Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tuesday

Hyunjin is mortified, to say the least. It’s all games and fun until she has to fulfill her duty. She acted all tough until she set a step outside of the dining.

It all started earlier that day when the soccer team practice was over. For some reason, Hyunjin was distracted, she was usually the one scoring the most but when they played their friendly practice match, her team ended up losing. She –being her competitive self- didn’t handle it too well.

After taking a shower and changing back to her regular clothes, she felt better somehow but not quite content.

She checks her reflection in the mirror and analyzes her image. Nothing extraordinary, just a pair of high-waisted grey jeans, a  black crop sweatshirt, and her worn-out sneakers. She ties her hair in a high ponytail and decides that’s the look.

Luckily, her teammates notice she is still in a gloomy mood, and therefore, they decide to grab a bite -since all that exercise left them starving and craving some greasy carbs.

They are in the middle of gnawing a double extra everything burger when Sooyoung’s phone screen lights up.

“Oh, it’s Jiwoo, let me pick this up.” Her voice tone changes drastically when she pressed the phone against her ear. “Hi, baby!”

Hyeju pretends to choke, and Sooyoung just ignores her while being all lovey-dovey with her girlfriend.

Hyunjin munches her burger in silence observing the scene. It’s Jinsol who breaks the spell by elbowing her back into reality.

“What?” She asks with her mouth full.

“What are you thinking about?” Her teammate inquires. “You look like you’re miles away from here.”

Hyunjin frowns and puts the burger down. Before she replies, she takes a sip of her drink.

“It must be nice, to be like that sometimes.” She murmurs.

Jinsol pats her back. “Ah, so that’s what keeps afflicting you.”

“That’s why you kept missing the shots today?” And for that comment, Hyeju receives a flying fry to her face.

“I never miss,” Hyunjin smirks. “But yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. You all have relationships…”

“Jungeun refuses to use the term «relationship».”

“Chaewon is my soulmate”

The girls say at the same time.

“... whatever. Let's say you all have romantic interactions of some type.” To that, they agree. “I think to myself «it must be nice». I envy you a little, I guess.” She shrugs.

Finally, Sooyoung ends the call.

“Bye, bye honey. See you later.” She blows some kisses before pressing the red button. Then, just like that, she turns to her teammates. “What are we talking about?” She attempts stealing one of Hyeju’s fries but then decides it is a too risky maneuver so she opts for Jinsol’s onion rings instead.

“Hyunjin gets no bitches.” Hyeju summarizes.

“Hey!” Hyunjin complains.

“So nothing new.”

“Wait, wait... that's not what I meant. Thank you, by the way.”

“She wants to hold a girl's hand while reciting Rilke and Emily Dickinson's poems as the dim light of the sun dies on the horizon and the birds sing the last song of the day.”

All the eyes of the table are on Jinsol, she just takes a sip of her coke.

Literature majors nothing less.

“Jungeun refuses to call that a relationship?” Hyunjin shakes her head. “What I’m saying is that I’d like to have what you have.” She looks at Jinsol. “The lighter version of what you have.”

“Why all of the sudden?” Sooyoung grabs some napkins and starts distributing them around the table.

Hyunjin cleans the corners of her mouth. “It's not a new thought; I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.” She shrugs. “It gets lonely sometimes. I’d like someone to hang out with, someone to come to my games and cheer for me, someone to eat with, someone to cuddle plus some kissing here and there. Is that too much to ask?” Hyunjin sulks forgetting even about the food.

“That sounds like you need a girlfriend.” Hyeju crosses her arms on her chest.

“You need to go out more.” Sooyoung points. “That’s the only way of meeting new people.”

Hyunjin clicks her tongue. “You met Jiwoo the first day of orientation and have never left her side ever since.”

“And it will be the only time Stockholm syndrome is valid, okay?”

“Yeah…” Hyunjin sighs. “It’s not like… I don’t know many girls… The problem is I can never tell when a girl is being nice to me just because she’s friendly or when a girl is nice to me because she might have some ulterior motives, you know?”

Everyone at the table can relate a little to that.

“Listen, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news here but… you’ve had plenty of chances in the past and you kind of blew it.” Sooyoung shrugs.

“What do you mean?”

“Last year, at Lia’s party, that girl that brought you a drink, definitely hitting on you,” Hyeju recalls.

“The girl from the library who asked you what were you reading… you were in the same class, she knew what were you reading.” Jinsol continues.

“That other girl from the match last month. She was into you, for sure. Those oranges weren’t just because she was being nice, she only gave them to you.” Sooyoung nails the last nail on her coffin.

Hyunjin is having a mental breakdown. “Oh my God…” She presses her elbows against the table’s surface. “I’m a terrible member of the LGBTQ+ community.” Her eyes are twice their size. “Why did you guys never tell me?”

“We tried.” They say in unison.

“I’m so going to die alone… not alone, I can still get a couple of cats but alone as single as fuck.”

“No, no… Don’t say that. You’re pretty, funny and you play soccer. I’m sure there will be tons of girls who’d date you in a heartbeat.” Jinsol encourages.

“She’s right. You could even get a straight girl’s number if you wanted to.” Sooyoung points.

Hyunjin laughs nervously. “Sure thing.”

The idea is ridiculous, her friends are obviously trying to boost her ego right now because there’s no way –no way- after all those fiascos that took place right in front of her, there’s simply no way she could get a girl’s number, not even mention a straight gir-

“Wanna bet for real?” Hyeju arches a brow.

It is a well-known fact that Hyinjin is physically incapable of turning down a challenge.

Suddenly, the girl’s interest raises.

“What do you have in mind?”

Hyeju smiles deviously.

*

Ok, so that was a mistake.

Hyunjin should’ve never taken the bet but now it’s too late to back out.

Her teammates are watching every move she makes from afar but close enough to take a look. Good, at least they can’t see how nervous she is, her hands are sweating. She hasn’t been this nervous since she took the admission exam.

There are plenty of girls around the campus at this time of the day but they all seem to be in good company with their friends or partners. She just has to find a girl, a straight girl, get her number and that's it.

Easy.

She sighs.

It's not easy.

But right at that moment, Hyunjin spots a girl sitting on a bench, she dropped something -a pencil- and she’s trying to find it. And apparently, she’s all by herself.

So Hyunjin walks directly toward her repeating the rehearsed speech in her head all over again.

Except, she lifts her head by the time Hyunjin gets there.

Fuck. It’s the only eloquent thought that crosses her mind.

The girl, with her shot strawberry blonde hair, cute moles, gorgeous nose, pretty lips, and dazzling eyes is by far the most beautiful girl she’s ever seen. She’s wearing a pastel blue cardigan with white embroidered clouds and mom jeans with white Converse. She looks stunning and -as the matter of fact- Hyunjin is literally a bit stunned right now.

For a moment, Hyunjin forgets what she’s supposed to say but then when the girl furrows her eyebrows it helps her to take the first step.

Relax Hyunjin, this girl is definitely straight. She’s straight you have nothing to lose.

Except for twenty dollars and what’s left of her dignity.

“Hey.” She says in an attempt to sound cool. There should be a tree or a lamppost next to her so she could lay against it, dammit, that would’ve been cool.

“Hi.” The girl still looks a bit confused.

This is it, this is the part where she’s smooth and a sweet talker capable to flirt with a girl to get her number even if she’s straight... she’s straight dammit. She just has to say the right words.

Except she panics.

“Okay, so you need to help me out.” She begins explaining. “My teammates over there-” the girl tries to poke her head out to catch a glimpse but Hyunjin gestures fast enough to stop her. “don't look. They bet me twenty bucks that I can’t get your number.” She looks again, this time Jinsol is about to wave when Sooyoung lowers her hand and they pretend they are not looking. “DON'T LOOK! And like, not only do I really want the twenty bucks... but they’re always making fun of me because I always blow it with girls and they think I need a girlfriend or just like more experience and now I’m completely oversharing... so if you could like, laugh really loud and pretend I said something super funny and maybe look like you’re thinking about being into me...”

To her surprise, she smiles brightly.

“They bet you couldn’t get my number?” She tucks a loose lock of hair behind her ear. Her voice is slightly deeper than what Hyunjin could’ve predicted and it might have her shaking underneath.

“Yeah, well straight girls.” She scratches the back of her neck. She still cannot believe she’s doing this.

The girl closes the notebook she has on her lap. She’s frowning again, a bit annoyed, Hyunjin recognizes.

Maybe she’s screwed up.

“You think I’m straight?” She crosses her arms on her chest, looking genuinely offended but also a bit amused by the situation.

Half of Hyunjin is screaming internally and the other half is telling her to fix this as soon as possible = One hundred percent of her is malfunctioning right now.

EMERGENCY.

RED ALERT.

“I mean yes... no? I don’t know.”

“I’m Heejin. The girl stands up, she’s a bit shorter than Hyunjin but she’s even cuter up close. “I like going to new restaurants or to the movies so I hope you use those twenty bucks wisely.” She says as she grabs the marker in her hand, takes the lid off with her mouth, she rolls up the other girl’s sleeve, and starts writing on Hyunjin’s bare arm.

Her hands are not cold but Hyunijn trembles under her touch.

“Hyunjin.” She clears her throat, eyes fixed on Heejin’s motion. “My name is Hyunjin.”

“Then, I’ll be waiting for your call, Hyunjin.” Her name never sounded better.

Heejin smiles again and almost turns Hyunjin into a puddle.

She picks up her stuff and waves before leaving.

And Hyunjin, well, she’s a gay disaster.

*

“I can’t believe it worked!” Sooyoung stares at her inked arm. Heejin’s marker still tickles on her skin.

“Well done, Hyunjin!” Jinsol raises her hand hoping for a high-five but Hyunjin still is in such a state of shock she can’t even talk.

“I think she’s broken.” Hyeju takes a sip of what’s left of her drink.

“Hyunjin?” Jinsol grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her.

“She’s not straight.” Finally, she speaks.

“What?” Sooyoung tilts her head. “Wait, does this mean you just scored yourself a date with a pretty girl?”

“I…” Hyunjin opens her mouth but nothing comes out.

“Hyunjin, you have to ask her out, that’s the next step.” Jinsol puts her arm around her shoulder as they head back to the dorms. Hyunjin follows mechanically. “Remember? Not dying alone and all that.”

“You guys don’t understand… she’s beautiful. Probably the most beautiful person that has ever talked to me and she smiled at me. I’m pretty sure this is what Icarus felt when he reached the sun.”

“Okay, she lost it.” Hyeju sentences. “Hyunjin, focus. You’re halfway there, now you have to text the girl.”

“Heejin. Her name is Heejin.”

“You got Jeon Heejin’s number?!” Sooyoung asks in disbelief. “I knew she looked familiar. She must cut her hair recently.”

“You know her?” The brunette has her full attention.

“Yeah, she’s kind of popular on campus. Jiwoo knows her, she’s an art major and she teaches kids how to paint in her free time.”

“Whoa. She’s out of your league...” Jinsol eblows Hyeju.

“That’s not true. She seems nice, I bet you’ll get along.” Jinsol assures.

“Uh… speaking of bets…” Hyunjin extends her hand in the air and shortly after, a couple of bills appear on top of it.

*

She can’t do it.

“I can’t do it.” Hyunjin covers her face with her pillow.

“Of course, you can, Hyun.” Her roommate pokes her arm. “C’mon, you have to text her before the ink wears off.”

“Unnie.” She cries. “How am I supposed to do this?”

Haseul removes the pillow from her face as she seats on the edge of the mattress. “She’s waiting for you to reach out.”

“What if she gave me her number because of the bet? Oh God… what if I made her feel pressured to give me her number? What if it’s a fake number?” Hyunjin’s eyes are big like plates.

“Don’t you think you’re reading a bit too much into it?”

“You don’t understand… Sooyoung said she’s popular and she’s pretty and nice… and smells like strawberries… I wonder if it’s shampoo or her chapstick.”

“Hyunjin…”

“My point is… I screwed up my chances with girls before and I apparently wasn’t even aware until today so what if I screw this up? I don’t think I can even talk to her.” She turns around. “Maybe this is a mistake…”

“Hey! Don’t say that, just because you had bad luck with girls in the past doesn’t mean you’ll mess this up. She’s clearly into you otherwise she wouldn’t have given you her number, trust me.”

“Unnie…” She pouts. “She’s so pretty.”

“You’ve already told me… ten times since you walked through the door. Remember? I was reading for this very important exam I have tomorrow and you said «Jeon Heejin is so pretty I could die.»”

“Still true.”

“You won the bet, didn’t you?”

Hyunjin nods.

“So do as she told you and use that money to take her out. She even gave you some suggestions.” Her roommate pats her back. “Besides, she hasn’t met the real you yet. I’m sure she’s going to like Kim Hyunjin even more.”

“Do you really think so?”

Haseul nods.

Hyunjin sighs and takes a look at the numbers on her arm. Heejin even drew a little doodle of a bunny and now that she gets a better view, it kind of looks like her. Thinking of Heejin makes her smile unconsciously.

“Oh, you got it bad.” Haseul chuckles.

Hyunjin’s smile grows bigger. “Maybe.”

*

Wednesday

“Okay, that was a hell of a test but I’m certain I did well…” Haseul hangs her bag on the hanger behind the door. When she turns around, she discovers her roommate laying on her bed in the exact same position she left earlier that morning. “Hyunjin? It’s almost midday, what-?”

“I couldn’t do it, unnie.” She sits on the bed. “I keep thinking about it and the more I do, the more impossible it looks.”

Now Haseul is not remotely as patient as she was the day before.

“Hyunjin! We already talked about this.” She slumps on her bed. “Girl meets girl, girl likes girl, girl gives girl her phone number and girl asks girl out.”

“Yeah but…”

“No, you’re searching for excuses again. You’re never going to date Heejin if you keep analyzing it.”

To this, Hyunjin remains silent. She knows Haseul is right but that doesn’t make it any less difficult.

“You’re being rude by making her wait like this, consider her feelings too.”

“You have to stop listening to that emotional responsibility podcast.”

“Hyunjin…”

“Fine… I’ll text her.” Hyunjin’s progress of the day was saving Heejin’s number on her phone just in case.

“I don’t hear any typing.” Hasel turns around. “Why are you so scared of her? This is nothing like you.”

Hyunjin bites her bottom lip. “I guess I never liked anyone like this before.” She takes a deep breath. “What if she meets the real me and she doesn’t like me?”

“That won’t happen.” Haseul takes a couple of steps until she’s in front of her roommate. Heejin’s contact is open. “You’re amazing, Hyun… and because you’re amazing, you’ll forgive me for this, actually, you’ll thank me later.” Haseul presses the green button before Hyunjin can even react.

Calling…

“What the fuc-?”

“Hello?”

Hyunjin opens her eyes widely, she looks at Haseul and then at the phone again.

“Talk to her.” Haseul mouths.

Hyunjin shakes her head.

“Hello? Who’s there?” Heejin comes from the phone again. “I’m going to hang up…”

Haseul gestures energetically.

Right.

Don’t fuck it up, Kim Hyunjin.

“H-Hi!”

“Oh, hi… who is this?”

“It’s… Hyunjin… from yesterday… uh… we met in the park across the dining-”

“Yes! I remember… Hyunjin from the bet.”

Haseul leaves the room with a smile, her work there is done. Hyunjin can handle it from there, can’t she?

Can’t she?

“So…” After a brief silence, Heejin says. “You called because…”

“Ah… yeah… there’s a new Asian-Cali-Mexican fusion restaurant a few blocks from the university and I thought that maybe… well… just maybe if you don’t have any plans or something, which if you have it’ll be totally cool as well… but if you don’t… I was wondering if you’d like to come with me…let’s say… this Friday?”

“I’d love to.”

And with that said, it’s like Hyunjin can finally breathe again.

“Oh! Great! Cool… cool, cool…”

“What time does work for you?”

“I have soccer practice until six, so is it okay if we meet at the same spot at the park?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect. I’ll be there at seven… is that okay?”

“Perfect!”

“Don’t stand me up!”

“No!” Hyunjin almost chokes at the idea of missing the opportunity of dating Heejin.

“Then, it’s a date…”

“See you on Friday, Heejin.”

Hyunjin can’t see Heejin through the phone but she hopes she’s smiling as much as she is.

*

Friday

By a general rule, Hyunjin never wears her watch during practices but today she’s not able to stop looking at it every five minutes. Even so, she’s been able to score two goals in the first twenty minutes of the practice match.

“C’mon!” Jinsol protests, still trying to catch her breath. She’s unlucky to be playing on the other team. “You’re not even trying.”

“Sorry, not sorry.” Hyunjin shrugs.

Then, she proceeds to score two more goals before the match ends. Her teammates are ecstatic but she doesn’t stay long to celebrate as she dashes to the showers. She’s brought half of her bathroom (and part o Haseul’s) equivalent in products to make sure she doesn’t reek to soccer practice, instead she packed a honey soap, fancy shampoo, and some other creams she doesn’t even know what are for (but they smell nicely).

Fortunately, -for once- her hair is cooperating –maybe it’s that expensive foam she took from Haseul’s nightstand, she owes her- but her black hair has never looked more smooth and silky than today.

Sooyoung whistles when Hyunjin is applying the last coat of mascara. “Look at you! Heejin is a lucky girl.” She’s barely drying her damp hair in contrast to her friend who’s almost done.

Hyunjin blushes a little. “Do I look okay? It took me five hours to decide what to wear.” She gives Sooyoung a little twirl.

She ultimately picked the yellow floral blouse with tulip sleeves, blue jeans, and white ballerina flats with little ribbons on top. She added a delicate pearl chocker, a pair o yellow daisy earrings, and a cream handbag Sooyoung had lent her.

“I’m telling you, she’s going to fall on her ass when she sees you.” Sooyoung grins.

“Good, that’s what I’m looking for.” Hyunjin adjusts her hair, hoping the simple half-ponytail won’t fall.

“Good luck on your date!” A fully changed Jinsol with a comb in hand expresses. “You’ll have to tell us everything afterward.”

“Thanks.” Hyunjin applies her favorite lip tint deciding that’s the last touch. “I’m less nervous today. Haseul says I talked in my sleep last night.”

“Oh, if she’s looking for a new roommate I’m available,” Hyeju comments as she walks past.

“Hey! I’m your roommate.” Sooyoung protests.

“My point, exactly.”

“She’s not getting a new roommate.” Hyunjin states. “She’ll be stuck with me as long as I keep bribing her with coffee in the mornings.”

Once she puts the rest of her things back in the locker, she checks her watch. Five minutes to seven o’clock, she’ll be right on time. Hopefully, her punctuality won’t give away her excitement levels.

She can’t wait to see Heejin again.

“Okay, I’m leaving. Cross your fingers.” She tells her friends and all of them –including Hyeju, lift their hands showing their fingers crossed.

“Have fun!” Jinsol yells right before she leaves the place.

To Heejinie: I’m done with practice, see you soon :)

From Heejinie: I’m here! & you surely will ;)

What’s that supposed to mean?

Hyunjin walks faster, she’s almost running in the direction of their meeting spot.

Heejin is there, backward to the dining.

Hyunjin can sense all the butterflies on her stomach tickling her as she approaches the girl.

“Heejin!” She calls her name.

And when she turns around, Hyunjin covers her mouth.

*

Hyunjin has to cover her mouth because she’s laughing loud enough to let a couple of snorts out (she would be embarrassed if it wasn't because she's still laughing).

From behind, Heejin looked normal, she recognized the other girl because of her distinctive hair color, but when she turned around...

Hyunjin’s face transforms.

Her outfit is a moment.

To begin with, she’s a denim jacket with embroidered patches of rainbow hearts and keywords like «love», «proud» and «fearless», underneath, she’s wearing a striped sleeveless top with the rainbow colors, and she also has a holographic belt holding her jeans (which are the only piece of «normal» clothing along with her white Converse high), she even has a colorful necklace made of beads and happy faces and a couple of themed hairclips. However, what really cracks Hyunjin is her tote bag with the phrase «let's be honest» on one of its sides.

“Oh my God...” Hyunjin barely mumbles.

“I didn't want to be this literal but I had to make sure no one mistakes me for a straight girl again.” She exaggerates a pose that almost has her falling on the ground.

Hyunjin is about to laugh again until she sees Heejin's sparkly eyes. At that moment, the world stops for a second.

“Hi.” She can’t stop smiling.

Heejin is flushed, a soft shade of pink adorns her cheeks.

“Hi to you,” she smiles.

They stay like that for a moment until Hyunjin breaks the eye contact, unable to repress the smile she has tattooed on her face.

“So, I love your outfit.” She giggles. “It looks like what big brands try to do during pride month… but this one is the most successful I’ve seen.”

Heejin presses her hand against her chest full of pride (no pun intended). “That's what I was going for, how did you know?”

Hyunjin is laughing again; she’s forgotten how nervous she was thanks to Heejin.

“This is so silly, I love it.”

“Cool, I made you laugh. That’s a good start, isn’t it?”

Hyunjin nods in response. “I’ve been actually very nervous about this all week but your outfit makes me feel at ease.”

“Ah, don’t even mention it.”

“June is like… eight months away but I appreciate the effort and, for the matter of fact, I’m sorry that I assumed your sexuality based on a first impression, that’s not… I don’t do that.”

“No worries. I thought we could laugh about it.”

Hyunjin’s relieved, talking to Heejin is very easy.

“Should we get going?”

The blonde nods.

*

Earlier that day

Yerim walks in sipping what’s left of her boba tea. Fridays are her less packed days so she’s time to go grab a drink before heading back to the dorms. The moment she enters the room, however, it looked like one of the closets had exploded inside.

“Does this outfit make me look gay?” Heejin asks, completely unaware of her roommate’s eyes scanning the dorm.

“Uh,” she stares at the black tank top and green cargo pants she has on. “No?”

“Damm it.” Heejin rummages through one of the piles of clothing until she finds a plaid shirt. “What about now? This has to give away that I’m gay.” She tries it on and then tied it around her waist.

“First of all, stereotypes, and secondly...” Yerim raises an eyebrow. “Is this about your date today?”

Right away, Heejin’s flushed cheeks tell on her.

“Maybe.” Yerim just tilts her head. “Yes, one hundred percent.”

Yerim doesn’t understand; she hasn’t seen Hyunjin. She’s like a quote from Sylvia Plath «doe-eyes of a strange girl with brownish blackish hair» or at least that was what Heejin saw when she lifted her head that fateful Tuesday (three days ago).

“Unnie,” The purple-haired girl takes a sit on the bed between some pants and a pile of dresses. “I think you've made quite clear that you’re not straight when you gave that girl your number.”

Heejin sighs. “Still, she thought I was… straight. ME. The Carol Crusader, the D.E.B.S. Devoted, the Handmaiden Hoe…”

“Imma stop you there because I’m sure those are not ways to say you’re a lesbian, you’re just naming movies.”

“That happens to feature lesbian characters.” Heejin lowers her head. “I… can’t shake the feeling... that was her very first impression of me and I’ll not have that again. So…”

“You want to make something remarkable to erase that?”

Heejin nods, a little pout on her lips.

Yerim looks around. “Okay, but you might as well go big or go home.” She finds the denim jacket Heejin wore to pride earlier that year. “This!”

“Alright, so this with jeans, my Converse… Oh! This!” She grabs her tote bag from one of the piles.

Yerim cackles. “Yes. Totally.”

“What else…? Can I borrow some of your accessories?” Yerim has by far many more colorful items than her.

“Yeah, go ahead. I’m now following this girl from campus who makes beaded bracelets, she has an Etsy page. I can’t wait to get more.”

“Ah, send me the link. I like that kind of stuff.”

Yerim gives her a thumbs up. Since she arrived, it looks like Heejin’s clothes are slowly swallowing her.

Heejin tries a different combination with a white one-shoulder top. It looks good already but she knows it could be more.

“I’m not fully convinced.” She stares at herself in the mirror.

“Well, it’s not like you’re going to show up wrapped in a pride flag or something...” Yerim jokes.

Heejin turns back to the wall where she hung the rainbow flag when she first moved.

“Right…”

“Unnie?”

*

They walk to the restaurant sharing things with each other and cracking up the silliest jokes they can come up with. It’s a short walk but neither of them stops laughing on their way there.

Hyunjin isn’t sure why she takes Yeojin’s (the freshman that follows Haseul around like a little duckling) recommendations when it comes to food but the place looks somewhat nice, which is a relief. Several country flags are hanging from the walls, a bar with a villa margarita, some booths, and more traditional tables. They sit at a table for two. Right after, they order pink lemonade and exchange a look while looking at the menu.

“Um. What did you say this place’s specialty is?” Heejin furrows her brows.

“Fusion... of some type. Asian-Mexican-Cali-Italian apparently?”

Heejin nods, eyes focused on the menu.

Hyunjin uses this chance to steal a couple of glances. While looking at her, she wonders if it’s possible to fall for someone this fast. Not only Heejin showed up in the most prideful look ever just to cause an impression, but she also laughs at whatever Hyunjin says and that sounds is the most bubbly and refreshing thing she has ever heard (it only makes her want to say more silly things to keep hearing it), but also, she shushed some homophobic-looking dudes that mumbled when they walked in, so yeah, she’s pretty awesome and Hyunjin might be falling already.

“Hey, do you wanna share a plate of kimchi mayonnaise fries? It says here it’s enough for two people.”

Scratch that, she’s marrying this woman.

They end up ordering the fries, Heejin picks the mushroom ceviche (Although she whispers to Hyunjin, I’m pretty sure ceviche is Peruvian.) and Hyunjin goes for the ham, artichoke, and arugula pizza (since you can’t go wrong with pizza). In the meantime, the waiter leaves a basket of freshly baked bread making this moment Hyunjin’s cue to explain how much she likes bread (and tell that one story about how she hurt her palate when she was six because she ate a crunchy toast).

While they wait for the food, they tackle some basic information, age, hometowns, MBTI types, zodiac signs…  Hyunjin then tells her about how she played soccer when she was in school and hasn’t stopped ever since.

“Most of my friends are from the team,” she explains. “It’s funny because they don’t even like soccer that much. Jinsol got on the team because it was the only sport that she could fit into her schedule. Hyeju needed an extra-curricular activity to keep her scholarship -because I know for a fact she’d rather play FIFA than the real-life thing- and Sooyoung... well, Sooyoung got kicked out the lacrosse team for being too aggressive (she says and I quote «competitive»). How is someone too aggressive playing lacrosse? I don’t know and I’m too scared to ask at this point.”

Heejin chortles so Hyunjin assumes the date is going well so far.

“But wait, what’s your major?” The blonde asks while grabbing a piece of the loaf.

“I’m an advertising major. I want to work on publicity one day.”

“Ah, like shooting TV commercials and stuff?”

Hyunjin nods.

“Would you be in one?”

“Well, I’ve been told I have pretty ears to sell earrings.” She tucks her hair behind her ear, showing her assets.

Heejin shakes her head but she’s holding the giggles. Hyunjin takes a sip of the lemonade, it tastes sweeter today.

“I’d ask about yours but… somebody told me you’re an art major.”

“Oh, you’ve been doing some research.”

Hyunjin feels her cheeks heating up. “N-No… not like that. A friend just mentioned that you draw and teach kids.” She rushes to explain.

“Ah, yes. I’d like to become an art teacher someday. I’ve drawn since I can remember and I’d like to help others with that too.” She beams and Hyunjin is sure her brain shorted out. “Actually, when we first met I was sketching in the park.”

“That’s amazing… I can’t even draw stick figures.”

Heejin flushes. “I-I can... show you if you want.”

Hyunjin’s eyes spark with interest. “For real? Right now? I really wanna see your work.”

“Yeah, I never leave without my sketchbook since, well, you never know.” She rummages into her tote bag.

She extends a little pink notebook in front of Hyunjin. Judging by the way Heejin is holding the notebook, Hyunjin can tell it’s very dear to her, so she holds it with all the care and delicacy in the world.

Heejin covers her face with her hands, the pink of her cheeks is now flashy magenta. Hyunjin, however, doesn’t notice as she’s flipping through the pages of the sketchbook. And she’s impressed by its content; when Heejin mentioned she was an art major, Hyunjin suspected she was good but these drawings are more than just good. She stops at the sketch of a bunny that’s so realistic she wishes she could squeeze it.

“Heejin, you drew all of these?” Their eyes meet and Heejin hits a brand new blush coloration.

“Yes… those are my doodles. The other day I was on my sandwich hour so I sat down and drew a little.” She turns the pages until she finds the ones she sketched in the park. “These are from last Tuesday.”

There are a couple of tiny birds on the corners, a leaf structure study and what stands up the most is the scenery, a perfect point of view of the park.

“Hey, this is the dining!” She points in recognition. “and this is the fountain, the lampposts, the other benches… Heejin, you’ve got it all.”

“No…” The blonde shrinks. “Not quite… I was just sketching, it’s not much.”

“Are you joking? How long did this take?”

“I don’t know, around twenty minutes? I was shadowing the buildings around when I dropped my pencil and then you showed up.”

“Twenty minutes?! Oh my God… That’s fast.” Hyunjin looks at the girl in front of her, Heejin’s a giggling mess and the image makes her coo internally.

“I need to practice more. I have some perspective issues to resolve when it comes to landscapes. I’m better with objects and people.”

“Really? I know this must be the most annoying thing for artists but… could you draw me?”

“Like one of my French girls?” Heejin instantly blushes, -now- aware of what she just said.

“Maybe.” Hyunjin bites down a smile. “For now, a quick doodle would do.”

“Like right now?”

Hyunjin nods. “Yeah,” She spots the cook serving their food. “You have a couple of minutes. Go!”

“Oh, you’re serious.” Heejin picks a random marker from the bag and starts tracing some lines. She lifts her head to meet Hyunjin’s eyes.

The butterflies on Hyunjin stomach multiply.

Heejin looks so concentrated, that she doesn’t even notice the waiter with the trays until he clears his throat.

“I’m done.” She seems satisfied, and her smile reflects it.

The waiter leaves the food, even when they doubt, everything looks very good.

Carefully, Heejin rips the page from the book and hands the drawing to Hyunjin.

Hyunjin’s eyes light up when she sees Heejin’s work. In the short amount of time she had, she managed to capture her characteristic features in an adorable cartoonish style; it reminds her of her childhood, the kind of character she used to watch on TV after school. She puts the drawing next to her to have a full comparison.

Heejin's smile grows bigger.

“I love it!” She states. “It’s so cute!”

“You can keep it.”

“Really?” The blonde nods. “This is so nice… can you please sign it?”

“Will you sell it on eBay when I become a famous artist?”

“Only if the payment is good.” Heejin glares. “Just kidding. I’ll never sell it.”

Heejin grabs the piece of paper and signs it in a heartbeat. She even draws a little heart next to Hyunjin’s name.

“There,” She returns it to Hyunjin. “I’m glad you like it… but now let’s eat. I’m starving.”

“You just read my mind.” Hyunjin grabs her fork after saving the drawing on her bag.

*

“I’m so full.” Hyunjin declares when they step out of the restaurant.

“You know, there were a lot of dishes that weren’t neither Asian, Mexican, Cali, or Italian… I kept thinking since there were also a lot of people with decent working there, are they okay with the commercialization of their culture? Is it just me? Maybe it’s just me.”

“A friend of my roommate sent us the address on our group chat saying that their enchiladas ramen was the best thing she’d ever had and that was all the criteria I had of this place.”

“I liked it, though. Maybe next time we could get the mozzarella sticks with the salsa verde.”

Hyunjin’s eyes grow wide. “Next time?”

“I mean,” Heejin gets shy, and she unconsciously tucks her hair behind her ear. “If you want to…”

Hyunjin nods in response. The smile on her face won’t vanish in a while.

Heejin clears her throat. “You said you were full so I guess you won’t like to go grab some dessert…”

“There’s always room for dessert, what are you talking about?”

Heejin chuckles. “I’d suggest ice cream but I’m not in the mood for ice cream, too heavy.”

“Oh, you know what would be great…”

“Shave ice!” They exclaim at the same time.

“I’ve been craving some all week.” Heejin mentions. “I went to get frozen yogurt with my roommate on Wednesday but it’s not the same.”

“There’s a place next to the mall if you don’t mind the walking.”

Heejin shakes her head. “Not at all. Lead the way.”

Hyunjin walks a couple of steps ahead and then stops. Her heart’s beating so fast she can hear it in her eardrums. She extends her right hand while meeting Heejin’s eyes.

“Let’s go.”

Heejin’s gaze travels from Hyunjin’s crescents eyes to her shy smile and finally to her offering hand. She grabs it without hesitation and they start walking, slowly enough to delay time.

*

The night is breezy but not too cold, the shave ice makes them shiver a little with each bite. Heejin's pick is strawberry and Hyunjin’s pineapple. Now they walk side by side on their way back to the dorms; Hyunjin’s hand still feels warm.

Heejin is telling her a story about one of the kids she teaches; actually, Heejin talks a lot but Hyunjin likes to listen to every word she says, quietly admiring all her tiny mannerisms and the way her eyes twinkle full of stars whenever she’s excited about something.

 Wow, she’s really whipped.

“Oh, we’re getting to the east wing. I’m over there.” Heejin explains.

“I can walk you to your dorm.”

“Are you sure?”

Hyunjin nods. “I’m on the building across the soccer field.”

“Alright.”

As they got closer to Heejin’s place, the silence starts to grow between them. It’s now hitting Hyunjin they are getting closer to her door, meaning they’ll have to say goodbye soon. She doesn’t want to say goodbye yet.

“Well, this is me.” Heejin points at the door with the number 17 on it.

Hyunjin nods. Her hands are sweating.

Heejin spends some extra time searching for her keys in her tote bag. Their eyes meet and the blonde bites her lips.

Oh.

She wants Hyunjin to kiss her.

Oh.

Hyunjin wants to kiss her as well but what if it’s not good, what if it gets awkward and… she should be leaning right now instead of having a mental debate about what to do.

Heejin looks at her, puzzled.

“Ah, Hyunjin?”

Hyunjin’s brain betrays her.

When it’s too late to notice, her hand is already extended, waiting to be shaken.

Oh, God.

What is this? A business meeting?

Heejin opens her mouth to say something but she closes it right away. Instead, she shakes Hyunjin’s hand.

“It was a great night. I see you around.” Hyunjin runs away as fast as she can, leaving a very confused Heejin behind.

*

She enters the room opening the door entirely.

“Unnie, I fucked up.” She then realizes Vivi -Haseul’s girlfriend- is also in the room. “I-I’m sorry…” She covers her eyes with her hand and closes the door a little. “I didn’t see anything.”

“Hyunjin, we’re watching a movie,” Haseul says.

Only then, Hyunjin removes her hand. They are indeed watching a movie on Haseul’s computer. Vivi waves at her while her roommate just raises an eyebrow.

“Oh. Hi, Vivi-unnie.” Then she proceeds to throw herself on the bed.

“I’m assuming your date didn’t go well?” Haseul asks in her soft voice. The one she uses whenever Hyunjin fails an exam or misses a goal.

“It was amazing.” She turns around to face them. “It was everything a first date should be. We laughed a lot, ate lots of delicious food, shared stories about each other…”

“Then?”

“I… I shookherhand.”

“What?”

“I shook her hand!”

“You did what?” Vivi raises her voice. “You didn’t, did you?”

“Oh, God…” Haseul closes her laptop. They won’t know the ending of Parallel Mothers for at least a couple of hours. “Come, tell us exactly what happened.”

Hyunjin sobs as she climbs her roommate’s bed, squishing herself in the middle of Haseul and Vivi.

“The night was going perfectly, we were having a romantic Mexican meal… or Cali-Mex, Asian-Cali-Mex-Italian…”

“Yeojin’s recommendations?”

“Yes, the one of the enchiladas ramen.”

“I had to take her to the emergency room afterward. I don’t know why she keeps recommending that place.”

“It was really good, actually. You should go some time. Anyway…” She goes back to sobbing. “She even let me try her mushroom ceviche.”

“Isn’t ceviche Peruvian?” Vivi frowns.

“It is. I googled it.” Hyunjin resumes her story. “We had shave ice right after, it was nice. We walked together, also nice but then… Her dorm is on the east side so it was closer. I walked her to her door and then…” She covers her face with her hands. “I couldn’t do it.”

“Hyun,” Haseul pats her back. “It’s okay if you weren’t ready.”

“It’s not that. I really, really wanted to kiss her. (I want) but what if it wasn’t good? It would’ve ruined our perfect date.”

“Oh, I see what happened,” Vivi explains. “You added some unnecessary pressure on yourself.”

“Basically, yeah. But I could’ve kissed her cheek or her hand, something more romantic… instead, I went for the stupid handshake, and now it’s all she’ll remember from today.”

She also had to let her know she arrived safely in her room.

“Fuck, I still have to text her.” Hyunjin just wants to disappear under Haseul’s fancy sheets.

“This is perfect,” Vivi taps her hand. “You can fix it via text message.”

“Can I?”

Can she?

“Yeah, let her know you’re interested, despite well… what happened.”

“Vivi’s right. Just text her something nice, maybe a cute emoji or something.”

“What do you know about emojis? You literally text like a mom, using exclamation points.”

“Hey!”

Vivi giggles. “She got you there, babe.”

Haseul glares at both of them. “Hyunjin, you better hurry until your window closes.”

“Right.” She jumps off the bed almost pushing her roommate off. “Sorry!”

“I’m used to.” Haseul holds Vivi’s hand as the girl helps her to get back into place.

“Hurry up! I wanna know what happened to Penelope Cruz’s baby.” Vivi crosses her arms on her chest.

“Okay, okay!”

Hyunjin grabs her bag; she first finds Heejin’s doodle of her, and looking at it only makes her regret how the night went down even more. She puts the little piece of paper inside her clear phone case. Now, she has to type this correctly.

To Heejinie: I’m home! I really enjoyed tonight

No. That won’t erase the handshake incident.

To Heejinie: I’m home! We should do this again

This what? No.

To Heejinie: I’m home! I hope we get to hang out again

Hope is the last thing to lose, isn’t it?

“I swear to God, there’s smoke coming from her head,” Vivi murmurs.

“Ugh! I don’t know what to write!” Hyunjin screams into her pillow.

“Maybe ask her on another date, something casual but that shows you’re into her,” Haseul suggests.

“Okay…Wait! I got it! She said we should get the mozzarella sticks next time. I’ll tell her that.”

“Great relationships come from bonding over food.” Vivi points.

Hyunjin starts typing frantically, erases a few more times, and when she’s come up with the perfect casual text…

“No… No, no! Fuck!”

“Language!” Haseul nags her. “What happened now?”

She hands the phone to the two girls.

To Heejinie: I’m home! Friend

“Friend?!” Vivi and Haseul stare at Hyunjin.

“I was going to write «Friday, mozzarella sticks are on me» but the stupid autocorrect changed it to Friend and when I tried to delete it, it got sent.” She’s physically and mentally face-palming. “And she read it already!”

“Oh Shit.” Vivi covers her mouth.

“Indeed.” Haseul looks back at the screen. “She’s typing something! Wait, she deleted it… typing again… more deleting…”

“Fuck my life.” She stares at the window.

“You know we’re on the first floor, don’t you?” Haseul reads her mind.

“Fuck my life.”

At that moment, Hyunjin’s phone beeps, indicating she’s received a new message.

“Oh, God… I can’t read it. What does it say?” She asks Haseul, desperately.

She checks Hyunjin’s phone, and Vivi takes a peek over her shoulder.

“Well, it’s not that bad…” Haseul tries to soothe it.

“She just replied with the OK hand emoji.” Vivi peels the band-aid.

Hyunjin grabs her phone and sees it for herself.

From Heejinie: 👌

She automatically throws her phone on the bed. Not a single word comes out of her mouth but her face is saying more than enough.

“Hyunjinie... You should talk to her, in person.” Vivi says. “Right now it’s the only way to explain this.”

“She’s right.” Haseul agrees.

“Right now, all I want to do is sleep. Maybe in one of the alternative scenarios created by my mind, I don’t fuck it up when I try to talk to a girl.”

*

Saturday

Hyunjin couldn’t even sleep properly; she kept turning around in the bed, overthinking. Vivi’s right, she needs to talk to Heejin and clarify things. After getting ready and taking a quick late breakfast, she heads toward Heejin’s dorm, hoping that somehow the girl will understand.

The reverse path is familiar but different in the daylight, she greets some classmates and acquaintances from the halls and suddenly she’s in front of door 17.

She knocks and waits.

“Coming!” A voice announces. A girl with purple hair opens the door.

This is Heejin’s roommate, she mentioned her the day before. Her name was…

“Yerim!” Hyunjin recalls.

“Ah? Hi!” She stares at the girl in front of her. “Wait! You must be Hyunjin.”

“Yep, that’s me.” Hyunjin tries to decipher Yerim’s expression to find out whether or not is good to see her.

But Yerim wraps her in a hug instead, leaving Hyunjin baffled.

“Um… Is Heejin here?” Hyunjin says once she finishes hugging.

“Ah, you missed her. She went to the studio in the art department like… twenty minutes ago.”

Hyunjin nods, a bit disappointed.

“She’s probably going to be there for a while. She usually goes painting on weekends when she’s angry or frustrated or sad…” Yerim looks at her trying to make a point.

“Noted…”

“Friend? Seriously? After the handshake? I was rooting for you!”

“I panicked, okay!” Hyunjin justifies. “That’s why I need to talk to her.”

“Well… I can tell you where’s the studio only if you promise you’ll make it up to her. She was quite upset yesterday.” Yerim is all smiles but she surely looks threatening when she tries.

“I’ll do anything,” Hyunjin begs.

“Great. She likes avocado toast.”

*

After a quick visit to the local café, Hyunjin stands in front of the art studio Yerim indicated. She hears music playing inside and questions if she should knock or just walk in before she chickens out.

She decides to knock to be polite.

“Come in!” Heejin yells from inside.

Well, at least Yerim gave her the real address.

“You got this, Hyunjin… you got this.” She opens the door.

Heejin is inside, fully concentrated on the canvas in front of her, she doesn’t even lift her head.

“Heejin?” Hyunjin calls her name and only then the other girl becomes aware of her presence.

“Oh, shit!” She mumbles while hiding behind the easel.

“I’m sorry, is it a bad time? I was hoping we could talk… Yerim told me you’d be here.”

“No! I mean, yes… I was just…” She pokes her head. “I didn’t expect to see you here, it took me by surprise. Usually, Yerim drops by and brings me lunch, I thought you’d be her.”

“If it makes it any better, I brought you an avocado toast.” Hyunjin shows the paper bag she’s carrying. “And a fruit smoothie… I’d figure strawberry?”

Heejin smiles and walks toward her. Her hair is tied in a messy bun held by a pencil, she’s wearing a striped white and yellow tank top, a pair of light-blue jeans, and black Converse.

Hyunjin, on the other side, rushed to pick some clothing earlier, which ended up with her wearing a plaid shirt, denim shorts, and –coincidentally-, black Converse too.

“So… you want to talk?” The blonde asks shyly.

“Yeah…” She takes a deep breath; she’s gathered the courage to come all the way here now she only needs to get it out of her chest. “Yesterday our date went really well, like, -objectively speaking-, it’s so easy to talk to you and your laugh is very contagious, you’re also so talented and when I walked you to your dorm I wanted to kiss you and I thought you wanted it too but when I realized I panicked and went for the stupid handshake instead which was a mistake, of course. Then I tried to fix it via text message but I sent the message earlier and it read as if I wanted us to stay as friends and I don’t… I really don’t want to stay as friends because I like you… a lot… a lot. And I needed to come here to fix this misunderstanding because I wanna date you and like, I know we’ve seen each other twice but every second we spent together was amazing and this is getting sappier as I speak… Why am I still talking? I’ll shut up now.”

Hyunjin presses her lips into a thin line.

Heejin blinks a couple of times.

“I know it’s a lot to process but…”

“I like you too.” Heejin smiles and everything’s brighter. “And I enjoyed our date a lot… and… I was expecting a kiss, that’s true. I even re-applied gloss when you weren’t looking.” She tucks her hair behind her ears. “Being completely honest, reading your message last night made me very upset because I thought we had something special… and I also thought maybe it was one-sided.”

“I’m sorry. It’s not… one-sided. As I said, I like you a lot, Heejin.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

“I think this is the part where we kiss.” Hyunjin casually mentions.

“Uh… the thing is.”

“Oh my God, what did I do?”

“Nothing, nothing… it’s only…” She covers her face with her hands. “I’m blind as fuck and I’m not wearing my contact lenses right now… I have my glasses in the back but I didn’t want you to see me with them on.” She blushes a little.

Hyunjin furrows her brows. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s because… you’re so cool, you play soccer and you’re incredibly gorgeous… I didn’t want to ruin my image because I look kinda nerdy with them on.”

“Heejin… you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. I assure you, I’ll like you with or without glasses. Besides, I happen to have a thing for nerds.”

Heejin giggles. “Okay…” She gets her glasses in her hands and walks back to where the other girl is waiting.

Hyunjin grabs the glasses and carefully puts them on Heejin.

“Huh… just as I thought. Equally beautiful.”

Heejin beams.

“Thanks for walking me home tonight. Our date was incredible.” She murmurs.

“Tonight? Oh! Yeah… it was… amazing.”

“Please don’t shake my hand.”

“I wasn’t going to!” Hyunjin protests.

They both are laughing and in the most natural way, Hyunjin pulls Heejin closer, she cups her face and presses a sweet kiss on her lips, and another one… and another one… And before they know it, they are kissing for real this time. It starts slow, Heejin’s hands wrap around Hyunjin’s waist making their bodies close enough to leave no space in between. Hyunjin can hear and feel Heejin’s heartbeat; the butterflies on her stomach turn into fireworks. Heejin’s lips are soft and sweet and they do taste like strawberry chapstick but mostly Heejin. She could kiss her all day long.

Heejin smiles in the middle of the kiss and Hyunjin uses this as an excuse to stare at her. How in the world she’d think she didn’t look beautiful with glasses on?

“Hi.”

“Oh, hi. Do you come here often?” Hyunjin jokes.

Heejin giggles and kiss her cheek.

Yeah, it’s good to take some initiative from time to time.

Hyunjin leans for a kiss again but gets interrupted by Heejin’s stomach.

“Oh, God… I’m sorry but I’m so hungry.”

“You weren’t thinking about the avocado toast while we were kissing, were you?”

“Uh…”

Hyunjin gasps audibly.

“Just kidding! I only thought of the girl who brought the avocado toast… by the matter of fact.”

“Okay, you’re forgiven but I will charge you with some more kisses afterward.”

“Seems fair.” Heejin presses a little peck on her lips.

Hyunjin could get used to this.

*

Saturday

(one month later)

“I think it’s over here.” Heejin is holding Yerim’s arm as they walk through the stands.

“Heejin! Yerim!” Jiwoo waves energetically. “We’re here!”

They finally get to the spot where the other girls were sitting.

“Has it started yet? Are we late?” Heejin asks Jiwoo while the girl embraces her in a hug.

“No, it hasn’t started. They were just doing some warmup before the match.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

It’s the first match of the season, the university’s female soccer team against the visitor team. Heejin has watched Hyunjin play before but this is the first official match she’ll ever witness meaning she’s nervous in advance.

“Relax, Heejin.” Jungeun pulls her so they can sit. “You’re right on time.”

Heejin’s now friends with the girlfriends of Hyunjin’s teammates -they have joked about creating a club and getting t-shirts- Haseul and her girlfriend Vivi are there too along with the youngest of them all, Yeojin, who’s carrying a little bag with Yerim’s custom made accessories. They all get along very, their only problem being to fit this amount of people on restaurant tables when they get together.

Either if the team loses or wins, they’ll probably end up eating at this new Indian restaurant Yeojin has talked about non-stop.

But Heejin knows they are going to win, for sure. They have Hyunijn, after all.

“It’s starting,” Chaewon announces as the team gets in formation.

Hyunjin looks at the crowd and spots Heejin easily –it’s hard to miss when she’s carrying a pride flag in her hands. She smiles when Heejin waves in her direction.

The match begins. It’s an intense game from the first minute; the other team is way more aggressive than expected and they get near to the goal area several times. The crowd roars and whistles as the ref blows his whistle at the opposing side each time for a penalty shot that they seem to miss completely. But then, the visitors score their first goal within the first twenty minutes of the game.

“Oh, c’mon! That was offside!” Jungeun shouts, standing from her seat.

When they first met, Heejin thought that Jungeun would be the quiet type since she presented herself with such a cool aura but the moment a match starts, she goes full soccer mom yelling from the stands. Jiwoo told her that once the ref gave Jungeun a yellow card as a warning but if she kept up the behavior she would be banned from the field and since then, she’s been working on her moderation.

The first half of the game is about to end when Hyeju passes the ball to Jinsol who scores the first goal of the team with an amazing kick.

“That’s what I’m talking about! Did you see that?!” She shakes Chaewon’s arm while she –again- states that she did see it. “That’s my girlfriend!” Jungeun is ecstatic.

Jinsol stops in the middle of the field. She looks at Jungeun as if she hung all the stars in the sky. “Girlfriend? Did you just say girlfriend? Babe, are you for real?”

Jungeun sits down mechanically; face turning red. “W-Well, it’s about time and…I mean, if that’s okay with you, of course…”

The first half is over. Jinsol couldn’t care less about the match right now, she walks directly to her girlfriend –who’s now coy-, and without losing any more time, she cups her face and kisses her lips.

Everybody cheers and Jungeun is even redder, even her ears are.

Jinsol has a new motivation to play the second half but that’s not enough. Hyunjin and her get to make some plays, they even get close to the goal but the goalkeeper prevents them from scoring.

“They are too close.” Jiwoo comments.

Heejin agrees.

The next fifteen minutes are all about the defense; they have to re-think their strategy since the other team is in for the win and they do everything to get closer to that. The ref is not helping since he doesn’t count the penalties as such.

“Goddammit.” Jungeun curses.

They’re still tied and there are only five minutes left.

Sooyoung has the ball, she’s getting close. Hyunjin is fast enough to notice, she moves to the left flank, and she’s clear.

“Oh my God, Hyunjin is clear.” Heejin feels the adrenaline of the game getting to her. She hits Yerim’s arm.

“Ouch! Yeah, I have eyes I can see it.” The purple-haired girl complains.

There are only two minutes left.

Sooyoung passes the ball to Hyunjin. She dodges two girls from the opposite team, she’s so good it’s like she’s dancing around them, her legs are light as feathers. She passes the ball to Hyeju and the goalkeeper moves toward her Hyunjin runs some more to receive the ball again, the goalkeeper is far, and she’s in position.

Heejin’s heart is beating against her ribcage she can’t even blink.

Hyunjin aims and shoots.

AND SHE SCORES.

Heejin stands and cheers along with the other girls.

The rest of the team runs toward Hyunjin and hug her as the ref whistles indicating the match is over.

They won.

“They won!” They celebrate.

They shake hands with the opposite team and everyone claps.

Hyunjin is the most celebrated along with Jinsol. Hyeju and Sooyoung carry the cooler with water and they bathe the girls with cold water to crown the victory.

“Heejin, go!” Jiwoo taps her shoulder.

“What? Right now? Can I?”

They nod in response.

Heejin runs through the field, Hyunjin sees her when she’s halfway there. She has the biggest smile tattooed on her face as she extends her hands ready to catch the other girl. Heejin jumps into her arms and they almost fall to the ground when Hyunjin loses her balance a little. She’s damped but Heejin doesn’t care at all.

“That was awesome! You’re incredible!” She kisses Hyunjin all over her face. “The last five minutes… my heart is… you’re…”

Hyunjin laughs out loud, she kisses her forehead. “Thank you for being here.”

“Are you kidding me? My girlfriend is the star of the soccer team!”

Hyunjin nuzzles her neck.

Heejin covers her with the rainbow flag to prevent her from catching a cold. Jungeun is next to them with her bag, covering Jinsol with a large towel and drying her with much care.

“Next time I’ll prepare a proper towel,” Heejin says.

“This is perfect!” Hyunjin spins on her heels.

“You two, look over here. I’m going to take a picture” Haseul indicates.

Hyunjin hugs her girlfriend, she’s still wet but she couldn’t be happier. Heejin is by her side, both with giant smiles and posing for the camera.

“Say cheese!”

“Cheese!” They say together.

Right before Haseul clicks the button, Heejin kisses Hyunjin’s cheek and that’s the picture.

Yeah, she could get used to this.