is it too late just to talk it out.
I Promise If You're With Me
Chaeryeong looks good as new when she finally turns back up at school on Tuesday morning. Too bad Ryujin is too busy sleeping to notice.
“Ryujin.”
The pink-haired girl doesn’t move.
Chaeryeong frowns. “Ryujin?”
Nothing. Chaeryeong huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.
“SHIN IDIOT, WAKE UP.”
“Ah- hey!” Ryujin yelps, startling upright in her seat as Chaeryeong reaches over to pluck the earbud straight out of her ear. “Give that back!”
“Good morning to you too.” Chaeryeong beams. She doesn’t comply with Ryujin’s demand.
Déja vu. Ryujin can only sigh.
“Hey Ryeongchae.”
“Hello.” Chaeryeong manages to keep a straight face through all of this. It’s that weird ability of hers again. Ryujin appraises her up and down with crossed arms.
“I see you’ve recovered.”
“To my full capacity, yes.” Chaeryeong grins back, as satisfied as Ryujin’s ever seen her.
Ryujin finally sits up properly from her desk-nap to mutter a groggy retort. “Good for you.” She stretches her arms out in front of her as best as she can. Her back cracks rather loudly, and Chaeryeong looks so ready to make a rude comment about it but she’s distracted by a text. Ryujin usually doesn’t bother to care, but Chaeryeong’s gaze snaps down so fast that Ryujin can’t resist.
“Ooo.”
“What?” Chaeryeong asks idly, not bothering to look up.
“New booOooOO?”
Chaeryeong is generous enough to spare her a glare this time. “No, Ryujin. It's Yuna.”
“Who?”
“She’s a freshman on the soccer team.” Chaeryeong replies as she types away. “I met her through Lia unnie and some of her friends- the kid’s sweet. She’s colorful, but she’s nice and she’s got a good heart.”
“And?”
“And she wants to go shopping after school today.” Chaeryeong reads aloud from her phone.
Ryujin nods absentmindedly as she stares out at the clouds. “That’s nice.”
“Don’t ‘that’s nice’ me. You’re coming.”
She halts. “What??”
“We’re going to go shopping later today and you're going to come.” Chaeryeong informs her. “So don’t go home.”
Ryujin’s brow furrows. “But I wanted to-“
“Nope. We’re going to wait for Yuna to finish practice, and then we’ll head to the mall. I need more sweaters. And leggings. And socks. And-“
“Okay wait, hold on a sec.” Ryujin cuts her off. “Why can’t I come another day?”
“Because you say that every time, and every time you never come another day.” Chaeryeong starts, but she’s interrupted by a new voice that smoothly segues in. Lia smiles innocently at them from where she’s got an arm resting on Chaeryeong’s shoulder.
“Hey, you two.”
Chaeryeong looks delighted to have found some backup. “Unnie!”
Ryujin sighs in quiet defeat. “Hey, Lia unnie."
Lia graces her with a delighted beam. “Hi there, Ryujinnie!" She reaches over to pinch at Ryujin’s cheek. “How’ve you been?”
Ryujin winces as her face stretches an inch away from where it usually is. “Fine. I’m fine.”
“Glad to hear it!” Lia grins. There's an uncanny amount of attention on them now that Lia’s invited herself into the juniors’ classroom. “Do you like your teachers? Classes?”
Ryujin can only nod awkwardly, uncomfortable with the prickly feeling from all those stares and Lia’s spindly fingers pinching her face. Lia doesn’t seem to care- or notice. Ryujin can’t tell. “Yeah, the teachers are nice. Classes are fine too.”
Lia looks pleased. “Sounds like a good start. So, you’re coming with us today right?”
Her large eyes blink at Ryujin, who almost sweats under the weight of the bubbly senior’s stare. “Um- I didn’t know anything about that-“
“I would’ve told you myself, but I don't have your number!” Lia smoothly slides her phone towards Ryujin, who has little choice but to take it. “And Yuna’s the one who really wanted to go, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to go with her. She tends to be on the wandering side, if you know what I mean.”
“I- I haven’t met her so I wouldn’t know.”
“Would you like to?” Chaeryeong suddenly speaks.
Ryujin makes a noncommittal noise as she’s forced to text herself from Lia’s phone. “Like to what-“
“HELLO! IT’S NICE TO FINALLY MEET YOU!"
Ryujin literally screams, feeling her heart jump straight into as a long, foreign pair of arms squeezes her shoulders tight and plasters up against her back in the strongest hug she thinks she’s ever received from another human being. Or, at least she hopes it’s a human being.
Lia frowns in disapproval while Chaeryeong looks like she’ll keel over with how hard she’s laughing. “Shin Yuna!”
A blonde (human, thankfully) finally makes her way into Ryujin's line of sight. “Sorry.” She sports a sheepish grin as she pulls up a chair to join their little circle.
Ryujin is still trying to catch her breath, wide-eyed and thoroughly startled. “Who the hell are you-“
“I’m Yuna! Shin Yuna! It’s nice to meet you, Ryu unnie!” The stranger hollers straight into her ear.
Ryujin winces at the sheer volume of the noise in her ear. “Ryu- Ryu unnie?!?”
“We have the same last name!”
Ryujin balks. “I’ve never seen you before in my life!”
Yuna’s eyes are huge, Ryujin notices, as the younger girl shakes her head fiercely. “Yes you have! Once!”
“When?!?”
“I saw you last week! Sitting right here, with your head buried in a book looking all chic and scary!”
Ryujin splutters. “Wh- just because you might've seen me doesn’t mean that I saw you!!”
That finally seems to resonate some reason into the younger girl. “Oh! I didn’t think about that!”
Lia sighs, although Ryujin notes that she seems more than quite used to this. “Yuna.”
Yuna looks over and frowns at the disapproval she’s receiving from the older girl. She turns back to Ryujin “I’m sorry.” She says sadly, puppy eyes on full display.
Ryujin doesn’t know what to say. Talk about 180. “Um- it's fine. I was just surprised, is all.”
Yuna is everything Ryujin would expect an extremely chaotic younger sibling to be and it really shows. “You’re coming later though, right? I can’t wait to get to know you more! I’ve heard about you from Chaeryeong unnie and Lia unnie and then I was passing by just now and I saw everyone sitting here so I thought I’d introduce myself and I got a little bit too excited-“
“Yes, she’s coming today. Isn’t that right, Ryujin?" Chaeryeong smiles sweetly at her. It makes Ryujin want to punch her in the face, but one glance at the hopeful look on Yuna’s young face almost immediately crumbles all her remaining resolve. Like stabbing a scissor into a hot air balloon.
“Uh, yeah, I’ll come. Thanks for having me along."
Yuna whoops very loudly and smacks her hands together in glee. Ryujin winces at the looks they're receiving, but no one else in their circle seems to care any. “Great! I’ll text you all once I’m done with practice- this is going to be great! I’m so excited! Are you excited?? Ryu unnie, this is going to be awesome…”
Ryujin feels her energy levels dropping lower and lower with every passing minute and every passing phrase Yuna screams in her ears. “What have I gotten myself into.”
“Shin idiot! Keep up!”
Ryujin grumbles crossly to herself at Chaeryeong’s disapproving glare and Lia’s excited wave. She carelessly stuffs the remainder of her things in her backpack to not keep Lia waiting (she couldn’t care less about Chaeryeong, but Lia’s been nothing but kind to her since she’s transferred in and Ryujin doesn’t forget her debts). She joins them shortly at the door.
Lia’s grin is wide and sweet as always. “Ready?”
Ryujin shifts her weight between her two feet. “Yeah, I guess.” She returns the smile, albeit a little awkwardly. “Where are we going?”
She’s promptly tugged down the now-empty hallways. “Just the shopping complex- the one nearby. Have you been?”
Ryujin shakes her head but before she can articulate any further, Chaeryeong graciously jumps in for her. “Ryujin wouldn’t go anywhere even if you paid her. She’s practically one with her couch.”
“Hey!” Ryujin protests as Lia bursts out in a bright laugh.
Chaeryeong tuts at her. “Oh come on, when we were kids you wouldn't even go to the supermarket for ice cream unless I bribed you with pre-obtained cookies-“
Ryujin sighs loudly as Lia continues to laugh. “At least I didn’t break the seesaw when I was seven-“
“Alright Ryujin no need to get defensive.” Chaeryeong almost instantly deflates at the remark as Lia bursts into a fresh round of laughter. They bicker some more, exchanging half-hearted insults, until they finally reach the school’s track.
Lia stops them at the extensive bleachers. “Yuna said they would be done in a few seconds.”
Chaeryeong makes herself comfortable as she sits. Ryujin takes a seat quietly next to her, as Lia continues.
“Also, I hope you don’t mind that we have another friend come along. She’s on the soccer team with Yuna-“
“Captain too.” Chaeryeong interjects cheekily. Lia nods.
“She and I have been best friends since middle school- she knows both Yuna and Chaeryeong here and she’s really nice.”
Ryujin shrugs. “I don’t mind.” Not that she has any choice at this point.
Lia looks relieved. “Great- there they are, I think they’re wrapped up now.” She waves at a familiar blonde head that’s making their way over, along with another girl who’s a similar height as Yuna.
Chaeryeong waves as they approach. “How was practice?”
Yuna bounds over ahead to enthusiastically wrap Chaeryeong in a hug that Ryujin’s starting to associate as characteristic of the younger girl. “It was great! I got slammed in the head twice!”
Chaeryeong looks mildly alarmed, but then the other girl lazily saunters over with her arms crossed loosely across her chest and a (extremely attractive) languid smile on her lips. “What she means is we worked on headers today, and the freshmen got their first lesson.”
That voice. Ryujin’s eyes immediately snap up.
“You!”
Soccerhead jumps back, equally surprised. “Me?!? Wait, hold on a minute-“
Chaeryeong tenses up, hand already on Ryujin's arm. “Ryujin? What is it?”
Ryujin’s glare is unmistakably directed at the brunette. “That’s Soccerhead!”
Yeji, aka ‘Soccerhead’, splutters indignantly. “Wh- Soccerhead?!?”
Chaeryeong looks just as shocked as the duo before her must feel. “You mean- oh. She’s the Soccerhead you were talking about??”
Yeji splutters some more. “I have a name, you know!”
Lia is looking back and forth between the two of them, obviously not understanding what’s going on. “Yeji? What are you-“
“I don’t know! Ask her!” Yeji stabs an irate finger in Ryujin’s direction which only serves to incense her more.
“You’re the creep who snuck up on me in the library-“
“I’m the creep?? At least I told you my name- if only you’d stuck around to hear it! Which is not Soccerhead, I’ll have you know-“
“When did you ever tell me your name-“
“Well obviously someone wasn’t listening- oh that’s right, you left-“
Ryujin feels her jaw lock. “Alright Soccerhead, I don’t know what your problem is-“
Yeji’s eyes look like they’re going to bug out of her head. “First of all, my name is Yeji, not Soccerhead-“
“All I’m asking is that you lay off whatever bull you’ve been telling those idiots in my class-“
“Wha- I only came to your class once!”
Ryujin’s glare intensifies in a clear show of disbelief. Chaeryeong decides now would a good time to intervene, because she can see that Ryujin’s officially pissed and Yeji is an idiot who isn’t going to back down either. “That’s enough, you two!”
Lia’s got a hand on Yeji’s arm to pull her down too. “Calm down please- what’s with you, Yej??”
Yeji throws her arms up in disbelief. "I- what's wrong with me?? What’s wrong with her?!?”
Ryujin can practically feel her veins throbbing in rage. “You little-“
“Okay! Okay- guys, please. Relax a little."
Then, a small voice comes from the left that has them all turning their heads. “Are we still going shopping?”
Four heads snap almost instantly to the youngest of them, who’s sitting quietly on a bleacher with her hands tucked in her hoodie pockets. She looks small, despite her towering height. So very small.
Ryujin, despite herself, feels herself deflate almost instantly. Chaeryeong seems to sense this because her grip on Ryujin’s wrist slackens significantly. Yeji looks sullen, but a fierce glare from Lia has her quickly giving up as well.
Lia turns to the freshman with a sweet smile. "Of course. In fact, we should leave right now now because I’m getting hungry and I would love to get some bubble tea with like, oh I don’t know, five hundred percent sugar- what do you say?”
Ryujin blinks disbelieving. “Five hundred percent?!?”
Yuna’s expression brightens at this, and she gets up to skip to Lia’s side. “Okay! I’m hungry too- practice was really tiring today!”
Lia casts one more fierce glare over her shoulder at Yeji, as she wraps an arm around the younger girl to lead them off.
Chaeryeong looks dubiously between Ryujin and Yeji, who are still casting muted glares of displeasure at each other. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but you two better sort it out. None of you are ruining this for Yuna.” She huffs at them before bouncing ahead to catch up with a back-to-baseline Lia and a chattery Yuna.
Ryujin takes a breath and exhales in shuddery anger, forging ahead as she speeds up, trying to get away from Yeji who just scoffs and throws up her hands.
“Fine! Be like that! Not like I care anyway!”
Ryujin grits her teeth and tries her best to ignore the protests from behind her.
Freaking Soccerhead. And who drinks bubble tea with five hundred percent sugar?!?
When they all part ways later that night, Chaeryeong immediately turns to Ryujin with a vehement glare.
“So??”
Ryujin keeps her eyes fixated ahead. "So what?"
Chaeryeong is clearly unimpressed with her petty behavior. “Care to tell me what that whole disaster was about?? I didn’t even know you knew Yeji!”
Ryujin can’t help her eyeroll at the mere mention of the name. “You mean Soccerhead?”
Chaeryeong responds with a sassy eyeroll of her own. “Whatever.”
Ryujin sighs, but relents. She tells her everything, from her encounter with Yeji in the library to the disconcertingly malicious whispers she’d been receiving ever since Yeji had apparently decided to drop in on her last week.
When Ryujin’s done, Chaeryeong’s expression has changed from hardened indignance to softened perplexion. “So you think she had something to do with all the things those people have been saying about you.”
“I mean, it’s a little too coincidental for me.”
Chaeryeong is still. “I don’t think Yeji unnie would ever do that though. I know she looks kind of cold, but that girl wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less a whole human being.”
Ryujin scoffs unhappily, kicking at a small stone on the ground. “That’s what they all say.”
Upon sensing her friend’s discouraged condition, Chaeryeong immediately frowns. “Hey- I know people are saying a lot of stuff about you, but it’s probably just them being s. I don’t know Yeji unnie all that well since I met her recently, but she’s been friends with Lia unnie for a really long time so I don’t think she’d intentionally do anything like that- we’ll get to the bottom of this, alright?”
Ryujin really, really thinks she could care less. “It’s fine. I just hope I won't see her around again.”
Chaeryeong tries her best to hide her light wince (because she has a strange inkling that that’s not going to be possible for her poor buddy Ryu). “Yeah, hopefully.”
“Hwang Yeji, you better have a damn good explanation for this.”
Yeji cowers a little under the weight of her best friend’s icy glare. “Wh- are you kidding me?? You too??”
Lia doesn’t budge, and Yeji supposes she can't blame her because to be honest, Yeji has always been the sketchier between the two of them (and the worse liar). She sighs in defeat. “Alright. Look, I don’t know what to say. All I know is that I met her in the library-“
Lia looks even more suspicious now. "Why the hell were you in the library??”
“-and I saw her in her class one day at lunch so I decided to say hi, and here we are and she hates me and I’m kinda freaking out about it because I really don’t want her to hate me but you’re not going to tell anyone that and-“
Surprisingly, Lia doesn’t destroy her. "Hwang Yeji, slow down please.”
Yeji takes an extremely large inhale of air.
Lia, bless her soul, waits patiently for her to stop hyperventilating. “Alright. Now start again from how you know her- please.”
Yeji tells her everything, from their little encounter in the library to her dropping by Ryujin’s class last week on a whim, to their current predicament in which Ryujin clearly doesn’t like her very much.
Lia tilts her head with a barely-suppressed smirk once Yeji’s done ranting. Yeji halts once she notices the shrewd look, returning the gesture with her own narrowed eyes. “What.”
“Yeji- this is nice and all- but, why did you drop by her classroom when you barely even know her and your only encounter wasn’t really a good one to begin with?”
Yeji halts in her tracks to turn to Lia with clear disbelief. “Wh- well- I- I was just trying to be nice!”
Lia’s cheeky grin could pass for the devil’s. “You like her?”
“Wh- NO!” Yeji wheezes her denial instantly, long fingers coming up to clasp clumsily at her heart.
Lia provides her a wholly unsympathetic pat on the back. “I’m just asking. No need to get so worked up about it- but, now that I think about it, weren’t you telling me about some really pretty girl you met last week at some place you wouldn’t quite tell me where-“
Yeji flushes red faster than Lia’s ever seen her flush red. “Th- that’s different! That has nothing to do with this!”
Lia just looks at her with that all-knowing, all-powerful, extremely excited Choi Jisu look. Yeji gulps.
“I’m serious! Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lucky for her, Lia apparently decides to have a little mercy because she finally lets up and just shrugs, letting her gaze fall away from Yeji’s obviously embarrassed form. “It’s nothing. I’m just glad to hear that you’re not picking on her or anything like that.”
Yeji’s brow furrows between her eyebrows. “When have I ever done that??"
“I know, but her reaction when she saw you kind of led me to conclusions.” Lia muses, one hand on her cheek. “Well whatever is going on here, you better be nice to her- she’s just transferred in and she’s good friends with Chaeryeong. Yuna really likes her and so do I, so you better not mess this up for the rest of us.”
Yeji just sighs in defeat. She could never win against Lia, even when they were kids. “Whatever."
Yeji’s aware that she can sometimes come off as a little bit arrogant.
Well, that’s not the best way to say it. But as the captain and one of the stars on their esteemed soccer team, Yeji’s come to understand that excellence in many areas doesn’t always completely stem from skill, capability, form, athleticism- and, while those are all important and none to be taken lightly, the possession of all these things isn’t enough to guarantee the success that Yeji has managed to come across in her endeavors.
Confidence. The answer to all of her unspoken life inquiries. Yeji’s pretty sure in her belief that confidence is the key component to at least 75% of her success as a student and an athlete thus far. It’s the core part of her being that takes over whenever she steps into a game, be it a scrimmage or the champion match. It’s what directs her limbs; her body when she’s flying through the air for a header, or sprinting through defenders down the field for a goal. It’s what takes over her mind when she walks into an exam that she knows she’s been studying for. What keeps her engine stay on and focused, even when she thinks her nerves will get the best of her.
Yeji’s never been a particularly bold individual, but the one thing she knows she’s worked hard to construct within herself is confidence. It’s always steered her right. Never let her down. Made her the attractive individual she knows she is, even when she doesn’t make the best impression.
She just hopes that Ryujin feels the same way.
Comments