Skate Korea, Seoul

October 20th, 2016

3:21pm

Finally alone, Taeyeon bends down to re-tie her laces one more time even though they aren’t even loose. She just needs something to preoccupy her hands so she can clear her mind -- the pre-competition press conference had been more brutal than usual and she hasn’t been able to catch a break since. 

Plus, one could never be too sure. Loose laces meant instant death on the ice. 

“So, you ready?”

Taeyeon jerks up at the voice, unable to hold back her expression of surprise (and not just because the words were spoken to her in English, not Korean). She eyes the familiar head of blonde hair hidden underneath a low cap and feels her own lips soften into a small smile. Even though the rest of the girl’s face is hidden by a pair of large fashionable sunglasses and a facemask, Taeyeon knows exactly who it is. 

She’d know that voice anywhere.

“You came after all,” Taeyeon murmurs, replying in English as she ducks her head once more to finish tying her left skate. Whispers break out around them as the reporters in the room all turn and watch them converse in English with badly veiled hunger in their eyes.

“Hey, who’s that girl talking to Taeyeon?”

“I don’t know. I don’t recognize her. Perhaps a friend from a different country? They’re speaking English.”

“I can’t get a clear shot of her face.”

“They must be close though if Taeyeon is talking to her right now before her turn.”

“How’d she even get back here anyways? It’s not accessible to the public.”

“A close friend then.”

“What are they saying? Dammit, where’s my English translator when I need him?”

Taeyeon ignores all of them and focuses only on the blonde. It’s not a hard task for her at all. Even fact, it’s almost default for her whenever she is with the blonde. 

The blonde in return keeps her gaze fixed solely on Taeyeon and it makes Taeyeon want to preen with all the attention she’s being given. 

“Nice get up,” Taeyeon mutters, her voice catching in the back of and she curses herself mentally. Just how obvious is she? Damn the other girl for always having that effect on her. “Completely inconspicuous,” she jokes after clearing in an attempt to wrestle her feelings back under control. “How did you get back here? Only athletes and coaches are allowed back here.”

The blonde lowers her face mask, exposing a small nose and dainty lips, and lets out a light chuckle. Taeyeon feets her heart skip a beat because, oh god, that smile. 

“I have my ways,” the blonde answers vaguely, and Taeyeon can almost see the mischief that must be dancing across those brown eyes in her mind. Taeyeon takes in the blonde's presence hungrily --- trying and desperately failing, to ignore the way the blonde’s smile sends her stomach into a frenzy of butterflies. No, that’s just the competition jitters. She’s just nervous. Not in love with her best friend and rival.  

The blonde flashes the pass that hangs around her neck in Taeyeon’s direction. Taeyeon just manages to catch the word “Coach” printed in bold letters on the pass. She wonders how the blonde even got a ‘Coach’ pass, but knowing the other girl, it probably wasn’t too difficult. 

“Besides, am I not an athlete?” the blonde shrugs with an easy going grin.  

Taeyeon shakes her head in amusement. ”Are you sure you should be wasting your time here? Shouldn’t you be practicing?” she teases, but deep down there is nothing she wouldn’t give to keep the blonde here within reach. The entire time, she'd felt so out of balance, so incomplete without the blonde's presence by her side like it'd always had been. Now that she's here, Taeyeon feels right again. 

“I’m scoping out my competition for this season,” the blonde jokes and Taeyeon fights the urge to roll her eyes, because no one, no one in the entire world, could rival the blonde in front of her -- no matter how hard Taeyeon herself tries to.  

They are rivals, yet Taeyeon can’t help but find herself always a step behind the blonde, always chasing after her shadow, hoping for the blonde to turn her head and look back at her. Just once.  

“Besides, a day of rest won’t hurt me. I had a three hour practice this morning and again at night, anyways,” the blonde states, watching Taeyeon go through her pre-routine stretches with a sort of intense focus that makes Taeyeon lose her focus. 

Taeyeon gathers up all of the bravado she has and smirks up at the blonde. “Scoping out your competition? Who else is there to watch besides the skaters on our team? You see us skate practically everyday.”

The blonde only shrugs. “I heard the Russians were doing pretty good this season.” 

Taeyeon scoffs out loud this time, which earns her a small knowing smile from the blonde. Sure, the Russians are doing better than last season. But still, compared to them, and mostly compared to the blonde in front of her, they aren’t even a threat. No one really is. 

“Does your sister know you’re here?” Taeyeon asks this time, averting her eyes to the ground because even though she’d known the other girl for ten years, even though they’d been friends for eight, Taeyeon still can’t  look at her for too long without blushing. 

Taeyeon does not get an answer right away, and that in itself is telling enough. So when the blonde finally tells her “No,” she isn’t surprised. 

Taeyeon frowns. If the blonde isn't here for her sister, then why was she here? Unless… Taeyeon mentally shakes her head. 

‘Don’t go there, Taeyeon-ah. Don’t do this to yourself.’

Instead, she asks, “Why not? I’m sure she would be ecstatic to know you’re watching her. She was wondering where you were earlier.” 

The blonde shakes her head. “No it would only give her even more pressure. You know her. She’ll start getting all these unnecessary thoughts and get distracted.”

Taeyeon hums, forcing her mind to stray away from dangerous thoughts. “So that’s why you hid the fact that you were coming.” 

‘Yet you’re here now, in front of me. Why?’

Taeyeon is unable to keep the hope from seeping into her chest. Because the blonde is here. She came for her. Not for her sister. Not for anyone else. Taeyeon ducks her chin even more and hides a grin. Slowly, she stands up and looks up. Their faces are only inches away from each other and Taeyeon can clearly see her reflection in the blonde’s sunglasses. 

“Well,” Taeyeon speaks, her voice taking on a lower, huskier quality that surprises even herself. “Wish me luck.”

The blonde raises an eyebrow. “Like you need luck to win.”

Taeyeon lets out a breathy laugh. “True.” She’s suddenly reaching up slowly with her hands and before her mind can even process what’s happening, she takes off the blonde’s sunglasses. Brown eyes clash with brown eyes and for a second Taeyeon forgets what it’s like to breathe. 

Taking a deep breath, Taeyeon leans forward, quickly enough that she doesn’t lose courage halfway through, but slowly enough that she leaves the most delicate of kisses on the blonde’s cheeks. She presses her hand against the blonde’s and feels the other girl take her sunglasses. 

And then she’s walking past the blonde --- the adrenaline of her bold actions carrying her away from the blonde. She stops right in front of the door. She feels the eyes of every reporter and a couple of athletes as well watching her and she ignores them all. 

“Sica,” she calls out, back still to the blonde.

“Yes?”

Taeyeon hears the press around them break into a collective gasp as they finally realize who the blonde is. There’s a flurry of movement but Taeyeon tunes them all out. 

“Will you watch me?” Taeyeon asks.

“Of course,” the blonde answers as if she’d never planned to do otherwise and Taeyeon’s heart blooms. 

“Hey! Isn't that-!?”

“That is!”
 

“What is she doing here?!”

“How dare she show her face?!”

“Good.” Taeyeon takes a deep breath, biting back her anger at the reporter’s comment. Instead, she focuses on the blonde’s voice. “Because I will be skating for you.” 

Taeyeon holds her breath, releasing it only when she hears the blonde chuckling. 

“Then skate your best. I will accept nothing best.”

Taeyeon smirks. “Of course.” And with that, she’s exiting out of the waiting area and stepping onto the ice arena. 

It is time to win. 

As soon as Taeyeon leaves, the blonde quickly puts her disguise back on and slips past the hoard of reporters trying to shove their recorders into her face and shouting her name.

“Jessica Jung! A word please!”
 

“Ms. Jung, do you have a minute?” 

“Ms. Jung! Ms. Jung!” 

July, 2016

Three months ago….

“What is the meaning of this?” Taeyeon demands, ing a piece of paper into the blonde’s face. “The Korean Figure Skating Union just released the list of athletes competing in the Grand Prix series this season. Your name isn't on here.”

Jessica scans the paper. “Indeed it isn't.” She says nonchalantly before returning her attention back to a video of some Russian skater. Taeyeon eyes the name of the athlete in the video and fights back the hint of jealousy that sits bitterly in her chest. She wonders if the blonde ever studies her videos, ever spends hours late into the night obsessing over her technique like she’s done multiple times over Jessica’s competition videos. 

“Well?” Taeyeon pushes, because Jessica answered nothing. ”Is there some sort of mistake?”

“Hm I wonder…” Jessica mumbles, clearly distracted.

“So you're competing?” Taeyeon insists. The Federation just made a mistake. That’s why Jessica’s name isn’t on the list. After all, the blonde not competing just doesn’t make sense. Of course Jessica is competing. 

“No.”

“What.” Taeyeon has a hard time wrapping her mind around the answer. “Why?” Taeyeon asks, incomprehension filling every inch of her body. 

Jessica finally looks up from her video and hardens her gaze on Taeyeon. 

Taeyeon stops and her heart drops. She recognizes the look. Jessica is disappointed. In her. 

Jessica sighs and  shakes her head, the sight only making Taeyeon even more desperate to understand what she’s done. “And here I thought you’d understand the best.”

Taeyeon fights back a pang in her chest. Those words hurt her more than she’d care to admit. 

Taeyeon takes a deep breath, half to collect her thoughts and half to make sure she doesn’t just burst into tears in front of the other girl. Taeyeon could only imagine Jessica’s reaction if she did. 

“Why?” Taeyeon asks weakly. She wants to understand.  

Jessica eyes her somewhat pitifully and Taeyeon can’t help but feel that the distance between them is suddenly so far -- that the blonde is so unreachable -- even though they’re not even two feet apart from each other. Taeyeon hates it. 

“You know how important this season is, as well as I do,” the blonde starts. 

Taeyeon nods. She knows just how important this season is. After all, the next season is the Winter Olympics, which means they have to do well this season in order to qualify for the Olympics. And since they are both bordering on the older side of the sport, it would be their last Olympics, their last chance at Olympic glory. 

“I do,” Taeyeon lets out shakily, can’t even pretend to have her voice under her control if she tried. “Which is all the more reason you sh