The next day, as she did every night for the past week and a day, Minjoo beamed at Ryujin and Yena when they vacated the humid changing room to their dorm. She stayed there for a few more moments getting ready, drying her hair with the bathroom's hand dryer and putting on some perfume. At long last, she had gotten used to this rhythm. Initially, it seemed erratic, even though she only participated in one training session. Chaewon had three practices a day five times a week, including personal coaching on Saturdays. Therefore, it helped Minjoo to put things into perspective, and instead of seeing it as a chore, as in the first training sessions, she was almost looking forward to it.

This evening, she planned on using this free hour to secretly get back into her history lessons. Sure it was fun and worth a giggle, but Minjoo wasn't oblivious that her place here wasn't guaranteed by hockey and that a blank paper could cost her a lot. The teachers were very understanding, though. They knew most students had busy, crazy schedules. As a result, their history teacher allowed them to retake the test. Thus Minjoo sat higher on the bleachers than usual to be less distracted by Yu Jimin's dynamic training. Although her Tango was lovely, it didn't mix well with a contemporary history class. Not having received a message since the day before, well, her last message had been unopened, Minjoo assumed that Chaewon wasn't coming back earlier this time. She leaned comfortably against a low wall separating two rows of seats, music in ears.

At such times she felt relaxed, in her element. Sure, it had nothing to do with the serenity of the memorable days she had spent on the trip she still dreamed about years later, but sitting in the cold, smelling the ice and feeling its smoothness really soothed her. There was happy nostalgia, reminiscing herself wrapped in a dozen layers of clothing chasing her brother around the frozen pond bordering the property they had rented for a two-week holiday in Quebec. Despite the seriousness of her history lesson, Minjoo recalled this evening when they had been scolded for skating without pads. To warm up, they drank a cup of hot chocolate, which they had insisted on enjoying on the terrace, buried under a blanket over their warm clothes. Indeed, good old days. She didn't miss it; Minsung had grown up away from hockey, and she grew up building herself around it, but it didn't change their bond. 

Anyway, as the volume of Jimin's music increased and just as she was about to read the whole lesson from the beginning a second time, Minjoo spotted pink hair and a white jacket far below. A smile immediately spread across her lips. Although she would have preferred not to, before she knew it, she was already on her feet, waving to Chaewon. She saw the skater sigh but still climb the stairs anyway, coming with her stuff and floral perfume.

"Hi, miss," though relatively down to earth, Minjoo wasn't stupid either. While yesterday it might have been a coincidence, today it was not; Chaewon was coming in advance on purpose to... spend time with her? The idea flustered, so she offered a smile as teasing as it was sincere, making Chaewon roll her eyes.

The skater settled down on the floor, using her skate bag as a support for a heavy display book. She apparently had work to do as well. After a few exchanged words, the two ice lovers started studying, both listening to their own music. It could have been a little awkward, sitting there together without talking, but it wasn't at all. And every now and then, one of them would pause to discreetly glance at what the other was doing, and this time it was Minjoo's turn to ask, "Are those rules?"

"Yeah, basically," Chaewon placed a finger on the page she was studying before flipping to the front and showing the official document's cover, ISU Judging System. She'd printed it out and kept it in a display book decorated with stickers. "That's the panel handbook for pair skating."

"Oh, they're in English..." the hockey player remarked, lifting both eyebrows. She already had trouble understanding the English words inserted in hockey vocabulary, so reading all this could probably cause a headache. But hey, apparently, Kim Chaewon knew and could literally do anything. 

"It's better to get the original to avoid mistranslation," the girl explained, shifting back to her page where she indicated some annotations she'd made in pencil next to unknown words. Minjoo thought it was too cute, so she slightly leaned over to examine the page. Jump elements rules; free skating; must, can, only...

"Why is it called free skating if it has so many restrictions?" If the question didn't bug her so much, Minjoo might have paid more attention to the fact that her forearm was resting naturally on Chaewon's leg.

The latter let out a chuckle. "Short programs have restrictions. Those are just guidelines. Almost helpful since it can get overwhelming to make, y'know? I'm going deeper into the short program right now, though."

"Don't you know the rules already?" The hockey player asked, recoiling though she wouldn't have minded staying longer in Chaewon's personal space. "I thought you made the choreography."

"I did make the one we're practising right now, but it's the free skate. I guess you've seen the short program one with Eunbi? Bite? I just helped with matching moves to music," the skater replied with an adorable smile. Again, the passion was shining in her eyes as she talked about creating choreographies, and Minjoo found it fascinating. Especially after contemplating the beauty of their program on 'Bite', which, now that she grasped it, was the prompt of her crush on Kim Chaewon. "I know the requirements, but I need to know absolutely every single detail, you know?"

"You really wanna be a choreographer?" Minjoo grinned, and Chaewon nodded almost shyly.

"But that gets annoying when you can't listen to music without making sequences in your head," the skater joked, rolling her eyes at herself as she slowly tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear. Oh. Maybe her loosened straight hair falling down her back was the thing making her look so enchanting at that moment.

"You sound like it's a curse," Minjoo grinned teasingly, and not wanting to admit she missed the contact, she leaned back towards the other. "What are you listening to?"

"Oh, actually not something like this but-," the skater giggled, taking her phone from under her thigh.

I love it.

Okay. If life was a dream, Minjoo would have been screaming, stamping her feet and banging her head against the bleachers' linoleum floor. She would have ripped her hair out and sobbed and asked how a girl could be so perfect. Because , on top of everything else, Kim Chaewon had to listen to her favourite artist? It was too much for her heart right now, like, she wanted to seize the skater in her arms and never let her go.

"No way," Minjoo raised her eyebrows in bewilderment. "You like Dean?"

"Like?" Chaewon pulled out one of her headphones and rolled her eyes as if it were evident. "Girl, I'm in love with him."

Ooch. The first mention about liking boys, wasn't it? Minjoo tried not to bug about it too much since her favourite singer had a free pass. If she didn't like long hair, flowery scents and high-pitched giggles so much, she'd most likely be in love with Dean too. It was no big deal, after all. But still, she felt something tickle in the back of as her smile widened, delighted by another common interest that could potentially bring them closer. "I love him so much."

"Really?" Cocking an eyebrow, Chaewon gave Minjoo a look that could have made her melt in place if she hadn't put on thermal underwear under her jersey to stay warm, so honeyed was it. "What's your fav?"

Minjoo looked up to the ceiling to avoid Chaewon's impatient gaze and think carefully. She knew all the songs by heart, could, with Yena, even sing the adlibs, and had been listening to the same album over and over since it came out. "Absolutely all of them, but let's say Bonnie and Clyde has a grip on me these days."

"Oh my- I think about the live version at least five times a day," the skater patted excitedly on the hockey player's thigh, smiling a little wider at the song's mention. "You know that one?"

"Hmm?" Well, in her defence, with practices, NHL highlights, and all her animes, it had been a long time since Minjoo had taken her time to watch music performances. Sure she followed some groups from afar and Red Velvet thoroughly, but nothing much. Despite the blow to her Dean fan card pride, she had to admit she didn't know what the skater was talking about. "On stage?"

Minjoo shook her head, then, still smiling, the other typed fast on her phone. As the video loaded, Chaewon tucked a strand of her pink hair behind her ear in a gesture that captivated Minjoo before she was thrown to another planet when the skater's warm fingers brushed her cheek to place an earphone into her ear. Her stomach flipped, then contracted pleasantly as their legs pressed together, the skater's massive phone set on both of their tights.

As if Jimin's music and everything else around them had disappeared, Minjoo melted under the singer's enchanting voice, especially under the sensation of warmth growing in her thigh, rising to her cheeks, and the pronounced smell of rose and orange blossom, the pink hair emanated. For a few seconds, her gaze even left the screen to focus on the hand that held it with slender, feminine fingers, slightly sublimated by a nail polish that she had never noticed. Her eyes rose a little higher until they met those of the one she was beginning to think about a little too much, and immediately she found herself obliged to focus it again on the singer, praying the red on her ears wouldn't show.

"He was so cute," Chaewon commented as she dramatically pressed her phone to her chest, closing her eyes in exaggerated nostalgia for a brief moment.

"Loved his hairstyle back then," Minjoo admitted before an idea she was about to sincerely regret with all her might crossed her mind. And, as usual, she spoke without thinking. "He looks just like Son Taeho, you know him?"

"Taeho?" something in the skater's attentive gaze altered to something inscrutable while, instead, her smile changed slightly. She cocked an eyebrow. "Of course. They really look alike. Why do you think I dated him?"

"You what?" Almost comically, the words came out of Minjoo's mouth with difficulty as if she had choked on them. Perhaps it was because of the lump in the back of since it had just tripled in size, almost painfully. "Dated Son Taeho?"

"Yeah, why?" Chaewon tilted her head a little, but her smile persisted. "When did you arrive here?"

"Last February," the other answered. She had never ever heard anything about the N2 captain and Kim Chaewon. Well, maybe thrid-year stuff didn't reach the ears of the younger ones, but then why did it sound like they were talking about Troye and Gabriella? Not even her teammates mentioned that. Or maybe she wasn't listening because she couldn't give a damn about the skater's love life. Not funny how tables turned.

"That's why," the pink-haired girl shook her head. "We dated for like six months two years ago, but we've been on and off since then."

"Oh," was all Minjoo managed to say, pulling away a little to lean against the low wall, her gaze directed on her sneakers. She'd actually expected it, but she hadn't expected it to feel like this. Not really bad, just a kind of cold shower that cut short all the pleasant urges running through her body in the company of the other.

"It's like..." Chaewon resumed, and a new twinge gripped the brunette's heart. "I've dated other guys before and after and- hockey players."

"Unprovoked," Minjoo breathed, lifting her eyebrows.

"Totally provoked," Chaewon, who usually didn't talk more than was necessary, was ranting a lot suddenly. While on any other subject, Minjoo would have been delighted to enjoy a lively discussion with the skater, talking about boys just plainly annoyed her. "I got played by every hockey guy I've dated, and I keep going back. Actually, only Taeho barely treated me well. Once I broke up with him, though, 'cause he's dumb."

Playing with her shoelace's metal tip, Minjoo grumbled, "I thought you were talking to Seohan."

"He's just a friend to me. I'm done with hockey players for real," the skater was still speaking with such glee that Minjoo forced herself to suppress a grimace. "Just love the attention, to be honest."

Okay. Too shaken, heart beating extremely unpleasantly this time, Minjoo chose to reopen her history notebook rather than open herself up further to the conversation. It was predictable, of course. There was only a tiny percentage of chance that Chaewon was on this side, but no, she wasn't. And what was even more irritating was how it affected Minjoo far more than she'd ever thought. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have had a problem with it. But right now, Minjoo couldn't even enjoy the fact that she would be able to act with Chaewon as she did with Sumin and other crushes, hitting on them more for fun and giggles than anything. Yeah, it pissed her off because whatever was growing between her and Chaewon wasn't anything more than a convenient friendship, and all the things she was starting to feel would never be reciprocated.

The latter must have felt like something had changed in the air, so she struck up a conversation again, "How about you, tho?"

"Me what?" Minjoo withdrew her eyes from her notebook briefly, only to return to it after confronting the elite skater's two honeyed orbs.

"Dating anyone?" The question was asked with no particular interest behind it, a sign that no matter if the answer was yes or no, it wouldn't make any difference to Chaewon. As bitter as it could sound, this was only going one way, anyway.

The hockey player shook her head, putting all her strength into reading the same date over and over again, aware of the other's sharp stare at her. Why the did it have to be now that Chaewon was giving her so much attention? Despite her effort to hide her vexation, if Chaewon kept looking at her like that, she was going to suspect something was wrong. As a result, forcing a smile, Minjoo quickly lifted up her head, "not dating anyone, no."

"Ah," Chaewon smiled, not taking her eyes off her, almost satisfied to see her back in the conversation. Which caused Minjoo to cringe again. "It’s not like you don’t have options. Isn't it hard to resist being around them all the time?"

Minjoo couldn't help but frown this time, annoyed by Chaewon's mentality. She dared to criticise Chi Hyunjung's only to have the same, if not less radical, but equally irritating one. Instead, she rolled her eyes, "please, they're my friends."

"Still," insisted Chaewon. "There’s no way you have no game."

"No 'still'," the hockey player snapped, not considering the second thing the skater said. Because if she had, she would've noticed how Chaewon almost sounded hesitant about awkwardly complimenting her. "Friends and not my type."

"You can't be friends with guys, like," Chaewon insisted. "They always want more and it's-"

"-Not my thing," Minjoo repeated, hoping that would be enough to end this discussion that was making her increasingly uncomfortable. Used to be relatively open about her uality with friends, she almost forgot how some people never considered anything other than heteronormativity. Chaewon wasn't really to blame, but the general mentality was, and in this case, she was the voice. Minjoo gave her one last look, surprised to see hers almost questioning, agitated and keenly inhabited by a foreign glow. She then nodded, faking a half-smile before providing importance only to her history notes. 

Only, after a few minutes of silence, she felt Chaewon settling against the wall, their shoulders touching, and Dean's I Love It began to play in one of her ears. Oh, she still had Chaewon's earphones.

That helped Minjoo come back down to earth. She couldn't blame Chaewon for not liking girls, of course. It wouldn't be fair to both of them and quite childish. But again, since when was that really a problem? If Minjoo wanted touch from a pretty girl and someone to practise her pick-up lines for fun without any commitment, couldn't she just be glad that Chaewon was straight? Absolutely, it was a blessing. Perceiving it that way, she should feel better about it. The girl she was attracted to because of her inaccessibility was even more so now. Just as they were getting closer, it added a bit of fun. Besides, it was just a silly crush. Minjoo tried to convince herself, her heart pounding as Chaewon's music played in her ear, their arms pressed together.

-

To make things worse for this disastrous evening that made her want to abandon everything and give back the white skates, Chi Hyunjung was there and visibly more uncompromising than last time. Minjoo only bowed out of respect after the woman looked down on her, probably because of the sweatpants. Unfortunately, Eunbi hung back when it came to the choreography solely, meaning she couldn't mediate. Despite that, Minjoo found refuge in her gaze when Chi Hyunjung spoke exclusively to Chaewon about the proceedings. Nothing too surprising, but belittling, nonetheless.

"I thought she was a good skater." Still, despite the courtesies exchanged with Eunbi, the hockey player heard clearly that they were talking about her, and her ears twitched. This woman was definitely testing her limits, for never in her life had her skills been questioned so much. 

"She is." Chaewon defended her confidently, and Minjoo was even surprised. She knew the graceful skater was relatively cold, except when she talked about boys, apparently, but this was becoming three times more intimidating. No wonder some people criticised her so-called pretentious ways when she never once lowered her gaze when defying an authority figure. "I'm just not feeling like doing it without him."

From the side, Eunbi sighed before moving closer to the two skaters, leaving Minjoo to do the same, albeit with much less conviction. If it were up to her, the hockey player would have already run to her bed far from the ice, figure skating and Kim Chaewon.

"Chaewon, you know we really need to work this out even for a bit," Eunbi reassured her student, whose muscles relaxed slightly. Her gaze flickered between her coach's two eyes, then quickly settled on Minjoo who immediately turned her head. "You have to trust us."

"I do," again, the skater shook her head, contradicting her words. "I just really don't feel like doing it right now and I don't want to put it on her."

"Listen, whatever it is, I can handle it," Minjoo interrupted, definitely annoyed by the she and her's about her when not once had she been addressed. Now, she knew she was purely here to serve as a useful puppet, but that didn't make her an object, and despite her athletic patience, it was too much. She never agreed to be downgraded.

"It's about throws, Minjoo," Eunbi offered her a reassuring smile conveying a hint of sympathy that made her feel better. "Committing with someone else can indeed be really frightening, but I don't doubt you can handle it."

"Ugh, it's just that I don't feel like doing it right now," Chaewon insisted again, and this time Eunbi silenced her with a glare. 

"So what?" the coach raised her voice. It was the first time Minjoo had seen her as anything other than comfortably calm, and it was almost as scary as Cocho on bad days. Chaewon went back to play with her pendant, staring at an imaginary point, staying silent. "So what, Chaewon? Do the routine, again and again, skip all the parts that scare you? We can't just waste time and learn everything once Hyunjin is back on the ice and you agreed on it. Now you need to trust us, yourself and Minjoo. We need to clear this up if you want to keep your choreography."

After that, the skater stopped retorting, only rolling her eyes. She was already skating towards the centre of the rink, ready to perform the axel warm-up Chi Hyunjung instructed while the coach returned to the hockey player. 

"Sorry," she breathed, fixing her hair. "Here, I'm going to explain everything about the throwing motion. But please, tell me if everything's fine between you and her?"

"Uh?" Minjoo shrivelled in her skates, feeling trapped and furiously analysed by the coach whose gaze was becoming too much to bear. How could she know that there was something? Well, that she had something for, and in this case against, Chaewon right now? Kwon Eunbi was a skilled coach, indeed. Perhaps too good as the hockey player nervously scratched her neck. "Yeah, we're fine. There's nothing."

"Chemistry, Minjoo. Chemistry makes up 90% of the choreography. Especially now." Eunbi nodded, not dwelling more on the evident slight tension between the two girls she'd seen getting closer the past week. Some things didn't go unnoticed, apparently. "Communication is key, but she knows that, so if something's wrong, she's going to tell you. Anyway, throw jumps are very complicated since it's all in the name; the girl spins as she's being thrown."

Therefore, for a few minutes, Eunbi detailed the movement from preparation to take-off to landing. Minjoo listened carefully to make sure she understood everything right and didn't get any snide remarks from Chi Hyunjung. It was a rather intimidating element, especially since she possessed no more technical knowledge than the trainer was enlightening her. Moreover, it was the most complicated one; a throw triple axel. Bold, demanding and impressive.

She had to catch Chaewon's speed with accurate timing as it was the unique throw that started forward. Next, she would have to give her enough momentum to allow her to be thrown far and high enough to do three rotations while making sure to throw her in the proper direction. That was many instructions at once, and feeling that it was becoming overwhelming, Eunbi opted to put it into practice rather than waste more time on abstract explanations. She abandoned the hockey player and joined Chi Hyunjung at the sound booth, tab in hand.

Alone in the corner of the rink, Minjoo stared blankly, a fingernail between her teeth as she unconsciously lifted her eyebrows. Her thoughts were vividly rushing between the throw's difficulty, Chaewon's awkward words and how she said them while being touchy-feely, and Chi Hyunjung's condescending attitude. In reality, it was much trouble for someone who shouldn't even have to worry about it in the first place. She wasn't the type to back down from an obstacle, not at all and on the contrary. But when that obstacle was on a path she didn't want to take in the first place... Moreover, maybe Chaewon gained that from her coach because she approached slowly, stopping with her toe picks.

"What's up?" She asked after a few seconds of silence. Her gaze was still a little annoyed but predominantly concerned. Despite her mood, the hockey player was still mature enough to keep things in perspective. Although at that moment, she wanted to be anywhere as long as it was away from the ice and Kim Chaewon, she couldn't blame everything on the latter either. Even less so when the real reason for her hassle was the fact that Chaewon didn't like girls. It was ridiculous to blame her for that. "Minjoo, what's up?"

Indeed, Eunbi was right. It must have been a thing about pair figure skaters and acting like members of groups advocating wellness and group cohesion. Minjoo regained a smile as she pulled her fingernail from between her teeth, cocking an eyebrow at the skater, "knew you'd ask."

"So, what's up?" Chaewon defensively crossed her arms over her chest. . "There's a reason? Or you're literally annoyed at me for just talking?"

"Of course It’s not about that," though it was. The hockey player frowned in turn. She was once more annoyed by how condescending Chaewon was acting right now. Perhaps they had passed the word to each other to be more unpleasant than the other? Well, she hasn't known enough about her yet and maybe the one in front of her was the real Kim Chaewon. The one she heard about in the corridors, a bit too pretentious, very condescending... too haughty. And way too ing cute. And het. "It's fine, really."

Chaewon didn't seem convinced, but she uncrossed her arms anyway and sighed. Minjoo noticed she had rolled her eyes before skating slightly away, and that annoyed her even more. It was definitely not looking good for chemistry tonight.

-

Despite the bickering, Minjoo experienced that intense, beating heart feeling again as her hand encircled the skater's slender waist while standing behind her. The music began, and unlike the times before, she was much less diligent in executing some additional moves, content to skate alongside and hold her when necessary. Once, before pivoting on herself, Chaewon gave her a confused look, and Minjoo didn't dare to bear it. On the first lift, the landing was much less successful than the previous times because of the rush, and the outstretched leg spiral almost ended in a fall. With apprehension, as the music announced the first , Chaewon went into forward motion, and Minjoo applied what Eunbi had said.

One hand on the inside of her hip, the other wrapped around her waist. As the much-vaunted moment approached, their eyes locked together in a way they had never done before, and it all went wrong. Chaewon took the leap but pulled back at the last moment, putting a hasty arm around Minjoo's neck. They practically fell heavily, catching each other as well as they could, surprised by the sudden retreat. Chaewon instantly broke away, her eyes darting to her coach, one hand immediately grasping her medallion.

Faced with the reproving looks of both coaches, Chaewon frowned defensively, visibly confused, "I told you, I'm–"

"–Everything was wrong from the beginning," Chi Hyunjung interrupted, and Eunbi nodded at her words, arms crossed. "Focus. You both focus. Again."

Minjoo waited until she had her back to them before she sighed and rolled her eyes, stretching the vertebrae that the skater had almost taken with her. This axel throw, or whatever it was called, was definitely the most complicated thing she'd ever do. On one hand, her pride wanted to remain casual. She wasn't a figure skater; it wasn't in her obligation to come and help, and was beyond her daily quota of hours, anyway. She could, in fact, just leave. But on the other hand, Minjoo was a team sports player, and despite disagreements, a team must always stay together. So she tightened her grip around Chaewon's waist before the music started, feeling the other take a deep breath.

At that time the music began, and they reproduced the same movements. Minjoo skated at the same pace while Chaewon kept pivoting, gracefully executing the choreography of arms and legs. I'd quench that dust. So she filled her chest in desperation, making a turn on herself, her skates parting and returning in line so they could perform the first lift. The descent was steadier, and Minjoo properly understood the importance of cohesion, so she agreed to see nothing but Chaewon's eyes this time as they found themselves skating face to face, hand in hand. The pre-chorus arrived, and they both took deep breaths as Chaewon came to stand in the forward position, pressing herself against Minjoo, taking a firm grip on her waist. She had to hurl her, quite simply, on the high. 

Chaewon took off this time but merely had time for half a rotation before her skate hit the ice hard. If Minjoo had complained about her falls, she would have had nothing to say now, given how violently the skater tripped to the ice. And what was even more impressive was how fast she got up, only frowning as she pulled the white powder off her leggings.

"Again," Eunbi boosted, and they returned to their initial position, a little more tired. Same sequence, same lift, then same throw that ended in a forceful fall from which Chaewon rose, skating back to her place without betraying any form of discomfort. "Put in more energy, Chaewon. You need to commit. Again."

Again, the music, the crossovers, the spiral, the lift, the choreography, the pivot to forward, one hand under her hip, one around her waist, a running jump. Chaewon did a full rotation, landed well, and fell backwards after a crash on the ice. Her body smashed violently against the frozen surface, and it took her another second to get up. Without a word, she skated to the starting point, wiping the back of her leggings. Minjoo joined her, nibbling her lip nervously as the two coaches went on and on about how wrong it was and how she really needed to get on with it. Cheeks flushed from the effort, the skater just nodded, playing with her pendant, and then it was back again, a new lift and another fall.

However, it took Chaewon a few seconds to get up this time, keeping her eyes closed for a moment.

"Let's be clear, no break until you land properly," Eunbi approached them, clearly annoyed. With an uncharacteristically brusque gesture, she seized her student's hand and placed it on Minjoo's shoulder, who didn't know where to stand. "You need to start rotating pushing off Hyunjin, right? Chaewon, come on, two rotations only!"

"I know," the skater nodded, her grip on Minjoo's shoulder weakening as Eunbi stepped aside. "Sorry."

"And you, Minjoo, thank you so much for giving us your time, but can you please focus? Because if you're only doing half of the work, it's better to do nothing." Coming from Hyunjung, the remark would have been very offensive and annoying, but coming from Eunbi, Minjoo blamed herself. The young coach had been particularly kind and patient with her ever since the first practice. She made sure Minjoo felt at ease, making all of her training fun with her gentle manner as she enjoyed sharing her love of figure skating. Minjoo felt somehow bad for disappointing her, for not giving her back all the energy she had invested. The hockey player looked down as she nodded, in turn, a fingernail between her teeth, eyebrows raised. "Again. I want a powerful throw and a lot of energy. Let's start right off at the third crossover."

Then she took a deep breath as Chaewon's wet, cold hand gripped her shoulder again, much more tightly. They were going a little faster than the previous times, Hyunjung shouting at them to slow down the pace, but the movement was executed without the advice being considered, with force. While the throw was relatively more powerful, the skater performed two rotations before one of her skates hit the ice, hurling her body several feet away. She slid across the frozen surface, her black leggings and thermal jacket soaked with ice as she struggled to get back, still closing her eyes as she massaged her elbow. Chaewon muttered a swear and swiftly passed her arm over her eyes.

"Again."

Minjoo nodded for them both, unable to resist squeezing the skater's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her a little when they found themselves abreast again. The hockey player wondered how she could even stand after a dozen such violent falls, and Chaewon's glazed look alerted her more. But there was nothing she could do about it, as Eunbi and Hyunjung were already counting for another attempt. "Great intensity. Chaewon, you need to fully commit. Again. One, two, three."

A few more attempts later, despite the fatigue and evident frustration severely gaining on her arms, Minjoo took care to get a firm grip on the other's waist. However, guilt overcame her as Chaewon slid back onto the ice. The fall had been insanely fast but extremely violent, so the skater still couldn't get up, regaining her breath as she lay on the hard, cold surface. 

Although she was still troubled, Minjoo was still very human and compassionate. Therefore she tried to go and help her get up, but Hyunjung apparently wasn't so understanding, as she held out an arm to prevent her, "She's fine. Is it fine, Chaewon?"

Without surprise, the skater nodded, finally straightening up. Nevertheless, she kept her head down to return to her initial position, visibly minimising the movements of her knees. Shocked by Chi Hyunjung's impassiveness, Minjoo remained awkwardly silent as she noticed the way Chaewon once again passed her sleeve over her eyes. Something twisted in her stomach, in every sense of the word. A heartbeat echoed in her temples. Her blood ran cold as the skater deliberately avoided her gaze, already preparing to repeat the sequence leading up to the throw she decidedly could not perform. Suddenly, all the annoyance and vexation disappeared, and the guilt gnawed at her even more as she felt Chaewon shiver at her touch.

Crossover, pivot, firm hand on the waist, breathe in, then follow the throw as high and far as possible. There was no more music, only the sound of the skates against the ice, the rhythm announced by the coaches, the skater's body crashing against the ice, and then a lot of criticism. Endlessly, becoming almost unbearable. Especially when, after successfully performing two rotations, the toe-pick striked the ice on landing, throwing Chaewon face-first brutally onto the hard surface. So hard that her body slid on ice for meters and slammed into the rink's barrier.

Having played hockey for more than ten years, Minjoo had seen many falls and injuries. Her brother, Minsung, had cut his lip when he got hit by a stick, resulting in several stitches in a hurry and a week of heavy bandages on his lips. Minjoo once got bumped into so hard she had to wear a neck brace to relieve the whiplash, and on several occasions, her teammates had ended up with bleeding mouths and noses. Minjoo had even fallen a hundred times during those skating practices, but it could never compare to what Chaewon had just endured. No open lips or whiplash, but her ego and self-esteem shred into pieces every time she crushed on the ice. And that, any sports player would know, remains the most unpleasant kind of injury.

Minjoo's heartbeat quickened again at the sight of Chaewon simply giving up, lying on her stomach with her head buried in her arms, shoulders shaking, white powder lost in her pink hair, and if Eunbi hadn't rushed to her side, she would have.

They left the rink together and disappeared somewhere in the changing rooms area, leaving Minjoo and Chi Hyunjung in a terribly uncomfortable atmosphere.

Almost unconsciously, Minjoo flatly refused to give the uncompromising choreographer a glance as she held her head high. Used to the rigour of hockey coaches, she knew they had to maintain a professional attitude. Trainers and coaches are mentors and guides to their teams. They can't afford to make their concern visible. But on a certain level. It wasn't right that Chaewon had to endure several other falls when she had already been crying for minutes, and the fact that she had to break down to get some rest was almost aberrant. And besides being angry at the two women, Minjoo was mad at herself for continuing the ordeal.

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault," Hyunjung said, her hands staying warm inside her pockets. Minjoo finally allowed herself to look up, surprised by the words. "She's not committing. Fear is taking her down every time."

"I'm sorry but shouldn't she, at least, be wearing pads?" forced to remain respectful, the hockey player lifted an eyebrow, trying not to frown.

"In figure skating, you have to feel the fall to land the next one," Hyunjung replied calmly, her gaze still directed on the blue doors. Though professional and potentially extremely annoying, her serenity appeased the hockey player. For the first time, she felt considered by the former champion, and it wasn't worth getting angry about something that was actually none of her business. Because even though presently she felt the opposite, Kim Chaewon's tough training wouldn't have interested her even a little while ago. "As much as she's an unbelievable skater, probably the best I've ever seen, she puts too much weight on her shoulders. It's weighing on her, putting her down, always holding her back. Chaewon's the type of girl that never let go, you see. She lacks recklessness, and I fear it's going to be hard in the future if she doesn’t loosen up."

Minjoo understood better, much better.

"I don't know how to teach her that, though, nor Coach Kwon. I feel like it's something you possess or not." There were long seconds of silence after those last, thought-provoking words. Minjoo bit down on her fingers, eyes staring at the void, eyebrows nervously raised as she felt the champion's attention focused on her. For a few moments, Hyunjung observed her, the hint of a smile on the corners of her wrinkled lips, then waited before she resumed, "I have been rude and wronged about you. You obviously lack technique, but I now comprehend how Viderski thought you were perfect for this role. You have it, this recklessness and passion. I wish you could just transmit it to her."

"Oh," the hockey player shyly nodded. "My coaches say that too."

Hyunjung examined her intently before redirecting her attention to an abstract point towards the bleachers. There was something other than hardness in her eyes, almost a touch of tenderness. "She trusts you a lot. In figure skating, I mean. I'm quite surprised by the chemistry you two have on the ice in such a short time... I'm asking you to throw harder and higher in front of you. Either she will fall harder or will have more time to land her rotations properly. Figure skating is an all-or-nothing, but you never get nothing when you really try."

And just before Minjoo could think Chi Hyunjung was crazy and sadistic, the blue swinging door opened on the coach and her student. 

Chaewon stepped onto the ice with far more conviction than she had left it, wearing her white fleece jacket over the thermal vest, the white powder having been wiped off her legging. As she would habitually do, she had tightened her ponytail, and a tiny burn caused by the friction between her cheek and the ice formed a scarlet circle on her already rosy cheek. They were both standing in the middle of the rink, and if she could, Minjoo would have picked her up and hugged her tightly. The skater's glassy eyes were still red, and she was sniffling a lot but standing confidently. It was admirable and adorable. The way she shyly grinned after Minjoo asked if she was okay. Chaewon nodded and even giggled when Minjoo cutely tilted her head, insisting.

The two coaches were pursuing the break with their backs to them, busy with the IPad probably, so Minjoo did a ridiculous petty spin, thinking about something. Thinking about Chi Hyunjung's words, to be precise. Despite her dislike of the choreographer, it must be said that her speech was very, very relevant. Put differently, it rang a bell. Chaewon lacked recklessness, and she was b with it. Smiling teasingly, Minjoo placed her fist on the skater's undamaged cheek, and Chaewon giggled again, withdrawing it gently while sniffing. Hyunjin seemed to possess a lot of recklessness too. He'd sprained his knee doing something stupid at the inappropriate time and place, and maybe that was the strong point of their couple. Consequently, that was the reason why, despite her pitiful gigantic beginner's level, Minjoo was able to match so well with Chaewon. In fact, she just needed that. To be fearless, to go for it.

Minjoo definitely had to find a way to convey her recklessness to Chaewon. And as she was known to, she acted again without really thinking, guiding the puck across the white ice field. "All-or-nothing, but you never get nothing when you really try." Miming having a stick in her hands, Minjoo turned tightly around the skater as the letter loosened up, laughing every time the hockey player commented on her imaginary actions. Ha, pass, she takes it back, Minjoo made an abrupt half-turn, mimed a puck going through the other's back before retrieving it, she crosses the blue line. Yeah, that was what she did best, shoot without knowing if it was getting in, a nothing until you truly try. She slowed down behind Chaewon.

"Also, yeah, I couldn’t date one of my teammates. They’re really not my type," she smiled coyly, slowly passing in front of the skater, locking eyes with her. Puck straight to the goal. Without thinking twice, transmitting her fearlessness and recklessness, she resumed behind Chaewon's back. "But you are."

And before she even caught a glimpse of her reaction, Minjoo was already skating away on one foot towards the starting point. However, she did well. Very well, as Chaewon joined her, and on the second try, she landed the double rotations, avoiding a fall and yet another criticism. Nothing had really changed in the movement, but the two coaches applauded. Minjoo may have thrown her higher, though that wasn't the difference. Relatively, it was thanks to that bold move as Chaewon had asked, 'are you for real?', eyes twinkling, right as they finished a crossover, and Minjoo had explicitly shrugged before grabbing her waist firmly and throwing her into the air.

As the program's music stated, "just chase the high and stop your doubting."