en garde (shoot!)

bullseye (you shot my heart)

 

A/N: before you start reading, im warning you guys. i dont really know much about sports so im afraid you might see a lot of inaccuracies and mistakes since i mostly wrote the details that i watched/observed on youtube and read from google. im also confused with a lot of rules in the mentioned sports and rules of the sports events so im really, really sorry if the details were wrong! to my readers who play fencing or archery, im really sorry if i ever offended you. its not my intention to write false facts! i tried my best to observe and study how fencing and archery works 😫

 

also, the events here were mostly just made up in my mind like: the FIFA world cup happened closely to Asian Games but i decided to move the dates and all so i hope that its okay. also COVID doesnt exist in this universe cuz that , its a hindrance. plus, the sports competition/Olympic events omg im sure there are a lot of inaccuracy but like i said, i just made up some of them so i would have an easier experience to write and escalate the events of the story huhu sorry if yall dont like it SSKKSKSKS

 

but without further ado, bear with me and my mistakes. buckle up for this long ride. have fun reading!

 

***

 

The crowd was dead silent. Every person present in the arena was silent and unmoving as they all were focused on watching while their hearts pounded nervously in their chests. Everyone was tense. Even the whole arena felt suffocating as anxiousness bubbled within their whole existence.

 

But no one’s nervousness could beat Minjoo’s. Her hands were practically trembling as she slowly lifted her bow, raising it in the right height. She could feel a bile rising up in , she had to gulp several times. Her heart was intensely drumming inside her that it felt like it would stop beating any second, and one could even see the harsh pounding of her chest if they were staring enough.

 

She could feel the gazes on her, and it was making her skin tingle and burn; most of them stared at her with hopeful, expectant eyes while some eyed her with annoyed gaze. Some were also gawking at her in awe, just simply stunned, and not caring about anything.

 

All of those. It pressured Minjoo to the very core. She was really anxious, everything felt like slow motion. Everything was moving slowly before her eyes — the way she leisurely lifted her lithe fingers to place the arrow in the right position then moved them to grasp the bow string.

 

It was a hot day — the players, the audience, and the staff were all exposed to the raging scorching sun, thanks to the hat provided for the archers; Minjoo’s sensitive eyes were protected and shaded from the blazing sunlight. The summer heat really made their moves sluggish, Minjoo was affected but even so, she was well-composed and it didn’t seem like she was shooting arrows under the hell sun for almost an hour now with almost no breaks. A few beads of cold sweat rolled down from her temples.

 

She took a brief glance at the scoreboard nearby. Under her opponent’s name, there was a huge 9 flashing in red light to indicate that her score was an impressive nine in the shoot off. Which meant, in order for Minjoo to win; she needed to score a ten.

 

It was the shoot off, after all. So, the pressure was on. Both of them managed to get a tie in five sets which was bewildering and because of tie scores, it led to a shoot off to finally determine who was the winner of this game.

 

Hitting a ten was not new for Minjoo. She had always hit a ten. She rarely faltered. But this was different — she was competing in the Olympics. It was her first time competing here too, and she knew how big the Olympics were for athletes. Yet, she also knew her skills were very impressive, if it wasn’t; she wouldn’t be qualified to compete in the biggest sports event.

 

However, she was pressured and anxious despite looking calm outside. Her posture was elegant and perfect, no trace of tension in her composure as she remained still like a stubborn wall. Yet inside, she was in shambles. The pressure… It was too big. A lot were hoping and expecting that she would hit a ten but she was not that confident.

 

She just had to believe in herself. Her skills never failed her.

 

Rely and believe on your capabilities, and shoot the arrow, Minjoo. If you always hesitate then pressure will drown you even more

 

Those words from her. Those words always reassured her without fail. And Minjoo didn’t want to disappoint her, she didn’t want to disappoint them. She wanted to bring a gold medal, she would proudly go home to South Korea with a shining gold medal. It was her long time dream ever since she became an archer at such a young age — she could finally get it — if she would finally draw the bow and shoot.

 

The reassurance of securing a silver too made her feel at ease but still, Minjoo would dream big, and grab that gold no matter what. She would claim it.

 

Taking a deep breath after shifting a bit into a more comfortable yet right stance, Minjoo finally drew the bow, positioning the arrow and angled the bow correctly as she intensely eyed the target placed meters away from her — and her surroundings suddenly faded to black. With only Minjoo and the target from afar existing in the world, suddenly.

 

Minjoo felt her hand wavered a bit, trembling. The time was ticking, and there was a limit yet she still took her sweet, sweet time to secure the ten. She closed her one eye; she was used to only using one eye when she was spotting the target. The shoot was more accurate to her if she was doing that.

 

Shoot.

 

A familiar sweet, husky voice in her head commanded, and so she did.

 

The same time she released her breath that she was holding — Minjoo finally released the bow string, shooting the arrow. The young archer watched the arrow zoom forward in a flash, and within a blink, it already hit the target but Minjoo was in a daze so she couldn’t tell where the arrow pierced, and her score.

 

“What is this!? Kim Minjoo hit a bullseye! South Korea swept a ten and a gold medal!”

 

Minjoo’s breath hitched when she heard that from the announcers — immediately turning to the scoreboard in awe as loud cheers flooded her ears. Her eyes shook as she dumbfoundedly stared at her own name on the board, and under it — there was a huge 10 in red light.

 

She did it. She hit a ten! And on top of it, a bullseye!? It wasn’t her first bullseye, she had always hit bullseye before but this would be the memorable one. A bullseye in the Olympics? Now, that was impressive.

 

Minjoo covered out of shock, suppressing a gasp as her eyes widened, looking at her opponent who just gave her a warm smile — approaching her. The other woman met her halfway for a hug. Despite the Russian archer’s defeat, she wasn’t bitter and sincerely congratulated Minjoo. A true sport. Even if Minjoo was the one who didn’t win between them, she wouldn’t be bitter and do this too. She would strive to be better next time.

 

After murmuring a few congratulation and grateful short replies, both archers broke the hug, and they bowed a bit at each other — wearing genuine smiles, and finally turned to their own team and managers.

 

“Minjoo!” Eunbi shouted at her name as she approached her after the interaction with her opponent — pulling her into a tight hug, holding back her tears as she patted the younger archer’s back. “A bullseye, and a gold medal!” The leader of the South Korean women’s archery team for the Olympics couldn’t even properly express her words because she was so proud and extremely happy that her friend, and teammate won.

 

Minjoo sniffled, happy tears finally escaped her eyes. She was such a crybaby, even for the littlest reason; she would cry. She had shallow tears but this one was a huge achievement in her life. She couldn’t stop sobbing anymore. She was so proud of herself. Everyone was proud of her.

 

Her other teammate; Chaewon — also rushed to join in the hug; alongside their coach and trainer with the managers. They all had a group hug, mumbling compliments to Minjoo with emotional tone. They were happy for her, and Minjoo was beyond happy at this point, she was so overwhelmed that everything passed like a blur.

 

The medal ceremony for the winners started so soon.

 

Minjoo just found herself standing in the middle of her opponents, a platform was presented in front of her but she had yet to climb there. She was so happy — she couldn’t stop smiling. She was waving at the cameras and audiences that kept cheering for her name, even bowing shyly at them.

 

And finally, they told the medalists to step on the platform, and when Minjoo did — she felt like hopping around because of happiness. She stood there proudly, her chin tilted up confidently, and grinning dashingly.

 

Minjoo couldn’t even hear the announcer and everything. She was too busy smiling endlessly until her cheeks hurt, and trying to sink in the recent happenings. And when the medals were finally presented, Minjoo was marveled at the sight of the shining gold at the center of the box.

 

An important member of the organization helped them wear the medals around their necks — Minjoo was the last one who was given the gold medal, and the bouquet of flowers.

 

The gold medal felt light yet so heavy. It was the prize for all of her hard work and topnotch skills in archery. She couldn’t believe that she was a gold medalist Olympic archer! It felt like it was yesterday since Minjoo got the news that she was qualified to compete at the Olympic games, and she also wept in joy when she heard that. The happiness that day where she hit the bullseye and got the gold medal couldn’t be topped though.

 

“And the gold medalist, Kim Minjoo of South Korea!”

 

Minjoo happily posed for the pictures, proudly showing off her medal. And like the usual medalists athletes did — she slowly brought the shining gold medal to her lips, placing it between her teeth, biting it gently. It was rough and hard but she liked the feeling of being able to do this.

 

She let go of the medal and instead, showed it off to the audience with a bright smile. She could see her team smiling proudly at her from the corner, they were even whistling and clapping loudly for her that made her chuckle.

 

But then, in the ocean of people — Minjoo browsed her gaze when she remembered something. She was too busy thinking about winning and the gold medal that she almost forgot. Her eyes searched for a certain someone, her smile faded a bit now; she was desperate to see that person. She had been missing them and it had been weeks since they last saw each other. Well, they met earlier before the finals but their interaction was too brief, she wasn’t satisfied at all.

 

And finally, Minjoo finally found that certain one. They were standing behind the crowd of reporters, smiling proudly yet brightly at her, also clapping their hands to give her an applause. And when they realized that she was looking right back at them, the person mouthed: “You did it, my champion.”

 

Her heart skipped a bit at the sight of them. Minjoo bit her lower lip. She waved at them, showing the gold medal happily.

 

And finally when someone gestured for them to come down, and go back to their respective teams — Minjoo stepped down from the platform as the other archers, handing the bouquet of flowers to her coach but instead of going back to her team where another certain someone was waiting beside her co-archers...

 

Minjoo’s own feet led her to another direction.

 

(That wasn’t the beginning of the story. Now, let’s go back to where everything began, shall we?)

 

***

 

“Holy ! Brazil will definitely win this one!” Yena shouted, her eyes remained on the soccer field below. She was really amazed that she had gotten the opportunity to watch a very important, big football game in person. It had been one of her dreams since she was a huge fan of soccer, and the team of Brazil.

 

The person beside her gave a chuckle. Yena almost didn’t hear it because of the loud cheer all around from the stadium. Until now, both of them couldn’t still believe that their ears managed to survive hearing these extreme loud noises all around. But they didn’t mind it all, not even the slightest — because it all made the game hyped up.

 

“Well. They better really win the game. We didn’t fly from South Korea to Russia just to watch our favorite football team lose, right?” The woman responded with a smile, also focused on watching the intense match earlier; she was fiddling with the camera resting on her lap, absentmindedly.

 

Yena laughed at that, nodding her head to agree. “Yeah. That will be a huge shame for us,” replied the older, glancing at her friend. “Yujin.”

 

Yujin chuckled, shrugging her shoulders, and cheered loudly when she saw that one of the players of the Brazil team managed to score a goal. Everyone in the arena roared as the announcer’s voice blasted off from the gigantic speakers around the large stadium. “GOAL!”

 

Some of the Brazil team’s supporters went crazy like Yena and Yujin. Both best friends were avid fans of soccer, and they had a particular favorite, the Brazil National Football Team. So, when they got the chance to fly over to Russia just to watch one of their games — they didn’t hesitate to take the offer and golden chance.

 

“Damn! I need to add this to my vlog, look at those people screaming!” Yujin exclaimed happily, raising her camera then turned it on to record the people cheering loudly and crazily. She also didn’t forget to record the huge video screen showing the player who managed to get a goal running around the field with a smug look and kept yelling something out of triumph.

 

After recording nice stuff again, Yujin turned off the camera once more then stood up, telling Yena that she would just go to the bathroom to relieve herself. The older woman just nodded at her, gesturing to her to go without even sparing her a glance. The taller woman rolled her eyes, and huffed in disbelief before finally walking out of the row — excusing herself to the watchers.

 

She finally got to the stairs, climbing up while fixing her windbreaker jacket, zipping it down because she was getting hot already — however, when she reached the final step that would lead her to the bathroom; a figure bumped into her.

 

Yujin felt something wet on her shirt. A cold sensation spread through her upper body making her shiver.

 

“I’m so— I’m sorry!” A feminine voice apologized loudly. This person was supposed to apologize in Korean first before switching to accented English. That was for sure.

 

Yujin couldn’t even process what happened immediately, she was looking at her drenched shirt — the smell of coffee was invading her smelling senses already. It was iced coffee, not a hot one, thankfully. What a disaster. She suppressed a sigh, she had a better temper than this. It was purely accidental anyway.

 

“It’s okay. You’re a Korean too? I heard you say—” Yujin paused speaking halfway as she finally turned her head towards the woman who bumped into her. She was frozen, too stunned to continue uttering the words she wanted to say when she got to look at the person in front of her.

 

This woman was definitely a foreigner, a Korean. But Yujin was struck because of her face. The stranger was wearing a concerned, guilty expression because of what happened but still, the beauty was still radiant and there was a soft, warm aura coming from her. Her face was like it was carved by the deities’ own hands, crafting her wonderfully and took their time to create her beautifully and carefully with full efforts and gentleness.

 

Beautiful was a shallow compliment for this woman in front of her. She was a real goddess! Her beauty was just something out of the world. From her perfectly shaped brows that were furrowed out of worry, her pretty doe eyes; pools of warm honey in each of it, pointed nose with a perfect slant, firm yet fluffy cheeks tinted with red out of embarrassment, and to her luscious plump lips — Yujin was dumbfounded to encounter such a woman like her. But a sense of familiarity hit her for some reason but couldn’t pinpoint it.

 

Her height was average, her head was probably reaching Yujin’s eyes. The skin complexion of hers was healthy pale, it was snowy and smooth without a flaw.

 

Yujin couldn’t help but to lower her gaze briefly, not wanting to make the woman uncomfortable but she couldn’t really help but to check out.

 

This woman’s body proportion was also insane. She was wearing a fitted black long-sleeved shirt so Yujin could tell. There was a huge patch of wetness on it though because of the spilled coffee. She had a nice, firm upper body that told her that she must be an athlete or she liked to work out casually; she had a slim waist, and naturally curvy hips — the jeans she was wearing hugged her hips, and long legs nicely.

 

What Yujin didn’t notice immediately was that the woman also unconsciously scanned her whole being, roaming her gaze up and down for a moment.

 

“Ah yes! So you’re from my country too. What a coincidence.” The woman replied gently; Yujin pursed her lips. This woman’s voice was melodic but at the same time, husky. It was almost a lullaby, so soft-spoken. And the way her eyes lit up in relief when she realized that Yujin was also a Korean made Yujin’s heart flutter.

 

But then, the woman realized what happened to them, glancing at her own drenched shirt with a huff then turned to Yujin again, her eyes were sparkly and apologetic — and goodness, her lips were puckered lightly, probably out of habit when she was guilty or upset.

 

“I’m really sorry. I wasn’t looking my way because I was busy trying to locate our spot.” She explained in a haste, grimacing at the wet feeling of her drenched shirt. There was when Yujin felt the cold sensation sticking on her stomach again.

 

Yujin couldn’t even bring herself to be upset or angry at all. “It’s an accident. It happens but now…” She paused, looking at her own shirt. If she just didn’t zip her jacket down; she wouldn’t be this wet but she couldn’t even feel a slight annoyance in her.

 

The woman was picking up the snacks she bought that fell on the floor. It was just two pieces of chips so it didn’t require Yujin’s help to bend down and pick them up, even though she would love to…. She was rooted there for some reason. “I apologize for being reckless—”

 

“We should change some shirts. We can’t just go around with clothes drenched in coffee, shouldn’t we?” Yujin cut her apology off with a smile.

 

Blinking, the nameless beauty was slightly dumbfounded but she nodded nevertheless, parting her luscious lips to say something again but Yujin beat her to speaking first again because the latter knew exactly what she would say. “Let’s buy. There’s a merchandise store nearby, they sell jerseys. Come on, I’ll buy for the both of us so we can change.” Yujin said with a tone of finality, walking towards the stall already but the woman was just standing there, blinking at her confusedly and surprisingly.

 

Yujin gave her a smile of assurance, gesturing to her to follow her, and when finally the beauty did — they both made their way towards the stall where someone was selling some merchandise like jerseys and all that they could wear for the meantime.

 

“Are you staying here in Russia or...?” Yujin thought it would be best to initiate a conversation with her. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

 

“No. Me and my friends just went here for a three day vacation and well, watch the World Cup matches.” The beautiful woman replied softly, just one step behind Yujin.

 

The taller woman noticed the distance; she was always a fast walker and her long legs made her strides longer too so she slowened her speed to match the other woman’s pace. It was better now that they were side to side. Yujin could see the beauty’s side profile, and damn, she got a sharp jawline.

 

Yujin knew to herself that she had always preferred girls over boys. Ever since highschool, Yujin had this confusion over her uality because she found women more fascinating and admirable rather than those annoying men. However, this was the first time she was being like this towards a woman. She didn’t even know if this was friendly or something else, all she wanted was for this beautiful stranger to be comfortable.

 

And get to know her…

 

She seemed like a kind, gentle, and soft woman. She just emitted a very cozy vibes around her that would make one instantly comfortable around her. She looked like a harmless fennec fox. There was no evil aura in her. This woman seemed like she was the type of person who never kills bugs because she thought that their lives were as precious as a human’s.

 

“I see! My friend and I are the same too. Three days for us too, and later, we’ll fly back home.” Yujin shared, eager to exchange words with this soft-spoken woman. Oh, she could listen to her everyday!

 

“Ah, we just arrived here last night. I hope you guys will have a safe flight later.” The beautiful stranger replied with a sincere, cute smile.

 

Yujin was really having a fun time with this woman even though they just met a couple minutes ago, and they literally met in such an unfavorable situation too. She almost forgot that her shirt was drenched, and the both of them were already getting weirded stares from some people.

 

They reached the stall after that conversation, eyeing the jersey shirts. “So… what jersey do you want?” asked Yujin, browsing through the shirts, and she was already eyeing the yellow jersey of the Brazil team.

 

“Ah. Brazil, please. Any player will do.” The beautiful woman answered, also checking out the merchandise with an amazed glint in her doe eyes.

 

Yujin was surprised to hear that, turning to her with an amused expression. “Oh, you’re also rooting for Brazil?” She questioned, pretty mesmerized, and felt her legs turned into jelly when their eyes met again. Damn, this woman was seriously pretty.

 

Nodding, the woman’s smile brightened. “Yes. I’m a big fan of them. You too? That’s quite nice. You have a taste.” responded her, even daring to throw a wink that almost made Yujin suffer from cardiac arrest.

 

The taller woman froze, struck at the sudden gesture the woman made while the latter turned to check the other merchandise with a knowing smile plastered on her lips. Yujin couldn’t think, she was panicking. “Was she flirting?!” She thought to herself. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and butterflies were filling up her stomach.

 

Coughing, Yujin composed herself, not wanting to look like a fool then finally turned to the seller, pointing at the jerseys. “We’ll take that one, please. Two.” Yujin said in perfect Russian that made the woman beside her look at her in awe and surprise.

 

She wasn’t fluent in Russian but she learned some basics before she went here even though she was pretty fluent in English. It was better to be ready so she wouldn’t be too confused. Her accent was a little bit flawed but the natives could perfectly understand it. The store owner smiled at her, pretty much impressed too as he took the jerseys then gave them to Yujin.

 

The shorter woman stood in awe beside her, eyeing her with sparkling eyes. Yujin felt her chest swelling in pride. She turned to Minjoo to ask if the size was alright. After that, it was all settled. Yujin paid for the jerseys, also asking for two extra paper bags. The seller didn’t ask, just handing the bags to them with a knowing smile, amused at the coffee stain on their shirts.

 

Finally, they went to the bathroom to change. Yujin almost forgot she needed to use the restroom but oh well. She changed into the jersey, it just fit her perfectly. Then placed the drenched shirt on the extra paper bag before walking out of the stall.

 

The other woman was already out, checking herself out in the mirror — she was tugging at the hem of the jersey shirt that was a little bit bigger for her frame but it made her look more attractive, to be honest. Yujin halted her steps, silently watching the beauty tug at the jersey then fixed her long black hair, sighing to herself.

 

Yujin smiled before finally walking closer to the woman. They then walked outside the bathroom together, the loud cheers in the stadium greeted them. It looked like the match was about to end, and someone scored a goal. But Yujin couldn’t even bring herself to continue watching, she would rather spend time with this woman here.

 

“You know, I never got to know your name.” asked Yujin with a teasing smile, facing the other woman fully.

 

Realization struck the other one with a gasp. “I’m sorry. It completely left my mind,” She apologized again, facepalming herself which made Yujin chuckle at her cute action. “My name is Minjoo.” She stretched her hand for a handshake.

 

Yujin’s brow twitched at the name. It rang a bell. Well, nevertheless, her name was very pretty and nice. She suited the name ‘Minjoo’ so much for some reason. “Hmm. I’m Yujin.” Yujin introduced herself with a smile, reaching for Minjoo’s hand, and wow — as expected, it was soft and delicate but firm. She shook it lightly.

 

Minjoo was wearing an unreadable expression but later on flashed her a sweet smile. “Nice to meet you, Yujin-ssi.” She softly said then there was a guilty glint in her eyes. “I’m really sorry about your shirt. I was the one who was supposed to be buying us clothes, not the other way around.”

 

Yujin just shook her head, an absurd idea popping in her mind suddenly. “It’s alright. You can pay me back with something else.” replied the taller woman with a grin, her dimples were poking out, and her eyes were mischievous. Minjoo was a little bit stiff and tense around her, Yujin noticed — maybe she should lighten the mood up a bit.

 

“Name it, Yujin-ssi.” Minjoo said in a serious tone.

 

“Stop calling me formally. Just call me Yujin please. And I’ll call you Minjoo, how’s that?” Yujin answered with a cheeky smile, scratching her chin, eyeing Minjoo who was confused but she nodded anyway like an obedient puppy, or fox.

 

“Alright,” responded Minjoo with a nod then the corner of her lips tugged upwards a bit. “That’s all?” She added, tilting her head.

 

Yujin hummed, pretending to think, even raising her gaze to the ceiling but lowered down immediately to look back at Minjoo’s awaiting eyes. “A kiss, then,” replied the taller woman.

 

Minjoo was shocked at Yujin’s response, her lips parted in surprise; eyes wide, and her face went all red.

 

Alright, that must be a little bit absurd and bold. Although it was a joke, well — half joke, Yujin didn’t think about Minjoo’s humor thoroughly. She might take it in the wrong way so the taller woman’s cheeks were flushed out of embarrassment. Way to go, being foolish in front of a woman and making her uncomfortable with her words.

 

Damn, she should really be more careful. She was just playfully flirting but then, Minjoo probably didn’t swing that way at all. She looked like she wasn’t a woman who also liked women… She just got these straight vibes too.

 

Yujin was ready to take her words back. “Nah, I’m just kiddin—”

 

Minjoo suddenly moved closer swiftly, tiptoeing to reach for her face while her lithe fingers held her jaw to steady her, and pressed a kiss on her cheek. She immediately took a step back though, wearing a smile while Yujin malfunctioned, she could still barely feel Minjoo’s lips on her skin. It tingled.

 

The shorter woman was about to say something when her phone suddenly rang. She fished it out of her pocket, and answered the call with wide eyes, she probably realized that she was taking too long already.

 

While Yujin… well, poor her. She lost her soul. She stared at Minjoo talking with her friend, dumbfounded and stunned. She couldn’t even move her muscles but she could feel herself going insane any moment soon.

 

“I’m really sorry. I need to go. The match is already finished and my friends are already searching for my whereabouts.” Minjoo spoke in a haste, pocketing her phone back then grabbed the paperbag that was resting on the floor beside her.

 

That snapped Yujin back into reality. “A-Ah, no problem. They’re probably worried. My friend must be wondering about me too.” She replied, her whole face was still burning. Goodness gracious, just what was happening to her? Her heart wouldn’t just stop drumming harshly! This woman in front of her must not be an overly shy person like Yujin had thought of. She could be pretty bold.

 

Damn, that kiss on her cheek — Yujin could tell that it wasn’t friendly at all. She felt a tip of tongue ghosted lightly on her cheek for a brief moment.

 

Minjoo nodded, hurriedly passing through her but before she fully left Yujin alone there, she bid her farewell. “It’s really nice meeting you, Yujin.” murmured Minjoo with a sweet smile on her lips then finally rushed away, and Yujin just watched her leave, her heart withered all of a sudden as the woman disappeared in her sight.

 

She took a deep breath, and placed her hand on her forehead, shaking her head as she smiled widely to herself. Wow, what a day, seriously. She wasn’t expecting that at all. Kim Minjoo caught her off-guard, for real. This was new for her, and she loved it. She couldn’t believe she scored a kiss from a beautiful woman like her.

 

The feeling was better than winning a fencing match.

 

However, on the way to find Yena, she couldn’t stop smiling — but then, realization hit her like a ten wheeler truck that made her halt and lose her smile completely.

 

. Yujin didn’t even get to know her number or social media account! How the hell Yujin was going to find her?

 

Damn Christ. She would worry about it later, for now, she needed to focus on finding her way back to the seat and hope for the best that Yena waited for her. She would definitely get a lot of teasing from her equally mischievous best friend once she heard this .

 

Thankfully, Yena really waited for her, huffing at her impatiently as she stood from her seat. She whined about Yujin missing the last quarter of the match, throwing questions like: where the hell have you been? Why did you change shirts? Yujin, just what happened to you?

 

On their way to their hotel, Yujin told her everything that happened earlier. As expected, Yena laughed at her, teasing her that she must be dreaming or fooling around but then, Yujin was not even laughing — she remained serious. Her eyes widened and exclaimed, “Holy , are you really serious, Ahn?”

 

With that, Yena relentlessly but Yujin just smiled shyly. “Oh my god, you’re so into that woman! It was definitely love at first sight, you fool!” exclaimed the older woman, playfully slapping the taller woman’s shoulders. But then, Yujin gave her the sad news; she didn’t get to ask about her number or social media account where she could reach out to her but the woman was in a real hurry so Yujin didn’t even stop her from slipping from her grasp, completely.

 

They were enveloped in a short, gloomy silence. The gays lost. Yujin was obviously saddened because she really wanted to know Minjoo more, and spend time with her. She seemed like a wonderful person after all. And well, she wouldn’t deny it now but she was insanely attracted and bewitched by Kim Minjoo. She was interested in her.

 

Yena spoke to break the silence between them. “At least you got a kiss on the cheek. Even though your paths won’t meet again — she made it extra memorable, didn’t she?” She said in a playful tone. This was Yena’s way of reassuring Yujin and making her feel better.

 

To be honest, it really made Yujin quite a lot better. If they were meant to only meet that fateful day, then so be it but if their paths would ever cross once again? Yujin would never let her slip away easily like that again. She would make sure that it wouldn’t be their last meeting.

 

Later on, while filming for her vlog — she talked about her experience watching football in person like that, and got to see her favorite players; of course, she also briefly mentioned that she met this beautiful woman and that they bumped into one another, spilled her iced coffee all over her. But she didn’t mention anything further.

 

There was a hope in her heart that maybe Minjoo would stumble upon her vlogs and reach for her. She knew that she wasn’t that popular yet but who knew, right? Hopefully, fate would be kinder to Yujin this time.

 

***

 

Fate favored Yujin. She had met Minjoo again after wondering about her for two months. It had been a painful, slow two months for Yujin, blindly hoping and waiting for their paths to cross again like the first time. And well, they did, thankfully. The waiting was worth it.

 

The morning was lovely, and breezy. The birds perched on the cherry blossom trees were singing at each other lightly while the skies were painted blue, the sun wasn’t raging at all — it was calm and just shining brightly.

 

Yujin was in the school grounds; she was on her way to her fencing practice. The Asian Games was just right around the corner, and she had to be extra diligent in training since she was one of the players who would compete in the said competition. She was in the national fencing team presenting South Korea so the pressure was really on.

 

She walked towards one of the buildings, flipping the book that she was holding and skimming as she finally ascended on the stairs. She just got this book that she had been wanting for a while, it was titled Towards a New Architecture. She happily checked some pages out as she walked, completely unaware of everything around her — she was so into checking the new book out that she didn’t even notice another figure brisk walking out of the building.

 

As what one must’ve guessed — they bumped into one another.

 

The book flew away from Yujin’s grasp, landing on the step of stone stairs. She had to throw her book away out of instinct because the person she bumped with stumbled forward, almost falling off from the stairs because of their sudden harsh, unaware contact so she held their arm tightly in reflex to prevent that from happening.

 

“I’m sorry,” A familiar feminine voice apologized, trying to balance herself but Yujin’s hold on her didn’t loosen but rather, it even tightened when the latter heard the woman speak.

 

The fencer’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing that very familiar voice that she had been hearing in her dreams and daydreams for months. Yujin was once again stunned when she finally turned her head to look at the student who she bumped with.

 

She was greeted by the same woman who she met in Russia two months ago; exactly, the woman she bumped into, and spilled her iced coffee on both of them. The beautiful woman that Yujin had been waiting for, and desperately looking for but failed all these months.

 

Kim Minjoo, the person who always occupied Yujin’s mind endlessly.

 

Even Minjoo was beyond shocked when she recognized Yujin at one glance, her lips parted in surprise, and even shakily pointed her index finger at her but she said nothing, too stunned to even utter another word.

 

Yujin laughed. She laughed because she was happy, she laughed in disbelief, she laughed in relief, she laughed because of the odds, she laughed because they were really destined to meet again — the universe had something stored for them.

 

“We should really stop meeting like this. Bumping into each other, I mean,” The fencer was the one who spoke, grinning at Minjoo with her dimples poking deep to show how happy she was to meet her again in such a circumstance. Her hold on Minjoo’s arm stayed, it was more a subconscious act; she didn’t want Minjoo to escape this time, never.

 

The woman gaped for a moment before also releasing a chuckle of disbelief, she was also flabbergasted like Yujin but it didn’t look like she was not delighted to see her too. In fact, like Yujin, Minjoo had been thinking of the latter since then — sulking to herself because she didn’t get to give her number out of a rush.

 

“Yeah. You should be thankful I don’t have iced coffee now.” Minjoo responded cheekily with a sweet smile plastered on her lips.

 

Yujin bit her lower lip at that, suppressing a big grin, her cheeks were already hurting from smiling too big and long. “So…” She trailed off, her bottom lip. “SNU?” added the taller woman, asking something with an obvious answer but still questioned for clarification.

 

Minjoo got what she was hinting at, nodding to confirm her assumption. “Hmm. Law. You too, here?” answered the shorter woman, her smile didn’t fade a bit, staring at Yujin intently with those sparkly honey and dreamy eyes of hers that made the latter shiver at the intensity.

 

When Yujin heard that Minjoo was also attending the same university as hers, she couldn’t help but to rejoice mentally — although she wanted to jump in joy, Minjoo might find her weird. She either wanted to roll out of happiness and slap herself in frustration because Minjoo was literally just around the campus!

 

But then, Seoul National University was a pretty big school so she couldn’t say anything about that but only could whine mentally. And they weren’t in the same department either. The Law Department’s building was too far from the Architecture Department’s area after all, they were probably on each end of the university’s property. So people in the mentioned departments would really rarely meet on campus. Thankfully, fate really made them stumble upon each other.

 

“What a small world,” Yujin joked lightly. “Yes. I’m also a student here. Architecture. This is seriously amusing, huh?” added the taller woman with a chuckle.

 

Minjoo nodded firmly, also amazed that they were schoolmates all along yet they first met in another country, in a soccer game too nonetheless. “Very. I never expected it at all.” She whispered her response then her eyes softened. “But I’m really glad I met you again, Yujin.” She said sincerely as her eyes glimmered, like the whole universe was in her eyes.

 

Yujin felt her heart rumble in delight. “Me too, Minjoo. Me too.” muttered the taller woman back, her voice was low and full of relief. “How about we catch up, do you have any classes right now? I won’t let you rush off immediately like the last time,” She shifted the topic, teasing Minjoo playfully.

 

There was a blush on Minjoo’s pale cheeks. “Sorry about that, really. I kind of panicked and dashed away because of my friends.” She apologized, her lips puckered a bit. “I’m free as a bird, let’s have a talk.” answered the woman then to the question with a bright smile.

 

Rejoicing deep inside her, Yujin returned her smile. “Great.” She chirped, then picked up the book that fell, almost forgetting about it, gesturing for Minjoo to walk down.

 

With a chuckle, Minjoo finally started to walk while Yujin also followed along beside her, matching her pace again. They walked around the campus while lightheartedly talking, their topics were so random; it went from getting amused at the coincidence or maybe, destiny of theirs to meet like this again to their hobbies and stuff.

 

Yujin forgot her practice all over, but she knew this was worth it. She couldn’t let such a chance pass! She would rather get scolded by Chaeyeon than let Minjoo go again easily.

 

Minjoo and her friends also attended the World Cup because their ticket was sponsored by the sports organization of SNU. Each selected team of every sport team in SNU were given the opportunity to watch the game. The athletes would only cover the flight expenses.

 

Yujin learned a lot about Minjoo that day. She learned that the woman was also an athlete; an archer. The fencer was quite surprised at the information because she kind of knew a great archer that had a name Kim Minjoo. So, she finally connected the dots! They were actually schoolmates when they were in highschool too. She got the answer when Minjoo revealed where she went in highschool.

 

Yujin knew Minjoo, not personally, but because the archer was always the talk of the people in school because of her archery skills, and the one who won the nationals before. Even her friends and managers sometimes talk about Minjoo’s extraordinary skills in archery and how good she was but Yujin didn’t really much care about other stuff except for fencing and architecture related things.

 

No wonder she was familiar when Yujin first met her. In their highschool days, Yujin saw Minjoo sometimes but never really paid attention to her because she was too busy with her studies and fencing. She just minded her own business before.

 

So, this Kim Minjoo that was eating her popsicle cutely beside her was the same Kim Minjoo who was highly skilled in archery and one of the best archer in SNU, the same woman who was always praised and the talk of the people not just because of her skills in her own respective sport; but also because of her crazy visual and intellect. Really, a perfect woman.

 

Minjoo also revealed that Yujin was also quite familiar to her, and when Yujin said that she was in the fencing team of SNU, she beamed. She heard Yujin’s name a few times because she was also a great athlete representing SNU.

 

They just laughed at the coincidences the whole afternoon, continuing talking about their sports comfortably; both of them were athletes so it was expected to talk about sports. They exchanged achievements too, and were quite surprised that they both went to the same national sports competition last year and won but their paths never crossed either. Well, that day in Russia was really the fateful time for them to meet.

 

And they would also represent South Korea in this year’s Asian Games next month, both in the national team. Minjoo for archery, and of course, Yujin for fencing.

 

Yujin didn’t know but they really clicked perfectly. They were comfortable with one another for some reason that she couldn’t really pinpoint. It felt like they were old friends as they talked. Maybe because they met before? Or maybe because they could relate to each other well since they were both athletes?

 

But whatever, as long as they were comfortable. They talked for hours there on the bench, too occupied with each other and their conversation. This was what Yujin had wanted; to know Minjoo more, and she was getting more than she asked for. She already heard some of her anecdotes and funny stories and also experiences while in exchange, Yujin would also share stories about herself.

 

Thankfully, it wasn’t one-sided. Minjoo kept talking at the same energy and enthusiasm level as Yujin — her eyes kept sparkling, and they were as expressive as her facial expressions. She never failed to react to what Yujin would say.

 

Yujin also learned that Minjoo had seriously a nice, gentle laugh that she would willingly listen to forever and ever. She wanted to set that as her alarm tone or something because the sound was just seriously melodic.

 

Also, the topic of Yujin joking about kissing her and Minjoo doing it anyways was left. No one dared to mention it and it would be for the better, to be honest. Even though Yujin wanted to ask why Minjoo still did it, she kept shut and enjoyed talking about new things with her instead. Next time.

 

Finally, when Minjoo checked her watch, she yelped — she really lost track of time, the same as Yujin. “Oh no. I really need to go now. I still have to do some chores, my mom is probably waiting for me now.” She apologized, her eyes were solemn and sad that she had to break their conversation short.

 

Yujin blinked, well, it had been hours anyway since they started talking. She really missed the practice and all. “It’s alright. I took enough time to talk with you anyway,” answered Minjoo, and stood up also, wearing a satisfied smile. “Before you go. Can I get your number?” She finally asked, taking out her phone, and showed it to Minjoo.

 

The shorter woman let out a chuckle, nodding her head. “Of course.”

 

Yujin handed the phone to Minjoo, and the latter typed her number carefully, double-checking it before giving it back to the fencer. With that, Yujin tried not to jump in triumph as she hid her phone in her pocket, facing Minjoo again with a grin.

 

“Really, Minjoo, it’s nice meeting you again.”

 

“Likewise, Yujin.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Yujin said then. “Let’s meet again soon. Have a safe trip home.”

 

Nodding, Minjoo flashed a sweet smile then raised her hand for a wave, taking a step backward already. “Definitely,” She replied, arching her brow. “See you around, Yujin~ I’ll wait for your message!” added the woman, and finally turned her heels, walking away hastily while Yujin just watched her disappear right before her eyes.

 

And when Minjoo was finally out of sight, Yujin couldn’t even contain her squeal, and skipped her way towards the practice room. She garnered weird looks from the students but she cared less for those people, she kept giggling like a fool as she stared at Minjoo’s number in her phone.

 

Wow, Minjoo really unleashed the ultimate gayness within Yujin.

 

When she arrived at the practice, everyone was looking at her in confusion. They thought she wouldn’t appear at all because something must’ve happened. Hyewon’s nose was flaring in anger because Yujin was absent but still got the guts to show herself while giggling.

 

In the end, Yujin still got nagged at but she remained smiling until finally, Hyewon could sigh and shooed her away, letting it pass that Yujin was hours late for practice. It was the first time Yujin was late for practice anyway. She was always diligent and hardworking, that was why she was the ace of the team.

 

After that, Hyewon dismissed the team, and they all went home. Yena surprisingly didn’t bombard her with some questions, equally looking giddy as Yujin. So, when they exited the building, they were grinning at each other; they definitely have good news for each other.

 

“Yujin,” Yena started off, she would share first. She looked excited and extremely giddy. Yujin hummed in response. The older woman released a suppressed shriek before finally continuing, “So… I kind of met this girl last month,”

 

Yujin gasped, pointing an accusing finger at Yena. “That was why you won’t always hang out with me anymore! And you barely reply to my messages these past few weeks. So this is the reason!” She said, clutching her chest and faking a hurt expression.

 

Yena rolled her eyes at the dramatic expression. “Yes. Because I’m busy entertaining and talking with her!” She truthfully answered, sticking her tongue out while Yujin laughed. She wasn’t really hurt, it was completely fine. At first, she was just confused but shrugged it off. But now that she got to know the reason why Yena was acting like that recently — she was rather happy for her friend.

 

“Damn, Yena. This girl better not be straight.” Yujin teased. She was actually hoping that the woman that caught Yena’s interest again was finally someone serious and sure about her friend. The last time Yena’s eyes were caught, it ended badly. It was last year when Yena’s heart was broken by a woman who said that she was straight after literally flirting with Yena for months.

 

The younger woman wouldn’t let her best friend get her heart shattered again because of a confused woman.

 

Yena hummed, scratching her cheek. It made her think too. “I hope so.” She said, and Yujin’s eyes narrowed. “Just kidding! She also said that she likes me. Just earlier!” She revealed the bomb, squealing. Yujin gasped, patting her friend’s shoulders, proud. “Although, she said she just needed some time. I’m willing to wait anyway. I’m in no rush but after Asian Games, I might really ask her if I can finally court her.”

 

They talked about that on their way home. They were staying in the same apartment complex anyway, although not on the same floor. Yena said the reason why she didn’t tell Yujin about the girl early; she wanted to determine first if things between them got serious, and when Yena was finally sure, she would tell Yujin about it.

 

Fortunately, it seemed like it was going great for the both of them so far. Yujin wasn’t upset, she was just simply happy for her friend. Yujin didn’t mind that Yena kept it a secret.

 

Yena then finally told her about the girl, and how lovely she was. Yujin couldn’t help but to smile at Yena as the latter described her, and shared how they met on this cafe — they shared the same table since the place was packed, and with that, they clicked nicely, and Yena didn’t let the chance go; she immediately asked for her number and ever since, they started to talk with each other everyday through texts or calls. They also met sometimes when their schedule wasn’t too tight.

 

“Her name is Kim Chaewon,” Yena said, showing her a photo of her and Chaewon together. It was a selfie in the said cafe. Yujin hummed, eyeing the unfamiliar woman in the photo. She was really pretty, her features were so soft — she was reminded by a jaguar for some reason. Her eyes were round and kind yet at the same time, intimidating; she had a cute button nose, and a dashing smile.

 

“Her name is pretty familiar.” Yujin said, looking at Yena.

 

The older woman pocketed her phone back. “Of course. She’s attending SNU too, and is an athlete. Archery. Will also compete in the Asian Games next month.” She revealed, and Yujin halted her steps upon what she heard. Yena was confused at her actions, arching her brow. “What’s with you?”

 

Yujin took a deep breath, chuckling to herself. The world was really small, hmm? It seemed like Yena’s girl was one of Minjoo’s teammates then. She smiled tiredly at Yena. “Well,”

 

With that, it was her turn to talk about Minjoo. Yujin told her that they met again earlier that was why she didn’t get to practice. Yena was also happy for her, giddy at their story, and kept shrieking because really… must be destiny. She kept teasing Yujin to the woman, and the latter would only grin at her sheepishly, blushing a bit. She knew well how much Yujin liked the woman she met in the FIFA World Cup months ago, and she also knew that Yujin was really sad because of the fact she wouldn’t meet the girl anymore if the world was too unkind to her.

 

But alas. Really, this would be the continuation of their cute little story. Destiny was doing its job.

 

And when finally Yujin told about Minjoo — Yena was really shocked to know because she was just also around and attending SNU, and what a small world indeed. Then, Yujin told her that Minjoo was also an athlete; archer, and was in the national team to compete in the Asian Games soon.

 

“Oh my god!?” Yena shrieked in surprise. Yujin could relate. “What a fate!”

 

What a fate it was, indeed.

 

They talked about Minjoo and Chaewon until they finally arrived home. Yena kept teasing her relentlessly, thinking that everything must be really destined. Both of them hit the jackpot. Now, hopefully, Minjoo wasn’t straight and confusing.

 

“Yujin. Get that girl, seriously.”

 

Yujin just smiled. Well, she didn’t have any plan to let the chance pass anyway.

 

***

 

After Yujin got Minjoo’s number, she messaged the girl that night. And surprisingly, Minjoo replied fast, and it felt like she was really waiting for Yujin’s message since they parted in the school.

 

The messages didn’t stop that day, in fact — it became daily. Once they were both free, they would message each other until one needed to go. It became Yujin’s daily routine to greet Minjoo ‘good morning’ once she finally arose from her bed to prepare for school, and definitely bid her ‘goodnight’ once they were heading to bed to get some sleep. Although they never talked much when it was daytime since they were both busy with practice and studies, the moment the night fell; they would talk endlessly.

 

Yujin had no complaints at all. She was sincerely having fun exchanging messages with Minjoo at night. When a week passed, they started to send pictures of each other, mostly — food or what was happening at that very moment. Yujin already got three photos of Minjoo saved in her gallery, even creating a special, private album for Minjoo’s photos only.

 

It had been a while since Yujin had felt happy talking with someone like this. She was mostly uninterested with people because she would rather think about fencing and her studies. She liked to avoid distractions however, when she met Minjoo, everything really turned for the better.

 

Minjoo wasn’t a distraction at all. Instead, she boosted Yujin’s motivation to practice fencing because she would always send encouraging words and the fencer would do the same. So, everyday without a fail, Yujin was training extra hard — even the others noticed that she was glowing and more determined to beat their asses.

 

They thought the reason why Yujin was like that was because she was desperate to bag the gold medal in the Asian Games next month. Well, that was one thing but the main reason was Minjoo would send her a photo of her giving a thumbs up at the camera and a smile with a caption of ‘practice well today, yujin! don’t get yourself injured!’ and also, she would add heart emojis. Heart emojis! Damn, of course Yujin would be so inspired to practice fencing even more.

 

Yena would comment, “Whipped,” And Yujin wouldn’t fight back. They were the same anyway.

 

Both of them would just suddenly smile out of nowhere while in a daze. One could tell they were both love sick. Yujin didn’t even deny that she got it bad for Minjoo. Well, it was the truth anyway. What was the point of denying when her actions showed everything?

 

Although she and Minjoo only met twice (in Russia, and their second fateful meeting that day) — Yujin was still getting more and more interested in Minjoo. After all, they were chatting everyday; so it wasn’t weird that the fencer was fancying the archer, and the feeling was getting stronger each day passed.

 

Even if they badly wanted to meet, their schedules were really hectic and wouldn’t match especially as the Asian Games were getting nearer and nearer. They couldn’t just find a way to meet even just for a few minutes but both understood since they were in the same shoes anyway. Messages would be enough for now.

 

However, one night; something added into their routine. They were talking for almost three weeks already, and they had yet to level up from their ‘messaging’ phase. But when Yujin sent Minjoo a message asking if she was doing anything and if she was free for a chat — the archer replied with: I’m currently doing my final report. My hands are pretty occupied with a pen and stuff. But I want to talk… Can we call instead?

 

Yujin sat up straight from her bed, her eyes were wide in shock. It was Minjoo who offered a call! To be honest, Yujin wanted to have a conversation with Minjoo through call instead sometimes because she badly wanted to hear her voice but she was afraid that Minjoo would be uncomfortable with it and preferred communicating using messages instead.

 

She immediately fumbled on her phone, frantically typing a reply — easy, easy Yujin, don’t look like a desperate fool. Taking a deep breath, she composed a rather less desperate reply. She asked if it was really okay, she might be bothering her or something. And Minjoo’s response?

 

Yujin’s phone rang and out of shock, she almost threw it away. She let out a yelp when she saw Minjoo’s name as the caller ID. Panicking, she cleared first before accepting the call; her heart was beating rapidly. Hoping that it wouldn’t be awkward, Yujin greeted her immediately. “Hi.”

 

“Hello, Yujin. It’s fine. My hands are occupied but my mouth isn’t so I can speak,” Minjoo’s voice could be heard from the other line.

 

Yujin’s heart warmed at the familiar melodic voice. She blushed at what Minjoo said though — she shook her head to take her mind off the gutter and form a proper reply to say.

 

“I’m just a little bit reluctant since I might be a distraction. You should finish your report first.” She answered in a shy and low voice, finally lying down back to her bed, staring at the ceiling.

 

A hum could be heard from the other line. “No. Please stay,” Minjoo murmured, and Yujin’s heart shook at the plea. “Seriously, it’s alright. It’s just a report, and I really want to have a talk with you.” She added softly. “How’s your day?” The archer then questioned.

 

With that, Yujin’s shyness faded away as the talk went longer. She comfortably spoke with Minjoo, intently listening back to the archer’s tired giggles and other stories. It went like that for an hour or so when finally Minjoo told Yujin that she was finished doing the report. A yawn could be heard, and Yujin pouted — she must be really tired.

 

“I think you should rest now. It’s almost eleven too.” Yujin said, hugging her favorite plushie close to her as she let her phone rest on her ear.

 

Minjoo let out a tired chuckle, there were shuffling noises in the background. Must be tidying up her things. “Maybe I should,” answered the archer. “I still need to wake up early tomorrow for practice. Well, how about you? Isn’t it the start of the full one week training for you guys too?” She asked.

 

Yujin let out a hum. “Yes. Tomorrow too.”

 

The one week training was an excuse to every student athlete that would compete in the Asian Games. It was a week where they would only worry about training and then after two days when the training ended, they would fly to Indonesia where the event would happen.

 

“Good luck to us, then.” Minjoo replied with a giggle.

 

Yujin’s lips stretched for a smile. “Yeah. Good luck to us, indeed. I’m pretty excited too since I won’t worry about school anymore. Just fencing, and fencing only.” responded the fencer then swallowed down her disappointment because their conversation would end soon. “Well, I should sleep now too. Good night, Minjoo.”

 

“Thank you for talking with me, Yujin. Good night and sweet dreams. Talk to you tomorrow.”

 

And the call ended. Yujin was silent for a moment, still trying to process what happened these past few hours. Talking with Minjoo was really something, it was different hearing her voice than just simply texting. It was an upgrade. She hoped that calls would be constant in their routine from now on.

 

Biting her lower lip, Yujin suppressed a grin and a scream. It was already night time so it would be inappropriate to scream happily even though she was living alone in the apartment, she might wake the neighbors up.

 

That night, Yujin slept with a smile on her lips.

 

***

 

The calls became constant. Minjoo would always be the one who would initiate and suggest a call instead because she was tired of typing after a whole day of drawing a bow and shooting hundreds of arrows. Yujin delightfully accepted every call anyway, even though she was exhausted from the fencing all day — she would talk to Minjoo for hours.

 

Yujin was really exhausted every single day, the training was really draining her to the very core but she couldn’t falter. The event would happen in a few days and she needed to work hard. Her opponents were not just Koreans but other Asians. This was her first time competing in such a big event like this for fencing — she wasn’t really expecting to be part of the national team.

 

But thanks to Minjoo’s encouragement, the hellish training was bearable. The archer didn’t stop sending pictures of herself with cute encouraging captions. And Yujin would always send back a recent picture even though she was sweaty and tired in the pictures, sometimes showing her sword when Minjoo was also showing her dearest recurve bow.

 

The night before their flight to Indonesia — Minjoo and Yujin had their usual talk but mostly about the pressure of competing yet at the same time, they would always assure each other that they could do it and make South Korea proud. They talked about their goals and other more related to the competition that would happen soon.

 

And before they ended the call, they agreed to meet each other in person in SNU. They would definitely meet each other in the school tomorrow because the SNU athletes that were in the national team or just simply that would compete in the event would gather in the school first because the executive directors would give their greetings and wishes for them before they take off.

 

“Good night, Minjoo. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

 

“Likewise, Yujin. Sweet dreams.”

 

Morning came quickly. And Yujin was really in a great mood. She sat up from her bed, stretching her sore muscles and joints; it was the feeling that she was already used to. She had experienced it countless times anyway throughout the years of doing fencing.

 

She grabbed her phone, unplugging it from her charger. She saw that Minjoo woke up earlier than her because the woman had messaged her a ‘good morning’ already with a reminder that she should prepare quickly. With a sheepish grin, Yujin replied back, and finally did her thing.

 

She ate her breakfast and double checked her luggages, and bags. When everything was finally settled — Yujin asked for assistance from the workers in the apartment complex to help her bring her bags down and waited for Yena to also finally come down and meet her so they would go to the university together.

 

While waiting for Yena, Yujin got a message from her parents — she snorted, and ignored it, pocketing her phone, and let out a relieved sigh when Yena finally came down with her brother, Sungmin. The Choi family drove with them to SNU, bidding them good luck and goodbyes when they dropped them off.

 

There were some photographers and reporters already, waiting for the athletes and taking their pictures and stuff. Yujin felt nervous all of a sudden, tightening her hold on her backpack while Yena just tilted her chin confidently as she strode down.

 

The small gathering finally started and Yujin kept looking around to spot Minjoo but to no avail, she couldn’t spot her from the sea of people in the gymnasium.

 

Fortunately, they spotted each other when the gathering finally ended, and the athletes were on their way to their own respective buses. Minjoo was wearing a windbreaker jacket the same as hers but with ‘ARCHERY’ on the back of the jacket instead of ‘FENCING’ like Yujin’s. She was wearing track pants too, and a pair of pink sneakers while her hair was tied up in a neat bun that showed her sharp features. Yujin’s breath was taken away.

 

But unluckily for them, before they could even approach each other — Yujin was dragged by their coach, telling them that they should all go to the bus now. With a pout, Yujin just gestured to Minjoo that she would call soon and the archer just threw a smile and a nod.

 

Soon, Yujin found herself already in the hotel in Jakarta. She felt dizzy after facing cameras and flashes for an hour or so. Geez. It was really worse than in the nationals. She was also intimidated at the sight of other foreigner players so as much as possible, she just stayed inside.

 

Yujin rested there, half listening to Yena’s blabbers about Chaewon and her plan to confess and ask if she could court her once the event ended. She was too nervous for tomorrow and her mind was occupied by Minjoo again.

 

Instead, to make her nervous fade away, she opened her phone and messaged Minjoo. The latter replied back after a few minutes, and Yujin couldn’t even stop herself from smiling, not even listening to Yena’s words anymore.

 

***

 

Yujin and Yena both won bronze in their respective individual category; Yujin for sabre, and Yena for epee. When Yujin’s final bout ended, she lost to the opponent — everyone was proud of her because she still got a medal nonetheless and put up a good fight. Yujin wasn’t disappointed at all, she was even surprised she managed to get into the semi-finals, and got bronze. Plus, the team sabre got silver too.

 

When she went back to the team with a bronze medal hanging around her neck, everyone pulled her for a group hug, telling how proud they were for her. Yujin couldn’t even bring herself to be upset at the achievement she got, this was really more than enough. She would just strive to train harder next time. This was her first time competing in the said event anyway.

 

She was greeted by some journalists and people from the media for a short interview, and the fencer just happily answered their questions. Yujin even got a few compliments from a charming journalist named Wonyoung which made her blush a couple times.

 

After that, the two best friends rushed towards the other on-going competition once they were finally changed into more comfortable clothes. They entered the archery area with a huff, thankfully, they got a great stamina — when they entered the area, the game wasn’t still starting much to their relief.

 

They walked towards the bench, sitting down where they would give them a great view of the archery competition. A lot of people were watching the archery game rather than fencing, it was a more popular sport anyway but the hype was understandable. The players of archery, a lot of them were known, and mostly celebrities by now.

 

Even Minjoo was a little bit known. She actually went viral, yet again, in South Korea just recently when they went to Jakarta. She got into the headlines two days ago. The media called Minjoo ‘SNU’s goddess-like archer’. Minjoo trended before when she won the nationals last year too but the archer was completely unaware of her power and the effect of her terrifying beauty.

 

She would make sure to tease Minjoo later.

 

Yena and Yujin happily watched the competition until it was finally South Korea versus Singapore. The announcer introduced the national women team of South Korea — and showed the three archers who entered the area with smiles on their lips. A lot cheered for them once they slowly went to their own spot.

 

Yujin didn’t forget her camera, recording some stuff for her to use in her new vlog. She and Yena talked to the camera for a few minutes, saying that they were excited and rooting for the South Korean team. After that, they just mostly focused on watching.

 

The two fencers held back a scream, just clapping happily at them, eyeing ‘their’ girls with heart eyes. Chaewon, Minjoo, and Eunbi were wearing the same attire, hugging their bodies perfectly. Yujin couldn’t even take her eyes off Minjoo even though they were far away. The archer had her hair tied up in a neat bun and her side bang was resting on the side of her face. She looked really charming.

 

Even the cameraman seemed to favor Minjoo — on the big screen, they were showing Minjoo for such a long time that even the audience were starting to gossip to each other about how pretty that South Korean archer was. Yujin’s chest swelled in pride as everyone eyed Minjoo.

 

When the said archer was informed by Chaewon that she was being shown on screen. She looked up, and spotted herself on the big screen which made her cover her face with her hand shyly, her cheeks turned pink then smiled at the camera which made the announcers coo.

 

The game went on. Yena and Yujin were a nervous wreck since it was the team category. Minjoo would be competing in the solo too so Yujin intended to stay until it was finished — the fencing competition finally ended already anyway so they were both free to do whatever they wanted. Too bad, earlier, the archers couldn’t support them personally since their managers didn’t allow them to leave to watch some games but made sure that they sent Yena and Yujin some encouraging messages before the game.

 

Soon, South Korea won by three points ahead which made the two fencers squeal to each other happily. They were such supportive ‘BFFs’.

 

The game went on further and South Korea won every game magnificently until the team finally reached the semi-finals — they already secured a bronze medal. The team did a group hug when they won, even from the bleachers Yena and Yujin also hugged happily.

 

In the end, the team lost to Japan. It was not a shame at all since they also put up a very nice fight but the opponents were too strong for them. However, everyone was still happy for the team since they bagged a bronze medal for the team.

 

Yujin and Yena stayed until it was finally the solo category. Yujin did not even get up from her seat, only intently watching Minjoo, her eyes were only following the archer. Yena was just holding back her laugh as she looked at the serious Yujin — the fencer was even more tense than Minjoo herself.

 

“Hey, I’ll leave first. I’m going to meet Chaewon. She messaged me to meet her in the hallway.” Yena excused herself, standing up from her seat as she pocketed her phone. She looked nervous and trembling.

 

Yujin looked up at her friend, patting the older woman’s arm then they nodded to each other. They could communicate through gestures and gaze so they fully understood each other. Exchanging smiles, Yena finally jogged away while Yujin just smiled at herself, hoping for the best for her close friend. She was expecting good news for later.

 

The fencer waited for the game to start — Minjoo was already standing by the area, inspecting her bow calmly. She looked like she wasn’t drained out after competing with the team earlier. Minjoo looked graceful as ever, and Yujin was really in awe.

 

But her eyes caught something from two rows below her. A familiar good-looking tall man appeared with another two guys and sat on the vacant chairs. Yujin tilted her head, and she finally recognized the said man.

 

It was one of the famous South Korean professional basketball players, Lee Jihyeon. He was Yujin’s senior in SNU before but graduated last year. He was pretty known because of his good looks and great skills in basketball. He was a huge celebrity in their country because he wasn’t just a skilled athlete but also a model and sometimes would guest in popular variety shows, did cameos on movies and dramas too. She wondered what he might be doing here. Hmm. Maybe to support?

 

Yujin ignored him. They didn’t know each other personally anyway.

 

Finally, the game started and as expected, Minjoo did nicely. She won the first round with a smile. Yujin watched happily, grinning ear to ear until her cheeks hurt and burned. It went like that until unsurprisingly — Minjoo climbed up to semi-finals, already securing a bronze. The archer was so ecstatic, skipping her way towards Eunbi after exchanging respectful courtesy to her opponent.

 

Even Yujin was really proud of Minjoo, wanting to message her or something but her phone wasn’t with her, too busy talking with the others and watched the games instead of indulging herself with her phone. Yujin completely understood that it might be a distraction too.

 

“She’s really good.” Yujin heard from below her. It was one of the guys with Jihyeon.

 

The basketball player hummed, and Yujin could see his lips stretching to form a bright smile at his friend from her seat. “I know. I told you that she’s really one of the best archers from SNU.” He replied then turned his head to face the arena instead but Yujin caught what he added, “And she’s really beautiful. No one can top her beauty.”

 

Well, that was true anyway and Yujin couldn’t help but to smugly agree mentally but it came from this guy so the fencer was a little bit uneasy. His tone was sincere but Yujin knew that there was something more that she couldn’t pinpoint.

 

“I know right? Damn. Even idols these days can’t be compared. She’s seriously pretty. I heard that she’s very gentle and kind too. No wonder she caught your attention, Jihyeon-hyung.” One of the guys said with a chuckle while Jihyeon just grinned, playfully punching him.

 

The basketball player then replied with a playful annoyed tone. “Back off, guys.”

 

Yujin blinked, feeling her heart drop on the floor. So… this famous and young basketball player of South Korea was interested in Minjoo? Why was Yujin even shocked at this? Minjoo was admirable. With her skills, and beauty alone — people were going to worship her. And it didn’t help that she was simply down to earth and had a golden, fairest heart. Who wouldn’t just be interested?

 

She was surprised herself because she managed to get this woman’s number, and they message and talk to each other daily. Sometimes, Yujin forgot that Minjoo was literally out of her league because she was so used to talking with Minjoo until it was time for them to sleep.

 

“Geez, hyung. Of course. Can’t we just simply admire her beauty?” The blonde one said with a cackle, shaking his head. “We know that you got your eyes on her already. Make a move already! You’re Lee Jihyeon for god’s sake! I know you can sway her in a flash.” He then joked halfheartedly.

 

Yujin’s face fell. She tried her best not to eavesdrop but she couldn’t help but to hear their conversation because they were just too near. She waited for Jihyeon to answer but the latter just chuckled gently, not saying anything and focused on watching the match instead.

 

With a sigh, the fencer just shook her head to collect herself, and focused too since the game was finally starting but the unfamiliar feeling in her stomach didn’t fade, and a small ache piled at the bottom of her heart. She didn’t mind it — immediately forgetting what she just heard when Minjoo was shown on the screen, already preparing for the shot, drawing the bow elegantly.

 

The game ended nicely and fairly, Yujin was really on the edge of her seat as she watched Minjoo. Unfortunately, Minjoo lost by three points to China’s representative but got the silver medal for the female solo which was a huge achievement already.

 

Minjoo was still smiling brightly when she still lost, sincerely happy for the Chinese archer, and even hugged her — congratulating her before walking to her team, still smiling as the people gave her their congrats, and a group hug. They were so happy for Minjoo, what an honor for her to bring a silver medal for South Korea.

 

Yujin stood up from her seat, clapping happily as she watched Minjoo receive the medal with a big smile on her face, proudly showing it.

 

The fencer finally exited the archery area after that. Minjoo was definitely going to be busy for the next hour or so. She would just send her a message. She couldn’t squish herself in the crowd of people, she wasn’t too important to do such a thing. It might create some ruckus too.

 

***

 

Yujin and Minjoo met at the hotel lobby after an hour. The archer was finally freshened up, wearing more casual clothes. She looked exhausted, the same as Yujin but still insisted on meeting with her despite the fencer’s insistence that she should rest instead. They smiled at each other when their eyes met.

 

“Congratulations. You bagged the silver medal, SNU’s goddess-like archer.” Yujin greeted, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly while Minjoo playfully rolled her eyes, giggling shyly.

 

“You too, Ahn. You got bronze.” Minjoo responded, sitting on the seat beside Yujin then pouted. “Sorry I didn’t get to watch you, our manager refused to let us roam around until our game was finished. I will definitely watch the replay of your game later.” added the archer.

 

Shaking her head to shrug it off, Yujin smiled at her softly. “It wasn’t a big deal at all. I completely understand. Although, it’s such a shame that you didn’t get to witness how I fence in person.” She joked lightly with a chuckle.

 

Minjoo nodded in agreement, her expression was sincerely crestfallen. It looked like she really wanted to watch Yujin’s bout earlier. “It’s really a shame. I wanted to watch, really.”

 

“You can watch me practice with Yena soon.” Yujin offered, not wanting Minjoo to be sad because of a simple thing. It would be great for Minjoo to watch her fence.

 

The archer’s eyes sparkled in delight at the suggestion, nodding eagerly like a child which made Yujin giggle at the sight. “Yes, please.” replied Minjoo with a toothy grin, chirpy. “Oh, speaking of Yena. I can’t seem to find Chaewon around too. Do you think they’re together right now?” She then asked, her expression turned to confusion.

 

Of course, Minjoo also knew what was happening to her teammate and Yujin’s best friend. It was really a small world, it was quite funny to be honest but if the two of them were happy then they would support them no matter what. Even Minjoo told Yujin that she really thinks that Chaewon likes Yena genuinely.

 

Yujin suddenly felt a presence, her head turned to the other direction. And she spotted Yena and Chaewon walking towards their direction while smiling. Yujin’s gaze lowered, eyeing the two women’s tightly intertwined fingers dangling between them. She smirked, “Speaking of the devils.”

 

Minjoo blinked then turned, perking up when she saw the two but couldn’t suppress her amazed gasp when she realized that the two women were holding hands as they finally halted in front of them. Yujin just smiled at them, raising her brow.

 

Yena and Chaewon looked at each other then looked back at Yujin and Minjoo with blush in their cheeks. “So,” The fencer started after clearing . “We kind of skipped the ‘courting’ phase because Chaewon herself said that it’s not necessary anymore. So, uhm, we’re officially dating now.” Yena announced, showing her and Chaewon’s joined hands with a red face while the archer laughed wholeheartedly beside her.

 

Yujin was amazed and happy for her friend, jumping onto her feet, and gave Yena a side hug, then a bright smile at Chaewon. “Why, congrats! You guys didn’t just win medals today, huh?” She joked which made the new couple turn into tomatoes out of shyness.

 

Minjoo also approached closer, giving them bright smiles. “You guys are really cute. We’re the witnesses of the development of your relationship. And I can’t say anything except for the fact I’m really happy for you guys and we will support the both of you no matter what.” She said with a squeal, shooting Chaewon a pointed look.

 

Yujin joked about having a celebration but Yena agreed anyway, asking them if they wanted to stroll around the streets of Jakarta and get some food to have a mini celebration because that day marked the day where she and Chaewon officially became a couple.

 

After calling their managers and informing them about their plan. When they got their permission — the four of them went to roam around happily. They tried out numerous foods. They really enjoyed themselves that night.

 

Yujin brought her camera along, capturing the night beauty of the city. She made sure that she would only take videos of the scenery, and the back figures of her friends in the dim street so no one wouldn’t be able to recognize them. She had a hundred thousand subscribers already so she was more careful.

 

Minjoo was really amazed. Even until now, the archer was still in awe that Yujin was a vlogger with a lot of subscribers. When Yujin told Minjoo that she had a vlog channel, the older one was really surprised. The fencer wasn’t really a constant vlogger, she just uploaded videos when she wanted to, and if she had content to show.

 

And now, Minjoo was a fan and subscriber of hers.

 

On the way back to their hotel, Chaewon and Yena were walking ahead of them; their hands were tightly glued to one another as they ate their ice creams. Yujin watched how Chaewon would sometimes rest her head on Yena’s shoulders while the latter animatedly talked about random things. The archer listened to Yena’s blabbers about the beautiful night sky and buildings of the capital city with a soft smile. They were really in love.

 

Ahh, they really both fit each other. They looked good together too, and Yujin couldn’t help but to feel happy for her friend because it seemed like Chaewon was really the one for her. Her heart warmed for her friend, hopefully — her hunch was right. Her hunches were rarely wrong anyway, and this time she got a huge feeling. She really prayed that the fire between Yena and Chaewon wouldn’t extinguish but would only flare even more fiercely as time passed.

 

Because of the new couple, Yujin felt a small tinge of envy too. It was normal after all. Yujin wanted to have a lover that would hug, kiss, and love her. But that night, she wasn’t lonely at all because Minjoo was walking beside her, smiling at the sight of the new couple too as she ate her ice cream. She didn’t feel like a third wheel even though Minjoo wasn’t her ‘official’ date — her presence really comforted Yujin and made her feel better.

 

Their hands would actually occasionally brush together, and sparks would intensify all over Yujin’s being. Yujin’s fingers would twitch, almost itching to move her hand to hold Minjoo’s own hand. Minjoo would also blush whenever that happened though yet she never moved her hand away, letting it rest there like she was expecting something.

 

However, the fencer wasn’t brave enough to reach for it and intertwine their fingers together tightly, and probably never let go. She and Minjoo were just friends — nothing more, nothing less. She didn’t have the right to do that.

 

Even if Minjoo was also itching and waiting for Yujin to hold her hand.

 

***

 

Time passed by and ever since Asian Games; Yujin and Minjoo even got closer than before. Since they weren’t busy as much after the sports event last time, they got to talk and see each other more. They would often tag along to Chaewon and Yena’s date — claiming that they were the third and fourth wheels every time.

 

Chaewon would snort at that, not amused at all as she sipped on her iced tea. “What kind of bull is that? Just say that this is a double date, don’t be shy.”

 

In the end, it would make Yujin and Minjoo shut up while their faces were red. Yena would smirk, cooing at her girlfriend, faking an exaggerated gasp then say. “Baby, be easy on them! They’re still on the ‘talking’ stage. Don’t worry, I’m sure they will finally realize their feelings for each other soon.” Yujin would kick her under the table after that.

 

Well, to be honest, Yujin wasn’t really sure about her and Minjoo. The fencer was going to admit it but she really fancied Minjoo that way, she was sincerely interested in the archer when they first met in the World Cup months ago. Since they were talking almost daily, of course, it would bloom into something more.

 

Yujin liked Minjoo. Yes, in that way.

 

The fencer already witnessed and learned a lot about Minjoo. Even her flaws that Yujin was starting to also love. Minjoo was very open to her too, and Yujin was the same. Yujin always remembered to match Minjoo’s pace no matter what. The archer’s feelings were Yujin’s top priority so the fencer was always considerate and thought of her actions thoroughly first.

 

She had never been like this towards someone. It was a fresh, foreign feeling that Yujin still had trying to figure and sort out. All she just knew was these lovely feelings were sincere and firm, and it was getting out of hand — Yujin let it.

 

Yujin was letting herself fall for Minjoo even deeper until she was in the very depths and end.

 

However, Yujin wasn’t too sure if it was mutual but then, Minjoo showed intentions too. For sure, the mutual thing between them was they were always looking forward to each other. It wasn’t just Yujin who was initiating messages anyway — often, Minjoo would also whine for them to have a call. The archer would also shamelessly send beautiful photos of her randomly that would make Yujin’s nose bleed.

 

Yujin was certain that she and Minjoo were at the very edge of the step called ‘friends’.

 

But hey, Yujin was willing to wait anyway; like she said, she was more than alright to match Minjoo’s pace so they could walk together, literally and figuratively. Minjoo was the type of person who was serious in this kind of thing — slowly but surely type of person because she didn’t want temporary relationships. She learned that from Chaewon.

 

If Minjoo was interested then she would be interested in one person for a long time, and she would give every ounce of her attention to that person. Even though Minjoo and her weren’t really dating (yet), to Minjoo — they were exclusive and secured already. And that thought made Yujin giddy and assured, well, she never looked at another person like that anyway after they met.

 

That was why for now, Yujin was patiently waiting for Minjoo’s signal. She wanted to give every reassurance Minjoo needed. If Minjoo wanted for them to take things slowly then sure, Yujin would follow along like a loyal puppy. The archer, after all, already gave her enough reassurance that she was also into this as much as Yujin.

 

Expressing their feelings were out of the topic but their little gestures and actions pretty much told everything.

 

It had been months since they started talking yet everything was really going well for the both of them. And that was enough. Yujin was satisfied with their current progress.

 

“Hey, Minjoo. I wanted to ask if you’re free today? Me and Yena have started practicing fencing again since we’re going to compete for the 2018 Winter Fencing Competition.” Yujin asked one day, by now, they were already attending school again while training still — balancing both again as usual.

 

She knew that Minjoo was a very busy person; being a law student and all, especially that the term was nearing its end again before winter break. The older woman was also practicing archery. On top of that, she couldn’t afford to be rusty since she was also going to compete in the Archery World Cup next year too. So, her short practices were just to maintain her skills and then, next year, she would start her intensive training again.

 

“Yes. I’m free as a bird today, I’ve finished my debate and kind of won.” Minjoo answered happily from the other line that made Yujin smile sheepishly at herself. Oh, she really got it bad for the archer.

 

“That’s great. Chaewon will come too to watch the practice. It will be the first time that you guys will watch our fencing practice, right?”

 

“Hmm! Too bad our schedules became too hectic after the Asian Games. Oh well, I’m on my way to Chaewon’s room now to fetch her. We’ll just go there at the practice area together.”

 

Yujin bit her lower lip, very excited to show off — the thought of Minjoo watching her practice was making her excited but at the same time, nervous. She might make a fool out of herself if she wasn’t too focused. “I can’t wait. See you.” She replied, and a hum came from the other line.

 

The fencer ended the call, standing up from the bench in the locker room, and finally changed into her fencing attire. She was in the process of wearing her plastron when the locker room was barged open, revealing Yena who was already fully dressed — a blush spreading around her face.

 

Frowning, the younger woman continued doing her business. “What’s wrong?” She asked, taking out her gloves and mask out from the locker.

 

“This is the first time Chaewon will finally see me fencing personally,”

 

“So?”

 

“I’m nervous! I’m scared that I might freeze at the sight of her and get hit!”

 

Well, they have the same concern. Yujin just laughed at her best friend, shaking her head in amusement, pushing her out of the locker room with her. “Nah. It’ll be alright. Even if you get your beaten, Chaewon will still be madly in love with you.” She said with a teasing smile. It was the truth anyway.

 

Yena rolled her eyes. “Wow, reassuring.”

 

They once again entered the practice arena, and everyone was prepared, warming up. There were some students who were hanging around, and also wanted to watch the practice. They were mostly friends of the players. It was allowed for them to watch anyway as long as they would stay quiet.

 

Yujin and Yena froze when Minjoo and Chaewon entered the arena with curious yet excited looks. The both of them looked drained after attending classes but still went to watch their practice. The younger fencer couldn’t help but to look at Minjoo — the archer was wearing her usual fit; comfortable and thick purple hoodie, jeans, and white sneakers. Her hair was tied up in a low ponytail, and she was hugging her books while a gentle smile was plastered on her lips.

 

Minjoo and Chaewon’s presence caused a small murmur around, surprised to see the archers hanging around the fencing arena casually. Especially the people who were fans of the said athletes.

 

Ever since Minjoo got a silver medal from her first ever Asian Games — her popularity doubled. She got some modelling offers too but blatantly refused since she was busy with her studies. She was firmly pursuing her law career and at the same time her archery career so she wasn’t interested in being a model. She was already overwhelmed at the exposure, she didn’t want to fire it up even more.

 

Minjoo herself told Yujin that she didn’t really want to be a celebrity; she had issues with popularity. It was enough that she had gotten a small amount of hate from the internet already. She wouldn’t enter the celebrity world deeper anymore. Yujin understood Minjoo well because she also knew the pressure from the people on the internet to her even because she was a vlogger, that was why she wouldn’t ask Minjoo to at least say hi to the camera when she was making content — only Yena. She gained a few thousands of new subscribers after the Asian Games too.

 

The two popular archers of proud SNU sat on the bleachers, waving at the two fencers when they spotted them standing like fools in the corner of the arena. Chaewon gestured to them to come closer so the two scurried there to greet their visitors.

 

“Hi.” Yena shyly greeted the both of them. Minjoo waved at her while Chaewon scrunched her nose up, pulling Yena closer to her until the latter was sitting beside her.

 

The two women weren’t really announcing their relationship in public to avoid some judging eyes. They would rather date in peace and secretly because they didn’t want any nosy people minding them — they were quite known around too. So, to everyone, they thought that Chaewon and Yena were just close friends.

 

“Hello. Are you ready to watch my get beaten?” Yujin said to Minjoo after she threw Chaewon a smile of greeting. Minjoo hummed, nodding seriously before exploding into a pit of chuckles.

 

“I know you won’t let your get beaten, Ahn.” responded Minjoo with a raised brow, resting her chin on top of her palm. She looked so smug and sassy that moment that Yujin almost had a heart attack.

 

Blushing, Yujin giggled. Well, she wouldn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Minjoo. She was about to respond when they heard Hyewon’s voice calling for them to get ready in the strip already.

 

The archer then tilted her head. “Good luck with your practice. Me and Chaewon will just watch from here.” She said softly, and Yujin nodded, giving a salute that made them both chuckle. “Can’t wait to watch. Don’t get injured, alright?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Yujin said with a smile, her heart warming, and her veins thumping — a rush of adrenaline went through her. She and Yena went to the piste after getting their own swords.

 

Throughout the practice, Yujin could feel the burning gaze from afar. It boosted her to fight well even more. She kept winning every round. And she could just feel Minjoo’s proud grin from the strip, and it made her smile behind her mask too.

 

***

 

It wasn’t certainly the last time Minjoo would watch her practice fencing at all. Ever since the first time the archer watched her practice, she was ecstatic and entertained to watch Yujin do fencing — she was fascinated. That night after the practice, in their usual talk, Minjoo kept blabbering about how good Yujin was and she was really amazed. She kept throwing random compliments, and they were all sincere. Yujin was a blushing mess.

 

After that, Minjoo was always present in the practice, often with Chaewon too when their schedules weren’t too hectic at all. And ever since, Yujin and Yena were training extra hard even way before.

 

Although Minjoo and Chaewon’s presence were always welcome — a lot of people started to go to the fencing arena too — not to watch the practice but to gawk at the two beautiful archers. Yujin and Yena just swallowed down the feeling of jealousy when people would approach the archers with intention. Minjoo and Chaewon would always turn them down anyway, always focused on watching Yujin and Yena.

 

Still, there was a sickly feeling in the bottom of their hearts as they could only witness Minjoo and Chaewon getting hitted on from the strip as they faced their opponent, unable to do anything but pour their rage through fighting. Yena almost injured an opponent once because she ed her sword a little bit too hard because she was in a very foul mood after witnessing someone confessing his deep admiration for Chaewon, and in front of her salad too!

 

Yujin couldn’t show much jealousy since she and Minjoo weren’t dating. Only exclusive, with friends as their label.

 

However, her bottled feelings erupted one day.

 

The term was already ending, and an unexpected visitor suddenly appeared in the campus of SNU. His appearance caused a ruckus among the students. Well, only a popular idol or celebrity could make every student of SNU panic like this over an appearance.

 

Lee Jihyeon. The famous basketball player, and was once a student of SNU. His presence wasn’t really unwelcomed, and he used to roam around the campus casually before too but it was surprising, still.

 

Yujin was in practice when the said man appeared so she was entirely clueless, and not like she cared anyway. Too bad, Minjoo wasn’t there to watch since she had her own practice too. She pouted at the thought — she never once got to watch Minjoo’s practice because their time would clash with one another. Yujin had been busier these days because of the upcoming fencing competition, she couldn’t afford to slack off.

 

Once the practice had ended, she heard some gossip from the students around. Yena was absent that day because she was sick so she didn’t have someone to talk to and all.

 

“Have you heard? Lee Jihyeon visited the school.”

 

“I know! Ahrin sent me a picture of him. She bumped into him on the school grounds.”

 

“Girl! Jihyeon is currently watching archery practice. Look! Ahrin followed him. The archery field is packed with students.”

 

Yujin froze at that. She had already changed into a more comfortable outfit, and was just tidying up her things in her bag when she accidentally eavesdropped on the two girls nearby. They were gushing over something in their phones.

 

“Oh my, seriously, archery? Don’t tell me...!”

 

“Jihyeon also watched the archery game at the last Asian Games, you know! He was right there. He flew to Jakarta just to watch and support the players but he was only seen watching the archery competition.”

 

“Holy…”

 

“Oh my god! Ahrin just messaged me. She said that Jihyeon is watching Kim Minjoo. She also told me that Jihyeon is only watching her, and with a fascinated smile too.”

 

“Damn. Rumors are going to spread again. But then, there’s a possibility too.”

 

“We should go to the archery field and see if there’s going to be some tea! Jihyeon is pretty compatible with Minjoo. I will support them surely if they ever date. They will be a power couple, for sure.”

 

With that, the two students rushed out of the arena, leaving a frozen Yujin there. She let out the breath that she didn’t even realize she had been holding for quite a while now as she listened. Her heart was painfully aching in her chest, and tears were welling up in the frame of her eyes already. She blinked them away, hastily placing her things inside her bag, and fled away without even bidding goodbye to Hyewon and to the others.

 

Yujin actually had a plan that she would go straight to the archery field after her practice and surprise Minjoo with her appearance, and watch the archer practice but her plan went down into the drain after what she had heard.

 

She was going to admit but she was burning in jealousy. Even though Minjoo wasn’t even doing anything with Jihyeon. Even though she wasn’t dating Minjoo at all. Why was she feeling like this?

 

Once she reached the apartment complex, she went to visit Yena. The older fencer was looking better than yesterday, and was immediately alarmed when she saw Yujin’s state.

 

Yujin’s eyes were bloodshot, tears were pooling in them, and she was biting her lower lip while wearing a very frustrated look. Yena hushed her friend down, and asked her to tell her what happened. So, Yujin did, and after she let out her frustrations — she realized how pathetic she was.

 

“Yena-unnie. This is bad, no, I think it’s not — , I don’t know.” Yujin mumbled, biting the back of her hand. “I shouldn’t feel like this. We’re not dating at all. Why am I like this?”

 

Yena sighed, patting Yujin’s head affectionately then threw her a comforting smile. “Yes. You guys are not dating at all but,” She paused, tilting her head. “You have feelings for her so it’s valid to feel jealous at all, Yujin. I felt that too when I was still just friends with Chaewon. However, Minjoo isn’t responsible for this because she’s not even doing anything with the guy.”

 

Yujin let out a shaky sigh, sliding her fingers through her hair. “God damn it, unnie.” She cursed, laughing at herself afterward because suddenly, realization hit her like a damn bulldozer. Her heart bloomed, surrounded by flowers, and was yearning for Minjoo.

 

“I’m so ing in love.”

 

That night — Minjoo and Yujin talked like the fencer didn’t cry her heart out and finally admitted that she was in love with Minjoo. The archer was clueless though. She noticed that something was quite off with Yujin but the latter said that she was just tired with the practice.

 

Yujin tried to swallow her disappointment when the call ended that night without Minjoo mentioning that Jihyeon watched her practice earlier. Nothing. Why did Yujin even expect an explanation when there was nothing to explain anyway?

 

With a sigh, she just tried to get some sleep, hoping that tomorrow — she would feel better. Minjoo invaded her dreams again that night.

 

***

 

They never talked about that topic. Not like Yujin inserted it like the time Minjoo kissed her cheek in the World Cup when she was clearly joking — half-joking — she didn’t have the guts, and because why would she even ask that anyway. The Jihyeon guy was never mentioned in every conversation, and the fencer didn’t know what to think to be honest. One thing was for sure though, she was getting worried and upset for nothing because clearly, Minjoo didn’t even like the basketball player that way.

 

As expected, there were rumors about Jihyeon and Minjoo after that because a lot of students witnessed that the basketball athlete greeted Minjoo after the practice, complimenting her skills when he did not even bat an eye towards the other archers that moment. Yujin heard that Minjoo just politely greeted Jihyeon because he was her senior before but they weren’t close at all.

 

Soon, time flew by within a blink. Yujin was already on her way to Busan where the Winter Fencing Competition would happen. She was riding the same car with Yena — they went separately with the whole team, the others were in the van while the two fencers decided to go there with Yena’s car instead.

 

Why? Well, because they brought a plus two. One could probably guess who they might be; Minjoo and Chaewon. The two supportive archers insisted on going with them to the competition so they could watch their matches. Coincidentally, their schedules were pretty clear since it was finally winter break.

 

Yena was the one who was driving while of course, her girlfriend was in the driver’s seat, feeding the oldest among them some candies because Yena’s hands were pretty occupied with the wheel and gear stick. In the back seat, Minjoo and Yujin were comfortably sitting beside each other, talking about random things, and just watched a movie together on Yujin’s phone but the fencer was mindful of their gap, leaving a little respectful gap between them. They did not even sense the two pairs of eyes from the front glancing at them through the rear mirror.

 

They reached the venue after driving for four hours or so. The team didn’t even have a stop-over so when they finally got out of the vehicles, they finally managed to stretch their stiff bodies.

 

Minjoo and Chaewon settled on the reserved seat for them in the front row. As expected, a lot of them recognized them. After all, people who probably went to the events were sports fans. Some bravely walked to them for a picture, they couldn’t decline so they just posed in front of the camera, and politely greeted them — so far, no one took advantage of them, everyone who approached them was polite and simply amazed.

 

Yujin and Yena were at the other corner, already warming up; they could only glance at the two from afar. They focused on fencing first, of course. This was only a one-day event so they needed to give their everything.

 

In the arena, there were four strips already so four matches would happen simultaneously. The event would be done by the night fell. Yujin was pumped up despite being drained by seating for hours because she knew Minjoo was there, watching her. Hmm. She wondered if she should pull a Yena.

 

Every night, Yujin kept thinking if she would confess to Minjoo after the competition. It had been months anyway since they started talking, and she was sure of her feelings already. She wanted to shoot her shot. She wanted to have something more with Minjoo, and she was done tiptoeing around each other anymore so she would advance a step forward.

 

She decided last night that she would finally confess if she ever won gold in the female solo sabre category.

 

It wasn’t surprising anymore when she climbed up to semi-finals easily. She took off her mask with a huff, grinning proudly at herself, and gave her opponent a bow and a hug before walking back to her team. They all gave her a proud smile, and brief hug. Yena ruffled Yujin’s messy raven hair that was drenched with sweat.

 

Yena’s match already ended and she got the silver medal. The fencer from SOPA got her really good but she wasn’t bitter as always

 

Yujin took a big gulp of water, sitting at the vacant seat as she watched the finals of the male foil category. She turned to look at the spot where Minjoo and Chaewon were sitting — only to be greeted with Minjoo’s eyes and smile already. The fencer’s smile just brightened when she saw Minjoo mouthing, “Get that gold.”

 

Oh, Yujin would.

 

While waiting for the bout to start, some people approached Yujin for some pictures too. Sometimes, Yujin still gets surprised because few people would recognize her from her vlogs. Most of the teenagers who approached her were fans of her vlogs and wished Yujin good luck for her match.

 

Soon, it was the semi-finals. And Yujin walked to the strip as she wore her mask back, dragging her sword.

 

Much to Yujin’s expectation, she won the semi-finals round — meaning that she would compete for the gold medal, and she had a secure silver medal already. She thought she would lose to this one because the other fencer’s moves were unpredictable, and she was fast at ing her sword towards Yujin but it looked like the fencer from SNU was still stronger.

 

After bowing with the opponent, and shook each other’s hand. Yujin skipped down her way towards the team as she took out her mask — Yena happily met her halfway for a bear hug. Even though she and Yena already joined and won many fencing competitions; whenever they would win a round, they were still ecstatic as if it was their first.

 

Yujin turned to Minjoo, and she saw the latter was grinning proudly at her, giving her thumbs up, and playfully cheered for her while Chaewon cackled beside her, nodding at the fencer as if to say that she was doing great.

 

Not even an hour later, Yujin was once again standing in the middle of the strip — with her final opponent standing in front of her with the usual gap. She was more nervous than usual, if she was being honest. Well, because if she ever won gold, she was going to finally confess.

 

The mat felt harder than usual, and her hands were trembling as she posed a stance. Her eyes were focused on the opponent only, and waited for the referee to shout for them to start. “En garde.” Yujin firmed her stance. “Prêtes?” Took a deep breath, nodding.

 

“Allez!”

 

Yujin surged forward with power, and swung her sabre, hitting the opponent’s head, getting her the first point. The crowd roared, hyped.

 

Yujin let out a breath, walking back to her spot — hopefully, she could hold like this until the very last set. She posed a stance, and the opponent did the same, her posture was calm yet stiff at the sudden attack Yujin did.

 

The referee shouted the signal, and when it was finally, “Allez!” Yujin moved, however, the opponent lunged an attack, almost hitting Yujin if she didn’t swiftly take a step backward. The SNU fencer ed her sword hastily for a counterattack but it seemed like the other fencer saw it coming, dodging it without an effort, and attacked forward which made Yujin dodge the attack too, leaning her body away from the opponent’s sword to have contact with her.

 

Yujin panicked when she felt that she was at the very edge of the strip, and she could hear Hyewon and Yena’s muffled shout from the corner. With a grunt, Yujin fought back, trying to take control of the bout — she managed to take herself and the opponent back to the middle of the piste without the swords hitting each other at all. But in the end, Yujin took the blow — the opponent managed to spot an opening, hitting Yujin in the rib.

 

The crowd was hyped at how intense the bout was for the finals of the women individual sabre. Everyone was on the very edge of their seats because the score points were close, and the fencer would score alternatively.

 

When the score tied at 13-13, everyone was tense. Yujin was already drained to the core after the swift dodging and ing. Her dominant arm felt like it was going to fall off any second now but she couldn’t afford to lose yet especially if the score was tied like this.

 

She wasn’t the only one who was taking the toll of the intense bout, her opponent was visibly tired too — her moves were getting sluggish like Yujin’s, and her chest was heaving.

 

Yujin took off her mask for a few seconds to breathe; she ignored Chaeyeon who kept gesturing some tactics on her. She couldn’t do anything but to believe in herself this time. She panted heavily, turning to Minjoo’s direction and saw the latter was wearing a worried face, her hands were clasped together tightly as she rested her chin on them. Even the woman was tense and nervous for her.

 

“En garde.”

 

The SNU fencer wore her mask back, walking to her spot, taking another deep breath. “Prêtes?” She posed a stance, and the opponent did the same. Both of them nodded. Yujin’s eyes were hard yet unfocused because of exhaustion but determination kept her standing still.

 

“Allez!”

 

The opponent moved first with a grunt, and Yujin saw that her moves were strained already so she used that advantage, blocking the attack, and surged forward — their sword clashed with one another but Yujin quickly moved, ing again. Her sword hit the opponent’s chest first but the other fencer managed to hit her too. Fortunately, she was faster.

 

Yujin let out a relieved yell when she scored, clenching her fist tightly in triumph. One more, and she would get that gold. She went back to her position, and the shouts from the crowd were already making her deaf. She caressed her sword as she stood there, stomping her foot a bit because it felt off after moving around fastly.

 

And she knew that in this round, the opponent from SKKU was very much hyped up. The other woman would definitely give her all, driven by the will to win the gold medal so Yujin braved herself up, tightening her hold around the hilt of her sword.

 

“You can do it, Yujin. Just believe in yourself and your skills and attack.”

 

It was Minjoo’s words of encouragement before she went inside the venue of the competition earlier. And Yujin was holding to those words like her life depended on it, that was why she was very determined to win.

 

Finally, they heard the referee so they both readied themselves. A sharp intake of breath, Yujin’s muscles flexed as she tightened her hold around her sword even more, her stance was more firm yet relaxed unlike before. If she was too stiff, she wouldn’t be able to dodge quickly.

 

“Allez!”

 

The opponent surged forward in a swift yet powerful motion with a roar. Yujin did the same, ing her sword towards the other fencer already. And suddenly, everything went in slow motion as they attacked.

 

Yujin’s sword hit the opponent’s face while the SKKU fencer hit her rib. It felt like the blades of their own swords hit each other at the same time. The two of them didn’t even immediately move from the position, just remaining frozen like that while panting heavily.

 

They moved away with a nod, gesturing to each other that everything was good. Yujin waited for the announcement patiently at the side, caressing her sabre’s almost dulling blade. It was a habit.

 

“Ahn Yujin from SNU scored a point. She’s the winner!” The referee announced it when they watched the slow motion replay of that bout.

 

The crowd roared at the announcement. Minjoo and Chaewon even stood up from their seats, hopping together while screaming happily after a few minutes of nervous-wrecking situation. The whole team was also cheering, happy that Yujin won, especially Yena who was literally jumping while shaking in excitement.

 

Yujin raised her fist in the air to show her triumph before walking to greet the opponent for a hug. The other fencer softly congratulated her, and Yujin gave her a nod — they both bowed to each other before walking to their respective corner.

 

The SNU fencer took off her mask, and even though she was sweaty, everyone still pulled her for a group hug, ruffling her hair endlessly. They were like that for a whole five minutes, saying that they should celebrate extra generously today because someone managed to bag a gold medal. Everyone beamed at that, agreeing.

 

Yujin excused herself after that to the shower room to freshen up before watching the other matches since there were still individual men categories. She couldn’t face Minjoo in a state like that.

 

After showering quickly — Yujin dressed up in her usual sports attire; the fencing team’s tracksuit and pants with her sneakers. She then tidied up her things, slinging her duffel bag on her shoulder, and finally exited the locker room while fixing her drenched hair.

 

She was surprised that she wasn’t the only one in the deserted, silent hallway. There was someone leaning on the wall near the locker room, and seemingly waiting for a certain person. It was Minjoo. She immediately perked up when the locker room’s door opened, and closed. Their eyes met.

 

Yujin’s heart flipped at the sight of the archer, butterflies started to fill her stomach as blush crept up from her neck to her face. Minjoo’s effect on her was really something else, she forgot walking and breathing for a second.

 

“Hey, did I—” Yujin wasn’t even able to finish her sentence when Minjoo suddenly rushed forward, and in a blink, the fencer could feel something pressing against her own body, warmth enveloping her entire existence.

 

Vanilla and jasmine filled her lungs as she took a sharp intake of breath. Yujin almost stumbled backward because of the impact, she was still a little bit exhausted after never-ending bouts but managed to find her footing and balance immediately.

 

It took Yujin a whole five seconds to process and realize that Minjoo was hugging her. The archer’s arms were coiled around Yujin’s nape, tugging her closer until there was no space left between them at all. The fencer was shocked that her breath was knocked off from her lungs when the situation they were in sunk into her brain.

 

Minjoo was hugging her. And Yujin was malfunctioning.

 

This was the first time they did a very intimate skinship like this. They never hug, of course, nor do they hold each other’s hands. The very intimate and closest thing that happened between them was the time they bumped with each other. Other than that, Yujin was very careful and respectful so getting a hug from Minjoo was a huge shock.

 

Her whole body went tense and her nerves pumped, there was a tingling sensation spreading through her chest like blooming, slithering flowers. But out of instinct, when she slowly relaxed on Minjoo’s hold — she s her arms carefully and gently around the older woman’s waist, hesitating for a bit before finally embracing her back as if it was the most natural thing to do.

 

Yujin never felt this home before. It felt like… this was where she belonged all along. Caged in Minjoo’s arms like this… it was home. A safe haven. The winter in her heart died down, engulfed with Minjoo’s warmth.

 

“You won gold!” Minjoo exclaimed happily, leaning away a bit to face Yujin while her arms were still around her neck, and the fencer’s expression went soft when she saw how glad and proud the archer was for her; Minjoo’s face was bright, she was wearing a toothy grin with her eyes turning into little crescents.

 

Minjoo’s smile faded a bit and froze when she realized their close proximity to the point their breaths were mingling with one another already. Yujin was mum, just wearing a soft small smile as she stared at Minjoo lovingly, the windows to her soul were blatantly open like that for the archer to peek at.

 

Out of happiness, she acted hastily and hugged Yujin the moment she spotted the woman coming out of the locker room. But then, she couldn’t find her will to detach herself from the woman either — Yujin noticed that because despite the archer’s stiff posture, she never took a step back, staring right back at Yujin with her sparkly doe eyes as warmth of blush crept up onto her both cheeks and embarrassment hit her like a truck.

 

Yujin knew that Minjoo was beautiful, she was a goddess — even the first time they met Yujin was instantly captivated and bewitched. But that moment, she was beyond beautiful close-up like that, and the way she intently stared back at Yujin like she was her whole world. It made Yujin’s heart burst into rainbows.

 

Before she could even catch herself opening to say something — Yujin said the words that were long stuck in the back of . The words that Yujin had been itching to say to Minjoo.

 

“Minjoo,” called Yujin softly, her hold around the archer’s slim waist didn’t falter despite her muscles there were already strained to the very end. “I love you.” Yujin’s voice was shaky but it was clear.

 

Minjoo didn’t react, but her hold around Yujin’s nape loosened, moving to clutch her broad shoulders instead for support — her blunt nails dug into Yujin’s shoulders softly with the protection of the jacket.

 

Yujin gulped before continuing, sincerity dripping off from her own voice. “Can I court you?” She then asked, her voice was hoarse. A cold bead of sweat rolled down from her forehead. She was very nervous, what if Minjoo rejected her?

 

The corners of Minjoo’s lips tugged upwards to form a smile. Yujin’s heart glimmered in hope. But before the archer could even part her lips to say something, mixed voices entered the hall.

 

With a small ‘oof’, Yujin felt her body getting dragged somewhere — then there was a sound of the door getting closed beside her. Blinking, the fencer was confused because she was back in the empty locker room. But what was making her insane was because Minjoo was pinning her against the lockers. Her brain was malfunctioning.

 

Minjoo looked up at her, wearing a half-sweet smile, and half-smirk that made Yujin shiver; the way she was looking at the fencer… electric bolts ran through Yujin’s veins.

 

A hand moved upward, snaking its way to cup Yujin’s warm cheek — gently caressing it. Minjoo suddenly leaned her face closer, and out of reflex, Yujin leaned away, bumping her head on the locker in process with a soft thud. What was happening? Yujin was getting dizzy because Minjoo was forgetting what a ‘space’ meant.

 

“No,” Minjoo mumbled, a silent whisper.

 

Yujin’s face dropped alongside her heart, rolling down to the floor, withered. She had thought that all along… The feelings were mutual. But it seemed like Yujin’s assumption was wrong, and it led to her greatest heartbreak. Yujin was about to push Minjoo away and run away while sobbing like a child who got scolded by her teacher. When—

 

“No need to court me,” continued Minjoo with a grin. “It’s not necessary when all these months — it felt like you courted me already and treated me like a princess. You gave me your whole attention, and made me happy. You made me fall into you, and there’s no way out.”

 

The words didn’t sink into Yujin’s head immediately. She was too shocked to move at what she heard, and almost went into another dimension when Minjoo pressed her lips against her cold, stiff ones.

 

It was warm. Minjoo’s lips were warm, and soft — it was sweet, and it tasted and felt like marshmallows and everything nice. But Yujin couldn’t find the strength to kiss back, and it wasn’t like Minjoo kissed her thoroughly, it was a mere peck to show the feelings she couldn’t express in words.

 

Yujin just stared blankly at Minjoo’s sparkly eyes. The archer was arching her perfectly shaped brow at her, amused at her reaction. “Can you say something?” She teased because the fencer was still a statue there.

 

“Do you think I can still say something when you confessed to me that my feelings are actually reciprocated and then kissed me after?” Yujin asked, breathless, her hands trembling as she helplessly grasped the hem of Minjoo’s jacket — her heart came back to life, rattling happily and it felt like it would stop beating any moment soon.

 

With a mischievous smirk, for a moment Yujin thought that Minjoo looked like a sly fox, Minjoo wrapped her arms around the taller woman’s neck again — her smoky, foxy eyes staring at her like she was her whole world but at the same time, her prey. Yujin never thought Minjoo was hiding such a side like this, this wasn’t good for her health at all. The fencer knew that Minjoo still had this playful side because she knew the pictures she should send to Yujin to make her feel weak — and she knew how to make Yujin quiver with a pointing gaze alone.

 

“Is that so?” Minjoo asked, cooing at Yujin as she faked a pitying voice. “Well then. No words needed, anyway. I’m sure your kisses would be able to tell everything.” She added with a hum, expecting something.

 

So, Yujin exploded. This time, it was her who initiated the kiss — it felt like she was desperate as she kissed Minjoo passionately, pouring her utmost feelings in the kiss, even moving her hand to cup Minjoo’s face to steady her. She felt Minjoo smiling in the middle of the kiss before responding back, equally passionate and eager as her. Like she had been waiting for this to happen too.

 

Yujin didn’t just win a gold medal that night. She also won Minjoo, officially.

 

In their celebration before they went home, everyone was happy; especially Yujin and Minjoo. The new couple held hands under the table, away from prying eyes, throughout the dinner slash party. Only Chaewon and Yena noticed that the two women were glowing more than usual.

 

On the way home — this time, Minjoo wasn’t too shy to show her affection — neither was Yujin, who was shy at first but was starting to get used to it from now on. The archer rested her head on Yujin’s shoulder like it was her place, well, it was definitely her new favorite spot as she rested there comfortably. Their hands were tightly clasped too, and Yujin would play with Minjoo’s fingers while the latter would just smile fondly.

 

Now that they have the label — Yujin wasn’t too scared anymore to show how much she loved Minjoo. She would be the lover Minjoo had deserved. She would be the best girlfriend in the world because her lover was the best girl ever.

 

This wasn’t the start of their story. It was the next chapter.

 

***

 

Months flew by very fast, and it felt even faster now that Yujin was holding the woman of her dreams in her arms. They spent their christmas, new year, Minjoo’s birthday, and valentines together — they were even almost inseparable. Despite their busy, unmatching schedules, they would find a time just to see each other even just for a few minutes, and if not, they would spend time together on a call until they fell asleep.

 

Things were very domestic between them because Minjoo would casually stay at Yujin’s place often. She was pretty much the second owner of that unit already because she was always there to spend her time with Yujin.

 

Everything was too good to be true, and sometimes, Yujin was having a hard time believing that Minjoo loved her back and they were officially dating as a couple. Their relationship, if Yujin would describe it, was lovely and going strong. Of course, both have their own flaws that sometimes made their relationship shake a bit — however, it was normal for lovers to have their own arguments sometimes.

 

The good thing was; before their problem would even go bigger, they would immediately fix it. Yujin hated having a lovers quarrel with Minjoo, even though it rarely happened — it was sickening, and it always made Yujin restless. Minjoo was also a considerate, understanding lover so they were good at handling small problems between them. Yes, their relationship was perfect yet imperfect.

 

Mostly, they bicker because of the people who liked to approach Minjoo with intent, and same for Yujin. They were both popular among the people anyway so it couldn’t be helped. Yujin always tried to suppress her jealousy because she knew it was petty, and same as Minjoo but they couldn’t help giving each other cold shoulders after that. Fortunately enough, both were patient and loving so they couldn’t resist each other even just for an hour anyway.

 

Well, one must be wondering why people were still going for them when they were already together? Hmm. Their relationship was a secret. They talked about that, and it would be for the best to keep it for now even though they both wanted to proudly show how in love they were with each other. However, they didn’t want nosy people poking their noses into their business either — especially that South Korea was still pretty conservative about same- relationship. Not like they cared about them but of course, they still have reputations to uphold and they would rather have peaceful lives.

 

And well, it was mainly because of Yujin’s parents.

 

Yujin’s parents would be definitely against the relationship and would force the fencer to leave Minjoo immediately or vice versa. It would be definitely difficult to get their approval since they were pretty strict and conservative too. Unlike Minjoo’s parents who were supportive.

 

Yes, Yujin already met Minjoo’s loving parents when they hit their second monthsary. They were so happy for their daughter, and they also took a liking to Yujin immediately — gushing over her. They even treated Yujin like their daughter-in-law already. Mrs. Kim would always tell Yujin to visit, and she would cook her favorite foods. They were welcoming, and Yujin was relieved, and beyond happy that at least — Minjoo’s parents were happy for them as long as their daughter was also happy.

 

So far only Chaewon and Yena knew about them — and also Hyewon, plus Eunbi. Well, Yujin never said anything to her teammate because that woman already sensed something between her and Minjoo. It wasn’t a big deal because Hyewon was openly biual and dated a couple of girls so she could tell that Yujin and Minjoo were lovers at once glance. While Eunbi caught them hugging once while Minjoo was ‘practicing’, in a non-friendly way.

 

Thankfully, their friends were equally supportive, willing to keep their relationship a secret until the young couple were finally ready.

 

Yujin and Minjoo were just lucky to have them. In front of their friends, they could freely act like real lovers without getting judged, although teasing was always present.

 

They were just glad and happily in love together. Yujin was slowly starting to realize that Minjoo must be really the one for her. She was so afraid to lose her — she would rather pierce her own sword into than hurt Minjoo and make her cry. She was ready to give everything up so she could just hold the archer.

 

Their love for each other was burning with passion, and fiery yet at the same time, soft and calm like the slow blooming of flowers as spring approached. Their love was endless like the vast ocean of the world. Nothing couldn’t break them apart. It was a promise.

 

“I’m so lazy to shoot,” Minjoo whined, pouting as she walked closer to Yujin, placing her recurve bow away. The fencer just smiled at her girlfriend, ruffling the woman’s jet black hair, and the latter leaned to the touch, almost purring like a tamed fox.

 

The couple was currently in the mini archery area behind Minjoo’s house. Yujin decided to pay Minjoo a visit in the weekend to keep her company, and also, the married Kim couple but Yujin learned that they were out of town for a few days.

 

With a chuckle, Yujin answered, “You just started. You need to practice, my little fox.” She then just hugged Minjoo back when the latter let out a whine again as she embraced Yujin like a bratty child.

 

Minjoo needed to practice so her skills wouldn’t be too rusty. The Archery World Cup was approaching, and soon, the archer would undergo intensive training again. The other reason why she needed to practice was so her body wouldn’t be surprised at the hellish archery training again soon.

 

“But I’m too lazy to draw the bow. I just want to cuddle with you or something,”murmured Minjoo against Yujin’s chest. The younger woman could only giggle, caressing her lover’s hair lovingly.

 

Throughout the months of being together — Yujin learned more about Minjoo, mainly how she acted as a lover and well, it was really nice. As expected, she was a very loving, kind, and understanding lover because that was in her nature already. But Yujin was caught off-guard because Minjoo was really affectionate, always wanting Yujin’s attention like a spoiled brat, and very whiny. Nonetheless, Yujin loved those traits of her girlfriend almost instantly; she even fell in love deeper because Minjoo was showing her every side. She had no complaints handling a clingy Minjoo.

 

The archer was also playful and mischievous sometimes when she was in the mood. She was pretty bold too. She once kissed Yujin in front of their friends to prove something. But hey, Yujin didn’t have problems at all — she was just having a hard time matching Minjoo’s pace because all of a sudden, when they became a couple; the older woman started to run ahead Yujin so the latter was having small difficulties to keep up. It didn’t help that she was weak for Minjoo and the archer loved to give Yujin cardiac arrest often.

 

But now, Yujin was slowly getting used to Minjoo’s duality. She was loving it, even.

 

“Hmm,” Yujin hummed, thinking of something then pulled away from Minjoo’s hug. “How about this…” added the fencer with a smile. Since she was a very supportive girlfriend, and all she wanted for Minjoo was the best — she was going to do anything that would make her girlfriend motivated and happy.

 

This wasn’t the first time Yujin watched Minjoo practice. Even when the woman was still practicing in school, Yujin would always drop by when she wasn’t too busy to watch and cheer Minjoo up so she would get a motivation to practice harder. But of course, there were times that Minjoo would get sick of it, even Yujin often got lazy practicing her fencing skills so she understood. That was why Yujin always tried her best to think that would help Minjoo to be inspired and wouldn’t slack off.

 

“Each time you hit a ten, I’ll give you a kiss. How’s that?”

 

Minjoo’s eyes sparkled in determination, her pout gradually turning into a smirk. “Deal.” She answered almost immediately, detaching herself from her girlfriend with a sheepish grin but there were flames in her honey orbs.

 

Yujin watched Minjoo walk back to her spot, taking the bow and bag of arrows with her. The fencer chuckled; Minjoo could really be swayed with these kinds of deals of Yujin. The archer was a er for Yujin’s affection.

 

She was really serious as she casually positioned the arrow and drew the bow, aiming at the target then released the string. The arrow zoomed to the target, and Yujin squinted her eyes, checking where the arrow hit. Unsurprisingly enough, it hit ten. Minjoo earned a kiss without even breaking a sweat. This deal was really beneficial to both parties in many ways.

 

Yujin didn’t even have to remind Minjoo about her earned kiss when the latter herself waddled excitedly to the fencer, tiptoeing to brush their lips together for a short peck before walking back to her spot, ready to shoot again.

 

Out of ten shots, Minjoo managed to hit seven ten scores so she got seven kisses in total in the first round. It went like that for an hour or so until Minjoo suddenly hit a perfect bullseye. Yujin whistled beside her girlfriend, giving Minjoo a pat on the head to say that she did well.

 

“Well, I think I deserve more than a kiss for a bullseye,” said Minjoo as she turned to face Yujin with a smug smirk, placing the recurve bow to the table beside them. That smirk meant something else.

 

Gulping, Yujin nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you do. What do you want then?” She asked, feeling a lump stuck in . Minjoo’s stare on her was intense and that goddamn smirk, Christ, Yujin was so weak. Suddenly, it felt extra hotter in the backyard.

 

Minjoo’s grin just widened, reaching for Yujin’s wrist, and wordlessly dragged her back inside the house.

 

***

 

The Archery World Cup would happen in Berlin but Yujin decided to come just to watch and support her lovely girlfriend, the one and only Kim Minjoo. Coincidentally, their term just ended when Minjoo was about to fly to Germany for their match so Yujin was able to tag along without too much problems. Yena was also with her since Chaewon was also going to compete for the team category alongside Eunbi.

 

Yujin fumbled over her camera, it had been a while since she filmed something for content. She decided to film a vlog in Berlin so she could upload a video for her dearest subscribers. Just last week, Yujin hit 250k subscribers despite not uploading much content; she only had sixteen videos uploaded in her channel.

 

They were already in the court where the event would happen, already seated beside Yena. She decided to film a few bits, vlogging. She said to the camera that she was in Berlin to watch the World Archery Cup and support some friends, but she didn’t mention the names. Yujin also filmed Yena, and the latter kept cheering for the South Korean team, talking about how good they were.

 

Whenever she filmed something for her vlog, Minjoo was the one who would hold the camera and film her with a smile but she didn’t want to show her face at all; however, she was very supportive of her vlogger girlfriend. They sometimes film each other but the cut where Minjoo was speaking or appearing on the screen wasn’t in the uploaded video.

 

Yujin already got a whole video album of Minjoo, and their memories shared together were filmed. The fencer would always watch them whenever she was bored. She was compiling them all. Memories Yujin could watch if she suddenly missed spending time like that with her girlfriend.

 

They happily watched the other matches since the South Korean team’s match was going to start in an hour or so. However, before the match between South Korea and Hungary — another familiar face appeared, sitting a few rows below her and Yena. At first, Yujin was preoccupied on her phone, scrolling down at the articles of the South Korea’s Archery team that would compete at the Archery World Cup.

 

Smiling to herself, Yujin saw that there were a lot of articles talking about Minjoo’s visuals and skills in archery. She was once again called the ‘SNU’s goddess-like archer’. And the netizens’ reactions were all positive, well, if there was a negative comment — Yujin wouldn’t hesitate to fight back and call them out for being too envious and bitter.

 

There was this article talking about Minjoo’s achievements throughout her archery career that garnered a thousand reactions, plus her ‘out-of-the-world’ beauty. Everyone in the comment sections were just gushing over Minjoo’s visuals. A lot also commented that Minjoo should enter the acting, modelling, or idol industry because she also fit in there because of her scary beauty.

 

For sure, Minjoo’s followers in her public instagram would skyrocket again. She had 112k followers there already, and she had three posts only since she was more active in her private account where only her close friends knew.

 

She was still reading some comments when she felt a nudge beside her. “Hey, isn’t that Lee Jihyeon?” Yena whispered to her. The name made Yujin instantly freeze.

 

Yujin looked up from her phone, and followed Yena’s gaze, spotting a very familiar good-looking tall man from the distance. Yujin’s heart dropped, frowning. Again? When Minjoo was competing again? For sure, this wasn’t just a business trip or something to show support for the national teams since it wasn’t a wide sports event — it was only for archery.

 

Jihyeon was with the same guys when Yujin first saw him in the Asian Games last year. Just seeing him made Yujin’s stomach churn in a bad way even though he wasn’t doing anything bad to her. She really had a bad feeling about this guy especially when Yujin still clearly remembered what they talked about Minjoo.

 

This basketball player was definitely interested in Minjoo, even until now!

 

Yena knew about Jihyeon’s possible feelings for Minjoo since Yujin ranted about her concern about him before, and even the older fencer had a bad feeling in Jihyeon. He must be here just to watch Minjoo’s match. She also knew the rumor that had been spread that Minjoo and Jihyeon were dating because he watched the archer’s practice before.

 

“Oh , it’s him. What is that guy doing here?” Yena said and her brows were furrowed, the same as Yujin’s.

 

Yujin kept mum. She was just in a good mood earlier but now upon the sight of Lee Jihyeon, her mood turned foul. There was a sickly feeling in her stomach.

 

Some Korean people recognized Jihyeon already, asking if they could take pictures with him. The man politely agreed, and just posed — even laughing with them. It was known that the popular handsome basketball player was also a down to earth person. He always donated to charities and no single soul said a bad word about him.

 

And that even made Yujin sick for some reason. He and Minjoo really fit so it was no wonder that people would delusionally assume that they were dating or just simply shipping them together after a few small interactions. Geez. People these days… if they just knew that Kim Minjoo liked girls, not boys. The world would collapse, and gays would win.

 

Despite Minjoo’s goddess-like beauty that made every man on Earth attracted to her — girls were no exception. A lot of girls expressed how much they wanted to date Minjoo instead of looking exactly like her.

 

Finally, the match started. The South Korean team finally made their entrance to the arena. Yujin and Chaewon went crazy over it, supportive girlfriends, of course.

 

As expected, the South Korean team qualified for the semi-finals again which made Yujin and Yena cheer louder like maniacs. They were just so proud, and there was a chance that the women’s team might bag the gold medal, they already have a bronze medal secured under their belt.

 

Yujin sat back to her seat, grinning sheepishly as she watched her girlfriend from the big screen. Ah, always the cameraman’s favorite. On the big screen, it was showing Minjoo who was looking around like a puppy, her hair was tied up into a low high ponytail that day, letting her sidebang rest on the side of her face as she held her recurve bow. She looked astonishing as usual.

 

However, before she could say to herself that she was a lucky prick that the woman in that very screen was her girlfriend — she heard manly voices below them, gushing over the same woman Yujin was simping over.

 

“What a beauty, really. Jihyeon-hyung. You’ve been interested in this hoobae of yours since she was still a freshman in SNU, why won’t you finally take your move?” The one with auburn hair said to Jihyeon who was seated in the middle.

 

Yujin’s face went grim, and Yena also froze, she also had heard it clearly, keeping mum as she listened intently at the conversation like the younger fencer, eavesdropping.

 

Jihyeon did not answer yet so the other one teased, nudging the said man. “You’re so slow, Jihyeon-hyung. She might get taken by another guy out there if you won’t speed up. Huh, I want to make a move on her too, better act fast, hyung.” He said, half-jokingly, it made Jihyeon turn to him, playfully punching him on the arm.

 

“Ah, seriously, you guys. Can you all just see her? That woman isn’t the typical woman around. She’s special, and special ones shouldn’t be rushed. I really like her, that’s why I’m taking my time. I’m slowly making my presence known to her before I actually make a move on her.” Jihyeon finally answered with a smile which made the two other guys let out a delighted chuckle.

 

When Yena turned to Yujin, the woman was emitting a very dark aura. Her face was blank, and eyes were cold. So, she immediately comforted her best friend.

 

“Let them talk. That guy is going to be soooo broken once he heard that Minjoo was taken. For sure if he will make an advancement, Minjoo will reject him. Let’s just enjoy the game, yes?”

 

Yujin appreciated Yena’s comfort and the thought made her feel better. Of course, Minjoo would definitely reject Jihyeon like what she did to her other suitors. She only accepted Yujin, and no one else. It was no surprise that the archer had a lot of persistent men trying to pursue her but she rejected them all because the person she loved was Yujin only. Jihyeon was going to be another guy that Minjoo would reject once he confessed.

 

“Oh, would you look at that! It’s Lee Jihyeon, the point-guard of South Korea’s national basketball team!” The announcer suddenly said once the match was over, showing Lee Jihyeon on the big screen.

 

The lad smiled shyly at the camera, surprised that he got spotted. “Supporting the archery team? Or… supporting a certain archer here?” The announcer teased, and the basketball player was blushing, shaking his head weakly while smiling sheepishly. Some part of the crowd cooed at his shy reaction that gave the way.

 

Yujin’s mood was spoiled once again.

 

However, her mood went slightly better when she focused on watching the match instead. The South Korean women’s archery team won the silver medal, losing to China.

 

When Yujin and Minjoo met afterwards, they did not talk about Jihyeon at all. It was unnecessary anyway, even though the fencer badly wanted to ask and tease Minjoo but that might just ignite another bickering between them. So, Yujin just shut and spent her night cuddling with her girlfriend; even though they have different hotel rooms — Minjoo snuck out with Chaewon and Eunbi’s help so she could meet Yujin.

 

The next day, Yujin noticed that Minjoo was rather more energized after spending the night cuddling with Yujin, saying that she was recharged and ready for her solo match later with a big smile.

 

However, that happiness didn’t last because Jihyeon was there again! Present with his friends to watch Minjoo, that was for sure because what he could be doing here again?

 

Throughout Minjoo’s match — Yujin’s mood was slightly better, just the sight of her girlfriend made her calm down already and happy. She clapped happily whenever the woman would win a match until she was finally in the semi-finals; she tried her best to ignore the men a few rows below them though because they were celebrating too when Minjoo won — the two guys would relentlessly tease Jihyeon too whose grin didn’t even fade throughout Minjoo’s match.

 

By the end, Minjoo — unsurprisingly, won gold in the women recurve individual category. Her performance was really impressive, and made a lot of foreign professional archers amazed at her skills. Yujin couldn’t even help but to let out a loud shout when the archer won, standing from her seat to hop around — it also meant that Minjoo was definitely going to go to the Olympics next year to represent South Korea!

 

Minjoo shed a few proud tears because she was really surprised that she would take home a gold medal from the Archery World Cup. Yujin was never this proud, she was the proudest girlfriend ever. Minjoo was going to be in the headlines again tomorrow!

 

However, after the medal ceremony — Jihyeon suddenly went down to the field to personally congratulate Minjoo and the team! But it was obvious that he just wanted to have an interaction with Minjoo. It didn’t help that the people who witnessed it were so delighted. Minjoo looked nothing but polite though, throwing Jihyeon a smile as she bowed to show respect for her senior.

 

Yujin’s nose flared because she couldn’t do anything but to watch it from the bleachers. It was obvious that Jihyeon was trying to hit up a small conversation with Minjoo but thankfully, her attention was grabbed by the other professional archers that were so in awe with Minjoo’s performance.

 

The fencer could only snort as Jihyeon was forced to talk with other people instead of Minjoo, his expression was obviously crestfallen because he couldn’t even talk properly with the archer.

 

It took Minjoo hours to go back to her own hotel room. Yujin immediately visited her lovely girlfriend to congratulate her. Her heart was saddened when she saw that the woman looked very exhausted from shooting arrows and interacting with tons of people — posing for pictures too, and talking.

 

“You did well, my fox,” Yujin whispered once Minjoo was caged around her arms. The archer melted immediately, humming in satisfaction that she was near her lover again after being apart for hours. “My champion.”

 

“I’m going to the Olympics, Yujin. I can’t believe it.” Minjoo whispered, leaning away to meet her girlfriend’s face — her eyes were sparkling despite the exhaustion.

 

Yujin smiled proudly at her, tucking the stray hair behind Minjoo’s ear then pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I’m so proud of you, Minjoo-ah.”

 

It was Minjoo’s dream to compete in the Olympic Games, every athlete wanted that. Even Yujin. She had a chance to represent South Korea in fencing too — that would be announced soon, and she hoped that she would win. Well, so she could be with her lovely girlfriend in the Olympics. That was a huge relationship goal.

 

Minjoo grinned, cupping Yujin’s face, and pressed a chaste kiss on the latter’s lips. There were no people around the room anyway besides the two of them so they could freely smooch around. Eunbi really excused herself out of the hotel room when Yujin arrived so they could have an alone time for a while. Yena and Chaewon were definitely strolling around the place.

 

“Yujin-ah. Go with me to the Olympics, alright? I’ll compete in archery, while you — fencing. Let’s make South Korea proud, okay? That’s my dream for the both of us.” Minjoo whispered against Yujin’s lips before pulling away. Her voice was soft, sweet, and determined. The fencer smiled sweetly at her lover as she looked down on her with her soft, loving eyes — her heart ignited.

 

“That’s a promise, Joo.”

 

***

 

Yujin never mentioned Jihyeon when they were still in Berlin. The day that Minjoo was finally free from the archery related stuff, and regarding her winning a gold medal — she and Yujin spent their time together strolling around in the streets of Berlin happily like a normal couple.

 

They filmed for Yujin’s vlogs too, and tried out different foods, and bought some things as souvenirs. They completely spent the whole day alone — the others decided to roam around the other area instead to have alone time too. Fortunately, the media in Germany wasn’t obsessed with celebrities unlike South Korea. The press didn’t follow Minjoo at all. It was nice too that the Archery World Cup wasn’t that well known unlike Asian Games or Olympics so Minjoo wasn’t exposed much.

 

But when they finally got back to South Korea, and Minjoo and Yujin were cuddling together — the fencer finally got the guts to ask.

 

“Lee Jihyeon,” Yujin whispered, and Minjoo did not say anything, waiting for her to continue. “That guy is interested in you,”

 

Minjoo leaned away from the cuddle with a frown, looking at Yujin in disbelief. When she spotted that Yujin was solemn and serious, the archer let out a sigh, using her elbow to support her upper body — with that, it offered her a nice view of Yujin. “So? I’m only interested in you.” responded the woman.

 

“I know,” Yujin said, shaking her head. “But rumors are already starting to spread that you and he are dating. A lot of people are shipping you to him. He went viral when he was spotted watching your match in Berlin last time — netizens said that he was such a supportive boyfriend of yours. Even though you got asked if you’re dating someone and you answered no last interview — it didn’t stop people from shipping you to him. Everyone can tell that Lee Jihyeon likes you,” She continued, taking a deep breath. She looked very troubled.

 

Minjoo pressed her lips together into a thin line, staring at Yujin. The fencer pouted, she had never been this insecure. A lot of people were already supporting and expecting that Jihyeon and Minjoo would date — Jihyeon was very famous, handsome, and kind, and most importantly — a man, so everyone was going to be supportive.

 

With a sigh, Minjoo reached for Yujin’s chin, using her index finger to guide her to meet the archer’s foxy eyes. “What if he likes me? I’ll reject him immediately once he confesses. But please, Yujin-ah, believe and trust me. You’re the only one I’m interested in, the only person I love, and will ever love. Don’t think of it much since everything’s false rumors. You know that yourself. You’re getting worried over nothing, my love.” She whispered, leaning down to press her lips on Yujin.

 

The fencer melted onto the kiss, letting Minjoo lead the pace of their kiss. It was loving yet scorching, it was the reassurance that Yujin needed. She got the message Minjoo was trying to convey through the soft, passionate kiss. There was really nothing to worry about because Minjoo was faithful, and she would only love and kiss Yujin like this — never Jihyeon.

 

Yujin shivered when Minjoo nibbled on her lower lip, gently on it afterwards to soothe the small pain she caused to her lover. The fencer let out a submissive whimper, pushing Minjoo away to break the kiss, and sat up to properly face her before things went further.

 

“Minjoo,” Yujin whispered, reaching for the older woman’s cheek. “I trust, and I believe you with all my heart. I’m just insecure, and such a jealous prick. I’m sorry, Joo-ah. I can’t help but to feel like this, and I look pathetic, am I?”

 

Minjoo frowned at her words, shaking her head. “No, you have the very right to feel like that, Yuj. And I’m more than willing to give you every reassurance you need. In fact,” She paused, and Yujin waited for her to continue — only to yelp and jolt when Minjoo’s lips formed into a smirk then swiftly moved, settling herself on Yujin’s lap — snaking her arms around her lover’s nape before leaning, whispering on Yujin’s reddening ear.

 

“I kinda like it when you’re jealous. I know you’re just suppressing your rage but you’re kinda cute when you’re sulky, minus the part where you’re insecure. You’re a whole lot better than any man in this world, Ahn Yujin.”

 

Those were Minjoo’s words before the archer pulled her for a kiss again. Yujin kissed Minjoo like her life depended on it. No such word could perfectly describe how much Yujin loved and needed Minjoo.

 

The archer held Yujin’s face to steady her, and tilted her head to a more easier access, kissing the younger woman deeper and more passionately. The fencer held her lover gently yet tightly around her slim waist, moving her hand to support her back while the other one s inside Minjoo’s shirt, resting and caressing her side softly — feeling the skin burn under her touch.

 

Minjoo and Yujin loved each other fiercely. And none could make one of them take a step back away from each other.

 

***

 

Yujin felt everything was in slow motion as usual when she finally ed her sword towards the opponent. This time, unlike when she competed last winter — Yujin was desperate to win to get the gold medal. Not just because she would get another gold medal, but because if she won — she would compete in the Olympics like Minjoo. And that was Minjoo’s dream. For them to compete in the Olympics and proudly represent South Korea.

 

It was the final fencing competition, the qualifying match — the bout that would determine who was the rightful sabre fencer that would represent South Korea in the Olympics next year.

 

Yujin’s heart almost stopped from beating when the announcer finally shouted the winner’s name.

 

“Ahn Yujin!”

 

The crowd roared, and Yujin shouted in triumph, even jumping out of happiness. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took off her mask, and tried to find Minjoo in the sea of crowd — her girlfriend was there, clapping like a seal while also cheering at Yujin’s victory; her eyes turned into crescents, and Minjoo looked so proud of her. And Yujin was proud of herself too.

 

Minjoo-ah, we’ll reach our dreams together like how you wanted it…

 

***

 

“Should I dye my hair blue?” Yujin asked, thumbing her black hair as she comfortably rested her head on Minjoo’s lap. The archer was reading a book about law and stuff, she then looked at her girlfriend — her glasses were perched on her nose adorably.

 

“Hmm, I think it will look good on you.” Minjoo commented, the corner of her lip tugged upwards to form a small smile. She was definitely imagining Yujin with blue hair, she would definitely look good.

 

Yujin puckered her lips, staring at her girlfriend. “But the Olympics are just right around the corner. My subscribers are suggesting that I should dye my hair blue, and I’m kind of tempted.” responded the fencer with a soft sigh.

 

“The Olympics are not very strict when it comes to that, as long as you’re skilled in your respective sport.” snorted Minjoo, closing her book, and placed it beside her. “Let’s go. Let’s buy you some hair dye and I’m the one who’s gonna dye it.” The archer suggested, seemingly serious.

 

“Won’t that look unprofessional, though?” Yujin asked, still worried but very tempted.

 

Minjoo shook her head. “No. We’ll just dye it dark blue so it won’t hurt people’s eyes. Besides,” She paused. The fencer sat up, facing her girlfriend with a cute blink. The older woman stared at her, a grin breaking on her beautiful face. “This will surely make you stand out even more.”

 

Soon, Yujin just found herself seated in the middle of her apartment’s living room — Minjoo was seriously, and carefully dying her hair — the woman looked like an expert hair stylist as she dyed her girlfriend’s hair; determined for a nice result. Yujin could only suppress a sheepish smile as her heart warmed, ignoring the strong smell of the dye.

 

Finally, after an hour or so, Minjoo was finished — there was a smudge of blue dye on the corner of her lip, and some also painted on the exposed parts of her arms. The archer then excused herself, telling her girlfriend that she would buy some dinner nearby while she washed her hair and dried it.

 

Yujin obeyed. Her towel was already blue after wiping her drenched hair. Afterwards, she used a blower to dry her hair, and when the woman stood in front of the mirror to check herself — she was shocked because dark blue really fit her. The outcome wasn’t too bad at all, it was perfect!

 

With a smile, she started to fix her hair into a more proper style until the front door opened, revealing Minjoo — and the archer gasped the moment she saw Yujin. The fencer stood there, grinning sheepishly at her lover, dimples poking out.

 

“Oh my god, you look extra gorgeous with your hair dyed dark blue, my lovely swordswoman.” Minjoo complimented, her foxy eyes were sparkling in adoration and she was proud because she was the one who did all the hard work to dye Yujin’s hair.

 

“Blue is really for you.”

 

Blushing, Yujin just smiled, watching Minjoo approach her. The archer caressed the taller woman’s hair, amazed. Her expression was so bright as she gawked at her pretty girlfriend but then, her facial expression dropped so it made Yujin frown — she was ready to ask what was wrong when Minjoo suddenly spoke.

 

“Damn, you really look so attractive. People will stare at you even more. And your subscribers will surely lose their minds once they see you with a new hair color. A lot will fall in love.” said Minjoo, scratching her chin thoughtfully, scowling. Her voice was laced by possessiveness that made Yujin shiver.

 

With a laugh, Yujin just shook her head. Minjoo could be really possessive too. She was territorial like those sly foxes but rarely, so whenever it happened Yujin just enjoyed the sight of it.

 

The couple spent the rest of their day together making content for Yujin’s new vlog.

 

The next day, Yujin gained thirty thousand new subscribers after the vlog of her showing off her new dark blue hair was uploaded.

 

Minjoo didn’t know if she should be fuming or be proud at the sight of countless comments complimenting Yujin, begging the fencer to date them.

 

***

 

It was a month before the Olympics when Jihyeon suddenly barged into Minjoo’s life again.

 

Yujin heard the news in the middle of fencing practice. She was already exhausted from training that day, her muscles were sore from non-stop practicing with Chaeyeon — but then, she would hear such news like that on a very tiring day…

 

Some of the students around the fencing area gossiped that the famous basketball player Lee Jihyeon visited the school again and was hanging around the archery field, watching Minjoo. All of them scurried away from the fencing area when they heard the news.

 

Knowing that bastard Lee Jihyeon was there to watch Minjoo’s practice again, Yujin was slightly enraged, affecting her performance. Chaeyeon noticed it, worried so she gestured for them to stop their bout. “Are you okay?”

 

Yujin bit her lower lip, ignoring Yena and Hyewon’s worried gazes from afar. She couldn’t ditch practice now, right? She trusted Minjoo with all her heart so she just nodded, posing a stance again to gesture that she was ready to bout again.

 

Their practice ended quite early, Hyewon probably noticed that Yujin was restless after hearing the news so she purposely cut the practice short for that day, telling the other players to be early for tomorrow’s practice.

 

Once Yujin was dressed up into more comfortable clothes — she grabbed her duffle bag and rushed out of the room, Yena trailed behind her — or tried to. She was still putting her things inside her bag as she followed Yujin who was making big, hurried strides.

 

When Yujin reached the archery field, it was crowded. A lot of phones were raised to take pictures of the celebrity; Lee Jihyeon. The said man was standing near the bench, watching Minjoo’s practice from there but it seemed like the archer was focused on shooting arrows rather than minding the students scattered around, murmuring, and shouting to gain Jihyeon’s attention.

 

When Minjoo was done shooting her hundredth arrow, she finally rested her arm on the side, still holding the bow as she turned around — not surprised or amused to see Lee Jihyeon standing nearby. She just gave him a tight smile, and walked closer but she wasn’t going to approach him — but she was going to the bench where her bag was placed however, the students thought that Minjoo was walking towards the guy with intention, murmurs started to intensify; recording the interaction between the athletes.

 

Yujin’s jaw went slack, watching them intently. Minjoo already rejected Jihyeon. Yes, the player had already confessed and tried to pursue Minjoo countless times but Minjoo turned him down every single time, which was why Yujin was relieved.

 

However, it was getting out of hand already. Lee Jihyeon was a stubborn, persistent man. He was respectful but at the same time, he was very desperate for Minjoo to consider his feelings, at least. He still thought the archer wasn’t dating anyone yet so he kept trying, begging for a chance. Bullassery.

 

It was really annoying but Yujin couldn’t do anything either but to bear with it. At first, Yujin tried her best to ignore him and his intention towards her girlfriend but since it was getting constant, she was slowly approaching her limit.

 

“Oh my god, I think they’re really dating!”

 

“I know. It’s for sure. Jihyeon keeps visiting SNU just to watch Minjoo’s practice. He literally went to Jakarta for the Asian Games and to Berlin too just to support Minjoo. For sure, he’s present at the Olympics too.”

 

Ah, of course, the rumors. It won’t even die down now because Jihyeon kept visiting. Jihyeon didn’t speak about the dating rumors, he didn’t deny nor confirm it either so everyone was really concluding. Minjoo didn’t also have a say because her manager asked her to just stay quiet, and let the rumors fly — it would boost her ‘popularity’ too but she was actually getting backlash already from Jihyeon’s jealous fans online.

 

Yujin was really angry.

 

Minjoo and Jihyeon were then engaged in a conversation which made some of the students squeal. Too bad they were too far for them to hear it. Minjoo didn’t look happy as she talked with him though.

 

Pursing her lips together, she decided to enter the hallway instead — it was guarded by the staff members. They knew some students would barge in to see a clearer and closer view of Jihyeon but they recognized Yujin and they knew that she was Minjoo’s close friend so they let her in without a word.

 

When Yujin managed to reach the area, Minjoo was already walking towards the shed, wearing a scowl but her expression softened when she spotted her girlfriend. “Yujin,” She called happily, giving her a brief hug. The fencer smiled as she hugged back and she took Minjoo’s bag so she would hold it instead, feeling a lot better but her stomach churned when she realized that Jihyeon was actually following Minjoo like a dog.

 

“Minjoo,” Jihyeon called when he realized that Minjoo’s attention wasn’t on him anymore. Yujin tried not to growl, only breaking the hug but she kept her arm s around Minjoo’s waist, possessively, as the couple faced the tall man.

 

“I’m really serious about you, please, consider my feelings.” Jihyeon begged again softly. Yujin’s heart burned in anger.

 

With a frustrated sigh, Minjoo shook her head. “Please, Jihyeon-sunbae. I already told you. I’m not interested at all. Please, stop. I’ve had enough of the false rumor lingering around.” She responded, a little bit annoyed.

 

Jihyeon looked guilty at the mention, he had an idea that Minjoo was facing a little bit of backlash on the internet because of the dating allegations and all but the action where he wouldn’t even do something about it gave the way; Jihyeon was probably enjoying the assumption of people that he and Minjoo were really dating.

 

“You’re not dating anyone at the moment anyway. Consider it, I promise. I’ll do everything.” Jihyeon pleaded, his eyes were soft and sincere. He wasn’t really a bad guy at all, he even had a kind aura that would make people comfortable with him instantly but he was stubborn and obsessed with Minjoo.

 

Thankfully, no one was around near the shed, and the students couldn’t see them at all because their sights were blocked by the wall.

 

“It doesn’t mean I’m interested in you,” Minjoo said, feeling her patience slipping off. And Minjoo was probably one of the most patient people in the world. “Please. Just stop, Jihyeon-sunbae. I don’t like you that way, I’m really sorry.” It was the cue that Yujin should probably take Minjoo away from this man.

 

Even though she badly wanted to tell Jihyeon that Minjoo was actually dating her, and in love with her — Yujin knew it wouldn’t be the best choice, it might cause some ruckus too. The possessive arm around Minjoo’s waist was unnoticed by Jihyeon or he just ignored it, thinking it was nothing but a friendly gesture.

 

“I—”

 

“Let’s go, Minjoo.” Yujin cut Jihyeon off, glancing at her girlfriend before staring at the basketball player straight in the eyes. “It’s nice meeting you again here, Lee Jihyeon-sunbae.” She said through gritted teeth, bowing her head a bit before leading Minjoo to the exit — away from Jihyeon, away from here.

 

Yujin shouldn’t really make things continue like this. She should make a move now so every person in this world would know that Kim Minjoo was Ahn Yujin’s, and Ahn Yujin was Kim Minjoo’s.

 

Soon. She would just muster a little courage. The world would know everything, and they didn’t have to hide anymore.

 

***

 

Within a blink, Yujin just found herself standing in front of the reporters again; blinding flashes from the camera made her dizzy already but she beared with it, smiling at them as she waved before the South Korean fencing team finally went inside the plane.

 

It was the day where the selected athletes were finally going to fly to Japan to compete in their respective sports. Yujin was very nervous despite the calm facade. She sat on her seat — Hyewon was sitting on her left while Yena was on her right, sulking; she and Chaewon had a little argument yesterday that was why she was a little bit sad but for sure, the fencer would be in a good mood again soon once Chaewon finally gave her a message.

 

The fencing team flew out of their country first before the archery team since their matches would happen first before archery.

 

Soon enough, after a lot of hassles and facing countless people — Yujin plopped down onto her bed with a relieved sigh before taking out her phone to check her notifications. Minjoo sent her a few messages, telling her that her luggages was all set and she forwarded an article.

 

With a small frown in her face, she opened the link and it led her to an article about her that surprised her.

 

“Ahn Yujin, the charming blue haired fencer, caught attention of the netizens”

 

The fencer read it, not knowing if she should feel scared or proud over this. The author of the article even mentioned that she was a vlogger, and was told that she was trending in South Korea just after the press photos were released. Yujin didn’t even know that she was trending on Twitter a few hours ago.

 

The trending words that related to her were: Ahn Yujin, and ‘blue haired fencer’. She spotted a lot of new subscribers, and followers on Instagram and Twitter. The sudden bulk of attention overwhelmed Yujin. Minjoo also kept teasing her.

 

Days passed by so quickly, and it was already the elimination round for the women’s individual sabre after fighting for the team category. Yujin was quite nervous because her opponents were a lot stronger than the others she had defeated before so she should be wise and strong.

 

In the team category, she wasn’t too nervous because she had two other members with her; Chaeyeon and Yuri. They got silver. But of course, team categories and individual ones were different. Fighting solo was even more pressuring.

 

And it had been almost a week since she last saw her girlfriend in person. They couldn’t see each other even though they were staying in the same hotel building — their schedules unmatched each other’s. But Minjoo promised to watch her at least once.

 

Yujin entered the semi-finals with a lot of effort, almost losing too but she managed to hold on for quite a while. She was ecstatic when she won the bout that secured her the bronze, this feeling was way more better than winning gold in the nationals. This event was international after all, so it was quite a huge achievement.

 

She couldn’t even hold back her tears when she went back to the team after winning that match, just very proud of herself and how she reached this far. Everyone celebrated in joy because South Korea secured another medal in the Olympics. And it was Yujin’s first time competing in the Olympics too! Everyone was amazed.

 

The semi-finals itself would happen tomorrow since the fencers must be drained already, they needed some rest before engaging into a more intense battle tomorrow. Yujin just hoped Minjoo would be able to watch her since she didn’t spot the archer in the crowd at all, and when Yena asked if the woman dropped by — she just shook her head sadly, telling that Chaewon didn’t also briefly drop by because it was the elimination round for the mixed team which Chaewon was also a member while Minjoo must be practicing.

 

Yujin swallowed the disappointment down to . She understood. Minjoo must be training alongside her team. Their managers were more strict than the fencing team’s, after all.

 

But hey, when the night fell — Minjoo called her, telling the fencer how proud she was that she climbed up to the semi-finals round, and was sorry that she didn’t manage to sneak out to watch the match even for a bit but she added that she was currently watching her bouts in the television at that moment while talking to her.

 

Yujin fell asleep listening to Minjoo’s compliments.

 

The next day, Yujin ascended to the finals. She won the semi-final round against Romania. And she was so happy, and Minjoo was there, watching her! The fencer spotted her in the middle of the bout, distracting her that made her almost lose a point.

 

Unfortunately, they didn’t manage to meet closer because Yujin was swarmed by other journalists and reporters, interviewing her about her victory. After all, she beat someone who was a three-times Olympian, and a whole lot more experienced and veteran than her.

 

That night, Minjoo once again called her in the middle of the night after her practice. Yujin didn’t even ask her to meet her since they were both exhausted, they would just meet once the time was right. Rest was more important anyway. This time, Minjoo fell asleep as Yujin blabbered about her experience having a bout with someone she idolized. With that, Yujin smiled when she didn’t hear any response from the other line and ended the call after whispering; “Good night, Minjoo.”

 

The finals for the women’s individual sabre was finally about to start soon but Minjoo was not in sight. Yujin remembered that the elimination round for archery was also happening that day so it wasn’t too sure if Minjoo would be able to watch her. It saddened her but she didn’t let the slight disappointment eat her up.

 

However — unfortunately, Yujin lost to the Japanese fencer named Miyawaki Sakura. It was a close call but in the end, Sakura still got Yujin good, and won the gold. The woman had also competed in the last Olympics and won bronze but this time, she got the shining gold. The South Korean fencer wasn’t really disappointed, although gold was really something else — she would just train harder next time.

 

Yujin still won a silver medal. It was a big achievement already. Her team wasn’t disappointed in her, they were very proud of her despite losing in finals. She knew that Minjoo would be so proud of her too, lose or win so she didn’t let the defeat get to her, instead use it as a motivation to work even harder so she would get that gold medal in the next event in four years.

 

She and Sakura did a hug, and bowed to each other, exchanging bright smiles before walking back to their corner. Even though Yujin was the one who lost, a lot of people still swarmed over her to interview her and compliment her that she did well.

 

In the medal ceremony, Yujin didn’t see Minjoo in the crowd. That was alright though. She still received her silver medal with a proud smile. She couldn’t wait to send the pictures of it to Minjoo later.

 

After countless interviews and stuff, Yujin was free from all of them — she could freely roam around and watch other matches now that the fencing event for the women’s team was finally done. Yena got bronze though, and Hyewon got bronze too, for the individual categories. In the women’s team categories, Yujin’s team which was sabre got silver too, while the rest, unfortunately didn’t get a medal at all.

 

Rather than resting, Yujin rushed to watch the archery match instead with Yena and Hyewon to support their baes. Well, Eunbi wasn’t still Hyewon’s official bae, still trying to get to know each other but it would come to that anyway. They were just there to support anyway.

 

The match wasn’t done yet when they went there. It was the elimination round for the women’s team, and it was already the round where it was going to be determined whose team would climb up to the semi-finals. South Korea was competing with the Ukraine team.

 

“The mixed team didn’t get into the semi-finals round?” Hyewon asked, and Yena shook her head sadly. “I see. Chaewon must be so tired. She just competed for the mixed team yesterday too.”

 

Yujin ignored their conversation, watching the match instead. However, a person who Yujin didn’t even want to see or hear of suddenly appeared again.

 

Lee Jihyeon was there again to watch Minjoo again. He flew to Tokyo just to follow the archer, what an obsessed man! His appearance once again gained some attention, and he was shown on the big screen again while Minjoo was drawing the bow when it was her turn to shoot.

 

Yena and Hyewon tried to calm her down but Yujin was really pissed because despite Minjoo telling him to off politely for countless times, he still went here to cause another ruckus!

 

And it went for days, even in the semi-finals and finals — Jihyeon was there to watch Minjoo but he couldn’t go closer to her because the South Korean team was always swarmed by people so he just stayed at the bleachers to watch. Yujin couldn’t even enjoy watching it fully.

 

When Yujin kept informing Minjoo about Jihyeon’s appearance, the archer would only respond with a tired sigh and tell the fencer to ignore it. She must really meet Minjoo soon because she was so deprived of her affection already, and it was making her feel a lot worse — Jihyeon was spoiling her mood every time too.

 

The last string was when the South Korean women’s archery team won gold; with Minjoo hitting an impressive ten for the last shot that made them win, just two points higher than the USA team. Every shot Minjoo did was always a ten!

 

Jihyeon really went to the field to congratulate the team personally, and a lot of nosy media people really filmed the whole interaction — especially when the basketball player went to Minjoo, the crowd cooed at them.

 

With a sigh, Yujin walked away from the scene; Yena just looked at her friend worriedly but didn’t follow, she knew her friend would appreciate space.

 

Yujin found herself in one of the many hallways of the arena, buying a drink in the vending machine. She took the can of soda, and took a sip, leaning against the machine — seemingly in a deep thought as she stared at the small television on the wall, showing Jihyeon and Minjoo’s interaction so she was surprised that a person suddenly appeared by her side.

 

“Oh, hi there, Ahn Yujin-ssi.” The violet haired woman said in Korean, bowing at Yujin so the latter did too. The woman was familiar, it didn’t take long for Yujin to recognize her; it was the journalist last Asian Games who kept complimenting her — she was also present in the Winter Fencing Competition, and in every fencing bout of Yujin’s in the Olympics.

 

Jang Wonyoung was a prolific journalist after all, and she was pretty known around. She was known for her beauty and great skills in journalism. She was a journalist of a popular media company in Korea so Yujin knew her. They met a couple of times too anyway, and interacted a few times.

 

They just stood there side by side, watching Jihyeon and Minjoo on the television screen. Yujin’s face scrunched up in disgust and annoyance, her hold around the can tightening as jealousy slowly took over her.

 

“They’re definitely not dating,” Wonyoung suddenly said beside her, which made Yujin look at her, a little bit surprised. The journalist was still watching Minjoo and Jihyeon’s interaction on the screen, wearing a thoughtful smile. “It’s obvious enough if you watch them closely. Minjoo is always polite yet Jihyeon is too smitten, he’s not subtle that he fancies Minjoo but the archer is definitely uninterested. Look at how she avoided making eye-contact with the guy while Jihyeon kept staring. Hmm. Interesting.” explained Wonyoung.

 

Yujin almost hugged the journalist. Finally, someone who wasn’t blind! She didn’t know but she was a little bit comforted because of what the journalist said. She hid her smile by taking a huge gulp of her soda.

 

“I’m going now, Yujin-ssi. It’s nice seeing you here. Congrats on winning silver again~” Wonyoung then finally said after a few moments, smiling charmingly at the fencer. Yujin smiled back at her, nodding and with that, she watched the journalist disappear from her sight.

 

She couldn’t even hold back her smile but when she looked up at the screen again, still showing Jihyeon and Minjoo talking — her face dropped. With a sigh, Yujin shook her head. She should really do something…

 

Definitely.

 

***

 

Finals for the individual women in archery event finally arrived, unsurprisingly for everyone, South Korea’s Kim Minjoo entered the finals easily. Yujin was present alongside her other teammates in fencing. The young fencer was very silent throughout, she was thinking of something deeply. Yena noticed but didn’t really say anything.

 

Before the finals, Minjoo actually got a short time to meet Yujin, and after painful weeks of not being too close with each other — they finally got to embrace each other again like the usual times. They hugged each other tighter this time, murmuring words to vocally express how much they missed each other’s warmth.

 

Minjoo got only a few minutes because the match would start soon, and she needed to be there soon. Yujin could only kiss Minjoo’s forehead and send her off with words of encouragement because Minjoo was obviously nervous and worried for the finals later. Her opponent was tough, she was from Russia and won gold medals twice already in the Olympics so Yujin knew Minjoo could use some reassuring words.

 

And with that, Yujin told Minjoo to finally go; “I’m already proud of you, my fox. Win or lose, I will be the proudest and happiest — like you are to me.”

 

And now, Yujin intently watched Minjoo’s match. And whenever it was Minjoo’s turn, her would scoot to the very edge of the seat, also very nervous for her lover.

 

Jihyeon was present, even watching from the VIP section, and was audibly cheering for Minjoo like he was Minjoo’s boyfriend. Yujin just rolled her eyes at him, she would surely break his heart altogether with Minjoo. She had enough already. She already got a plan, and it was already set after thinking about it for a week or so — she even informed her parents about it, not minding their words.

 

This time. Yujin didn’t care about anything but Minjoo only.

 

The crowd was tense and silent when it was the shoot-off, the round to determine who was the winner between South Korea and Russia. Their scores were tied so if the Russian archer hit a ten and Minjoo wouldn’t hit a ten, then the latter would lose. Now, Yujin could only watch and pray for the best.

 

Everyone was watching intensely, even the announcers weren’t even speaking — they only roared when the Russian archer finally took her turn, shooting the arrow, and landed on nine.

 

Yujin bit her lower lip, hoping that Minjoo would hit a ten again so she would be the winner. Hopefully, anxiety wouldn’t get the best of Minjoo. The fencer was literally shaking, she was holding her breath as her eyes only stared at Minjoo, mentally saying the words she wanted to say — hoping it would reach Minjoo somehow.

 

Every word that went out of the people’s mouths around her turned muffled as Yujin fully focused on her lover who finally raised her bow after hesitating a bit — there was a visible tremble, Minjoo was pressured. She followed with her eyes as Minjoo positioned the arrow, and finally pulled the bowstring; drawing the bow and aiming at the target.

 

Minjoo didn’t shoot immediately. She was hesitating, she was beyond nervous that Yujin could feel her girlfriend’s nervousness from her seat. The time was ticking though.

 

Yujin took a deep breath, murmuring, “Shoot.” And Minjoo did.

 

Yujin’s eyes followed the arrow that zoomed towards the target in a blink, its head piercing on it. The crowd was still silent, squinting at where the arrow landed. The fencer stood up out of shock when she realized something…

 

“It’s a ing bullseye!” Yujin shouted out of shock and happiness. Her heart exploded. Minjoo won! Minjoo managed to hit a ten, and a perfect bullseye even. Now that was beyond impressive, hitting a bullseye was very rare to happen.

 

The crowd roared the moment the result was shown on the screen, presenting that Minjoo’s arrow hit the bullseye — in the very heart of the target. The announcers also went crazy over that. Even Minjoo couldn’t believe that happened, tears were already welling up in her eyes.

 

Even the fencers who were watching the match stood up from their seats, jumping in happiness and celebration alongside the audience. They were literally jumping in circles, chanting ‘Kim Minjoo!’.

 

On the big screen, Minjoo was shown crying as she hugged her Russian opponent. But even so, both of them were grinning from ear to ear. The match was fair and square, Minjoo won.

 

The South Korean archer then walked away from the spot, and she was greeted by her teammates who pulled her for a hug. Everyone looked beyond happy and emotional at Minjoo’s win. Minjoo didn’t even cry like this when she won the gold medal in the team category because this time, she won on her own.

 

Yujin couldn’t help but to shed a few tears for her girlfriend, she was really the proudest lover in that very moment. She watched Minjoo get swarmed by the countless people from the media, and the important members of the event. A crowd really formed to see the gawk at the new Olympic gold medalist closer.

 

With that, Yujin also decided to go down from the bleachers, and see her girlfriend close up, and hope that she would spot her from the sea of crowd. She wanted to watch her girlfriend get awarded with a gold medal up close. She spotted Jihyeon standing beside the team too, probably going to wait for Minjoo before personally giving his congratulations.

 

She silently slipped from her teammates’ sights when the medal ceremony was about to start, climbing down to the field, and blended into the crowd. Yujin happily watched her girlfriend take the gold medal as she clapped along with the people, even biting on it as she proudly showed it off — grinning from ear to ear.

 

But then, Minjoo’s gaze suddenly started to roam, as if she was trying to spot someone. Yujin’s heart skipped a beat, she was definitely looking for her. And when the archer finally spotted her and their eyes met, Yujin’s grin widened, immediately mouthing.

 

“You did it, my champion.”

 

Minjoo’s expression softened, staring back at her lovingly before waving at her, even showing off her gold medal to Yujin. The fencer bit her lower lip, and couldn’t even suppress her giggle. This woman was really…

 

And finally, the archers were gestured to step down from the platform now, and greet their own teams again but Minjoo did not walk back to her teammates, still looking at Yujin’s direction. The fencer felt her heart stop when Minjoo started to walk towards her.

 

Kim Minjoo. The woman Ahn Yujin loves with every fiber of her being…

 

Every person in this goddamn world will know and see how much we love each other.

 

***

 

Everyone was slightly confused when Minjoo turned to the other direction instead of going to her team and Jihyeon, who was patiently and gladly waiting for her at the side.

 

The said basketball player’s bright grin faded when Minjoo turned away from his direction.

 

The crowd suddenly went to the side when they realized that Minjoo was going in a certain direction, they dispersed almost instantly to give Minjoo a way, watching the gold medalist’s movements. Minjoo didn’t mind them, her eyes were still glued to Yujin as she stood, hesitating to continue and do something that she might regret later on.

 

Yujin noticed that she was probably hesitating. The fencer just gave her a reassuring smile, her dimples showed — and this time, she was the one who approached Minjoo closer, walking towards her.

 

The archer was actually surprised when Yujin moved to walk towards her, and out of instinct, Minjoo met her halfway, almost eager; she didn’t even care if she was surrounded by the cameras and people. It looked like Yujin didn’t care for those damned stuff anyway, her gaze was only glued to Minjoo, and nothing else — staring at her like she was the only person in the arena.

 

Stutters of the cameras didn’t end as Minjoo pulled Yujin for a tight hug, and the fencer hugged back. It was warm. Yujin was all that Minjoo needed. She didn’t care anymore if it might cause some rumors — Yujin initiated so it only meant one thing; she didn’t care about anything either. Was the fencer ready to reveal her passionate feelings to the world like Minjoo?

 

“You did exceptionally well, my love,” Yujin whispered to Minjoo. And the archer was surprised, her heart was rattling and wilding inside her chest but before she could even react — the blue haired archer broke the hug, cupping Minjoo’s face gently as she stared at her with eyes full of burning love and pride.

 

Minjoo saw the whole universe in Yujin’s eyes as her heart started to shake, flowers bloomed beautifully, shimmering and fluttering as her lover stared at her as if it to say: the whole world, every human existing in this place, the consequences and outcomes, everything — I want for everyone to know that we belong to each other.

 

But Minjoo wasn’t too prepared when Yujin leaned down to claim her lips though. She was beyond shocked as every person who witnessed it however, Minjoo slowly relaxed at the kiss, holding Yujin’s waist for support as the latter kissed her softly to show that they were for each other only, in front of the crowd — in front of the live camera, in front of the world. Without shame. Why would they be too ashamed and embarrassed to show the world that they love each other forever and beyond?

 

The stutters of the cameras intensified even more as if it was endless but Yujin and Minjoo didn’t care, only focused on each other’s lips and warmth. Delighted screams could be heard around the arena, and the announcers were already exclaiming in the mics in surprise but they were also equally amused.

 

Yujin and Minjoo smiled in the middle of the kiss before pulling away. They stared at each other, ignoring everyone and everything around them. They only cared about each other, grinning ear to ear. The fencer placed another kiss on Minjoo’s forehead, and tucked the stray, drenched hair behind her ear as she looked at her like she was the only woman to ever exist.

 

“What will your parents say about this, hmm?” Minjoo still got the guts to tease Yujin after the show they just put on. But she was slightly worried, still — that Yujin kissed her because she just got carried away.

 

Yujin’s brow arched, giving her a toothy smile. “Do you think I still care about their words when I literally kissed you exposed to the whole world like this? No, I’m here to bravely show them that I’m yours, and you’re mine.” She responded, still caressing Minjoo’s cheek lovingly.

 

“So, you don’t care anymore?” Minjoo whispered, a little bit low and dangerous.

 

The fencer just chuckled, nodding. “Yes.”

 

Minjoo’s lips formed into a mischievous smile. “Then kiss me again, Yujin.” She murmured, almost like a demand.

 

Yujin was surprised but she just cackled anyway, leaning down again to claim Minjoo’s lips longer to prove something to her lover, and to prove something to everyone. It was probably scandalous but it was just a way of Yujin and Minjoo showing to everyone that they love each other madly, and deeply.

 

Their story did not end that moment. Their story hasn’t ended yet, and it will never end. Until eternity, their story will continue on. No matter what, they will tightly hold each other’s hands.

 

***

 

“That day… when we first met in FIFA World Cup,”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Why did you kiss me even though you know that I was just joking, well, half-joking. I was just a complete stranger to you too.”

 

“Well, because I was intrigued, and interested. Same as you, probably, I felt instantly attracted when I saw you for the first time. After all, you’re good-looking. Exactly my type.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yes, I’m telling the truth so stop blushing.”

 

“Still, you kissed a stranger on the cheek. Hmph. I better be the only one that you kissed like that in a first meeting.”

 

“Correction, gorgeous stranger. And yes, duh, what do you think of me, babe? Geez. Of course, I took the opportunity. It might be the first and last time we would ever meet… At least I managed to score a kiss, yes?”

 

“But our fates are intertwined, lucky us.”

 

“Yeah, lucky us that our paths crossed as if it was destined.”

 

“We’re destined to be together, Minjoo-ah.”

 

***

 

A/N: and thats it!!! how’s the long ride of pure fluffiness? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH did i make yall anxious that i wrote was angst? geez~ chill. but i really like teasing yall. ig the one who commissioned me was also sick of angst lmfao shout out to you @/oriyenugh ! thank you for commissioning me to write this oneshot. its not obvious that i absolutely loved writing this, yes? AHHAHAHAHA seriously, thank you again. i really hope you really liked this one.

 

so, how about yall? did i do well? did yall like it despite some errors? SKSKSKKSKS i really do hope so. please, dont be shy to comment your thoughts~ i love comments~ or drop an upvote too, all well-appreciated.

 

im in love with archer minjoo and fencer yujin :(( also, do yall liked my new male OC? lee jihyeon, the desperate ‘suitor’, i still love my man but too bad! minjoo here isnt bad at decisions unlike tyac minjoo LMFAO i believe in archer minjoo supremacy.

 

okay, that’s all, i really do hope you guys liked it. ‘till next time! stay safe as always, dear readers!

 

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Comments

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ayedee
#1
Chapter 2: i’ve always been a er for domestic jj— i think i’ll always be ig 🥲
ayedee
#2
Chapter 1: the guy offered that he can do everything— he could do everything besides respecting mj’s wishes ig ijbol
and why do i feel like fencing would really suit yj?
WildAwakeJuli
#3
Chapter 1: I love archer minjoo and yujin fencer so much 😭 what a fantastic combination! I love everything you write and this one wasn't the exception~~
future_mrs_liu #4
Chapter 1: Wow. Even after I’m done reading, I’m still amazed
avi927 #5
Chapter 2: SUCH A GREAT STORY.
EzraSeige
#6
Chapter 2: 💙💙💙
myiiia
#7
<33
aiem11kueen
#8
Chapter 2: AhnKim family.. never knew this will be the most fams ever..
Wtite bout them more and more
Laser3 #9
Chapter 2: Special indeed🥰
snsdsoshigg #10
Chapter 2: THIS SPECIAL CHAPTER???????? I LOVE IT