Chapter Text
Height doesn't matter. Height shouldn't matter. Yet, it did - somehow.
And Sojung hates it.
She doesn't try to look angry. She doesn't try to look intimidating.
But that's what she gathers from the reactions that she receives when people glance at her.
Tall girls are intimidating.
Short girls are cute.
At least, that's what it feels like.
Sojung agrees that there's at least one girl who fits the latter description - Eunbi Jung - but her height was hardly the reason.
"Heads up, Sojung!"
Sneakers squeak as people run across the basketball court.
Eunbi is at the edge of her seat, leaning forward to get a better view of the game.
Come on, Sojung...
The echoing of each dribble of the ball sounds in tandem with the beating of Eunbi's heart.
She observes the home team running to the other side of the court - with Sojung slightly lagging behind.
Sojung's ponytail sways as she tries to get into a good position for her teammates to pass the ball.
Eunbi wasn't even playing on the court, but she felt like she needed to re-hydrate as much as Sojung did.
Eunbi finally takes a breath when she hears the buzzer sound.
She sees Sojung's disappointed face.
They lost. Again.
"You don't have to watch the games, y'know."
Eunbi doesn't have to glance at Sojung to know that she's annoyed.
Sojung curses behind her.
Eunbi can feel the rage emanating from Sojung.
"I don't know what the coach was thinking when she called me off the bench."
Eunbi flinches.
"It's always, 'Hey Sojung, you'd be great at basketball! You have the height for it!' "
Eunbi knows what's going to happen. And she hates it.
"So what if I'm tall, that doesn't mean anything. It doesn't make me automatically good. Even if I practice, I'm still not good."
Eunbi turns, and reaches for one of Sojung's hands.
"H-hey, it's okay."
Eunbi stutters out her words, trying to console Sojung. But when she tilts her head up to meet her eyes, she doesn't see calmness.
Eunbi trembles.
Sojung looks furious.
Furious...and sad?
Eunbi stares at Sojung, and watches how her expression changes.
They end the night with Sojung sobbing, collapsed in Eunbi's arms.
I hate embarrassing myself in front of you.
"Are you sure you aren't dating your babysitter?"
Eunbi was never one to resort to violence. But she really wanted to strangle the boy standing in front of her.
"Sojung is not my babysitter!"
"Oh, so you acknowledge that you do have a babysitter, just that Sojung isn't them."
Eunbi wanted to be taken seriously.
She hates being "cute."
She hates being treated like a child just because she is "short."
As luck would have it, Sojung walks past them the moment that Eunbi has her right hand clenched into a fist.
He steps backward as he avoids Eunbi's punch, and places his hand on the short haired girl's head to stop her advances.
His palm gently pushes against Eunbi's forehead.
"Stop trying to act tough, you baby."
"Stop acting like a jerk then!"
"Maybe if you behave, I'll give you a headpat."
Eunbi wants to scream, but maybe he's right.
Maybe she is a baby.
After all, what she did was start a fight.
Sure, the guy teased her, but it was Eunbi who took action.
Eunbi leaves it at that. She's a baby.
Eunbi loves cuddling with Sojung. She loves holding her, she loves her warmth, she loves her laugh that comes up when Eunbi tickles her.
Sojung kisses her girlfriend on the cheek, and smiles back at her with a huge grin.
"You're so cute."
Normally, Eunbi would love to be called cute by Sojung, but given the recent events, it leaves a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Sojung, am I a baby?"
Eunbi states it plain and simple, but the question doesn't faze Sojung.
"Do you want me to call you my baby? Because I can."
Sojung kisses her cheek again, but it doesn't makes Eunbi feel better.
"Ah, you know what I mean!" Eunbi groans.
"I know, I saw what happened."
Eunbi plants her face against Sojung's sweater in embarrassment.
"Ignore the guy. Just because you're small, it doesn't mean that you're a child."
"So you agree that I'm small." Eunbi pouts and buries her face deeper into the fabric of Sojung's sweater.
Sojung's voice is a bit shaky when she replies. "Yes and no? I don't know what to say - it's all relative, I guess. It's like when people say I'm tall when height varies all across the world."
"We live in a society." Eunbi mumbles, and Sojung's laugh fills the room.
Sojung makes her at peace.
It is a bit ironic, Eunbi thinks, about how she's always fixated on how other people are about height.
But, as much as she hates to admit it, that it was originally Sojung's height that made her stand out to her.
Eunbi first saw her on the basketball court near a local community centre. She was walking past one night on her way home. They lived in the same neighbourhood, but had never interacted prior to that moment.
She was enamored by such a gorgeous woman with model-like features, and to top it all off, she had caught Sojung during a moment of athleticism.
It...was kinda hot, and Eunbi was living for it.
"Hey, did you need something?" Sojung asked, after realizing that someone had been watching her.
Sojung turned, and Eunbi was not-so-subtly checking her out.
She wore a blue tank top and light orange shorts, and sported white sneakers to boot. White sneakers were definitely not the right choice for sports, but seeing as they were already more of a brown colour than the original white, it didn't seem like Sojung cared.
Eunbi doesn't remember what lie she told Sojung that day to get her to stay, but she does remember that she tried making Sojung think she knew anything about basketball.
It wasn't a total loss.
Eunbi later found out that Sojung didn't originally have an interest in basketball anyways, until a friend suggested that she pick the sport up.
Or maybe that friend knew it would help Sojung attract women. Whatever the intentions, something worked out in the end.
When Eunbi tries to kiss Sojung on the lips for the first time, she almost loses her balance.
She was never great at balancing on the top of her toes.
She tells Sojung to disregard her attempt, but Sojung leans down before Eunbi can leave.
"You can try again." Sojung chuckles.
Eunbi freezes for a second as she feels Sojung's face so close to her.
Eunbi chickens out and kisses her on the cheek.
She couldn't handle the situation, with Sojung holding her and staring into her eyes with such gentleness.
When Sojung leans in to try to kiss her, Eunbi says she can't - not now. Not when she has lost her confidence.
Not now didn't mean never.
"We're about to pass your girl's house, Sojung."
Sojung was too busy listening to music as she and her friend, Yuna, jogged on a sunny weekend morning.
Yuna slightly elbowed Sojung, slightly annoyed that her teasing was ignored.
"What, Yuna?"
Sojung pulled out her phone and pressed pause on the song she was listening to.
"I said, we're going to pass your girl's house. Eunbi lives on this block, doesn't she?"
Sojung kept on running.
"Aw, c'mon, you won't even react a little?" Yuna winked.
It was true that Eunbi's house was coming up, but Yuna didn't have to mention it every weekend.
Sojung sighed. "What do you want me to say, Yuna? Yes, I like Eunbi, and you know that."
Sojung was generally level-headed. She tried not to let her emotions get to her. And so, it didn't really matter to her if she was going to see Eunbi that day. They saw each other every week anyways.
Yuna and Sojung kept on running.
She let the music drown out her thoughts and Yuna's voice as they ran. It was more peaceful that way.
She was so immersed in her own world that she only returned to reality when her face hit the dirt.
it didn't really hurt, but of course she had to fall right in front of Eunbi's house.
Luckily, Eunbi wasn't present - but Eunbi's father was.
He was in the garden, planting flowers, when he saw one of his daughter's friends fall onto the ground.
Sojung assured him that she wasn't hurt, but he insisted at the very least to get her a band-aid. She had a few small cuts, but nothing too bad.
Eunbi's father invited both Sojung and Yuna inside, although Sojung was more than willing to just wait outside.
That was when Eunbi first talked to Yuna - someone that played on the same basketball team as Sojung -and it seemed like they got along well.
Yuna wanted to stay even after Sojung had gotten patched up and told Eunbi that she wasn't trying to intrude.
Sojung basically had to drag Yuna out of Eunbi's house because she was so caught up in her "quick" conversation with Eunbi.
"She seems nice." Yuna commented, as they walked away from Eunbi's house. "Definitely cute, I can see why you like her."
Sojung ignored Yuna's comments yet again, and walked ahead of her.
"Hey, hey, you know if you tune me out, you're going to fall again."
It didn't matter.
She had already fallen already anyways.
Fallen for Eunbi, that was.
The first time that Eunbi comes to watch one of Sojung and Yuna's games, it catches Sojung off guard.
"I invited her that weekend that you took that spill."
"It wasn't a 'spill,' I tripped and fell."
"...Your face was planted into the dirt."
Sojung glances at the bleachers, and sees Eunbi waiting for the game to start. She sat with a waterbottle clutched in her right hand.
"Don't tell me you forced her to come, Yuna." Sojung sighs, as she finishes tying up her hair.
Eunbi wanted to. Yuna simply suggested the idea.
"You really made her come all the way to a campus for a school that she doesn't even attend."
Sojung says it's the worst idea that Yuna's ever had.
Eunbi finally kisses Sojung on the lips one night.
She lays on top of Sojung as they cuddle on the bed in Eunbi's room. It was a small room - not that Sojung minded - but Eunbi's house was not large by any means.
Sojung giggles after she glances at the posters on display in Eunbi's room.
"Girlfriend?"
Sojung's question makes Eunbi tense up.
"I mean...the posters on the wall."
Girlfriend.
Her voice echoes in Eunbi's mind, and she starts feeling sick.
"Oh."
Eunbi's face is red, and Sojung's face slowly reddens once she realizes what got Eunbi so flustered.
"No, the group on the poster is called 'G-Friend,' not girlfriend." Eunbi clarifies.
Eunbi's body relaxes, and her chest falls to meet Sojung's as she shifts upwards.
The room got warm.
"G-good." Sojung stammers, staring into Eunbi's eyes.
Because the only person I want you to call girlfriend is me.
Eunbi runs her hand through Sojung's hair and leans forward.
Eunbi's lips are soft.
Sojung nibbles on Eunbi's lower lip before she pulls away, but luckily for her, Eunbi just wants to keep kissing her.
When Sojung eventually leaves Eunbi's house, she wants to give Eunbi a goodbye kiss - but not with Mr. Jung watching. She hugs her, and Eunbi gets a text before she goes to bed.
From Sojung: 11:15 PM - I wish I could kiss you in public. Will a virtual one suffice? Good night :)
Eunbi gets a text as she leaves work.
I'm parked outside.
She steps into the elevator, and rides down to the main floor. The sound of the elevator making a dinging sound each floor that it passes doesn't serve to calm Eunbi down.
It makes her more nervous.
She spots Sojung's car - a small grey one that's a little scuffed up - parked outside of the building, as the text described.
As Eunbi enters the car and buckles her seat belt, she blushes when she catches a glimpse of Sojung's hand. She's wearing the ring that she gave her last week.
"Are you okay?" Sojung asks, seeing Eunbi stumble with buckling in her seat belt.
"Y-yeah," she breathes out, "I just...well, um, the ring..."
Sojung gets that Eunbi has been hesitant. She's always been. But today's the day.
They have to say it.
"Your father has to know that we're getting married." Sojung says, after Eunbi's voice trails off into silence.
Eunbi knows.
Her mind flashes back to a conversation that she and Sojung had two months ago.
"My dad doesn't know that we're dating."
Sojung looks at her partner with a raised eyebrow as she confessed.
Eunbi continues to speak. "I know your family knows, and they're fine with it...and it's not like I haven't tried to tell him."
It's hard to make the words come out.
A small tear runs down Eunbi's face, and her voice starts to get shaky.
"My dad's never been a judgmental person. But you know, it's always just been me and my dad."
Sojung regrets bringing up the possibility of getting married some day. Eunbi's now twenty-eight, and Sojung at thirty.
It's a sensitive topic, but they both agreed to air out their thoughts. The consensus was, yes, they would love to get married someday, but there were some circumstances to be clarified first.
Eunbi never came out to her father officially. She doesn't know if her father knows that she and Sojung have been in a romantic relationship for ten years.
"Eunbi, I'm trying to say this in the most gentle way. I...think your dad knows that we're dating." Sojung affirms her.
"You can't be so sure, Sojung. I've never explicitly stated it."
Sojung recalls that she's been over at the Jung residence for the past five years every time a big holiday occurs. Mr. Jung makes a point of inviting her - it's not just because Eunbi wants her to come.
Sojung recalls the times that she and Eunbi made out while sitting on a couch in the Jungs' living room, before heading up to Eunbi's room. Looking back at it, Mr. Jung probably did see them.
Sojung recalls the times when those make-out sessions would turn into something more...vocal, to say the least. So, uh, if Mr. Jung didn't see them making out, then he definitely was aware of something later.
She shivers. Maybe it's best not to think about that last point.
Eunbi's voice breaks Sojung out of her thoughts.
Her point is, that Mr. Jung treated Sojung pretty well for a "friend" of Eunbi's. She's glad that he hasn't banned her from coming over again.
"I don't even know how to form my thoughts."
Sojung would never force Eunbi to do something she didn't feel comfortable doing. The act of coming out for everyone is different. People handle it differently, and of course, people react differently. She understands Eunbi's worries and hesitations.
But a part of her does want to scream on top of her lungs that one day she will probably call Eunbi her wife.
Sojung considers herself a little selfish.
Eunbi wakes up to a loud noise. Maybe it was someone talking, she couldn't tell. She couldn't grasp a lot about reality when she was half-asleep.
She heard the sound of a crash. Kind of faint, kind of muted, but it alarmed her enough to get out of bed.
"Sojung, Sojung," She says, nudging her partner. "wake up. I heard something outside."
"Nghhh..." Sojung mumbles, and her eyes slowly snap open. "What, Eunbi...we both don't have to work today. Relax."
Eunbi rolls her eyes, and goes to check on the source of the noise. She exits her and Sojung's bedroom slowly, and enters the kitchen of their apartment. She hears noise get louder and louder.
She hears giggling, and a wave of relaxation washes over her. It was nothing to worry about.
She relaxes when she realises that the sound came from a small television in another room.
Their son loved to watch cartoons in the morning, after all.
She climbs back into bed to join Sojung, although they are both now awake.
She plops herself on top of Sojung, and the taller one grunts. "Hey, you may be smaller than me, but that doesn't mean that you're that light."
"Shut up."
She gazes at Sojung, and takes in the view. Sojung was always beautiful to her, even if her hair was a mess in the morning.
"Hey, hey," Eunbi whispers into Sojung's ear. "You know what would be a great start to my morning?"
Sojung doesn't even let Eunbi finish what she wants to say. She already has her lips on hers, and maybe those kisses multiply from two, to four, to six...and probably more.
Eunbi breaks the lip-locking session and sighs.
"Do you want to help me make breakfast for Buddy? He probably hasn't eaten yet."
Sojung smiles, and says yes, as always.
She loves her life with Eunbi, and she loves the family that they've made.
This is their home.