AN: A filler chapter! I felt like an interlude chapter was necessary to set up the final chapter, which is already going to be lengthy enough on its own! Plus, I felt like including a little bit from the point of view of some other pairings (though don't worry, Seulrene has an appearance of their own)

Enjoy!

1 minute post-World Cup Victory

Wendy can hardly register what’s going on through all the noise. All she knows is that Seulgi is now on the ground, crying tears of happiness, Eunae has just tackled her into a hug, and Chungha has started a dogpile.

What Wendy does register though, is the suddenly body that crashes into her own and lifts her up into the air.

And then she’s laughing with all of the joy this earthly realm possesses, as Eunji twirls her around in exhilaration, and there’s shouting all around her, and the stadium has erupted, but it’s really just her and Eunji right then and there.

“We won!” Eunji screams as she sets Wendy down and they jump around in place. “Wan, we won!”

Wendy really, really can’t find the proper words to articulate how she feels right now, so she settles for vigorously nodding her head before Eunji pulls Wendy into a hug.

“Everything is ringing!” Wendy laughs, gesturing wildly, completely unsure if Eunji can actually hear her. “Everyone is screaming!”

And apparently, Eunji can hear her because over the ridiculous volume levels, she older girl shouts, “We should scream things too!”

Wendy nods excitedly before taking a big breath. “I THINK WE JUST WON THE WORLD CUP!”

Eunji bursts out laughing at that. “I THINK SO TOO!”

“I THINK I’M GOING TO GO DEAF!”

“I THINK I’M ALREADY DEAF!”

“I THINK I’LL BELIEVE THIS WAS A DREAM TOMORROW!”

“I THINK I’M DREAMING RIGHT NOW!”

“I THINK MY LEGS ARE GOING TO GIVE OUT WHEN WE GET BACK TO THE HOTEL!”

“YOU’LL HAVE TO CARRY ME UP TO THE ROOM, WAN, BECAUSE MY LEGS ARE DEAD!”

Now or never, Wendy thinks. She takes one more heaving breath.

“I THINK I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU!”

“I’VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH YOU FOR A WHILE!”

Wendy gapes, staring wide-eyed up at the other defender in shock.

“Y-you,” Wendy stutters, and Eunji’s eyes crinkle up in amusement. “Are you serious?”

“One hundred percent,” Eunji asserts. She shrugs, a lazy smile coming to play at her lips. “I could kiss you right now.”

“… so why aren’t you?” Wendy asks, and it’s Eunji’s turn to look surprised.

Though, that’s all Eunji needs to sweep Wendy into her arms, kissing her senseless under the stadium lights and the cheers of the fans.

Now that is a memorable first kiss.

Five minutes post-World Cup Victory

Yeri’s sure that at nineteen years of age, this amount of happiness and glee should be illegal— no one should be allowed to have attained the peak, the ecstasy of life, at only nineteen-years-old. And yet, here she is, standing dumbfounded in the middle of a soccer field, finally having escaped the dogpile of her hyperactive teammates—

—only to have another taller body drape over her smaller frame, completely engulfing her in a back hug.

“Joy,” Yeri sighs in contentment, slouching back into Joy’s embrace, utterly exhausted. She grins, tilting her head back to look up at Joy, her face heating up at the look of adoration in Joy’s eyes. Flushing, she pushes the fluttering feeling in her stomach to the back corner of her mind.

“Aren’t you tired, unnie? You had to block a lot of goals.”

Joy chuckles, shrugging, “I mean, I was. But not anymore. Yeri is my battery!”

The smaller girl squeaks as Joy squeezes her torso.

“Did you see me?” Yeri asks as the two of them sway naturally on their feet. “Like when I faked out that forward and stole the ball back? Or when I nutmegged that midfielder and kicked the ball through her legs?”

“I only saw you,” Joy says with a smile, resting her chin on the top of Yeri’s head. “You did a good job of keeping balls out of my net.”

“Do you see me now?”

“Of course I do.”

“No, do you really see me?”

“What do you mean, Yerim?” Joy asks in confusion, furrowing her brow.

“Like,” Yeri feels her face heat up as she tries to explain. “I don’t want you to see me as some kid that you have to take care of, Joy! I’m an adult now too, and I –” Yeri didn’t know that it was possible to be this embarrassed at her age either “– I want you to know that I can take care of you too now.” She stutters her way through the admission, a little bit more than flustered. “…If you want, that is.”

She can’t see Joy’s face, but by the way the older girl’s hold shifts and tightens, Yeri can guess that she’s grinning.

“I think,” Joy says with lift to her tone. “I like this ‘older’ Yeri a whole lot.”

“Y-you do?”

“Yup,” Joy says, popping the ‘p.’ “A whole lot.”

“…do you like the new Yeri enough to maybe go on a date with her?”

“Yeri,” The goalkeeper giggles, spinning Yeri around so that they stand face to face. “I would’ve gone on a date with the ‘old’ you. In the end, you’re still the same Yeri that I know and love.”

“So,” Yeri’s eyes are wide and hopeful and Joy inwardly swoons at the innocence in her gaze. “That’s a yes?”

And Joy laughs, leaning in to press a chaste kiss on Yeri’s cheek – not the forehead this time! Victory! – and brings her in for another hug.

“That’s a resounding yes.”

Forty-five minutes post-World Cup Victory

From her spot in the stands, Krystal cheers and whoops when the award ceremony starts, the music blaring out of the stadium speakers loud and clear. As her teammates step up to the podium, she grins, more than happy that her best friends made it— that they won. No feeling could be better than this.

She’s no longer injured and can run on her ankle again – Krystal had been right when she’d told Seulgi that it was just a sprain – but since she’d been injured when World Cup rosters were being finalized, Krystal hadn’t been able to participate in the tournament. Regardless, she found that, much to her inherent surprise, there were no ill feelings involved— she’d taken over Somi’s training from Seulgi as soon as she was well enough, and Krystal had been more than willing to give up her spot on the roster to let the younger girl have her first shot at the World Cup.

“Hey,” Jessica, her older sister, pokes her arm. Krystal blinks, turning to face her sister curiously. Her older sibling had been the reason why Krystal had been interested in soccer in the first place: Jessica used to play on school teams, and had been a pretty dedicated member too. But that had been before Jessica had discovered her passion for fashion design, and Krystal had decided to pick up where her older sister’s dream had been halted.

“Are you okay?” Jessica asks her, motioning down to where Krystal’s teammates stood quietly, listening to the FIFA president give a speech.

Krystal stares at Jessica in confusion. “Yes? Why wouldn’t I be?”

Her older sister shrugs. “I dunno. I thought you might be feeling down since you aren’t able to stand with them.”

To be honest, the thought had never crossed Krystal’s mind.

So she shrugs in return. “I mean, I guess? It’s bittersweet, of course. But Somi did great during the game, and there’s always the next World Cup, after all.” Krystal flips her hair over her shoulder sassily. “I’m young, Jessi. I’ve got a ‘next time,’ trust me. Plus, Amber and Seulgi promised.” And those two always keep their promises.

Jessica hums in agreement. “That’s true. Oh, wait. Where’s Amber?”

“What do you mean where’s—” Krystal frowns upon spying the empty space on the podium next to Joy. “Where the hell is that girl now—”

“Krystal!” A booming voice cuts her off.

“Amber?!”

Krystal gawks as the short-haired girl seemingly materializes at her shoulder, beaming at her with that stupid llama-like smile of hers.

“Krys! Quick! Get on!”

“I— what?!” The tall midfielder’s eyes go wide as Amber crouches down in the space in front of her, quite clearly motioning for Krystal to get onto her back. “Why on earth would I do that?”

“I’m bringing you down to the podium, of course!” Amber sounds much too confident. “You didn’t think that we’d forget you, did you? Seulgi and I had this planned all along!”

“Then why am I getting onto your back?!” Krystal doesn’t realize the correlation; doesn’t realize that she had actually complied with the crazy request, carefully climbing onto the wide expanse of Amber’s back mid-sentence, until she registers that Jessica has her iPhone up and out, recording the entire exchange.

“I’m piggybacking you down! Y’know, cause you were injured and stuff!”

“I’m not even injured anymore!” Krystal rolls her eyes, still wringing her arms around Amber’s neck. “There’s literally no need for this!”

“It’s more dramatic, Krys,” Amber replies with a duh type of tone, hoisting Krystal up higher. “Like a prince recusing a princess!”

“I don’t need rescuing,” Krystal deadpans as Amber races down the stairs of the stadium, trying to reach the podium before the end of the speech.

“Just go with it, Jung Soojung!”

One hour post-World Cup Victory

Eunae smiles as her teammates stare down at the gold medals around their necks in awe, and she chuckles to herself quietly as one by one, they start breaking down into tears as the gravity of everything that has just happened today slowly weighs in.

She’d love to cry too; she really would. The only problem is that Eunae’s not that big on crying, nor is she one to get overly emotional, so she settles for just beaming brightly at everyone— her teammates, the amazing staff, Coach Kwon and Irene who have joined them on the podium. And she’s just so happy.

There’s a little tinge though, that tickles her soul just a bit, when she sees Seulgi pull Irene close to her as confetti erupts around them, covering Irene’s ears to keep the older girl from being too stunned. And over to Eunae’s right, she spies Jennie and Jisoo, completely lost in their own world, staring into each other’s eyes with their own silent conversation— Eunae wonders what they’re talking about.

And in the meantime, Yeri has launched herself onto Joy’s back, whooping loudly into the taller girl’s ear. Eunae laughs at that; those two are just too funny.

But as much as she loves it out here, laughing and celebrating with her teammates, there’s someone else that she wants to see at the moment.

So Eunae nudges Moonbyul, who’s messing around with SinB right next to her, and yells over the noise that she’s going to head into the locker room now. Moonbyul nods, mirth in her eyes, and Eunae heads off.

She doesn’t leave without telling Seulgi though. She calls her other captain’s name, and from where she’s engrossed with Irene, Seulgi meets Eunae’s gaze with a knowing expression.

“Get out of here, Eunae!” Seulgi singsongs at her teasingly, and Eunae bursts into laughter as she makes her way off of the podium.

“I’ll see you later, Cap!”

With that, Eunae makes her way off of the field, making sure to wave and bow and thank as many fans as she can before the exits the field.

And no sooner than when she opens the locker room’s heavy doors does Eunae feel herself get grabbed at the collar and shoved against a nearby wall.

A pair of lips slam against hers, and Eunae laughs into the kiss as Nahyun presses into Eunae’s slightly taller frame fervently, clutching at the hem of the soccer player’s jersey desperately.

“It’s great to see you too, babe,” Eunae jokes when they finally pull away for air. She stares endearingly at her girlfriend, more than glad that Nahyun had been able to come.

Nahyun rolls her eyes, pouting as she crosses her arms. “Really, Eunae? You just won the FIFA World Cup. How else was I supposed to greet you?”

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” Eunae chuckles, a hand coming to rest at the small of Nahyun’s back, and she pulls the law student in closer. “That was hot.”

“Well aren’t you blunt today,” Nahyun giggles, fiddling with Eunae’s jersey. She’s about to say more, but the forward player silences her with another kiss.

“I just won the FIFA World Cup,” Eunae mumbles into her girlfriend’s lips. “How else am I supposed to respond to you?” They separate again, and Eunae gingerly pushes a few strands of hair behind Nahyun’s ear.

“Were you okay with watching in here?” She asks worriedly. “I— it was fine, you know? If you wanted to watch from the stands with everyone else.”

“Oh, Eunae, it was lovely watching in here!” Nahyun soothes. “Besides, it was too loud and hot outside anyways. Plus, I could actually hear the commentary about how great my girlfriend was,” she says with a wink. “Don’t worry, Eunae. I know that you’re not ready yet, and that’s fine. I know that the day will come— I believe in you. And until you’re ready to let the world know about us, I’ll be right here, supporting you every step of the way. I can wait a little longer.”

“I don’t deserve you,” Eunae sighs, leaning into bury her face into Nahyun’s shoulder. “But babe, with words like that, you might not be waiting for very much longer.”

Five hours post-World Cup Victory

“Jennie! You’ve really stepped up your game for this year’s FIFA World Cup! What do you think was the biggest factor in solidifying your play style this go around?”

Jennie grins, shrugging her shoulders at the interviewer and her camera who were roaming around their celebration party.

“It’s been a long journey, and I only joined the National Team two years ago, so my first year on the team was really me testing out the ropes. But ever since that first year, I’ve been able to solidify my position a little bit more, especially when I’m playing with such talented players that I’ve looked up to for a long time, like Seulgi, Moonbyul, and Eunae. I’ve been able to adjust to their style and settle in, so I think that’s one of the biggest factors.”

“And what about the other big factor?”

The midfielder raises an eyebrow, a quirk to her lips. “The ‘other’ factor?”

“Don’t play coy, Jennie Kim!” The interviewer laughs. “I’m talking about the other factor!”

“Oh!” Realization dawns on Jennie’s face, and she chuckles, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. “That factor! It’s been nothing but great!” There’s an undeniable spark in her eye. “Having a girlfriend on the team with me is nothing short of amazing. Jisoo’s been my best friend for such a long time, and the day I realized that there was something more to our relationship is probably the day I’d cite as the turning point of my life.”

“You two must love each other very much,” the interviewer nods.

“Of course!” Jennie beams. “She’s everything to me. I think… I did a lot of searching this past year. I was looking for something to fill this— this – I don’t know how to describe it – this gap, and Jisoo was the missing puzzle piece.”

“Do you mean it?”

Jisoo giggles, appearing on Jennie’s arm.

“Couldn’t mean it more,” Jennie replies with an assertive nod.

“That’s great guys!” The interview exclaims, and a minute later, after another round of congratulations, she bows and moves on to the next pair of targets.

“So I’m your missing puzzle piece,” Jisoo says teasingly, leaning over and playing with Jennie’s fingers.

“Yeah,” Jennie smiles, slinging an arm around Jisoo’s shoulders. “Exactly like that. But softer. Puzzle pieces are kinda rough on the edges. You, Miss Jisoo, are very soft.”

“How much have you had to drink?” Jisoo chuckles, poking Jennie’s stomach gently, and the midfielder laughs, pulling away with a simple shrug.

“Honestly, not enough.”

“Hmm…” The purple-haired defender muses, humming to herself with a thoughtful finger on her lip. “How about we get more drinks and take them up to the hotel room? We can enjoy them on the balcony. It’s a nice summer night.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jennie laughs, leading them over to the bar.

"Wait!"

"What's up?"

"I want a kiss first," Jisoo pouts, tugging insistently on the sleeve of Jennie's sweater.

"Well, get in here then! I'm not complaining!"

Five hours and thirty minutes post-World Cup Victory

Lisa’s pretty much over the moon at this point. She just won the World Cup with two of her best friends at her side, and her family, who flew all the way over from Thailand, was in the stands to see her team win. Really, you can’t get much better than this.

Well, Lisa shrugs to herself, biting her lip as her spirits dampen a bit, it really could be.

She stares down into the drink that Jennie had placed into her hand a few minutes ago, still not having taken a sip yet. The red liquid gleams back at her, and Lisa frowns.

In front of her, her parents are engaging in talk with Jennie’s family, eagerly catching up to speed with their daily lives in English. Meanwhile, Jennie and Jisoo have disappeared off to who knows where? But Lisa really isn’t surprised.

It’s then that the Thai girl hears the telltale ding! of her phone, and perhaps Lisa is a bit too enthusiastic to pull away from the buzz and pure excitement of the party. But she slips outside anyways, waggling her phone at her mother, who gives her a knowing smile and waves her off.

Five minutes later, Lisa finds herself standing in the front of their hotel, quickly dialing a familiar number and waiting in anticipation for the line to pick up.

“…Lisa? Oh my goodness, congratulations! I knew you could do it, babe!”

“Rosie,” Lisa smiles up at the glittering night sky at the sound of Rosé’s voice. “Sorry I didn’t call earlier. Everything happened so fast.”

Soft laughter is heard from the other end of the line.

“Don’t worry about it, Lisa,” Rosé comforts soothingly. “I understand.” She giggles. “After all, you were just as understanding during my concerts and award ceremonies. Anyways, how’s the best night of your life going?”

“Well,” Lisa pouts. “It was going pretty great, but…” she trails off. “You’re not here, Rosie. I don’t know… it’s just not the same, I guess. I keep seeing my teammates celebrating with their significant others – I don’t even know where Jisoo and Jennie went – and yeah, it feels special, but it would be that much more special if you were here. And I know that you have a recording tonight but—”

Click.

Lisa feels her heart drop when the line goes dead. She stares dejectedly at the ground, tears welling up.

“Well,” a warm voice says from behind her, slightly out of breath. “What if I told my manager screw that recording, my girlfriend just won the FIFA World Cup?”

Gasping, Lisa spins around, something like hope churning in her stomach, and another body slams into her own, a pair of familiar arms wrapping around her waist, a face burying itself into her neck, lips pressing into the skin there.

“Rosé?” Lisa exclaims, a smile appearing as her girlfriend giggles into her neck. “You— you made it? You really did that for me?”

The Australian girl blushed. “I just got here. I—” Rosé takes a shuddering breath, “It didn’t feel right. I hated how I wasn’t even able to attend the game, how I wasn’t able to support you the way that a girlfriend should. And I hated how I was in the middle of an interview when the news came in that you won, so I couldn’t even—”

Lisa’s eyes grow wide as she sees Rosé grow teary.

“I’m so sorry, Lisa,” Rosé whimpers, and Lisa hastily shakes her head. “I’m so sorry that I’m so busy all the time, and yet you’re still so understanding and—

“Rosie,” Lisa hushes, forcing the idol to silence herself. Cupping her girlfriend’s cheek, Lisa beams. “Park Chaeyoung, you came. Against all odds, against everything you should have done, you came. So you missed the game. So what? You came. For me, you’re dorky jock girlfriend who doesn’t deserve you whatsoever.”

“Don’t say that,” Rosé protests, only to be silenced into a kiss when Lisa surges forward.

“Let’s go inside,” Lisa murmurs, and Rosé nods with a smile. “My teammates miss you.”

“Wendy’s there, right?” The Australian girl asks as they make their way back into the hotel.

Lisa laughs, nodding. “Yeah, Rosie, our team mom and your ‘sister from another mister’ is inside too.”

Seven hours post-World Cup Victory

“We’re really ditching your celebration party?” Solar asks incredulously as Moonbyul ushers her into the car. “I mean, isn’t this something you were looking forward to, I don’t know, your whole life?”

“Yeah, but we were there for two hours anyways. But this,” Moonbyul smirks, “is something that I’ve been looking forward to even more.”

“Just where are we going?” Solar laughs, buckling up at Moonbyul’s insistence. “You’ve got me in the car, and yet you still haven’t told me.”

“So,” Moonbyul drawls. “Remember how we put our honeymoon on hold because I was so focused on training for the World Cup?”

“No.” Solar gapes. “You’re kidding me.”

“Ready to get on a plane to Hawaii?” Moonbyul asks with a grin, adjusting the steering wheel.

“Let’s ditch this place!” Solar shouts, and with that Moonbyul laughs and steps on the acceleration.

Twelve hours post-World Cup Victory

“Do you think Solar and Moonbyul left this place already?” Irene asks blearily, blinking as sunlight streams in from the hotel window.

“They probably left hours ago,” Seulgi replies with a smirk. She says nothing more, deciding to bask in the view in front of her— of Irene with the pure white blankets pulled up to her chin, of the way her eyes seem to dance in the early morning light, in the way that she stares back at Seulgi looking just as much in love as Seulgi feels.

“So we don’t have to do anything today, right?” Irene murmurs, and Seulgi shakes her head, pulling Irene in closer to tuck the smaller girl under her chin.

“Nope. We get today off.” Seulgi chuckles at the soft yay that leaves Irene’s lips. “Get ready though. As soon as we get back to Seoul, it’s going to be nonstop celebrations. The team just won an international tournament, and like it or not, I’m dragging you as my plus one to every single event.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Irene whispers into the crook of Seulgi’s neck. “Now, can we get more sleep? I’m really tired out—”

“It was that good, huh?” Seulgi grins cheekily before letting out an oomph as her girlfriend lightly punches her stomach.

“Don’t get too cocky, Kang Seulgi.”

Meanwhile...

SinB sits on a couch in the hotel lobby, staring at all the couples surrounding her in a state absolute repulsion.

"Ugh," she mutters under her breath. "Significant others."

Chungha, who perches herself on the couch arm, raises an eyebrow at the other girl in amusement.

"Aw, you just haven't found the right person for you, SinB," Chungha coos, and SinB scrunches her nose.

"Tch," SinB rolls her eyes. "Disgusting."