“So, how did that signing really go?”

“Hayoung, don’t run too far ahead!”

Chorong rolls her eyes fondly as Hayoung skirts to a stop, smiling sheepishly at her. She adjusts her hoodie and resumes kicking her soccer ball, this time slower.

It’s a brisk Saturday morning, so Chorong is out at the city park with Hayoung and her friend Bomi. It's been two weeks since the fansign, and it’s still all Hayoung can talk about. As soon as they had met up with Bomi at the park’s entrance, Hayoung had immediately begun to tell Bomi all about the fansign. She bragged about what Eunji had said to her, definitely exaggerating some of the parts, but she’d been so giddy that Chorong let her go. 

Hayoung ended up talking to Bomi all about the fansign for the first hour of their walk in the park, doggedly bouncing beside Bomi as she held her soccer ball and talked to her. By the second hour, Hayoung had run out of things to say and took Chorong’s suggestion to kick her soccer ball around since they were at a park with a wider walking trail than the one by their house. 

Now, Bomi is trying to get Chorong’s side of the story.

“So, was she just as bad as you thought she’d be?” Bomi asks. “Hayoung makes it sound like she walks on water or something.”

“Honestly?” Chorong says, tucking her hands into her pockets. “She wasn’t all that bad.”

Bomi looks at her in surprise and says, “And this is coming from you? Who swore she was the devil incarnate?”

“I never said that,” Chorong replies, rolling her eyes.

“Okay but I know how to read between the lines,” Bomi says with a pointed look. She elbows Chorong and says, “You were convinced she was this awful person, so what changed your mind about her?” Bomi grins and says, “Don’t tell me she sweet talked you into thinking she’s decent.”

“I am not that naive!” Chorong exclaims, whacking Bomi’s arm. She smiles triumphantly when Bomi winces and rubs her arm. “It’s not like that,” Chorong says. “It’s how she was with Hayoung. I thought she’d brush her off because she’s just a kid, but she really listened to her and joked with her. She even told her that she’d beat her at soccer one day.”

“Aww, so she got to you through your kid,” Bomi nods, only to cry out when Chorong hits her arm extra hard this time. “What did I say?”

“It’s how you said it,” Chorong says. She sighs and checks on Hayoung, but she’s still happily kicking her ball a yard or two ahead of them. “Like she was just being nice to Hayoung to get into my pants or something.” She shakes her head and says, “You should’ve seen them, Bomi. She wasn’t just saying the right things to a fan. She really wanted to cheer Hayoung on, and you know Hayoung thrives off stuff like that. Imagine her hearing that from her biggest idol.”

“Okay, that is pretty cute,” Bomi agrees. She smiles and adds, “Sounds like Eunji made a fan out of you too.”

Chorong laughs and shakes her head, “I wouldn’t call myself a fan, but I do feel a little better about Hayoung looking up to her so much. I was scared she’d be the kind of person who acted okay in front of cameras but acted like an in real life.”

“Well, I’m glad it worked out for you,” Bomi grins. “Maybe you can start enjoying watching those soccer games more with Hayoung.”

“Doubtful,” Chorong scoffs. Speaking of Hayoung, Chorong glances towards her to check on her again, only to freeze when she sees her talking to a stranger. Sirens going off in her mind, Chorong takes off without a word of explanation to Bomi. She’s too focused on running to her daughter, yelling, “Hayoung!”

At the sound of her voice, both Hayoung and the woman she’d been talking to turn towards her. When Chorong sees just who Hayoung was talking to, she comes to a sudden stop, just a few feet away. Slightly out of breath, Chorong stares wide-eyed at Jeong Eunji in the middle of the city party with her daughter. The two of them stare speechlessly at each other, like they both can’t believe who they’re seeing.

It’s Hayoung who breaks the silence, saying, “Mom, look who I found! It’s Eunji!”

“I see that, sweetheart,” Chorong says, still staring at Eunji in disbelief. “Were you nice to her?”

“Of course!” Hayoung replies, and she sounds so offended that it snaps Chorong out of her trance. She looks at her daughter who’s pouting at her.