Note:  There is some cursing. Not sure what procedure I need to follow for that, but let me know if anything gets censored or if I need to censor anything. Still trying to figure out the ins and outs of posting on here.

It was July.

Classes started in August.

Moonbyul was stressed. Eh, a little bit. Actually, not really.

“Byulyi! Pick up your sports bra! Are you serious right now? They make it so easy for us. We have clothes rings for a reason. You take your dirty clothes, put them on the clothes ring, and dump it all into the laundry cart. What is wrong with you? It literally couldn’t be any easier.” A year of dealing with her friend’s nagging had prepared Byul well for moments like this. She was normally able to block Heeyeon out, but now, as she navigated the ever tricky Rainbow Road, Moonbyul was really able to block Heeyeon out. Victory was within her grasp when the television screen suddenly turned black.

“You can’t be serious,” Moonbyul started. Finally coming back to reality, she searched the room for Heeyeon. She immediately found her teammate to her left, hovering over the back of the couch with the remote still in her hand. “Heeyeon, you seriously just did that? I was about to set a team record for fastest time trial! Wow. I can’t believe you. You’re sick.”

“Pick. Up. Your. Nasty . Sports bra.”

“You stopped my game for that?! I’m not the only one whose things are all over the place. And obviously, I was going to clean up after myself before leaving the locker room. I can’t believe this,” the blonde dramatized. Making a show of her frustration, she sighed exaggeratedly while sitting upright on the multipatterned couch. Standing up, she headed to the other end of the locker room where her lime green Nike sports bra had been unceremoniously dumped on the carpeted floor. Bending over to grab the damp article of clothing, she continued, “You should be thanking me! I could have left and gone home as soon as our pick-up game was finished. Instead, I waited for you so that we could eat together. It’s really true, no good deed goes unpunished.”

“Shut up, Byulyi,” the forward countered, “Other people have their things all over the place because they’re following after you! You’re supposed to be a leader. That goes for on and off the cour—” her scolding was cut short as her focus shifted instead to avoiding the soaking wet sports bra that was hurled at her from the other side of the room. “I swear, I am going to choke you.”

“!” Moonbyul was significantly shorter than her close friend, so although she made light of Heeyeon’s threat, she knew very well that it was possible . . . if not for the speed and agility that she was notorious for. Reading Heeyeon’s movements, Byulyi was able to relax and enjoy the overused go-to joke she had just uttered.

“Please. Spare me. That’s for your girls,” the ash brown haired girl quipped. She was over their previous conversation. Moonbyul in a joking mood was not a Moonbyul to waste one’s breath on. She threw Byul's sports bra back across the room before stuffing her Gatorade water bottle into her team-issued bookbag’s side pocket. Heeyeon scanned her locker and the space immediately surrounding it for cleanliness before turning and walking across the giant ‘SNU’ at the carpet’s center.

“Don’t do that. That’s not funny. I don’t have girls.”

“If you say it enough, maybe it’ll become true. Until then, stop lying to yourself. And hurry up, I’m hungry.” With that, Heeyeon left the room.

“This girl.” Moonbyul quickly strung her dirty clothes on her customized clothes ring and dumped her combined bra-jersey-shorts into the laundry basket before running to catch up to Heeyeon.

Air conditioning and free food. It was in moments like this, sitting in one of the school’s dining halls, that Moonbyul was beyond grateful that she was a college-athlete at a top institution like Seoul National University. To most, summer classes sounded miserable. To her, her teammates, and the other fall and winter sport athletes, it was heaven. Unlimited access to dining halls, computer labs, libraries, and training facilities while getting to experience all that Seoul has to offer? Earning enough credits to coast all of next year and graduate early if she wanted? For free? Yeah, she’d gladly take a few summer courses in exchange for all of that. A no-brainer.

A soft smile crept onto her face as she remembered letting her mom know a couple months ago that she would be taking summer classes.

“Summer classes? Why? Did you fail? Byul-ah. The coach told me they have mandatory study hall and tutoring services for athletes. Did you not go to study hall? What will happen to your scholarship? I know you’re there for basketball, but you’re also there for school! Where will you live? We can’t afford to pay for housing. Goodness. I won’t tell your father yet. You know he’s all about you and basketball, but remember that the decision to put you in sports was so that you could get a good education. I was afraid you being so far from home would be a problem. You’re distracted, right? It’s too much, Byul-ah.”

Ignoring the fact that her mom was so quick to question her academic capability, it was cute how much her mother worried. Her ability to exaggerate Moonbyul’s distance from home was also very impressive; Seoul was only about 25 km away from Bucheon, and it’s not like Byul hadn’t been overseas for months on end before. At that moment, Moonbyul was in her dorm room in a sports bra and basketball shorts, with her Nike sock covered feet kicked up on her desk. She giggled at her mother’s outburst.

“You find this funny? It’s not funny, Byul-ah. Your studies are important, too. We understand how important basketball is to you and we are proud of how far it has taken you, but when basketball is over, a degree will take you even further. You chose to study business; imagine how far you can go with a degree in business from that school. It’s a top school, Byulyi.” It was time to end her poor mother’s suffering.

“Omma, I didn’t fail any of my classes. I was waiting to surprise you when I visit next week, but I can’t bear to hear you stress yourself like this. I got three As and one B+, and before you start, that B+ was one of the highest grades in that class. It’s a very difficult course, but a few of my teammates were in it, too, and helped me out a lot.”

“Three As! That B+, I’ll accept it this time; just push a little bit more next time. Still, I am proud of you, Byulyi. I tried to hide it when you decided to go to Seoul, but I was worried about how hard the change would be for you. If you didn’t fail then why are you taking summer classes?”

“If we take classes over the summer, they can provide housing for us, and if they do that, then we can also train. Everything is covered, so there are no additional costs. We also get to make a bit of money by working the sports camps they have here.”

“Sports camps. Is that the job they got for you when you first arrived in June last summer? I always wondered how they got you that job when you hadn’t even officially started classes there yet. Is that where you met those friends of yours?”

“The coaches take care of us. And no, I didn’t do sports camps last year. They got me a job with Residential Life so that I was able to move in early. But yes, that’s how I met Wheein and Hyejin.”

“I like Wheein.”

“Everyone likes Wheein, omma. You don’t like Hyejin?” Byul chuckled.

“It’s not like that. They’re both very sweet girls.”

“They are. I gotta get going, but yeah, wanted to let you know I wouldn’t be home most of the summer. I know you might have been looking forward to me being home this whole summer. Finals are over now though, so I can come home next week, then I have to get back the following week for my summer class.”

“Ah, okay. We can’t wait to see you. When do you move into your apartment?”

“We can move in on August 1^st. Some teammates will help me move.”

“You sound so grown up. We are so proud of you, Byul-ah.”

“Thank you, omma. I will see you next week, okay?”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Tell appa I love him.”

“Okay. He’ll be happy to hear that. Bye!”

It took Byul some time to recover after that call. To say she was blessed was an understatement. Growing up, her father had watched professional basketball so religiously that at the age of three, she could identify the logos of each team. The details of the game escaped her, but she had figured out when to join her dad in yelling, “You !” at the television screen.  

At the age of four, she announced to her parents that she wanted to play basketball. It was, at first, an amusing way to keep their pint-sized ball of energy occupied. The amusement quickly wore off and morphed into something else altogether when Moonbyul stepped onto the court and dribbled circles around all the other kids, most of whom were boys. Literally. She only dribbled in circles around them while attempting to execute the fancy moves she had memorized from watching games with her father. According to her coaches, an understanding of the game could be taught, but the way she controlled the ball—at that age, nonetheless—could not. Moonbyul was a talent. A serious talent.

Her father took a chance. He had heard from some family members living abroad that women overseas were playing basketball and getting scholarships to college for it. Moonbyul was small but held a surprising amount of promise. Anyone watching Moon Sangcheol from the outside would think he was preparing to interview for a job. He was actually arranging his proposition and rehearsing the speech he intended to present to his wife. His plan for Byulyi would go no further if Park Kyungah did not agree to it. Looking back on it, Byul wondered how and why her mother approved her father’s idea. Not only did he opt to start her a year later in school in hopes that she would grow—her birthday was late, so they’d have to make that call regardless—, once she turned eight, he sent her to the United States every summer to live with family and attend basketball camps.

His eyes were strictly set on his daughter earning a basketball scholarship to a prestigious American university. As years passed by, things went swimmingly. Byul was turning heads and catching the eyes of coaches of highly regarded institutions like Duke University, Notre Dame, even some Ivy League schools. South Korean colleges and universities had improved opportunities for female athletes over time, and were vying for her attention, too. With her overseas family living in Oakland, her top foreign choice was Stanford.

Her official campus visit was the most fun she had ever had. The other three incoming recruits committing to Stanford were amazing; they all clicked. The girls already on the team showed them a great time. The coaches were enthusiastic and excited to have them. Everything was set. She was going to sign with them on a full athletic scholarship. Until she wasn’t.

At the last minute, her visa was denied. Capturing her devastation in words would take chapters, but yes, Byulyi was devastated. Seoul National University—a powerhouse in their own right—gladly stepped in to save the day. Partially. It was too late to sign Moonbyul for the upcoming academic year. They had no more athletic scholarships to offer. The one that they were saving for Byul was offered to another athlete upon learning that the former had committed to Stanford. The best they could do for her was offer a full scholarship for the following year. The coaching staff understood her family’s financial situation, though, and knew that paying SNU tuition out-of-pocket was not an option; encouraging Moonbyul to take out loans wasn’t something that sat well with them either. They recommended that Moonbyul attend a junior college near her hometown for the time being. There, she could still play basketball and not pay much for classes. That’s exactly what she ended up doing.

“What has you so deep in thought?” It was Heeyeon.

“Did you remodel the restroom? What took you so long?”

“I don’t answer to you, but for your information, I wasn’t in the restroom the entire time.”

“,” Moonbyul replied in a monotone voice.

“I swear on everything, you are so annoying!”

“Thank you. I’ve worked hard to perfect my craft,” the younger basketball star replied while stealing some kimchi from Heeyeon’s recently placed tray.

Smacking the blonde’s hand away, Heeyeon refocused the conversation. “Seriously,” she started, “what were you thinking about? It’s like you were in a trance.”

“I was thinking about my first year of college in juco*.”

“Ah. You said you enjoyed your time there.”

“I did. Eventually. Not going to lie, it took time to deal with the fact that I wasn’t at Stanford. A lot of time.”

“I bet. That’s a big difference, especially when you had your sights set on Stanford and they had their sights set on you. Can’t imagine how rough it must have been to see everything fall through out of nowhere.”

“Yeah. The juco* had its pros, though.”

“Uh, yeah, it did! You got to have your mom’s home-cooked food every day; they covered your tuition; your team won a championship; all of your credits transferred to SNU, so you didn’t miss a year; and you had gorgeous girls throwing themselves at you the entire time!”

“Oh my goodness. No girls threw themselves at me. Stop,” Moonbyul whispered. Cheeks tainted pink, she lunged across the dining hall table to clamp a hand over Heeyeon’s mouth while scanning their surroundings to see if anyone had heard Heeyeon’s nonsense. How her team’s star athlete remained so shy about her popularity with women was fascinating to the captain, especially since Byul was far from a .

Removing her friend’s hand from Heeyeon continued her talk. “Why are you acting like this? Girls everywhere make their interest in you very obvious. You sleep with girls all the time, it’s not a secret. Everyone knows.”

“It’s not about everyone knowing I’m a lesbian. I don’t hide that. I just don’t want anyone to think I’m a player. If they hear you talking about me and ‘my girls,’ that’s the first thing they’ll think.”

“You know I love you, right? You’re easily one of my most favorite people.” These sweet words comforted Moonbyul. It was short-lived, though, as Heeyeon grabbed her hand and continued, “That’s why I can be honest. You’re a player, Byul. On and off the court.” The younger snatched her hand back from her best friend and captain’s grasp. Dining hall-goers momentarily stopped what they were doing to stare at the two girls as Heeyeon’s boisterous laugh grabbed everyone’s attention.

“Oh my goodness! You’re so loud! I’m leaving.”

Moonbyul stood up and went to pick up her red plastic tray. As she did so, Heeyeon stopped her. “Wait, wait, wait. I’m sorry, don’t go.” Reading nothing but sincerity in her bestie’s eyes, Byulyi sat back down. “It’s funny, though, because that’s part of the reason I was gone for so long.” Encouraged by Byul raising a curious eyebrow, she kept on. “I did go to the restroom. Nothing eventful happened there, but when I went to get some food, I felt eyes on me. It was this girl, she was pretty. Anyway, we were on line waiting for a worker to refill the stew.”

“Stew? In the summer?” Moonbyul interrupted.

“Is there a rule that says stew can’t be had during the summer?” Heeyeon responded, challenging Byul.

“Whatever, continue,” Moonbyul dismissively responded.

“Anyway, as I was saying, we were on line waiting and I felt someone staring at me so I turned around and she just kept staring. I asked, ‘Can I help you?’ She asked me if I was on the women’s basketball team, which I mean, a little rude seeing as I’m a captain, but okay, I was humbled. I told her that I was and that I was a captain.”

Rolling her eyes and giggling, Moonbyul interrupted again, “Of course you did.”

“Like, come on! I’m a captain. You know I don’t brag about things, but this is one accomplishment I’m very proud of. Getting back to the story, I told her I was one of the captains and her eyes lit up! I you not, the next thing she says is ‘So that means you know Moon Byulyi, right?’”

For the second time during their meal, Moonbyul’s cheeks were tinged pink. She laid her head on the table, covering it with both arms. “You have to be joking.”

“I’m dead serious,” Heeyeon gleefully responded. Byul’s embarrassment over her fame amongst the student body seemed like appropriate punishment for her earlier uncleanliness in their locker room. “There’s more. So I go, ‘Yeah, I know Byulyi. We actually came here together.’ Again, eyes. Lit. Up. She’s smiling big, so excited. It was adorable. She’s bold though, I’ll give her that, because then she goes, ‘Can you introduce me? I’m a fan.’” If Byul could sink into the floor to get away from all of this, she would have. “It gets even better! I’m still your friend and someone that cares about you, so I let her down gently and said that we just came back from practice so you were pretty tired. You’re welcome, by the way. I made sure to get her name. Turns out she’s a first-year on the soccer team. I almost screamed, Byulyi. The poor girl has no idea that the two of you would never be allowed to happen. I guess the team hasn’t told their rookies that you’re on the list.”

“I still can’t believe that.” Moonbyul mumbled, head still covered by her arms on the table. “The entire team hates me over a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?! You were sleeping with two members of their team at the same time and neither of them knew! I do not understand how you get yourself into these situations.”

Byul had time today. Her head shot up as she defended herself. “How was I supposed to know?! I was new and I barely even knew everyone on our team! Plus, I met them in completely different contexts. One of them I met while working at Residential Life. She told me she played soccer, but lots of students from other schools worked there over the summer, so I didn’t know she meant she played soccer at Seoul National University! The other one, Hyunjae introduced us and just said, ‘Byulyi, this is my friend so and so,’ casual just like that. Never mentioned she played soccer here. I. Did. Not. Know. Not until the group of us from the basketball team went to one of the soccer games and I saw both of them on the field. I wanted to die.” Recalling her friend’s misfortune elicited a new round of laughter from Heeyeon. Moonbyul, she knew, was an absolute sweetheart. That was one of the main reasons she broke so many hearts.

“Well, you found out soon enough. Remember when they both came up to you after the game and Jonghee asked how you knew both of them? They were furious when they figured it out! That debacle was when I knew that you were going to be fun to have as a friend.”

“No idea how you can enjoy telling that story. Their team came to our basketball games and booed me every time I touched the ball, Han.” Face buried in her hands, Byul finished disheartened, “That whole thing was so embarrassing. They didn’t even accept my apology.”

“You told them that you ‘felt bad’. Imagine sleeping with someone for a few weeks and then they come to you and say, ‘I feel bad about it.’ I want to scream from laughter. That was the beginning of the SNU chapter of Moon Byulyi, the ladykilling legend.”

“That team hates me.”

“Well, now you have one fan there. Until they make her hate you, too. Come to think of it, maybe I should have introduced you to her,” Heeyeon contemplated, her chin.

It was July. Classes didn’t start until August but girls were already a problem. Moonbyul was stressed and needed to focus on school and basketball only.

Note:

*juco: junior college, aka a community college. Jucos are two-year colleges. They operate differently country to country, but in the U.S., students earn their Associate's degree upon graduating from a juco. Those that go to four-year colleges or universities afterwards can usually have their credits from the juco counted, so they can start as third-years instead of starting over from their first year. In terms of athletics, athletes may go to jucos if they haven't been heavily recruited for a four-year school or if they want more time to prepare (for whatever reason) for a four-year school. They usually stay the full two years at the juco then enter a four-year school as a junior/third-year. In this story, Byul only stayed one year at the juco before going to SNU.

Wow. That was a lot. Didn’t originally plan to post both chapters, but Chapter 2 was a little short as I had to stop there to not mess with the plan for Yongsun’s storyline. To compensate, I gave Chapter 3, too. Spare some cooch— I mean, comments. Spare some comments, please. Would love to hear thoughts on everything presented thus far. The story is progressing and I am excited to see it come to life.

It is surreal to have had an idea for this story and then publish it for others to read. I’ve done this in the research world, but it’s something else entirely to write fanfiction. I get nervous posting each chapter because I have no idea if anyone will read it, and if anyone does, I am worried about if they’ll trust me enough to see this story through. Already have an idea for my next story and I feel less nervous with that one, so hopefully the lack of nerves carries over to this story, too. Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful weekend!