Yunjin didn’t lie when she said that they wouldn’t get bored with her. What she failed to mention though, was that the fun activities she’d planned for them came at the cost of having a heart attack. At least, that’s the case for Sakura, since Kazuha seems to be enjoying herself at Lotte World as much as the blonde does.

Because it’s the beginning of October, Sakura half expected the amusement park to be closed already, but unfortunately for her, this is the last week when it’s still open. The weather also isn’t on her side with how sunny it is. Though the temperature itself isn’t the highest due to the chilly Autumn wind.

“Woohoo! That was awesome!” Yunjin exclaims as she steps out of the rollercoaster.

Stumbling out of the wagon, feeling dizzy and a little nauseous, Sakura glares at her loud friend. But Kazuha beside her is just as enthusiastic which only further sours her mood. And to make matters even worse, she can still hear Kazuha’s dolphin screams ringing in her ears. It’ll be a miracle if by the end of this trip, she doesn’t go deaf.

Granted she didn’t have to join them for every rollercoaster ride they wanted to try, but at the same time, the idea of Kazuha and Yunjin having fun while she just stood there and watched them, annoyed her enough to overcome her hatred for the scary rides. 

Very soon she began regretting her decision but would rather die than admit to it, which still was a possibility given that life has flashed before her eyes at least twice during those rides.

“Wanna go again?” Yunjin asks Kazuha, and Sakura blanches behind them.

“How about we try this,” the younger girl points to the Ferris Wheel in the distance.

Sakura lets out a huge sigh of relief. She can handle that.

“Oooh, good idea, Zuha! Let’s go!” Yunjin starts running ahead, leaving Sakura with Kazuha behind.

“How are you doing?” Kazuha asks, joining Sakura at her side. “You don’t seem to be a big fan of rollercoasters.”

“You don’t say,” Sakura mutters, shoving hands deeper into the pockets of her bomber jacket. 

“So then why do you—?”

“Ugh, let’s just go and be over with it,” Sakura cuts off the girl and grabs her hand, dragging her towards the Ferris Wheel.

The three of them stand in the queue with Yunjin bouncing on the heels of her feet, again having that smug smile plastered on her face which really starts to get on Sakura’s nerves. She doesn’t understand why it bothers her so much, until it’s their turn to step into a cabin, and everything starts making sense to her. 

Because once Kazuha and Sakura are already in the cabin, Yunjin doesn’t join them. She sends Sakura a wink, whispering 'go get her, tiger' to her as the cabin door closes, and then she simply walks away. 

“Oh you…,” Sakura mutters to herself through gritted teeth.

How hasn’t she thought of this earlier? The one bed setup? The suggestive stares? The smirks? Chaewon must have shared with Yunjin the conversation they had about Kazuha, and now the blonde is playing a matchmaker. Classic Yunjin.

I need new friends .

“What’s up with Yunjin?” She hears Kazuha’s voice behind her but before she’s able to reply, the cabin starts moving, and she loses her balance, landing right on top of Kazuha’s lap.

Staring wide-eyed into Kazuha’s equally shocked eyes, she watches as her face changes color to bright red and feels her own cheeks copy the action.

“Ah, s-sorry,” Sakura mumbles, scrambling off Kazuha’s lap to take a seat across from her.

“It’s o-okay,” Kazuha says, her voice a little strained, and she averts her eyes to the cabin’s window. “The view is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It is…,” Sakura murmurs, and it’s only when Kazuha glances her way, that she realizes she has been staring this whole time at the girl in front of her rather than at the city’s panorama.

Flustered, she quickly looks away from Kazuha and focuses on the scenery of tall buildings and clear blue sky outside the cabin. But it’s not nearly as enthralling as the image from a moment ago, Kazuha’s delicate features illuminated by the sun rays.

Ugh, why am I being like this? She sighs mentally, frustrated with herself.

She knows Kazuha is attractive. She has accepted that fact already. But it’s almost as if with each passing day, that awareness heightens, takes up more of her head’s space and attention. Like if Kazuha was a painting, each day she would be painted with broader, bolder brush and along with that, new details would be added. Like her perfectly sculpted back muscles from today’s morning, or the tiny golden flecks shimmering in her eyes when the light catches them. Details Sakura desperately tries to ignore and remain unaffected by, but for some unfathomable reason, always fails miserably to do so. 

“Sakura?” Kazuha’s voice interrupts her meandering thoughts. “Have you ever rode a Ferris Wheel before?” the girl asks as she leans her head against the cabin’s window.

“Ah, I have. With my parents when I was seven years old.”

It was one of those rare days when both of her parents had a day off, and so, her dad decided that they should go for the long overdue trip to an amusement park. She smiles as she remembers it, how both her parents would hold onto her tiny hands, lifting her up into the air as she jumped, giggling. It was a good day. Maybe even one of the best ones in her life.  

Briefly, she wonders why the girl would ask such a random question, but now she’s curious herself.

“What about you?”

“Once, in Amsterdam.”

With that physiotherapy student roommate? The question invades Sakura’s mind unwittingly, and she bites her tongue to make sure it stays there. 

But Ferris Wheels go along with romantic dates, so she can imagine someone taking Kazuha out on a date like that. A girl like her had probably dozens of admirers lining up to ask her out.

“But I was alone, so it wasn’t much fun,” Kazuha adds, as if she’s reading Sakura’s mind.

“It’s fun now?” Sakura asks jokingly.

Ferris Wheel must feel boring compared to all the rollercoaster rides they took. She’s actually surprised Kazuha would choose to ride it. 

But the girl surprises her even more when she says, “It is,” with the softest smile playing on her glossy lips.

And once again Sakura feels like her heart is beating out of her chest as she cannot tear her gaze away from the girl.

Why are you making this so hard for me, Zuha? It’s not fair…

The cabin door opens as the Ferris Wheel slows down almost to a halt. Kazuha exits first and offers her hand to Sakura to help her with stepping out, which she accepts but quickly lets go of once she’s outside the cabin.

They head towards the exit where they find Yunjin. Holding a tall cup with coffee, she’s leaning against the railing in that ‘ look at me, I’m the coolest person around here ’ manner of hers and grins when she sees them.

“Why didn’t you join us?” Kazuha asks as they approach her, which somewhat surprises Sakura.

She didn’t expect the girl to be interrogative about it.

“Changed my mind.” Yunjin shrugs. “I went to get myself a coffee. So, did you two have fun?” Her mischievous smirk makes its comeback, but it’s quickly wiped by Kazuha’s answer.

“The view was nice,” the girl says in the most nonchalant manner ever, and it clearly disappoints Yunjin.

Sakura has no idea what kind of reaction the blonde had expected to get, and she doesn’t even want to begin to imagine what she thought would take place on that Ferris Wheel. She clearly watched too many romantic movies.

“Hm.” Yunjin clicks her tongue, pondering, then takes a sip of her coffee. “Okay. Next stop, Han River!” She announces to the entire amusement park and starts speed-walking in a direction known only to her.

“Han River!” Kazuha repeats after the blonde and runs to catch up with her.

Shaking her head, Sakura chuckles to herself as she observes the two.

It’s a good day , she thinks, before she starts running after them. 

“Heey! Wait up!”

 

🌸🍃

 

A vibrant carpet of red and orange fallen leaves lines the pathway along the Han River, their subtle scent carried by the gentle breeze. The willow trees, now tinged with shades of amber, bow over the water, casting dancing reflections on the river's surface.

Sakura admires the scenic view bathed in the mellow light of the soon to be setting sun while listening to Yunjin’s stories about the city. Although she grew up in the States, before she came to play in Japan, she spent a year playing in the K-League in a club from Seoul. 

“So this is where you began your professional career?” Kazuha asks after they stop, and Yunjin points to the stadium that’s located on the opposite side of the riverbank.

“Mhm.” The blonde confirms with a nod. “That’s where I played my first professional match.”

Sakura frowns as something occurs to her. 

“Why did you decide to come to play in Korea out of all the places, when the USA has the best women’s soccer league?”

She has never asked about it before. When Yunjin first joined F.C. Tokyo, they didn’t really talk much due to the language barrier and Sakura’s natural introversion, and with time, she sort of forgot about it.

Yunjin’s expression grows uncharacteristically solemn, her eyes downcast as she shoves her hands deeper into the pockets of her oversized denim jacket.

“True, it’s the best league, but…” she pauses, biting at the corner of her lips. “The competition is vicious there, you know? And I’m just not good enough for that level of gameplay.” She shrugs with a smile that’s an obvious attempt to downplay everything she has just said.

Her answer only further confuses Sakura. She doesn’t understand why Yunjin keeps self-deprecating her own skills like that. She’s certain that the blonde would have a successful career in the States if only she stayed there, so she suspects she isn’t telling them the whole truth. 

“Anyway! Let’s continue our tour!” Yunjin says, chipper again, and they resume their walk.

However, at some point, she runs out of anecdotes to share and changes her position from walking between Sakura and Kazuha to the right side of Sakura. And then, step by step, she starts walking further away from them.

Kazuha doesn’t take notice of it, busy gazing at the sunset as it paints the sky with hues of pink and purple, but Sakura immediately recognizes Yunjin’s intentions and tugs on the sleeve of her jacket to keep her walking beside her.   

The blonde smiles at her, feigning innocence to which Sakura responds with a glare.

They make a stop to grab the fish-shaped pastries that remind Sakura and Kazuha of taiyaki, but Yunjin tells them that in Korea they’re called bungeoppang. 

Sakura takes a seat on one of the park benches with Kazuha while Yunjin stands in front of them, grinning impishly while wolfing her pastry.  

“Hey Zuha, doesn’t Sakura remind you of a cat? A huge, fluffy cat?” the blonde asks once she’s finished eating.

“She does. I’ve told her that already,” Kazuha informs Yunjin casually then glances at Sakura with a smile that makes her stomach flutter. “Though she’s not that huge. She’s more like a kitten, really.”

Feeling her cheeks turning red, Sakura can’t decide at whom she should glower first but decides to focus on the main instigator.   

“Kazuha, could you please get us another bungeoppang?” she asks the girl, eyes not leaving Yunjin. 

“Yeah, sure. With custard?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

Once Kazuha leaves, Sakura drags Yunjin by her sleeve to make her sit down beside her. 

“What are you doing?” she asks, keeping her voice low. “And don’t tell me you have no idea what I’m talking about, because I know full well that you do.”

Yunjin an eyebrow. “In that case, you know as well what I’m doing.”

“Right.” Sakura blinks in realization. “So stop doing that.”

“Oh c’mon, loosen up a bit.” Yunjin smacks her on the arm with the back of her hand. “I think you two—”

“Do not dare to finish that sentence if you want to live to see Chaewon’s game,” Sakura hisses.

Yunjin rolls her eyes, muttering, “Geez, and you call me dramatic.”

Sakura considers her words for a moment and realizes that indeed she may be overreacting a little, but her point still stands. 

“I’m serious, Yunjin,” she says but in a much softer tone this time. “Just drop it. I know you probably mean well, but please stop with the setups and the comments, okay? Me and Kazuha, we’ve just become friends. I don’t want things to become awkward between us.”

Yunjin ducks her head, embarrassed. “Fine,” she says dejectedly. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” 

“Let’s just forget about it,” Sakura says.

Yunjin then heaves a sigh and leans her head on Sakura’s shoulder, staring at the river in the distance. “I wish Wonnie was here. She loves bungeoppang and the Han River.  And she’d have a blast at the amusement park.”

“Are you implying you’re not having a good time with us?” Sakura teases.

“Aish, you know that’s not what I mean. I just miss her, you know?”

“I know, Yunjin. I know.” Sakura gently pats the side of her head.

“We have to come back here with her one day,” Yunjin concludes just as Kazuha appears with three steaming bungeoppangs.

“Here you go. Be careful, it’s really hot,” she warns, but it’s too little too late as Yunjin already bites into hers.

“Ahh!” the blonde yelps, juggling the piece of pastry in her open mouth.

Laughing at the blonde, Kazuha forgets to heed her own warning and makes the same mistake. Both of them now fanning their open mouths with their palms as if that’s supposed to help with anything.

Sakura shakes her head at them, amused. “I swear you two share one single braincell.” 

 

🌸🍃

 

When they finally arrive at the game, it turns out that they have the best seats in the middle section of the stadium. Realizing this, Sakura now very much doubts Yunjin’s statement about buying the tickets just a few weeks ago. She can bet her right leg that the blonde had bought them as soon as they were released.

“CHAEWON!” Yunjin shouts at the top of her lungs the moment the players begin to enter the field.

Sakura covers her ears, and Kazuha mimics her action, but instead of wincing like Sakura, she’s giggling at their overexcited friend. 

Chaewon whips her head around and immediately spots Yunjin who’s waving her hands like a castaway on a desert island.

“KICK THEIR ASSES!” 

The supporters around them, wearing the red South Korea jerseys, start laughing, but Yunjin doesn’t notice that, having her entire attention focused solely on Chaewon.

The midfielder shakes her head, but the grin on her face tells Sakura she’s happy to see them, even despite all the embarrassment Yunjin’s cheering has surely caused her.

The match begins, and every time Chaewon has the ball, Yunjin starts chanting her name and encourages others to do the same.

“KIM-CHAE-WON! KIM-CHAE-WON! KIM-CHAE-WON!”

It feels more like being at a concert than a match, but Sakura cannot deny that it’s fun either way. Supporters from their sector are clearly taken by Yunjin’s energy and enthusiasm and start singing along to her made up chants. Someone even gives Kazuha their cheering scarf, and she passes it to Sakura so that they can both hold it up during the chants. 

Right before the end of the first half, Chaewon scores the first goal for South Korea. After the corner kick, the ball bounces off the goalpost and lands right under her feet. She keeps her cool and with a precise shot, directs the ball into the net. 

“Woohoo! That’s my girl!” Yunjin points to the celebrating midfielder, before she realizes what she just said and corrects herself, “I m-mean my bestie. That’s my bestie!”

Sakura and Kazuha exchange a look and roll their eyes, smiling knowingly.

In the end, South Korea wins 3:1 with Chaewon scoring an assist for the third goal, making the match a great national team debut for her. Sakura can only hope hers will be just as good when it finally happens one day.

Despite the late hour and low temperature, Yunjin insists on waiting for Chaewon near the stadium after the match.

Rubbing her palms together, Sakura tries to generate some heat. Her bomber jacket and hoodie were enough to keep her warm when she was moving and cheering, but apparently, they aren’t quite enough when she’s just standing still.

Beside her, Kazuha stands indifferent to the night’s chill, despite sporting an even less warm outfit. Her leather jacket isn’t even zipped up, and the sweatshirt beneath it clings snugly to her body, betraying its thinness. Sure, the girl has the gifted cheering scarf around her neck, but it’s not even properly wrapped.

“Hm?” Kazuha tilts her head to the side, glancing at Sakura. 

Noticing she has been caught staring, Sakura lowers her head and shuffles a little to the side, putting some more distance between her and the younger girl. However, she’s almost immediately brought back to her previous spot when Kazuha throws the scarf around her neck and pulls her in. Just that it’s not exactly the same spot, because now they’re standing face to face, tips of their scuffed sneakers touching. 

Sakura frowns as Kazuha proceeds to wrap the scarf around her neck and up to her nose. Well at least, it covers her flushed cheeks.

“There, it’ll keep you warm.” Kazuha says, clearly proud of her work.

“Ahh, Zuha,” Sakura whines, shoulders slumping.

“What?” Kazuha lets out a breath of laughter.

“You always do this,” Sakura mumbles into the scarf.

“Do what?”

Take care of me, Sakura wants to say, but somehow the words feel too heavy on her tongue, so instead, she makes a vague gesture with her hands then points to the scarf. “This.”

“Hmm…” Kazuha purses her lips, tapping her finger against them in thought. “I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I gave you a scarf,” she says with a barely contained smirk.

“Ugh, whatever,” Sakura buries her face even deeper into the scarf, leaving only her glaring eyes visible.

It’s not that she doesn’t appreciate Kazuha’s concern, but sometimes, she just doesn’t know how to react when the girl is acting so… sweet, for the lack of a better word. She knows Kazuha is her fan, and by now, they can be considered friends, but…

But what? She bites the inside of her cheek, stealing a glance at Kazuha.

There can’t possibly be more to this, right? 

“Ah! There they are!” Yunjin’s voice startles her out of her thoughts.

The South Korean team finally starts exiting the stadium with Chaewon being the last one to leave. She looks around and when she notices them, she breaks into a sprint. But the closer she gets, the more obvious it becomes that she isn’t running towards them. She’s running towards Yunjin.

Tears shimmer in her eyes when she drops her duffel bag to the ground and throws herself into Yunjin’s awaiting arms, hugging her tightly as if she hasn’t seen her for at least ten years. Sakura tries to remember when was the last time she had seen her cry but decides it must be the first. 

Meanwhile, Yunjin has that tender smile on her lips. The one she gives Chaewon when she knows the other won’t notice. The one that’s specifically reserved for Chaewon and Chaewon only.

Smiling at the cute scene before her eyes, Sakura wonders when these two idiots will finally realize just how much they love each other.

“They really do love each other, huh?” 

Sakura flinches, startled by Kazuha’s whisper. She notices how the girl leans into her side with her face so close to hers that if not for Sakura wearing her hood, she could feel her breath against her ear. Still, the temperature under her scarf rises by several degrees, the night’s chill successfully remedied.

“Must feel nice...”

“Huh?” Sakura’s eyes snap to Kazuha in surprise.

And it’s not because she hasn’t heard her. She has. Loud and clear, despite how quiet Kazuha has said it. But she sounded so wistful, so sad even, that it caught Sakura completely off guard.

Does this mean she’s never been in love? For some reason, Sakura finds it hard to believe.

“Nothing.” Kazuha shakes her head with a small smile.

Their friends no longer hug each other, but Chaewon’s arms are still around Yunjin’s waist as the blonde gently wipes her tears and fixes her bangs.

“You did an awesome job today, Pupu. I’m proud of you.” Yunjin beams, her eyes too, far from dry.

Chaewon just lets out a groan at the compliment and punches Yunjin’s arm lightly. “Why didn’t you tell me you would come?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise!”

The confession prompts further punches from Chaewon that end with her hugging Yunjin again.

“I missed you,” Yunjin says, resting her chin atop Chaewon’s head.

Sakura can’t hear it, but she suspects the midfielder mumbles back ‘I missed you too’.

“Let’s take a photo!” the blonde suggests.

“Nooo, I look awfu—” Chaewon’s protest gets cut off when Yunjin cups her cheeks.

“You look perfect,” Yunjin murmurs, leaning her forehead against Chaewon’s.

Suddenly, Sakura feels her arm being squeezed and looks up at Kazuha. The girl’s eyes wide in anticipation, and she knows exactly what she’s thinking - is it going to happen? Are they finally going to kiss?

But nothing like that happens as Yunjin pulls away from Chaewon and takes out her phone.

Kazuha’s shoulder slump, and Sakura chuckles at her disappointed grimace.

“Come on you two.” Yunjin beckons at them, and they go to stand behind them.

But Yunjin has problems trying to fit them all in one frame.

“Do you need help with that photo?” Someone’s youthful voice reaches them from behind.

Chaewon is the first one to react to it as she whips around, gushing with the brightest grin.

“Eunchae!”