KIM MINJOO

I looked at my watch which flashed 3.42 P.M.

Chaewon had called me earlier today with a rather heightened tone, telling me that she wanted to meet up with me at the bleachers near the soccer field before she had her soccer practice.

I agreed, planning out when to tell her that I wanted to break the ongoing relationship today. I just pray to myself that it would turn out well and she would take it without any regrets. But knowing how she was like in our relationship with how demanding and dominant she was, I’m just going to have to give up part of my hopes of getting out the shackles binding me to this toxic relationship.

I proceeded towards the field where I saw Yujin training her girls. It seems like they are doing their circuit training judging from how the dumbbells, weights and agility ladder are scattered around the corners of the field. 

It has been four days since we had exchanged a single word with each other.

It was even worse than when we had broken up where even she had given me a cold shoulder most of the time, she was still able to drop me a few words when passing by me.

Now, she just seems to act as if I was an invisible being. It makes it worse when Yuri constantly dragged me along to meet Yena who was Yujin’s best buddy which means a complete ignorance of my existence.

I don’t even know why she is even doing this. Is this because of what I had done to her last Sunday? Just over a silly hug. I mean I told her just wanted one simple hug and it would be over. But it seems like she has taken it personally to her own heart. Just like how I did. My heart still flutters over thinking over how Yujin smelt like a warm, steaming mug of hot chocolate over a light drizzle or like how she smells of home. It is a huge contrast to how whatever atrocious forms of display of affection that Chaewon showed to me had resulted in me forming images of wanting to puke or if not slap her away to a black hole from me mentally. I choose to cope with these images by showing an equally repulsive display of ‘affection’. More like to satiate her physical and emotionally draining demands. Yujin’s scent still lingers in my brain but every time I interact with Chaewon physically, I spray over more perfume on my body to ensure that not a single trace of her existence is splayed on myself.

Anyways, I moved towards the bleachers, thinking out a way of gently or if not subtly letting Kim Chaewon know that I want to discontinue this relationship.

Instead, a rather pleasant sight greeted my eyes. 

Chaewon was engaged in a heated lip lock with someone. 

I recall seeing the girl somewhere around, perhaps she is in the grade below mine, but it doesn’t matter since I am free from the ropes tying me to this relationship. Freedom.

The air seems to smell a little fresher and it feels as if a tremendous weight has been put off my shoulders. The ropes that had tightly bonded me to a toxic relationship have been slackened and I am wriggling free out of the grasping hands trying to pull me back into it. Sure, there might be numerous burns from how the ropes had tightened over each and passing second I was with her in this taxing relationship. But it didn’t matter because I was free. It would surely leave scars but at least it healed. It was better than the ropes tightening its grip on me till the point where I end up bleeding and reach my breaking point. Maybe perhaps someone would come by with a first aid kit to heal my broken heart and heal these burns.

 Someone by the name of Ahn Yujin. 

I hope. 

Then, I realised there is still another hand from this broken relationship holding on tightly on me. Grasping round my ankles with a label reading ‘Cheating’.

Karma

It was the past that came back trying to taunt me on whether I still deserved Ahn Yujin’s heart and effort of her aiming her impossible shot to get back with me. Truth be told, I don’t even know if she wants to get back with me. I had cheated on her with someone who I would label as a cheater. But even me, myself is a cheater. 

Then, another voice entered. It doesn’t make you any different from Chaewon. Both of you should remain together. It would be a fitting play wouldn’t it be? Two cheaters getting together. That is a rather happy ending. Just like how evil would forever taint one’s reputation effectively labelling you as a cheater. Sure, you have talked yourself out into thinking that you aren’t but the society, everyone has already labelled you as a ing ‘cheater’. Even Ahn Yujin has labelled you as a cheater in her mind. It doesn't seem like she won’t be aiming your heart this time round. Maybe perhaps she has moved on and has decided on someone better than you. A good person, not an evil and horrible one. Besides, good should always be paired with good. Why try to mess this order up? 

The voice barrelled me down with the truth. But I don’t even know the truth since my tears welling up in my eyes are blurring the lines between what defines good and evil. 

Someone suddenly engulfed me in a sweaty hug.

A familiar scent invaded my senses, a homely scent.

A single tear drop rolled out then followed by a few others and a stream of tears rolled down my cheeks, effectively staining my hugger’s shirt.

“It’s okay, Minjoo. I’ll be here with you. Screw training. The lazy gits can run the laps themselves or risk heaving like breathless idiots on the court this Sunday. Come let me bring you to the washroom to cover your crying face.”

I looked up to see Yujin warmly smiling at me with a slight concern painted on her eyebrows.

Suddenly, I broke into another round of tears.

My own fears had bashed me up into a little, mangled pulp of my own crushed self over my own actions towards Yujin. And now, Yujin had returned, stubbornly clinging on trying to comfort me like how she did in the past. The past. Could we even return to our previous state? It seems impossible.

Yujin suddenly stood rooted in the ground over my own pitiful state.

I could hear her shout instructions to her team to proceed on with their training.

She then shuffled me towards the nearest washroom, away from curious, peering eyes of onlookers.

Once I was in the washroom, she brought me to the sink and told me, “Wash your face. You look pretty ugly”

She then moved towards the stalls to get toilet paper and walked back to my splashing water over my horribly tear stained face. 

She steered me to face her fully and went to dab the tissue on my face lightly.

“There, now you look like a pretty princess and not the crying Pepe. Damn, I should have taken a picture of your crying state. Could be used for blackmailing purposes later if I ever need to”

“Why, you little . This is how you try to comfort a heartbroken person” Her presence comforts my broken heart either way.

“As if you seem to be heartbroken, you looked as if you wanted to throw a party right there and then when you saw that horrible image of Chaewon making out with her goalkeeper. To talk about aiming for a goal, it seems like she is shooting her balls in the wrong direction lately. Kissing all over the place in school, in the toilets, classrooms, the staircase or even the front gate. It’s a miracle you lasted with her that long” Yujin rambled on how Chaewon is a despicable person and how she wasn’t deserving of a wonderful person

I tried to shut her up but seemed like she wanted to spill her thoughts right there and then spin her thoughts into a tale about how Chaewon was a person that was evil.

“As I was trying to say, I believe that I should have my entire floorball team deliver their decently trained slap shots to her and she could be my team’s goal post. Only downside is that we don’t have extra goalkeepers willing to save any goals and the girls are pretty accurate on their shots. So she will be receiving plenty of bruises.. Oof”

I landed my lips on Yujin’s, effectively sealing her blabbering mouth. 

I could feel her tense up at the sudden kiss and she slowly melted into the warm, short sweet kiss. I could see how her eyes widened and melted slowly into a pool of sweet chocolate orbs. I could smell a mixture of her perfume and sweat which was addicting. It’s been so long since I had kissed someone with love. It seemed as if the addiction which was abruptly robbed from me and was replaced with the fake version of the epitome of happiness and love, jealousy and hatred.

But before I allowed her to take it further, I took my lips away from hers after a few seconds.

She looked surprised at the lack of warm sweet lips on hers. 

“Look, you wouldn’t shut up and this was the only way I could do it effectively. Besides, if you are thinking about whether this is an act of cheating on Chaewon, I think we may or have not officially broken up but it doesn't matter since I am away from the foul, cheating ‘Soccer skunk’ as you had repeated numerous times. Besides, we slept together and I hugged you. Well that doesn’t matter. And don’t you have training, you nut head. I have theatre club practice too” 

“Oh yeah...”

“Well, what are you waiting for, go and train with your team instead of slacking. You want to win that championship right? So train hard and maybe you win another prize aside from the gleaming gold trophy”

“Yes ma’am” She saluted and jogged to the door of the washroom. 

“Hey, Yujin, I’ll wait for you at the front gate after your training.” I said to her.

She paused in her tracks and sent over a warm smile, her eyes moulding into two crescents and her dimples popped out adoringly on her face.

Her lips burst open into a wide toothed smile and she said, “Well, I’ll make sure to end practice on time then. Or if not earlier.” 

With the last sentence in which she raised an eyebrow, she dashed off to the soccer field.

I could hear a defeating scream after a few seconds after her exit.

I chuckled to myself, knowing that Yujin would be more motivated to aim for her goals, the first place of the ‘B’ division national floorball championships and my heart.

______________________________________________________________

AHN YUJIN

Once I rushed out of the washroom to the soccer field, I let out a huge scream of delight.

YES, I am able to shoot for that goal of getting her heart.

I could see Chaeyeon drop her weights in surprise, showing the team the proper way to carry them. 

I skipped over to them and announced with my whole chest, “Let’s return all these equipment to the storeroom and we can proceed on to match time”

My team looked on in confusion over the change of plans and immediately got to work, knowing that they didn’t comply, they would risk getting more laps round the field. But I was over the moon and was in no mood of delivering any punishments to my fellow members.

I went to collect some weights and Yena, Hyewon and Chaeyeon came over carrying dumbbells or other sports equipment. 

“So what seems to be driving you into a good mood for the last session before our match this Sunday” Hyewon piped up.

“Well, let’s just say that we all have witnessed your amazing captain aim her shot and is going to have someone’s heart back again.”

Their eyes widened and the equipment they were carrying was on the brink of dropping off to the ground.

They decided not to press on the matter, wanting to preserve my happy mood.

It extended into match time where I gave compliments and words of encouragement which was rare coming from me, nowadays and especially if it was near an important match.

Even Coach Kwon looked up from her mini whiteboard and scrunched her eyebrows in confusion in the 180 degree change of my behaviour.

I gave in my full effort, allowing me to score goals against the opposing team and I was able to end the training session on a high note.

I dismissed them with reminders of taking care of their muscles and training their stamina before the match this upcoming Sunday.

The trio tried their best to not laugh at my attempts of trying to be more engaging in the training owing to my good mood. It was rare to see Captain Ahn lead her team in training without frequent shouts of getting down into push-up position as punishments for being too slow or not meeting the expected standards and giving warm smiles instead of frowns over minor mistakes.

Finally, I was able to bid my farewells over to the team and closed the main light switch of the court, shrouding the place in complete darkness.

I had declined Hyewon’s offer of wanting to try out the new curry restaurant saying I had to do my important assignments.

They all teased me, in good fun over whether the important assignment was a girl, Kim Minjoo. 

I stuttered trying to deny it but my red ears betrayed me and they all left chortling loudly in the late afternoon sunset.

I moved towards the front gate, where she was expecting me, and sprayed on a bit of my deodorant to make my own self smell decent after changing my clothes.

I adjusted my school bag on my shoulders along with my shoe bag and floorball stick. 

Then, I proceeded to take the first action to aim for the goal.

Reconcile with her and clear the differences and mould them into that of understanding

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finally, a proper and decent interaction between Jinjoo😩. So this may be the first arc overcome but there's a few more to overcome. So do comment your reaction on this chapter or upvote it. I'm sorry to the people who have seen my tweet of posting this at 11.00p.m. But I delayed it since I had to submit a integration assignment. But anyways do expect a new update for this story in roughly a week. Jdchrt signing out and good morning/afternoon/ night to the readers or new ones. Also, my twitter account is @rightheart18 and you will get to see sneak peeks of upcoming arcs or if not new ideas and reactions 😊