“Are you alright, Captain?” Hwang Yeji tapped Jeongyeon’s back during their time out. It seems like their captain is, well, distracted.

“I’m okay, Yeji. Don’t mind me.”

Yeji’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why don’t you take a rest? Just let me and Ryujin handle this for this quarter then just come back by 4^th quarter? Anyway, the lead is not that big, we could catch that 8-point lead?”

Jeongyeon gritted her teeth and chugged her Gatorade. Even if her assistant captain won’t say it, she know what the younger is telling her: She’s ruining the game. She had messed up three-point attempt, a lay-up and 3 free throw.  So without any word, she nodded and she was substituted by the pretty red-haired sophomore, Shin Ryujin.

Jeongyeon sat down and looked up the bleachers above them, the seat remains vacant. She frowned. She cannot say that she was distracted by the vacant seat, nor that she’s pissed. Well, maybe she is.

Jeongyeon shook her head. She cannot understand why the fact that Hirai didn’t show up bugs her, maybe the fact that someone was able to say NO to her bugged her more. It was the first time, in her four- year career as a varsity player that any girl didn’t show up after been invited by Yoo Jeongyeon. Everybody knew that that seat is always the seat Jeongyeon reserve when she would like to invite someone to watch her game. And so far it has been vacant.

Shin Yuna, one of their forwards almost jumped out of her seat when Jeongyeon suddenly stood up. She knows that expression, like she has to get out of the way asap. She looked at the court and she could see Ryujin and Yeji breaking out in a sweat, trying their very best to narrow the lead from eight to five, but the defense of the other team was too much for the two to crack. Chaeryong and Jisu   were waiting on the other court and Somi was waiting at the 3-point line. As soon as the other team’s ball rebounded, Yeji jumped to steal and made a fast break and passed to Somi.  Somi  caught it and dribbled once and tried to shoot. The ball bounced off the ring and the opponent caught it. She saw Somi cursed and Charyeong patted her back, then run again to the other court.

Jeongyeon stood up and give directions from the sidelines, to which Ryujin and Yeji gave her a thumbs up and she knows that she has no choice but to trust her teammates. She went back to her seat and clasped her hand together and focused on the game. The center from the other team fouled Jisu and she fell on her back, making the whole gym groan. Chaeryoung helped Lia up and Yeji went to Lia and asked her if she needs to be substituted but Lia declined. Yeji looked up to Jeongyeon and gave her a thumbs up when something caught her eye. A girl in yellow was making way to the bleachers in the sea of blues. And to that royal seat.

So that’s why.

Yeji looked to their captain and gestured to look above the bleachers.

And then she saw her.

She was wearing a canary yellow shirt, which was not their team color nor their school color and she could see some girls sitting behind her who was chastising her for sitting on a reserved seat.

Jeongyeon couldn't help but she grinned.She jumped over the bleacher and took two stairs at the time to the girl she was waiting for a long time.

---

“You cannot sit there.”

Momo looked up to a pretty girl sitting behind her. She checked her ticket again and she knows she had the correct seat.

“Why? All the seats are taken.”

“It’s a special seat. Nobody is allowed to sit there.”

“Huh, but my ticket says---“

“What took you so long?”

The pretty girl gasped when Yoo Jeongyeon had stood infront of Momo’s seat. was gaping looking at Jeongyeon then to Momo and back to Jeongyeon again.

Momo shrugged. “I forgot.”

“How can you forget it?” Jeongyeon voice raised a little making Momo annoyed.

“I’m already here, don’t scold me.”

“Jeongyeon-sunbaenim, she—is she—are you—dating?”

Jeongyeon and Momo looked incredulously at each other. “What? NO!”

The girl pouted. “But why is she seated here… you only make pretty girls sit here.”

Jeongyeon scratched her head and look at Momo. Momo was wearing that hideous glasses again, bangs covering half her eyes, and she was wearing a baggy yellow Sesame Street Big Bird t-shirt and black jogging pants.  The girl was right, they are used to the pretty girls who sit there and looking at Momo who was far from being pretty.

“Well, I decide who I want to sit here, arasso? And nobody has any say on that.” She looked at Momo and gestured her to sit. “Wait for me here after the game, ok?”

“Your team is losing.”

“It was your fault.”

Momo pouted and Jeongyeon didn’t know why, but she found it…cute.

“You were late. But now that you’re here, watch me win this game.” Jeongyeon winked and the girls behind Momo shrieked and chanted her name.

Momo rolled her eyes and watched Jeongyeon went back to her teammates. When the bell rang signaling the end of the quarter, the opposing team was ahead of six points.

The coach gave them the plan for the last quarter and Momo could see that Jeongyeon was going to enter the court. A tall girl whispered something at her and looked on her direction. Momo felt that they were talking about her, like the other people around her who were whispering behind her back. Momo felt out of place, especially since everybody around her are wearing blue and she was sticking out like a sore thumb. She decided to just focused on the game even if nothing is making sense . She doesn’t know why but when Jeongyeon looked back at her before she entered the court, she balled her fists and gestured ‘hwaiting’ at the jock and Jeongyeon nodded. Momo immediately put her hands down, embarrassed. She hates this jock, why is she giving her encouragement?

A few minutes into the fourth quarter, Momo understood why—regardless of her dislike to the jock, when she was on her turf and holding a ball, one can see how passionate she is in what she is doing. The way she encourages her teammates to do their best, and if someone fell or got hurt, Yoo is ready to help. On the other end of the court, she could see the cheerleaders—lead by Nayeon-- hyping the fans in cheering for their team, and the crowd passionately did the fan chants for their home team, and Momo understood why there are sports fanatics and enthusiasts because being part of that crowd will make anybody feel proud and belong.

If only that’s enough for Momo.

When the bell rang, all the players and staff, also the cheerleaders ran to the center of the court and congratulated and enveloped each other in a tight hug while congratulating each other. The sports anchor went to Jeongyeon and interviewed her for being the best player of the game. Momo figured out that she should leave—after all, Jeongyeon has already seen her and would probably not going to put bugs on her locker.

She successfully was able to exit the gym and was already walking along the university ground to the bus station when someone grabbed her arm.

“Hey, hey, where are you going?” Jeongyeon asked, frowning.

“I’m going home.”

‘I told you to wait for me.”

“I can go home by myself.”

“Why do you need to be stubborn? I’m taking you home.”

“We had a deal Yoo. I watch your game, you won’t put bugs on my locker.”

‘I invited you. The least I can do is take you home.” Momo continued to walk away and Jeongyeon hold her arm. Momo  pulled her arm and glared at her.

“This is not a date Yoo Jeongyeon.”

“Is it not?” Jeongyeon teasingly asked.

“Just go back and find your cheerleader gf.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“I bet.”

“I don’t.”

“Miss Hotshot doesn’t have a girlfriend. Wow.’

“I don’t. Because she doesn’t even want me to take her home.”

Momo stopped and looked at Jeongyeon with wide eyes.

“Stop making fun of me Yoo Jeongyeon, it’s not funny.”

“Your cheeks are red.”

“Yah! You said if I come to your game, you will stop teasing me!”

“Did I say that?”

“Argh!” Momo stomped away from Jeongyeon and the jock laughed aloud. Momo continued walking and after a few meters, she felt that Jeongyeon was not following her at all. She sulked and continued to walk when she heard a honk behind her.

“Cmon, the gate is too far away. Hop in.”

Momo didn’t reply and just continue to walk. Jeongyeon is getting impatient. She was not able to shower, she smells and feel sticky and to top that she’s hungry and this girl is not making it easy for her.

“Hirai.”

Momo stopped at the jock’s serious tone.

“What?”

“C’mon. Let’s eat I am starving!”

Momo sighed and went to the backseat but Jeongyeon didn’t drive forward.

“I thought we’re going to eat?”

“Do I look like a chauffeur to you? Sit here in front.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hirai. What will people say when they see me driving you around?”

“What will they say if they see me with you?”

Jeongyeon shrugged, The girl has a point.

“Okay, whatever. Wanna eat at Gilligan’s?”

“And hang out with your crowd? No, thank you. Just take me home Yoo.”

Jeongyeon pouted. She sighed and was ready to relent when she heard Momo’s stomach growled. She looked at the girl behind her who pretended to hear nothing.

“We’re going to eat, whether you like it or not. Name the place.”

“Uhm.. I dunno if you would want to eat there… it’s too cheap for your taste.”

“Oh.”

“You backing down Yoo?”

“I am not Captain Yoo for anything! just give me the directions.”

 

---

Jeongyeon Tried hard not to crinkle her nose. Momo took her to the riverside park where food stands lined the streets offering different kinds of street food. Momo went to a stall where there were tables and outside and Momo pulled a chair.

“Auntie! A plate of jokbal, chicken intestines and chicken feet!” An old woman nodded and acknowledge her order.

“why don’t you sit down Yoo?”

“Are you sure you’re eating here?”

“Why what’s wrong?”

“Are sure if the food is clean?”

Momo shrugged. “I’m still alive am I not? If you don’t want to eat, you are free to go. It’s not as if I force you to come here.”

Jeongyeon reluctantly sit across Momo. Being a chef, she’s not choosy with food, in fact, she often goes to other places to taste local delicacies, replicate the dish and then upgrade it to a 5-star restaurant level. Looking around the food stalls, she could see that there’s a lot of people eating out, enjoying the balmy spring night. Her stomach grumbled. She’s hungry and the different smell of meat being cooked intensifies her hunger.

“Do you come here often?”

“I do. They serve the best jokbal here.”

“Hmp. Maybe I can cook better jokbal.”

“Is that a challenge Yoo? You haven’t tasted jokbal here, their jokbals are heavenly.”

And as if on cue, Auntie brought the sizzling platter of jokbal, and chicken feet and intestines and Jeongyeon mouth watered. It smells divine, just like Momo have said. Like a little kid, Momo  dug in and heaped jokbal to .

“Are you just going to stand there? C’mon try it.”

Jeongyeon regarded Momo cautiously, but the girl ignored her and was just eating heartily.  She did what she told and tasted the food that Momo had been bragging and she almost choke—delicious is not enough to describe the food in front of her. It’s like food for the gods! She found herself easting more and they eat in silence.

Jeongyeon watched Momo animatedly eat, she ate like a child-- very messy with rice falling to the floor and some on her cheeks. It’s the first time she saw a young woman acting like this—usually girls would act demure or flirtily with her, but this is girl seems disinterested at her.

Well, I am also not interested with her, she muttered to herself.

“You saying something Yoo?”

“Ah, nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Momo looked at her like she was crazy but shrugged and continued her fingers that was with chicken feet sauce. Jeongyeon shook her head. This girl is barbaric, she thought, and got wet wipes and tried to clean Momo’s hand that was very sticky.

Momo stopped and eating and looked at Jeongyeon who just pulled her hand and tried to clean it. She always eat like this, eating with her bare hands make food more delicious, and this person is cleaning her up without any care in the world. Jeongyeon must have sensed she was staring at her so she looked at Momo too, and Momo pulled her hand in embarrassment.

“You might make my truck’s upholster sticky with your hand.”

Momo gave Jeongyeon a dirty look but she pulled a tissue from her bag and cleaned herself up. She also wiped her cheeks but Jeongeyon was looking at her cheeks. “You missed a spot.” Momo wiped harder but Jeongyeon, annoyed that she was not able to hit the spot, grabbed the tissue and wiped the spot she missed clean.

The gesture made Momo’s face red and she stood up immediately, wanting to escape the air, or lack of thereof, that seems to suffocate her. She looked at her watch, it’s already 30 minutes passed 10.

“It’s late. Well, I gotta go.”

“Let’s.” Jeongyeon stood too and gestured to her truck.

“Let’s just separate here. I don’t want to bother you.”

“Humor me Hirai. It’s not every day that I will do this.”

Oh. For some reason, Momo’s stomach lurched. Yoo is right. This is the first and last time that they will go out like this. She nodded and followed her to the truck. Jeongyeon opened the front seat for her and she reluctantly went in.

She told Jeongyeon where she lives and the jock nodded. Momo was looking outside, watching the other vehicles passing by, the light from the streetlights and headlight melancholic—as if telling her that the night is going to a close and like Cinderella, after midnight, this day will just be like a dream. Not that she dreamed of being with Jeongyeon, no. But in reality, how would a jock ask a person like to a game?

Jeongyeon broke the silence first. “Uhm, Hirai? Are you sleeping? Do you mind if we stop by somewhere first?”

Momo didn’t answer but Jeongyeon went right from the interstate and into a more secluded road. There are few houses and establishments that can be seen and Momo suddenly felt nervous. Where is Jeongyeon taking her?

“Where are we going?”

“Oh, it’s a suprise. We’ll be there in a minute.”

Momo looked at Jeongyeon’s serious face and a chill ran up her spine. Momo clutched her bag tighter, readying herself incase Yoo Jeongyeon is going to do something to her. Something bad? Momo had went over any possible thing that Jeongyeon would do to her and she all scenarios like being , killed and being thrown to the woods. Does Yoo hate that much?

“We’re here.”

Momo didn’t go out of the truck yet and Jeongyeon frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“What are you planning to do to me?”

“Do to you?!”

“Well, you brought me to a secluded place! You must have been planning something bad to me!”

Jeongyeon opened and gape at Momo? What the—

An then Jeongyeon laughed. Uncontrollably until her sides hurt. Momo scowled at the jock, confused why she was laughing at her when safety is a valid concern!

Jeongyeon stopped laughing and looked at Momo, who was scowling. “Why did you think I am going to do something to YOU?”

“You’ve been doing bad things to me since we became classmates. How am I going to trust you?”

Jeongyeon pulled the door open. “Come out for a while. I’ll show you something.”

Jeongyeon somewhere in front of the truck and when she didn’t come back after a minute, Momo grabbed her phone and thought of who to text, incase she went missing. Mina? Nope. Sana? Nayeon? Wait, these are all Jeongyeon’s friends. She scrolled and saw Tzuyu’s number.

“I’m with Yoo Jeongyeon.” When it indicated sent, Momo went down the truck and went to the direction Jeongyeon went. And then she saw something breathe taking.

Jeongyeon was standing on a deck, overlooking the city of Seoul. Lights from the cityscape were small yet bright and the honking of cars sounded so far away. When she looked above, she saw the moon in crescent, and the stars look nearer and brighter. She never had seen so many stars before, and she marveled on the sheer beauty of it. The air was cooler, being perched in a higher altitude and Momo involuntarily shivered. Jeongyeon saw it and removed her jacket to drape it on Momo.

“How about you?”

“I’ll get the blanket on the truck.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

“Well, it was along the way, and I’ve missed going here. I usually come here when there’s trouble at home and I want to clear my head.”

Before Momo could’ve asked, Jeongyeon started to return to the truck.

“I had proven it effective that when I shout all my troubles, the wind carry them away until my heart gets lighter. I will be just on the truck when you’re done.”

Momo was confused on what Jeongyeon wants her to do. But she stood the deck, just enjoying the view. The jock is right, the scenery was already calming her tense nerves and there was a slight wind picking up.

She decided to give it a try. With a loud voice she shouted “Hello!”

There was no echo, but it seems like the wind carried the sound away.

“I’m Hirai Momo!”

“Do you know me? I don’t think so! Nobody knows me! Nobody wants to be close to me because I’m ugly!”

“When you’re ugly, nobody likes to talk to you! When you’re ugly, you feel like you’re an earthworm, worthless and insignificant!”

Momo stopped and heaved. Angry tears are threatening to flow but she does not want to stop. Or cannot. Not that she can let it all out.

“I hate being ugly! I hate people laughing at me! I just want to be alone! I don’t know what I did to deserve this!”

“I hate Yoo Jeongyeon! I hate Minatozaki Sana! I hate their circle of friends!”

Jeongeyon sit up from lying on the front bed cover of her truck. Did she hear it right?

“I hate them to the point that I just want to drop out Sociology and just to graduate late!”

“I hate that her smirk is the first thing I see and I always have to brace myself on what she is going to do to me!

“I hate going to school!”

“I hate being alone here in Korea! I miss my mom! I just want to go home!”

Jeongyeon, went down her truck and ran to Momo when she heard her sob. She knows she had made fun of the girl many times, but she didn’t think it will be that deep. Other girls liked it when she gave them attention, even teasing. Now she knew how wrong she was.

“Momo, I—“

She enveloped Momo in a hug and Momo sobbed on her chest. She gently patted her on the back while apologizing.

“I’m sorry. I—people are used to my teasing. I didn’t know.”

Momo sobbed harder. She tried to endured all the embarrassment in class but sometimes,  enough is enough.

“Sometimes, I hate you so much that I want to punch you! But why? Why do you want to make me suffer like this?!”

Jeongyeon recalled that moment when Momo cut her hair because of the bubblegum and it looked uneven and she just felt guilty, she still does. She held Momo on the back of her head and hugged her closer.

“I’m sorry, I really am sorry. Please don’t cry.”

“Is it because I am ugly?! I am an easy target?”

Was it because of that? Jeongyeon doesn’t really know. Whenever she sees Momo’s annoyed face, it makes her want to more.

“It’s not that.”

“Then wae?!” Momo cried.

“I don’t know! I just want to tease you because that’s the only way for you to look at me!”

Momo froze. She slowly looked up at Jeongyeon’s face, and the jock was looking at the sky, unable to meet her eyes. Though her arm was still holding Momo by the waist, preventing her to step back.

“I dunno why but when I tease you and you look annoyed, my heart feels happy... happy because you spared me a moment when you just want to be alone.”

Momo’s eyebrows furrowed. “I-- I don’t understand, Yoo.”

“I don’t understand it either…”

“I am not a toy, Yoo Jeongyeon. I have feelings. I am not just a game that you play when you’re bored! Can’t you just let me be in peace?!”

Jeongyeon looked down on the girl who she was still holding. Cheeks wet with tears, she removed the girl’s glasses and dried it with the blanket she was holding. Momo just stood there unmoving, just letting Jeongyeon to dry her tears while looking at the taller girl. Jeongyeon smiled sadly. She knows that Momo is right and that she should stop bothering her. She took a deep breath and sighed.

“I will keep my end of the bargain. Tomorrow, I promise that I will not tease you, nor bother you.”

Momo should be relieved. She knows she should. Tomorrow, she would be free. Free to study in peace. She will not be paranoid anymore that something will happen to her. But why does her heart feels heavy? She just nodded and smiled at Jeongyeon who was not looking at her anymore but looking far away, lost in thought.

Momo took a step back and walked back to the truck. “Do you need more time Yoo?”

Jeongyeon nodded and Momo left her alone. After a few minutes, Jeongyeon came and sat at the driver’s seat and the engine.

The drive home was quiet, both lost in thought, and when they reached Momo’s dorm, Jeonyeon didn’t bother to go out of the pick-up.

“This is it then.”

“Hmmm.”

“Thank you for driving me home.”

Jeongyeon just nodded.

“Drive safely.”

Jeongyeon looked at Momo, wanting to say something but decided against it. She put the pick up in reverse and then, she’s gone. 

Momo sighed and before she could turn the knob of the dorm, it flew open, revealing Tzuyu on her Pajamas.

“You scared me, Tzu.”

“So you came back in one piece.”

“Yeah.”

“Yoo Jeongyeon didn’t do anything to you?”

“Nope.”

“Shame.” Then Tzuyu when back to her room.

“Yah! What do you mean by that?!”