Prince is playing in the background and Jinsoul couldn’t be more miserable. Purple Rain was probably her favorite movie, she had cried at the theater and bought it on VHS and for three months straight she watched every night, wanting a romance not quite that messy, but still just as poetic.

She digresses, the reason Jinsoul is miserable is because she can’t hear the damn song when she’s right next to the radio. Her friends are yelling over the board, in an argument of what they should do with a lost village boy. Yes, Dungeons and Dragons is fun until someone is an . Jinsoul stares at the in question, Haseul is across the board from her, the party’s white mage. 

“I think we should take him back!”

Xiaojun groans, “oh shut up! It’s clearly a trap.” Jinsoul groans and scoots closer to the radio and puts her ear to it. Humming at the song playing while her weirdo friends went at it. The left corner was Xiaojun (the ), the right was Haseul(the saint). Across from Jinsoul was Hye-Lin, the one that was only contributing to the argument with a goofy laugh. The game master was Hyun-min, Jinsoul laughed at him when he rubs his face harshly, getting tired of the two bickering over nonsense. 

Xiaojun gives up, “fine let’s help him.” Hyun-min lifts his face from his hands and looks between the two with disbelief. 

The boy clears his throat and adjusts his sweater, “you help the boy back to his village but he tells you that there’s a quicker way through the woods.” Jinsoul scoots back to the table and listens to Hyun-min mumble out the game, Hye-lin is almost asleep and Haseul, and Xiaojun are sharing death glares.

“He leads you into a pack of bandits.” Hyun-min says with a point. 

All four of them groan and stare at Haseul, of course Xiaojun mutters under his breath, “of ing course we had to go with miss know it all. Awe let’s help this fat little kid! No look where we are you considerant .” 

Haseul points at him, “you agreed!”

“Because you wouldn’t shut the up!”

Hye-lin is cracking her up and Jinsoul looks at her friend, “what happens next?” Hyun-min is glad for the divergence and smiles.

Hiding behind his rule book he whispers, “the boy evilly laughs and attacks the monk.”

Jinsoul rolls her eyes, of course she’s attacked. Rolling her dice she gets a thirteen, “I use a swift kick and gain 1 hp and deal 14 damage to the evil boy.”

“You miss.”

The blonde freezes and stares at the dice, “I do what?”

“You missed.” Hyun-min tells her matter of factly and looks towards Xiaojun, who was next.

But Jinsoul waves her hands in disbelief, “woah woah woah I rolled a thirteen.”

Hyun-min doesn’t glance at her, he just smiles with a bit of frustration wanting the game to start flowing. “Thirteen is a miss.”

Slamming her fist down on the table she makes the dice pieces rumble, “listen you , I rolled a thirteen earlier and landed a critical you can’t change the rules!” Her voice doesn’t raise but it does grit, finally making her friend look at her with mischief in his eyes.

Hyun-min throws his head back and laughs, “oh but I can! Because I’m the game master.” Hell breaks loose when Jinsoul flips the board on Hye-lin’s face. Standing up to tackle Hyun-min. Haseul and Xiaojun start to argue again as the other two cats fight. Hye-lin only fights to get the board off of her.

The door to the basement opens and they all stop to look up, Jinsoul, who is on top of Hyun-min with his collar clenched in her fist, lets her jaw go slack. The blonde quickly scrambles off the boy and sits with perfect posture. Smiling like the good girl she is, she waits for the literal angel to come down. 

Or she should say angels.

Xiaojun had two sisters. One that was in college like her and the other a bit older, helping with the family business. There was Vivi, the younger, and Fei the one who wore pant suits all the time much to Jinsoul’s approval. 

She was obsessed with the two girls.

Only because they had an amazing sense of fashion. Nothing else...like their doe eyes or breathtaking smiles. Or seductive struts or…

Jinsoul gulps, just their sense of style was adequate.

Coming down the stairs Jinsoul takes a deep breath when she sees it’s Fei. Her white collared shirt untucked from her pin-striped pants, her tie loosely hanging off her neck. A heat rushes to the blonde’s cheeks. That is such a look. How her fashion is so effortless .

The woman smiles and winks, making Jinsoul’s head fizzle into static just like the radio that had fallen during the mix. “Hey nerds, dinner is ready.”

They all race up the stairs like a bunch of pre-teens that still got scared of horror movies. But really they acted like kids with how they all bickered and played fantasy games in a basement. Jinsoul bounces into the kitchen and pushes her glasses back up on her nose, Vivi is at the stove, piling noodles onto plates for everyone. 

Jinsoul shyly sneaks up to her, “thank you Vivi,” she mumbles out and appreciates the gesture the older girl gives her. A soft smile and a shake of her head. 

“You don’t have to thank me baby, just eat lots okay?” Jinsoul swoons at the cushioned voice and grabs her plate.

The Wang sisters were literal perfection, goddesses. Xiaojun, the baby, however was a demon straight from hell. Jinsoul snorts with a mouthful of noodles as Fei tugs on the boy’s ear for having no table manners. 

He screams and it reminds Jinsoul of her younger sister Chaewon. After plenty of full bellies Xiaojun brings it up, “sooo who’s hitting the party tomorrow?”

Vivi raises a brow while picking up empty plates, “a party?”

Xiaojun rolls his eyes, “yes a party nosy , not the kind you go to.” The older girl slaps him on the back of the head, since he damn well knows Vivi can party like nobody's business. He rubs at the assaulted spot before continuing, “I heard it was gonna be cray-zzzz.” 

Hyun-min blinks for a second, “think I’m gonna catch up on calculus bro.” The boy stands up and bows at the sisters before grabbing his coat to hea out. 

Haseul and Hye-lin stare at each other before the latter one speaks with a tinge of guilt, “we were planning on seeing fright night.”

“Booo my god, is anyone not a loser here?”

Jinsoul keeps her silence, until Xiaojun’s eyes zone in, “Soul! My bestest and most beautiful friend! You know the party wouldn’t be a banger without you!” The other two girls in the room glare at Xiaojun before packing up their bags and leaving, right after thanking Vivi for dinner.

The girl looks to both of her sides, before shrugging her shoulders, “I don’t know Jun, I have this big assignment due and I kinda just wanna chill.” The boy whines and skips his way over to her seat, throwing his arms around her chest from behind.

Jinsoul cringes as he screams into her ear, “SOUL! PLEASE WE EVEN WENT AND GOT YOU THOSE RED HIGH WAISTED PANTS YOU WANTED!” Shaking her head no he starts to shove his face into her own, making their cheeks squish against each other.

“Please please for once in your life don’t be a lameass! Go with me to this party I swear we’ll have so much fun!” Xiaojun hugs her close and keeps blabbering, “all eyes on you I can see it now! Forget about that stupid assignment and shake some booty!” 

Pushing the boy off she stares at him, “no.”

“You will if you love me.”

Groaning Jinsoul keeps him at bay when he starts squealing on and on about how fun it was going to be and how she might meet a cute boy. Pointing in his face she tells him sternly, “I’m only going to test out my new outfit.”

Not because of anything else, cute boys were off her mind. Ever since Yves and how strange it is how the mystery man’s features get more and more feminine each time. Jinsoul only needed to focus on herself...not anyone else. So the only reason she was going to this party was to show off her new red pants.

Not to get Yves off her mind.

~~~~

Did Jinsoul mention that she only came to this party to get Yves off her mind? Yes, well she may have been lying to herself. Because the entire time she’s been sitting in the corner sipping on an entirely too strong of a drink thinking of only Yves. How they might be at the arcade right now, beating her high score once again. But Jinsoul hasn’t been a few days. Actually a whole week.

She wonders if the other player has even noticed. 

Taking a longer sip she coughs as the alcohol burns , yes she might have thought she got over her little fictional rival with some ghost at the arcade. But ever since Yoojung and Xiaojun had pulled her from the game telling her she has an obsession, the actual obsession has gotten worse. So she’s drowned herself in literature, t.v and school the following week to just get her mind off Q*bert and the master of the game that wasn’t her.

Jinsoul keeps making scenarios in her head of how she’ll meet Yves, or if she’ll ever meet them at all. Taking another sip she decides to drown the rest of it. Maybe Yves is at this party right now...Jinsoul shakes her head, no Yves would probably be too lame to be invited to a party like this. But then again, this party was lame as hell.

The blonde is starting to realize that no matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to drown the thoughts of a perfect yet non-existent smile. 

Heading to the kitchen she searches for an even stronger drink. Her friends were right, this was consuming her. It was just a game. Just a stupid game that a certain someone was very good at. Taking a swig, she nods her head to herself, she was good too, but it hasn’t been so fun lately since she’s so scared to see that name above hers again.

Jinsoul slams the bottle down so hard it cracks the glass. This is how it often went, her fantasizing about what Yves looks like and how they are. Then the realization of how obsessed she is. Then finally the rage, of what it’s like to be beaten at your favorite game. Jinsoul is pissed that someone is better than her.

If there was two things she was good at it was Q*bert and fashion.

Oh and breaking boys hearts.

But she didn’t really care about them for some reason. 

When she meets Yves...oh the revenge she has planned out. “Hey whatcha thinking about?” How to get away with murder. It’s Xiaojun and he widens his eyes at the strange look Jinsoul gives him.

“Just how lame this party is.” Jinsoul answers instead.

The boy spits out his drink into his red solo before turning towards her, “oh please it’s jumping!” Jinsoul raises one brow quesitonally, “okay yeah it whatever you were right! But it beats staying home and laying in bed crying to sixteen candles being a total ing loser.” Jinsoul rolls her eyes and pours herself another drink.

Drowning it in one go she starts to feel the fuzziness and warmth. Her head is getting a little dizzy, “every in here has on red pants.”

“Yeah, that blows.”

Jinsoul thinks she may leave, having the sudden urge to go play Q*bert. Giving the cracked bottle to Xiaojun she kisses him on the cheek, “it was fun while it lasted babes, but I’m out. I think I’m gonna be a total loser and go watch flashdance or something.” The boy doesn’t protest this time and lets her go with a quick hug. As soon as she starts to walk off he turns and lets out a cheery scream, already getting back to the sheniganines.

Passing by Yoojung and Doyeon she waves and stumbles her step, woah maybe she was a bit tipsy. The two were standing close to each other, very close. The same as those bad dudes and pretty girls that were definitely banging during the after party. Doyeon is leaning against the wall looking down at Yoojung with hazy eyes...what Jinsoul would describe as love. Yoojung snuggles a drink in her hand while Doyeon keeps her hands in her aviator coat pockets. 

But still everything about it was intimate, almost like it wasn’t supposed to be seen by any of the party goers.

Maybe it’s the way Yoojung shyly looks away and how Doyeon brings her eyes back to hers by grasping her chin gently and pulling her closer. Jinsoul sighs at how romanticly cheesy it is and blurts out, “be sure to use a !”

They didn’t even notice she was there until she spoke and back away from each other as if they were caught doing something. Jinsoul sways a bit shaking her hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not a home-a-phone or anything.” They look at her confused, before realizing what she was really saying. “I think you guys are soooo cute together! Really, I would totally-.”

Yoojung forces a hand over Jinsoul’s unfiltered mouth, when she was drunk it was even worse. Yoojung spits out through her lips, “shut up Jinsoul.” 

The blonde tugs the offensive hand away and scoffs, “what’s wrong? Don’t want people to know that Doyeon cracks your back like a glowstick every single night?” Yoojung turns blood red and pulls Jinsoul close to the wall, people were starting to stare and Doyeon nervously clenches her jaw and runs a hand through her hair. When Jinsoul is slammed against the wall she giggles out, “how long have you two been dating? Or y’all just buddies?” 

Yoojung starts to whisper shout, “there’s nothing going on between me and Doyeon, so shut the up Jinsoul. We are nothing more than roommates. That’s just your erted fantasy.” Jinsoul’s mouth goes slack but she laughs it off anyways. But her mind sticks to the word fantasy.

“God you’re so cute when you’re mad!”

Doyeon disappears in the midst of the argument. Sometime after Yoojung gritted out we are nothing more than roommates from between her teeth. Jinsoul is still laughing, not paying attention to all the states and attention she’s bringing. She doesn’t quite understand, “seriously I don’t know why you guys try to hide it. It’s so obvious you two are in love.” Yoojung closes her eyes and brings her head down low.

Jinsoul will regret this tomorrow, but she has to release this tension in somehow that’s been built up like sticky gunk from thinking about Yves so much it’s clogging up all her brain gears. She’s said some stupid tonight but the dumbest is what she says next, “what are you so afraid of?” 

Yoojung looked up, now the whole party was glancing over at them. “You wouldn’t know would you? Since all you know how to do is to cover it up with a new boyfriend every week.” Jinsoul definitley doesn’t know what that means...at all. Yoojung shakes her head and smiles, knowing her friend doesn’t mean no harm, “I’ll see you tomorrow Soul, get home safe.”

The smaller girl makes her way out of the party, and is stopped by a few basketball players. One of them smiles sleazily, “you wanna teach us how to scissor Choi? Or do you want us to ask your girlfriend.”

Yoojung scoffs and pushes past them, ignoring the mocking laughs that follow her. It could be worse, she can handle childish remarks like that. It was just when it got violent, that’s what she was afraid of. When she had rush Doyeon to the hospital because of a broken jaw. 

Jinsoul pouts that her friend left her all alone, but of course her absence brings someone to the now empty spots beside her. Unwanted company, Jinsoul doesn’t let her annoyance go unknown. “Now what! For the last time I do not want to see your stupid collection of lava lamps Kai!” The soccer player smiles wide and puts a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended by Jinsoul’s rudeness.

“Well, excuseee me, maybe I just wanted to say hello?” Jinsoul giggles and turns to the boy. Kai was pretty, they’ve fooled around before. He was the one that never gave her a hard time for being emotionally unavailable. He understood her and that’s why Jinsoul kept him around. He never expected love from her.

Because Jinsoul would never be able to give it. 

Jinsoul rolls her eyes and messes with the collar of his ed shirt, “go ahead, try me I’m pretty drunk right now so it might work.”

Kai raises a brow, “you actually want me to hit on you? This is a first Jung Jinsoul.” The blonde groans and grabs onto his collar shaking him back and forth, he only laughs and keeps his drink up to prevent it from spilling, “usually all I have to say is Hi to get slapped.” 

Stepping forward she tickles the boy’s chest, seductively smiling up at him with glossy eyes. Kai breathes deeply as the finger traces down and starts to more, “god you’re so boring.” Jinsoul rasps out and leans forward to bring her lips close, “be interesting for once.” 

Kai his lips, “Minho may be my big bro.” He says lowly and grips Jinsoul’s . The blonde rolls her eyes but presses herself closer anyways, nothing about this was hot. “But I’m the bigger one.” Jinsoul blinks, yeah she was still bored but still leans toward to press her lips against Kai’s. 

Kissing Kai roughly she lets the kiss last for a few seconds before pushing him away. “First, you’re wrong big don’t make it better stupid .” Kai blinks surprised at Jinsoul’s confession. “If you don’t know how to use your little weenie then there’s no point at all.” He even frowns this time, not because of the low jab, but because of Jinsoul’s expression. “Men ain’t .” Jinsoul sighs, wow she was super bored now and she felt a bit gross.

“Also you need to brush your ing teeth. I could taste what you had for dinner last night.” Jinsoul gags and starts to walk away. From the lame party and from the empty, unsatisfying deep pit left in her stomach. 

Kai yells at her one last time, “where’s Xiaojun?” 

Jinsoul points at the kitchen, “where he always is!” Oh, did Jinsoul mention that Kai s her best friend too? Xiaojun was obsessed, maybe it was because he actually liked boys.  

At least someone was getting laid tonight, Jinsoul tells herself as she walks down the streets, stumbling and wobbling between the pavements. She almost trips and a man gives her a funny glance, Jinsoul stomps her heels into the concrete, “don’t be ing looking at me dude!” He stares at the ground instead, avoiding the raging blonde.

Jinsoul huffs and starts to walk again, she hates the attention even though she always tried her hardest to be noticed. Because even if she hates attention, she hated being ignored so much more.

Rolling up to the arcade she smiles and hops around excitedly making her heels click on the pavement, holding her arms in the air she skips inside. Squealing like a schoolgirl she spins on the red carpet as she struts inside, walking like she had a fat . The dweebs all roll their eyes, hating how the ditzy blonde is the best player in the whole arcade. Jinsoul was once the best, but now, it was whoever the hell Yves was.

That name appeared on top of all the games inside. The dweebs knock elbows, because they realize the situation, previously before the blonde had come in wooing and cheering like she had won the lottery or that she was on something , they had been watching the master. The master who was currently popping gum and sitting comfortably on her stool. 

They all fall back to their own games, and turn their backs and hold their ears for what’s about to come. It won’t be pretty. Jung Jinsoul will not lose her legacy without a fight. Jinsoul strolls up the game, giddiness eating her alive as she comes close. She hasn’t played in a whole week, hugging it from the side she kisses it’s metal, too drunk to care about the germs. “I missed you so much baby.” Jinsoul groans out to it and gives it a little pat on its back side. Her friends thought it was strange she called this hunk of metal her baby, but nothing brought her joy like it did. 

Giving it another kiss she speaks dirty to it, “you want me to play you now? Bet you missed me pushing all ya buttons huh?” Jinsoul giggles at how weird she sounds and stumbles over to the front. She goes to play but realizes there’s a barrier preventing her from doing so. 

Oh, someone else was playing it. 

Jinsoul stands motionlessly beside the game and stares at the the profile of something eternal. She’s never been so quiet in her life as she watches, not being able to move from her spot, like her heels were glued to the ground and her brain frozen like ice. 

Oh, it’s a woman playing. 

The arcade is kinda dark, so the only light that is provided is from the dull yet bright screen of the game. The woman’s jaw moves up and down, side to side as she chews on some sort of candy. Jinsoul realizes it’s gum when it balloons out of the woman’s perfectly pink and plump lips, before being back in to be chewed. Jinsoul is mesmerized by the motion, she’s entranced on how the primary colors reflect on the woman’s flawless skin. She’s being in like she is when she’s playing the game.

The woman doesn’t even glance to her side, no matter how close Jinsoul is getting close to her. She keeps playing the game and Jinsoul gets hypnotized by how effortlessly she presses on the button and steers the stick. Everything is so effortless, how poised the woman is, how she doesn’t make mistakes no matter how lazily she plays. Jinsoul is close enough now she can count the woman’s long eyelashes, and point out the tiny mole on the woman’s high cheekbones. Eyes never waver over to her however, and Jinsoul hates it. How much she’s being ignored. 

Jinsoul in a breathe when she realizes, this must be a fantasy of mine.  

Because this is close to what I imagined Yves to be like. 

She’s stupid wasted though, so Jinsoul rubs her eyes trying to break the mirage. This was probably just some dweeb playing but her mind was playing tricks on her. No way could a woman that beautiful be playing a game like Q*bert. She thinks to herself, that this entire time she’s wanted Yves to be a woman, that she wanted her to be this chic city girl with a cold attitude, one that contrasted her fire. 

Her fantasy can’t be real though, because in what world would a girl that cool be in an arcade on a saturday night. Jinsoul wasn’t an exception, no matter how much she kept up with the trends and broke boys hearts. She was a loser. 

Jinsoul opens her eyes again, and the woman is still there, but clearer. Red looks so good on her skin, Jinsoul thinks. And that she makes coke bottle glasses look fashionable. Jinsoul looks her up and down, her back doesn’t even hunch, her body is posed elegantly and the only noise is from the smack of the bubble gum. This woman was like a repeated image, the only difference being is when she blows a bubble. 

While playing, she never panics Jinsoul notices, her fingers work in a rhythm, her brain must be a computer to play like that. Her expression never changes either, the same blank face, only illuminated by the bright lights.

Jinsoul finally gets out of her drunken daze and clears , except it’s more of a burp, “uurrp, ugh ...um excuse me miss could you like, lose or whatever so I can play?” Jinsoul pounds into her chest to get more burps out, she wants to face palm for how rude she was being, but she was too drunk to care. However, the woman doesn’t glance at her still, keeping her eyes on the screen. It makes Jinsoul unapologetic for her actions.

The blonde stumbles around and doesn’t catch the grimace on the woman’s face. The mystery woman has been watching the drunken idiot from the corner of her eye the whole time, she had even snorted when she watched the blonde kiss and call the game her baby. 

“Kay.” Jinsoul mumbles out when the woman doesn’t move. She decides she’ll scream right in the woman’s ear, her very cute ears. That’ll get her attention “Helloooo are you deaf or just ing dumb! I said move so I can play!” The woman moves slightly to the side but doesn’t look at Jinsoul. The blonde starts to get irritated and stands back up, crossing her arms over her chest, “listen, if you don’t get your up in the next five seconds-.”

“Or what?” Jinsoul loses her breath and train of thought when the woman glances at her for a split second. Her eyes were dangerous, narrow and black. Jinsoul could feel the pressure weighing in on her chest. She wants those eyes on her again. She didn’t get a good look at them the first time.

So Jinsoul does what she does best, and continues to provoke the woman. “Thank god, for a second there I thought you were some emotionless robot. But you’re not! So get the up.” Jinsoul spits the words directly into the woman’s face, but the woman doesn’t even flinch, nor does she return Jinsoul’s glare. 

It’s silent for a few seconds, the woman still chewing on her gum. Until it stops, “and for a second I didn’t think you were such an insufferable and annoying but here we are.” The chewing resumes, as Jinsoul’s blood raises in temperature. She can’t focus on how smooth and deep the woman’s voice is. Like one of those jazz singers who could sing a mean vibrato. A voice like that could make a girl dream, but Jinsoul isn’t dreaming of how that voice would call her baby, she’s dreaming of how she’d make it scream out in pain.

No one can talk to her like that without getting the repercussions.

The woman sighs and makes Q*bert jump off the platform. Jinsoul holds her jaw open, how disrepectful it was to suicide a game like that. You never, never suicide a game. No matter how tired you are, you play until you lose. Not until you feel like losing. Jinsoul watches with a clenched jaw and fists, and her eyes widen in horror as the woman types out the name that’s been haunting her for weeks.

Y.“OH.”

V.“MY.”

E.“ING.”

S.“GOD!”

The woman stands and cracks her neck and fingers, “there you big baby. Play you’re stupid little game.” Okay so it wasn’t the way Jinsoul wanted to be called baby by that voice, but it still sent chills down her spine. There’s a lot of thoughts going through her mind right now, how she literally just met her arch nemesis and she’s everything she’s ever dream of and hated at the same time.

How she just suicided the game.

How she called Q*bert, her baby, a stupid little game.

Yves puts her bomber jacket on and starts to walk out of the arcade. Jinsoul is still leaning on the game, the stool was gone in the blink of an eye too. Just how fast did this woman move? “Woah, wait a damn minute! I’m not done with you!” She chases after Yves and jumps in front of her at the entrance of the arcade, Jinsoul stands as tall as she can but heavily gulps realizing Yves still towers over her. Yves looks off into the distance refusing to look Jinsoul in the eyes.

The woman rolls her eyes and walks past Jinsoul. The blonde starts to follow her down the street, practically barking at her, “do you know how many weeks I’ve busted my to beat your highscore? To beat a high score of someone who suicides the game like that! Do you know what the you’re even doing?”

Yves ignores Jinsoul, smiling and nodding at people as they give her and the blonde scared looks as they walk bye. The woman keeps chewing on her gum, flashing her teeth whenever someone makes contact with her. “First of all I’m not a baby, second of all Q*bert is not a stupid game, it is the greatest game of all time you inbecile.” Yves snorts at that one, no way was that cheesy game the best. But she keeps shut, hoping the angry blonde will leave her alone at some point the longer she ignores her.

But the longer the woman ignores Jinsoul, the angier she gets. She hates being ignored. Yves doesn’t look at her, doesn’t even acknowledge her existence. “I’m Jindori. I’m the only that’s been beating you and that’s for a reason.” Yves sticks her hands into the pockets of her coat. Still drowning out Jinsoul’s annoying voice, she knew that the girl was probably Jindori by the way she acted when she saw her gamer tag. 

What she didn’t know was that it would be an annoying brat with bleached hair and expensive clothes from the mall. Probably only a couple years younger than her but with the maturity and vocal range of a child. Jinsoul looked like a barbie doll, she was drop dead gorgeous, so pretty it made Yves’ hands sweat the tiniest bit in her pockets. But she acted like a troll. 

Jinsoul follows Yves down to the subway, still yapping on, “I thought I could respect you ya know? Maybe we could have been a team but noooo I would never I mean EVER want to work or play with the likes of someone like you.” Yves hops over the toll bars effortlessly and keeps walking with that bouncy step. Jinsoul stares at the bars, and thinks, is this worth breaking the law for?

Yes. 

She tries to do it the same as Yves, with swagger and coolness, but she spins on the railings and face plants onto the floor getting the attention of a security guard. He screams and Jinsoul starts to run away, picking up her heels that had fallen off. Rushing to the train she spots Yves, yelling out she throws one of her heels that smack into the woman’s back, “YOU ING YOU CAN’T RUN FROM ME!” Yves turns and watches with horror as Jinsoul slips in an arm into the subway door, getting it caught in between.

Yves throws her head back and groans, “why me?” Looking back down she could either get rid of the problem and just push the girl out and have a peaceful trip home. Or she could pull her in and be a nice person, by letting the girl take her frustrations out on her by berating her the entire trip.

The woman sighs, maybe the blonde was just having a bad day. Maybe she needed to take this train home. Yves cracks open the door some and pulls her in shutting it back quickly before security comes, Jinsoul instantly starts to blabber, “WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?” The train starts it’s transit and it shakes the car a bit, making the drunkard stumble a bit. 

Jinsoul almost falls backwards, but Yves grabs her waist and creates leverage by leaning onto the door. Jinsoul hits the door with a thump, huffing out the air knocked from her lungs, clinging to the worn out bomber jacket. Jinsoul opens her eyes, surprised that she didn’t fall to her by forgetting how shaky subway trains are and stares down at the hand gripping her waist. Letting go of the fabric of the jacket she pushes Yves away, “let go of me you weirdo I didn’t say you could touch me.” 

The train shakes again and Yves stumbles forward, her hands shooting out to catch her fall by slamming them into the wall, trapping Jinsoul in between her arms. The blonde becomes one with the vibrating wall since Yves is almost pressing against her, it makes her heart oddly race. Because if she stares straight ahead she can see the curves of the woman’s throat, and how it bobbles up and down when she lets a hot breath of air out right against Yves’ neck. 

Jinsoul’s eyes narrow at the site, she calms down in the slightest. The woman's fragrance was sweet and it relaxed Jinsoul and took away her migraine that was forming. Her eyes travel upwards, to a perfectly angled jawline, Jinsoul her lips once she realizes how tan the woman is. The further she goes up, the more addicting and endearing the features get. Thick and soft lips, parted for some reason, Jinsoul can see the piece of gum hanging loosely between the woman’s teeth. She wonders what flavor it is.

Further up she discovers cute, round cheeks, complimented by a wide but flattened nose. Jinsoul dares to look up even more, their eyes lock. 

And someone throws away the key.

The stare is a blow to the brain, with all the charge and electricity like rubbing socks onto the carpet on a particular dry day. The world around them tumbled into stillness and suddenly the train didn't shake anymore. It’s just their hearts that are moving, weirdly in a rhythm that neither of them knew was in sync.

Jinsoul hopes her intake of oxygen isn’t as audible as her brain makes it out to be. She hopes it isn’t noticeable of how taken back she is by staring into those eyes. Their black, just like hers and she can see the reflection of herself in them. They’re a bit larger than natural due to the glasses magnification. But that only makes the woman’s whole look adorable. Like she really was the dweeb Jinsoul had expected at first. But Jinsoul’s never met a dweeb this easy on the eyes.

Yves gets closer to her and Jinsoul blinks and shatters the enchantment, looking all around, already memorizing the feeling of them sharing a look of lovers or enemies, Yves must feel the break of separation as well. But doesn’t look away, still staring into Jinsoul’s soul as the blonde tries to place her eyes somewhere less intimate. 

Jinsoul finds the key again and unlocks the box they were placed in, “stop staring at me freak.” Yves breaks out of the daze jumping out of the box she shared with Jinsoul, letting out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

For a moment it was like they had forgotten about the previous interactions. Jinsoul mind had blanked and her irritation hadn’t burned in her body, Yves had forgotten that the girl had hated her in the first place. Their minds that had a constant mutter of thoughts had been cut off into a silent buzz. 

The proximity was uncomfortable, but Jinsoul had the weirdest urge to pull Yves closer. 

Yves raises up, continues her chewing and goes to sit on one of the yellow subway chairs. Pulling out her Walkman and cassette from her pockets, Jinsoul grabs one of the poles and watches the woman closely, how she was already being blurred out again, like she was just another stranger on the train.

The woman slips in a Prince cassette and Jinsoul’s frown forms into a smile, quick wiping it off with her grimy hand once she remembers this is her enemy. Not her friend of any sort. Jinsoul starts to make her way back over to the woman before swaying back and forth, Yves reaches out and despite being lit up by Jinsoul the entire time politely asks, “do you need some help?”

Jinsoul shakes the hand that’s on her elbow off, “unhand me lady!” Yves only raises an eyebrow, her finger on the play button waiting until Jinsoul was settled to start her music. Jinsoul tries to balance herself by holding out her arms, being drunk and in heels on a ty subway was not the greatest idea she’s had. 

She gives up and grabs onto Yves’ still outstretched arm and swings herself into the yellow spot one seat away from the woman’s and groans with relief. Exhaustion burns through her joints and the world stops spinning for a second. Jinsoul tries to bring herself down, back to a functioning human being by taking slow labored breaths. She hears music to her right and side glances over at the source.

Yves has her head leaned back against the window, her lightly curled hair bouncing with the shake of the train. Her jaw is still moving in the circular motion. Jinsoul wants to be as relaxed as the woman, how her eyes are closed so peaceful. But she can’t relax because the woman’s satisfied smirk is making her blood pressure increase.

Jinsoul hates Yves’, she hates how calm she is. 

Leaning over she lifts the side of the headphones up, “stop ignoring me , I still want an apology.” Snapping them back down, Yves doesn’t even flinch. She only opens one eye to look at Jinsoul’s scrunched up and pouty expression before closing it again.

Jinsoul crosses her arms and goes leans back into her seat, starting to drunkenly ramble, “ugh you’re just like I imagined,” you’re everything I imagined and more. “You’re a ing jerk you know? I didn’t think you’d be that bad of one though, I thought I was just letting the game get to my head.” Malicious thoughts become more honest and Yves turns the volume of her music down. 

“Just maybe, maybe if the world wasn’t so unrealistic and cruel to me, maybe you would be good at video games because you loved playing them, not because you just wanted to ruin some poor girl’s day.” 

The blonde sighs, “but someone who would lose the game on purpose and call it stupid, definitely has no passion for it. I have no idea why you even play.” Yves slips her headphones off, the answer on the tip of her tongue, because I want to find the passion for it again.  

And I started finding it again when I saw your name. 

“I dreamed of meeting you, and how I would probably strangle you or something for being better than me.” Jinsoul grumbles out with a stomp of her heel, “but then I would change my mind because you actually like playing the game and not destroying the score board.” 

She looks over at Yves and is only slightly surprised to see the woman staring straight at her with her headphones hanging off her neck. “But you haven’t changed my mind.” Jinsoul points in the woman’s face, “and I refuse to lose to someone who doesn’t care. That doesn’t care about the game or the competition.” It’s not just about Q*bert now, nor the highscore, the rivalry has been carved deeper now. 

“You’re just like those dweebs in there, obsessed with power.” 

Yves’ wants to prove her wrong, wants to tell the now borderline depressed blonde that she does care. But doesn’t move and her voice doesn’t fill the silence. The woman’s nails only dig into her acid wash jeans. 

“I’m so sick of being right, for once in my life I wish it was different.” For some reason, Yves doesn’t think the blonde is talking about the game anymore. It’s her assumptions of the mysterious player.

Yves’ assumptions were all scrambled like eggs. She never expected a girl, especially a girl like this to be behind the name she’s been chasing after. 

Jinsoul leans over and narrows her eyes, “you met my expectations, in the worst way possible.” She’s hated the woman from the start, and now she just has the evidence to support her cause. Jinsoul didn’t know what she wanted Yves to be like. But she does know what she expected her to be like. Just like this, like the villain she had painted her out to be from the beginning.

But the woman replies and it makes Jinsoul’s head spin, “and you’ve exceeded mine, in the best way possible.” The blonde doesn’t know what it is about the softly spoken reply. But it makes her resolve crumble. The case she’s been building against this woman becomes mistrial. She has to go back to the evidence. Maybe she’s not so much of a villain after all, maybe she’s just misunderstood by the effects of the alcohol in Jinsoul’s system.

The blonde sorts through the files of memories she’s already stored of this woman. Her sharp insults, . Yves has just about ignored everything she’s said, . The disrespect she has shown through and through, she may be effortless, it’s not because she’s just so cool she can flow through life without a problem, it’s because she doesn’t care about anything. . 

Yup, this woman was still the bane of her existence. The muttered words didn’t change her verdict.

Jinsoul changes the case however, Yves is not an . She’s a lost cause. Jinsoul’s over it, her whole dream of this perfect rival has been shattered because Yves’ poor skills when it comes to effort. Her alluring aura doesn’t come from being so good at what she does, not because she’s reserved and professional. No it’s a sloppy kind of effortless, where she doesn’t care...or even tries to care.

A man sits between them, and Jinsoul’s never been so thankful. She’s so disappointed that she wants to cry.

The train ride is long and quiet. It’s a cool down for Jinsoul, realizing she knew what she’s wanted all along. It was Yves. But not like this. She wanted to be proven wrong once in her life.

Yves slowly gets up from her seat without even glancing in Jinsoul’s direction. The blonde wants to turn her head and do the same but she can’t help it. She’s still obsessed, she hasn’t got all her fight out.

So she follows the woman out. 

On the street they walk side by side. Jinsoul doesn’t have her bark or bite anymore since the alcohol that was fueling it has run dry. So instead she just glared at Yves, who’s bounce in her step has become less energized. 

“You’re still an .”

“Right, and you’re still following me.” Yves rolls her eyes and Jinsoul focuses on how the streetlights highlights the woman’s face. 

“Because you haven’t apologized to me.”

Yves stops and it takes a second for Jinsoul to slow down. Her heels were like little turbo boosters trying to match Yves, who had sneakers on and dangerously long legs.

The woman tilts her head, “and what exactly do I have to apologize for?” 

Jinsoul opens to start going through the list built in her head but Yves beats her to it by running through her own, “because if anyone should be apologizing it should be you.”

The blonde gulps, because usually when someone is mad their voice raises. But Yves keeps the same volume, only gaining an icy undertone that has Jinsoul shivering. “You’ve been nothing but a to me, harassing me and basically ing stalking me the entire night and for what! Because I was playing the game that I’m clearly better at than you?” Yves finishes with a draw of her voice. “You know why I called Q*bert stupid?” 

Jinsoul shakes her head no and Yves steps closer, her height becoming an intimidation tool once again, “because it’s the only game es like you know how to play.” Her jaw goes slack, wow yeah total . “And you should apologize for that wack fit. You look like  stop sign even though you don’t know how to stop ing talking.” Okay maybe she’s more than an that was just plain rude. 

Yves stomps towards the street. Hailing down a cab, Jinsoul looks wearily at all the street lights. She’s bitten off more than she can chew. 

A cab rolls to the stop and Yves opens the door, “I’m sorry that I wasn’t the person you were dreaming off. I can’t do anything about that.” Jinsoul doesn’t look her way, she can’t. “That I met your expectations in the worst way possible.” The woman stands there holding the door open for Jinsoul, the polite action contrasting the fire pouring through her teeth.

“I don’t have any money.” Jinsoul tells her shyly. Embarrassed that she was being treated like this and letting it happen. 

Yves doesn’t say anything, wordlessly pulling out her wallet to give the driver a twenty. “I looked forward to meeting you. But now I wish I never met you at all.”

Jinsoul stumbles towards the cab car, giving one last long glance to Yves. 

She swallows her pride. “I’m sorry I bothered you. I won’t anymore and you don’t have to worry about seeing me ever again.” Jinsoul means it because it feels tainted now. The weird...spark between them that she felt in the subway, when Yves was inches away but felt like she was inside her head. 

She’s ruined it with her smart mouth.

Yves seems to hate hearing that. But she nods anyways, slamming the car door shut on Jinsoul. The blonde stares out the window at the woman who stands still on the pavement. 

The blonde puffs her cheeks and flips Yves off anyways, just for good measures. Just for a goodbye. She may never see this woman again, and this is Jinsoul’s final way of saying  you in the best way possible. Jinsoul expects the finger back, but Yves makes her chest tight by only smiling and waving at her. Like she was an old friend, visiting for the holidays.

Jinsoul starts to hope this isn’t goodbye.

At least not for forever. 

“Where to sweetie?”

Jinsoul tells the cab driver her address and slowly watches Yves disappear into the street lights. 

One at a time.

Until she’s completely gone.

Until she’s nothing but a ghost again that will continue to haunt Jinsoul. 

~~~~

An hour earlier, Yoojung rushes to Doyeon’s car still parked on the side of the street. She makes her way into the passenger seat and throws her head back onto the cushioned rest. Breathing deeply and slowly, labored she calms her erratic pulse.

It’s been thrown off from the fear and embarrassment she just experienced. Looking to her right she sees her girlfriends fists tightly locked around the leather steering wheel. She drove a black 1969 camaro. White stripes painting the front with red leather seats. Yoojung’s spent a lot of time in this car, especially in the back on late summer nights, when her father thought she was sleeping over at friends but instead falling in love. 

Yoojung can remember the first time she rode in this car, and how it felt to hold hands larger and tougher than her own. 

When Doyeon had finally convinced her, after months of trying. Yoojung wishes she would have said yes sooner. 

She knows she made a mistake back there, but only excuses herself. “I didn’t want you to get hurt again, you know how you are when these things happen.” Her words come out shaky and unsure. 

Because she’s so sure of this love but not the world around them. Doyeon reaches over and threads her callused fingers into her hair, still the fingertips melt into Yoojung’s scalp. They’re impossibly soft and despite her own effort, it only takes one second for Doyeon to snap her heart rate back to health.

With one touch, nothing could hurt her.

“You were only scared.”

Doyeon tells her with a voice so strong it convinces her. 

“We’re gonna be alright.”

~~~~~

I cannot lie I’m a little proud of myself for this one Nehehe I hope everyone is still liking this story! I promise you the next and the next next chapter will be nothing but fluff or whatever u call it...also I’m throwing in a little dodaeng so hehe

Thank you people lots of love mwah!