You could only breathe evenly as Jimri rambled on and on about what happened at the meeting. Not that you asked to hear about how everyone was doing. Of course you wouldn’t ask about that. But that didn’t stop her from rambling on anyways. You were doing your best to tune her out and show her you were doing just that so she could talk about something else. Heck, you’d even put up with learning Yoohyuk’s favorite shoe brand. But nothing about high school.

“…and Jieunie was glowing! I’m so happy she’s doing well with her husband. He was there though we were pretending we didn’t see him at the bar but it was so cute to see how much he cared to follow her there.” She sighed dreamily while you cringed at the stalker like tendencies she found romantic. “Then there was Yoohyuk’s friends who could make it like Kyujoong who just got done serving a few weeks ago.” She sighed. “There were still a couple of guys missing thanks to that but the ones who made it were still growing out their hair. It’s so funny, they were arguing about whose hair grew faster because, you know,” she winked at you. “Hair grows fast for a specific reason...”

But you were pointedly looking away. You refused to give any indication you were interested in whatever she was saying as she rambled on and on about classmates you’d forgotten. So you looked around the area she had chosen to meet you. It was a café on your campus whose mocha or espresso or whatever she fell for when you had given her a short tour that first time she visited. She had done the same for you at her college but she kind of tricked you into visiting her at the time so she could surprise you with a birthday present. It was a conversation you regretted to this day. The time she had got your birthday out of you. That had been third year.

“…and it was so cute how they kept stealing glances at each other. I don’t know if they exchanged numbers afterwards but it would be so sweet if they did. Yoohyuk told me that the guy had had a crush on her in high school. Oh! Yoohyuk was so sweet to everyone and there had been a group of guys who were rather rowdy and he helped settle the matter when it got out of hand.”

And on and on she went. You’d been spacing out a little and unfortunately met the eyes of the guy who was sitting at the table behind Jimri. He quickly looked away when your attention diverted to him and you frowned at him before the server blocked his red face from you.

Jimri was on a mission to go over every detail and conversation so she didn’t notice. When she was on a roll, there was no stopping her. It was almost thirty minutes later when she started talking about volleyball. And she got that look on her face. The same look she had when she invited you to go to that little reunion. “Well, the team I was planning on joining asked if there was anyone I knew who could play with us. But only as a substitute.” She was quick to mention that. “The starting team is pretty solid but they just need to reach a certain number of players before they can be admitted into the tournament. And I was hoping, no, I really, really want you to join with me.”

You had a flashback to her saying a similar request about joining the volleyball team. So you shook your head.

“Kyungie,” you’d gotten used to that tone too. She always was open to trying many things that you wouldn’t even know about had it not been for her. And she always invited you out with her, her friends, her volleyball friends, her classmates, Yoohyuk, Yoohyuk’s friends, her family and the list went on. Not all at once. You shuddered at the very thought. But that would most likely become reality with her wedding to Yoohyuk given how serious the two were. After all, they’d been together since second year up until now. It was only a matter of time before they’d be married and she would be dragging their kids along to you two’s little meetings.

Ugh, the very thought was draining but she was a treasured friend. And you’d be a fool to throw that away.

In the end, you nodded when she finished presenting her case about the volleyball tournament. She became ecstatic about that with a squeal. After all, it had been a while since you two had played volleyball together.

The boy behind her jumped at her sudden exclamation of excitement and his wide eyes met yours once more when they moved away from her jumping body out of embarrassment. You made a face at him and he was quick to return to staring at the table. You really had no patience for things like that.

Now that she got all that she had wanted to say out of her system, not to mention roping you into a volleyball tournament, you stood up. Taking that as the cue of you wanting to leave, Jimri got up as well. “I’ll text you the website and what you need. Do you still have your volleyball pads?” At your nod, she continued on your way to the cash register. “I think the location is at a local gym. So do you want to meet up there?” You sighed before nodding. “Great! Yoohyuk said he can’t go thanks to some plans he made but if our team gets far in the tournament, he’ll go to the games. It’ll just be like our away games in third year.” She had a beatific smile as she paid the cashier.

She started small talk with the cashier and your eyes went to the TV hanging in the back of the room. One look at the soccer game had you becoming engulfed in the magazine titles at the base of the counter of the cash register.

“Thank you so much.”

You were quick to head out the door.

“I love your school’s cafés,” she exclaimed a distance away. You’d been quick to her away as you needed to recharge from being in her company so long. “They’re so much better than mine. But then again, your school is so much bigger. And it oddly fits you.” She smiled at you which you felt inclined to barely return.

She hugged you goodbye but added she wanted to practice some volleyball with you to whip you into shape. She giggled as she said that before leaving.

With little else planned, you decided to go to a computer lab that was on the private and quiet side. All you had to do was sign in at the front desk of the building and you were free to choose a secluded area. It was an odd place because it had a variety of study areas from bright and open rooms with wide windows to rooms with barely enough space for the desk and computer. You preferred the latter as you didn’t have to bother with anyone so you could work on whatever class assignment due. It was also an easy place to lose time with so when you stepped out of the building, the sun was disappearing behind the buildings.

You took the bus back to your apartment and when you turned your phone on, five messages were waiting for you from Jimri. All were about the volleyball tournament. Her excitement was tangible in each word you read and you tried not to let it rub off on you.

As you got ready for bed, you tried to turn off your mind but that was something hard to consciously do. It didn’t stop you from trying though. So your mind ran through a lecture you had earlier on in the day before you dismissed that. Then it went on to the last time you had seen your niece. She had clung to you like a koala bear and asked you as many questions she could come up with though they had more to do with inane things like what color something was and such. She could barely articulate her thoughts but her vocabulary was growing and expanding at a rapid rate which majorly had to do with how much her mother talked.

Mieun will soon be talking circles around you unless Hwangin was doing his job in reining that side of his wife in which he was prone to do. And you trusted him to do so.

You tried to cling to thoughts of your niece but your mind was taking a turn as you recalled what you got form Jimri’s talk. She hadn’t mentioned a few of your past classmates but you figured it was because they were still finishing up their military service or they just weren’t there. Or she didn’t tell you anything on purpose. No. She wasn’t like that. She told you what happened with just about everyone for a reason of hers you had to figure out. Or not, you tiredly thought.

It was late. So it was better you put that conversation behind you.

When you woke up, you went through your morning routine and you were soon off to school.

Nothing really happened as you sat through more lectures and met with your group to check in with a few projects. You did your share of the work while others were slacking but it was nothing you were not used to. You’d run into quite a few of such students and it still made you frustrated to deal with them. Not like any of you others had plans of their own in the time you finished your side of the project so it made no sense as to why they didn’t do their share.

You ignored the two who were holding the group project back even as they offered to take everyone out for some drinks tonight. Those two could be working on their side of the project in that time instead.

Without a word, you left them when the meeting was going nowhere that you had to deal with. It was just as well since one of the slackers called after you but you were quick to dodge whatever he might have proposed when you slipped past a group of guys. That obstacle proved to work when you lost him.

It was becoming one of those days where you wanted to skip the rest of the day and go back to your bed to lay around. But no. You were doing your best to get this part of your life over with. This whole college experience not only Nunji gushed about but also Hwangin. But then again, they met each other in college. They were biased.

Speaking of them, Hwangin had gone back to school to get his master’s in some school that wasn’t Yonsei which was a big surprise to you given how much smack he talked about yours due to the whole rivalry thing going on between the two schools. You never took that seriously as you had yet to obtain any form of school spirit besides enjoying the festivals despite how much the peppy students have tried to convert you.

School was school and a whole lot of stress. It was this stress that made you look forward to the volleyball tournament. Even if you didn’t play as Jimri continued to emphasize your role as a substitute, you would still enjoy being around a volleyball court and watching Jimri play. It really was a pity she turned down that scholarship of hers that had been offered by a Busan college. She had her reasons of course, that she had discussed with you a great deal, come the time of the entrance exams. And she took her stand to be a sports therapist as she couldn’t get rid of that side of her completely.

She also couldn’t get rid of her interest in your dating life too. ‘Come on, Kyungie.’ You could hear the frustration in her voice even as you read her text. ‘The guy wasn’t that bad was he?’

You got that she wanted you to feel the same happiness her relationship with Yoohyuk brought her but you just didn’t want that. It would take a while before she gave up on the idea but she would. After all, she knew you.

“Excuse me?” your head whipped around. It was the creep who had been staring at you earlier in the day behind Jimri. And he was holding out a flyer to you. Your eyes narrowed before turning away. “It’s just a small concert on the school lawn,” he called out after you. Great, he was following you. When he found doing that pointless, he called out to your back one last time. “Refreshments will be provided.”

You didn’t know what it was but you were so tired. In fact, you were drained. And you still had three more semesters to go after this one. If it weren’t for the volleyball tournament, you would have chosen this weekend to go home to recharge.

Jimri was lucky you considered her a friend.

~~~~~

You were back in familiar clothes. There was still that twinge of discomfort when you walked onto the court clad in these clothes that followed you since you first started playing competitively. There were more guys than you had thought but that was your own miscalculation as there were male volleyball teams aplenty. You just expected more women to be here but it appeared like there weren’t many.

You followed Jimiri to a group of girls and guys. You recognized a girl from high school and she was ecstatic to see you. “Mikyungie!” she crushed you into a hug. “It’s been so long since I saw you.”

You gave her the awkward pat on the back as many watched your little reunion.

She pulled back after a few clinging seconds. “I feel so much better knowing you and Jimri are here,” she exclaimed. You grimaced but she didn’t see it as she brought Jimri into the little group hug. “It’ll be just like volleyball club!”

That prompted a few of the guys to ask about that and then they introduced themselves. You didn’t bother remembering any of their names as you expected to keep your contact with them to just this tournament. As for your old teammate, she would just have to contact you through Jimri.

But you did have fun. The sport had been a late discovery for you but you sincerely enjoyed playing and the competitive atmosphere. There was just a light feeling you got when you knew you got a good block or a nice serve in. Aces were an added touch that made you ecstatic at times. It was only times when you wanted to just bump the ball with someone did you ever want to meet others enough to get them to play with you. But it wasn’t really worth the effort when Jimri was a text away. You even played with Nunji though those times were rare and far between.

So you chose to enjoy this time and add it to the list of things you were thankful to Jimri for. She really did know you.

There was another day of the tournament and Jimri and you were invited to join the team once more for drinks but Jimri declined for the both of you. With your former teammate in tow, the three of you made it to a family restaurant for dinner.

And the other girl got right into making you feel awkward as soon as you were seated. “So many guys were sooo checking you out Mikyungie!” Jimri shot her a wary look before turning to you. Her concern was unwarranted though as you chalked up the other girl’s enthusiasm to the winning streak the team had gone through the last few matches. And she had a loud personality that you hadn’t forgotten. “Like, I caught at least ten of them staring at you. On our team or other teams.” She smirked at you. “You still haven’t lost your touch, huh?”

You waved away her comment, deciding a small drink would be needed to deal with her. She had been one of the girls who liked attention and was pretty much relentless when she had something to say. But she had known her limits in high school which she clearly lacked now.

“It doesn’t seem you lost your touch too, Doona.” Jimri cut in. “You still have good serving and spiking form.”

And her intervention was successful. “Thank you Captain Jimri,” she winked at said girl. “You had so many good shots even though you said you haven’t played in a while.”

They both started to reminisce about the volleyball team and who they still kept in contact with. You learned about how those few were doing. “And can you believe it that Captain Yunhwa is still playing? I mean, I know she was almost fanatic about the team when she was captain but she sure took it a long way.” Doona looked disbelievingly. But it was pretty believable to both you and Jimri as you both experienced just how crazy she could really be. After all, you’d both been on the varsity team under her captaincy. And Doona only made varsity until third year.

“She’s still my role model to this day,” Jimri sighed. You knew where her thoughts were going and you may have patted her shoulder or something but Doona was here and did it for you.

“It’s weird how life works though, isn’t it? I mean, I thought Mikyungie would have gone that route too,” she peered at you with wide eyes and you saw the sincerity in them. “You both were good enough. And you took us to the national competition, even if we got out the first round,” she giggled sheepishly.

Jimri smiled widely at that. “We did have a lot against us at that time but we made it work to the best of all of our abilities.”

“And what fun it was! It was hard but when I think back on it, I miss it,” she said this so wistfully, you couldn’t help but feel the same. But those were unwanted feelings. “Let’s drink to those times!” And with the present company, you would be forced to feel them. Doona filled the shot glasses and you gave a nod to Jimri to let her know you would be partaking in the drinks.

“I’ll just drink this one.” Jimri announced. At Doona’s look of disbelief, she went on to explain, “I’ll make sure you both get home.”

Doona’s expression melted, “Aww thanks, captain.”

Jimri blushed as she looked around. “It’s been years, Doona. You don’t have to call me that.”

“You’ll always be my captain, captain.”

“Doona!”

“Cheers! To both of my captains!” She caught the expression on your face and grinned. “Now, now Mikyungie. You were vice-captain, at least.” You just downed the shot and she guffawed as she did the same. “Still leading the way, huh?”

It was like four bottles in did you feel the buzz but Doona was plastered as she had made it a competition of sorts between you two after the first bottle. And with her personality with the drunkenness, all of her thoughts were unhindered.

Now, to make it clear. It was a rare occurrence that you drank. Why? Because of that first semester. The MT and all of those ‘mandatory’ meetings, but were really just parties, were the lowest points you had experienced in college. So it was only when Jimri or Nunji were around did you drink.

“Capshion? Not, you, capshain. My other Capshain.” Jimri smiled at you in amusement as Doona pointed at the air above you. “I alwaysh liked yoush the mostsh. Yoush know?”

You only gave her a nod and she took that as a cue to try to get out what she was thinking. And you regret it. “I wash alwaysh jealoush too. I mean, yoush were good atsh playing volleyball.” She giggled here. “Yoush got good gradessh. And yoush had a hod boyfriend!” She lamented and your hand clenched.

Jimri immediately tried to cut in.”Doona.”

“Yoush had it all! But I coulnd’tsh hate yoush!” Her eyes blearily met yours. “No. It was almosh imposshible to hate yoush. Sho I wash shad when thingsh ended the way they did,” she was frowning as she swayed. “Between yoush and that shcary guy.”

You let out the breath you’d been holding and nodded while taking another shot. Jimri was watching you and she patted your hand.

“He wash so shcary! He wash in my classh too! Sho I know how schary he wash.” She tried pointing at you again. “But he washn’t shcary when you were wid him.”

You sighed but nodded.

“Shee!? Dish ish why I shtill like yoush, capshion. Yoush shtill listshen! Even when thosesh noshy esh were talking about yoush!”

You chuckled at that particular memory and Jimri gave a tentative smile. Doona, on the other hand, cackled. “Thatsh wash sho fun what yoush did!”

“I think it’s time I get you both home,” Jimri stood up and you meant to do the same, but the world was moving a little too fast for you so you sat down before you made a fool of yourself. “It’s a good thing I texted Yoohyuk.”

“No,” Doona groaned. “I missh you both. And I know, capshion here,” she was still bad at pointing. “Ish going to dishappear.”

You gave a nod.

“Shee! She even shays sho!” She scooted over to you. “Don’t leave me capshion.” And she leeched onto you until Yoohyuk arrived.

“Hey Mikyungie!” he gave a wave as he walked right up to his girlfriend. “A good night to drink, huh?”

You made a face as Doona snuggled close to you.

“So how did you want to do this,” he asked Jimri who sighed.

“I guess, we can drop off Doona first?”

“That’s Doona?” Yoohyuk peered closer and you helped him by moving her hair away from her face. “Yeah. That’s her alright.”

“Yeah, she gave me her address after the second bottle,” she shared an amused smile with you that you didn’t know if you responded to.

“Cool. Should I carry her?” he looked hesitant to do anything.

Jimri considered it before she bent down to the table, “Doona? Doona? Doona!”

“What?”

“Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I can.” And she could barely do so.

“I guess you can carry her.”

“Okay. And of course Mikyungie is okay, right? Four bottles?”

“Yeah. Four bottles.”

You nodded at them both as you sighed. You really wished Doona hadn’t come. Not that she was bad company per se but she brought out old wounds you still wanted to bury. Yet, she just proved that trying to do so was pointless. He was still in your life and he would be in your thoughts later when you were alone in your apartment. That bastard.

When you were outside with your arm around Jimri’s shoulder, you were glad to breathe in the fresh air. You were also glad you and Jimri were about the same height otherwise this would have made walking impossible. Doona was humming on Yoohyuk’s back a couple steps ahead of you two so it was okay when Jimri asked, “Are you okay, Kyungie?”

You nodded. “Yeah.”

“I was worried something like this would happen, to be honest.”

“Yeah. And it did.” You were whispering as an image of him popped up in your mind. The way you liked to remember him before the whole exam thing went down. Before he broke. And broke you in the process.

“But it was still nice to catch up, don’t you think?” she asked in a subdued voice.

“Yeah. It was. Doesn’t mean I’ll do it again.”

She laughed. “Sure, Kyungie. Next time, it’ll be the two of us at the bar not too far from my or your apartment so we don’t have to bother Yoohyuk again.”

You nodded. As you all reached what appeared to be Doona’s building. You waited by the gate as Jimri went to knock on the door and an old lady opened it. Seeing Doona’s form, she groaned but let Yoohyuk in. There were a few gripes but Doona was soon safely home and it was your turn. Jimri was walking with you and keeping you steady as you did your best to discard the thoughts floating in your mind but you knew it was only sleep that would really do the job.

You would curse yourself for drinking in the morning but you still needed to think about those precious times just to acknowledge that they happened.

It's so nice to see you all following the story and giving it a chance though I guess the start isn't exactly what you may have thought it would be. But it has to be this way. So thank you once more.