They'd Understand

Getting By, Just Barely

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

 

It wasn’t a matter of needing rest, she had been resting since the second week of December. By the time classes would have started on the thirteenth of January, she’d have had a full month of no schooling. Instead, the break granted the opportunity to bond with her family who, despite all her time off after finals, she hadn’t physically seen in a while.

 

Her parents still didn’t fully understand what it was she studied, but she was in graduate school at a top university, and that was more than enough for them to brag about. She’d laughed at Moonbyul when the younger girl shared stories of her parents fussing over her every move when she visited home, but she was experiencing the same thing. It wasn’t bad at all. They encouraged her to eat and spend time doing whatever she wanted, no questions asked.

 

“Where are you going?”

“Why are you assuming I’m going somewhere?”

“Because you normally lay on your all day, but now you’re preparing to take a shower. It’s unusual.”

 

Her sister, though, did nothing but ask questions.

 

The older Kim sister had notified Yongsun a few weeks ago that she was moving back home. At the time, she was ecstatic that her sister was returning. In this moment, though, she wasn’t feeling her.

 

Up until recently, Yonghee, who was three years Yongsun’s senior, lived abroad. Their parents sent her to high school in England so that she’d better learn the language of that land—they were lucky enough to find a sponsor for her. At the age of 18, she returned to Korea with no intention or desire to apply to colleges or universities, opting instead to work. Her passion was fashion, the design and construction of clothing in particular. With her lack of experience, though, she only qualified for entry-level retail positions. They didn’t get along when she was younger, but one thing Yongsun would always say was that she respected her sister’s determination and dedication to her dreams. Never did her big sister’s conviction waver—she was going to get into fashion.

 

Three years after returning to Korea, things aligned and Yonghee got her chance. One of her high school friends contacted her looking for help with a clothing line they were planning to debut in London. Yongsun was already away at college when it happened, but she vividly remembered both her parents and Yonghee blowing up her phone, looking for her to serve as an impartial third party that they could vent their frustrations to. Her parents were against Yonghee leaving, Yonghee thought they were being unreasonable. Yongsun understood both sides: Yonghee wanted the freedom to pursue her interests. Their parents were concerned about her safety and well‑being.

 

In the end, Yonghee left and there wasn’t much their parents could do about it. While initially furious with their eldest, their frostiness petered out as they realized, one, she was doing well for herself and, two, their anger was counterproductive because while their biggest concern was her safety, with her thousands of kilometers away, if they stopped all communication, they wouldn’t actually know if her safety was ever endangered. To everyone’s relief, the three resolved their quarrels and Yonghee built a solid life for herself. Five years later, at the age of 26, she was back home to be a thorn in Yongsun’s side.

 

In truth, she was home to settle matters related to the label’s expansion in South Korea—they were to open a modest boutique in Seoul within the next year and Yonghee was the point person. Yongsun was curious about what these matters entailed because as far as she could tell, all Yonghee did was annoy her 24/7.

“How would you know if I lay on my all day unless you, too, were laying on your watching me and keeping track of what I’m doing?”

“Watch your mouth. I’m older than you.”

“That’s what you always say when you don’t have a better comeback,” the younger of the two laughed.

“Whatever,” her sister rolled her eyes. “Seriously, though, where are you going?”

“I have a date with Jinyoung today.”

“Ohhhh, that’s cute. What’s that, date number three this week? Awww, you’re blushing!”

“Shut up!”

 

Her and Jinyoung had been making the most of their break from school and were spending more time together. It was actually the most time they spent together given how busy he was during the semester. She was no slouch, but between his acting and composing, they found few pockets of time to see each other. Yongsun’s schedule for the upcoming semester was going to be more hectic than the first one, so she wasn’t too sure how things with him would turn out if they had even less time to see each other, but that was a bridge they’d cross if and when they got there.

“When do I get to meet him?”

“Never.”

“I’m serious. This is the first person you’ve ever dated, so he must be something special for you to even consider him. You’re always all about school and work. Plus, you’re my little sister. I need to know who this guy is.” The latter end of her statement was in a much more serious tone than everything else.

“Fine,” Yongsun reluctantly agreed. “he’s picking me up at 7 pm.”

 

*

 

“Hey, I’m at your door.”

“Okay. I’m coming out. My sister’s coming to the door, too. She insisted on meeting you. I’m sorry.”

She could hear the grin in his voice as he spoke, “No need to apologize. I’m fine with it.”

The door to her parents’ home opened to put the two face-to-face.

“Hi,” Yongsun said shyly.

“Hi,” Jinyoung said in a teasing tone, leaning in to place a chaste kiss on her lips. This was a very new development in their relationship. To Yongsun’s surprise, he had initiated it after their date a couple days ago. It was nice.

 

“Lips off, big boy!”

“Yonghee, are you serious right now? Stop!” She knew Yonghee didn’t care about the kiss, she just wanted to embarrass her in front of Jinyoung.

“Ah, hello!” He straightened up. “Nice to meet you, Yonghee-ssi.”

“You’re lucky our parents weren’t here to see that little smooch.” She was bluffing. Their parents would be relieved to know their youngest was finally dating. Their entire family knew how concerned their mom was about the youngest’s dating life. Yes, concerned.

Jinyoung’s blush made Yonghee take mercy on him. “Where are you taking my sister tonight?”

“We’re heading to a museum and then we’ll be getting dinner at a restaurant of Yongsun’s choosing.”

“That’s cute. As I said, our parents are not home right now, so I have to be the one to ask: what are your intentions with Yongsun.”

“Omg, let’s go, Jinyoung.” It was clear now that Yonghee was doing this solely to mess with him. Her boisterous laugh confirmed that.

“Bye! Have fun. Take care of my sister,” she waved them off.

 

“I’m really sorry about that. Had no idea that’s what she was going to do,” Yongsun profusely apologized once they were both settled in his car.

“Hey,” he gently cupped her chin, “it’s okay. It wasn’t that bad. I promise.” The subsequent kiss was more tender than the handful of others they’d had.

All signs, she thought, were pointing towards tonight being the night he’d finally ask her to be his girlfriend.

 

*

 

“Are you finally claimed?”

“Do you have to be that crude?” Yongsun asked, plopping onto the living room couch.

“Yongsun, I’m your older sister. I ask that you please accept me for who I am. All of me.”

“You sound like Byul. Ew.”

“You still haven’t answered my initial question. And when do I get to meet the infamous Moon Byulyi?”

“No, we are not official. He didn’t ask me tonight. After the stunts you pulled today, you’re never meeting any of my friends ever again,” she pouted.

“Yongsun, please. You’re grown. Stop with the pouting. Do you do that with Jinyoung? Is that why he kissed you earlier? You were pouting, so he kissed it away? Is that how you flirt?”

“Shut up, Yonghee!”

“Why are you throwing pillows,” she laughed, picking up the cushion that badly missed her head. “Stop overexaggerating, it was a joke. From everything I’ve heard, I think Moonbyul would like my jokes. She sounds like she has a sense of humor.”

“Well, you’re not meeting her.”

“Say that again without crying.”

 

Yongsun said nothing else at all that night. Completely ignoring her sister, she retreated to her room, washed up, and went to sleep.

 

*

 

It’s as if the universe hated her. Literally two days before, she’d told Yonghee to not hold her breath on meeting Moonbyul. This morning, she woke up to the following text:

From: Byul-ah

Yong! I’m bored. Coming to visit you at your house today. 10:01 am

 

She panicked.

 

The athlete had been mentioning how much free time she had while back on campus during the winter break, but Yongsun never thought it would come to Byul unexpectedly visiting her one random Thursday.

To: Byul-ah

???

You don’t even know where I live. 11:37 am

From: Byul-ah

Did you sleep in late again? Lucky.

I do. You gave me your address last week 😊 11:38 am

 

Damnit. She forgot about that. No one else was home and she was too lazy to go look for food. The two were on a video call when Yongsun suddenly joked about how hungry she was. Moonbyul joked back about sending food for her. Yongsun joked again and shared her address. Thirty minutes and a few “jokes” later, Yongsun’s doorbell rang.

“Byul-ah.”

“Hmm,” she hummed. The junior had propped her phone up as she played video games.

“My bell rang.”

“So answer it, Yong.”

“Okay, but I’m not expecting anyone. Why would someone be ringing the bell after 7 pm?”

“I don’t know,” the blonde distractedly muttered. “Go answer and see.”

“What if it’s a robber?”

“Then offer to be their woman. You’re cute enough, they might take you up on it and spare your life.”

“Everything’s a joke to you!”

“Hurry up and go answer the door before the person leaves!”

 

The graduate student took her phone with her “for protection,” but ended up nearly blowing Byulyi’s ears out with her celebratory shout.

“Byul-ah! If you were here right now, I’d kiss you. I swear. Thank you so much!” It was tteokbokki.

“You’re welcome.” Moonbyul tried and failed to hide her proud smile. “Now I’ll have peace and quiet to play my game while you eat. I’ll also be taking you up on the offer for that kiss.”

“Shut up! You always have to ruin a good moment.”

 

To: Byul-ah

Don’t joke like that. 11:40 am

From: Byul-ah

I’m serious. We have a walkthrough in 20 minutes

for our game tomorrow, but I’m free after that.

Going to come visit my bestest friend.

Expect me around 4 pm 🤪. 11:42 am

 

 

True to her word, Byulyi showed up at Yongsun’s door bundled in her puffer coat, sweatsuit, cap, and mask.

“It’s cold. Open the door,” she commanded over the phone.

“No one told you to come. In fact, I told you not to come.”

“Yongsun, it’s too cold for this. Open the door.”

“I don’t want to.”

It was a record-level low temperature outside, so there’s no way Yongsun would let her friend freeze, but it felt good to be the one making Moonbyul whine for once instead of the other way around.

“You play too much,” the blonde shivered. “If I get sick from this, you’ll have to take care of me.”

“I promise you I won’t be doing that,” Yongsun laughed.

 

For 1.5 hours, they had the home to themselves. Yongsun gave Moonbyul a tour before herding the younger girl into her bedroom. That was where Yonghee found them upon arriving home.

“Knock, knock.”

“What’s up?”

“I saw sneakers downstairs and heard giggling up here, so I thought you snuck Jinyoung in for more kisses.”

“Clearly that isn’t the case.”

“Clearly,” Yonghee laughed. “Sorry about my sister’s lack of manners. I’m Yonghee.”

Moonbyul stood from Yongsun’s bed to properly greet her best friend’s older sister. “Nice to meet you. I’m Moon Byulyi, one of Yong’s friends from university.”

“Ah! You’re Byulyi! All I here from this one is ‘Byulyi this, Byulyi that.’ It’s nice to finally meet you. She’s cute, Yong.”

“Thank you for saying that, Yonghee-ssi. You’re beautiful yourself,” Moonbyul tried to act smooth. She failed, but it was still endearing.

“I know. Thank you for saying it, though.”

“You’re so conceited!” Yongsun rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

“Wouldn’t it be worse if I feigned ignorance to the fact that I’m good-looking? It would be, right, Byulyi?”

“Sometimes it is better to be honest about these things. You’re right, Yonghee‑ssi,” the athlete stammered.

“You can call me unnie, Byulyi, and thank you for backing me up. Yongsun is so unreasonable at times.”

“Yah! Why are you laughing at that Byul? I let you in my home for you to team up with my sister and attack me like this?”

“How do you deal with her, Byulyi? She’s so dramatic.”

“I can say it’s never a dull moment with her, unnie. For all her dramatics at times, Yong is the best.”

 

Yonghee stared at her for a while, making the junior slightly uncomfortable. “You’re charming. Very. It’s adorable. Anyway, our parents are on their way home. Are you joining us for dinner?”

“Uh . . . ,” she looked to Yongsun for permission. The brunette simply sighed.

“You can stay. I know you want to.”

“I’ll be staying, yes,” Moonbyul beamed.

 

*

 

“You’re the first friend that Yongsun has had over, Byulyi! We’re excited to have you.”

“We all thought she was incapable of making friends,” Yonghee deadpanned.

“What about Eric? Eric has come over,” Yongsun countered.

“The two of you were dating, that doesn’t count,” her mom deflected.

 

This conversation was annoying her, but the way Moonbyul’s eyes bulged out of her head made her laugh genuinely for the first time since the entire family had convened for dinner.

“We never dated,” she explained to the girl at her left, “my mother just says that because she thinks I was hiding something with him. She doesn’t seem to understand friendship.” The last part was undoubtedly directed at her mom.

“Okay, okay, if you insist. Byulyi,” Lee Soyoung called affectionately, she had taken a quick liking to the girl, “you understand my perspective, right? Yongsun has never mentioned dating to me. Isn’t it only natural for me to then speculate that she was hiding something? I couldn’t possibly believe that such a beautiful girl isn’t seeing anyone, right?”

Yongsun stared expectedly at her best friend’s side profile. She knew the athlete would feel pressure to agree with her mother, but she also wanted Moonbyul to know that there was pressure to side with her.

“Um … uh … that’s … understandable, Auntie.”

 

Soyoung had insisted Byul address her that way. Yongsun was surprised when her mother first suggested it, but then realized the older woman was probably so grateful to Byul for being Yongsun’s friend that she took to her immediately. Or maybe Byul was that charming. Most likely a combination of the two.

“Thank you!” the older woman exclaimed. “Tell us more about yourself, dear. Yongsun mentioned that you play basketball?”

“Ah, yes, Auntie. I play for our university.”

“Don’t be modest,” Yongsun cut in. “She also plays for the National Team. They’re traveling in a few weeks to try to qualify for the Olympics!”

“Yong, stop,” Moonbyul whispered.

“No, I’m not gonna stop, Byul. That’s a big deal. Why would you hide that? Anyway, she’s really good. I’ve watched her play many times. The university team is undefeated in large part due to her. She can beat anyone. I’m sure of it.”

Yongsun took a moment to reel herself in. She realized she had become too animated, and judging by the looks on the faces of the others, so did they.

“We get it, Byulyi invented basketball. She’s the best basketball player ever. Take a breath.” Yonghee‘s sarcastic quips were to be expected. The entire family knew to ignore her half the time, but something in her spirit prevented Yongsun from doing so this time.

“Yes. She did and she is,” the graduate student said with defiance.

 

“Okay, okay. You two calm down. Moonbyul-ssi, what about your studies? Do you only plan on playing basketball for the rest of your life?” Leave it to Kim Kwangsun to ask the hard-hitting questions.

“No, sir. While I love basketball, and intend to play it for as long as I can, my parents have made sure I understand the importance of education. I plan on applying to business schools at the end of this calendar year and hopefully going into marketing.”

Her dad seemed impressed, but Yongsun was surprised. This was news to her.

“Really?” She whispered. Moonbyul sent a stiff nod her way, keeping all her attention on Yongsun’s father. The older girl was slightly miffed at being brushed off like that, especially when Byul had made that announcement so casually. Never before had she said a word about it, and they talked every day. Interesting.

 

The rest of the dinner went by without incident. Long after they finished eating, everyone could still be found sitting around the table having conversations about this and that. Soyoung stood to begin clearing the table.

“Auntie, I can help you with that.” Moonbyul was halfway up when her offer was waved off.

“Don’t worry about that, Byul-ah. You work hard enough during the year. I just wish for you to relax. It was thoughtful of you to ask, though. Thank you.” She was smiling from ear to ear, the affection in her voice clear.

Try as she might, Yongsun couldn’t get past her mother calling her friend ‘Byul-ah’. When they first met hours earlier, it was Moonbyul, then Byulyi, now ‘Byul-ah’? She should have been relieved that her mom took this quickly to the younger girl, and she was, but the tiniest part of her was irked. The way her mother was acting head-over-heels for Byul was a bit much. A smidge over‑the‑top. At this point, she wondered if the woman even remembered she already had a youngest daughter.

“Earth to Yongsun,” Byulyi spoke loudly into her ear. Of course, Yonghee joined the junior in laughing at that.

“My mom likes you,” Yongsun stated factually.

“I hope so. I was so nervous when Yonghee-unnie asked me to stay for dinner with the whole family.”

“It seems they all like you.”

“Why do you sound so sad about that?”

“Shut up,” Yongsun pouted.

“Awww, you’re afraid they’ll like me better than you and kick you out of the family to make space for me. It’s okay. They will, but I’d at least help you pack your things up,” Byulyi said while pinching Yongsun’s left cheek.

“You’re annoying,” she exclaimed, slapping away the slim fingers on her face. “You never told me you were applying to business school.”

“Don’t be like that,” Moonbyul wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. Yongsun didn’t think twice about it, she sunk into the embrace. “It was a very recent development. As in, this week recent.”

“We’ve spoken this week and you never mentioned it. You mentioned practice, your games, making the cut for the National Team roster, hanging with Kisum and company for the first time. Feel like you could’ve slipped something about business school in.”

“I’m sorry. Forgive me, please?” She asked softly, looking down at the forlorn girl resting a head on her shoulder. “Plus, it’s all you’re going to hear about once I actually start applying because I’m going to come to you with all my materials, asking you to edit them. Will you?”

“Obviously.”

“Thank you.” Normally in moments like this, Moonbyul would place a quick kiss on Yongsun’s head. The older girl noticed that Byul almost did just then before quickly remembering they were in front of others.

 

After another hour or so, Byul left with a bag full of food. Soyoung wanted Yonghee to drive her home, but the blonde insisted that she’d be fine taking the train. To put everyone at ease, she promised to call Yongsun as soon as she reached safely.

“Thank you for taking care of our baby, Byul-ah,” Yongsun’s mother had said as she hugged Moonbyul goodbye.

“She’s actually the one that takes care of me, Auntie.”

 

 

“Byulyi is nice. I like her. Your dad does, too,” Yongsun’s mom proclaimed.

“I could tell,” the brunette rolled her eyes.

“Oh stop. You know I could never love anyone more than my baby,” she placated Yongsun, pulling her youngest into a tender hug.

“I’m standing right here, mother,” Yonghee chimed in.

Both of my babies.”

 

Yonghee left to her room, and Yongsun was about to do the same when her mom stopped her.

“Yongsun. You know that we love you, right?”

“Is this because I was annoyed about Byul? I wasn’t being serious. I know that you all love me,” she chuckled. Her mom was being . . . weird. She was speaking low, as if this were some type of secret, and her voice was tight.

“Not exactly. It’s just . . . I want you to know that we love you, and that we will always love you. No matter what. We love you. All of you. Just . . . know that, okay?”

“Uh, sure. Thank you . . . for that?”

Soyoung pulled her into a tight hug. Yongsun wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but she let the hug happen because it seemed her mother really needed it.

“Be good to Byulyi.”

“Um, okay?” She wasn’t sure how to respond to anything her mother was saying. It was all random. “I’m going to head to my room now. Have a good night, mommy.”

“You, too, baby.”

 

She got to her room and checked her phone. Two messages, one from Byul and another from Yonghee.

From: Byul-ah

I said I’d call, but figured this was quicker. Made it home safely. Thanks for letting me stay for dinner. Your family is so sweet. I love them. 9:45 pm

Forgot to say it earlier, but your hair looks great. You look beautiful 😍 9:50 pm

 

Yongsun’s hair was now jet black. Yonghee convinced her it would be a good look for her, and so far, it was. Moonbyul joked a lot, but Yongsun trusted her to tell the truth about things like this. If her hair looked silly, no doubt, the athlete would clown her endlessly, so it was an extra boost of confidence knowing that Byulyi liked it.

 

Her sister’s text was less kind in tone, but it explained her mother’s odd behavior, so she was grateful for that at least:

From: Yonghee 🙄

LMAO! They think you’re dating Byulyi 🤣 10:11 pm

 

*

 

The second semester was kicking Yongsun’s . She was once again taking the maximum number of classes allowed for graduate students, one of which was her first Counseling Practicum. Not only was the class itself at 9:00 am on Saturday mornings, it required students to spend additional hours throughout the week gaining hands-on experience in counseling settings. Yongsun was assigned to the SNU Academic Support Center for Athletes where she worked as an academic advisor for five first-year Women’s Fencing athletes. Most of them were excellent students, but the preparations for her sessions with them were still time-consuming. On top of that, she was also still working with Kwon Jihun, who kept her on as a lecture student. Instead of assisting him with one of his classes, though, Yongsun was now working directly in his performance laboratory with athletes of all levels. She was gaining invaluable experience and making unbelievable connections, this she knew, but as the semester progressed, it became harder and harder to remember all the good that she had going for herself when her days rarely ended before 7:00 pm.

 

This week had been particularly challenging. Every class had assignments due and both of her work opportunities were asking more of her than originally anticipated. Her period came ahead of schedule. Things with Jinyoung were frustrating—he still hadn’t asked her to be his girlfriend and she was growing uncertain about where things between the two of them were going.

 

Just as strands of black hair splayed across her pillow for the first moment of rest in too long, Yongsun’s ringtone sliced through the room.

 

It became a personal challenge for her. She was determined to outlast whoever was calling. When the noise subsided, a sense of accomplishment childishly overcame her, until the phone started again.

“Are you kidding me?” Whoever was disturbing her much-needed peace was going to get an earful. Angrily bounding across the room to her desk, Yongsun read the name on the screen of the video caller. Of course.

“What, Byul?”

“Hi, Yong. I’m doing well, thank you for asking. It’s so great seeing you after almost a week of being apart from each other.” The junior was abroad with the National Team since the previous Saturday. As irritated as she was in the moment, Yongsun had to admit to herself that she was being rude.

“Hi, Byul. How’s Australia?”

“That was much better! Good job. Australia’s so much fun! That’s not what I called for, though. We made it! We’re going to the Olympics!” Yongsun’s mood improved tenfold at that.

“What?! Are you serious?”

“Extremely,” Byulyi smirked proudly. “It doesn’t even feel real yet. We got back to the hotel a few minutes ago. Everyone’s getting ready to go out and celebrate, so I can’t stay long, but wanted to share the good news!”

“Wow, this is wild. You’re an Olympian, Byul-ah,” she said in awe. “What did your parents say?”

“I haven’t told them yet. You’re the first one I called.”

“Oh. They’re going to be so proud. I bet your mom is going to cry.”

“She’s definitely going to cry,” the athlete chuckled. “Going to call them now and then get ready. Pray for my liver, please and thank you. Also, you look like . Get some sleep.”

“I was trying, you ! Your call interrupted my much-needed rest, but I’m not going to get upset. I realize that this is an important day for you, and I’m not going to ruin it by starting a fight.” Yongsun put a forced smile on her face, making Moonbyul laugh uncontrollably.

“You’re the best, Yong. I’ll let you get back to that rest now.”

“You leave tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, tomorrow, late afternoon so I won’t see you until Saturday.”

“How sad,” Yongsun said devoid of any emotion.

“Oh please! You always act like this and then when we’re actually in the same room, you’re rushing to cuddle and cling to me.”

“Don’t you have a celebration to go to?”

“Yes, ma’am. Bye, Yong.”

“Bye, Byul-ah. Be safe and don’t drink too much.”

“Only because you asked so nicely.”

 

Yongsun was unable to rest after their call. She was so excited for Moonbyul. If given the chance, she’d brag about her best friend all day. Just like that, just by being herself, the junior had improved Yongsun’s mood and brightened her day despite being in another country. She wasn’t sure if she deserved her, but Yongsun would be forever grateful for Moon Byulyi.

 

Talk of Moonbyul’s parents reminded Yongsun to call her own. She and her dad spoke briefly before her mom took over the call. Yongsun filled her mother in on her hectic week and slipped in some information about Jinyoung, too—since the dinner with Byulyi, she told her parents that she was dating someone, but that it was the young man, not her best friend. Even so, Soyoung spent most of the call asking about how things with the athlete were. She only wanted to know how Moonbyul was doing. It was the perfect time, so Yongsun shared the recent Olympics news.

“Yongsun, you must send her my message. Tell her that we are so proud of her! I can’t believe this! Our girl is going to the Olympics!” She’d long since accepted her mother’s dramatics when it came to Byulyi, so Yongsun let the woman have her moment. There was nothing she could do to stop her anyway. It was best to let her be.

 

Once off the phone, Yongsun decided to give rest a try again. Bundled in her covers, she was in the middle of her final social media check when she saw a post on Instagram. It was of Byulyi, Heeyeon, and Kisum in their National Team uniforms—the other two had their uniforms on, Moonbyul only wore her team shorts with a sports bra. From what she surmised, this was taken in the locker room after their final game. The three wore goggles on their heads and held champagne bottles in their hands. Even with Byulyi’s defined six-pack trying to grab all the attention, the picture was adorable. The camaraderie amongst the three of them was obvious, and Yongsun couldn’t be happier that her best friend had people like Heeyeon and Kisum by her side through all the challenges of being a National Team athlete.

 

The caption was cute, too:

3,578 likes

byulyi The babies are going 🛸 the Olympics.

View all 2,050 comments

wheein Thirst trap.

hyejin Thirst trap.

lhaena Congratulations, baby! Can’t wait to celebrate when you get back.

          |Byulyi @lhaena Thank you 🙈 #SundaySundaySunday

          |Hyejin @byulyi 👀

          |Heeyeon @byulyi 👀👀

          |Kisum @byulyi 👀👀👀

          |Wheein @byulyi 👁️

heeyeon Thirst trap.

kisum Thirst trap.

34 minutes ago

The comments from Byulyi’s teammates and closest friends were hilarious. Outside of those, the comment section was full of standard “Congratulations!” or “😍” messages. This Haena girl, though . . . Yongsun was annoyed.

 

For all her talk about communication, Moonbyul didn’t practice what she preached. Yongsun wasn’t great at sharing her feelings and she still sometimes bottled things up, but at least she could say that she never outright kept secrets from her best friend. The same couldn’t be said about Moonbyul. She was always so sketchy about the most random things. Last semester, it was Sunmi—Chorong had told her that from what she’d heard, much more had happened between Moonbyul and Sunmi than the junior had let on. This semester, Byul had kept her intention to apply to business school a secret from her, and now, here was some woman named Haena calling Byul “baby”. What frustrated her even more was the fact that the rest of her friends seemed to know about this girl. She was the only one left out. Nice.

 

*

 

The 21st of February fell on an uncharacteristically warm winter Friday. The sun beamed overhead as the usual stinging gusts of wind took the day off. She wasn’t sure which angels were looking out for her up above, but she was grateful to not have to wear five layers on her birthday.

 

Jinyoung was adamant about the two of them spending Yongsun’s birthday together. She had no idea what he had planned, but she followed his instructions: she wore something nice and was ready for 8:00 pm.

 

Watching the streetlights blur together as they zoomed down the streets of Seoul, Yongsun let her thoughts roam free. The responsibility of filling the empty space with conversation was one that she relieved herself of tonight. Jinyoung wanted to take the lead, so she’d let him take the lead.

 

When the car eased into a parking lot, Yongsun couldn’t help it, she turned to look at him questioningly.

“We’re at my apartment,” he simply said.

“Oh. Okay.” She had no thoughts on it. At the very least, she trusted him and was sure there was a reason behind his decision. They’d never been inside each other’s apartments, though. It would be a nice change of pace, she thought.

 

He wasn’t the most talkative, but Jinyoung was never this quiet, especially not with her. The harsh, bright lights in the elevator made it impossible for Yongsun to miss the beads of sweat forming on his upper lip, or the way he kept pulling at the collar of his black turtleneck.

“Hey, you okay?” Yongsun asked softly.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Are you okay? Enjoying the elevator ride?”

“It’s the best elevator I’ve ever been in. Highlight of my day.” He laughed lightly at that, and watching him loosen up a little, maybe that was the actual highlight of her day. “It’s just me. You don’t have to be nervous. Whatever you have planned, I’ll enjoy and appreciate it.”

“You deserve the best. I just want everything to go perfectly.”

“The car didn’t break down; the elevator hasn’t gotten stuck. Everything’s perfect.” To add an extra layer of reassurance, Yongsun grabbed his right hand with her left and interlaced their fingers, giving his a quick squeeze.

 

The elevator finally dinged, signaling their arrival at the twelfth floor. The hallway was elegant. Walls freshly painted, beautiful patterned carpets, bouquet of flowers in the elevator waiting area. UV wasn’t frumpy, but it wasn’t this. This was very nice.

 

Still holding her hand, Jinyoung led Yongsun down the hallway to an apartment door tucked away at a far end.

“Do you have roommates? You never mentioned having any.”

Punching in his code, he responded, “No. No roommates.”

Now it was Yongsun’s turn to be nervous. She knew it was going to be just the two of them today, but she thought it would be “just the two of them” in public, surrounded by other people. Them being alone in his apartment, it would really be just the two of them. This was a first.

“Cover your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because?”

“Yongsun, I’m already freaking out hoping you like everything. Cooperate, please?”

 

She took mercy on him and did as he asked. She covered her eyes and was led into the apartment by gentle hands on her waist.

“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

She couldn’t see anything, but it smelled good. Yongsun inhaled the scent deeply for five minutes before Jinyoung’s fingers found their place on her shoulders.

“Okay, open your eyes,” he spun her around.

“Is this a drama?” She asked dumbfounded.

“Maybe.”

 

Taking a second to remove her shoes, Yongsun took everything in. To her right was a door slightly closed, most likely his bedroom, because next to that was the bathroom, a small nightlight illuminating it just enough to see what the room held. A short hallway led to one open room—a living room, dining room, and kitchen all in one. As far as her eyes could see, everything was clean and simple, earth tones: dark brown hardwood floors, beige walls, various shades of gray furniture. It fit Jinyoung. The highlight of everything, though, were the lights all about the room made to look like mini candles and the food set on the table.

“Here, I even got you some house slippers,” he nervously bent down to help place the shoes on her feet.

“You cooked?” Yongsun beamed.

“Yeah, I did. It’s your birthday, um . . . sorry,” Jinyoung nervously cleared his throat. “It’s your birthday. We always go out, so I wanted to make it special and show you how much I care about you, so . . . yeah, I cooked. More than anything else . . . look. We’ve been dating for a few months now and I know you’ve been a little frustrated at times because I’ve taken forever to ask . . .”

He wasn’t . . .

“I like you. I’ve liked you since we first met and I appreciate the patience you’ve had with me. It’s kind of selfish of me to ask this today of all days because it’s supposed to be about you, and if you say yes, then it’s more a gift to me than it is to you, but I’m going to ask anyway and hope you forgive me. Yongsun, will you be my girlfriend?”

He was! He did. He finally asked.

 

She’d wanted the moment to come for some time now simply because she figured that was the natural progression of things. Now that it was here, all she felt was nerves.

“I’ve never done this before,” she answered, voice barely above a whisper.

“I promise I’ll take care of you.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Okay,” she breathed, “yes. I’ll be your girlfriend.”

She felt his hands on her face before his always-soft lips sealed their new relationship by ever-so-gently melding with hers.

 

*

 

Exhausted. Yongsun was exhausted.

 

The night before with Jinyoung was simple. He cooked dinner and made dessert for her. They talked, they laughed, they kissed. He got her home by midnight out of consideration for the fact that she had a 9:00 am class on Saturday morning.

 

The exhaustion was a new normal for her. Her schedule was demanding. Add on the social commitments she had, and her new official relationship, she was constantly catching up on sleep she’d lost, yet never quite catching up. Tonight was the birthday celebration with all her friends that Chorong organized. The get-together was set to take place at the restaurant that Hodong’s brother owned. The venue made a strong impression on everyone when they gathered there for Jinyoung’s birthday. As with the last time they were there, the group was granted a private room of their own with appetizers, never-ending alcohol, and other perks. It was sure to be a good night.

 

“Are you excited to party, unnie!”

“You must get drunk and let loose tonight. We won’t accept anything less.”

Wheein and Hyejin were ready to go. With these two by her side, things were bound to get wild.

“We’ll see how it goes.”

“None of that!” Hyejin objected. “It’s your birthday, you’re going to get messed up. No questions asked.”

“That sounds aggressive.”

“That’s because it is aggressive. It’s a rule.”

“Byulyi didn’t get messed up.”

“She gets a pass during the season,” Wheein explained, “but we always get her after the season. No one is exempt.”

It was slightly terrifying how seriously these two enforced this rule of theirs.

 

The three left the cab they were in and entered the venue. Thankfully, a hostess directed them towards their room. Yongsun laughed, realizing that her presence didn’t even seem necessary. ’91 Club had already started their celebration.

“The birthday girl is here!”

“You’re drunk already, Rongie?”

“Am I?”

“You are. So cute.”

“Happy birthday!” Yongsun’s same-aged friend screamed as she pulled her into a bear hug.

“Thank you for putting this together,” Yongsun sincerely muttered into her ear, rocking the both of them back and forth.

“Anything for my girl.”

“Happy birthday!” Eric interrupted.

“Eric, what the hell?”

“Are you surprised? Chorong thought you would be. Yay!”

“Oh my gosh, you’re drunk, too? There’s no way you’re driving back tonight.”

“He’s not, he’s staying with me,” Jinyoung interrupted. “Happy birthday, Yong,” the young man boldly kissed her on the lips in front of everyone.

“Oh yeah! Congratulations,” Eric yelled. Everyone kept yelling and she really wished they’d stop.

“On what? What congratulations?” Chorong asked, comedically whipping her head back and forth.

“Yeah, what congratulations?” Changsub chimed in.

“She and Jinyoung are officially a couple! She told us he asked her last night,” Wheein bragged. She and Hyejin felt good about themselves that they were in the know.

“Finally! Let’s drink to that!” Chorong encouraged.

 

And they did. They drank to that, they drank to Yongsun’s birthday, they drank to everyone coming together. They drank and drank and drank. Two hours later, Yongsun was sat in the corner, staring off into space with a stupid smile on her face. She wasn’t as drunk as everyone else because she stopped an hour ago, but she was still fairly intoxicated. Enough to loosen her inhibitions, but not enough to be sloppy. A good balance.

 

Everyone was there except for Moonbyul. Yongsun checked multiple times with Chorong to make sure she actually invited the basketball star. She wouldn’t put it past her same-aged friend to “accidentally” forget to include Byul in the festivities. The junior messaged her and hour ago, though, saying that she’d “be there soon”. “Soon” still hadn’t come.

To: Byul-ah

Are you coming or not? If you’re not, just say that. 10:13 pm

From: Byul-ah

Parking right now! Be there in, like, 2 mins. 10:14 pm

 

The junior’s father had gifted her a car for her birthday, except it wasn’t ready by then, so she’d only recently received it. The car wasn’t new; one of Byul’s father’s friends was a car salesman and helped Moonbyul’s dad find something affordable and safe. All that mattered was that it worked, and it did. It ran well, got Moonbyul from point A to point B safely.

 

Everything was great, but it would be perfect with Byulyi. Now aware that her best friend was joining them any moment, Yongsun sighed contentedly. She was happy. The moment the door to their room inched open and blonde hair peaked through, the graduate student shot up from her seat and ran across the space. As soon as Byulyi fully entered the room, she had to brace herself for the body that had flung itself onto her.

“Someone’s excited to see me.”

“I am! You’re finally here,” Yongsun whined, legs and arms wrapped around the younger girl like a koala clinging to a tree, face in her neck.

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

“What took you so long?”

“I had to pick Haena up.”

That sobered her up a bit. Since the team making the Olympics a few weeks ago, Byulyi hadn’t mentioned Haena to Yongsun and Yongsun didn’t ask. If the athlete wasn’t mentioning the girl, she assumed that meant that they weren’t serious.

 

Looking up from her friend’s neck, Yongsun noticed for the first time the brunette standing awkwardly behind them. Heeyeon was also there. Yongsun decided to greet her instead.

“Hi, Heeyeon! Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, unnie. I told you yesterday, but I might as well say it again. Happy birthday!” The tall girl hugged Yongsun.

“Thank you. There’s lots of food and lots of drinks. Eat everything and drink everything,” she giggled.

“It may be time for you to eat more and drink less, unnie,” Heeyeon laughed.

“No! She has to get wasted,” Hyejin ambushed their conversation. “Hi, Byul‑unnie, Heeyeon-unnie, Haena-unnie.”

“Hi, Hyejin.” The Haena girl spoke for the first time. Yongsun stared at her for a few beats before grabbing Heeyeon’s hand and pulling her further into the festivities. Introducing her to everyone would ensure that she didn’t have to be near Byul and that girl.

 

After leaving Heeyeon with everyone else—she fit right in—Yongsun excused herself to the restroom. On her way out, she found Byul perched on the wall, obviously waiting for her.

“Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird all night.”

“You sure it has nothing to do with you bringing some random girl to my birthday party?”

“She’s not random.”

“To me, she is. I don’t know her, that makes her random.”

Byul let out a deep sigh and scratched her neck before continuing, “I didn’t think it would that big of a deal, so I brought her.”

“Well, it is.” Yongsun went to brush past the blonde, who was blocking her way back to their private room, but Moonbyul grabbed her hand.

“Can you stop? She and I are seeing each other and I wanted the two of you to meet. You’re my best friend. It’s important for me that you both get along.”

“It’s so important to you that she and I get along, yet you’ve never mentioned her to me? Save the bull, Byul. You do this all the time. You lied about Sunmi and lied about this girl. Continue keeping your little buddies a secret. I don’t ing care anymore.”

“Don’t call her that. And you know I don’t do those.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“You’re drunk. I’m not fighting with you.”

“Of course. Act like the morally upstanding one. All you do is lie about the stupidest . Prancing in here with some random ing girl,” she made sure to emphasize those words, absolutely sure that she was pissing Moonbyul off, “then want to tell me what I can and can’t say. You can ing leave. I don’t care.”

“Here we go,” Byul rolled her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. I should’ve told you about Hae—”

“That all you do! You say ‘I should’ve told you, I’m sorry!’ and then proceed to lie about more .”

“I should’ve told you about Haena,” the blonde continued, “I was wrong.”

“Why do you keep lying to me? Is it some fun game for you? I tell you everything, Byulyi, and all you do is lie to me and then make it seem like I’m overexaggerating when I get upset. It’s not right.” Yongsun took a deep breath after speaking. Her voice had quivered a bit and that was a telltale sign that she was going to cry soon. She refused to give Byul the satisfaction.

“I guess I didn’t want things to change between us? It sounds stupid saying it out loud because our friendship shouldn’t be affected if we’re dating other people, but  . . . I don’t know. I don’t know why I kept it from you, and it does look sketchy as hell. There’s no excuse. I just . . . I don’t know. That’s the truth.”

 

Byulyi sounded sincere. Then again, she always did. Yongsun couldn’t trust her right now.

“I’m going back to my party.” When she tried to brush past Byul this time, the younger woman let her.

 

*

 

Toasts started at midnight. Almost all of them were incoherent due to everyone’s intoxication. Everyone was a mess. Except Byulyi.

“Okay! That’s everyone!” Chorong yelled.

“Wait,” the junior spoke up. “I want to say something.”

“It may be best if you don’t,” Chorong slurred. She’d caucused with Yongsun after the slightly older girl’s extended restroom break and learned that, as expected, Moon Byulyi was the source of her friend’s anger.

“As I was saying,” Byul continued, acting as if she hadn’t heard the older woman’s protests, “I wanted to give a toast, too. Everyone here knows that Yong and I are close. Well, obviously, she lets me call her Yong.” Light laughter filled the room at that. “She’s actually pissed at me right now because, as usual, I acted like an idiot, but even if you’re mad at me, I’m not going to let your birthday celebration go by without speaking,” she said meeting Yongsun’s eyes. “You’re one of my favorite people in life. I’m grateful every day that you started that conversation with me in The Commons. If you actually think about it, I wore that shirt, which is why you spoke to me, so, really, I’m the reason for this friendship.”

“Booooooo,” Heeyeon shouted at her.

“Calm down, drunk. Anyway, everyone here knows that we’re close. They also know that we fight often because we’re both stubborn and refuse to talk things out, so we end up seeking advice from others on how to fix our stupid arguments. There’s a lot that goes on between us that they don’t know, though. We go days talking about everything and nothing. In my most difficult moments, you’ve been the one to draw me out and fill me with hope and strength. You’ve been one of the most supportive people in my life, so it makes me happy that you get to be surrounded by this much love tonight. Everyone else has spoken about how amazing you are and how much you do for all of us, so, if nothing else, I hope tonight shows you that we’re all here to support and love you as much you support and love all of us.”

 

A chorus of “awww’s” broke out from almost everyone as Yongsun stood up to go hug Byulyi.

“I’m sorry,” Moonbyul whispered into her ear.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not. I know I need to be better.”

“You say this every time.”

“I know. I’m working on it. I swear. I’m working on it.”

“Group hug,” Wheein proclaimed as she and Hyejin joined their unnies. Yongsun realized that Moonbyul took the opportunity to sneak in a kiss on her head.

 

It was kind of gross how incapable she was of staying upset at the athlete. The younger girl could pump her up with false promises any day of the week, and she’d always forgive her. She didn’t know why, she just knew it was sick how those brown eyes and that crooked grin owned her. It wasn’t like this with any of her friends. It wasn’t even like this with her boyfriend.

 

*

 

The following week with Moonbyul was smoother than Yongsun anticipated. The younger girl had tried several more times to get Yongsun and Haena to interact, before she accepted that Yongsun was fine simply being acquaintances with the Vocal Music student, nothing more. She was fine with Byul talking about the girl if she needed to, but there was no need to interact with Haena. They weren’t friends.

 

The Women’s Basketball Team had mostly away games the past couple months, but they were ending their regular season at home against Dongguk University. If they won, SNU would earn automatic entry into the National Basketball Tournament where they’d play for a National Championship. If they lost, entry into the competition was not guaranteed. Despite being unbeaten thus far, if they lost, they’d have to enter and win a short regional play-in tournament to continue their hopes of competing for a National Title. Four such tournaments occurred across the country, so if they lost tonight, the chances of still making the National Tournament significantly decreased.

 

SNU had defeated Dongguk handily earlier in the season, so most fans attended the game under the impression that the game was a sure victory. What no one accounted for was the foreigner that had transferred to Dongguk at the beginning of the semester. She was phenomenal, and was single-handedly ruining the celebration plans created for tonight.

 

Yongsun, Wheein, and Hyejin— Haena was off somewhere near Hyejin—sat in shock as the massive Australian sent player after player to SNU’s bench in foul trouble. Dongguk’s game plan was simple—give Mia Williams the ball. And it worked for most of the game. She led Dongguk to an 11-point lead by halftime. SNU came out with an adjusted game plan, though, evaporating the lead by the start of the fourth quarter.

 

It was a nail-biter. The teams went back and forth, back and forth, until SNU held a slight 2-point lead with one minute remaining. As expected, once Dongguk got possession, they fed Mia, who was triple-teamed. Realizing that at least two of her teammates were open, she pivoted and found an open player opposite her. The girl she found took a 3-point shot, looking for the lead, but missed it badly. Unfortunately for SNU, in her haste to close out and defend the shooter, Byulyi fouled her, sending the girl to shoot free throws. She made all three.

 

Now down by one point with 30 seconds left, everyone knew Moonbyul was getting the ball. Heeyeon and another one of their best players had already fouled out.

 

Yongsun’s heart began beating faster, her breathing labored. The cheers from the crowd were deafening. Whether they lost or won would be Byulyi’s doing, and Yongsun couldn’t deal. Grabbing Wheein’s hand, Yongsun squeezed for dear life. The magnitude of this moment was too much for her.

 

After 20 seconds of dribbling around, the team sprang into action, setting screens upon screens to free Byulyi from the defender that clung to her like life depended on it. With 5 second remaining, they caught Mia at the top of the key, creating an open lane to the basket for the blonde. Turning the corner, Yongsun saw her best friend accelerate like she’d never seen her do before. There was no one in front of her. She was completely open.

“Oh my goodness!” Hyejin yelled. “She’s going to do it. Wheein-ah, Yongsun-unnie, she’s going to do it!”

If she weren’t there, Yongsun would not have believed it any more possible for the crowd to get louder. As everyone realized that Moon Byulyi had, essentially, a free, wide-open layup, the celebrations started.

Byul got to the hoop in two dribbles, took the two steps she was allowed, and laid the basketball off the glass with her right hand as time expired. The ball kissed off the glass and rolled around the top of the orange rim before falling off.

 

She missed. Byul missed the layup. SNU lost the game by one point.

 

The only sound in the arena came from the Dongguk players who were at the center of the court, jumping up and down, screaming for pure joy at having defeated the nation’s top-ranked Women’s team. Everyone else had been overcome by a shocked silence.

 

The only thing Yongsun saw, though, was her best friend sprawled on the hardcourt floor, her jersey and arms covering her eyes. They weren’t far from the court, so Byulyi’s sobs could be heard loud and clear, although, she was pretty sure almost everyone in attendance could hear the blonde crying regardless of where they sat. It was devastating.

 

To their credit, Dongguk players collected themselves and went down the line shaking the hands of distraught SNU players and coaches. They all walked to the opposite end of the floor where Byul remained, each patting her on the head. They contained themselves well, until they hit the tunnel back to their locker room where the celebrations started up in full force again.

“I’ve never been this heartbroken and it didn’t even happen to me personally,” Wheein thought out loud.

“What do we do?” Hyejin asked.

Yongsun had no answer. She heard Haena talking, but immediately blocked her voice out. All she could do was watch as Heeyeon and a couple other SNU basketball players approached Byulyi. Heeyeon crouched down next to her, whispering who knows what into her ear, but the words must have been effective because after what felt like an eternity, the junior sat up, still crying. Heeyeon helped her up and quickly ushered her into the back.

 

There was no option except to wait.

 

Almost every player and staff member filed out of the locker room except for Byul and Heeyeon. Waiting with bated breath, Yongsun blew out the air from her cheeks when a first-year on the team approached their group, maintaining eye contact with her the entire time.

“Byulyi-unnie’s still in the locker room. She won’t move or talk to anyone. Heeyeon-unnie’s with her but told me to come get you, Yongsun-unnie. Her exact words were, ‘Get Yongsun-unnie and walk her back here.’”

“Go, unnie,” Hyejin encouraged, “we’ll wait here.”

 

The pit of her stomach filled with more dread with each step closer to the locker room she walked. The first-year was kind enough to enter the code to the room before walking off. It seemed she, too, didn’t know what to do and figured it best to distance herself from the situation. As she entered the room, a fresh set of sobs tore out of Byulyi.

She looked miserable. Heeyeon knelt in front of her, trying her best to say the right thing, but nothing was sticking.

“Byul-ah.”

The junior looked up immediately, red, swollen eyes meeting sad brown ones. “Yong,” she croaked, tears silently streaming her already tear-stained face.

“Byul-ah,” Yongsun crossed the room to stand in front of her. She grabbed her best friend’s head and held it to her stomach. Moonbyul wrapped both arms around Yongsun’s waist and sobbed her heart out.

“Shh, shh. It’s okay, Byul-ah. It’s okay.” Holding her head with a left hand, Yongsun used her right to rub soothing circles on the athlete’s back. When that didn’t work, she sat next to Byulyi and guided the younger girl’s head to her lap. “It’s okay, Byul-ah. Cry all you want. It’s okay.”

 

“She’s been crying since it happened. Nothing will get her to stop.”

“It’s fine. She needs to let it out. You can go, Heeyeon. I’ll get her cleaned up and then will let you know if I’m taking her to your apartment or mine.”

“Okay. If you need any help, call me and I’ll come back.”

“Thanks. Can you let the others know that I’m staying with her? Tell them they can go and that I’ll update them later.”

“Will do. She only kept asking for you, so I didn’t know what else to do.”

“It’s fine.”

“Okay. Bye, Byul-ah. I love you, okay. Yongsun-unnie will take care of you now. Bye, unnie.”

“Bye, Heeyeon.”

 

Ten more minutes passed before Yongsun put an end to the pity party.

“Sit up. No more crying.”

“Yong. I lost us the game. How am I supposed to stop crying?”

“You also kept the team in the game. Most of your top players fouled out.”

“I missed an open layup. I fouled the three-point shooter. The worst end-of-game performance any player has had in the past five years, at least. A complete meltdown.”

“So . . . what now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what now? Are you out of the National Championship picture?”

“No, but n—”

“No ‘buts’. If you’re not out of the championship picture, that means you have more games to play. What’s the point of using all your energy crying over something that’s done? You can’t get any of that back, Byul-ah. So what’s the point?”

“Now we have to play an extra four games and we have to win them all just to make it to the Tournament.”

“So play the extra four games and win them all. I’m not understanding the problem.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“No. I’m not making it sound easy, Byul. You’ve beat all those teams that are in the tournament, and none of them have some giant foreign transfer student that will suddenly make them better. I’m tired of you acting like you’re some loser. You’re the best ing basketball player in this country. Start acting like it. You missed a layup, it happens. Don’t look at me like that. It happens. You’re going to focus on that instead of the fact that half your team fouled out and you kept the team in the game long enough to lead with one minute left? They have a ing Amazon on their team and they still only managed to win by one point.”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better because I ed up.”

“I’m trying to make you feel better because you’re my best friend and because you’re ing excellent at basketball. Byul, you’re going to the Olympics. Which other college players in this country are going to the Olympics?”

“Going to the Olympics and can’t make a layup. That’s embarrassing.”

“I’m seriously going to choke you.”

It took almost a full minute, and Yongsun looked on expectedly the entire time, but the response she’d been waiting for finally came. “,” Byulyi whispered.

“There she is! That’s my girl! Come on, go shower. I’ll take you home after.”

“I don’t want to go home.”

“Okay. I’ll take you to my place. I’ll order food and we can watch a movie and cuddle.”

“You have class early in the morning. We can’t stay up late.”

“Did I ask you all that, or did I just tell you to shower and let me handle the rest?”

Despite Yongsun’s stern face, Moonbyul laughed, slowly lifting herself up and gathering her supplies for the shower. “Okay. We’ll eat and cuddle.”

 

Both thought it, but neither mentioned that Yongsun had a boyfriend, and Byul had a sort-of-girlfriend, neither of whom would probably appreciate their partner cuddling with someone else. This was a special circumstance, though. Jinyoung and Haena were reasonable people, they’d understand. If they didn’t . . . well, there wasn’t an option for if they didn’t. They’d just have to understand.


Note: This chapter was long as hell. If you made it through all through all that, bless your heart. It’s been a while since we’ve caught up with Yongsun, so it was time. I also needed to move the story along timewise. This chapter is unedited, so please forgive any errors/nonsensical parts. I need to be up in a few hours, so will edit it later, but wanted to get at least something out in the time being.

Wanted to add a bit of an overview because I know many may be frustrated with the story’s pacing. Yongsun and Byul have known each other for about 6-going-on-7 months now. Yongsun has never dated anyone before her giving this thing with Jinyoung a try. She’s barely liked or let herself like anyone. She’s also barely had friendships as solid as the one she has with Wheein, Hyejin, and especially Byul. Byul allowed herself for five minutes to acknowledge that she might have feelings for her best friend that’s dating a guy.

Please have a bit of faith. These two may not be in the type of relationship right now that most are hoping for, but each chapter depicts their relationship progressing, and shows them growing as people. Isn’t that the goal? They have to go through things at their own pace to maybe eventually get to where many of you want them to get to, right? Trust, I’m also ready to get into the juicier things planned, but we’ll get there. Patience.

Appreciate all of you still reading, all of you subscribing, and all of you commenting. Thank you. Sincerely.

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Saluhmander
Have not forgotten this story. Slowly making progress on the next chapters.

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brokecorgi
#1
Chapter 51: Hope you've been doing well. It's been 3 and a half years. I had left aff and my account here in dust when suddenly one night I remembered about this wonderful story. Re-read it today and realised how much the characters resonated within me. Also moonsun's dynamic gave me a deajvu of my relationship which I ended 3 months in. The reason was similar to Byuli's here in the last chapter but it was way too late for damage control in my case. The time was not right. I had pined on her for a long long time and she was new with everything and needed time to be in ease with the affection. I needed more but knew that this was not something that any of us could improve on so I quit. It's been 1.5 years. It did not hurt as much to lose a lover than it hurt to lose the my bestfriend of life.

Apart from that I hope you're having a blast and everything at your home is fine. Wishing you all the happiness in life.
walayu #2
why do the good ones all left unfinished
lovemammoo #3
It’s been 3 years. I guess there’ll be no update for this story😔. Since today’s my birthday I still feel like reading it again
_quietmoo_
#4
Chapter 51: "we should take a break"
it was meant for the author and the readers i guess :')
TennoujiMegumi #5
Chapter 51: i’m still putting on my faith that you’ll come back and finish this story… i love this story so so much 😞
Mmmmoooo #6
Authornim i hope you’re doing well. Please come back soon 🥹
Mmmmoooo #7
Chapter 51: This was the best fic I’ve read. I couldn’t stop reading from 8pm to 8am. I just wish the story wiuld continue 😭
Mmmmoooo #8
Chapter 51: Authornim please comeback 😭
Ctucker47 #9
I come back every now and again still hoping it's updated! The best fic I've ever read nothing compares.
iodizedseult
#10
Chapter 51: authornim please come back 😭 but wherever you are, hope you’re doing okay 😭