Important terms to keep in mind:

USWNT: United States Women’s National Team

KORWNT: Korean Women’s National Team

Anything else that ends in WNT: refers to a certain country’s Women’s National Team

NWSL: National Women’s Soccer League, refers to the overall league of club soccer, based in the United States. Players come from all over the world to play here, but international players return to their National Teams to represent their countries (i.e. Joy plays for a club team in the NWSL like Irene does, but instead of playing for the USWNT, she plays for the KORWNT)

--

Seulgi’s not even the first one who spots her— it’s actually Joy, who spies her out the corner of her eye. Suddenly Seulgi’s hearing a breathless gasp from beside her and admittedly, not many things can get Joy to gasp, so the small sound is more than enough to get Seulgi to lower her prized camera and spin around to try to get a glimpse of what’s got Joy so uncharacteristically stunned.

She’s not left guessing for long.

“Holy ,” Seulgi whispers, and the soccer ball tucked under her arm slips, bouncing away. Joy yelps and quickly chases after it, but Seulgi is left starstruck. “It’s Bae Irene.”

They’re at the Eiffel Tower, for Christ’s sake! The Eiffel Tower, in France. And yet in some way, somehow Bae Irene manages to steal all their attention in a goddamn heartbeat. The other girl isn’t even trying— Seulgi’s got half the mind to realize that Irene’s probably just trying to get a selfie with the famous landmark like any other tourist. The only difference is that Irene’s an internationally-renowned soccer player, and she’s got double the visuals of Aphrodite herself.

“Bae Irene is here?” Jinsoul squeaks from Seulgi’s left, and there’s nothing Seulgi can do but nod slowly, still not quite sure she’s not dreaming, that this isn’t just the World Cup adrenaline finally getting to her head and doing some strange things.

“Of course she’s here! She’s on the U.S. National Team, and they’re ranked first internationally! Of course she’s here with her team for the World Cup— Oh, that’s right,” Joy says, her voice washing over Seulgi like a bucket of ice, a wake-up call.

Joy’s addressing Jinsoul, the newest member of the team, but Seulgi still shakes her head and tries to look more like she’s paying Joy attention, and less like one of Bae Irene’s many, many awed onlookers.

“You still haven’t played against the United States yet, right Jinsoul? The last time we faced them was…” Joy furrows her brow, looks over at Seulgi. “A little over a year ago? During that friendly match.”

“Sounds right to me,” Seulgi shrugs in some vague attempt at nonchalance, but not before casting another attentive look at where a few other members of the American team were mingling and were chattering animatedly to themselves.

Jinsoul ducks her head shyly. “I hadn’t been called up to the team yet. My first call up to the National Team was only eight months ago.” She bites her lip and gazes almost longingly over her shoulder. “This is the first time I’ve seen the U.S. team up close.”

It’s a strange feeling, and Seulgi temporarily wonders if this is what it’s like to see your favorite idol out on the street, but she can hardly blame Jinsoul. There’s just something about the members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and the aura that they carry— something legendary, something that screams that they have soccer coursing through their veins.

And it only seems natural that the player to capture Seulgi’s apt attention would be Bae Irene, arguably the most captivating face of soccer worldwide. Born in Korea, yet raised entirely in the United States, Irene had rose to fame during the 2015 World Cup, when she had scored three times in one game to receive a hat trick in the final round of the United States versus Japan.

This isn’t Seulgi’s first time seeing Irene in person, not at all. Having been a member of the Korean Women’s National Team for nearly the past four years, Seulgi’s been on the opposing side of the U.S. team on a few occasions prior. Still, it’s not like she’s ever actually spoken to Irene, let been in Irene’s vicinity outside the soccer pitch.

“She’s so pretty,” Seulgi sighs, deciding to forgo her previously unbothered appearance. “Like, so pretty it’s unfair— does she want me to stop breathing?”

“Wow, you’re really in deep. It’s almost endearing, how big of a fan you are,” Joy marvels, laughing. She plucks Seulgi’s camera out of her hand, ignoring the indignant squeak of hey, be careful! and shoves the soccer ball she’d retrieved back into Seulgi’s arms. “Hey, stand over there and do a trick. I’ll get a video of you with Irene in the background.”

“Joy, no, that’s creepy!” Seulgi groans, lunging forward in an attempt to grab her camera back, only to grumble under her breath when Joy holds it out of reach. Jinsoul laughs to the side as Seulgi crosses her arms. “Y’know, when I asked you guys to come film with me, this is not what I meant.”

“Oh, calm down,” Joy waves her off with a flick of her hand, smirking “We’ll get plenty of footage for your new video, isn’t that right, Jinsoul?”

Jinsoul nods eagerly, giggling. “And if not, you can always just fall back on your career as a world-renowned soccer star.”

“See?” Joy motions blatantly at their youngest player. “Jinsoul holds all the brain cells.”

Seulgi merely laughs, rolling her eyes playfully. “You guys are crazy.” She throws another look over her shoulder, over to where Irene had been previously standing, only to be slightly disappointed to find the spot vacant. “Oh, looks like she left.”

“A shame,” Joy sighs, shaking her head. “You should’ve asked her to do trickshots with you. Now that would’ve been a great video. You’ve already got a ball and everything.”

“Joy, she was wearing a skirt and sandals.”

“What’s your point?”

“I wasn’t about to ask Bae Irene to do trickshots with me in a skirt and sandals—”

“You weren’t about to talk to her, period!”

“Well, at least I have some—”

“Uh, guys?” Jinsoul’s stunned voice cuts in through their argument. The two Korean soccer players immediately halt in place, Joy halfway through a threat to smash Seulgi’s camera, Seulgi mere seconds away from throwing the ball at Joy’s head. “We have company.”

“Hey there!” A friendly, foreign voice greets the three young women happily. “You guys are from the KORWNT, right?”

Seulgi’s eyes go wide, and she exchanges similarly dumbstruck expressions with her teammates before she nods slowly, tucking her soccer ball securely under her right arm.

“Y-yeah,” she replies, her brain already shifting gears into English. A shy grin grows across her face, and she holds her chin up that much higher. “That’s us.”

--

Irene walks into her hotel room only to immediately break out in a leye roll. It’s very much Irene’s and her roommate’s room, but she’s greeted to the sight of Olivia Son, the youngest member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, eighteen-year-old legend, already lounging atop Irene’s bed.

With her shoes kicked off on the floor, phone in her hands, and looking very much like she owns the place, Olivia and her engrossed features almost make Irene want to laugh.

She holds it in.

“Son Hyejoo,” Irene scolds in Korean instead, her tone taking on that of a reprimanding mother's as she pulls out the younger Korean-American’s full name. “How did you get in here?"

“Christen let me in earlier,” Olivia replies in their native tongue with a hum, looking up from whatever she’d been watching from her phone. She gestures to the bathroom, where Irene registers the sound of running water shutting off, before the younger girl easily switches back to English. “I was bored so I came here.”

“You were bored?” Irene raises an incredulous eyebrow as she steps towards the hotel window. Grasping the edge of a drawn curtain, she dramatically pulls it back to reveal the perfect view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. “We’re in France, Oli! For the World Cup! How the hell are you bored?”

“Irene,” Olivia says sternly. She locks her phone, scooching forward to sit at the edge of the bed, near where Irene stands. “There’s only so much sight-seeing you can do in one day without needing a technology break.”

“I can’t believe Christen indulged you,” Irene chuckles. She flops down onto the bed next to the younger girl, Olivia letting out a yelp as one of Irene’s outstretched arms lands on her stomach. “Chris!” She calls in the general direction of the bathroom. “Christen Press, why’d you let the kid into our room?”

“You know she’s attached to you, Rene,” Christen laughs as she appears in the bathroom door frame, ringing her long, dark hair out into a towel. Clad in an oversized t-shirt and jeans, the U.S. forward makes her way across the hotel room, plopping down on the opposite bed across from her two other teammates. “As much as Baby Wolf doesn’t want to admit it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Olivia says immediately, already catching a glimpse of the smirk spreading across Irene’s face. The younger girl’s expression burns red, and she immediately pulls out her phone again, swiping through and trying to look busy as Irene and Christen snicker at the attempt.

“Has that favorite account of yours posted a new video on YouTube yet?” Irene asks casually.

As Olivia shakes her head, Christen casts a sly glance in Irene’s direction.

“Is this your subtle way of asking if a certain Korean Women's National Team rising star has posted anything new to her channel, Irene?” She asks teasingly, and Irene instantly bolts up.

“No, of course not!”

“Sure,” Christen smiles slyly. “If you weren’t asking about Kang Seulgi’s YouTube channel, then who?”

“I was talking about Olivia’s favorite gaming account!” Irene says defensively. “The one run by that girl… Stop-won…?”

Christen lets out a laugh at Irene’s obvious intention to change the subject, although she indulges her friend right away.

“I think it was more like Wait-won.”

“It’s Go Won,” Olivia exclaims in exasperation, just as the two older players burst into laughter. The youngest of the trio rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “Honestly, you’d think you two were younger than me… and if you must know, no, neither Seulgi nor Gowon have uploaded anything new.”

“Really?” Irene can’t help but be genuinely surprised. “I would’ve thought Seulgi would have posted something, given how she’s here in France for the World Cup as well. I mean, even our own members are out running around Paris, vlogging right now.”

“I’m pretty sure Alex, Kelley, and Tobin are going to become YouTubers after they retire,” Christen comments. Irene can only nod in agreement— what started out as ironic vlogging had recently taken on a life of its own. “Speaking of which, I wonder where…?”

The door to their hotel room bangs open, and Irene shrieks in shock. Without hesitation, she ducks behind an unsurprised and endlessly entertained Olivia, using the younger, yet taller girl as a human shield.

Meanwhile, Tobin Heath, arguably the United States’s best midfielder, strolls into the room without hesitation.

“Guys! Guess what— Oh, ,” Tobin scratches her head sheepishly as a withering glare immediately locks onto her as its newly acquired target. “I could’ve sworn I texted you that Christen gave me the spare room-key. Sorry, Rene, I forgot you get scared easily.”

“You’ve known me for how many years?” Irene demands, her grip tightening around Olivia’s shoulders. When Tobin shares an amused look with Christen and opens to reply, Irene just shakes her head.

“Don’t actually answer that.”

“Great,” Olivia chuckles as Irene slowly detaches herself. “So if Tobin had been like, a robber or something, I would’ve been the first one dead. Wonderful—”

“I met that Korean WNT player you guys love so much today,” Tobin says excitedly, cutting Olivia off. “Seulgi, right? Alex, Kel, and I met her while walking around the Eiffel Tower. Weren’t you there earlier?”

“What?” Irene raises a surprised eyebrow as Olivia’s jaw drops.

“Alex knows her since they played on the same club team a year or so ago. She was with a few other Korea Republic players, and she had a ball with her and stuff, so we did some trickshots together,” Tobin continues, much to everyone else’s surprise. “She filmed the entire thing too, said the vids were going to be posted on her channel in a day or so.”

“You met Kang Seulgi?” Olivia asks lowly.

“Yes?”

“Why didn’t you say anything?!” Irene’s voice joins Olivia’s now, and Irene almost can’t recognize it with how uncharacteristically offended it sounds. Whoa, she definitely wasn’t expecting that— yet somehow, she can’t help but feel like she’d missed out on some grand opportunity.

“I-I’m sorry?” Tobin sounds legitimately confused.

Meanwhile, Christen watches the entire exchange with shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Maybe Tobin shouldn’t have said anything after all.

--

Watch: TRICKSHOTS WITH LEGENDS! I GOT NUTMEGGED BY TOBIN HEATH?!

seulgom 786,239 views, posted 9 hours ago

Comments:

omfg I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME

Only seulgi, joy, and jinsoul’s friendship can rival alex, tobin, and kelley’s

it was so cute when Seulgi messed up her juggling the first time bc she was nervous about Tobin watching her uwu

Olivia Son is probably screaming rn haha her teammates met her idol before she did

now that seulgi's friends with 3 uswnt members, can she befriend irene bae too???

--

The days leading up to the actual tournament go by in a flash, and between hanging out with her teammates and training with the rest of the Korean National Team, Seulgi can hardly believe it when the opening ceremony is complete and suddenly the first and second days are over, the beginning matches of the group round already finished.

As she makes her way through the hotel that night, Seulgi finds herself getting restless already— her match isn't until tomorrow, the first of what will hopefully be the start of her World Cup career.

Joy and Jinsoul had failed in their attempt to get her to stop pacing around her hotel room, which had resulted in then calling their captain, Sohyun, from a few doors down, begging the captain to help calm Seulgi down.

"How about you meet up with Wendy?" Sohyun had suggested. "She won her first game today. Maybe she could tell you what a World Cup game is like?"

Wendy, of course, had been more than happy to meet up, and now Seulgi leisurely strolls through the hotel, on the way to find her friend.

She finds Wendy already on the balcony they'd discussed, and the shorter girl beams as Seulgi pushes through the glass door. She beckons for Seulgi to join her at the railing.

"How's your World Cup been so far, Kang Seulgi?" Wendy asks in lieu of greeting, a friendly smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She raises her hand up expectantly.

"Not nearly as hectic as yours has been, Son Seungwan," Seulgi chuckles, clasping her hand against Wendy's in a high-five that easily merges into a brief hug. "Congratulations to you and the rest of the Canadian team for winning your first game of the tournament, by the way. I was watching the entire thing with my teammates, and your defense was amazing like usual."

"Thanks!" Wendy says, beaming. She nudges Seulgi with her elbow, curling into a smirk. "And trust me, your World Cup will be plenty hectic after tomorrow."

"I can't even imagine!" Seulgi laughs breathlessly. A hand comes up to nervously run through her hair, pushing the strands out of her face before she forces herself to calm down, gripping the balcony railing tight. She stares out over Paris. "What's it like, Wan?"

"The game?"

"Yeah." Seulgi looks at her close friend. "What's it like to play in the World Cup?"

"Well, it's nothing like I've ever felt before, that's for sure," Wendy smiles softly. "I don't even remember being this nervous back when I first started playing for the Canadian National Team."

"What about when you started playing for Lyon?" Seulgi asks. She and Wendy met for the first time in 2017, when they'd both joined Olympique Lyonnais, the most successful club team of women's football in France, who took in players from all over the world. They'd remained with the team ever since, learning together, making new friends, picking up parts of new languages, and crafting an international friendship that would only be temporarily suspended whenever Korea and Canada faced each other on the soccer pitch.

"Not even comparable," Wendy grins. "Seul, it's exhilarating. There's really just something about the atmosphere. Like, yeah we've been playing on an international stage for a while now, but like, now? You just know there's that many more eyes on you than normal, and while it can be nerve-wracking, there are also that many more people cheering your name."

"That sounds amazing," Seulgi says quietly, and there's a new kind of determination coursing through her veins. She can't wait.

"It is." Wendy's smile turns dreamy. "There's nothing like it, and it only comes around every four years, so you gotta make it count."

--

Irene works out early the next morning, and while she’s always down for a good workout, she doesn’t know why she keeps on agreeing to these post-workout activities— she hates ice baths.

She outright shudders as she approaches the 8th minute of sitting in the ice-abundant tub. Despite fully knowing that soaking in freezing cold water is supposed to be good for the muscles, Irene’s never quite grown to like ice baths in the slightest. Across from her, Alex Morgan grumbles under her breath, and the moment the timer on Alex’s phone rings through dead air, both women let out visible sighs of relief.

“Thank god,” Irene groans, tipping her head back.

“I’ve never wanted to hear an alarm so bad,” Alex grumbles. Ice cubes clank on the sides of the tub as she pushes herself up.

“Ditto,” Irene sighs. “I don’t know how the veterans do it, I hate the cold. To think they’d do this after every game...”

"Hey, speaking of, are you watching the game today, Irene?" Alex asks over her shoulder. She wrings a cold towel out before resting it around her neck, stepping out of the ice bath and shivering. "South Korea's playing against Norway."

Irene tilts her head, feigning nonchalance as she figures it's probably time to get out of this freezing bath as well. She hoists herself out of the icy water.

"Probably. Why?"

"No reason," Alex sings, but Irene only frowns.

"Alex Morgan, what are you talking about," she demands.

"Nothing, nothing, I'm serious!" Alex laughs. She tosses a towel Irene's way, and the other forward easily catches it, wraps it around her waist. Irene looks down, fiddling with the edges, but she glances up just in time to catch Alex's cheeky wink.

"I read somewhere that Seulgi Kang is part of the starting line-up tomorrow though." Alex's grin is extremely teasing, and Irene groans. Getting teased by Alex Morgan is ten times worse than getting teased by anyone else. "She's on the starting line-up for her first World Cup, and rumor has it that she's gonna be playing the full 90 minutes."

Irene forces herself to calm herself, although she does feel her right eyebrow twitch in minor, loving annoyance.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"I just figured you should know," Alex sings. Irene winces— as amazing of a soccer player Alex is, and as much as Irene loves Alex dearly, she's not exactly the best singer. "I'm just saying! Since I'm friends with Seulgi from being Lyon teammates and all, I'd be more than happy to introduce you two, if you know what I mean—"

Alex winks again, and Irene feels her face burn red.

"What is up with you guys recently?" Irene grumbles, thoroughly embarrassed but somehow only stuttering slightly over her words. They make their way to the locker rooms, and Alex reaches the door first, holding it open for Irene to join her. "First Christen, and now you! Why's my nonexistent love life suddenly so interesting?"

"We just wanna see you happy, Rene," Alex says as she opens a locker, and truth be told, it almost stuns Irene with how genuine Alex sounds. She gapes blankly as Alex shrugs. "A lot of the girls are either dating or getting married—" Irene sees the glimmer of Alex's wedding band as she slightly older girl slides it onto her finger, "—and we just want you to feel that same happiness we're feeling too."

"I… I see," Irene murmurs.

Alex's smile is sheepish by the time she shuts the locker, having tugged on a clean shirt and sweatpants. "Sorry if we're being a bit too upfront with you. We're obviously not trying to force you into anything, but really, the offer is on the table. Seulgi is a great girl, after all."

"I…" Irene smiles gently, gratefully. "Thank you, Lex. I think I'm good for now, but…" A shrug of her own rolls off her shoulder, and Irene laughs. "Who knows? Maybe I'll take you up on that offer later in the tournament."

And maybe I should ease up a bit around Christen...

And Alex's grin is concerningly wide, but Irene decides that she can push that aside for a bit. Her teammates love and care about her, even with their rather eccentric ways of showing it, and she loves them all the more for it.

"Anytime, Rene."

--

The sun beats down on the field as Seulgi takes her position, cracking her knuckles in anticipation and shaking out the nerves. Adrenaline courses through her veins as the crowd around her roars in support— so many of their fans from South Korea had flown all the way to France to see them play.

Seulgi tosses a look over her shoulder, glancing over at her teammates, at their determination. She can’t let their fans down, and she certainly can’t let her teammates down.

Despite being towards the younger end of the team, she’s the center-midfielder, the playmaker, tasked with creating opportunities to give her team the upperhand. They’re counting on her.

She closes her eyes and vows to make them not regret putting their trust in her.

She’s only vaguely aware of the crowd around them now, taking yet another deep breath. There are nerves churning in her stomach, but also raw excitement. It’s the second day, and she finally gets to play.

Briefly, Seulgi wonders if this was the feeling Wendy was talking about last night.

She doesn’t have long to think though, because suddenly the whistle’s blowing, Seulgi’s eyes are snapping open, and then she’s off.

Ten minutes later, Seulgi’s left foot connects within the penalty box with a beautiful cross sent over by Jinsoul from the upper right corner, and then the soccer ball’s soaring through the air, well above the outstretched hands of the Norweigian goalkeeper.

The ball hits the back of the net, and the stadium erupts.

“Let’s go!” Joy screams from down the field, and Seulgi’s still doing her own fist pump in celebration when she’s immediately tackled into a hug by her fellow teammates.

Seulgi’s never heard a crowd scream this loud, but then again, she wonders if she hears it properly over the victorious shouts of sheer happiness from her teammates. She breaks free from where their team captain, Sohyun, has her in a friendly headlock and sprints instinctively to Jinsoul, a wide, wide grin on her face as she throws her arms around the younger blonde-haired player’s neck.

“A goal within the tenth minute thanks to you!” She shouts in Jinsoul’s ear.

Jinsoul tosses her head back and laughs jovially, playfully squeezing Seulgi tight before pushing her teammate away.

“What are you talking about? You were the one who scored!”

“Not without you,” Seulgi insists. She knows that Jinsoul's going to be written down as her assist, and she knows that Jinsoul’s too humble for her own good— she was once the same way. “Not without you.”

--

“Seulgi’s amazing,” Christen says, genuine admiration in her voice as she leans an arm against the railing. “Her runs are timed really well, and she’s really clean with her passes and dribbling.”

Irene hums in agreement, still focused on the South Korean team’s celebration going on, down on the pitch. She’s come to the stadium with Alex, Christen, and Olivia, to watch the South Korea versus Norway game in person. They’d run into Wendy Shon and Jessie Fleming, two members of the Canadian team, who had been watching from the top of the stadium as well. Upon the game’s conclusion, Alex and Wendy had happily slipped off to the locker rooms, intending on giving their congratulations to their Lyon teammate in person.

“Isn’t she?” There’s a note of pride laced underneath Olivia’s tone, and Irene can’t help but chuckle at the way Olivia stands up that much straighter at the mention of her idol. “Did you see Seulgi’s nutmeg earlier? That Norweigian defender didn’t even realize the ball went through her legs!”

Irene can hardly blame Olivia— she’s strangely proud of this South Korean player she’s never officially met before, and watching Seulgi in her element had been like viewing something of the arts. The game had finished without a hitch, South Korea winning against Norway 3 to 0, which Seulgi contributing to two of the three goals. She’d scored once with her left, non-dominant foot, and once with her head, heading the ball into the net off of a set-piece.

Not to mention, that nutmeg, where Seulgi had recovered from being cornered near the edge of the field only to slip the ball through a defender’s legs as a last-minute attempt at breaking free, had been a thing of beauty.

“I’m glad we’re not playing South Korea so early on,” Irene comments thoughtfully. She shifts her weight onto one foot, imagines herself standing across the field from Seulgi and the rest of the South Korean team. She’s friends with some of the South Korean players, but Seulgi isn’t one of them, not yet. “It would be a shame, I think.”

A sigh emerges from her right, and Irene turns to see Jessie with a contemplative crease of her forehead.

“Canada physically can only face South Korea in the finals,” the Canadian sighs again. “We’re in completely different blocks. I mean, we can only face the United States in the finals too.” A wry smile plays on Jessie’s lips. “I’m almost disappointed. South Korea’s gotten really good over these past few years, especially thanks to newer faces like Seulgi Kang, Jinsoul Jung, and Joy Park.”

“I’m so pumped to play them!” Olivia says, excitement twinkling in her dark brown eyes as she turns to face Irene. “Aren’t you, Joohyun-unnie?”

The sudden use of her Korean name next to the honorific makes Irene chuckle, but she nods her head nevertheless.

“I am, Hyejoo,” Irene giggles, bumping her shoulder against the younger girl’s. “Let’s make sure we make it out of the group rounds to face them, yeah?”

--

“The U.S. team is definitely making it out of the group rounds,” Joy states the following day, reclining back onto the hotel room bed. She tips her head up, motioning to the replay of the United States vs. Thailand game from earlier that day, currently playing on the TV screen. “They won 13 to 0! That’s insane!”

“Alex scored 5 times in one game,” Seulgi chuckles. She glances down at her phone, proofreading her tweet of congratulations to her fellow Lyon teammate before hitting send. “That’s pretty damn amazing.”

 

Seulgi @hi_sseulgi:

am i in awe of @alexmorgan13 why yes, yes i am!

4.2k Retweets 7.4k Likes

 

“Hey, Siri?” Joy asks loudly, and Seulgi snorts as Joy’s iPhone comes to life. “How do I become Alex Morgan?”

Both young women wait in hilariously tense silence.

“Close your eyes and dream really hard,” the mechanical voice chimes back, and Seulgi cracks up as Joy tips her head back, letting out a loud comical groan.

Meanwhile, Seulgi’s phone lights up, receiving a new notification.

 

Alex Morgan @alexmorgan13

@hi_sseulgi you’re too sweet! let’s play a pickup game here in france before i leave, for old times sake!

9.6k Retweets 15.7k Likes

Seulgi @hi_sseulgi

@alexmorgan13 it’s only been 2 years ahaha it hasn’t been ~that long since Lyon lol but i’ll definitely take you up on that pickup game!

4.5k Retweets 9.6k Likes

 

“Irene’s final goal to make it thirteen points was amazing though,” Seulgi hums, running her hand down the touch screen, scrolling down her Twitter timeline. Spotting a video of her from yesterday that Jinsoul had retweeted, Seulgi laughs, watching herself get tackled to the ground by her teammates yet again.

“Holy ?!” Joy suddenly exclaims, shooting straight up from where she’d been lying down. With wide eyes, she gapes at her phone before looking up and gaping at Seulgi. “I got a notification from Alex Morgan?”

 

Alex Morgan @alexmorgan13

@hi_sseulgi let’s do it! i call dibs on having @_imyour_joy on my team!

8.8k Retweets 10.3k Likes

 

“Oh my god,” Seulgi laughs, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Alex Morgan wants me on her team! I can die in peace now!” Joy gasps, clutching her phone to her chest before dramatically falling onto her side. “Seul, you gotta respond with a player you want from the USWNT too.”

“I-I do?” Seulgi falters, and she stares at her friend with wide eyes. “Should I just… no.” She ducks her head, suddenly bashful. “Can’t I just mention Wendy?”

“I mean, yeah, if you want,” Joy huffs, crossing her arms. “But that means you’re lame.”

“How does that mean I’m lame?! A CANWNT member isn’t lame!”

“Yeah, but you can’t mention the name of a single USWNT member?” Joy raises an eyebrow. “C’mon, Seulgi. It’s all in good fun! And I know a certain someone came to your mind.”

“I…” Seulgi blushes, hiding her reddening face behind her phone. “Fine.”

 

Seulgi @hi_sseulgi

@alexmorgan13 @_imyour_joy sounds good to me, so long as i get to have @baerene in my squad

15.6k Retweets 20.3k Likes

 

“There!” Joy cheers the moment the notification pops up on her screen, just as Seulgi groans and tosses her phone away onto her pillow. “Was that so hard?”

“Joy, if I embarrass myself in front of not only my favorite soccer player ever, but also the entire World Wide Web, I’m literally going to—”

A telltale ding arrives with a new notification lighting up Seulgi’s iPhone screen, and the older of the two nearly shrieks at the sound.

“Joy…?” Seulgi asks quietly a moment later. She’s yet to even touch her phone, staring down at the device like it's a rabid animal lying in wait. “What did she say?”

“You bear!” Joy scolds. “Look at it yourself!”

It’s only with shaky hands that Seulgi manages to pick up her phone and press her finger against the home button, unlocking the screen and taking her straight to her Twitter notifications.

 

Irene Bae @baerene

@hi_sseulgi it would be my pleasure to be on your team <3 let’s kick Alex’s !

9.8k Retweets 12.4k Likes

 

Alex Morgan @alexmorgan13

@baerene @hi_sseulgi oh it’s ON

13.4k Retweets 25.7k Likes

 

“There are U.S. Women’s National Team players arguing in my notifications,” Seulgi says to no one in particular. She stares blankly at her Twitter feed. “Irene just said she wants to be on my team… Joy, is this real life?”

“Dunno, let’s find out,” Joy shrugs, before promptly hurling the nearest pillow in Seulgi’s direction.

--

Irene whips her head around just in time to see Kelley virtually slide tackle into a Swedish forward, her fellow teammate managing to get the ball out of the opposing team’s possession.

She follows the ball with her eyes as she jogs, spying three defenders already eyeing her from the other side of the field. Yeah, definitely not the right time to make a run. Irene chews on her bottom lip. The score is only 1 to 0; they need another goal.

She grits her teeth as a Swedish forward steals back the ball, making a dash for the U.S. goal, where Alyssa waits in goal.

“I got it!” Olivia shouts from her position as a right-back, and Irene feels the little knot in her stomach unravel a little as the younger girl intercepts with ease, clearing the ball from near their goal and sending it over in Irene’s direction. “Irene!”

“I’m on it!”

She touches the ball down with the heel of her right foot, deftly spinning around on her left and changing direction. Those three defenders from before have spotted her again, but she shakes off the thought of them, once again turning on a dime to spot an open Christen Press just beyond the opposing defenders.

With a grunt, Irene races in, just managing to slot the ball through the small space between two of the opposing players before sprinting around to catch up with the ball, the defenders back on her tail.

“Christen!” She yells, just before sending the ball over to her teammate, waiting open in front of the net.

Time seems to move in slow motion as Irene watches the ball arch through the air, only to connect squarely with Christen’s swift kick, sending it shooting above the goalkeeper’s outstretched arms, landing soundly in the back of the goal.

A second later and she’s clinging to Christen with a wide grin on her face, their teammates patting them on the head.

“Thanks,” Christen says into her ear, and Irene only nods as she pulls away, meets her eyes with Christen, a type of understanding passing between them that she can only share with other players of the game.

There’s an extra spring in her step as Irene jogs away, back to her starting position.

Everything’s going to be alright.

--

The semifinals come up sooner than Seulgi realizes.

It’s a sensation that creeps up on her, and suddenly she’s standing in the locker room with her teammates, about to face the United States in the semifinals, listening to Sohyun give everyone a pep talk as they stand in a circle, holding hands with one another, and yeah, Seulgi’s utterly terrified.

Unsurprisingly, it’s Joy and Jinsoul who notice her inner turmoil first, pulling Seulgi aside, concern etched all over their features.

“Unnie, are you okay?” Jinsoul asks worriedly. “You’re shaking.”

“I’m fine,” Seulgi says, trying to smile reassuringly, but judging by the way Joy’s brow further creases, it falls flat. “Really guys, I’m just a bit nervous, that’s all.”

“A bit?” Joy repeats incredulously.

“Maybe more than a bit,” Seulgi admits.

“I know what you’re thinking, and Seul, you just need to remember that you are just as much a soccer player as any member of the USWNT,” Joy says strongly, grasping her teammate’s shoulders with a firm grip. “They’re amazing soccer players, yeah, and yes, you might look up to them a lot, but we’re all here at the World Cup! All of us, including you.”

Jinsoul nods. “We all made it to the World Cup, we all qualified. Even me,” Jinsoul says sheepishly. “I won’t hold back, even if I’m not as experienced.”

Joy smirks. She steps back and crosses her arms.

“I’m an Alex Morgan fangirl and we all know it, but you also know I won’t hesitate to slide tackle her into oblivion if she so much as comes close to our goal.”

“Don’t get yourself a red card, Park Sooyoung,” Seulgi finally laughs, jokingly punches her friend’s shoulder. “We sorta need our best centerback. But,” Seulgi lets out a heavy breath, the churning nerves in her stomach slightly easing up, “You’re right, I can’t be unintentionally holding myself back.”

“Yes!” Joy cheers, clapping Seulgi on the shoulder blade. “Now let’s go out there and play some soccer!”

--

Kang Seulgi is amazing.

Irene’s known this for nearly four years now— the same four years that Seulgi’s been on the Korean National Team. She remembers facing South Korea in a friendly game back then, she remembers being caught off guard when the newbie who she’d never heard of, never seen before, had stripped her of the ball in overtime before she could even blink.

She wouldn’t learn until later, over dinner with Sohyun, the KORWNT captain, that Kang Seulgi was their newest call-up, and that Seulgi virtually lived and breathed soccer in a way that South Korean women’s soccer had never seen before.

So Irene’s played against Seulgi before. She’s played against Seulgi in friendlies, and she’s played against Seulgi in the occasional tournament, but she’s never, ever played against Kang Seulgi like this.

All these thoughts rush through Irene’s head right as Seulgi steals the ball right from Irene’s feet, a small smirk gracing her lips as she slips the ball through the space between Irene' legs just for good measure, before dashing off to keep the ball in possession.

Irene gapes as she chases instinctively after her, eyes wide.

Did I just get nutmegged at the World Cup? Did Kang Seulgi just nutmeg me at the World Cup?

From her right, Irene hears Olivia laughing, and that’s how she knows the entire thing was legit.

She lets out a light chuckle, shaking her head.

“Oh, you won’t get away with that.”

--

“Are you and Bae Irene having a nutmeg battle or something?” Joy asks in amusement. It’s halftime, and both teams are resting on their benches, drinking water as they wait for the next half to begin. “You nutmegged her once, and then ten minutes later she’s nutmegging you right back.”

“Both in the opposite team’s endzone,” Jinsoul chimes in.

“We’re just having a bit of fun,” Seulgi says, laughing. She takes a sip of her water. “I mean, I know we’re supposed to be serious, and that this is the semifinals, but… I don’t know, I wasn’t even thinking when it happened the first time. It just happened.”

“You’re probably the perfect foil for her,” Jinsoul comments, lacing her cleats up. “You’re both super fast and have great technical skills, but you focus more on technicality, and Irene’s more about speed.”

“I’ve honestly never thought about it like that,” Seulgi says, cocking her head. She sets her water down before pulling out her hair band and exchanging it for a new one on her wrist. “I guess I’ve always seen her as one of my idols that I look up to. Even the fact that I get to play across from her is still surreal to me.”

“I think you and Irene are more alike than you think,” Joy comments, and Seulgi blinks before shaking her head, smiling shyly.

“We’ll see about that,” she chuckles, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.

--

The game ends with a penalty shoot out.

Neither team had scored enough to pull out of the tie during the 30 minutes of overtime— it’s 2 to 2 and now there’s a penalty shoot out.

Irene absolutely hates them, and as much as she loves both her own team and the Korean Women’s National Team, she hates the fact that their game has come down to such a way of settling the score.

(Irene still has flashbacks to the 2016 Olympics, when they’d played against Sweden and lost 4 to 3 during the shoot out. Christen had taken the loss the hardest, and Irene had sat quietly by her side for days, watching her friend struggle to climb out of that dark place.)

Now, Christen grips her hand tight as they wait for the first kicker to step up to the line.

A coin had been flipped twice. The shoot off takes place in front of South Korea’s goal, South Korea kicking first.

Irene’s heart thuds against her ribcage when she sees Seulgi stepping up to take the first kick.

She watches with heavy anticipation as the Korean midfielder heaves a deep breath.

Irene swallows, the nerves flitting in her stomach accumulating. She can hardly hear anything now, nothing but the roaring of her heart in her ears, can’t feel anything but Christen’s grip on her right hand, but Olivia’s shaky hands encircling her left wrist.

Ten seconds later and Irene is wincing as she watches Alyssa Naeher, the United States’ goalie, dive in the wrong direction as Seulgi’s ball slots itself into the back of the goal.

1 point to South Korea.

She forces herself to clear her mind from there, not registering the score, let alone whose ball makes it into the net or not.

She only vaguely registers Christen successfully managing to slip her ball past the South Korean goalie, and it’s because of her friend’s bright smile that Irene knows to pull Christen into a tight hug and whisper a congratulations into her ear.

Then it’s Irene’s turn.

Her legs move on her own as she steps up to the line, and she can feel the stares from both teams searing into her back.

She could be the last kick, she knows this.

She lines her foot up with the ball.

Inhale.

She brings it back, staring intently on her target.

Exhale.

She kicks.

The South Korean goalkeeper dives left.

Irene’s ball rockets into the upper right corner.

It’s in, and the first thing Irene does is pump her fist up to the sky, yelling. Her team follows her shortly after.

Their World Cup battle isn’t over yet.

--

It’s all over.

Seulgi watches her teammates sink to their knees in exhaustion, in crushing disappointment. She looks to her right and sees Jinsoul’s lower lip quiver before the tears start falling, her shoulders wracking as she hiccups.

She’s about to reach out to Jinsoul when Joy beats her to it, racing from down the line to wrap Jinsoul in a tight hug. Joy runs her thumb across Jinsoul’s cheeks, wiping away the tears there before furiously rubbing at her own eyes, trying to stay strong.

Seulgi heaves a deep breath, feels her heart weigh heavy in her chest. She won’t cry now, she has to stand steady for the teammates who can’t.

She looks away, briefly meeting the eyes of Sohyun, who smiles sadly her way. She knows exactly the words her captain would say— they were just unlucky, the United States had won against them 4 to 3 in the penalties. South Korea had managed to make three goals, but the US had scored four times.

It was over.

Breathing shakily, Seulgi closes her eyes, her jaw tight.

She knows this should be considered some type of success, she knows this. It’s the furthest South Korea has ever gotten in a World Cup, and it’s only Seulgi’s first time coming. She’ll be back next time around, she’ll have another chance four years down the line, when she’s more experienced, when she’s a better player, but still.

Suddenly there’s a tap on her arm, and Seulgi almost doesn’t want to turn around— it’s an honor to lose to the United States, she knows it is, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt like hell.

And yet there’s something that compels her to turn, draws her closer, closer, so she turns, and—

“Switch jerseys with me!”

Seulgi’s jaw drops as she meets the bright, bright eyes of Bae Irene. The slightly smaller woman has both of her petite hands on Seulgi’s forearms, and she’s looking up at Seulgi with a kind of sparkle in her eyes, a type of smile gracing her perfect lips, as though Seulgi had just won the World Cup, as if Seulgi had just given her the world on a silver platter.

She doesn’t even register that Irene had asked in fluent Korean.

“W-what?” Seulgi stammers, and Irene laughs softly, in understanding.

“Switch jerseys with me,” Irene repeats, slower this time, her Korean somehow managing to sound even more perfect to Seulgi’s ringing ears. “Please?”

Seulgi looks around, catching the eyes of her teammates, who she quickly discovers are watching their exchange in interest. Even with her red-rimmed eyes, Joy lets out a low whistle, and Jinsoul even manages to giggle through the tears still pooling in her eyes. Sohyun only grins, her smile tired but encouraging, shooting both Seulgi and Irene a thumbs up, and when Irene returns it, Seulgi in a deep breath.

She bites her lip, turning back to Irene.

“Now…?”

Irene giggles lightly and nods. The U.S. player takes a step back, her hands already playing with the hem of her jersey.

“You wanna?”

The satoori dialect is so natural that Seulgi almost misses it. It wouldn’t be until later that she would look back and realize how cute Irene sounded, but in the moment, Seulgi revels in Irene’s proposal, and she lets herself grin wide as she dips her head into a nod that probably looks like it would come from a child.

Seulgi can’t find it in herself to care as she eagerly tugs her jersey off, handing it to Irene right as she finds another shirt grasped in her other hand.

The crowd screams as it becomes apparent just what is happening, and right as Seulgi pulls the white USWNT jersey over her head, she catches a glimpse of Irene proudly donning Seulgi's red jersey on the jumbotron projecting across the stadium.

Irene spins around playfully, and Seulgi's heart stutters in her chest as she sees the letters "SEUL GI" emblazoned on Irene's back.

"How do I look?" Irene asks, raising her voice to be heard over the volume of the crowd.

"Amazing like always," Seulgi tells her, nothing but honesty, and Irene beams.

They take each other's hands and hold them up triumphantly while the crowd roars around them.

--

“Seulgi!” Irene calls, dodging people left and right as she makes her way through the crowded hallways. “Seulgi-ssi!”

The young South Korean player immediately stops in her tracks at the sound of her name, and she wordlessly tells her other teammates to head back to the locker room without her for now as she turns to see the American player calling for her.

“I-Irene-ssi,” Seulgi stutters as Irene comes to a halt in front of her. “Uh— oh!”

Seulgi blinks as she’s handed a 2nd USWNT jersey, this one never having been worn, and covered in U.S. player signatures. A smile blossoms across her face.

“Is this for me?” Seulgi asks, a sort of childlike wonder laced under her words.

Irene nods, gesturing between the clean jersey and Irene’s own jersey that Seulgi still wears.

“You’re free to keep the one I gave you earlier, of course,” Irene says, still out of breath from the run over, but she smiles kindly the younger woman’s way, combing some of her hair out of her face, “But I figured you’d like a clean one too. This one’s been signed by the whole team.”

“Thank you, Irene-ssi,” Seulgi says genuinely.

“No need for the formality,” Irene replies, smiling. “We—” She pauses, chuckling to herself. “We’re both soccer players, we’re equals. And I,” she takes a deep breath. “I was wondering if you wanted to meet up later? I like going for walks after my games, and I uh, I was wondering if you’d like to join me.”

“M-me?” Seulgi points to herself, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “You want me to join you?”

Irene nods earnestly.

“I know it’s sudden, but I dunno,” Irene finds herself shrugging sheepishly. “I just wanted to get to know you. Will you come?”

Seulgi pauses, taking a moment to consider Irene’s offer, before her smile returns to her face and Seulgi dips her head in a shy nod that makes a wide, wide grin bloom over Irene’s features.

“I’d love to,” Seulgi says.

“Meet me in front of the hotel at 9?”

“I’ll be there,” Seulgi confirms.

“Great,” Irene says breathlessly, a good feeling, it’s earned. She turns to walk back to her own locker room, her wide grin too impossible to ignore. “I’m looking forward to it!”

“And Irene?” Seulgi calls.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll bring you a clean one too,” Seulgi smiles bashfully, holding up the jersey Irene had just given her. “A new jersey that, um, that hasn’t just been through over 120 minutes of a World Cup match.”

--

new messages from The Three Musketeers

Irene: just as a heads up, I’m hanging out with Seulgi tonight so don’t be like, shocked if I get back late, Chris

Irene: Lex, don’t you dare come looking for us

Alex: RENE'S GOT A DATE

Christen: IT'S A MIRACLE

Irene: it's NOT a date!!!

Alex: sure jan

Irene: SHUT

Irene: I just don't want Seulgi to be too hard on herself after the loss :(

Christen: ok that's just too sweet

Irene: :D

Alex: but omg im so proud

Alex: she didn't even need our help

Christen: our baby's growing up

Christen: omfg I'm legit tearing up I—

Irene: STOP RIGHT THERE

 

2 new messages from Son Hye Joo

Son Hye Joo: mooooooooom i wanna meet seulgi too :<

Son Hye Joo: take me with you tonight plsss

Bae Joo Hyun: aww sorry Oli, tonight's for grown ups

Son Hye Joo: :(((((

Son Hye Joo: jkjk LOL have lots of fun, unnie <3

Bae Joo Hyun: ty baby wolf <3

--

They meet outside the hotel that night, and Seulgi passes one of her jerseys, signed and autographed by the entire KORWNT, over to Irene with a small smile.

"Here, a clean one that's not dirty from playing an entire 120 minute game," she chuckles softly, bites her lip to contain a smile at the way Irene's eyes glimmer at receiving the piece of clothing.

"This is amazing, Seulgi, thank you!" Irene gushes, beaming before hugging the jersey to her chest. "Wow, wait until Olivia sees this… I’m a fan of yours, so really, Seulgi, thank you!"

Seulgi’s eyes widen and she shakes her head intently.

"I should be the one thanking you," she says sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. She takes in Irene in that moment, right then, pretty and lovely in a white one-piece dress, black hair spilling over milky skin and exposed shoulders, smiling up at Seulgi like she's an old friend and not some soccer player from another country she just met— for a moment, it's like they're just two strangers, meeting in France for the first time.

It's terrifyingly surreal.

Irene her head curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, nothing," Seulgi laughs nervously. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Irene seems to take her words and consider them, and for a heartbeat, Seulgi feels like she's under a microscope, Irene's observant eyes following her every move.

Then Irene shrugs, laughing lightly.

She folds the jersey neatly and deposits it into her bag, spinning on her heel, looking at Seulgi from over her shoulder, a shy smile on her lips.

"Walk with me?"

--

Irene can tell that something's on Seulgi's mind; it's not hard to notice, especially with the way Seulgi seems to squirm behind her, shoulders hunched, hands in her pockets, as they continue to walk.

It's Irene leading her down each road, Irene asking Seulgi the questions.

Seulgi had been smiling when they'd exchanged jerseys after the game, but it had been Irene who had prompted the entire encounter to begin with.

It's so very, very different from the Seulgi who had so confidently charged at her during their soccer game, who had no qualms with playing around and nutmegging Irene in the U.S. endzone for the fun of it.

The outcome of the game had done more to Seulgi than Irene had initially thought.

"The weather's nice tonight, isn't it?" Irene comments, just to fill the space

"Yeah," Seulgi says quietly from behind her. Irene doesn't have to look behind her to know that Seulgi's nodding. "It is."

They continue to walk in silence, heading down twists and turns, meandering aimlessly through the streets of Paris, and the more they walk, the more lost in thought Irene becomes. Her thoughts circulate around the South Korean player behind her, and she chews on her bottom lip, wondering how to broach the topic.

Then the footsteps behind her stop.

--

“Why me?” Seulgi suddenly asks, her voice cutting through the still air. She stops underneath the yellow shine of a streetlight, her hands coming out of her pockets. She speaks in English, unknowingly slipping into the other language— maybe to get Irene to understand better, maybe distance the question from herself, Seulgi doesn’t know.

But Irene halts in front of her, only a few paces ahead, looking over her shoulder.

“Hm?” Irene furrows her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Why did you choose to switch jerseys with me earlier?” Seulgi asks, her voice stronger this time. There’s nothing accusing in it, just genuine, legitimate curiosity. “It’s something that’s been…” She searches for the word in English, scrunching up her nose when she comes up short. She switches to Korean, and Irene takes it in stride. “It’s been… nagging me since the game. We’ve only interacted once before, on Twitter, and you, you—” She takes an unsure step forward. “You’re this big soccer player, you’ve already won the World Cup before, and— why is it me specifically who's out here with you right now?”

And then Irene's eyes are upon her, and Seulgi flushes, her face red as she immediately looks down, feeling Irene gauging her reaction with curiosity. Her ears burn; maybe that wasn't the best question. I shouldn't have asked, I shouldn't—

"Well," Irene hums, amusement alight in the tune, and Seulgi's gaze snaps up to meet hers, "You're here right now because I asked you to come with me and you agreed." She spins lightly on the balls of her feet. "As for why I asked you to come with me, I just really wanted the company, and you seemed like a nice person who deserves to clear their head after that game."

Seulgi's mouth goes dry as Irene pauses, that same soft smile never leaving her lips. Meanwhile Seulgi hears the gears trying to churn, her mind working a hundred miles per millisecond— there's just so much that she wants to say something, she just doesn't know what.

Irene beats her to it anyway.

"As for why I wanted to switch jerseys with you specifically, well," Irene giggles. "Like I said earlier, I'm a fan of yours. What kind of fan would I be to pass up that kind of opportunity?"

"I— you what?"

"I'm a fan," Irene repeats, slower this time, her amusement cranked up to double. There a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, but her voice is nothing but honest, and Seulgi knows that through her teasing, she's telling the truth.

That doesn't make it any easier to process though.

"You really knew of me?" Seulgi's mind has effectively been blown.

"You've made plenty of waves," Irene laughs, crossing her arms. "Not to mention, my teammate, Olivia, introduced me to your YouTube channel. Trust me, I’ve watched all of your trickshot videos and teammate vlogs!" The glimmer flashes again, and Seulgi's still processing it all, even as Irene shrugs, her tongue playfully sticking out the corner of . "I'm telling you, I'm a pretty big fan."

Seulgi doesn't know what to say to that.

"Seulgi," Irene says deliberately. "You're amazing."

On instinct, Seulgi shakes her head.

"I'm really not—"

"No, you really are!" Irene argues, cutting the younger player off before she can continue to doubt herself. Seeing Seulgi's stunned expression, Irene softens her tone, trying to get Seulgi to understand. "I've never been so in awe of another player before— your technicality is such a rare, refreshing brand! You're quick with a ball, and you've always got your eyes on securing opportunities and clenching wins, but you know how to have fun, how to keep things fresh. Seriously, I could talk about your soccer skills all night!"

Irene smiles gently, stepping forward to take Seulgi's hand.

"But even more than that," Irene continues, her thumb rubbing comforting circles on the back of Seulgi's palm, "You make people happy. Your vlogs are charming, you've managed to entrance even non-followers of sports to support you, to watch soccer! You— you managed to captivate me by just being your wonderful self, both through a screen and in person."

"Irene…" Seulgi whispers. She shakes her head again. “I don’t know…” The short laugh that leaves her lips is forced and has no humor. “After that loss I… It’s like I don’t deserve to be out here with you.”

"I don't like hearing you be so deprecating to yourself," Irene says quietly, and she watches Seulgi chew anxiously on her bottom lip. "This might only be your first World Cup, and this may be only our first real meeting, but the fact that you're here right now means that you've gone above and beyond, you're extraordinary, Seulgi. You're Kang Seulgi. You don’t need to measure up to anyone. And that in itself is so, so important for you to remember."

Irene swallows, a sudden wave of apprehension washing over her features.

“And I mean,” the shorter woman dips her head shyly. “I want you out here with me. Is that… Is that not enough?”

Seulgi’s mouth opens and closes silently for a moment, forgetting all languages in a sudden gap of time.

“It—” Seulgi gulps, mustering all her courage to take a step closer. “It means a lot to me that you would even ask. You… You’re one of my role models, Irene.”

Irene laughs, the sound chiming through the air, and Seulgi feels her soul lift a little bit at the sound.

“It’s not like I’m that much older than you,” Irene notes nonchalantly. She tilts her head, blinking up innocently at Seulgi. “You don’t need to sound so formal with me.”

“You’re still an unnie,” Seulgi says, finding herself chuckling involuntarily. “Shouldn’t I still be respectful?”

“But what if I want to be friends?” Irene asks curiously.

“Then I’d accept your offer” Seulgi says without hesitation.

“But do you want to be friends, Seulgi?” Irene reiterates.

Seulgi nods, biting back her smile from growing any bigger.

“I would love to be friends with you, Irene,” she says more confidently this time, and Irene grins.

“It’s Joohyun.”

Seulgi blinks, caught off guard.

“What?”

“Joo-Hyun,” Irene repeats, emphasizing each syllable as she rocks back and forth on her heels. She smirks. “Bae Joohyun. My Korean name. We’re friends now, right? You don’t have to use it, but since it’s kinda what’s on my birth certificate and passport, I figured you should know.”

--

They find an abandoned, worn soccer ball in the nearby park.

Seulgi laughs as Irene eagerly kicks off her sandals before running over to kick the ball to Seulgi.

“I used to play barefoot soccer with my dad all the time as a kid,” Irene explains as Seulgi easily traps the ball beneath her foot. “Sometimes, I wish professional soccer was barefoot,” she jokes. “A regular foot definitely beats getting kicked in the stomach by cleats.”

“You’re not wrong,” Seulgi agrees. She kicks the ball up lightly, juggling the ball with her feet before sending it arching back to Irene. A thought occurs. “Oh! That reminds me.”

“Hm?”

“On the day I shot the video of me doing trickshots with Tobin, Alex, and Kelley, I had seen you taking pictures at the Eiffel Tower,” Seulgi says, laughing as she recalls her own awestruck behavior. “Wow, that feels like a lifetime ago now.” A slightly embarrassed shrug rolls off her shoulder. “I basically freaked out with Joy and Jinsoul.”

“Aw, that’s so cute!” Irene coos, and Seulgi rolls her eyes playfully.

“Then you left and Joy berated me for not asking you to do trickshots with me,” Seulgi chuckles. “You had been wearing a skirt and sandals that day, and I’d used that as an excuse for not talking to you, but clearly—” She motions to Irene, now leisurely playing around with the soccer ball, barefoot and in a white dress. Seulgi laughs, “Clearly, that wasn’t a good enough excuse.”

“It wasn’t,” Irene giggles. “I remember that day, though.” The image of Olivia lounging around in her shared room with Christen comes to mind. “Tobin barged into my room saying that she’d met you, and Olivia and I had been so mad! Like, how did Tobin manage to meet you before us?”

“I guess that’s partially my fault,” Seulgi admits. “I didn’t have the guts to walk up to you.”

Irene hums. “I suppose that’s true.”

“Next time, then,” Seulgi jokes.

“Next time,” Irene agrees, grinning.

They lapse into a comfortable silence, kicking the ball back and forth in between them for a few minutes, just listening to the noises of Paris at night. In the distance, a car honks its horn, and somewhere in the trees, a few birds chirp and the crickets sing.

“Take me out to dinner, Seulgi,” Irene says suddenly, and the air leaves Seulgi’s lungs.

“I-I—” Seulgi stutters again, caught completely off guard for more than the second time that night. “What?”

And then Irene’s picking up the soccer ball and pointing a finger at her face, a smirk coloring her lips and maybe it does something to Seulgi’s heart, because Irene’s always been beautiful but there’s something incredibly downright attractive about how her confidence shines through everything, how Irene makes things lighter.

“If I win the World Cup,” Irene clarifies, her voice dropping down to a hush. She taps the tip of Seulgi’s nose with her index finger before drawing back, but Seulgi continues to stare at her with wide eyes. “It doesn’t have to be while we’re here in Paris, but sometime down the line, treat me to dinner, Kang Seulgi.”

“I—” Seulgi’s stops herself, thinking for a moment. She chews on her bottom lip pensively.

Then—

“Okay,” Seulgi says, a bright smile blooming across her face, and she has half the mind to wonder what she’s doing— her national team technically just lost the World Cup, but here she is, out in Paris with her favorite soccer player in the world, smiling her off. Seulgi figures she should be sad, figures that she should be hurting, but Irene is here in front of her, and Seulgi figures that she couldn’t bring herself to frown even if she wanted to.

It’s Irene’s turn to be shocked at Seulgi’s acceptance, and she nearly drops the soccer ball in her arms.

“You mean it?” She asks, legitimately surprised at how easily Seulgi gave her consent to her sudden demand. “Like, really?”

“Yes, really,” Seulgi laughs breathily.

(Irene’s heart stutters in her chest. She likes the sound of Seulgi’s laugh. She’s only heard it once, but she already knows she wouldn’t mind hearing it for the rest of her life.)

“If you win the World Cup, I will treat you to dinner,” Seulgi repeats, as if she’s never been more sure of anything in her life.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“That’s a tall promise to keep,” Irene warns.

“I’ll keep it,” Seulgi confirms, her smile not wavering for a second. “You best believe it, Joohyun.”

Irene laughs. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out.”

--

(“So tell me about Olivia Son,” Seulgi says eagerly as they head back to the hotel room.

Irene lets out a loud laugh.

“Well,” she starts, pride twinkling in her eyes. “She’s the one who introduced me to your YouTube channel, and she likes to brag about how she subscribed to you back when you only had less than a hundred subscribers, so I think it’s fair to say that she’s probably your biggest fan.”

“A bigger fan than you?” Seulgi jokes.

“Okay, well that is pushing it.” Irene scrunches her nose, bumping her shoulder against Seulgi’s. “So maybe not the biggest, but definitely one of the biggest.”)

--

Seulgi @hi_sseulgi

@USWNT just as a heads up, i’m claiming @babywolfhye

32.9k Retweets 79.3k Likes

 

Wendy @seungwannie_

@baerene just thought you should know that your daughter’s getting stolen by @hi_sseulgi

23.4k Retweets 86.5k Likes

 

Irene Bae @baerene

@seungwannie_ no worries @hi_sseulgi and i decided on joint custody

@babywolfhye i’m not a single mom anymore

78.5k Retweets 179.5k Likes

 

oli-via-hye @babywolfhye

MOMS??? OMFG WHAT GOES ONNNNSDHJLJDKFF7;FDS;2342WSDFSK

102.6k Retweets 323.8k Likes

--

Seulgi’s promise circulates through Irene’s brain for the remainder of the days up until the final game, spinning around and around, even as she stands on her hotel room balcony, phone cradled to her ear as she catches her little sister up with the events of the past few days.

All the while, her stomach seems to keep turning in on itself, unrelenting with nerves.

“So that’s why physics , and I don’t see why it’s needed in this education system. I’m a soccer player, for god’s sake! I came to UCLA because they offered me a soccer scholarship!”

“I see,” Irene says in amusement. She shifts her weight to her left leg, looking out over Paris before holding up her phone to her other ear. “So you’re clearly not going to be falling back on the physics field any time soon, huh, Yeri?”

“As if,” Yeri snorts, and Irene can basically see Yeri’s eye rolls through the receiver. “You’d sooner see me play goalkeeper than do anything related to physics.”

“Wow, strong words,” Irene chuckles. “You hate playing goalkeeper.”

Yeri hums, and the two sisters lapse into silence.

“So… Are you going to win me a World Cup, unnie?” Yeri asks innocently, and it’s so abrupt that it has Irene barking out a laugh in surprise. Only her little sister can so abruptly turn on a dime and change the topic from her Physics 101 exam to the outcome of the FIFA World Cup in less than a heartbeat.

“Yeah,” Irene nods with a light laugh, despite knowing that her sister can’t see her over the phone. “Yeah, I will. Someone owes me a dinner if I win, anyway.”

“Wait, who?”

“Seulgi.” Irene pauses. "Kang Seulgi."

“You’re going on a date with Kang Seulgi?!” Yeri nearly screeches.

“If I win.”

“So you are going on a date with Kang Seulgi.”

--

It’s strange, but the first thought in Irene’s head after she scores that final goal in the 90+5th minute, overtime, right before the last whistle blows, is—

Oh , I’m going on a date with Kang Seulgi.

She can’t think much more than that though, because the next thing she knows, she’s on her knees, staring up at that bright blue sky in utter awe, and Olivia’s sobbing into Irene’s shirt, and Alex is shouting victoriously into her ear, and Christen’s scooping Irene up into a hug, and Tobin’s tussling her hair, and Kelley’s jumping onto her back, and the whole team’s dogpiling on top of her, and it’s only then, after all of that, that the second thought hits—

Oh , I’m a back-to-back World Champion.

--

Watch Live: pre-finals Q&A + My friends and I watch the World Cup Final!!

seulgom 1,436,907 views, posted 1 hour ago

Comments:

seulgi’s fav uswnt member is irene cONFIRMED

Seulgi was so excited when Irene scored omg they’re so cute!!!!

take a shot everytime they joke about jinsoul’s dead scalp OR whenever seulgi yells IRENE

seulrene my new crackship TT

yasssss seulrene but also can we appreciate wendy just chillin with her fellow koreans

tag urself i’m wendy and joy wolfwhistling whenever seulgi gushes about irene

--

"We should start a club," Wendy says that night, chuckling as she tips back the wine glass, takes a sip of the red liquid inside.

“A club?” Seulgi asks curiously, swishing around her own glass before carefully placing on the bedside table. “What club?”

“The ‘we lost in the semifinals, but USWNT loves us so they brought free drinks to our hotel room’ club,” Wendy elaborates. The two girls share a pointed look before bursting into loud laughter.

Seulgi feels it in her gut, and she knows it’s probably the alcohol doing the talking, but she really can’t find herself caring as she laughs her heart out in her hotel room, Wendy by her side.

It’s been a few days since the loss against the United States, and Seulgi’s more or less gotten over it. She and her teammates had reverted back to their more positive selves after a very helpful team meeting, when Sohyun had giving them a pep talk that resolved with them all vowing to do better next time.

Because there will be a next time— Seulgi will personally see to it.

“Can I join the club too?” Joy chimes in from the opposite bed, where she’s sitting with Jinsoul. “Alex said she still wanted me on her pickup team when she dropped the wine off earlier.”

“The more the merrier,” Wendy grins. “Alex is going to be so hungover tomorrow during the pickup game— the entire USWNT team is.”

“I mean, they kinda won the entire World Cup earlier today,” Jinsoul chirps. “3 to 0 against the Netherlands, who were the European champions! Who wouldn’t get drunk after a win like that?”

“Who wouldn’t get drunk after this tournament in general?” Joy jokes, and it earns her a round of laughter from the other three women. "Nothing like hungover soccer the day after the World Cup!"

“I guess I should start planning that dinner,” Seulgi muses aloud to herself. She picks up her phone, tapping open a web browser and hitting the search bar. She pauses, noticing three questioning looks directed her way, and she stares back blankly at all of them. “What?”

“You’re going to dinner with someone?” Wendy asks.

“Who?” Jinsoul chimes in.

“Yeah,” Seulgi shrugs. “With my friend, Joohyun. It’s not going to be here in Paris, I’m just trying to think ahead.”

“Who’s Joohyun?” Wendy questions.

“And just a friend of yours?” Joy voices, sharing a skeptical look with the others. “Is that even possible?”

Seulgi only shrugs again, returning her attention to her phone. Then she pauses again, still not quite sure what to enter into the search bar.

With a burst of boldness, she looks back up at her friends, a subtle smirk on her lips.

“What kind of food do you think Irene— I mean, Joohyun, likes?”

It’s only after a heartbeat of stunned silence that the hotel room bursts into chaos.

--

1 new message from Joohyun

Joohyun: soooooooo

Seulgi: how fancy of a dinner are we talking about lol

Joohyun: :DDDD

 

To be continued.