The clock ticked, making the tension in the frighteningly silent classroom rose quickly. Their teacher had been kind enough to allow them a second chance, but it wasn't gifted either. As her leg bounced against the floor, Minjoo wrote the end of her answer about the Independence Club as quickly as possible. On the way back to the dorm yesterday, she had locked herself in the bathroom to revise some more and stop cringing thinking about her confidence burst. Yena was asleep, but she too had her book on her bedside table, meaning she had also decided to catch up. Minjoo would tell her in the morning.

The assistant in charge of the class stood up without a word, crossing his arms after looking at his watch. He announced the last minute, and the pencils of all those who had neglected the first test moved faster. Minjoo bit her lip, her handwriting becoming less and less legible as she began the concluding sentence. She sighed in relief when the appointee clapped his hands, throwing her back to stretch as he moved through the rows, gathering papers. She had done quite well, having answered all the questions as accurately as possible. That eased her mind a little. Without bothering to correctly put on her backpack, she left the room, adjusting her curtain bangs before entering the corridor.

Given the situation, the only classrooms available were on the floor usually frequented by third years, and the groups had been divided. Yena was in 3-11, and as they had agreed before they split up, they were to meet in front of it. Still tired from the night before, a few aches in her arms, Minjoo dropped her bag heavily to the floor, leaning against the white wall, facing a window overlooking the city. It was a bit unfair that Yena's class, with the same teacher but apparently privileged, was given a few extra minutes. Especially when Minjoo found herself alone in a deserted hallway, hands in her pockets. Casually, she pulled her hood over half her head and slightly tightened her sneakers’ untied laces to pass the time. Might as well say she was no longer making the same effort to dress well as at the beginning of the week. A black hoodie and oversized grey sweatpants tightened at the ankles fit the bill. After all, she bitterly had no one to impress now.

In due course, the bell rang just above her head. The room's 3-11 opened to frustrated and annoyed students as if they had been waiting for the longest time. She scarcely recognised a few faces from Yena's class until her friend came out and fell into her arms, mimicking fainting.

"I'm so ed up if they count negative," she complained, accepting Minjoo's embarrassed pats on her back. "I just, you know, picked which date sounded better."

"Some of them were really hard, though," she finally pushed her friend's body away to seize her bag. The hallway was starting to fill up with third years, and it was best to get out of there quickly so that they had time to choose a table in the cafeteria. First come, first served, fair in love and war. "Let's just pray."

They opted for the ruse of discreetly using the emergency exit used by some to get down the floors without taking the main staircase where everyone was rushing. Accidents happen quickly, although nothing serious the two friends would rather be reprimanded but with a good seat in the cafeteria than to be pushed around in the corridors. Relatively delicate for hockey players. A few students did it in front of them, scrutinising the surroundings before disappearing behind the blue door. The trick was known to all, and if those boys dared, they could.

Only, as they began walking, a room at the end of the hallway opened up to a girl from the badminton team, and Minjoo felt her stomach clench in a warning signal. Hold on . It clicked. Floor 3, the third year floor, and third-year meant the person she least wanted to see at that moment. Well… at the same time, she did want to see her, just because it would give her a light feeling in her lungs before being crushed by mortification. If yesterday they had parted ways talking about Axel Throws, today there was a reasonable chance it would come up. And to make things worse, a tall, slender, breathtakingly elegant brunette, an equally tall, dark-haired man with neatly gelled hair, and, as expected, a shorter girl with pink hair and a cold stare left the room. 

If they had been in a 2000s teen film, there would have been slow-motion, cool music, three girls twirling their hair round their fingers, a boy falling off his skateboard, a girl slamming her locker in the face of her boyfriend obsessed with the impressive group they were. The World Junior Champion skaters, three of the school's most famous young athletes whose performance videos were trending on social networks. And even though they were just chatting, obviously complaining by the look on their faces, Minjoo found herself like a fool, shrivelling up next to her friend, thanking herself inwardly for putting on her hood if it could help her go incognito.

Minjoo still couldn't process that she had told a het Kim Chaewon she was basically into her. Well, not exactly, but that's what it suggested, and it was really awkward to see her now. So much that she scarcely dared to glance at the muse of all her thoughts before pulling herself together. Since when was the fearless Kim Minjoo afraid of anything, let alone anyone? Since the night before, but since when, really? Straightening her back, she gathered the best of her self-consciousness to appear relaxed, unperturbed by her confession of the previous evening, indifferent to the beating of her heart. Then she glanced sharply at Chaewon's group, and all her plans scattered as soon as Chaewon stared back. That wasn't part of the plan, and Minjoo instantly looked away, pretending to find something more interesting to look at; a white wall.

Cliché as it was, she felt several poundings in her chest at the mere thought of potentially having Chaewon's gaze on her. She didn't dare check, continuing on her way with the little confidence she had left, striving for a natural gait that didn't stagger much from her now marshmallowy legs. She saw Yena turn around for a few seconds, then one last time before they entered discreetly through the emergency door, finding themselves on the exterior stairs leading straight to the ground floor. They'd successfully completed the 'forbidden shortcut' mission, but Minjoo had failed miserably at the 'pretending Kim Chaewon doesn't make you completely weak' mission.

Hurrying to avoid being caught in the act, the two girls made their way down the metal stairs until they finally found refuge in the cafeteria queue. There, just as they had managed to scrape a few places, Yena slammed her palm down on her friend's shoulder, startling her. She had an incredulous smile on her face, and her tone betrayed her excitement, "she like, she just looked at you all the way?"

"Shut up," Minjoo turned her head, a burning sensation blooming in her now light chest. Yena possessed a knack for exaggerating things, but Minjoo herself had seen from the corner of her eye how well Chaewon had minded them. To remain rational and not get her hopes high again, she preferred to assume that Chaewon hadn't looked at them until they walked through the door, but she had.

"I swear, Ming. She was staring at you, and when I turned around," the brunette theatrically mimicked the scene a second time, despite her friend's deterrent look. Oh, Yena finally knew. Minjoo had told her everything about her one-sided beef—crush— with Chaewon as they got ready that morning, banana in one hand, notebooks in the other, shamelessly sulking. Yena hadn't been more surprised than that. In fact, she'd presumed that Minjoo wouldn't last more than a few minutes in Kim Chaewon's company without succumbing. She hadn't been bothered at all. On the contrary, she was far too invested now, and in her opinion, there was something fishy about it. She had concluded Minjoo shouldn't give up yet. Because although she was the type to get carried away promptly, Yena also knew how to stay down to earth, and in her opinion, there was still a tiny chance, "she turned her head, like she saw that I saw and looked away. Like, it's obvious she was looking at you."

-

It was puzzling, somehow, because Chaewon had indeed looked at her, and she did it again when she passed by with Hyunjin after lunch, heading towards the rink. It wasn’t the first time, of course. Thinking about it now, Minjoo had already noticed the skater subtly glancing at her in the cafeteria and acting as if she wasn’t right after, but she never interpreted it this way. She really wasn’t trying to make things up. Despite being bold and reckless when she wanted to, Minjoo also never liked having false hopes and delusions. Confused, she occupied the rest of her classes daydreaming about what happened last evening and this morning and how to act later during practice.

She didn’t really mind Chaewon being straight no more; the pill was swallowed through the night. She convinced herself. But what she couldn’t accept yet was the way the girl had been giving mixed signals from the beginning. She would text first, then don’t reply for hours, glance, but turn her head as soon as their eyes met, act interested in a way, then close every door. It was too confusing, and Minjoo sighed, noticing the eye she was absentmindedly drawing on her exercise book was too round for it to be just anyone’s. Doe eyes she was getting a bit addicted to, even more, when they would glint as they skated together. She sighed again, cursing that damn pink hair and that 'Bite' choreography.

-

For her delight, the synchronised swimming team had also decided to gather in the concrete yard. She locked her phone, suppressing a smile as she stood up, clearing her sweatpants of the small stones that had stuck on it. Running her hand through her hair a few times, chewing the gum furiously, she raised an eyebrow when Sumin pretended to turn her back. It wasn't what they could consider an actual date, but that was the deal; if Minjoo scored, they'd have a date. But in reality, it didn't feel like before when she would get giddy thinking about hanging out with Sumin.

"You did something to your hair, right?" She remarked as she tried to tousle the brunette's bangs, and the latter immediately fought back.

"Yes, some highlights," Sumin replied as she tried to dodge the teasing. To get some peace, she grabbed Minjoo's wrist and took the opportunity to pull her a little further away, under trees. "So... any news with your skater girl?"

Ah yes. Indeed, Sumin was just a crush at first, a big one, but now she was a real friend, and maybe Minjoo had also ranted at her, knowing nationals all had friends in common. Later last night, she had sent tons of messages, pouring out everything, and Sumin had read carefully. Indeed, for the first time, she wrote the words 'I have a crush on her', and the swimmer cheered, however saying she once again didn't choose the easiest option.

"You know about what I said yesterday," a little embarrassed, Minjoo shoved both hands into her pockets, kicking a small pebble that ricocheted several feet away. "I have a question. I... did you feel uncomfortable around me?"

"You?" Sumin raised her eyebrows, surprised by the question. She was pretty, with her big, light brown eyes and contagious smile, but above all, she was honest, always gentle and kind, but straightforward. She crossed her arms over her chest, taking the time to choose the right words. "At first, yes, I'm not gonna lie, it felt weird. But I can't speak for her, you know, the fact that she asked you if you were serious the way you told me... I guess she's fine with that? I don't really know her that much, but she's cold as hell so imagine putting a smile on her face for saying that? Definitely a good thing. I think you shouldn't stress about that. See how we are now? Stick to her side as a friend and see what could happen!"

"I know. That's why it's confusing," the taller of the two admitted, biting her lower lip nervously before suppressing a smile and glancing at the other. "You're hot when you talk like that."

"Tell her that instead," Sumin rolled her eyes, playfully bumping their shoulders. "Just act natrual with her. I didn't fold, but who knows, she might?"

They kept talking for the rest of the lunch break, eventually sitting on an unoccupied ping-pong table, far from the rest of their friends. Sumin didn't say much more about that, but Minjoo didn't need to hear anything else anyway. She got her answer and anticipated the training now, deciding not to ponder too much until then. Overthinking never creates good reflection, and the proof was in the way her own frustration had partly spoiled yesterday's training. Minjoo had two practices left, two chances if she wanted her and Chaewon to sit down on a ping pong table one day, even if it was nothing but friendship.

-

Despite all her newfound will, when she found herself slumped high on the bleachers, wearing the same sweatpants but swapped a jersey for a graphic tee, and heard the swinging doors open, her heart gave out abruptly. On one hand, it wasn't too late to run away, hide upstairs and stay crouched until the end to avoid Chaewon, and on the other hand, she relished the idea that despite what had happened the day before, Chaewon still came in advance, meaning she wasn't ignoring her. Even earlier than the previous times, since Minjoo had arrived only ten minutes ago. She remembered those little gifs to help regulate her breathing and tried to get her heart rate back to normal before the other reached her.

The skater was so pretty that the hockey player felt a twinge of sadness. Without presumptuously exaggerating, Minjoo wondered if she would ever find another one as pretty as her. Most likely not, so she had to enjoy this almost last moment with her. Her ego uwould have been infinitely hurt if she hadn't done anything. That was too little like her. Therefore, in contrast to the hallway this morning, she made eye contact and even smiled first, reassured as soon as Chaewon returned it before settling down not too close, not too far, placing her ISU document on her crossed legs as she had the previous day. Her now almost familiar scent enveloped them in an exhilarating sweetness, and Minjoo took a deep breath of it to give herself courage.

"Do you have your music on?" she asked.

Chaewon looked surprised but shook her head, "Why?

Without answering, Minjoo suppressed a silly smile. The former devening, they had spent a good twenty minutes listening to the skater's playlist, and although the mood was awkward, it had been so good that Minjoo wanted to do it up again. She hesitated for only a thousandth of a second before sliding a finger into the skater's pink hair, leaving it to the light tickle as she placed the earphone in her ear. Chaewon didn't back away, so Minjoo bit her smile a little more, allowing her other fingers to graze the warm cheek before pulling back. Perhaps that was a caress along the skater's jaw. She didn't really know, just did it. It had been so natural her stomach flipped, and she preferred to look back at her phone rather than try to see the other's reaction.

No musical extravagance. Minjoo knew by now their music tastes matched rather well, so she relaxed, letting her playlist do the work. 

Despite the exact same circumstances as the last time, sitting in the middle of the bleachers, leaning against the low wall overlooking the blue spotlighted ice in a dark and cold rink, Teddy driving the Zamboni, sitting side by side, one studying skating guidelines, the other relaxing, the feeling was different. Tension is probably the best word to describe this atmosphere, which Minjoo never imagined could happen. She had left last practice defeatist but arrived optimistic this time, and she certainly did not regret it. On the contrary, she was more than glad as she noticed, not fooled, that Chaewon had been studying the same page for several minutes already, meaning that her attention was clearly undevoted to it. Or maybe it was since she was hard to read. So Minjoo wanted to see, to make sure it wasn't just her imagination playing tricks on her.

One of the queer things she did without really thinking about was measuring time by music. At the beginning of a song, she would leave her dorm room, and usually, after two songs, she would reach the cafeteria. The same went for gym sessions set to pre-chorus and chorus' flow or her Sunday morning jog round Doksan Park, which lasted as long as the 'hell' playlist. Everything was counted and measured on verses, but now, she deeply regretted waiting for the chorus to do something. She even hated herself as the music resonated in her temples when she dared to shift her head towards Chaewon. Because somehow, this adrenaline made this thousand times more intense since Chaewon was already looking, no, intensely staring at her and the music hardly disguised how hard her heart began to pound as their eyes locked together for a few seconds.

A few seconds during which the morning scene repeated, for real this time; nothing around, music, tension as the lyrics evoked, eye contact so intense that both immediately turned their heads, one to her left to hide her bewildered smile, the second to the right. Too giddy, as the verse began, Minjoo couldn't help but glance a second time, unable to keep from nervously giggling as Chaewon was already doing so, also smiling timidly.

" What ?" The skater raised an eyebrow. Even though she was trying to look casual, her little laugh gave her away enough so that Minjoo noticed and giggled again. Well then. She'd leaned forward a bit, slightly intruding the space of the stubborn skater for whom it was becoming hard to hold back that damn adorable grin. Instead, she swallowed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, bringing the tip of her pencil close to her lips, regaining that pretentious air she used to joke, "What? As if I didn't catch you doing the exact same thing at least a thousand times already."

Oh.

She got her on that, totally got her, and it was Chaewon's turn to smile as Minjoo closed , suddenly looking down at the liquid white ice. She squinted, obviously fascinated by how Teddy was manoeuvring the Zamboni, not minding the other grinning to her right. She had just been knocked with a violent backhand stick that left her speechless. Chaewon was right, but it wasn't really comparable, was it? Minjoo turned her head a little, rolling her eyes at the way the skater had teasingly tilted hers. She sighed, "Yeah, but that’s not the same."

"Hmhm," Chaewon shrugged, straightening her back, and repositioning her document holder on her legs. Shifting her attention back to it, she muttered in a lower voice, "Now you know how it feels."

"How what feels?" asked Minjoo, confused, the tips of her ears starting to heat up.

"I don't know," the other replied, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear, shrugging again as she turned a page of the handbook for the first time since they'd been there.

Besides being an excellent skater and good at just every other thing in the world, Kim Chaewon knew perfectly well how to play with words. She didn't actually speak much, though times she would, it invariably left Minjoo unable to talk back. Chaewon could manage to twist everything upside down and make Minjoo recognize what herself had trouble admitting. The first one was 'you stare a lot but never when you actually have to ' when Minjoo realised that she was starting to have a crush. The second was a text saying, 'this is really random lol why are you thinking about me at 11am ' forcing Minjoo to admit it wasn't just 11am and that she was constantly thinking about the skater. But this time, it was different. Because 'now you know how it feels' didn't make her grasp something about herself. It was about Chaewon, and her heart raced even harder in her chest.

She bit the inside of her cheek, mousily looking down at the laces carelessly tucked inside her sneakers. If Chaewon played well with ice and words, she played too well with emotions. From the beginning, Minjoo had tried hard to suppress the feeling that helped her fall asleep while Chaewon's laughter served as a lullaby. She'd done it to protect herself, to take a step back, to not surrender to that pitiful cliché of having a crush on a straight girl. This was exciting too, of course. There was a risk involved in letting her heart race whenever they got a little too close. But now that Minjoo couldn't deny it, it was getting hard to keep a straight face. Although she wasn't as good with words, she still had implied something important to Chaewon the day before, and the latter seemed to enjoy it.

Feeling a small lump in her chest, she moved her legs closer, feeling her grip tighten around her phone. It was like her body contracted on itself, in a way. Not sadness, not really, more like guilt mixed with disappointment. Because her heart was beating even more than before she admitted having a crush on the skater, even more so now that she knew Chaewon was straight, and , that she only liked the attention. Like she'd said about Seohan, she was doing it for attention. The unpleasant aching in Minjoo's chest grew larger and larger.

Unconsciously, she squinted her eyes as her gaze fixed on the white, liquid ice, trying not to frown. If her phone hadn't vibrated between her thigh and abdomen, she might have given in to the urge to go and forget everything else by ruining Teddy's good work. She nonchalantly spread her legs again, regaining a little pep, judging that her own torments should not impact Chaewon before practice as they had the day before. Even if she was the cause, it was still childish. But it was decidedly not an easy task, as the message made her blood rush.

chae1kim:

hi

"Why are you texting me?" She asked, turning her head slightly over her shoulder.

"Just reply," Chaewon briefly looked up, sitting upright against the low wall, then down at her phone, starting to tap on it again, biting her lip.

Minjoo stopped examining her, concentrating instead on the three small animated dots on her screen. Waiting for the rest of the message, she saw the last ones from the day before yesterday about their Korean teacher and how he had the same shirt in precisely eight different colours. It brought a smile to her face, soon replaced by a confused frown.

chae1kim:

sorry if i made you uncomfortable yesterday

The three little dots stopped moving and then disappeared. Minjoo glanced at Chaewon again, who had her head down, her face hidden behind her pink hair, her fingers visibly hesitant as they didn’t dare type anymore. The hockey player noticed how the skater's thumb moved forward before retracting, and how her shoulders lifted heavily. She diverted her attention back to her phone, pursing her lips, about to reply that it was all fine but halted when the three little dots came back. One grew larger just after the other before shrinking, again and again, her heart pounding with nervousness.

Until it burst, exploding like it never had, like it couldn't take it.

chae1kim:

it was a very terrible attempt at knowing if u like girls

Oh.

No, really, Minjoo's whole insides vibrated, almost as if she were skating so fast it made her dizzy. She couldn't tell if her stomach had decreased or doubled in size, blood rushing in her veins, making her whole body burn, but her smile had widened uncontrollably. Oh, she never felt like this before, and she didn't maintain the time to wonder how Chaewon could be so good with words, instantly furiously typing the most structured, pertinent answer she could think about.

?

Minjoo heard Chaewon chuckle behind her back, and more than an explosion, it was a meteorite that slammed right into her chest. Maybe it was too much emotion all at once. Or maybe there really was magic in her voice, but that giggle had the effect of an irreversible and wonderfully exhilarating resonance.

chae1kim:

sorry lol

awsjsjsks

wait wait hold on u like girls too?

chae1kim:

yep

maybe if you let me explain instead of being moody lol

She dared to turn her head to protest but shrank back before Chaewon could raise hers. Her lower abdomen tightening rapidly, she wrote a reply, her fingers trembling with nerves. She had one last thing to clear up, and adrenaline allowed her to send the message, though she took a deep breath and captured it in her lungs when the three dots appeared on the screen.

u can't blame me🙄 imagine how it felt hearing you talk about boys for 10 minutes straight

And that air metamorphosed into hundreds of butterflies.

chae1kim:

then imagine how it is always seeing you with guys..

you can't blame me either lol

-

The most enjoyable part was they found the serenity of the previous days, comfortably ensconced in each other's silence. Chaewon studied her ISU figure skating regulations and evaluation system, a single earphone in ears, the flush on her cheeks fading as the music played. Several long minutes had passed, and the only words they exchanged were a silly remark about the cold and the way they'd giggled after the eye contact that neither of them had been able to hold. But it was comfortable, such a new feeling of happiness, that Minjoo chilled completely as if her team were already ten points ahead.

Chaewon had discreetly moved her leg closer until it brushed Minjoo's, and the latter had closed the gap. Now leaning against the low wall too, listening to her music, staring at the ice several metres below, Chaewon's leg against hers, Minjoo had a silly smile dancing on her lips. The game wasn't over yet, but she had an advantage of many points so that all she had to do was score more, sending the puck into the net, into the skater's heart.

She bumped their shoulders to get her attention after another few minutes, "Wanna grab something to drink?"

"I'm fine," Chaewon smiled sweetly, rolling her eyes when Minjoo cocked an eyebrow insistently. Finally, she slipped her pencil between the document holder's pages before closing it. "Just admit you’re scared of bumping into Viderski."

"She's everywhere," comically, the hockey player scanned the bleachers, squinting, flashing a smile when she noticed the skater grinning. "Even under your bed."

"Behind the shower curtains," added Chaewon.

"At your window in the middle of the night ," the taller one bid, jumping from the last step to the dark grey floor.

The other, elegant as ever, did the same jump, only adding grace and delicacy, landing with amusing lightness. She whispered first in one ear, then in the other for dramatic effect, "she's that one creepy face everyone sees in their dreams but can't remember."

"I heard people say she was the demon during their sleep paralysis," Minjoo faked concern, immediately mimicked by the second who asked if it was true. "Totally true."

"That's unbelievable," Chaewon shook her head dramatically, one hand clutching her chest. "Terrifying."

"Absolutely," the other replied. "Horrifying."

They pushed open the first swinging door to the main corridor, chirping and giggling until a vision of horror seized them; Viderski and her stack of papers rolled in on themselves, ready to strike anyone who had the misfortune to upset her. The two skaters jumped in terror, like in a mediocre movie, and since they were cowards, they bowed in sync, pronouncing a 'good evening' so polite and formal that they laughed at it once they were safe from the monster who had not given them more attention than a glare.

Cunning as she was, as if to dodge the queue by using the exterior staircase, Minjoo couldn't help but make a turn to the changing rooms. Hopefully, theirs was unlocked, and she would be able to use the drink dispenser for free, but it couldn't all be for her benefit. Her crush couldn't like girls, and hot chocolate couldn't be, at the same time, free. The first option was more than enough for her. Especially when Chaewon had followed her through the maze without questioning anything, walking lightly, chuckling at her impromptu sightseeing tour of the corner of the winter sports stadium she ignored.

"Too bad it's closed. I would've loved to show you where my super hot guy friends change," Minjoo feigned an apologetic look, sarcastically enough that Chaewon rolled her eyes and slapped her shoulder.

The imposing blue and black vending machine, matching the colours of the rink, reflected a blue halo through its glass. There were chocolate and cereal bars, energy drinks and a hot drink machine that Minjoo frequently raided. Today she accumulated enough adrenaline to not take a sugary drink. Being next to Chaewon made her heartbeat and blood flow fast enough. And the girl in question was standing right in front of the hot beverages side. So taking advantage of that newfound invincibility such as Minjoo felt on ice, and as she was used to with choreography, she placed her hand on the skater's waist, shifting her gently to the side to tap out the numbers for the hot chocolate and a cereal bar.

Minjoo didn't notice, as she pulled her magnetic card out of her phone case, that Chaewon had looked down shyly, biting her lip to hold back a smile. But the latter pulled herself together, lifting her head, sending her hair back, hiding how flustered the gesture made her before the other could see it. It was often like this, but Minjoo never saw it. She never noted how the skater reacted to their glances, the slightest touch between their bodies. Minjoo never imagined that Kim Chaewon spent her nights with a burning sensation in her waist and hip, just waiting for the next day to renew it.

Yeah. Minjoo didn't know it all yet, but at least she comprehended more now. She solely knew what the skater had confessed a few minutes ago, but it was more than enough. She flashed a smile, "what do you want?"

"Nothing," the pink-haired girl shook her head. "I left my card in my bag."

"That's on me," Minjoo sneered. Sure, she'd wanted to save a little money by using the dispenser in the changing room, but she wasn't stingly enough to enjoy her hot chocolate without offering one either. Besides, it was for Chaewon, and if she could give her all the drinks from the machine, she would do so without a second thought. But the skater shook her head again, so she insisted, "Really, just choose whatever you want, miss."

"You're annoying, you know that?" Chaewon relented once again, taking a step forward to scan the drink wrappers and labels.

"I'm just being a decent human being," she scoffed, pleased to see that her remark made the skater roll her eyes, as she often would. The more time passed, the easier it became to joke around with her. In addition to her appearance, she really had this little princess aura making her reactions amusing, and it made Minjoo want to even more. In other words, the more time they spent together, the more Minjoo wanted to. The realisation made her heart miss a beat, then a second one as the skater's scent wafted as she moved closer to type in the codes. She was close, and she didn't move away when their bodies pressed as Minjoo swiped her card.

-

The training went better than ever. Chi Hyunjung and Eunbi were still uncompromising and strict, but the previous day's episode had cleared a couple of blocking mechanics that they had solved this time. To begin with, a pivot was removed for a curve to centralise more energy and make it easier to engage in a rotation. Chaewon still fell heavily the first few tries, but thanks to the understanding of their movements and the trust between them, she had managed to attain the goal of two rotations. It was still inconceivable to try the triple, let alone the quadruple, planned for the competition, but they were doing well. Also, they had been able to do almost the entire program since all the moves were independently potentially acquired.

Minjoo followed as best she could, admiring the choreography with wonder as she discovered it. Chaewon had a rare lightness of movement, or at least of all the skaters Minjoo had seen, she stood out the most. It was almost as if she wasn't actually gliding across the ice but rather flying over it, her arms gracefully executing movements, wearing her long thermal shirt with the sleeves covering her hands. Her pink hair tied in a ponytail twirled and spun, and she often closed her eyes, knowing she had mastered her movements like any artist mastered their art. On one occasion, Minjoo was so enthralled that she forgot to hold out her hand for a lift, and they had to start all over again, scolded by the coaches.

The practice ended with a few stretches and the next day's goals, and as usual, Minjoo left the rink first. Only, not like the other times, Chaewon offered her a tiny smile, cheeks rosy from the cold, hair sticking to her temples from sweat, adorable. And later on, they texted until the skater fell asleep, leaving the conversation to a ' see u tom😚' that made Minjoo grin, face buried into her pillow.