After practices the Hockey team and the Figure Skating team often go out to for some Korean barbeque. They’d hang out and mess around till they’re all good to go.

“Alright! I guess you guys are all full. Time to go home” called Coach Lee, earning a groan from the students before him. Coach Park stood up and shooed them away as she joined the other coach in paying for the meal. JiEun hung onto Changmin’s arm, “oppa... I can just tell the driver that you’ll me walk home” he whined but he patted her head and smiled at her. “Nah, maybe next time. My parents might not allow me to stay out if I came home late again” he said. She pouted and stomped as she headed towards the white sedan waiting before them. Jooyeon followed suit.

The moment the car left, Sunhwa approached Changmin. “Why didn’t you want to walk her home?” she asked. He merely shrugged his shoulders in reply. Changmin made a shy smile and ran forward. “Yah!” Sunhwa called out and ran after him.

After a few blocks they both stopped, panting.

“What the heck?” Sunhwa said between breaths. Changmin stood straight then looked up, “remember this place?” he breathed. Sunhwa looked around and found herself in the park where the old fountain stood. The fountain was green and moldy so was the water within it. Vines were engulfing the statue of the dancing couple that stood in the middle. The seats that surrounded it had cracks and their edges were chipped but they still stood and could hold some weight.

Changmin took one of the seats and prompted his feet on the ledge of the fountain.

“Can I ask you something?” he voiced out as Sunhwa sat on the next bench. The girl nodded in reply.

“Why’d you come back?” he continued. Sunhwa looked down and twirled her phone charm on her fingers, “I… had to.”

---

“No. No! Raise your leg in a more graceful manner!” The coach’s thick accented English boomed in the rink. Sunhwa turned and lifted her foot from the ice. Her knees shook but she had to stay upright. The coach kept yelling instructions at her. Her head started aching and she couldn’t maintain her balance. She fell on the ice, skates grazing her leg.

“It’s such a simple technique! You have no grace. You don’t deserve to be here.” The coach spat at her before leaving the rink. Sunhwa sat there wallowing in the foreign coach’s words. It wasn’t fair. It’s her first time trying the catch-foot-layback spin and he was giving her a very difficult time. She sniffed and wiped her eyes as she stood and glided towards the bleachers. She sat down beside her bag and brought her knees to her chest then placed her forehead against them. Tears began to flow from her eyes. She sniffed and sobbed as quietly as she could.

Suddenly a fairly good singing voice seeped through her bag. For a moment Sunhwa let out a soft chuckle, Changmin’s voice was a cure-all for her. She rummaged through her duffel and pulled out her phone. Changmin’s picture flashed on the screen. She rubbed her eyes and took a long breath.

“Changmin~” she cooed.

There was a laugh at the other end of the line and she felt her chest constrict. She’d really like to be with him at that moment.

“Yah, what’s wrong?” Changmin spoke in hushed tones, “you’re a little too quiet. Tell me, do you want me to fly over there and beat everyone with a hockey stick?”

A chuckle escaped Sunhwa which led to a soft sob and then a sniff. She began crying again. She kept her phone on her ear as Changmin simply breathed against the receiver. He wanted to say something but there was nothing that could help.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry anymore” he mumbled, “I’ll stop calling you if all you do is cry whenever I do”. Sunhwa smiled. She knew Changmin was a little constipated when it came to expressing how he feels.

“I miss you too…” she just said and she knew he was smiling at the other end, “E-enough about me. How was your day?”

Their conversation went on for about ten minutes and after they hung up Sunhwa took a deep breath and returned to the ice. She spun and fell so many times but she didn’t stop. She swung her foot back as she prepared to spin, lowered her back then reached for her foot but she fell. Her feet were aching but she didn’t want to stop until she was able to keep her leg up as she spun.

The moment she finally got it, she heard clapping at the entrance of the rink. Her coach stood their clapping his hands slowly.

“Apparently you can do it. What took you so long?” he said.

Sunhwa sighed and just skated away. She didn’t want to argue with the coach; but in her head she was using him as a hockey puck.

From that day forward trainings and school got a bit more intense. Trying to balance getting good grades and having to skate hours after were messing with her head. She was tired and sick of everything. She began ignoring calls and messages from Changmin. Until one day they stopped coming.

The next thing she knew it’s been a month and suddenly there’s a message from him saying nothing but ‘hey’.

She slid a finger over the phone and raised it to her ear. It rang and rang… and rang. He didn’t answer.

She did the same thing the next day and still no answer. She did the same for a week and finally he answered.

“Hey” Changmin answered. It was just as monotonous and dull as his last message.

“I’m sorry,” Sunhwa said, “I… I’m just not…”

“It’s quicker if you’ve told me it’s over.”

“What?”

“I understand. But you… you could have just said that you didn’t want me calling.”

“I’m sorry…” Sunhwa sighed. She heard Changmin release a breath.

The boy at the other end of the line was silent for a moment, like he’s taking in where their conversation is leading to.

“I guess this is goodbye, huh?” he asked quietly. Sunhwa swallowed the lump building in and managed to make a sound, “mhm…”“Good luck then…” Changmin said. Sunhwa held her breath, “Good luck to you too.” The beeping resounded through the line. Her chest felt constricted as she held back the tears.

She moved on. He moved on.

Three years passed and Sunhwa’s got places in competitions but she never won. This frustrated her coach causing Sunhwa a greater deal of practice time.

At the day of an interschool competition, Sunhwa danced on the ice like she was accustomed to. Every form, ever technique, she made sure to execute well. In came the last jump and she spun in the air, like she’s supposed to but as gravity reacted on her, she landed with her foot bending the wrong way. She fell and her foot sent out a sharp pain all throughout her body before completely going numb. She slid across the ice and bumped into the side of the rink.

The last thing she heard were panicked gasps and people running towards her.

----

“After an accident on the ice, my coach said it’s better for me to just go back to Seoul once the school year ends,” Sunhwa shrugged her shoulders as she answered Changmin’s question, “I wasn’t able to skate for four months. I had to be in crutches for a month. The moment I could walk without it, I tried to skate but I couldn’t. Then before I was sent home, I told myself that if I could just glide one more time, I won’t quit. I did. Promised myself I’d come back.”

Changmin’s eyes were fixed on Sunhwa as she spoke.

The love she had for figure skating reflected in her eyes.