her how to move, she learns much faster.

By the end of the night, Bomi is able to throw the ball wherever she wants.

Eunji is pretty impressed, Bomi can tell. Things start to go a lot better.

Seven practices in and Bomi is enjoying herself and Eunji seems happier. Genuine laughs and full blown smiles. The sadness is, of course, still there but Eunji hasn't gone back to the fight club.

Everything goes smoothly until their 10th practice when they show up at the park only to find it occupied with a bulldozer and a construction crew. They exchange heated words with the foreman and Bomi has to drag Eunji away. After a brief discussion, they decide to relocate to the park near Eunji’s.

Their first practice at the new park goes well. With so much more space to run, they discover that Bomi is an excellent runner. If Eunji gives her enough room, she can blow past her and Bomi is extremely agile.

The longer they practice, the better they get, and the easier it becomes for Bomi to get Eunji.

"That doesn't really count!" Eunji gasps, bent over with her hands on her knees.

Bomi's chest is heaving and she stands with her hands on her hips, her head tilted towards the sky.

"Why not? My two hands touched you."

"If we were really playing, you'd have to tackle me, and we both know you hit like a girl."

"We can't tackle Eunji-ah. We don't have any padding."

Eunji nods. "I was just saying."

Eunji keeps "just saying" and it starts to irk Bomi that she wasn't admitting to her superior skills. So, during their 8th practice at the park near Eunji’s, Bomi flares up.

She doesn’t even mean to do it. When the singer zagges right and, instead of zagging with her, the dancer lunges. Their bodies collide painfully with enough momentum that when they hit the ground they slide for a couple of feet.

"Holy , Bomi-ah, are you trying to kill me?!" Eunji complains.

"I got you." The auburn-haired girl wears a pleased smirk.

She sits up slowly and the shorter girl follows suit. Bomi is pretty sure her elbow is bleeding but she can’t tell through the grass plastered against her. Her knee is angry looking.

Eunji is amused. "What did you say?"

"I got you. You said I didn't really get you until I tackled you."

Eunji laughs heartedly shaking her head. "You're crazy." She turns toward Bomi with a bright smile. "That was fun."

Bomi grins. "I know, right? I wish we had equipment."

Eunji agrees and then winces a little.

"First aid?"

"First aid."

Eunji gets up and offers Bomi her hand, pulling her up too. They are about to walk to Eunji's truck when a voice makes them stop in their tracks.

"Bomi? Eunji? What the hell?"

Bomi's heart starts thundering in her chest. The dancer turns around and sees Chorong looking at her. Worry, anger, and confusion flash across those deep brown eyes and Bomi tries to remember to how to swallow.

Chorong has obviously come to the park for a run- it seems she’s still avoiding her running machine- because she’s wearing running shoes, short shorts, and a sweatshirt. Bomi tries not to stare and gape at the black-haired girl. She looks prettier than in her memories.

She’s so busy not looking that she hadn't noticed Chorong is stomping over until Eunji nudges her. Eunji looks terrified.

Chorong stops in front of them, hands firmly on her hips. She glowers at Eunji and only slightly less at Bomi.

"What happened?" She signals towards Bomi with her head.

Eunji keeps mum and the dancer has to speak up. "He- hello, Rong. We've got to stop meeting like this." She smiles weakly.

Chorong is not amused. "You're bleeding, Bomi."

"Oh, yeah.” Bomi gulps. “Eunji and I were playing football and I tackled her. We hit the ground a little harder than I’ve thought."

Chorong's gaze seems to soften a little bit but she still isn’t pleased.

Bomi wants to reach out and smooth her frown away. Her hand twitches and Chorong's gaze follows the movement. Her frown intensifies.

"You're bleeding, Bomi." The black-haired girl repeats.

Bomi has a line of blood from her elbow to her wrist.

"Oh."

Eunji clears , "We were on our way to my truck for the first aid kit."

"Let's go then."

Bomi is surprised when Chorong follows them to the truck but she’s astonished when, after Eunji pops open the tailgate and Bomi hops onto it, Chorong scowls at the singer, grabbing the first aid kit and slapping Bomi's hands away when she tries to get out some supplies.

The auburn-haired girl shivers the moment Chorong lightly takes her wrist and begins wiping away the blood and grass.

"This is going to hurt a little bit, but you deserve it for being stupid enough to play tackle football with Eunji."

Bomi huffs. "She's hurt just as bad as I am.”

The girl remains silent as she quietly observes the black-haired girl working on her wounds. Bomi isn’t really aware of being staring hungrily at Chorong's lips until Eunji coughs and she looks up to see the singer winking mockingly at her. She tries not to blush.

Chorong works intently and is being, oh, so tender. Bomi can’t help but to feel nervous and giddy.

The black-haired girl finishes her elbow and begins on her knee. It isn’t bleeding but it is definitely scraped raw. Bomi hopes the girl doesn’t notice the way her breath skips when her fingers brushes against her skin.

"I thought I told you not to get injured again." Her voice is pouring with care.

"I did as you said! You told me not to make getting into fights a habit. Eunji and I haven't fought since then."

Chorong gets very still but Bomi doesn’t realize she'd said something wrong until she hears Eunji swear and Chorong gazes up from her knee. Her eyes are pure fire.

"What did you just say?"

Bomi gulps and laughs awkwardly.

"Did you just say "since then" indicating that Eunji was the one who had you walking around looking like a piece of butchered meat?"

Bomi glances up at Eunji. Eunji starts to back away slowly.

No one is uttering a word.

"Bbom-ah" Chorong whispers, staring at her eyes and Bomi can’t stand it anymore. Much less with that quiet ‘Bbom-ah’.

"But I beat her up too! You should have seen her!" The dancer blurts.

Chorong snarls and spins around, lunging for Eunji. The singer tries to run for her life, but an angry Park Chorong appears to have supersonic speed and smacks her hard, grabbing her ear and yanking the singer to her level.

"You…you…"

Bomi slides off the tailgate alarmed and puts her hands on Chorong's shoulders, "Rong!"

"If you ever hit her again I swear to God they will never find the body, Eunji-ah." Chorong says, her eyes never leaving Eunji's.

Eunji hisses in pain, "Jesus, Rongstler. We were sparring. Bomi's a freakin ninja!"

"I don't care if she's goddamned Bruce Lee, you’re way stronger than her and you’ll hurt her bad!”

Bomi makes a face. She should take offence for that, and actually, is taking offence. She’s not that weak and Eunji is not that strong.

Eunji gulps and nods furiously, causing Chorong to release her. She spins back towards Bomi and the auburn-haired girl stumbles backwards into the tailgate. Chorong has her trapped.

"And you, how dare you let her do that to you? I don't care how tough you think you are or what weird friendship you two have. You're delicate, Bomi. Eunji could snap you in half."

"Actually—"

Chorong leans closer, cutting her remark. “I don't want to hear it. Promise you won't do that again. Promise!" Her eyes are angry, concerned and desperate. She needs Bomi to promise her and so Bomi does.

"I promise, Chorong."

Chorong nods once and takes a step backwards so she could look between the two of them. She jabs her finger at them.

"If I see one scratch on you both and I find out that it was because the two of you were fighting or playing football or doing something dumb, it's not going to be pretty."

They bob their heads vigorously and she breathes deeply before walking swiftly away from them. When she gets back to the park, Chorong breaks into a jog as if she had never been interrupted.

Bomi stares at her until she disappears.

"What just happened?”

Eunji blinks. "Other than the fact that I just got slapped by Rongmama, I have no idea."

The girls stand still for a couple of seconds.

"I think we're going to have to find a new place to practice."

Eunji agrees. "And we're going to need protection."

When two days were up, Bomi turns up at Eunji's house more than a little frustrated. Eunji’s mom is there again and once again she places Bomi in Eunji's room with a kiss, some Jayone Chicken Macho Spicy Bulgogi, and juice boxes.

Bomi notes that Eunji doesn’t look any less frustrated than she is.

The other girl speaks first. "I checked the sports shops, thrift stores, I even stopped at some old lady's yard sale. No good equipment anywhere, unless we wanted to shell out a load of cash."

Bomi frowns. "Even if we would have the pads it wouldn't matter. I couldn't find any place at all. The only other place I could think of was the school, but I really don't think that's really any option."

Eunji chews a cracker and takes a sip of her juice. "I thought of that too. I could totally pick the lock to the storage shed and we could use all of that equipment.”

The auburn-haired girl fidgets with the hem of her shirt. "This ."

"No . Damn Rongmama."

"I know. I mean, it feels very nice to know she still cares about me that much, but that was crazy."

Eunji turns toward her, a thoughtful look on her face. "You know, I've been thinking about it and it's kind of like she's your girlfriend already. She seems more like it now than when you two were together."

Bomi almost chokes on her juice and asks hopefully. "Do you think so?"

"Seriously, think about it. You text her like clockwork every day, you apparently have to tell her what you're doing and who you're with or she es about it, she's insanely protective of you and she thinks she can tell you what to do. If that's not how a girlfriend acts, then my name isn't Jung Eunji."

Bomi slaps her arm laughing. "Don't be an , Eunji-ah."

"I'm just saying."

Bomi rolls her eyes but she can’t help but agree with the singer.

Eunji’s laugh fades slowly, deep into her thoughts. Her eyes are the saddest Bomi had seen them in a while.

"Bomi, we've got to think of something. I still need this. We’re two reasonable smart and good looking badass girls, we can do anything, right?"

Bomi swallows thickly, she has the hunch that Eunji is trying her best to get rid of any remaining and unwanted feelings for Chorong so she can be a good friend, on top of trying not to hate her dad and be a good daughter and sister.

She has to help Eunji, at least finding a place for her friend to vent all of her distress.

Bomi her lips, "I might have an idea. My aunt is the coach for the cheerleaders at school. I have tried not to break her trust in me but… I can make a key duplicate when she’s out and we can practice at the football yard."

“Will you be able to pull it off?” Eunji is impressed.

"I don't know. But it's worth it to try."

They eat their snacks in silence.

Autthor's note: Hi guys! How are you?

I think, this story has like 8 chapters more to go and ends its run. And do not fret, Chorong is going to start appearing so much more in all of them. Is time. :3