The week and a half at home was healing. Exactly what Moonbyul needed.

It had been far too long since she had last seen her younger sisters—their schooling and extracurricular activities prevented them from accompanying their parents to her basketball games, and her hectic schedule made it impossible for her to visit home. The eldest of three took her role in the family seriously, though, and was intentional over her break about creating space and time to bond with her siblings, both of whom she learned a lot from and cared deeply for. Seulgi, the middle child, was off to college soon, so their conversations were drastically different from those that Moonbyul had with their baby sister Yesol, with whom the athlete had a ten-year age difference. Still, she managed, finding commonalities with both.

Her parents pampered her, as expected, especially her mother, who fussed over Moonbyul’s every action. “Don’t burden yourself too much,” she’d say, “worry only about eating and sleeping. You need a proper rest after working so hard all the time.” She absolutely did not need to be told twice.

Also expected, her mother asked for an update on her friends. Wheein and Hyejin seemed to have burrowed their way into the woman’s heart, and Moonbyul loved that. The younger girls felt like sisters to her; she was glad her family regarded them similarly. Her question about Yongsun, though, was downright hilarious.

“Is Yongsun doing well?”

“She is, yes. She’s with her family in Seoul.”

“Are you going to Seoul for the 1^st of January then?”

“Uh . . . no. I go back on the 2^nd. Why would I leave on the start of the year? We’re supposed to bring it in as a family,” the confusion she held was clear in her voice.

“Oh,” her mom responded, similarly confused. “Well, couples usually bring the year in together, don’t they?”

“Excuse me,” she guffawed. Moonbyul couldn’t wait to tell Wheein, Hyejin, and Heeyeon about this. There was no way she’d tell Yongsun, she’d get weird about it.

“You’re not dating her? I thought she was another Goeun.”

Byulyi’s family knew that she was a lesbian ever since her relationship with Goeun, her ex, had been found out. The two went to high school together and grew close. Their relationship was, for the most part, drama-free. Their first go lasted for 1.5 years—the second half of their third year in high school and all of their fourth year. The entire first year of them being together, Moonbyul introduced Goeun to her family as simply a friend. They both agreed it would be for the best. That farce ended, though, when her mother found the high-schoolers in the middle of actions uncharacteristic of simple friends. They had been in Moonbyul’s bedroom, the door unlocked—a rookie move. Things with her family after that weren’t turbulent, but more so awkward. Her mother had caught her in the middle of having with someone. That would have been uncomfortable no matter who she had been with. Her uality did not become a source of contention, to her relief. The entire family was accepting and supportive.

Things with Goeun, on the other hand, grew less harmonious. Their relationship became strained once university decisions came around. The possibility of Moonbyul going abroad for her studies had been briefly discussed, but they tabled it for “later,” which ended up being after Moonbyul had already made her decision: Stanford University in the U.S. To her credit, the athlete advocated for them staying together, but Goeun put an end to everything. She didn’t want a long-distance relationship with a highly sought after athlete.

Of course, plans to go abroad fell through at the last minute and Moonbyul stayed in Korea. Her and Goeun reconnected and gave their relationship another try. They made it through three-fourths of their first year in college before things, once again, unraveled. The toll of Moonbyul’s commitments as an athlete weighing heavy on them both, the decision to break up was mutual.

All of that aside, it seemed her mother now believed the words “friend” or “best friend” were always code for “girlfriend”.

“We’re not together,” she said while chuckling lightly. “We’re literally only friends. Nothing more.”

“Your father told me you came to him asking for advice on how to fix things with her because the two of you were fighting, so I assumed . . .”

“It was a friend fight. We fixed it. I’m gonna tell her you thought we were dating.”

“No! No, no. Don’t do that. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable or awkward around me.”

“I’m gonna tell her,” she gave her mom a cheeky grin.

“Byul-ah, don’t.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“I’ll make your favorite dessert for you to take back with you,” her mom bribed.

“Finished thinking about it. Not going to tell her.”

*

The campus over break felt empty. Well, it was empty; most students were still enjoying their time off. The bulk of other people on campus were members of the Track & Field and Men’s Basketball teams. With Yongsun, Hyejin, and Wheein still at their parents’ homes, Moonbyul clung mostly to her teammates and Kisum to pass the time and fend off her loneliness and boredom.

The KU basketball star had kept her word and reached back out to Moonbyul and Heeyeon to confirm a hangout with her friends. KU had their winter break at the same time as SNU, so outside of training and a few basketball games, she, too, had a lot of time to kill. As she’d told Moonbyul, a few of her closest non-basketball friends were SNU students, so she’d ventured over to rival territory a few times to spend time with them.

Byulyi thought at first that it would be awkward meeting Kisum’s friends, but to her pleasant surprise, one meetup with them turned into two, and two turned into three. The next thing she knew, she and Heeyeon were at Kisum’s birthday celebration, well on their way to becoming fixed members of that social circle.

“Look who finally showed up,” an intoxicated Kisum bellowed.

This restaurant was normally busy on Saturdays, but as this weekend capped off the first full week since classes had resumed, it was more hectic than usual, full of rowdy university students looking to blow off some steam after being thrown headfirst back into their studies. Kisum’s booming, slightly slurred voice was one of many other booming voices, all varying levels of slurred.

“You missed us?” Byulyi cockily asked while making her way around the table to greet the sea of familiar faces.

“Not you, only Heeyeon. You could’ve stayed on the other side of Seoul.”

“Ungrateful.” They cut the banter for a moment of sincerity as both Heeyeon and Byulyi converged on their National Team maknae to drown her in hugs. “Happy birthday to our baby!”

“I love you two,” the second-year mumbled.

Once all three were settled in their seats, they continued their conversation as the SNU stars ordered a bunch of drinks, looking to catch up to everyone else.

“I thought you were going to get a ride here with Dahye-unnie, Haena-unnie, and Kasper-unnie.”

“I had to take care of something, so we couldn’t. Already asked Haena-unnie,” Moonbyul said before taking a sip of her drink, “she said we could go back with them.” She let everyone around her fall into conversation as she took out her phone.

To: Haena-unnie

Why are you all the way at the other end of the table? 9:30 pm

From: Haena-unnie

Because my friends are here. 9:31 pm

I’m not your friend? 9:31 pm

Idk. Are you? 🤔 9:32 pm

A light snort escaped her. Looking at the other end of the table, Byulyi sent an amused, questioning eyebrow the way of brown eyes that were already waiting for her reaction. Haena shrugged innocently before joining in whatever those around her were discussing. There was no way Moonbyul was going to allow herself to be dismissed that easily.

To: Haena-unnie

Come here.

Please 🥺 9:35 pm

Her eyes were trained intently on the older woman’s movements. No response via text came, but the blonde grinned triumphantly when she saw the dark brown-haired woman stand up and trudge over, dramatically rolling her eyes as she grew nearer.

Moonbyul wasn’t sure, but she figured everyone at their table knew that she and Haena hung out from time to time outside of whatever group outings took place. The first time she and Heeyeon hung out with Kisum’s friend group, she was nervous. Heeyeon’s a people person, she could handle any social situation and win anyone over. Moonbyul wasn’t necessarily the complete opposite, but her handle on things wasn’t always as guaranteed as Heeyeon’s—she was more prone than her roommate to moments of shyness and social awkwardness. It was a pleasant surprise, then, when she was immediately welcomed by Kisum’s friends. The surprise was even more pleasant when she found a kindred spirit in Lee Haena.

Lee Haena was a 23-year-old Vocal Music major in her last year at SNU, and Moonbyul thought she was wonderful! They had similar senses of humor and got along well. So, yeah, they exchanged numbers and met up every now and then. It was usually nothing too wild, some coffee here, desserts there. Sometimes they’d grab a quick to-go meal from a food cart or truck between classes. Their get-togethers were usually spur-of-the-moment, but they had built a good rapport and enjoyed each other’s company. Moonbyul hoped they would continue to get to know each other better.

Once Haena took a seat next to her, Byulyi gave her her full attention.

“You were going to ignore me?” She asked with a playful pout.

“I didn’t ignore you. I gave you a hug when you went around greeting everyone,” the fourth year said, raising a challenging eyebrow.

“You know what I mean. You were texting me the entire time I wasn’t here. ‘Are you still coming? Where are you?’,” she mimicked Haena in a comedically high-pitched voice. “For all that, the least I expected was you sitting next to me.”

“You have Heeyeon.”

“Mm mm,” the junior shook her head, “she’s a social butterfly. I’m shy.” The brown-haired woman let out a reluctant laugh. “Finally! A laugh. A smile. Something! You were killing me.” She eyed Haena’s empty cup. “Where are my manners? What do you want to drink? It’s on me.”

“Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“I’m trying to get you to loosen up.”

“I’m plenty loose,” Haena smirked. They did this sometimes, the flirting thing. It was fun. Moonbyul enjoyed it. This time, though, she was rendered speechless. All she could do was smile.

“You win,” she said as she put her hands up in surrender. It was one of Haena’s hands, though, that captured her attention. It made its way to one of Byulyi’s denim-clad knees.

“It’s no fun if you give up that easily,” the senior said, giving a soft squeeze.

She wasn’t sure how most of the night progressed for everyone else, but for her and Haena, it continued as a battle for verbal dominance, before giving way to subtle touches that turned into not-so-subtle touches. As they drank more, they cared less. Moonbyul cared less. She was feeling bold.

“What are you doing after this?” She asked, pulling Haena’s chair closer.

“Going home,” the Vocal Music major cheekily responded.

“With me?”

“Flirting is one thing, but I don’t think your girlfriend would appreciate that,” she broke eye contact with Moonbyul.

“I don’t have one of those.”

“That’s not what Kisum told me.”

“You asked?” She was confident now and threw a cocky grin Haena’s way. All she got was an eye roll in return. “Kisum! Why’d you tell unnie that I have a girlfriend?”

The birthday girl happened to be passing by when she’d been scolded by the blonde. “Because you have a girlfriend.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh,” she shrugged. Switching her gaze to Haena, she disinterestedly said, “She doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

“See? Told you.”

“Why would she say you had one in the first place if you didn’t?” Moonbyul gestured for her to direct that question to Kisum.

“Because she’s always talking about some girl. Look, I don’t know and I don’t care. Where’s Heeyeon-unnie? She promised me a drink if I made it to midnight without vomiting.” With that, she had forgotten about Moonbyul and Haena and was off in search of settling more important matters.

“So, who’s the girl you’re always talking about?”

“I have no idea,” the blonde laughed.

“That doesn’t help your case any.”

“No! That came out wrong. I’m single. I promise,” Moonbyul said, grabbing Haena’s right hand with both of hers.

“You promise? You’re drunk. Drunk promises mean nothing.”

“I’m drunk and you’re pretty,” she smugly smiled.

“Is that how you get out of every hole you dig for yourself?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Not tonight.” At that, Haena stood up and made her way to the restroom. An eager Moonbyul stood to follow until an arm jerked her back and forced her to sit back down.

“No.” It was Heeyeon.

“What?” The junior played dumb.

“No. You look thirsty as hell. Relax.”

“I am thirsty as hell,” she tried to force her way out of the chair, but Heeyeon was much stronger than she’d remembered. “Plus, you’re the one that told me to live a little every now and then, right? That’s what I’m doing.”

“You’re being sloppy.”

Heeyeon was right. By no means was she a celebrity, not even close, but there were always eyes on her and she did have a responsibility to conduct herself properly in public. Not only was she one of the faces of SNU Athletics—some would argue she was the face—she was also recently officially named to the Korean Women’s National Basketball Team fighting for a spot in the Olympics. She had to be smarter with how she went about things.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, be smarter.” Heeyeon left no room for negotiation. Moonbyul nodded.

“You don’t seem drunk.”

“Because I’m not. We couldn’t both be drunk at the same time. Once I saw you knocking them back, I slowed down. Get it together, Byulyi.”

Heeyeon left to chat it up with someone else, but her words left an impact. Moonbyul took a break from being messy to check her phone—it had been abandoned almost all night. She caught up on some messages sent in the group chat that she, Yongsun, Wheein, and Hyejin had with each other. Yongsun had also sent her a separate message about a pair of sneakers Moonbyul had been mentioning all week.

From: Yong

Saw about five ppl with the sneakers

you said you wanted. Wow! 10:40 pm

To: Yong

Tgey wish they could b like me.

U look beautful btw. 12:11 am

Before the message about the sneakers, Yongsun had sent a picture of her outfit for the night: a cute black midi sweater dress with black sock boots. She went on a date with Jinyoung that night and while Byulyi didn’t like it, there was nothing she could do about it. Things seemed to be picking up between those two. She wouldn’t be surprised if any day now, an announcement came about them being in an official relationship.

From: Yong

Omg, are you drunk? 12:12 am

To: Yong

Very 12:12 am

You deserve it!

Have your fun, I’m going to bed. 12:13 am

Ok :( Slep well <

*<3 12:14 am

A few moments later, Haena reclaimed the chair she had vacated earlier.

“I thought you were going to follow me,” she said while gently knocking one of the blonde’s knees with her leg.

“How was I supposed to know you wanted me to? I can’t read minds,” the athlete whispered into her ear.

“That’s disappointing,” Haena pouted.

The two sat there for a few seconds staring and smiling dumbly at each other, oblivious to the commotion around them.

“Group picture! Everyone get close,” Kasper yelled to their table. There was no hesitation, Moonbyul pulled Haena onto her lap and Haena allowed herself to be pulled. They were told to get close Byulyi reasoned with herself as she s her right hand around the older woman’s waist. Haena copied the action, placing her left arm around the younger girl’s neck. They both made silly faces for the camera before everyone dispersed for the night.

Heeyeon, Dahye, and Kasper wrangled Moonbyul and Haena into the backseat of Dahye’s car. The two wasted no time doing what they’d been waiting all night to do. The senior straddled Moonbyul, wrapping both arms around her neck. The athlete sat back in her seat while gently cupping Haena’s smooth cheeks before sensually tracing her lips with her right thumb. Seconds later, she pulled Haena’s face closer to hers, capturing the brunette’s plump lips between her own. She’d wanted to be bolder, and Haena’s breathy moans were encouraging, but even in her intoxicated state, Moonbyul didn’t want to disrespect the other woman or force her into anything.

Haena, on the other hand, had no intentions of playing coy that night. Byulyi quickly learned this when the older woman’s tongue determinedly slunk its way into , the taste of apple soju overcoming her. More. She wanted more. Sitting up in her seat, the athlete eagerly chased more, craning her neck in search of firmer contact with Haena’s mouth, but was roughly pushed back by Haena, whose wild eyes and swollen lips sent waves of lust crashing over the athlete.

“Come,” Byulyi gruffly commanded. Haena wasn’t looking to play coy, but she loved to play. Instead of complying and giving more open-mouthed kisses on the blonde’s lips, she attacked Moonbyul’s long neck, specifically the prominent vein that ran from under her left ear to the base of . The athlete’s strong hands firmly gripped Haena’s , drawing a surprised shriek from the older woman, before they resumed their sloppy, alcohol-induced actions.

“Are they seriously doing this right now?” Heeyeon asked. The senior had the misfortune of sitting next to them as they filled the car with their obscene noises.

“We’re sorry about Haena,” Dahye apologized from the driver’s seat.

“She’s not usually like this,” Kasper also came to defend her friend’s character.

“Neither is Byulyi. I don’t really care that it’s happening, I care that it’s happening right next to me. Do you have music you could play or something to drown out the noises they’re making?”

Thankfully, Dahye satisfied her request and blared the first playlist she could find on her phone. None of the three cared what music emanated from the speakers, as long as it drowned out the sounds of and lips smacking.

*

A . That’s what Moonbyul felt like the following morning. The dull throbbing in her head was exacerbated every time she attempted to open her eyes. Nausea sloshed through her, her body threatening to expel its stomach’s contents at a moment’s notice. She was miserable . . . and still in her clothes from last night.

“Sleeping Beauty is finally awake. Here’s some breakfast. Eat it and then drink this Pedialyte.”

“You couldn’t at least take my clothes off?”

“I had to endure you tonguing Haena down right next to me, then I had to carry you up to your bed. I even made you breakfast, and you’re saying that I should have also changed your clothes? Just trying to clarify,” Heeyeon’s voice gave away that she was annoyed.

“Thank you for the breakfast and for everything else. It looks lovely.”

“That’s what I thought. Here,” she placed the plate of food on the night table beside Byul’s bed before laughing, the memories of the previous night coming back to her. “You were so sloppy last night. We were laughing at the two of you the whole time, except for when you started making out in the car right next to me.”

“I’m sorry. I should text Haena and apologize.”

“She seemed super into it, but you can message her if you want. It’ll come across as endearing. I bet she’d love that.”

“You’re the worst,” Moonbyul whined.

“Possibly. Anyway, eat your food and try to take a shower. Yongsun-unnie already texted me a bunch of times asking if you were okay, so she’ll probably come check on you a bit later.”

Left alone, the athlete reflected on her actions, face turning red with embarrassment. Haena was attractive. Byulyi was attracted to her, and it seemed the senior felt the same way in return, but Moonbyul still felt she should have gone about things differently. Opening one eye, her hands explored the night table until it met her cell. It took twice as long due to her state, but she managed to punch out a coherent text message.

To: Haena-unnie

Good morning! I hope you rested well.

I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night.

The alcohol isn’t an excuse. I should have been better than that.

I’m really sorry 😞 That’s not usually how I act. 11:16 am

She threw the phone down, pulling a pillow over her face, but was stunned when her phone buzzed almost immediately. Checking the screen, she saw it was a response from Haena.

From: Haena-unnie

Good morning, Byulyi! It’s sweet of you to check on me.

Thank you for the apology, but there’s no need. I’m not usually like that either, but it felt right with you. You always make me feel comfortable. Thank you for that. We should do it again . . . with much less alcohol lol. 11:18 am

To: Haena-unnie

I’d love that! It’s always a good time with you 😊

Please take care of yourself today and be sure to

drink lots of water. 11:20 am

I will. When can I see you again? 11:21 am

I’ll call you later and we can talk about it? 11:22 am

Okay. Ttyl, Byulyi 😘 11:23 am

😍 11:23 am

Relieved was an understatement. Things turned out much better than she could have imagined. Haena didn’t hate her and they’d most likely start spending more time together. Moonbyul couldn’t complain. It was a win-win.

Sitting up to eat the breakfast Heeyeon left on her night table, the athlete recalled how resolute she had been during the summer when she promised Wheein and Hyejin that she was giving up girls this year. Basketball and her studies only, she’d said. She chuckled thinking about how that lasted only one semester. Maybe it was okay that she was relaxing her stance a bit, though. The junior originally thought that women would serve only as distractions, but so far, that didn’t seem to be the case. First off, none of the women that she surrounded herself with or found herself attracted to would allow her to be a distraction for them, let alone them being distractions for her. Everyone around her was about their business and serious about achieving their goals. More importantly, though, it was time that she gave herself some credit. Her time management skills so far were impeccable. She attended every class of hers, completed every assignment, received high marks, gave her all at trainings and in games, and maintained solid relationships with her friends. In this moment, at her physical worst, Moon Byulyi was able to acknowledge that she was doing her best.

She’d earned the right to, without any guilt, pursue the people she was attracted to.

“Byul-ah!”

A groan left her lips and filled the room. It wasn’t due to who was entering her room, but the volume at which they were speaking.

“Yong. Please. You’re too loud,” Moonbyul murmured. Hoping it would grant a brief reprieve from the ringing in her ears and the thumping in her head, the blonde tightly scrunched her eyes shut and rubbed her temples.

“Huh! What did you say?” Yongsun purposely yelled as she walked closer to her friend. “I didn’t hear you!”

“Yong, stop.”

“Huh?! I can’t hear you. Speak up!” She was in a playful mood and Byulyi hated it. Securing her food on the night table, the blonde groaned again and rolled over onto her stomach, covering her head with the same pillow from earlier.

“Go away! Leave me alone!”

“Huh?! Byulyi, speak up!”

Moonbyul felt extra weight slamming onto her back, before arms wrapped around her waist and high-pitched giggles filled the room.

“Yong, I’m going to throw up! Why would you do that?” The giggles that filled the room were immediately replaced by Moonbyul’s whines.

“Shhh, you’ll be okay. Did you really drink that much that even movement makes you sick?”

“Yes. I did.”

“Aww, my baby” she pried the pillow off of her best friend’s head. Rearranging herself, Yongsun spoke up again, “Come. Lay your head here,” she said, pointing to her lap.

Moonbyul did as she was told.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were that hungover.”

The younger of the two gave only a contented hum in response. Familiar fingers were running through her scalp, gently scratching once in a while—exactly how she liked it.

“There’s food in the fridge for you and I brought some medicine.”

“Thanks, Yong,” she said, voice deep.

Minutes passed. Moonbyul was grateful that Yongsun’s ministrations never ended. The gratitude instantly turned to panic when the older woman started asking questions about her night, more specifically, why she had gotten so drunk and what, if anything, she did while drunk.

“I mean, whenever someone gets super drunk like this, there are always fun stories. My night was nowhere near as interesting, so I’m depending on you for a good laugh.”

“Sorry to disappoint. Nothing halfway interesting happened. Heeyeon scolded me for being sloppy and drunk, but that’s about it.”

“Boo. That’s boring.”

This was the second time she’d lied to Yongsun about her affairs when they’d included other women. First she’d lied about what happened with Sunmi, and now she was lying about Haena. Hell, she’d never even mentioned Haena to Yongsun; all her other friends knew about the Vocal Music major though. Moonbyul knew why she was keeping these things a secret from the graduate student. She’d thought about it that day over winter break that her mom had asked about the nature of the relationship between the two of them.

The athlete sat in her room and let herself be honest about what it was she possibly felt for Yongsun. It lasted approximately 5 minutes before she decided that opening that can of worms was absolutely not worth it.

She’d earned the right to, without any guilt, pursue the people she was attracted to. Not her best friend, though. Anyone but her.

Note: Well. Yeah. 

Thank you all for continuing to support this story! Next chapter we’ll catch up with what Yongsun has been up to.