Yena’s P.O.V

“Accomplished! Let’s go home”, Hyewon said after putting the last piece of potato chips in .

“Yes! Wait for me to finish this glass of water, just one more sip”, Chaeyeon nodded in agreement.

The three of us were about to leave the cafeteria area, Chaewon just said goodbye 5 minutes ago because she had to go shopping with her mother, and the others had already gone home. Since Hyewon ate a lot, it took quite a while, even if she was the one to pay, she didn’t care if the others stayed until the end. I don’t have any reason to go first, actually, I was going to go home with Yuri and Minju but they already invited to have ice cream with some of their classmates. Moreover, I also feel a little sorry with Hyewon’s generous heart. And Chaeyeon is a very friendly and kind person, she happily continued to stay to chat with me, anyway, she was close to Hyewon so she didn’t want to leave.

The sky was completely orange now, the halo in the West was about to enjoy its break after a long hard day and was diving low, hiding behind buildings in the distance. The passing autumn wind messed up the hair of the two girls who were walking and joking in front of me. It also shook the bright red foliage of the large maple tree above their heads, which was planted right next to the school’s first year student’s building. That red maple tree is so beautiful. Oops! I almost forgot something important.

The story is that I went to school with Yuri and Minju this morning, when we got to the gate, Yuri was dragged away by a short but very cute girl, it seems that she needs Yuri’s help with something. Minju and I were also going to ask if there was anything we could help but they said it’s a private matter. The two of us continued to walk together for the rest of the way before splitting up because we studied in two different building. When we came under that maple tree, Chaewon appeared in front of us and told me to go to class first because she had something to say to Minju. Her smile and eyes sparkled with joy but there was also a hint of shyness in it and her voice was faltering, she was quite nervous. I know that she doesn’t just see Minju as a friend, but as for Minju, I’m not sure, her eyes and facial expressions often have so many emotions, it’s hard to read them clearly.

I purposely walked slowly so I could listen to what Chaewon wanted to say. I feel so sorry for her, but I still have to keep an eye on them for Yujin, this Yena Duck’s best friend. Anyone can easily see, Yujin must have really liked Minju, right from the days when she was little. Of course the fact that Chaewon also likes Minju isn’t bad and there’s nothing wrong with it, she has the right to do that, it’s something I can’t stop. And I also have no right to interfere in Minju’s love affairs or influence her decisions. I can only support Yujin with all my heart, and I hope it doesn’t get too serious.

“Minju-ah! This Sunday... you... you’re not busy, are you? Let’s go to the movies with me”, Chaewon’s voice said behind me. But it wasn’t very loud, because maybe she waited for me to go far enough before started talking. There’s no need to be so private. Chaewon has a shy day? And I didn’t hear Minju’s answer clearly, the distance is quite far. So I hid in a nearby bush to look back and see how the two of them reacted. Nothing special, not disappointment, not a bright smile on Chaewon’s face, she just smiled softly. What did Minju say? This Sunday is the day of the Sports Festival for middle school students, to be more precise, the day Yujin will compete. She’s practicing really hard, but if Minju doesn’t come and cheer her on, she’ll be really sad.

Minju suddenly took off her bag and opened it. She took from it a small gift box. I was a bit surprised when she gave it to Chaewon, and she was equally surprised too. Minju also has some special feelings for Chaewon? What’s inside that box? Then suddenly Chaewon turned to look at me, I reacted quickly to hide and then sneaked to our class. I don’t know if she’s seen me or not.

Should I open my mouth or text one of them? Probably not, that would be so weird. Yujin also doesn’t want to receive any information right now, it’s like she’s cutting herself off from the world. What should I do?

“Yah! Choi Yena! What are you thinking about?”, Hyewon said and pulled me out of my thoughts. She and Chaeyeon were looking back at me, they’re still pretty even though their hair was messed up by the wind, luckily I tied it up. The scene of those two standing next to the maple tree and the red foliage swaying in the wind above them all looked so romantic. In about two months, those leaves will turn brown, and they will begin to fall hardly, covering part of the schoolyard below, which is sure to be beautiful.

“Yah! Get your feet up fast! We’re about to leave you alone now”, Chaeyeon urged.

“I’m coming! Wait for me”, let’s just leave that to tomorrow, today’s match has made my body tired enough.

 

3rd person’s POV

Reng Reng

“Minju-ya! Will you also come and watch Yujin compete this Sunday?”, Yena tried to be as natural as possible. With her right now was not only Minju, but also other people. Yena sat at the end of the table, next to her was Chaewon, opposite Yuri and next to Yuri was Minju. Sitting on that side were Hitomi and Nako, opposite them, on the same side as Yena were Chaeyeon and Hyewon.

“I don’t know either, unnie”, Minju’s answer made Yena a little worried. And so did the person sitting next to her, Chaewon was surprised to see Minju had another choice instead of going to the movies with her and started to feel a little less confident. The name Yujin is not too unfamiliar to her, Yena has mentioned her best friend many times, and she is also very close to Minju and Yuri.

“Why don’t you know? You have to go, must go”, Yuri turned to remind. Minju looked at Yuri and showed confusion but Yuri was still very sure of her words.

“No but. Me and Yena unnie will come too”, Yuri continued, just as Minju was about to open , not giving her a chance to speak. Yuri didn’t want Minju because of the shy feeling that she didn’t dare to go to Yujin, then made it difficult for herself, and for her too. Instead of being jealous, sad and feeling insecure in the heart, just come and meet that person and tell them your heart out, wouldn’t that be better? Moreover, Yujin also needs the closest friends at important times, she deserves everyone’s support, especially Minju.

“Um, I know”, Minju nodded. She glanced at Chaewon with timidity, afraid that Chaewon would be sad because of that, she didn’t know if Chaewon meant anything to her or not, but as long as it was someone else’s kindness, she didn’t have the heart to refuse outright. Yesterday Minju couldn’t answer right away, because she was still deciding between going to see Yujin or not. But it’s also because she needs to think of a smart way to refuse, the truth is that if Minju chooses not to meet Yujin, then she definitely won’t be in the mood to go anywhere else. Even if Minju only sees Yujin as a friend or a sister, Yujin is still an important person to her at the moment. As soon as she saw Chaewon smiling softly at her, Minju immediately felt relieved, she’s sure Chaewon can sympathize with her.

“Can I go there too? I’ve heard you talk about Yujin a lot, but I haven’t had a chance to meet her yet”, Chaewon suddenly turned to Yena and surprised her.

“That’s okay too. But are you sure?”, Yena also wants her two friends to be able to meet and become close, but in the current situation, things don’t seem to be going so well. Yena is worried that unfortunately Chaewon finds Yujin and Minju close to each other or vice versa, it will be more difficult.

“Sure. What’s so serious that you’re asking?”, Chaewon replied with a nonchalant look on her face. She seems to be the type that doesn’t let her emotions affect her much, or maybe someone who is very good at hiding them.

“Yujin is Yuri and Minju’s best friend right? I also want to go see her. May I join you?”, Hitomi sneaked a glance at someone and asked softly.

“Okay. The more the merrier”, Yuri turned to smile at Hitomi and answered her.

“Then I’ll go too”, Nako seemed to be just waiting for Yuri’s reaction to speak, if Hitomi can go there then of course she can too.

“Wouldn’t it be fun there? We’ll join too, it’s okay? Hyewon?”, Chaeyeon said and turned to ask Hyewon, while the person sitting next to her was just focusing at her meal on the table, no one was sure if this person had known what the others are talking about. And because she was busy chewing a mouth full of food, she just raised her hand to signal "OK" to answer.

“Cute”, Yuri looked at her and whispered, the sound so low that no one could hear. But there was one person who saw the shape of . Yena froze for 5 seconds, then she shook her head: “I’m just overthinking.”

 

Yujin’s POV

Swan, uahage

Like Swan Swan Swan

Oh my god! Normally this song is great but if you have to listen to it early in the morning often it is quite annoying, the sounds are very effective for setting as alarm.

Like Swan Swan Swan (MAMA)

I quickly slide my finger on the phone screen to turn off the alarm, if I wait too long, I will start to hate this song. 06:00 A.M.. Anyway, I need to get up early, today is an important day. My first run will be somewhere around 9 o’clock, about 3 hours left. But to be able to compete successfully, I need to eat a full breakfast, move there as soon as possible to avoid unusual incidents, and minimize the impact if I am unfortunate encounter them. I also need to stretch and warm up properly so that I don’t get injured and let my body reach the best state when competing. I’ll have to participate in a qualifying round before going to the finals. Only 8 out of 32 people who participated in the qualifier were allowed to continue, and of course that would be the ones who has best run. I also participated in another qualifier to win the right to compete officially in the Festival, there were hundreds of contestants at that time, and they came from secondary schools all over Korea.

1 unread message from Wonyo

Wonyoung texting me?

“I’m sorry, unnie. I have to go to Gangwon today to visit my grandmother who is sick so I can’t come cheer for youㅜㅜ I wish you a good run! <3”

If it weren’t for that person who wouldn’t even text me a message, I’d probably fall for Wonyoung. She’s so cute.

“Thank you! ^^ Today I will wear the shoes you gave me and compete with all my heart. Be careful on the road!”, after replying to Wonyoung, I immediately put down my phone, quickly did my daily routine and went downstairs.

“Good morning Dad and Mom!”, I said hello as soon as I went down to the kitchen and approached the dining table. Dad was staring intently at his phone screen, probably watching a bit of the morning news. Mom was concentrating on the steaming pot on the stove. Today’s breakfast seems a little more special, on the table there are already a lot of dishes. I love my mom so much, even though it’s Sunday, she still got up early to prepare them for me.

“Good morning my darling!”, my dad patted my head with his hand as I sat in the chair.

“Eat a lot and run well, I cook a lot”, mom brought the pot down from the stove and put it on the table. It’s samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), my favorite.

“Nae! Thank you. I love you!”, I smiled at my mom as soon as I saw the pot that had just been placed in the middle of the dining table.

“Thank you for what? We’re sorry we couldn’t come see you, today we have an important meeting with some partner”, mom shook her head and said with a sad face.

“Its ok. Dad told me last night. I understand”, I shouldn’t take this too seriously, they can’t just ignore important things.

“After breakfast, we’ll take you there. Do your best”, said dad.

“Yes, I need to bring a few things too, taking the bus is not very convenient. But I will definitely win a gold medal”, I confidently asserted. I’ll definitely do my best to win.

That’s what I think now and that’s all I say. Although everything has been and is being prepared very well, there is one thing that still distracts me. It’s been over a week now, and it’s not clear who is right or wrong in this. Are both wrong? But because we didn’t meet or contact each other, I don’t know what Minju unnie was thinking, did I make her sad? I also couldn’t tell her my heart, or simply asked if she would come to cheer for me, but I didn’t have the courage to do so. Later, if I don’t see Minju unnie, I’m afraid I won’t have the spirit to try. But that’s not going to happen, is it? Minju unnie will definitely come. Besides, even if Minju unnie can’t come, I have to win and show her the medal. No matter who she likes, me or someone else, no matter what, she will always be my Minju unnie.

 

Minju’s POV

What should I wear today? A comfortable, dynamic outfit because it will be a sporting event? Or a pretty dress to become more lovely and feminine in front of that someone? Or wear a coat that suits this fall weather? I will be cool. If I looked pretty, Yujin wouldn’t be angry anymore because I was annoyed with her and left that day, right?

But when I think about it, it’s because she made me jealous first, it’s not my fault. But if Yujin really likes Wonyoung, what should I do? It’s not her fault too, she has the right to like anyone. At that time, I didn’t dare to say my thoughts and feelings, how would she know, she would think that I was angry for no reason? It’s also possible that Yujin really likes me like Yuri said, so I accidentally made her jealous and annoyed because of Chaewon, am I the one in the wrong anyway? But I didn’t mean it, moreover, there’s nothing between me and Chaewon, it’s also wrong for her to be annoyed with me, right? Yujin didn’t say she liked me either, how could an idiot like me understand right away?

Either way, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that I’m missing her so much, it’s stupid to be mad at each other like this. It’s been over a week since we haven’t seen each other, haven’t talked, haven’t contacted by phone or interacted on social media. I can’t stand it anymore. So if it’s Yujin wrong, I’ll forgive right away, no, I forgive from now. And if I’m wrong, I’ll apologize, until she forgives me.

“Yaah! Kim Minju! What have you been doing for so long? Are you going to go to the royal banquet or what?”, said Yuri, who was standing right outside the door of the room. Oops! I haven’t been able to choose my clothes yet, it will be late.

“Yuri-ah! Come in here and help me”, at this point I should ask her for help.

“Have you finished changing yet? Shall I open the door?” Yuri said and slowly pushed the door open. And she stares at me with bullet-shaped eyes.

“I'm sorry!”, I can only try my best to smile.

“Are you still wearing pajamas? Do you want to be beaten or what?”, Yuri shouted and suddenly grabbed the book on the table to rush in.

“Please don’t hit! Help me choose clothes, I don’t know what to wear!”, I pouted and folded my hands begging Yuri, hoping that she’d take pity on me because she finds me cute.

“So you want to look pretty in front of someone, huh?”, Yuri smirked teasingly. That’s obvious, but why ask?

 

3rd person’s POV

“Ready!”

Bang!

Yujin has a good start and good acceleration, she is the fastest to reach the top speed compared to 7 other contestants in the same run. And just seconds later, they all hit the finish line. Yujin put her hands on her waist and gasped, slowly swallowing. She looked up at the electronic board showing the results.

#1. An Yujin – 12,084s

#2. Baek Jiheon – 12,090s

...

Jiheon was also looking at the board, then turned to look at Yujin and laughed. The two quickly hugged each other. Because they’re happy, they’re not shy even though their bodies are covered in sweat.

“You did a great job!”, said Jiheon.

“You did well too!”, replied Yujin.

“Our practice really worked, both of you did really well. Those are both the best results of the two of you ever”, Mr. Heechul ran over and patted the two young girls’ heads. “But that’s not enough, Yujin is just ranked 5th, Jiheon is ranked 6th right behind, out of all 8 who qualified for the finals. But anyway, congratulations to the two of you for passing the qualifying round”, he continued and smiled.

“Nae! We will try harder!”, Jiheon replied.

“There’s no meaning without a medal, right?”, Yujin half-smiling.

“Don’t say that, that’s not sportsmanship. Just try your best. But it’s better to have a medal”, the coach replied.

All three look at the list of the final.

#1. Yoon Seeun – 12,011s

#2. Park Soojin – 12,056s

#3. Han Jihyo – 12,069s

#4. Shim Jayoon – 12,072s

#5. An Yujin – 12,084s

#6. Baek Jiheon – 12,090s

#7. Kim Sohee – 12,106s

#8. Lee Yujeong – 12,128s

“It's not easy, right?”, Mr. Heechul said with a frown.

“Wow! The achievement of 1st place is really far from everyone else!”, exclaims Jiheon.

“Maybe we need to add rocket engines to our backs”, Yujin shook her head and laughed. Yujin wasn’t completely joking in that sentence. It’s 9:30 A.M., about half an hour to go until the last and most important run of the women’s 100m sprint, but she hasn’t seen any of them yet, her best friends. Yujin was a bit depressed, she thinks without the support from friends and family, it would be difficult to finish the competition in the best way. Physical ability and professional skills are important, but psychological factors, mental strength also always contribute significantly to the success or failure in the sports competition environment.

“Yujinie!”, suddenly, a voice called out from afar. As soon as Yujin turned around, she saw a body rushing towards her quickly.

“Unnie! I’m all sweaty, leave me!", Yujin yelled.

“My Puppy, long time no see. Hehe.”

“Not so long, ugly Duck. It’s only been almost 2 weeks, I have to work hard”, Yujin pushed Yena off of her body.

“Annyeong, Yujin! I’m sure you’ve finished the qualifier by now, right? Sorry, we’re late. How’s the result?”, another said while walking closer.

“Annyeong, Yuri unnie! The results are also quite good, but to win the gold medal will be a bit difficult”, Yujin replied. She tilted her head to look behind Yuri and smiled when she saw a familiar figure. “I still play another run, everyone is not late. I’m glad you all came here”, continued Yujin while looking straight in the same direction. But that someone doesn’t dare to look directly at her but only shyly bows or sometimes looks away, looks up at the blue sky, looks at this person walking back and forth.

Yuri saw that and patted Yujin’s shoulder, signaling her to lower her body. She whispered something in Yujin’s ear that made Yujin blush, but still kept the smile on her lips. Yujin then quickly walked in front of that person.

“Minju unnie! Annyeong!”, Yujin said hello. She watched Minju closely from head to toe. Still the same long brown hair, her face only lightly makeup with lipstick and a little blush. She wears a smooth black medium-sleeve t-shirt that hugs her body slightly but is completely comfortable. Below that is a pair of dynamic jean shorts combined with simple white sneakers, suitable for the surrounding sporty atmosphere.

“Yujinie... annyeong!”, Minju hesitated, looked up at her.

“You look so pretty today! This outfit can be so beautiful because you wore it”, Yujin suddenly complimented and made her even more embarrassed, her face is now like a ripe tomato.

“You’re also... so pretty“, Minju felt her face even hotter, when Yujin was now wearing an athlete’s competition uniform with a number on the front of her stomach, and it was definitely very fiery. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail and swayed on the back of her head, beaded with sweat on her forehead. The tank top is stretchy and close to her body, revealing her neck and collarbones, along with her small arms, not big but just firm and healthy. The abs were also exposed, causing Minju to swallow her saliva down . The shorts with the same material as the shirt allow the lower half of the body to be free and not difficult to run, and it helps Yujin show off her long, slim legs but still show her powerful muscles quantity. The bottom is a very eye-catching brand sports sneaker that Minju thinks it will not be cheap. And those shoes make one feel as if Yujin’s feet are full of power. In short, an outfit, but it does not make people beautiful because of it, but makes people beautiful because of what is available on their body. (I hope my description is not too sensitive and cause discomfort. I don't mean to conjure up the image of a y Yujin, but I want to show you a healthy and energetic Yujin.)

“I miss you so much!”, Yujin pouted at her.

“I... miss you too”, Minju was happy because Yujin said she missed her, she could feel the sincerity in her eyes. And that brought tears to her eyes, Minju was about to burst into tears of happiness. Yujin immediately moved closer to her, she used her hands to gently wipe away the tears that just barely fell from those glittering eyes.

“Don’t cry! It’s ugly. I’m here with you”, Yujin comforted her gently, her voice suddenly becoming very warm. The sound from Yujin came out like sweet honey being poured into Minju’s ears, she immediately sobbed, the tears stopped falling.

“Ahem! Ahem!”, someone’s clear throat came from behind Minju startling them both, Yujin shyly dropped her hand, and Minju took a light half step back.

Yujin looked towards the source of the sound, a face both familiar and strange was waving a hand to greet her. Looks like it’s Chaewon, she’s pretty sure about her observation and memory. But not only one person, but four other people were also smiling and waving at Yujin. While Yujin was still completely surprised by the strange faces, Yena and Yuri quickly approached to explain.

“These are all our friends, going to the same school. Chaewon, Hyewon and Chaeyeon”, Yena pointed to each of them and introduced in turn.

“And this is Nako and Hitomi. They all said they wanted to come see and cheer for you, and they wanted to get to know you, too”, continued Yuri. Yujin bowed and gave them a big smile to greet them.

“Nice to meet you all! But now I have to prepare to compete. See you all after the run!”, Yujin said and watched everyone nod at her.

“We’ll talk later, Minju unnie. I have something important to tell you”, Yujin turned to the person standing closest to her.

“Um. See you later! Do your best, Yujinie!”, Minju was still shy but tried to smile to cheer for her.

“Nae! I will try my best. Bye bye unnie!”, Yujin said to Minju and waved goodbye to everyone before heading back to coach Heechul.

The rest took advantage of the time before Yujin competed to look around. The venue for this Yujin sprints event is Seoul Olympic Stadium (also known as Jamsil Stadium), where other athletic events are also taking place such as, middle, hurdles, relays, long jump, high jump, pole vault, discus throw, ... Of course, the king sport – football is also held here. Many sports are held during this Sports Festival. Other indoor sports such as volleyball, basketball, hockey, table tennis, badminton, chess, martial arts, etc. are held at Jamsil Arena or Jamsil Students’ Gymnasium. Especially swimming and water handball are held at Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool. All are located in Seoul Sports Complex (Jamsil Sports Complex). But for the most part today, there will only be finals or final rounds of sports to take place, the previous matches or qualifiers were all held from a week ago.

Finally, it’s the final round of the women’s 100m sprint. Minju and friends are nervously watching Yujin walk out to the starting line from the stands. Other spectators are also focusing on the contestants on the track, eager to find out who is the fastest female middle school student in Korea. Everyone should pay attention to this content, because if football is the king sport, athletics will be the queen sport, and in athletics, the most important content is always the 100m sprint, bolt for man and woman.

Yujin calmly warmed up on the spot, trying to breathe evenly before stepping on the starting pedal. Yujin will run in the 5th lane, right to her left is her friend Jiheon in the 6th lane, corresponding to their ranking position when winning the right to the final round, and so are the other contestants. She looked up at the stands, where her close friends were sitting, trying to find someone else’s image. As soon as she met Minju’s eyes, she unconsciously smiled. Minju also smiled back, she clasped her hand and signaled “Hwai-ting!”. Yujin nodded gently and focused back on the track. Perhaps at this point, if there were explanations for the past few days, it was just to help them understand each other better. They are already comfortable and happy with each other like normally, it can be said that Yujin and Minju’s relationship is in good shape. Only the eyes and smiles of the other side are more than enough to make the jealousy, anger, sadness and discomfort in their hearts for the past few day completely disappear.

“Position”, the referee signaled. Yujin and the other contestants bring their dominant foot back, and at the same time lower their body, touch their hands right in front of the starting line and put the other foot on the pedal. They began to breathe calmly.

“Ready!”, command is shouted. Yujin raised her back hip, pressing her left leg down to gain momentum. I take a deep breath.

Bang!

Gunshots rang out and they all set off. They accelerated in an instant, shooting forward with all their might. It only took two or three breaths to reach their maximum speed. As everyone expected, the one with the best start was Yoon Seeun in lane 1, and she led until the first 50m. Following closely is Han Jihyo’s position in lane 3, a student who is only in 8th grade but has amazing speed. Yujin had a start above her own expectations and is in a position to win the bronze medal. More than 7 seconds have passed.

From the midst of the multitude of sounds throughout the stadium: “Yujinie!”, she heard a small voice say, strangely, for a split second she could feel it even though it was not loud at all. Yujin took another small breath and held her breath. She put all her energy into her legs, sending her body forward. The finish line is getting closer and closer. With about 30m left, Yujin took second place. Seeun is still keeping a very good pace. Jihyo slowed down a bit, it seems that accelerating too fast and reaching the best speed at an early point caused her to take more effort and not maintain it for too long. More than 9 seconds have passed since the gunfire sounded. Jiheon in lane 6 just suddenly accelerated, it seems that her strategy is to start quickly but not the fastest, until about a third of the distance to push up to maximum speed. Only more than 15m left, what will be the result?

Yujin still maintained her own speed, but this wouldn’t be enough to keep up with Seeun. She closed her eyes tightly, couldn’t see anything, her ears rejected all the surrounding sounds, brushed away the dryness in the oral cavity, the nostrils had not yet begun to exhale from the long breath earlier, turned off the rest of her senses and organs, she focused only on the wind created by the speed moving through her body, trying to ignore the feeling of friction between her skin and the air, hoping for this might help her even a little bit faster. Yujin’s legs suddenly felt lighter, she tried to give them more strength to make them work harder.

Over the finish line. Yujin still followed the momentum of running for another part, so did the other contestants. All have completed the exam excellently, but no one knows the result, when the difference between them is measured in milliseconds.

“Can I get a medal?” Yujin thought. She couldn’t quite grasp the order of her finish when her eyes are closed in the final meters. While the achievements of the competitors are always better. Especially Seeun, who started very well, her perfect technique helped her to reach the top speed at the right time and her physical strength made it possible to keep the speed until she crossed the line.

Everyone watched nervously through the slow-motion screen. Seeun had a very good start and always led the race at a steady pace. Park Soojin in lane 2 missed the start a bit, so she could only run on par with Lee Yujeong in lane 8 in the middle of the distance. Jihyo also has a very good start and accelerates very quickly but only about halfway there is barely able to accelerate any further. Shim Jayoon in lane 4 was very unlucky as she was a bit startled at the time of the gunfire, maybe she nervously miscounted the referee’s signal and started later than everyone else. The image shows that Yujin was running parallel to Jihyo in the first few meters, but the acceleration was less, so she fell behind. However, once she got into a steady rhythm, she accelerated very quickly, then overtook Jihyo, who seemed to be slowing down. Jiheon followed close behind Yujin but became faster at the end of the track. Kim Sohee in lane 7 also started very well, but the maximum speed she achieved was not fast enough compared to the others, so she fell behind. In the final meters, the race was very intense. Seeun seemed to have reached the finish line first as she was fast and didn’t slow down. But when Yujin suddenly accelerated after the first half of the distance, she almost caught up at the last 10m. And the surprise factor in lane 6 was that Jiheon sped up right behind them and almost ran parallel when all three were only about 3m from the finish line. Very difficult to guess. And it is also very difficult to identify with the eye.

The organizers let the video play slowly at the finish line. With modern technology, the time from the moment the gun is fired until each contestant crosses the finish line is recorded accurately to milliseconds. The pause screen shows that Jiheon’s feet are not at the finish line when the other two have crossed the line, even though the distance is very small. So we have identified the owner of the bronze medal. But even after rewinding the video, it seems that Seeun and Yujin crossed the finish line at the same time.

The result from the computer appeared on the screen, and it would be the most accurate result.

#1. An Yujin – 12,010s

#2. Yoon Seeun – 12,011s

#3. Baek Jiheon – 12,019s

“Woah! Yujin won!”, Yena shouted in joy.

“Yujin won!”, Yuri also shouted.

The whole audience started clapping loudly. Everyone who was there watching applauded and commented on the close results of the race.

“Yujin won Minju-ah!”, Yuri turned to look at Minju when she didn’t see her move.

“Hic hic!”, Minju sobbed.

“Wae? Why are you crying? Haha”, Yuri patted her friend’s shoulder and laughed.

Once again, the full race results are shown on the screen.

#1. An Yujin – 12,010s                        Gold

#2. Yoon Seeun – 12,011s                 Silver

#3. Baek Jiheon – 12,019s              Bronze

#4. Han Jihyo – 12,030s

#5. Lee Yujeong – 12,067s

#6. Park Soojin – 12,068s

#7. Shim Jayoon – 12,085s

#8. Kim Sohee – 12,099s

Yujin doesn’t seem to believe her eyes, did her win? She were able to push herself beyond the limit to a speed that caught up with and even surpassed Seeun? That’s right, Yujin did really well at the end of the race, better than she could possibly do. But she wouldn’t have gotten that result if she hadn’t had someone cheering her on at the very moment she started putting all her energy into accelerating and reaching top speed. Seeun is doing well as always, it’s just that Yujin tried harder and had a little more luck.

“Thank you! Minju unnie!”, Yujin looked towards the stands and whispered.

“Wow! You're great! Yujin-ah! You won!”, Jiheon ran over and hugged her friend.

Yujin also hugged Jiheon tightly, Minju wouldn’t be jealous in this case, right?

“We won! You’re awesome too!”, Yujin let out a big laugh.

“Congratulations to you! That’s really good!”, suddenly a strange voice sounded. It’s Seeun.

“No! I'm just lucky! But still thank you!”, replied Yujin and went over to shake Seeun’s hand.

“Congratulations! You guys did a great job!”, another cute girl said.

“Thank you Jihyo. You’re good too! You’ll win next year!”, Jiheon smiled and patted Jihyo’s head even though the two of them are almost the same height.

...

The closing and medal ceremony would take place in the afternoon, so now Yujin and her close friends, and new friends too, were having lunch at the large cafeteria in the sports complex. Since Yujin was an official attendee of the Festival, she was served free food here. The rest is up to Yena and Yuri to come together to celebrate Yujin’s victory.

“Cheer!”, they all shouted together and raised their glasses to celebrate. They also overdo it when they have soft drinks in their hands and act like people who drink alcohol.

It was followed by congratulatory messages that everyone directed towards Yujin, and she also responded with thanks. They also started getting to know each other. And Yujin promised that next year she will definitely have to attend SOPA so she can play with others. But those new friends don’t know that the person sitting next to her right now is the main reason why she look forward to enrolling in that school day and night.

“Aaahhh!”, Minju skewered a large piece of tokbokki with a fork and held it in front of Yujin. Yujin immediately opened and took it.

“Delicious, unnie!”, she smiled. There were some eyes that look at them with annoyance.

“Yaah! Don’t do things like that in public", Yuri yelled indignantly.

“Aaahhh!”, suddenly a fragrant chicken ball appeared in front of and she did not hesitate to take it.

“Good!”, Yena patted her head and laughed happily.

“Hahahahaha”, Chaeyeon and Hyewon saw that and couldn’t stop laughing. While Nako and Hitomi can only shame their friends.

...

“It’s so beautiful Yujinie!”, Minju exclaims as soon as she and Yujin set foot in a large park located to the south of the sports complex. In front of her now is a large space with a lot of trees, also because of that, the surrounding air is completely fresh. From kid to the elderly, there are also many other people playing, exercising, walking and chatting together. A peaceful scene in the heart of the crowded and bustling Seoul city. But the most striking thing here is the western part of it, where only maple trees are planted. In these October days, the leaves have completely turned a bright red color, brightening the whole area, really attracting the eyes.

While the others left one after another after lunch, Minju stayed with Yujin to wait until the medal ceremony took place and the closing ceremony of the Sports Festival ended. But they couldn’t really talk to each other because Minju was too absorbed in watching the exciting matches, while before she got there, she had absolutely no idea that she would be so attracted by athletic. Yujin could only accept and with her immersed in the vibrant and enthusiastic atmosphere of the Festival, the two had a fun afternoon together. But now they were tired and decided to go for a walk before the sky turned dark, enjoying the rest of the time talking to each other. At this time, Yujin changed into a more casual and comfortable outfit, a white t-shirt with a denim jacket, below are tight black jeans, simple but absolutely no one can criticize.

“Nae! Let’s go over there!”, Yujin pointed at the red maple trees. Just waiting for a nod from Minju, she immediately took her hand and pulled away. Minju was completely surprised, she was a bit shy and timid with Yujin’s action. But she not only did not withdraw her hand, but also quickly followed Yujin, not letting the distance between them become too far.

Yujin stopped in front of a wooden bench and motioned to Minju. Both of them sat down there, the distance between them was neither too close nor too far. Around them were scattered red maple leaves on the green basalt tiles, occasionally a few more lightly dropped by the wind and swaying in the air before hitting the ground. There were also several people in the same area, but the sounds coming from them didn’t seem to affect the atmosphere surrounding the two of them. A little shy, but still very peaceful.

“Minju unnie!”

“Yujinie!”

Calls rang out at the same time, breaking the silence. Minju and Yujin looked at each other and laughed. But inside, their hearts start to feel throbbing.

“You speak first!”

“You speak first!”

Why did this situation seem so familiar? Looks like it’s happened somewhere before. Two hearts are gradually beating faster, and faster, but there is no fear, but suspense and anticipation for some miracle that is about to happen.

Seeing Minju still looking at her silently, Yujin decided to speak first.

“I guess I don’t have to say it, you know what my heart is feeling, right?”, Yujin slowly said each word, trying to calm down even though her heart was pounding, it was beating faster, even when she finished running. Minju is not sure that she can understand what she is trying to say, although she also partly imagines what it is, but that is still not enough for her to confidently answer. When there was no response from Minju, Yujin continued, "I like you!”

She spook her heart out, a straightforward and honest word. Her expression did not waver at all, completely serious. Through the sincerity in her eyes, Minju knew that she was being sincere. Although the sentence is not long, there are no time points or clear explanations, but she also understand what her really mean. It is that feeling, similar to the love she has for her. Minju wanted to say the same thing to her right then. But she couldn’t, from the moment she determined the two’s feelings for each other, Minju began to feel the invisible connection between her and Yujin, which had begun to take shape on the first snowfall afternoon of that year, it’s becoming really obvious. She realized that she was happy, her happiness left her speechless. And she also noticed that Yujin are beautiful. Yujin in front of her is really pretty. Her eyes seem to contain thousands of sincerity around the world, Minju looked straight into them and understood that as long as she was beside her, she would always be protected by her, they would always be ready to protect each other and find peace.

“I really like you! I’m sure you understand how it like, right? Don’t be silly like that and then reject me”, Yujin pouted, then began to laugh when the person in front of her suddenly fell into a state of crying and laughing, her tears began to fall like rain.

“You! Don’t cry! I like you, you should be happy. Are you not crying because you can’t like me back?”, Yujin sat closer and wiped the precious glittering tears on Minju’s face with her hand.

Minju hastily shook her head: “No! I like you!” she sobbed. Yujin suddenly became a rigid iceberg, the whole world around her seemed to stop, time seemed to stop moving. She could only feel her heart pounding, and feel Minju. Minju, who is present in front of her, a presence that can replace all the existence of everything around her right now. She try to rewind the part Minju just said in her head. Although from the moment she saw Minju this morning, Yujin already understood her heart. And even when she heard Minju calling her name among the thousands of different voices and sounds, she knew that there must be some magical connection between them that exists, though invisible, very sure. In addition, the whole afternoon they were together like that, an afternoon after long days of not seeing each other, and completely no contact, she was even more able to confirm Minju’s feelings through each gesture, each of her eyes.

“What do you say? Say it again, I can’t hear it!”, Yujin asked while laughing to . At this moment, who wouldn’t want to tease such a cute and tearful Minju right in front of her?

“That’s I like you. I like you! Okay?”, Minju was still sobbing, but Yujin’s smile stopped her tears from falling.

“Nae! I know”, Yujin leaned closer to Minju. She hesitated, but then with just a second of thought, she bravely placed a kiss on her forehead. A touch, so gentle, and so soft.

“Yah! What are you doing?”, Minju was surprised by Yujin’s sudden action, she drew back and hurriedly pushed her away, but it was a gentle push. Overwhelmed by the sudden excitement of the kiss, she was completely out of her crying state earlier. Although she couldn’t show it on the outside, she was very satisfied inside and began to give birth to a new longing, an inexplicable desire. Minju involuntarily looked at her plump and full lips. That she was unconsciously wanting to be touched, but not with her hands, but with her own lips. She wants to kiss and be kissed, at the same time.

“It’s not that you don’t like it, but you want more. Right?”, Yujin whispered, a sly smile appearing on her lips. She’s just trying to make fun of Minju.

“No! Stop making fun of me!”, Minju quickly retorted and quickly turned her face away. She was shy, didn’t expect that there would be times when she was caught wanting to be kissed like that.

“So cute!”, Yujin stopped teasing and laughed. The two fell into silence again.

“But I told you I like you. So don’t be jealous of Wonyoung anymore!”, Yujin said after thinking for a while.

“How do you know?”, Minju looked at her with wide eyes and rosy cheeks.

“I didn’t know why you suddenly wanted to leave that day. But now that I know you like me too, I can understand why. And you don’t need to apologize, I was jealous of that Chaewon unnie too”, Yujin replied, her voice very soft and warm.

“Um. I know”, Minju pouted, “And from now on, no matter what, let’s tell each other the truth. I don’t want us to misunderstand each other and then get angry and never see each other, not even texting, I miss you so much”, Minju continued with a coquettish expression.

“Nae! I miss you too, so much that I want to die. Let’s promise then”, Yujin held out her pinky finger. And Minju did the same, the two hooked their fingers together, proving their promise to always be kept.

“How do you think about these sneaker?”, Yujin suddenly pointed at the shoes at her feet and asked.

“So beautiful. It’s very good, isn’t it? I saw you wore it to compete today”, replied Minju while looking at the shoes. The design is really unique, the colors are also very striking, but it all looks harmonious, completely unobtrusive, really beautiful.

“It’s from Wonyoung”, Yujin turned to look at Minju with a nonchalant expression, waiting for an annoyed reaction from Minju.

As soon as Minju frowned, clenched tightly, about to say something, Yujin opened first to stop it.

“I like you!”, Yujin smiled. “You like me too, don’t you? That’s why you’re so jealous?”, she continued to tease. Minju couldn’t help but laugh, but still had to try to beat this girl a lot, for the crime of making her jealous, teasing her and making her feel stupid.

“Ouch! It hurts! What did I do to you?”, Yujin yelled, her left hand repeatedly rubbing the hit on her right arm.

“So what?”, Minju raised her face in response. A gentle breeze blew past and stirred the scarlet maple leaves overhead. Somewhere, some red leaves are slowly falling.

*Smack*

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A super long chapter, the longest ever. And sorry everyone, its length is proportional to my diving level in the coming days :<

But don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can. Thanks everyone! ^^