Note: This chapter is long as hell. Break it up into parts if need be. It's LONG.

Silence.

For the first time in 9 days—the amount of time since Byul’s injury—the graduate student was met with complete silence. Lying in her bed and engulfed by her comforter, she heard nothing but her thoughts. For the first time in 9 days—the amount of time since Byul’s injury—Yongsun had the luxury of taking a breath and processing everything that had happened since. Chorong was out with Insoo, Wheein and Hyejin were packing for winter break, and Byulyi was out with Heeyeon and Kisum.

She was alone and wondering what the hell had transpired over the course of the past week.

To call the experience a whirlwind of emotions would do it no justice. Part of her refused to believe that this all started only one week ago. In the blink of an eye, she went from a mass of putty in Seungyeon’s very capable and experienced hands, to terrified and distraught upon being notified of Byulyi’s injury, to a round-the-clock caretaker doing her part to ensure the athlete had an uncomplicated start to her recovery. Taking a mental step back, Yongsun sighed internally at how much there was to sift through. Since the accident, she had been doing what needed to be done, not giving much thought to what and how she was feeling. Today, the graduate student had nothing but time to think.

Ignoring the storm brewing in her stomach from hunger, Yongsun rolled onto her back and stared blankly at her ceiling as the one person dominating her thoughts for the past week continued to do so.

Where to even begin with Moon Byulyi? None of the words used to describe her best friend were ever the right ones. The right words didn’t exist, or maybe, Yongsun thought, it was her limited and stagnant vocabulary that kept her from ever properly articulating what the senior meant to her. To accurately convey to another the dread that held her hostage when she got that phone call from Hyejin? To explain the guilt feeding on her insides at not being there for Byulyi from the very beginning? Describing the intensity of the connectedness, intimacy, and desire nurtured and enhanced during their week of, essentially, living together? All impossible. Yongsun could not put proper words to any of it. Especially the last set of feelings.

While not always the most observant, the young woman wasn’t oblivious to the intensification of things between her and her best friend. What used to be a hint of attraction, was now anything but. It was obvious. To everyone. Including to Yongsun, but she had no idea what to do with that.

The attraction felt for Moonbyul wasn’t new, its increasing potency was. Every moment they shared in the past week ran on loop in her head—the innocent and intentional touches, the heart-to-hearts, the glances, the drowsy conversations before one or both succumbed to sleep. Things between them were changing, evolving into more, and all she could do was let it happen. Let things run their course. Because Byul wasn’t saying anything. Yes, the brunette was clingier, touchier, and flirtier, but she wasn’t outright acknowledging anything and Yongsun didn’t know what the younger woman wanted from her. Had no idea what to make of the extra . . . whatever it was that was happening.

In an instant, her mind drifted. She reckoned the dam was bound to break. She and Byulyi would inevitably reach a breaking point where the changing dynamic between them would have to be addressed, no? Probably not any time soon, but eventually. What would she say? What would she do? What did she want? That was the real question. What did Kim Yongsun want? Still staring up at the ceiling, the blonde roughly rubbed her eyes in agitation, wishing she could just as easily will this problem away—because it was a problem and would inevitably grow into a larger problem. She was sure of it.

Humoring herself, Yongsun thought and thought and thought. If Byulyi confessed to having feelings for her, what then? For so long, the athlete was her friend. Her best friend. For the past few months though, it was more than that. She liked Moonbyul. There was something about the younger woman’s playful and teasing lopsided smirks, the way she held Yongsun in her arms—a grip strong enough that the graduate student felt protected and safe, but delicate enough that the older never felt trapped—Byul’s cool and composed exterior around most, but the way that mask instantly evaporated when around Yongsun, revealing a goofy, sensitive, and compassionate young woman. Their relationship was a safe space for Yongsun. Everything she felt could be shared with Byulyi: her fears, inhibitions, insecurities, hopes, dreams, everything. To date, she’d watched at least a hundred dramas and romcoms. They all told her that everything she had with her best friend were the ingredients for a perfect romantic relationship.

Except, she still wasn’t ready for one. Especially not one with one of the most important people in her life.

Down the line, she could see it. Her welcoming Byulyi home after a stressful training, supper ready for her. Her attending all of the athlete’s basketball games, probably having gained a reputation among staff and teammates for being too rowdy and vocal when things didn’t go Moonbyul’s way. The two of them going on trips together, caught up in their own little world full of inside jokes and acts of affection that, by that time, would’ve become second nature. Yongsun could picture it. Right now, though, no. There were more pressing matters at hand, for example, where she would be working after graduating in five months.

After her meeting with her agent the day before, Moonbyul made it clear that she was leaning towards staying in Korea. With that being the case, Yongsun allowed her shoulders to drop, her facial muscles relaxed, she rid herself of the stress that dutifully followed her thoughts. She’d have time to think all of this through. Byul had yet to confirm that her actions were indicative of wanting more. And even if the younger woman did, they’d have time. Byulyi wasn’t going anywhere. They’d have time.

*

As it turns out, thinking for hours about a stressful, partially hypothetical situation can be draining. The cries of hunger coming from Yongsun’s stomach became more frequent as the day wore on, eventually becoming unbearable. The desire to not move all day overpowered by the physiological need for food, Yongsun reluctantly hopped out of bed, retrieving her cell phone from the night table as she did so.

2:15 pm

Message from Byul-ah

Missed FaceTime from Seungyeon

Seungyeon.

It seemed like forever since the two last had a conversation of substance, but it had actually been 9 days—the amount of time since Byul’s injury. Out of sync text messages were exchanged, but the two hadn’t spoken. Yongsun knew it was her fault. Seungyeon had tried repeatedly, taking it upon herself to reach out, each time with a new topic that she’d hoped would spark conversation, even going so far once as inquiring about Moonbyul’s well-being. The graduate student felt guilty. Between finals and nursing her best friend back to better health, Yongsun hadn’t allowed time for much else, leaving Seungyeon to bear the short end of the stick.

There was more to it, she knew. More to why she avoided Seungyeon of all people, but every time it bubbled closer to the surface, Yongsun attempted to swallow it back down: she felt guilty. Inextricably linked were Seungyeon and Moonbyul’s accident. Every time she thought of the former, the blonde remembered that she wasn’t there for her best friend after the latter. And, thankfully, Byulyi had forgiven her for not initially being present, but remnants of regret lingered. Maybe the timing of the video call was perfect. Chatting with Seungyeon could be the first step towards overcoming whatever psychological phenomenon was causing her to be as distant as she was.

But first, Moonbyul’s text message.

Waking up the phone’s screen with a tap of her thumb, Yongsun trudged to the kitchen, swiping unruly strands of blonde hair from her face with her left hand as she swiped across her lock screen with her right.

Moments later, leftovers from the night before rotating in the microwave, Yongsun leaned her elbows against the kitchen island and made her way to the message from her best friend.

“What the hell,” she breathed to herself, thumbs already furiously typing out a response.

Moon Byulyi would be the death of her.

To: Byul-ah

?!?!?! 2:36 pm

A response came immediately.

From: Byul-ah

Do you like it?!

To: Byul-ah

You never told me you were getting a neck tattoo!

From: Byul-ah

I asked you about it on Sunday.

Before you went to you parents’ house?!

Racking her memory for any such conversation, Yongsun sighed in confusion.

To: Byul-ah

I would’ve remembered you talking about a tattoo.

Wait!

From: Byul-ah

Exactly.

To: Byul-ah

You asked what I thought about neck tattoos.

You never said you were getting one 🙄

From: Byul-ah

Why would I ask about one unless I was getting one?!

To: Byul-ah

Why do you do half of the things you do?

From: Byul-ah

Do you like it?

Byulyi sent a picture of her new tattoo. Really, what was there not to like? Looking up to the heavens, Yongsun thanked all the powers that be that this conversation was happening through text messages and not face-to-face, because the blonde was certain she’d have made a fool of herself otherwise. The tattoo itself wasn’t very large or intricate—it was a neat and clean illustration of the Olympic rings, but it just looked right on Moonbyul. It fit. Glistening some from the ointment spread evenly over it, Yongsun found herself entranced by the interlocked circles, her body reacting instinctively. The tattoo was so simple, yet she found it exceptionally attractive.

Reigning herself in, Yongsun let out a deep breath and, with it, the jitters this new tattoo awoke in her.

Deciding to dig into her confidence reserves and poke back some, she sent one final message before setting the device face down on the island and retrieving her food.

To: Byul-ah

It’s y. 2:45 pm

*

“Hi, stranger,” Seungyeon softly spoke, her bright smile filling the screen.

After her playful-but-honest response to Moonbyul earlier, Yongsun settled on the couch and ate her meal. With a rerun of some drama murmuring in the background, she willed herself to not check her messages, stomach twisting at what the three new texts from Byulyi contained. Left with no other reason to not do so she opted to return Seungyeon’s video call from earlier. Leaving her waiting any longer would be rude.

“I’m a stranger?” The blonde softly asked in return.

“It feels like it. How’ve you been? And why are you wrapped so tightly like that,” Seungyeon chuckled at the burrito-wrapped woman and her antics.

“I feel comfy like this.” After a couple seconds of silence, Yongsun spoke up again. “I’ve been okay though. Busy. I’m sorry for not checking in with you as often as usual.”

“It’s okay. I’m sure things have been hectic. Just wanted to make sure you’re alive.”

That. That right there was what made things with Seungyeon difficult to handle properly. The taller woman was sweet and understanding. Thoughtful. Even when Yongsun didn’t feel she deserved any of that.

A clear-headed person would have broken things off with the brunette by now. It was the only logical option. Seungyeon had feelings for Yongsun. And, yes, Yongsun was attracted to the other woman, but whatever she felt paled in comparison to the strength of Seungyeon’s feelings for her. She needed to end the physical relationship.

Yet every time Yongsun told herself this, Seungyeon would say or do something that wrecked her resolve. Like this video call. There were no traces of malice or accusation coming from the former athlete. Instead, her words were laced with concern and sincerity.

“I’m alive,” Yongsun delicately muttered.

“That’s good. I’m relieved.”

“I miss you.” Now lying on the couch, the blonde almost groaned out loud at her lack of filter. She did miss Seungyeon. As a friend and, honestly, as more. The young woman would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t enjoy their extra activities. With all the stress of the past week and the tension between her and Byulyi mounting, Yongsun wouldn’t mind being trapped underneath Seungyeon again, at the mercy of the taller woman, subject to her touches. That might actually be exactly what she needed right now.

But she couldn’t do that to Seungyeon. Dragging her deeper into this mess would be inconsiderate, cruel, even. But Yongsun did miss her. She just didn’t mean to say it out loud and give Seungyeon the wrong impression.

“I miss you, too. We should hang out,” Seungyeon shyly responded, a hesitant smile on her face.

“We should,” Yongsun smiled back.

“When are you free?”

“Classes are over and I’m not on the schedule at the Center over break, so things are pretty wide open on my end. What about you?”

“I’m not letting you disappear on me again, so I’m going to fit into your schedule. I’m off for the holidays starting next Wednesday, but we’re visiting family in Cheongju until the 27^th. Any day after that, though, just say the word.”

“Hmm,” Yongsun blushed at the brunette’s tone. It was no longer unsure and hesitant. Time with Yongsun practically guaranteed now, Seungyeon was growing in confidence with each syllable uttered. “Monday, the 28^th then?” Everything before then was Byul’s—tomorrow was the pre-birthday celebration that their friend group was throwing before everyone dispersed for the holidays. Tuesday was the athlete’s birthday and “their” day together. Yongsun would likely need Wednesday to recover.

“That’s perfect. You’ll be my late Christmas present.”

Smiling dumbly, Yongsun was left speechless, her ears growing warm, something that—judging by the brunette’s equally dumb smile—Seungyeon seemed to be proud of herself for causing.

*

“You all should have seen it. She was squirming like a baby,” Heeyeon exclaimed. The tallest of the group had been blessing whoever would listen with a play-by-play of Byulyi getting her tattoo. The effects of their hours’ worth of drinking evident in her rambunctious and slurred words.

Yongsun, Wheein, and Hyejin showed up at Heeyeon and Byulyi’s apartment at 8:00 pm, ready for the hijinks that were sure to take place.

They were not disappointed.

Maybe it was wanting to celebrate the conclusion of an especially hellish semester, or a collective relief at Moonbyul’s injury not being serious, but it seemed all five of them were ready to let loose.

And they did.

Every single one of them.

There were no questions asked, no rejections, no nothing. Everyone drank to their heart’s content, Byulyi probably the most of anyone. Which, ultimately, made sense—the celebration was for her.

The food sat on the kitchen island, picked at, but mostly untouched. Empty alcohol bottles strewn across the apartment a surefire sign as to the sustenance of choice for the evening. It was a messy affair, truly. No one was in their right mind, which was exactly what everyone needed. Liquor flowed freely, activating hips that followed the rhythm of whatever songs Hyejin played, and equipping everyone—especially Yongsun—with confidence that usually evaded them.

“You’re full of ,” Byulyi bellowed from her position on the couch in firm objection. “I didn’t squirm.”

“I’ll call Kisum right now. Dare me.”

“Call the tattoo artist,” the athlete countered, already pulling her phone from its spot on the couch.

“She gave you her number? That’s what she was giggling with you about after we all finished?”

Having finished helping Hyejin pick the next song, Yongsun only moments ago settled back into her seat for the evening—Byulyi’s lap—when she caught the tail end of Heeyeon and Byulyi’s back and forth. Admittedly, the last sentence tempered her buzz some, but the blonde chose to ignore that and the cautious glances she caught Moonbyul sending her way from the corner of her eye.

“How much did you drink?” The senior laughed. The sound hitting Yongsun’s ears was foreign to her, not authentic. Seemed forced. “You’re making things up now.”

“She liked you!”

“I took her number in case I want another tattoo. That’s all.”

“Oh . . . that makes sense. Still, she was into you. Kisum thought the same thing.”

“Not interested,” Yongsun heard Byulyi respond immediately.

Having heard enough, and suddenly desperately needing to do something to mentally distance herself from what she’d heard, Yongsun shot up from the firm lap beneath her, nearly stumbling into the small living room table. Increasing the music’s volume a few notches, she searched the room for anything to distract her. Spotting Wheein returning from the bathroom, Yongsun hollered up over the music. “Wheein-ah, let’s dance!”

Taken aback at first, the third-year quickly recovered and joined her older friend in vibing to the hip-hop song running amuck throughout the apartment.

“You okay, unnie?”

“Yup.”

“Did you and Byul-unnie get into a fight in the 2 minutes it took me to go to the bathroom?”

“Nope.”

“Then why are you dancing with me so suddenly instead of all over her like you’ve been all night? And why is she on the couch eyeing you down?”

“I can’t dance with you? We’re friends. Friends dance.”

“Well . . . Byul-unnie’s coming walking over here, so you and I can dance later. I’m not getting involved in this.”

“Wheein-ah, don’t leave!”

It was too late, she’d already scampered away to join Hyejin, who was queuing the next song.

Sluggishly scrambling her brain for anything else that would allow space, Yongsun cursed the alcohol imbibed when long fingers gripped her hips from behind.

“Hey,” Moonbyul spoke into her neck. Yongsun didn’t answer.

This entire mess was the alcohol’s fault. If sobriety hadn’t left her, Yongsun would have more skillfully managed her irrational jealousy. There wasn’t even anything to be jealous about. Byul said she wasn’t interested in the tattoo artist. Also, and more importantly, Byulyi was not hers. Yongsun was making a nuisance of herself.

“I’m tired,” the athlete tried again.

“Then go to sleep.”

“I can’t. I’m sleeping at your place tonight, so I have to wait until you’re ready.”

Chuckling humorlessly, the older woman broke free of the hold on her, heading to the kitchen to busy herself with whatever could be used as a distraction. She should’ve expected the senior to follow.

“What’s funny?”

“You’re not sleeping at my place.”

“Wheein and Hyejin are gonna sleep in my room.”

“Your bed’s big enough for all three of you. Or you could sleep with Heeyeon.” She knew she was being petty, and, counterproductively, doing so in spite of her own self-interest. Nights with Moonbyul next to her were infinitely more enjoyable.

“I don’t want to sleep with Heeyeon, I want to sleep with you.”

Choking on her spit, Yongsun struggled with processing the words that so fluidly flowed from the younger woman’s mouth. She wondered if Moonbyul even knew what she just said.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“How am I ridiculous? We always sleep together.” Yongsun deflated slightly at the clarification.

Turning the blonde around, Moonbyul pressed closer, her hips and chest flush against Yongsun’s.

“You haven’t said anything about my tattoo yet,” the athlete lowered her voice and her head as she spoke directly into Yongsun’s ear. It traveled to between her legs.

“You’re drunk.”

“Maybe. Doesn’t change the fact that you haven’t said anything about my tattoo.”

“I already told you what I thought about your tattoo.”

“Not in person.”

“So? I have to repeat it?”

Moonbyul nodded, eyelids drooping.

It was definitely the alcohol, because Yongsun forgot that she was supposed to be irrationally jealous. Or upset? One of the two. She was supposed to be miffed with Byulyi for one reason or the other. But she forgot.

Instead, she resumed the game she and the woman in front of her had been playing all night: heavy flirting fueled by heavy intoxication.

Delicately tracing rings on the left side of Moonbyul’s neck, Yongsun took pleasure in the way the brunette’s breath hitched. Enjoyed the way her eyes fluttered shut. Relished in the grip on her hips that returned.

“It’s y.”

“Boo! Get a room! Ew! Unnies, stop. Please.” The chorus of displeasure rained down on Yongsun and Moonbyul, effectively popping their bubble of sensuality.

“Stop flirting,” someone shouted.

“We’re not flirting!” Yongsun shot back.

“I thought we were flirting,” Byul chuckled.

“Be quiet,” the blonde laughed back.

“For real, though, I’m exhausted. Can we go to sleep, please? I’ll borrow something of yours to sleep in.”

“Okay.”

That was the end of their night. None of the other three noticed when the pair slipped away, and the clothes Moonbyul was supposed to borrow ended up pointless. Within seconds of crossing the threshold of Yongsun’s bedroom, both—by the grace of powers above—successfully made it onto the bed, slumber visiting them immediately and washing away memories of the night.

*

“Just dress comfortably.”

That was all Byulyi had told Yongsun when asked about the dress code for their outing. Yongsun still had no idea where it was they’d be going or what it was they’d be doing, but it was Moonbyul’s birthday. She wouldn’t make a fuss today. Whatever her best friend wanted, her best friend would get, and, given how the younger woman bounced off the walls with excitement about whatever was planned for today, it seemed her best friend wanted today to go well. Yongsun made it her mission to ensure that happened.

Truth be told, Yongsun was also excited about the two of them spending the day together. For all that went on behind closed doors, she and Moonbyul didn’t hang out in public much. Unlike with her other friends, she and the athlete didn’t go to bars or clubs or cafes. They kind of, just … hung around their apartments. Eating and cuddling and talking. When framed that way, they sounded boring and stale. However, things never felt that way. Time with Byulyi was always healing, a panacea of sorts. If Yongsun felt tired, lounging in silence with her best friend instantly left her rejuvenated and enlivened. If sad, the time together lifted her spirits. Too hyper? A firm “Yongsun” grounded her. However, come time to explain their dynamic to others, the words melted on her tongue. She just couldn’t.

Yongsun figured people knew that they were close, but outside of the pair’s circle of friends, families, and teammates, it was likely the extent of their intimacy and closeness remained unknown to most. Honestly, even those closest to them didn’t know the details of her relationship with Byul, much preferring to write things off as “that’s just Yongsun and Byulyi. That’s how they are.” That approach, she supposed, did make it easier to deal with them—their incessant laughter one second and petty squabbles the next.

Anyway. Too much thinking for a Tuesday afternoon.

Tapping into the excitement bubbling up and spilling over, Yongsun focused on the only thing that mattered — she and her best friend would be together today. They’d get to be “them”, Yongsun and Byulyi, in public.

That, however, required clothes. Gently shaking her head clear, the scatterbrained young woman picked up her cell phone from its spot on the cluttered desk, intent on burrowing to the root of the issue that set her avalanche of thoughts into motion in the first place.

To: Byul-ah

When you say “dress comfortably” …

From: Byul-ah

🙄

Was waiting for this text.

We’re supposed to be leaving in 30 minutes.

To: Byul-ah

And we will.

Once you explain how comfortable you mean when you say “comfortable”.

From: Byul-ah

Wherever your mind goes when you hear “comfortable” is what I mean by comfortable. Be warm, too.

To: Byul-ah

This would be easier if you told me where we’re going! 😫

From: Byul-ah

Yongsun. Get dressed. I’ll be at your door in 27 minutes.

The admonishment landed with the weight of a boulder. This was no longer a matter up for debate—Byulyi wasn’t going to discuss things any further.

Ignoring the sudden spike in attraction resulting from Moonbyul’s authoritativeness, Yongsun heaved a sigh of distress and carelessly tossed the cellular device onto her bed before sifting through her drawers is search of anything to throw on. If they were heading somewhere fancy, Byulyi would’ve said so. As such, their destination must have been somewhere more casual. Fine.

Already showered, light makeup already applied, and hair already wave‑wanded and tousled, Yongsun hastily threw on a black, fitted turtleneck and tucked it into a pair of black, high-waisted jeans. This ensemble, she figured, would cover most bases.

Before she knew it, the door to Yongsun’s apartment creaked open.

“Yong! I gave you 5 extra minutes.” Byul’s voice echoed from the kitchen.

“I’m ready, I promise! Putting on my earrings, but that’s all,” she shouted back.

“I’m in the living room when you’re ready.”

A few extra pumps of perfume for good measure and her coat slipped on, the graduate student shuffled down the hall with her cross-body purse in hand, laughing out loud once taking in Moonbyul’s attire.

“We match!” Both sported long brown teddy coats.

Startled, the younger woman looked up from her phone and just . . . stared, and kept staring, tempering Yongsun’s initial excitement some and giving way to slight discomfort under the intense gaze. Clearing , she headed to the shoe rack next to the door. It served two purposes—for starters, she needed shoes. More importantly, though, she needed to break the awkward moment Moonbyul had created.

“So,” she drawled while slipping on a pair of crisp, white sneakers, “do you want to finally tell me where we’re going?”

Byul seemed to finally snap out of her daze, responding with a playfulness inconceivable moments ago. “Not really.” Turning around, Yongsun saw the lopsided grin adorning the younger woman’s pretty lips. And there it was again, another surge of attraction threatening to distract her.

This had been happening more frequently, and with nothing in particular triggering her desire, it was something Yongsun had resigned herself to. For months now, she’d done well at controlling her crush. However, over the two weeks since Byulyi’s injury, that control—the ability to push her feelings to the side and refuse them the opportunity to derail things—waned. It grew more difficult to be around the athlete all the time and not feel for her. She was too funny, too sweet, and they got along too well. The younger woman’s most attractive qualities, however, were her consistency and reliability. From the beginning of their friendship to now, Moonbyul showed time and time again that she could be trusted to treat Yongsun well. And she did. Every moment spent together, the graduate student felt—for the first time in her life—that she could relax, that she didn’t have to do everything on her own and for herself, that she could simply be. Byulyi was a safety shawl, covering and protecting Yongsun at all times from the stress and worries of daily life.

It hurt not that Moonbyul was unbearably attractive and, recently, much more flirtatious. Adding Yongsun’s ual frustration to the mix, this crush was maddening. It left her feeling helpless and out of control.

She hated it.

Determined to take an ounce of that control back, Yongsun continued the crusade to conceal her true feelings.

“You’re an .”

“And you’re beautiful,” the younger woman responded in earnest.

That was unexpected.

“That’s why I was staring earlier. You look . . . amazing. Beautiful,” she tailed off at the end and averted her eyes shyly.

“Thank you,” Yongsun shyly accepted the compliment. “You look great, too, by the way.” Byul’s outfit was simple yet charming: cream cable-knit sweater, medium wash dad jeans, brown teddy coat, a mask, and, covering her head was her black Gucci cap. The hat, Byul had once mentioned, was reserved for special occasions. Today being her birthday, it made sense to Yongsun that she pulled it out.

Silence engulfed them after that. The older made a show of checking her bag for all necessities, while the younger fussed with her camera before slinging it across her body and leaving the couch to put her sneakers on.

Giving Byul space, Yongsun leaned on the kitchen island and aimlessly scrolled through Twitter. There was nothing of interest, but the escape from their weird interaction just now was much appreciated. It wasn’t weird bad, just . . . weird weird. Awkward.

A clearing of a throat pulled Yongsun from refreshing her timeline for the umpteenth time.

“Um, are you ready?” Byul asked softly.

“Yup. Ready when you are.”

“Cool. We can go. Uh, let me get the door for you.” Immediately after the words left her lips, the brunette rushed to grab onto the door handle, motioning for Yongsun to exit the apartment first.

A soft “thank you” was sent in Byulyi’s direction before the blonde scurried to and through the door. The awkward silence from earlier making its return, the young women walked to the elevator without exchanging a word. Their journey to the UV lobby occurred in silence. The walk to Byul’s car, silence. It became suffocating. The athlete wouldn’t look Yongsun’s way, but Yongsun observed her every action. Counted every neck rub, heard the sighs, grew curious about the silent conversation Byulyi was having with herself—evident by the rapid movement of her lips. Something was clearly not right.

“Hey,” she started as they reached the car in the parking lot. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Everything’s cool.”

“Okay. Wanted to make sure. It’s felt a little awkward since we were in the apartment, but I could be making that up. I’ve been in my head a bit.”

Byulyi hummed but said nothing. Deciding to leave her to her thoughts, Yongsun reached for the passenger-side door, but was suddenly cut off by the younger woman who seemed to have a thing for opening doors today. Normally, Yongsun would have made a joke about it, would have had some fun at Byulyi’s expense. Something about her best friend’s jitteriness advised her against it.

Once she was settled into her seat, Moonbyul closed the door for her. It granted to older woman a much-needed moment of solitude. Eyeing the athlete’s nervous steps as she ambled around the front of the vehicle to the driver’s side, Yongsun saw her, once again, mouthing words to herself, though this time it looked to be some type of pep talk.

Glancing at the cell phone in hand, Yongsun noticed the time. 2:20 pm

Only 15 minutes had passed, each more uncomfortable than the one before. This wouldn’t do.

Finally entering the vehicle, Yongsun listened to another of her friend’s deep sighs before concluding that she’d let Byul use the entirety of the drive to rid herself of the excess nervous energy. Once they arrived at their destination, though, she’d set things right, once and for all.

*

“So, uh, here we are.”

“Byul-ah, you’re kidding me.”

“You don’t like it?”

“I’m not even talking about where we’ll be today, I’m talking about your delivery. You spent who knows how long planning this, and that’s how you announce it? ‘So, uh, here we are,’” Yongsun delivered an intentionally horrendous impression. It did, however, pull a small chuckle from the athlete, the day’s first.

“I don’t sound like that,” Byul rolled her eyes.

“You do. You’ve sounded like that all day,” she pouted and playfully slapped the taller woman’s arm. “There’s a lot to celebrate and be grateful for: it’s your birthday, you’re walking around without crutches, we’re spending time together. Can we please enjoy this? I’ve never been here and am excited to see what it’s all about.”

Brown eyes met and held brown eyes, ignoring the people buzzing around them.

“Okay, yeah,” Byulyi nodded.

“Thank you. So,” she realized the ever-growing line along the front of the building, “did you buy tickets or should we get on line?”

“I should’ve bought tickets ahead of time,” the younger woman muttered while scrubbing her face. Another gush of air was forcefully expelled from her nose before Byulyi spoke to Yongsun. “I didn’t pre-purchase tickets. Didn’t think it would be this busy on a Tuesday afternoon, but clearly, I was wrong.”

“So the answer to my question is that we should get in line. Okay! Let’s go.”

Grabbing hold of Byul’s hand, Yongsun purposely ignored the athlete’s self-chastising words and led the two of them to the back of the line.

The drive from University Village lasted no more than 20 minutes. Once Yongsun blocked out the frantic energy coming from the driver on her left, her focus shifted to figuring out what the plan was. Had Byulyi been dropping clues since first insisting they spend her birthday together? Was it somewhere she, Yongsun, had expressed wanting to visit? Did anyone else in their lives mention anything hinting at the agenda for the day? Digging deeper into the recesses of her mind served to only further stump her. Yongsun had no idea where Moonbyul sped towards.

Then they arrived.

A hearty laugh nearly escaped the graduate student’s throat.

All that time was spent anguishing over where they’d go, only to be met with one of the places she would’ve never guessed because she hadn’t heard of it before.

According to the impromptu Naver search Yongsun did, Trick Eye Museum was an optical illusion museum ripe with opportunities at every corner for mind-bending photos.

While not much of a photo person, the reviews online left the blonde surprisingly excited to take several. Commenters left nothing but glowing reviews about the one-of-a-kind museum, fueling Yongsun’s desire to play today. If things were up to her, she and Byul would be their goofy selves, indulging their inner children and living their best carefree lives. That’s what she wanted for herself. That’s what she wanted for Byulyi.

“Hey!”

“Yeah?” Moonbyul regarded her, features conveying confusion at Yongsun’s sudden chipperness. Minutes had passed since joining the line, neither saying much.

“Let’s set some rules for today.”

“Rules?” The question came with the arch of an eyebrow.

“Yes, rules. I don’t know what’s had you so stressed out today, but we’re here to have fun. To make sure that happens, I have rules. Do you accept?”

“Do I accept that you have rules, or do I accept the rules? Because I have questions about all of this.”

“Allowed.”

Shaking her head gently with a soft smile, Moonbyul, to Yongsun’s relief, played along. “What’s the punishment if one of us breaks your ‘rules’?”

“There is no punishment because breaking the rules isn’t an option. You have to follow all of the rules.” Yongsun spoke matter-of-factly.

“But what if I don’t?”

“You have to.”

“Okay. But what if I don’t?”

“You’re doing this on purpose. Stop being annoying.”

“I’m not being annoying,” the brunette chuckled, taking a few steps forward as the line was moving. “What if I don’t mind the punishment? Then I can break the rules, accept my fate, and be done with it.”

“You can’t do that!”

A few heads turned at Yongsun’s outburst, feeding Moonbyul’s fit of giggles.

“This is what I get for trying to make you feel better. You’re an .” Her ears warmed from the embarrassment, but no escape was present. They were in line—she couldn’t go anywhere. If anything, that entrapment further fueled Yongsun’s indignation.

“I was joking. Yong. I was joking.”

Arms crossed, eyes trained forward, Yongsun ignored the athlete’s words.

“Yong.” A slender finger jabbed into her side. “Yong. You’re going to ignore me now? I can poke you forever. You know that, right? I won’t get tired.”

“Leave me alone. You got me embarrassed in front of all these people, when what I should’ve done was minded my business and let you be moody.”

Focusing on the back of the head directly in front of her, and grateful that the poking stopped momentarily, Yongsun ignored the gaze burning a hole into her left cheek.

“Hey. I’m sorry. Come here.”

Left no time to react, Yongsun was whisked in front of Byulyi, her back pulled to the younger woman’s chest, with long arms wrapped loosely around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” the athlete spoke directly into her right ear. “What’s the first rule?”

“I’m not telling you. Game’s over.”

“No,” the brunette whined. “Come on, just tell me the first rule.”

Yongsun stayed quiet, enough time passing that Moonbyul loosened her hold and let her free.

“The first rule is that we have to follow all the rules,” she grudgingly disclosed. And, ugh, it sickened her some the happiness experienced from watching Byul’s radiant smile take over her face.

“Got it. What else?” She hastily accepted.

“We have to have fun today. Real fun. We can’t worry about looking silly in front of others. That doesn’t matter today. Today is about you and your happiness.”

“We never worry about looking silly in front of others.”

“Then that’ll be an easy one to follow. The next one—we leave everything at the door. Once we enter the museum, anything else that’s stressing us out, we put it away for another time. No bad news or negativity. Nothing that can bring down the mood. Okay?”

For whatever reason, Yongsun observed the taller woman hesitate upon hearing this. With the previous rules, her agreement came immediately. Not this time.

After a few beats, Byul nodded in agreement. “Okay. No bringing down the mood. Anything else before we enter? We’re almost at the front.”

“Oh! Only I can add new rules, and I can do so whenever I please and as often as I see fit. Agreed?”

“Thought today was supposed to be about me,” Moonbyul sarcastically mused. “But yeah, sure. Agreed.”

“Perfect,” Yongsun excitedly.

“We’re next to go in. Let’s take our first picture. A selca. Come.”

Obediently, Yongsun entered the open arms awaiting her, assuming the same back-to-front, arms-around-shoulders position she and Byulyi were in minutes ago.

“Smile on 3,” the taller woman coolly instructed. “1, . . . 2, . . . 3.”

“Let me see!”

“It was a video.”

Stepping into the vestibule and walking up to the clerk, Byulyi ignored Yongsun’s whining over being deceived, purchasing tickets for them both.

“Okay, it was a joke. Let’s take a proper picture now.”

For the third time that afternoon, Yongsun sank into her best friend’s arms, smiling her biggest, most sincere smile.

“It’s perfect,” Byul held her cell phone out for Yongsun to inspect.

“Why are you looking at me in this picture instead of the camera?”

“Reasons.”

“You’re annoying.”

“And you’re the best. Thanks for going to such great lengths to get me out of my head today. I needed that more than you probably realized.”

Turning to face her properly, Yongsun held the younger woman’s face in her hands—Moonbyul had good enough sense to lower head enough to make it comfortably possible. “Anything for you. You should know that by now. Happy birthday, Byul-ah.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, let’s see what this place is all about. Have you been before?” Yongsun ascended the stairs to next level, left hand clasped around Byulyi’s right.

“Nope. I’ve heard of it before but never came here. Figured it would be something we could enjoy together.”

“You figured right.”

“Good,” Byul smiled and spoke softly.

“Good,” Yongsun repeated.

*

“Let me see! Let me see!” Yongsun eagerly hopped up from the seat next to the dragon painting to clutch onto Byulyi.

“It’s hilarious,” the younger woman laughed uncontrollably. “You were burned to death, but it’s so much funnier because you’re smiling the whole time and don’t even know what’s going on.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” She slapped at the athlete’s firm shoulder.

“It’s better like this. Makes it more entertaining.”

The museum had its own app that, when opened and focused on an installation, added effects not visible via regular cameras. It was why Yongsun and Moonbyul had been at Trick Eye for over an hour, yet only made their way through half of the museum’s exhibits.

Really, it was Yongsun’s fault. Byul was content with posing for one regular picture and one augmented reality (AR) picture or video, but Yongsun was incapable of being that efficient. Swept up in “the experience”, the blonde insisted on Byulyi taking the “right” picture with her digital camera, the “right” picture with the Trick Eye app, and the “right” video with the app. If one didn’t live up to her expectations or didn’t quite “work”, the graduate student would scurry back to her position and pose again while Moonbyul dutifully switched back and forth between devices. Yongsun knew she was being overbearing but as someone that rarely took pictures, passing up this opportunity was not an option. It helped a lot that Byulyi never argued or showed signs of impatience. Instead, the athlete supported the antics, encouragingly and enthusiastically offering oohs and ahhs, while also suggesting poses Yongsun should consider and shots that should be redone.

“You think it’s good like this?”

“Yeah. It’s funny. You had the other one that you looked really cute in, so this one is a good ‘fun’ alternative.” She noticed that everything she did today, Byulyi found “cute”. That word had been thrown around often.

“Was it really ‘cute’? You’ve been calling everything cute. Starting think you’re just saying it to say it.”

Despite the slight blush, Byul kept her eyes on the video playing on her cell phone screen and responded, “Because you’ve been really cute today.” She added a small shrug as an afterthought.

“Ohhh, you think I’m cute?” Yongsun taunted. It was refreshing seeing the flustered side of her best friend. When around Yonsgun, the ladykiller took a break, allowing the gentle, sweet, and shy Byulyi to make an appearance.

“Yeah, I do,” Moonbyul looked up from her phone and directly at Yongsun.

Maybe Yongsun spoke too soon. The way the younger woman delivered that—eyes and voice not wavering—, and the way the blonde’s body responded immediately, yeah . . . maybe a bit of the ladykiller was making a surprise appearance.

Clearing , Byul broke the atmosphere first. Yongsun doubted she would have been able to do it, having been so captivated by the athlete just now.

“Let’s go see the rest of the place. There are a couple other parts of the museum I want to make sure we get to.”

“Okay,” Yongsun breathed.

And that was that. They took their time stopping at each art installation, taking individual photos, but not ashamed to stop and ask strangers to take photos of them together.

It was one of the most peaceful experiences to date that Yongsun could recall. Being with Moonbyul was always easy, but there was just something extra about today that made it perfect. Maybe it was the discreet hand holding, the extra hugs, or the decreased space between them. Maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever it was, Yongsun was grateful for it.

*

An hour and a half later, the pair had explored every nook and cranny of the museum, including the virtual reality game room, the mirror maze—where Yongsun had, more than once, walked into mirrored walls—and, against the graduate student’s pleas, the horror room.

“Two more things we need to do,” Moonbyul announced.

“We’ve done everything.”

“Obviously we haven’t, Yong, because I just said there are two more things we need to do,” the younger rolled her eyes.

“I’m getting tired.” It was embarrassing, but it was true. Almost 3 hours full of picture taking took more of a toll on her than initially anticipated.

“I understand, granny. We should be out of here in the next 30-45 minutes, I think.”

“It is literally your birthday today. You are a year older.”

“If I get older, that means you get older. Funny how that works, huh?”

“Who would’ve thought the nervous, bumbling mess from earlier that couldn’t stop talking to herself and rubbing her neck would be this cocky and full of herself a few hours later?”

“It’s because the beautiful woman spending the day with her made her feel at ease and comfortable enough to relax and have fun.”

“Shut up,” Yongsun rolled her eyes, words belying the intense arousal building internally.

“You’re right. I was supposed to keep that a secret,” the athlete pulled her into a one-armed side hug. “The Ice Museum isn’t as big as the rest of Trick Eye’s been, so it won’t take long. Let’s go.”

“Ice Museum?!”

“Yeah, that’s why I told you to dress warmly. There’s real ice in there.”

“How does this place have all of this, yet I’ve never heard of it before?”

“That’s why I’m here. To introduce you to new places.”

“I like the sound of that. You driving me places and paying for everything. My own personal chauffer and ATM machine. I’ve earned it.”

“You know what you’ve earned? The right to walk home. Have fun with that,” Byul tried physically ridding herself of Yongsun, but the older woman held on tighter to the athlete’s waist.

“Oh my goodness, you’re such a baby! How are you so soft and sensitive,” she chuckled heartily at the taller woman’s expense.

Continuing to walk and talk, banter never subsiding, the teddy coat duo made their way to the much-anticipated ice room.

*

As Byulyi said, the ice room was not as big, and, even with the cold, it ended up as Yongsun’s favorite part of the day. Everything was made of ice. Lights were installed beneath the surface of each ice sculpture, hues of blue, green, and red dancing throughout the room, adding to the charm of things. Beautiful didn’t do the space justice.

There were thrones, mini-castles, and a mini-igloo, but the object of Yongsun’s attention was the ice slide. Impossible to miss, the structure’s height and length resembled a kiddie’s slide more than anything else, but it was a slide made of ice. How could Yongsun not enjoy it?

As with the rest of the day, Byul indulged all of Yongsun’s requests, including repeatedly gliding down the ice slide—it took up the bulk of their time in the Ice Museum. Only after, however, Yongsun made sure her ankle wouldn’t be affected by the activity. They rode it separately until Byulyi insisted that they go down together. On the outside, Yongsun made some comment about the younger woman being “clingy” and “ridiculous”, yet her insides danced with joy when perched in Moonbyul’s lap with the athlete’s arms holding her securely.

Neither said anything more on it, silently agreeing the topic wouldn’t be addressed out loud.

It was cute.

They were now on their way out, though, a long day behind them. Making strides towards the exit, a soft gasp escaped the graduate student’s lips as a sudden, but gentle, grip on her wrist pulled her to the right.

“Wait, one last thing before we go.”

“What?”

“They have face coffees. We should get a couple.”

“What’s a face coffee?”

“We give them a picture and they put it on the plastic lids covering the drinks. Was thinking we could choose some from the pictures we took today.”

“It’s your day, so you should choose the pictures. And we should keep them! As a memento.”

“That’s a big responsibility,” the brunette joked, already scrolling through her phone for pictures.

“I trust you,” Yongsun looked on affectionately.

“Oh yeah?” Byul’s smirked, thumbs still scrolling.

“Yeah.”

“How much?”

“Hmm,” the graduate student pretended to think about it, “not much, honestly.”

“I can’t stand you,” Moonbyul groaned cutely.

“Lie again.”

“I had the worst time today.”

“Lie again,” Yongsun smiled.

“You’re the worst person ever.”

“Again,” Yongsun commanded softly.

“I can’t wait for this to end,” Byulyi smiled.

Mushing the taller woman’s face playfully, Yongsun put a momentary end to their nonsense. “Please hurry up, ma’am. I still have your gift at home to give you.”

*

The drive home was the complete opposite of the journey to Trick Eye. Focused on the road, Byulyi gave Yongsun complete control over the music, an opportunity the blonde woman took to play nothing but rap. Zooming through the streets of Seoul, she screamed memorized lyrics at the top of her lungs while flashing meaningless hand gestures, all while Moonbyul shook her head in amusement.

She hadn’t been too much of a nuisance and, thankfully, they made it home in one piece. All was well.

Inputting the code to her apartment, Yongsun caught a fright at unexpectedly coming face-to-face with Chorong, who, by the looks of things, was searching the refrigerator.

“You scared me!”

“You’ve seen my bare face before. Don’t be rude.”

“You know what I meant,” she laughed. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

“Stop being a smartass. I thought you were leaving to see your family today?”

“Insoo wanted to spend some time together before the holidays. We’re getting dinner tonight and then he’s driving me home tomorrow.”

The roommates gushed over that, both excited about how serious things between Chorong and Insoo were getting.

“Oh! Have you heard of the Trick Eye Museum? It’s in Hongdae. Byul and I just got back from there. It was so fun!”

It was the first time Chorong noticed the room’s third occupant.

“I’ve heard of it before. What was the occasion?”

“It’s Byulyi’s birthday.”

“Oh. Happy birthday,” Chorong said quickly without even sparing Byul a glance.

“Thanks,” the youngest in the room softly accepted.

“Anyway, let me know if you need me for anything. We’ll be in my room,” Yongsun spoke up.

“I’m sure you will be,” she saw Chorong smirk before sticking a head back into the fridge.

*

“The two of you are practically best friends now,” Yongsun joked after she and Moonbyul settled in her bedroom.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

“I’m just saying, that was the most courteous the two of you have been towards each other.”

“Yikes.”

“I feel it. Tides are turning.”

“Whatever you’re feeling, you may want to get it checked,” Byul smiled.

Yongsun stuck her tongue out, emerging from the bathroom with sweats, hair in a topknot, and her face scrubbed clean. Shuffling to her closet, she made a show of walking over to where Byulyi sat at the desk.

“Is that my sweatshirt?”

“No.”

“It says my name on it.”

“Shh! That’s not the point right now. It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for.”

“And that is?”

“Gift time!”

“Yong. You didn’t have to get me a gift on top of everything else.”

“New rule, you have to accept my gift without a fuss.”

“We’re not at the museum anymore. Your rules don’t apply.”

“I’m making my rules apply,” she stalked closer, coming to a stop between Moonbyul’s legs, the giftbag still hidden behind her back.

Neither moved for moments, the only audible sound that of the athlete’s ragged breath.

“Okay. Make your rule,” she conceded, voice suddenly husky.

“You have to accept my gift without a fuss,” Yongsun repeated, voice barely above a whisper. Byul simply nodded. “Okay. Here.”

Taking a few steps back, Yongsun gave the senior space to seek out the bag’s contents. The reaction when she fished the item out was muted, leaving Yongsun waiting with bated breath for any indication of how Byulyi felt about it.

“Yong.”

“Do you like it?” She asked nervously.

“Yong,” Byul looked up, the silver bracelet glistening in her hands.

“Do you like it?”

“Come here,” Byul stood up to wrap Yongsun into a tight embrace. “You’re unbelievable,” she muttered into the crook of the shorter woman’s neck.

“That means you like it, right?” The gift, Yongsun thought, didn’t warrant this effusive of a reaction, but she’d take it.

The decision was made a month ago to buy Moonbyul a bracelet. Although now she didn’t remember why exactly it was the gift she settled on, Yongsun remembered being excited about going through with the idea. Undoubtedly, the most challenging part of the process was deciding on an inscription but, judging by Byulyi’s reaction, the “Our shining star” engraved on the silver ID bracelet wasn’t too cliché or cringey.

“I love it. This is . . . wow. You’re amazing. And that’s a gross understatement.”

“Didn’t know you’d like it this much.”

“Well, yeah. It’s not only the bracelet, though. Just in general, you do a lot and I want you to know that I appreciate you. From the bottom of my heart.”

“You’re welcome.” Was that even an adequate or appropriate response in a moment like this? Yongsun didn’t know. “So,” she cleared , “I was thinking we order your favorite food tonight and just hang out?”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll go drop this off at my place and change.”

“Okay. There’s a card in the bag, too, but don’t read it now. That would be weird.”

“Got it. I’ll be right back.”

The moment she heard the apartment door close, Yongsun got a running start to jump onto her bed. ing her face into her pillow, she let out a scream, deeming it necessary to expel the various emotions floating within.

What was happening? Their flirting reached a new peak today and the graduate student couldn’t deal.

Sheets vibrating, Yongsun fished her cell phone out, groaning in frustration at the message awaiting her.

From: Rongie

She left already?

Thought the two of you would spend more time together after your date.

To: Rongie

She’s coming back.

And it wasn’t a date. Things aren’t like that with us.

From: Rongie

She looks at you like things are like that 🌚

And you look at her like things are like that 🌚

To: Rongie

You don’t even like her, now you’re talking about us dating?

From: Rongie

I’m stating facts. She likes you.

Fact: You like her—don’t even waste time denying it.

Fact: It’s uncomfortable af being around the two of you.

Fact: You for sure went on a date today.

To: Rongie

😖

From: Rongie

😂

What was there to say to that? She liked Byulyi. It began to feel more and more like Byulyi liked her. The assertion, though, that their outing earlier was a date. It threw Yongsun for a loop. Had it been a date?

Before spiraling into a mini-freakout over everything, Yongsun stopped herself.

“Rule #3: Nothing that can bring down the mood.” She mumbled to herself, taking some calming breaths. When Moonbyul re-entered the apartment a few minutes later, Yongsun reminded herself one last time before sliding over and freeing up the younger woman’s side of the bed.

Nothing that can bring down the mood.

*

“You know, I had plans for today but had to change them because of your injury.”

Well-fed and content with riding out the last few hours of Byul’s birthday in bed, the two women lay next to each other watching a movie when the urge to get that off her chest overtook Yongsun.

“Oh yeah? What did you have planned?”

“Was looking into a snowboarding resort. Thought you’d enjoy that. We did a mini-version of that today though, so it worked out.”

“I suppose it did.”

“There’s always next year. We can do it next year. We’d have to work around your game schedule, but I think we could fit it in. Right?”

No response came.

Yongsun removed her eyes from the television screen across the room to check if Moonbyul had fallen asleep. Or maybe she hadn’t heard her?

“Earth to Byulyi! I said we could figure it out next year, right?”

“Mmm.”

“Is that a ‘mmm, yes’?”

“It’s a ‘mmm, how to answer this question when the response is in direct violation of Rule #3?’” She followed that with a deep sigh.

Worry consumed Yongsun. “Is everything okay?”

“Can we talk about it tomorrow, Yong? Today has been good to us. I don’t to mess that up.”

“That sounds ominous, but okay.” Letting a few breaths pass, she tried to strike up conversation again. “How was your meeting yesterday?”

With WKBL teams interested in her, Byulyi accepted invitations to meet with officials from each team. One of the meetings took place yesterday and she had another one tomorrow.

“They were cool. Got a tour of their facilities. Since I’m still not cleared to play, I couldn’t do any training sessions with them, but I met with the head coaches for each team and we did film sessions. Mainly me talking them through SNU and National Team games, explaining what I saw and why I made the decisions I did. The idea was nerve-racking at first, but each organization did their best to welcome me. It was cool.”

“Still can’t believe you’re going to be a big-time professional basketball player. It’s getting real!” This was Byul’s path, but Yongsun couldn’t help but bee excited at things solidifying for her best friend.

“Can’t believe it either.”

“I’m going to be at every game possible. Even if I don’t know what type of job I’ll have, I’m already guaranteeing that I’ll be at your games.”

“You know what job you’ll have. The Center is making it very clear they’re going to extend an offer.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“You’re so negative.”

“Says the person nearly completely unenthused about becoming a professional athlete!”

“I’m not unenthused. It’s just . . . complicated.”

“And you don’t want to discuss the complication.”

“Not today.”

“Okay. I won’t push then.”

“Thank you.”

That was the last Yongsun mentioned becoming a professional athlete for the evening. There was something around the topic that created static. Today was supposed to be static-free.

Tucking the conversation away for another day, Yongsun curled up to Byul, appreciating the way the athlete held her close. For today, that was enough.

*

Group Message: Wheein-ah, Hyejin-ah

Wheein

How was last night, unnie?

Hyejin-ah

👀

New Message From: Rongie

How did last night turn out?

New Message From: Eric

Last night?

New Message Taecyeon

So . . . last night?

Missed Call From: Yonghee-unnie

Bless Yonghee for being the only person not in Yongsun’s phone asking questions about Byulyi.

The athlete left for her own apartment after 8 am to prepare for the meeting later with officials from KB Stars. It disrupted Yongsun’s sleep for a bit as she got up to see Byulyi off, but she fell back asleep soon after. Before she knew it, though, it was after 2 pm. She woke up to the barrage of messages looking for details about the day before.

Yonghee rarely reached out first, so Yongsun decided to check in with her before acknowledging the other messages. The Nosy Nancys could wait.

“Unnie.”

“You sound disgusting.”

“Thank you, that’s very sweet of you. You called. What’s up?”

“Mom was asking me when you were coming home for the holidays because you never told her, so I called to ask you because I didn’t know either.”

“Mmm. Tomorrow.”

“Are you still sleeping? It’s the afternoon, Yongsun.”

“Classes are over, I have off from work, let me enjoy sleeping in.”

“Whatever. How’s Moonbyul? Can she walk again?”

“Huh? Who said she couldn’t walk?”

“I have no idea what happened to her, but mom kept talking about it and she made it sound like the most dramatic thing ever. I assumed she was severely injured?”

“It was her ankle. It’s better. She can walk,” Yongsun let out a gravelly chuckle.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’m gonna hang up now. Literally only needed to know when you’d be going home.”

“The sisterly love. It’s overwhelming.”

“You hate when people pester you, you’re half asleep, and I have nothing else to say. Why drag it out, y’know?”

“That’s fair.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t sleep the day away.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, and okay, I won’t.”

She was absolutely going to sleep the day away.

Gearing up to do just that, Yongsun’s phone buzzed once more:

From: Byul-ah

You up?

To: Byul-ah

Barely.

From: Byul-ah

Heading back to UV. Can I come over in around 1 hour?

To: Byul-ah

Sure. I’ll go shower now.

From: Byul-ah

Cool. See you a little later.

So much for sleeping the day away.

Getting it out now because there’d be no time for it later, Yongsun rolled over and groaned into her pillow.

*

An hour later, Yongsun had washed the tired away and was fully alert. Making the most of the empty apartment, the blonde trekked to the living room, propping her feet up on the small table and enjoying a movie.

When a gentle knock echoed through the room, she muted the television and headed to the door.

“Byulyi. Why are you knocking? You could’ve just come in.”

“Can we talk?”

There it was. That same ominous tone that made a brief appearance the night before.

“Sure. Come in,” Yongsun moved aside, granting the brunette ample space to enter the apartment.

As the younger woman got settled on the couch, Yongsun remained in the kitchen.

“Do you want tea or water or anything?”

“I’m good.”

“Okay,” she replied. Byulyi’s behavior was making her nervous. Pushing it aside, the graduate student walked over and plopped down beside the athlete. “How was the meeting?”

“It was . . . uh, it was good,” the younger woman sighed.

“Byul-ah, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

It took three clearings of before Byul spoke up. “It’s nothing bad. Well, not really. It’s good news, but there are many things that will be affected, so . . . yeah.”

“If it’s good news, then you should share it. Just . . . put it out there and let everything else fall where they need to.”

Still, the young woman said nothing.

“Byul-ah,” Yongsun placed what she hoped was a calming hand on the athlete’s bouncing knee, “just say it.”

The room was completely silent. Having muted the television earlier, Yongsun only heard her inner thoughts bouncing around and devising worst-case scenarios.

“I’ve been meeting with WKBL teams. You already knew that.”

“Mmhmm,” Yongsun confirmed, hoping the verbal confirmation would encourage Byulyi to continue.

“It’s been fun, a good experience. After the meeting I had on Monday, I got a call from an unfamiliar number. It was the coach from Fenerbahçe, the team in Turkey that showed interest. I was shocked at first because I didn’t expect that. Thought all communication with them would go through my agent. But . . . yeah. Anyway, we talked for a long time. Hours. About everything. Life, how school was going, what I wanted my future to look like. He didn’t even mention basketball until hours into the conversation. It was that good of a talk. There were some questions I had after the meeting with Baek Sungho, my dad, and Coach Do, so instead of waiting for the next meeting, I just asked him outright. Questions about their philosophy, the culture of the organization, their style of play, how I would fit into all of that. He answered every question and pretty much confirmed what Sungho had said—he thinks I’m a great player and that I would fit well at Fenerbahçe. He’s one of the best coaches in the world, so to hear him say that, it meant a lot. We didn’t talk numbers or anything like that, all of that had been discussed during the agent-meeting. It was more a conversation about me, what I want, and what I’d need to accomplish my goals. The conversation has been haunting me since Monday. But, like, in a good way? It made me play back the meeting with the WKBL team I had on Monday and . . . I felt better about Fenerbahçe. Up until then, I was 90% sure that I’d be staying in Korea. After the phone call, it went down to 60%. Today’s meeting with KB Stars was the one I was most excited about. They’re the team I felt the best fit with, so, going into it, I knew that if I felt good there, I’d stay, and if I didn’t, it would most likely end up being Fenerbahçe. Which, I know, is a lot of pressure to put on one team, and I haven’t met with every WKBL team yet, so there’s a chance someone might surprise me, but I know these teams. I follow basketball globally, but I know the teams here inside and out. KB Stars was the one. They’re on the rise. Great facilities. Good structure. They were it.”

Struggling to find her voice, Yongsun croaked, “You said it went well? The meeting with KB Stars?”

“It did. All things considered, it was really good. But . . . Fenerbahçe seems better. I asked KB Stars officials the exact same questions I asked the coach from Fenerbahçe and the conversation was good, but the conversation with Fenerbahçe was better. It seems like the better choice. It feels like Fenerbahçe is the better choice.”

There it was.

From the moment Moonbyul began stressing how free-flowing the conversation with the coach from the Turkish club was, a bad feeling settled in Yongsun’s stomach.

“And, again, I’m still going to meet with the other WKBL teams. Nothing is set in stone, but, I don’t know. Fenerbahçe set the bar high. Everything with them is clicking.”

Vision growing blurred from unshed tears, Yongsun expended an inordinate amount of energy towards not speaking, not blinking, not moving. If she did any of the three, the liquid hugging her eyes would fall and they wouldn’t stop.

“Say something. Please,” the athlete whispered, making eye contact for the first time since she began speaking.

That broke the dam. Liquid caressed her skin, streaming down her face at will. And still, Yongsun battled internally to collect herself. This was clearly something that had been hovering over the younger woman, something she’d been in deep thought about. Byulyi wanted someone to tell her that going abroad was the right decision. She wanted Yongsun to be that someone. So Yongsun would be that someone.

Pushing past the tears that continued falling, and ignoring the way her voice broke, the graduate student gave her best friend the reassurance she so desperately sought.

“I think you should trust your gut. If Fenerbahçe feels like the right choice, it’s the right choice.”

“Yong,” Moonbyul whispered, no doubt in response to the mess of a face she was being subjected to. Yongsun looked away.

She couldn’t watch the woman across from her, otherwise she’d break down. And that, too, made Yongsun feel like . Because this wasn’t about her. It was about Byulyi’s best interest.

“Ignore me. I’m being so dramatic,” she tried to joke while aggressively wiping the tears away.

“Yong.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. This is about you! Oh my goodness! You’re going to be a big-time international star. I already know it.” By the end of that sentence, it fully hit her—Byulyi was leaving.

Her best friend, the one person she could go to for any and every thing, wouldn’t be here forever like she once thought. Despite her efforts, Yongsun’s body shook from the sobs that violently tore through her. The once silent apartment was now an echo chamber for her heartache. It was embarrassing. The more she reminded herself that this wasn’t about her, the more Yongsun lost control over herself, over the sounds escaping her. In a futile attempt to hide, she lifted both hands to cover her face.

“Yongsun. Don’t cry,” Byul pulled her into her arms, delicately holding Yongsun’s face against her chest. “Shh, it’s okay. Don’t cry.”

“I’m the worst! This is not about me. This is good news! I should be happy. We should be happy. This is good.”

“It’s good, yeah,” the deep voice soothingly reassured her. “Still, it’s hard.”

“You’re leaving,” Yongsun’s voice cracked again.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Who knows how long passed for them. They sat together, Yongsun in Moonbyul’s lap crying uncontrollably, Moonbyul rocking her and Yongsun back and forth while the mass of blonde hair settled against her chest.

She thought they had time. That’s what Yongsun had told herself only last week, that she’d have time to sort her feelings out.

It seemed like time was up.

Finally collecting some semblance of control, Yongsun sat up. “You know what? It’s for the best. You’re too big to stay in Korea. I truly believe that, Byul-ah. You’re a star. Isn’t that funny? Your name has ‘star’ in it, and that’s exactly what you’ve become. A star. Korea’s too small for you. You wouldn’t grow the way you’re supposed to if you stay. Turkey has new challenges, I’m sure of it. You can grow there. You can try new things. Everything that you can do here, you can do there.”

“That’s not true. Don’t say that.” Byulyi’s voice sounded gruff to Yongsun’s ears. Ignoring the athlete’s protests, she continued.

“I don’t expect you to say it out loud, but you know it’s true. You can probably do everything over there.”

“That’s not true,” the younger’s breath grew erratic.

“What do we have here in Korea that you can’t do in Turkey, Byul? Whatever you want, you can do over there. They have everything we have. You can do it a–”

It was surreal. In an instant, her words were cut short by lips crashing to hers. A firm grip on her neck held her in place, otherwise the shock of what was happening would’ve taken Yongsun out.

Rephrasing: the shock of what happened would’ve taken Yongsun out, because just as quickly as the kiss started, it ended. Leaving her stunned and immobile.

“I can’t do that in Turkey. They don’t have you.”

There was something to be said about the fact that, for all of the tension built up over the past couple weeks—months, really—the force that ultimately pulled them together was the threat of them being pulled apart.

Note: That was long as . My goodness.

Before we all agree to pretend that me missing an update last week didn’t happen, I’d like to sincerely thank you all for the comments of support. As you can see, by all that happened in this chapter, I couldn’t split things up, so I had to push through and write it all before posting. But, yay! It’s posted. Hope you all enjoy. If you have thoughts, leave comments. If you don’t have thoughts, leave comments lol.

I’m talking out of my now because I think this was the longest chapter written thus far. It’s robbed me of the ability to formulate words.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Welcome to all new readers. To returning readers, we made it! Who would’ve thunk it? We finally made it! Imagine if the story ended right here? That would’ve been top-tier.