He remembered her clamouring into her car that day, all smiles as she greeted the older man driving the flashy Hyundai. Her coach, probably. There had been no introductions, and honestly, he wasn’t too keen on one either. The sunny, see-no-evil smile had graced her lips once again, and he knew that he would miss that grin immensely. Hyemi had taken a day off work and she was there, the rest of the team, out in the sun, helping Yerin with her things. In his hands, he held a small box, not altogether sure if it was even an appropriate time for a present— after all, this was hardly a final goodbye. It wasn’t as if they were never going to see each other again, but somehow, it felt apt to give her something as a token of appreciation— to the countless hours they spent together on the court and in the kitchen, talking about nothing and everything. 

Where that left them, though, he had no idea. Friends seemed to be an understatement. And as Hyemi stood on the steps helping the younger adjust her “Let’s Play” cap, he could feel a somewhat bitter feeling rising up in his throat. 

“So, uh. Thanks, Hanbin.” Yerin was saying, pulling her brother into a hug. “I’ll call.” 

“Yeah.” Hanbin nodded. “Do that.” 

There was a kind of awkwardness, one that shone through both sets of personalities that were strikingly similar. Harbin had never been good at goodbyes, and it seemed that Yerin wasn’t either. 

They had all gone through their rounds, and when Yerin had gotten to him, her smile tore at his heartstrings. He knew, from early on, through interacting with his team, that smiles could convey a lot. And that particular smile just spoke of longing, sadness, and unwillingness to leave. 

“I’ll call.” She repeated, as if not knowing what else to say, and he nodded, holding the box tighter in one hand. 

And as she drew away, her name died on his lips and he stuffed the box into his pocket. 

~ 

“Oppa.” 

He hummed, hands pausing in their way for an orange. “Yeah?” 

Hyemi hesitated. 

“I’ll miss her.” 

“Yeah, I’ll miss her too.” 

Usually, somewhere at this point, Donghyuk had learnt to anticipate Jaemin’s sudden entrance and Junhoe following somewhere behind her, but for some reason or another, Jaemin hadn’t seem fit to barge in to their conversation anymore. 

Almost as if she knew that something had changed. 

“She must have had so much courage.” Hyemi was talking, and he realized with a jolt that he hadn’t even heard what she had said so far. “I mean, going back to the team that has betrayed you? That takes a lot of guts.” 

“It does, doesn’t it?” 

“Oppa?” Hyemi was concerned now, and he could feel his nails digging into the orang