Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was too early for a debate, even for Jimin.

"Jimin-ah," Lia, her manager, sighed exasperatedly for the hundredth time as she drove Jimin to the movie set at 4 AM. "It's not possible."

"Why?"

"Because nobody would care about luxury fashion in a Shooting competition! Worn by a spectator, no less," the manager said, one of her hand flailing around as if trying to make a point. "Everyone would focus on the targets instead."

Jimin stifled a yawn, looking at the still dark sky outside of the van's window. "So it's all predetermined."

"That's how it's always been. Chanel provides you with seats, including the whole hospitality package for next year's Olympics, in exchange for their exposure. Which is why you're going to watch the Women's Singles Tennis final."

The actress groaned in response.

She could see Lia shaking her head in front of the steering wheel. "I don't even get it. Why are you suddenly so adamant about this whole Shooting thing? Remember, the games isn't the main reason we'll be going to Paris," the manager reminded Jimin. "You'll be there for the beauty campaign."

"Yeah, I know," Jimin replied unenthusiastically, deliberately avoiding her manager's previous question.

The twenty-one year old actress had her own reason for being strangely difficult right now. Still, it was nothing her manager should know about.

Until Lia approached her again two weeks later on set with another proposal.

"Krush is ready to discuss about the contract renewal," the manager informed Jimin of the beer product that had the actress' charming face plastered all over the country.

"Huh, it's been two years already?" Jimin answered distractedly, hands flipping around her script.

"Yeah. This time, they're offering to include you in their Olympics sponsorship."

That caught Jimin attention. "Come again?"

"They're sponsoring the National Olympic Committee for the upcoming games."

Jimin looked at her manager incredulously. "Really? A beer?"

Lia gave her the iPad she had been holding, showing the contract file. "They're pushing for their new isotonic drink," she shrugged.

Taking a look at the watch on her wrist, Jimin knew she had no time to read them properly when she was bound to shoot another scene in five minutes. "I can't do this right now," she gave the tab back to her manager.

"I'll send it to you later," Lia answered before standing up to leave.

That was when Jimin suddenly blinked in realization. "Wait."

"What?"

"You said they're sponsoring the Korean team?"

Lia nodded, skeptical about the actress' sudden interest.

"Would I get sponsored seats?"

"I think they mentioned it briefly in the contract, yeah."

Clapping her hands together, Jimin was pleased as she looked her manager straight in the eyes. "Get me a seat in the Shooting finals and I'll renew."

The expression on Lia's face was nothing short of confused as she observed the odd behavior of the woman who was supposedly South Korea's sweetheart. The manager sighed when she saw the final look on her artist's face.

"You do know Shooting involves many disciplines," Lia said once she reached the door.

Right... Jimin went silent as she performed mental gymnastics.

What would she be competing in this time?

Clearing her throat, Jimin shrugged. "I'll let you know about the details later."

Lia could only shake her head. "Do I even wanna know why?"

Six years ago.

Jimin ran inside the indoor shooting range, hand-in-hand with her mother.

She just finished the first audition of her life. Turned out the lady who approached her in the minimarket two weeks before wasn't a scammer, after all.

What was supposed to be a twenty minutes cold read went on longer for more than an hour, causing them to be late for her cousin's appearance in an important shooting competition.

As Jimin entered the venue and read "National Junior Championship" written on the banners, she realized this was indeed an important event. She quickly took note of the solemn atmosphere in the building.

"There she is," her mother said lowly, pointing to Aeri who stood on the firing line among seven other athletes with her gun pointing downwards on the table.

They spotted Aeri's parents waving their hands before they took a seat beside them.

"Sorry, we're late. Jimin's audition went on longer than expected," her mother explained to Aeri's.

"It's okay. Aeri actually made it into the final," the other woman answered.

Jimin understood basically nothing about the sport. Only that this was the reason her Japanese-Korean cousin ugly cried in her arms last week in her living room couch.

She then remembered Aeri repeatedly saying how she was going to quit for good if she failed in this competition, thus becoming ineligible for the junior national team. Twice in a row.

"Auntie, how's Aeri doing?" Jimin asked Aeri's mother.

The woman sighed. "Not so good, honey. You see her score right there? Number five?" At Jimin's nod, Aeri's mother continued. "They're going to start eliminating based on the lowest score soon, so she has to keep it up, or else..."

Jimin returned her gaze to her cousin. Watching Aeri load the pistol with a calmness that seemed alien.

As soon as the elimination started, she could recognize a hint of dread in Aeri's posture. A crack in the careful and firm facade displayed ever since she came here.

Aeri pulled the trigger. Her name then appeared stagnant at fifth place, while scorer number eight was instantly eliminated.

The time went on and her cousin fired one shot after another. Somehow, she managed to go up one place when another finalist was out of contention.

Aeri went back and forth between the fourth and fifth place, until the girl found herself in a draw with another competitor in the last position.

Jimin's forehead creased as she saw the name Kim Minjeong on fourth place together with Kim Aeri. By now, Jimin could see her cousin trying to keep herself intact while the other Kim remained as calm as a monk.

What she saw had been true because the results spoke for itself. Kim Minjeong pulled the trigger first, scoring a perfect 10.9, followed by a 10.5.

Jimin closed her eyes as soon as she saw the total score from Aeri's subsequent shots, marking her defeat as fifth place. She followed the way her cousin put her gun down before turning back to look at her family with barely-concealed sadness. When they did lock eyes, Jimin tried to put up a smile.

Aeri sighed in resignation as she took a seat behind the firing line, watching the remaining contestants. Jimin soon found herself going back to the player whose name was sitting in the endangered fourth place.

Kim Minjeong, who took a deep breath and smoothly continued head-to-head with the other competitors. Ridiculously shooting two consecutive bullseyes, allowing her the third position from yet another draw.

The girl, who didn't even seem as old as Jimin and was swallowed in her tracksuits, was as composed as a stone. Silently making her way into the top three.

Keeping the momentum going, Jimin watched as Minjeong made another almost-identical shot and scored 10.7. Gasps could be heard all around the building as the athlete who as previously ahead of Minjeong had scored lower cumulatively.

Jimin wondered if it was bad to root for the person who probably just crushed her cousin's dream  into pieces. She couldn't help it, Minjeong was formidable.

At last, her shoulders slumped in disappointment when Minjeong failed to score at least a decimal higher from the last finalist, making her the silver medalist in the end.

When the whole event ended, Aeri went straight into Jimin's arms once again in tears. "I'm never shooting again."

Running her fingers through her cousin's hair, Jimin sighed. "That Kim Minjeong was just lucky," she muttered as her eyes silently went to the girl who effortlessly caught her interest.

Aeri pulled away from the hug and sniffled before she followed Jimin's line of sight. They both watched Minjeong being congratulated a few feet away from them before Aeri spoke again in honest envy.

"Say what you want about her, but she doesn't need any luck."

The rain splashed against Minjeong's car roof, drawing a whistle out of her. She definitely didn't expect this sudden downpour in the middle of fall.

Parking her car in the shooting range's basement, she quickly got out and walked to the elevator. The chorus of Duran Duran's Ordinary World was blaring through her earbuds on high volume.

Once she reached the first floor, a nod to the range staff on-site immediately got the man working to fetch the Steyr pistol reserved for her drills here. Such was the perk of knowing the owner.

Entering the 10-meter range after being handed the gun case, she walked nearer to the firing line and did some warm-ups, her eyes going over the empty range in relief.

"Yo."

A hand suddenly gripped her shoulder from behind. Minjeong took off her earbuds and turned around, coming face-to-face with Aeri, one of her best friends.

Minjeong gave her a nod before continuing the rest of her ritual.

Five neck rotations, five finger flexions. 

Taking the air pistol out of the case, she put it in perfect diagonal from 5 to 11 o'clock on top of the table. Opening the pellets cover, she placed the tin accurately cross-sectioned and 5 cm away from the pistol.

"Does your coach know you're here?" Aeri asked from behind, referring to the fact that Minjeong was training here instead of the national federation's range.

Minjeong shook her head.

Aeri sighed while watching her load the firearm. "Minjeong-ah, you just got home from Baku yesterday. Bringing home another gold. You know you should rest."

The athlete only raised her pistol before aligning her sight. A few seconds passed before Minjeong consistently put pressure on the trigger.

Once the shot was fired, both girls checked the score and saw a 9.8 on the monitor.

"Just for two hours. I need this before I have to go back and do my Smart Manufacturing assignment," Minjeong responded.

"Lord knows why you chose Engineering of all things."

"Industrial Engineering," the athlete corrected, as if it made a significant difference.

Aeri shook her head before she went and came back with her own rifle, taking the lane next to Minjeong. The pair went on to shoot for the next hour and a half before Aeri took off her blinder.

Sensing her friend's need to talk, Minjeong cut her drill short today. She took off her own glasses and inserted the safety flag into the pistol's chamber, walking to sit beside Aeri on the nearby bench.

She peeked at the numbers showing on Aeri's target monitor and raised an impressed eyebrow. "You still got it, you know."

Aeri snorted. "Don't even start. I knew I'm not made for this when you obliterated me numerous times back then. And once I started finding my own rhythm with the rifle, it was already too late."

Minjeong was silent, her memories of competing with Aeri at junior level years ago resurfacing.

"At least I have this now," Aeri said, motioning to the whole building. "Besides, I'm content with everything," she added, referring to her growing career in the music industry.

The athlete nodded as she took in her friend's predication, her mind wandering to think about her own situation right now.

"When's the World Cup Finals?" Aeri changed the topic.

"A month from now. In Doha."

The Japanese hummed. "You'll get another gold. I can feel it."

Minjeong rolled her eyes in response. "I haven't been in my best form lately."

"What's on your mind?"

The younger girl pondered for a second. "Honestly? The Olympics."

"Well, that's reasonable. It's your debut," Aeri gave an understanding pat on her shoulder. "But you did excellent in the Youth Games. Plus, you basically contributed to our country's quota in this Olympics. You'll manage."

Minjeong gave a half smile to her friend, grateful for the assurance. She was about to share more of her doubts when her phone distracted her from continuing.

The screen showed a new notification from the federation's media manager, taking Minjeong by surprise. She wondered if she said anything wrong during the interview in Baku yesterday after the medal ceremony.

She didn't remember doing anything headline-worthy. What would the media need her for?

The message she opened only confused her even more as she furrowed her eyebrows deeply. "Aeri-yah."

"Huh?"

"Do you know Yu Jimin?"

It took a second before Aeri responded. "Who doesn't?"

"Right? There's only one Yu Jimin."

"Only one important Yu Jimin in the whole country, as far as I know. Why?"

Minjeong wordlessly gave her phone to Aeri, watching the other girl light up as she read the message completely.

"National Olympics Committee promotional activities with Krush+ Ambassador Yu Jimin..." Aeri's voice trailed off, eyes still shining with humor. "Yah, this is the real deal!"

"Why me?" Minjeong asked, still puzzled.

Aeri looked at her with flatly. "Need I remind you who's the current number one ranked air pistol female athlete in the world, the one who had at least one gold in every major championship possible before she even turned twenty. Youth Games, World Cups, Asian Championships, World Championships-"

"I get it, I get it. Stop," Minjeong cut her off, taking the phone back in her hand.

"Do you? Do you get that you're basically the face of South Korea's shooting team now?"

"I'm just wondering why we're included. It was usually the ones from Archery or Taekwondo."

Aeri shrugged. "Well, nothing wrong with good publicity. You should get all the support you need. Plus, you're objectively easy to look at."

Minjeong slumped on the bench. "I don't know how to pose, let alone shoot a freaking commercial." She mentally scanned pictures of herself in the past, only finding herself standing straight on the podiums, smiling to the countless cameras while holding the medal.

Her friend smirked, already picturing Minjeong in frame with the country's modern-day successor to Jun Ji Hyun. "Relax, you'll do fine. It's not everyday you work with the nation's sweetheart."

Now that only made Minjeong spiral even more, her homework and the Olympics be damned.

When Jimin said she would renew her contract with Krush, she knew she should have read it all thoroughly.

She negotiated for a spectator seat in the air pistol final to watch the one athlete she had quietly observed for years. She certainly didn't expect to work directly with said person.

This was something out of her expectation and she found herself nervous for the first time in a while. Watching Minjeong from afar was familiar. Safe. Meeting her in person was new territory.

Jimin had just finished her hair and makeup as she waited in the green room. She checked her own reflection in the mirror, brushing a hand over her dress and denim jacket when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

The door opened to reveal Lia and today's shoot director. "Jimin-ssi, it's good to see you," the man gave her a welcoming smile.

Jimin stood up and gave a polite bow. "Director-nim, good to see you, too. Please take good care of me."

The director let out a hearty laugh. "I know we're in good hands once I saw you're in the project. It's an honor to work with you, Jimin-ssi."

Once the pleasantries were exchanged, the director excused himself, leaving Lia alone with Jimin in the room. The restless shake on Jimin's knee didn't go unnoticed by the manager's attentive eyes.

"Spill it out," Lia said.

"Has she arrived yet?"

"Who? Kim Minjeong?"

Jimin nodded.

"Yeah, she's supposed to be in preparation herself."

The information got Jimin's heart pacing. She took her phone and typed Minjeong's name on Naver once again. Her thumb scrolled through the athlete's biography, reading them despite already being well-versed in all things Minjeong.

The world might applaud Jimin for her works, appreciating her with countless praises and prestigious awards. She knew very well the feeling of being watched, her every motion and expression scrutinized. The way the internet seemed to follow her every schedule before she even managed to keep up with them.

Nevertheless, unknown to the world, Jimin herself had been keeping tabs on someone.

She had no idea when it started. Was it the time when she watched Minjeong destroying Aeri's chance on the sport?

Because before she knew it, the girl's name was already a search suggestion on her phone's browser. Her algorithm had kept her updated of the girl's achievements. And just like her first impression, Kim Minjeong turned out marvelous in her own track.

There were times when Jimin wanted to shut out the world, opting to put in her wired earphones and watch the recorded live streams of Minjeong's appearances. Observing the girl execute her mastery with calm precision. It drew Jimin in like a black hole.

While the world was watching her every move, she had secretly kept her eyes on someone else and it gave her a thrill. A strange form of escape.

Another knock on the door disrupted her train of thought. "Jimin-ah, let's go," Lia called for her.

Exiting the room, Jimin finally saw her close for the first time.

Kim Minjeong stood still as a staff brushed her dark hair back before her eyes met Jimin's. The eye contact had an instant effect on Jimin's nervous system, forcing her to take a deep breath in attempt to appear unaffected.

Is this what it's like to meet your idol?

Jimin had role models in the industry. Respected artists she had met in person before, but none of them had drawn this kind of reaction out of her.

She blinked a few times before taking careful steps forward, reaching the athlete. Minjeong was wearing a matching black tracksuit, similar to the ones she usually wore while competing. Compared to the first time Jimin saw her back then, the clothes was now tailored to fit Minjeong in a way that made the athlete look smart.

It's just a tracksuit, Yu Jimin. We don't have to go overboard here.

Minjeong walked closer once the staff stepped out from her line of sight, giving a respectful bow and a smile that instantly made Jimin breathless. "Yu Jimin-ssi, I'm Kim Minjeong. Nice to meet you."

Jimin bowed in return. "Nice to meet you, too, Minjeong-ssi. I look forward to working with you."

The athlete chuckled impishly. "I've never done anything like this before, so please excuse the mistakes I'll make."

A rare giggle came out of Jimin. "I'll take good care of you," she said jokingly. Her gaze noticed the director still in quiet discussion with the crew, so she tried to keep the conversation going. "By the way, congratulations for the gold in Doha."

The surprise was apparent in Minjeong's face. "Thank you," she said before clearing her throat. "I also had a good time watching The River," Minjeong added, complimenting Jimin's latest movie.

Their talk was cut short as the director signaled for the shoot to start. The place was setup in a way that mimicked a real shooting range, with Minjeong doing a few dry fires with an unloaded pistol. She was supposed to act "thirsty" before Jimin waltzed in and brought her the isotonic drink.

Minjeong could feel her face warming up whenever she heard Jimin's quiet laughs as the actress monitored her solo takes from the side. She knew she must've looked ridiculous in some of the shots, given her zero experience.

In reality, Jimin was grinning ear-to-ear because Minjeong simply looked adorable in her eyes. Except for the few times Jimin couldn't keep her eyes from watching the way Minjeong's throat muscles rippled with each gulp of the damn drink.

As soon as the director yelled 'Cut,' she had to ask Lia for her small portable fan. 

After Jimin said 'Krush+, gets you in the zone!' to the camera for the fifth time while her elbow was comfortably setting on Minjeong's shoulder, the shooting was wrapped at last. The athlete let out a relieved sigh, much to the actress' amusement.

"Thank you, Jimin-ssi," Minjeong bowed, looking drained compared to her initial appearance.

"Thank you," Jimin replied with her own bow. "Until next time. I hope you do well in your future competitions and the Olympics."

"I will, thank you again. I'll look forward to more of your projects, too."

Later that night, Jimin found herself swiping past the behind-the-scenes photos taken by her manager. She zoomed in on Minjeong's face, helplessly entranced by the athlete's attractive features. She liked the way they both looked next to each other, too.

Jimin selected a few of them to upload on Instagram, purposely keeping them vague as the promotional campaign was still scheduled for next year. She pouted when she realized she couldn't even upload the one with Minjeong in it.

A part of Jimin just wanted to show her off.

After she pressed the 'Post' button, she indulged herself by searching for the athlete's Instagram handle. She chuckled at the scarce amount of photos, a complete contrast to her own feed. After contemplating for two whole minutes, she decided to follow the account.

"Well, we worked together on a project already. So what?" she mumbled to herself, as if the action needed an excuse.

The internet certainly took note of the increase in Jimin's following list. The next morning, everyone was already going around with scenarios as to why the actress would follow a shooting athlete with less than fifty thousand followers. Unaware that Jimin had been following Minjeong  even without having to press the blue button.

Jimin gave an indifferent shrug when Lia mentioned it on their way to work the next day. Her lips forming a coy smile when she saw the notification of Minjeong finally following her back.

The Olympics shooting venue was buzzing with excitement despite the contained hushing going on. Jimin and Aeri settled themselves in the VIP area, complete with lanyards around their neck.

"Thanks again for this, Jimin-ah," her cousin said to her.

Krush actually went through with their promise to provide Jimin with a sponsor pass at the Women's 10 m Air Pistol event. They even went as far as giving her an extra, hence Aeri's presence. Because who else would Jimin bring as a plus one? Her manager had waved her off, choosing to sightsee instead.

"It's nothing. Take it as an early birthday gift," Jimin replied coolly, pulling her cap down even further.

She was initially hesitant to invite Aeri, knowing the girl's sour end with the sport. But then Aeri revealed in a family dinner earlier this year that she had continued to shoot as a hobby, surprising Jimin even more when she told her about the private shooting range she owned.

The actress had left the dinner that night feeling bad for being so out-of-the-loop with her same age cousin. Fortunately, the feeling didn't last long as her whirlwind career thrusted her into another schedule, effectively distracting her.

Now, Jimin was sporting a black cap, a black mask and a snug polo shirt she bought as part of the national team's merch. A totally different look compared to the one prepared for the tennis match next week. She did plan to lay low today.

Her eyes went over the 'Paris 2024' written in big fonts around the building, partly in awe that she was actually here. Attending to watch Kim Minjeong in her element.

"I never pegged you as someone who watches Shooting, though," Aeri commented after they both finished exchanging greetings with fellow guests in the VIP area.

Jimin grimaced before she turned to the girl. "We really should hang out more one of these days," she said, not really wanting to reveal her identity as a closeted fan of a certain shooting athlete. At least, not yet.

"Well, you know where to find me. I'm either in the studio or the shooting range," her cousin grinned.

Their attentions shifted when the announcer started welcoming the spectators and delving into the rundown. Before long, the relay started and the athletes entered the room. Jimin's eyes scanned for every black tracksuit with the South Korean flag embroidered on their chest. There were three, but Jimin found the particular one she was looking for straightaway.

The announcer started introducing the athletes one by one, followed by a few applause here and there.

"On Lane 4, representing South Korea, Kim Minjeong."

Jimin automatically clapped her heands, eyes trained right at the athlete's steady countenance. The backward cap on Minjeong's head only amplified the girl's confident look. It took everything in Jimin not to cheer or squeal like a fan.

As the qualification proceeded, the actress sat still. She followed everything Minjeong did. Every flex on the pistol grip, the particular way Minjeong reached for the pellets before loading them.

Aeri was as immersed since she always had a genuine interest in the sport. Still, the former athlete sneaked glances at the way her famous cousin surprisingly watched the competition with relentless focus.

The qualification had already gone on for 60 minutes and Aeri found her cousin not faltering one bit. Not even a single yawn or any sign of boredom. The girl looked at Jimin with a renewed curiosity from the side as she decided she would get to the end of this later.

Down on the firing line, Minjeong held back a sigh as she felt the hint of fatigue in her dominant shoulder. She looked at the time before noting how she only needed 10 shots left. As flash of a gold medal appeared in her mind, she blinked her thoughts away and raised her pistol to take another shot. Trying to live in the moment, one shot a time.

"Stop," the range officer commanded when the qualification relay came to an end.

Minjeong inserted her safety flag before she finally exhaled fully through her nose. She stood while the announcer read the score of each athlete.

"Lane 4, Kim Minjeong, 580."

She then heard a few cheers from her Korean entourage. It was one of her best scores. Still 11 points lower than the legendary world record, but still a safe score out of 600.

As the announcer continued with the rest of the athletes, Minjeong's eyes wandered to the spectators. She nodded at the approving smile on her coach's face before letting out a chuckle at the rest of her crew's exaggerated thumbs up. Minjeong was about to draw her gaze elsewhere when a friendly face appeared from her periphery.

Focusing on the VIP area, she narrowed her eyes before they widened in disbelief once she spotted Aeri's grinning face. Her best friend had mentioned nothing about this, only giving supportive words through text messages since their last meeting a month before.

The person sitting next to Aeri in the all-black outfit also piqued her interest. Minjeong watched as Aeri whispered something to the girl, causing the latter to lower her mask and smile shyly.

Suddenly, Minjeong had no idea where she was.

Of all the things that had caught her off-guard today, this one topped the list.

What on earth is Yu Jimin doing here?

Her confusion must have translated into her face because the smile on the actress' face slowly faded away. Minjeong blinked and she suddenly heard the venue all over again, the announcer signaling for them to leave the room.

Flustered, she turned her cap around to the front and walked away with her head down. She mentally scolded herself for thinking about anything else other than the gold medal.

Especially, what would Yu Jimin think of the way she wore her cap backward just now.

"Are you seriously gonna parade that baguette around?" Aeri asked Jimin as they strolled along the Seine.

The actress turned to her and gasped in feigned offense. "I'm not gonna parade it. You should know that this baguette will actually be finished by the time we end our walk tonight," she huffed, gripping the baguette closer to her front.

Aeri was about to retort before she looked alarmed at something behind Jimin. "Jimin-ah, don't look back now, but-"

In true fashion, Jimin did exactly the opposite of her cousin's warning before she let out a scream.

"There are pigeons behind you," Aeri's voice trailed off as she finished her sentence, Jimin already using her body as a human shield.

The bodyguard who had been following them was suddenly alerted of his client's apparent panic, looking around for any sign of danger, clueless to the actual threat that was a flock of birds in front of them.

Once Jimin calmed down and they walked the other way to Champ de Mars, Aeri spoke after taking a look at the bulky man. "You know, I never actually realized you're this famous."

The actress glanced at her bodyguard once before shrugging. "Never feels real to me either."

"Where's your manager, by the way?"

"She had to sort some things out for the shoot tomorrow. I don't think she'll join us for dinner either," Jimin answered, looking up at the moon. "How about your friend?"

Aeri typed something on her phone before she looked up. "Perfect timing. She just texted me that she's here."

They both looked around the lawn before Jimin spotted a suspiciously familiar person.

"Minjeong-ah, here!" Aeri shouted, waving her hand in enthusiasm.

The world then came to a slow down as Jimin watched Minjeong walking in their direction. It was like watching Mr. Darcy crossing the field at dawn to reach Elizabeth. Except Jimin currently heard Doja Cat's Agora Hills playing inside her head instead of the classical piano and orchestra.

Turned out Kim Minjeong in black leather coat and casual clothes managed to look even better than the athlete in her tracksuit. Jimin blinked awake when Aeri nudged her from the side, Minjeong already standing in front of them.

"Minjeong-ah, this is Jimin. Jimin-ah, this is Minjeong. Though I remember you guys met each other already for those commercials, right?" Aeri mentioned their project together.

Minjeong braved herself to face the actress, sporting a smile as she bowed in greeting. "Jimin-ssi."

"Minjeong-ssi," Jimin answered, her own lips smiling.

"It's been a while," the athlete added, scratching the back of her neck.

"Yeah, I didn't know you guys are close with each other, though," Jimin said to her cousin.

"What? Jimin-ah, I've known this girl even before we hit puberty. We're close like that," the girl wrapped her arm around Minjeong's shoulder, causing the athlete to chuckle. "We usually hang out with each other in the shooting range, too."

Jimin was still registering this new information when Minjeong spoke again. "And I never knew you know Jimin."

"We're cousins," Aeri answered casually.

Minjeong had to force her mouth shut while looking at her best friend. The audacity to not mention this when Minjeong was panicking about the shoot last year. She remembered how Aeri even acted and talked about Jimin as if she had no relation to the actress at all!

"Were you surprised yesterday?" Aeri asked Minjeong.

"Dude, of course! You never mentioned anything about coming here," the athlete answered.

"Jimin here got two seats as Krush's ambassador."

"Ah, I didn't know that. That's cool," Minjeong said as she looked at Jimin once again.

The actress nodded before the group started walking nearer to the Eiffel Tower. "Congratulations on your silver medal, Minjeong-ssi," Jimin said.

"Thank you," Minjeong looked down at her feet, suddenly feeling bashful. "Hopefully I'll get the gold two days from now."

Jimin stopped in her tracks. "You're still competing?"

"Yeah, for the mixed team," Aeri answered this time.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jimin hissed at her cousin.

"Should I have?" the other girl asked, clueless. "The sponsored tickets were only for the women's event," Aeri explained to Minjeong.

"Nah, it's okay. I'm glad you guys came to watch us yesterday," the athlete answered with a soft smile.

Jimin melted inside. She really wanted to cancel those Chanel campaigns for the next two days. She'd rather sit another two hours watching Minjeong shoot pellets out of her air pistol.

"Look, the view's fantastic from here! Should we take a photo now?" Aeri gushed at the tower.

The girl then busied herself by putting Jimin into position, checking out the perfect angles before her phone rang all of a sudden.

"It's my company, I have to take this. Minjeong-ah, take her pictures first," she said to the athlete before stepping away to take the call.

Feeling obliged from the sudden responsibility, Minjeong took out her own phone, trying to replicate Aeri's prior setup. As the camera came into focus, Minjeong felt her heart skip a beat when Jimin's otherworldly visual appeared on her screen.

She willingly continued to be the actress' personal photographer even when they walked back to the Seine. Noticing the persistent grip Jimin still had on her baguette, Minjeong chuckled fondly.

"Do I look okay?" Jimin asked from where she was standing.

You look perfect. Minjeong only raised a thumb up in response, feeling warm as she watched the actress making a silly pose next to the long bread.

Our nation's sweetheart, indeed. Minjeong thought to herself as her cheeks started to hurt from smiling too much, realizing how Jimin in real life looked a thousand times better than the photos when she eventually lowered her phone.

Later when they had their dinner, the group shared the rest of their personal plans.

"I'll be going back home tomorrow. Will you be staying until the closing ceremony?" Aeri asked her friend.

Minjeong shook her head. "No, I'll go back a day after the mixed event. How about you?" the athlete asked Jimin.

"I'll be staying to watch the women's tennis final," the actress answered, trying to mask her disappointment at the thought of not seeing Minjeong again after today.

"So next week?"

Jimin nodded. "Why are you going back so soon? I thought attending the closing ceremony is mandatory."

"It's not. Besides, I have to go catch up on my studies," Minjeong answered, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Oh?" Jimin stopped chewing. "What are you studying?"

"Industrial Engineering."

"At Korea University," Aeri added after Minjeong's short answer.

The actress gave an impressed nod. Jimin had thought getting a film & theater degree while juggling life as a celebrity was already taxing. But here Minjeong was, getting medals from all around the world while studying engineering.

As if Jimin still needed another reason to swoon at the girl.

The group parted ways after spending a few hours together, Minjeong having to go back to the Olympic Village soon.

"I'll see you back at home," Aeri said to Minjeong as they hugged each other.

When they pulled apart, Minjeong extended a hand to Jimin. The actress then pulled her into a half hug instead, taking her by surprise.

"I'll see you too, Minjeong-ah," Jimin promised.

The younger girl gave a smile before she walked away, her heart warm despite reminding herself that they would still be worlds apart once they returned home.

A few days later, Minjeong eventually got her first Olympic gold medal at the mixed event, the euphoria being more than she ever wished for. However, nothing prepared her for the unexpected message that came through her phone just as she was about to sleep.

Yu Jimin [22:20]:
Hi, Minjeong-ah
This is Jimin

Kim Minjeong [22:20]:
Yu Jimin??

Yu Jimin [22:21]:
Yes...

Kim Minjeong [22:21]:
Oh unnie
What can I help you with?

Yu Jimin [22:22]:
I hope you don't mind me getting your number from Aeri

Kim Minjeong [22:23]:
No, not at all

Yu Jimin [22:24]:
Congratulations on winning gold today, Minjeong-ah ☺️
Also, sorry for texting you this late

Kim Minjeong [22:24]:
Thank you, unnie
I'm flattered

Yu Jimin [22:25]:
Anyway...
If it's not a hassle for you
Would you mind sending me the pictures you took of me in front of the Eiffel Tower? 😬

Minjeong gasped in horror as she sat right up, shocking the fellow athlete who was laying on the bed next to hers.

"What is it, Minjeong-ah?"

She slapped a palm on her forehead.

Kim Minjeong [22:26]:
Unnie!!! I'm sorry I forgot
Wait a minute
*sends loads of pictures*

Yu Jimin [22:27]:
It's okay!!
I'm sorry to disturb you on your rest

Kim Minjeong [22:27]:
No, no, no, it's fine
Really
Besides, I don't think I can sleep tonight

Yu Jimin [22:28]:
You got really excited today, huh

Kim Minjeong [22:28]:
Hehe

Yu Jimin [22:29]:
Well, then
Which one of those pictures do you think looks best, Minjeong-ah?

Kim Minjeong [22:30]:
... 
They all look good, unnie

Yu Jimin [22:30]:
Hm
I need you to pick one tho

Minjeong sighed, even more because she already knew exactly which one was her favorite. She resent the one with Jimin posing next to her baguette. The one she secretly spent more time looking at.

Kim Minjeong [22:31]:
This one
Looks adorable

Yu Jimin [22:32]:
Okay
Go have some sleep, Minjeong-ah
You need it

Kim Minjeong [22:33]:
Sure, unnie
Have a good day

The next morning, Minjeong sat bored on the shuttle bus driving her to the airport. Her fingers tapped on the armrest as she listened to the song playing through her earbuds. A new notification on her phone put a pause on the music temporarily, causing her to check the screen.

It was a new Instagram post notification from Yu Jimin.

Clicking on it, Minjeong saw the series of pictures she sent to the actress last night. Her favorite one being posted as the first photo.

The caption had read 'I looked adorable in the first one,' with a baguette emoji.

"Yah, Kim Minjeong. Why are smiling at your phone so early in the morning?" one of her teammates teased her.

"Nothing," Minjeong answered, still not bothering to hide her smile.

Somehow, Minjeong had become a viral sensation.

It all happened so soon. She departed from Charles de Gaulle and landed the next day in Incheon wanting nothing but rest in her campus dorm. What welcomed her once the arrival gate opened was a crowd of strangers who had no business being there in the airport at 5 AM. 

The craziest part was how they were all there for her.

The team manager was instantly by her side, ushering her into a big van after they managed to walk through the mass who had their phones up and cameras flashing.

“Minjeong-ah!”

“Cupid-unnie!”

“Minjeong-unnie, look here!”

The voices became muffled as her manager closed the door. Minjeong herself was still reeling in shock, looking outside the window again to make sure it was actually her face plastered on some signs brought by those people.

What in the world…

Minjeong turned around to stare at the manager who seemed tired, but definitely less shocked than her. As if the woman had known something Minjeong hadn't.

“Minjeong-ssi,” the manager started saying in a tone one would use with a five year old. “You've gone viral.”

The athlete once again watched the crowd wave to her van as it started to drive away from the sidewalk. Feeling that her life had changed considerably.

Apparently, pictures of her competing in the Olympics had taken the social media by storm. Minjeong didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, but it appeared that the simple sight of her in a shooting stance, one hand inside the pocket and all, gained much intrigue to people previously unfamiliar with the discipline. The backward cap was the cherry on top. Their words, not hers.

As much as she had gotten used to the attention coming from the sport's niche and dedicated bubble, the exposure this time was on a whole different level. Her name was suddenly everywhere. Fellow students on campus would stop her to ask for pictures. An elderly man nodded at her when she went to the convenience store last night. A twitter account had appeared out of nowhere to provide updates of her achievements and whereabouts. 

To put it simply, she was now a celebrity.

Someone dubbed as 'cupid' by the public.

Jimin, on the other hand, was amused at the turn of events. Two months passed after the Summer Olympics and Minjeong’s name was far from being forgotten. The athlete’s consistent performances following Paris only cemented her name further into every South Korean’s general knowledge.

She sighed. It had only been a matter of time before everyone else discovered Minjeong.

The actress unconsciously smiled as she spotted the athlete’s face on a massive LED billboard for a skincare ambassadorship, chuckling when she saw Minjeong making a shooting pose with her hands. The advertisement stayed on her mind even when she reached her place after a grueling day on set.

She was in the middle of erasing her make up, glimpses of Minjeong's soft eyes from her memories last summer playing in her mind. The reverie came to a halt when a call came through.

“Hm, Ning-ah. What’s up?”

“Unnie,” Yizhuo, her screenwriter best friend since university, spoke through the line. “Am I interrupting you?”

“No, I just got back. Why?”

“We’re already approaching the end of October. Has Aeri-unnie mentioned anything to you?”

Jimin raised a teasing eyebrow despite being alone right now. “Still nothing.”

The younger girl groaned on the other end. “Could you please ask what her plans might be?”

“Why don’t you just ask her yourself?”

“If she hadn’t planned anything yet, I’d like to prepare something for her,” Yizhuo said earnestly. “Unnie, I think I might actually tell her how I feel this time.”

Jimin softened hearing that. “I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

One call turned into another and it resulted in a birthday hangout between the cousins, Yizhuo, and Minjeong as Aeri’s best friend. They decided to gather over dinner in Aeri’s apartment as it was the one place everyone already knew.

The guests had decided to bring something, treating the occasion as a potluck. Yizhuo had arrived first with the birthday cake and chicken roast, on top of all the decorative props. Jimin then arrived with a charcuterie board and wine, although she hid the bottle once Minjeong arrived.

“Hi,” the actress smiled when she saw the athlete on the doorstep.

A shade of red crept up Minjeong’s pale cheeks. “Hi. I brought some Dubai chewy cookies and… Krush?” she lifted the carton of beer.

Jimin chuckled before she stepped away to let Minjeong in. She was glad to see the girl again after two months and from the way the athlete smiled at her, she had an inkling that the feeling was mutual.

“Happy birthday, Aeri. Happy birthday, Aeri!”

The birthday girl blew on the candle after making a wish. The three girls around her cheered, turning the whole space lively.

“Thanks, guys,” Aeri said before turning to Yizhuo. “I’ve always wanted this cake, too,” she pouted, referring to the thoughtful mint chocolate cake in her hands.

“I know,” Yizhuo answered, smiling as she rubbed Aeri’s shoulder.

The conversations flowed freely, the group of four having a great time with one another. Jimin finally got the chance to get to know her favorite athlete better in person, with the Krush on her hand being a source of liquid courage.

She was now standing close to Minjeong, both of them leaning on the kitchen island. The open floor plan granted them the view of the other pair who seemed awfully comfortable on the TV couch. "I never realized this tastes so good," Jimin commented after she took another gulp of the beer. 

Minjeong looked at her with humor. "You're the face of the brand."

"Yeah, but I've never really tasted it before."

"Video commercials of you drinking straight out of the bottle are everywhere."

Jimin then leaned in, eyes wide and childlike as if she was about to tell a big secret. "It was apple juice," she whispered. "There's no way I'm drinking while working on a schedule."

Looking at the flush spread across Jimin's face, it was clear the alcohol had started taking its effect. Minjeong felt her chest tightened with a strong urge to look after the raven.

She jumped when Jimin suddenly gasped and pointed at the TV. "Look, it's you!"

Minjeong turned to see her face on the screen in that skincare advertisement, rolling her eyes at the snickers coming from Aeri and Yizhuo. She sighed as she watched Jimin starting to mimic the finger guns before shooting kisses in Minjeong's direction, making the athlete shy.

Shaking her head, Minjeong forced herself to stay calm in spite of Jimin's endearing antics. She then looked at the other two who seemed like they would appreciate some privacy. Taking the hint, Minjeong started to excuse herself.

"Jimin-ah, how are you going home?" Aeri asked her cousin.

"I can drive her," Minjeong said before turning to the actress. "Only if you want me to."

Jimin answered with a hiccup and a cute nod.

The actress' apartment building fortunately wasn't far from Aeri's place. Minjeong had quickly got out of the car to open Jimin's door, lending a hand to help her out.

Jimin then tried to take four full steps before her balance slipped. Minjeong immediately reached out, closing her hands around Jimin's arms to the steady the actress. "Easy," she said gently, her voice sounding an octave lower than usual. "Will you be okay from here?"

Butterflies went wild inside Jimin's stomach as she stared back at the athlete in silence, charmed by the face who had unknowingly captured her attention for years. She cleared her throat before answering. "It's okay, I'm just a bit tipsy. I-I have this habit of cleaning my makeup even when I'm drunk, so I'll be fine."

"That's good." Minjeong nodded, slowly letting go and stepping away. "You have a schedule tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, in the afternoon."

"Cool. Go have some sleep, Unnie. I-I actually have stuffs to do too tomorrow in campus, so..."

"Oh, okay."

The athlete nodded for the hundredth time, wiping clammy hands on her jeans. Not really wanting to part from the beautiful girl in front of her.

"Minjeong-ah."

"Hm?" she looked up at Jimin.

The actress took a step closer in her direction. "I'd really like for us to meet again," she started softly. "If that's okay with you."

Minjeong saw something in Jimin's eyes that made her seemed more within reach. That maybe the idea of the two of them wasn't so impossible, after all. "Of course," she replied.

"Without Aeri. Or Yizhuo," Jimin clarified.

"Just the two of us," Minjeong confirmed, her voice reduced to a whisper.

A smile returned to the actress' face. "Yes."

"Okay."

"Okay," Jimin repeated, still grinning. "Text me," she said, before she gave Minjeong's hand one last squeeze and walked inside the building.

The athlete stood rooted in place for a whole minute before she returned to her car, kicking a stone along the way. Trying to contain this newfound excitement inside her.

"Can't you really forget her?" Jimin whispered, her eyes full of unshed tears.

The man standing in front of her stayed silent, his face full of guilt.

Jimin faced the other way and scoffed. Hurt was written across her face as she took another glance at him. "Then I'll be the one to let you go."

Cue the single tear running down her right cheek.

"Hyejin-ah," the man looked up with panic in his voice, seeing how Hyejin, Jimin's character in their drama, started to turn around and walk away. "Darling, please."

A hand wrapped around Jimin's wrist before she was pulled back, the man's lips suddenly crashing into hers in a searing kiss. Jimin internally winced as she felt the desperate press on her lips, the actor devouring her right on camera for the world and her future offspring to see.

Following what was written on the script, Jimin pushed the actor away before she landed a resounding slap across his face. The tears were now flowing heavily as she gave the man one last disappointed look.

"Cut!"

Claps could be heard from some of the crew on set, affected by the heavy scene just now. Lia was beside her the next second, wrapping a coat around her frame. Before she moved to monitor the scene, Jimin approached the actor in hurried strides.

"Sunbaenim, I'm sorry. Did I hit you too hard?"

Minho, her co-star and senior in the industry, gave her a reassuring smile. "No, Jimin-ah, it was totally fine. I think that might even be our last take for today," he winked at Jimin instead.

What he said was true because the director was more than satisfied with the shot, calling today a wrap. Everyone was happy they weren't going to be working overtime in the growing cold weather of mid November.

Jimin was among those who felt giddy ever since the day had started. She had a date- hangout plan this evening with Minjeong, confirmed by the athlete's text to her phone this morning. They were finally going to meet after almost a month of not seeing each other.

To say that she missed the charming athlete was an understatement. No amount of texting between them could suffice.

Lia rolled her eyes when she saw the soft smile on Jimin's face through the van's rearview mirror. They were now driving away from set and to Aeri's shooting range. Jimin had previously mentioned over text that she wanted to learn more about the sport and Minjeong immediately offered to teach her.

"Cut the dreamy eyes, Yu Jimin," Lia said from the driver seat.

"What?"

"That look on your face. I've never seen it before, which is why it scares me."

Now, it was Jimin's turn to roll her eyes. "Relax. I'm only hanging out with a friend."

Lia barked out a laugh. "Friend. I know she's the reason you've been glued to your phone lately." With Jimin's silent response, the manager softened. "Just be careful, Jimin-ah. You've been so good all these years. Don't ruin it by something unnecessary."

The actress only nodded as she leaned her head on the window.

"Don't forget your hat and mask whenever you guys are outside."

"I know, mom," Jimin sighed, closing her eyes.

An hour later, the actress was already dry firing on a lane.

"That's good. You might want to raise your elbow a little bit," Minjeong commented from behind, ever so sure and calm, prompting Jimin to do as the girl suggested. "Widen the gap between your feet."

Minjeong had previously guided Jimin through the whole entry process with the range staff, introducing the pistol and other related equipment, before she went on to explain the important principles involved.

"So there's no recoil like other guns?" Jimin asked, making sure she wouldn't have her head snapping backwards and embarrass herself in front of her crush.

"No," Minjeong chuckled. "Air pistol has almost no recoil."

Jimin continued to ask many questions in between, each answered patiently by Minjeong who was just happy to be here, introducing a part of her world to the actress.

"Can you customize your pistols?"

"Yes," Minjeong answered. "Most pistols used by athletes are legally customized, such as the grip and the weight. If you noticed during the Olympics, some also customized the cylinders or grip colors."

"But you don't," Jimin referred to the athlete's gun, which was plain black with a wooden grip, only decorated with stickers of past competitions that increased over time.

"No," Minjeong shook her head. "I prefer to keep things... orderly."

Oh, the actress could tell, already familiar with some of Minjeong's ritual in competitions. Still, there was always another thing Jimin could learn about the girl.

"Is it always so empty here?" Jimin's eyes wandered around the range.

"I emptied the whole place."

The actress' head whipped in Minjeong's direction. "What?" The girl shrugged casually, as if she hadn't just admitted to booking a whole facility for Jimin. "You didn't have to do that."

"It's fine." I would do even much more for you, Minjeong thought.

"No, it must've taken a lot of money!"

Minjeong hesitated for a while before answering. "It doesn't. At least, not for me."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't cost anything for me to do this."

"Why? Because Aeri's your friend?"

"Because I own this place."

There was a pregnant pause before Jimin voiced out her confusion. "I thought Aeri does?"

"Well, we both do, actually. We're co-owners of this shooting range."

"Oh."

Minjeong nodded, pursing her lips. "Anyway, do you want to try with the pellets now?"

As expected, the real shooting was unsurprisingly harder. Jimin frowned when she saw the monitor showing decimals of 7s. She spent another fifteen minutes trying, only to huff in frustration when the scores remained unchanged despite Minjeong's verbal assistance.

The athlete then chuckled to herself and approached the actress. "Lower your gun and insert the flag for now."

Jimin did as she was told, holding her breath when she realized Minjeong was now standing close behind her back.

"May I touch you?" the athlete asked, her voice low beside Jimin's ear. Not being able to form a coherent response, the actress gave a small nod.

Then Minjeong landed her hands on Jimin's shoulders, feeling the tense muscles underneath.

"Relax," she whispered lowly, causing the other girl to slump her shoulders right away. "Raise the pistol now."

Raising the gun in a way she remembered Minjeong doing before, Jimin slowly lowered it to aim at the target. Her heart skipped another beat when the athlete gently pushed her bent elbow. 

"Keep it straight," Minjeong mumbled. "Your arm should be forming a straight line from your shoulder until the gun."

To hell with a straight line, Jimin screamed inside her head. She wondered if Minjeong could sense even an ounce of her internal struggle right now.

"Now, do you see the square of the front sight? Keep it at the same height with the edges of the rear sight. Make sure it's located in the center," the athlete continued, seemingly oblivious to Jimin's increasingly hot and bothered self.

As Minjeong proceeded to yap more about alignments for the next five minutes, it was a miracle Jimin didn't combust on the spot, even managing to grasp some of the information. Truly a testament to her experienced professionalism.

But like any other lovesick mortal in the presence of cupid, Jimin could only last so long. Minjeong moved the topic into triggering technique before she enveloped Jimin's grip on the gun with her own hand without warning.

Once the actress felt the warm, calloused skin against hers, it was only white noise inside her brain from then onwards. 

Minjeong, on the other hand, was going full professor as a valiant effort of self-control. She had the constant subject of her daydreaming these past months quite literally in her arms right now, with Jimin's heavenly and distracting scent engulfing her.

She really hoped the actress wouldn't hear the violent thrums coming from her chest.

"Keep it slow... and steady," Minjeong spoke in a hushed tone, her breath fanning the actress' hair as her fingers gently guide Jimin into putting pressure on the trigger. "Focus on the front sight. Keep it all aligned even after the shot."

Their fingers pressed further into the trigger. Slowly, surely, until a click sounded from the gun, drawing a soft breath out of Jimin. 

"Stay still. Remember, steady," Minjeong murmured, talking the actress through the afterhold. "Good, you're doing good," the athlete continued to give praises as they finally lowered the gun.

Jimin tried. She really did. But Minjeong being the perfect mix of gentle and skilled really didn't help her situation at all.

When the pistol was fully lowered on the table, Jimin turned her head to the side and met Minjeong's stare. One would think she had run a marathon from the way her chest rose and fell unevenly.

The athlete's hand still remained where it was, her thumb unconsciously rubbing circles on the smooth skin underneath as she found herself unable to look away from the beauty.

And that was all it took for Jimin to surrender. Turning her body around to face Minjeong, she started to lean in slowly, giving ample time for the other girl to back out. She was putting her whole pride on the line for the first time, never being the one to make the first move before.

The distance between their lips was only a breath away, Minjeong gently pulling Jimin's body closer by the waist, when a heavy thump suddenly echoed inside the supposedly empty building. The two quickly drew back in surprise, their eyes scanning for the source of the sound.

Expecting to see the range staff whose silent presence they had forgotten about, the pair was startled to catch Aeri with a guilty look on her face, her rifle case in one hand.

"Sorry," the girl squeaked, trying to look at anything else other than the two. "I just had to retrieve something here, I was hoping you didn't notice. I'm so sorry, I swear I didn't see anything," Aeri rambled, proving that she actually witnessed the whole thing.

Minjeong was mortified watching her best friend sprint out of the building before any of them could say a word. Only then did she also realize how Jimin's burning face had been hiding inside her neck the whole time.

She let out an incredulous laugh at the situation, quietly pleased that Jimin's immediate instinct was to run into her arms as she pulled the actress even closer.

"Do you want to come up for a bit?"

Minjeong spotted the nervous fidgeting Jimin tried to hide as her car parked in front of the actress' apartment building.

"I'll walk you up to the door," she replied softly.

They both got out of Minjeong's car and walked inside the building, Jimin unable to contain the smile behind her mask when the athlete confidently grabbed her hand.

"It's getting cold right now, I could use some body warmth," the athlete cheekily excused herself.

Jimin rolled her eyes, imagining how red her face must be at the moment.

As lame as the excuse was, Minjeong's hand did feel warm. Jimin simply had nothing to complain about when their fingers were still intertwined as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Are you sure you don't want to come inside and have some drink first?" Jimin pouted, lowering her mask now that they reached the floor of her penthouse.

It took everything inside Minjeong not to fold on the spot. "Next time?" she implied on another date, how she wanted to keep seeing the actress.

And Jimin caught on immediately, her eyes laced with relief. "Okay," she answered. "I really enjoyed tonight."

"Me, too," Minjeong said before cradling the actress' face in her hand. "Go have some rest, Unnie. You've had a long day."

Ugh. Jimin wished she could drag Minjeong inside and just bask in her warmth all night. Powerless to the amount of affection she had for the girl, Jimin closed their distance and gave a chaste kiss on the athlete's cheek.

Minjeong looked at her, stunned at the sudden boldness.

"For good luck in the next World Cup," Jimin smirked as she pulled away.

"There's no more World Cup for this year. I won the Finals already."

"Of course, you did."

"I could use a good luck for another thing, though."

"And what would that be?" Jimin entertained her.

"My capstone presentation," Minjeong grimaced. "It's next week."

Jimin hummed as she remembered about the athlete's other life as a final-year college student. "I guess you do need great luck for that."

Minjeong nodded in a mock serious way.

Giving an amused chuckle, Jimin leaned in once again without turning to the side, going straight for the athlete's plump lips this time. Minjeong sighed as soon as their lips touched, moving slowly as they took time getting to know each other.

Her hands snaked inside Jimin's coat and slotted themselves back around the actress' waist, her new favorite place to hold onto. She groaned when she felt scratches on her nape, feeling pleased by the touch. Minjeong was in the middle of sucking Jimin's lower lip like candy when the actress pulled back, causing her to whine as she stubbornly tried to go in for another kiss.

"I won't let you go home if you insist to continue," Jimin whispered, eyes flickering to Minjeong's mouth like an addiction.

The younger girl sighed in defeat, leaning her head on the actress' shoulder.

She felt another kiss on the crown of her head instead. "Now that should give you all the luck you need."

Minjeong blinked in a daze. What was the luck for again?

Sometimes Jimin forgot they were both famous.

How Jimin liking and commenting pictures of Minjeong's latest triumph on social media wasn't just her simply showing support to the girl she liked. It was a gesture worthy of news headlines and discussions on internet forums that could stay for weeks.

The silver lining was how they didn't have to hide their hangouts in public anymore, the internet dubbing them as one of the most unexpected, yet legendary pair of friends. The actress would scoff at the relationship label, silently liking tweets of people making romantic speculations between the two of them using her anonymous account inside.

Minjeong also didn't seem to mind, which was the only thing Jimin cared about. She wanted to keep the athlete close as part of her privacy, not a secret. Although the actress might have to revisit some of her earlier media training that seemed to fly out of the window every time Minjeong's name was mentioned to her.

It was already April, the time for Jimin to promote her latest drama.

Camera flashes went crazier as she entered the conference room, walking with her head held high, her four-inches heels giving more height to her already slim figure. She smiled as she paused next to Minho in front of the backdrop wall and linked their arms together, facing the rows of journalists as the main leads.

"Jimin-ssi, look this way!"

A hand raised elegantly. A half-heart next to her cheek. A wink to the camera, which she still failed to do perfectly. A look straight into Minho's friendly eyes.

Thank goodness it was a co-star she actually liked this time.

After the photo-ops passed, they were guided to sit behind the long table. Jimin took the seat beside the director, another figure she respected in the industry, before the questions started coming.

It started off as usual at first, asking about the main theme, characters background and whatnot.

"This is a question for Jimin-ssi," a journalist spoke into the mic. "You just had two consecutively successful movies before this, especially with The River winning an award in Toronto last year. What made you choose this project as a comeback to acting in TV dramas?"

Another anticipated question. "Thank you for your question. The script grabbed my attention at once because I've read the original book in the past and loved it. I think our writer did a great job adapting it into the screen," she answered smoothly, glancing at the screenwriter who gave her a smile in return. "It was just a no-brainer for me to be involved in this project, especially when I heard who the director and main lead would be."

The questions continued until the MC took note of the time. "Any other questions? I think we'll take another two before we wrap this press conference."

Another journalist asked about any interesting behind-the-scenes story on set, answered by Minho who mentioned some accidental mishaps that brought laughs out of everyone.

"Okay, last question?" the MC asked before she pointed at a journalist sitting in the middle row.

The young woman cleared her throat before speaking. "This question is for Yu Jimin-ssi and it might not be related to the drama." The MC was about to cut her off when Jimin signaled that it was okay, knowing it was already the last question for the day. What harm could happen?

The journalist continued after Jimin gave her an encouraging nod. "We've noticed how you've been spotted in public a few times with Olympic gold medalist Kim Minjeong," she said, freezing the actress in her seat. "And you've been more active on social media lately to show your support, which fans noticed was unusual. Can I ask a bit about the background story behind all these?"

Well, that was unexpected.

Jimin could see every person with the press badge on their chest waiting with their pen hovering, also curious about her response, while she was here praying for her ears to not turn red. She also needed Doja Cat to stop singing that damn song in her ears right now.

I wanna show you off

I wanna show you off

She internally laughed. The audacity of this innocent-looking woman to ask about her raging crush on national TV in front of the whole country. Oh, the price of fame.

Taking the mic carefully, Jimin ignored the eyes coming from the rest of her co-workers, also familiar with Minjeong who had gone to visit the set before. Twice. "You mean the reason for my interactions with her?" Jimin clarified, trying to stall while she rearranged her brain in the safest way possible.

Anything other than the PR-disaster that was dying to come out of her mouth whenever the athlete's handsome face appeared in her mind. She wondered how Minjeong was doing right now in Munich. She promised the girl hugs and kisses if she managed to bring home another medal this weekend.

At the nod from the journalist, Jimin took a calming breath before speaking into the mic. I got this, I got this.

"I like her."

The huge conference room went quiet.

Safe for the sharp smack of skin sounding from behind the wall, most definitely coming from Lia who was slapping her forehead in hopelessness.

"I-I mean I've been a fan," Jimin tried to salvage the situation, clearing her throat and trying to lock in for once. "I happened to be in Paris during the Olympics last year and we have a mutual friend, so I've gotten to know her better since then."

Based on the journalist's satisfied smile, Jimin knew it was already too late.

Minjeong couldn't hide the grin that came out of her face as she saw news of Jimin's adorable slip-up earlier this week. The actress hadn't texted her since then and she suspected it had everything to do with that.

But Minjeong was supposed to compete today, still to no text coming from the actress. Jimin always wished her good luck on the morning of competition days regardless of time differences.

Somewhere along the way, the girl had also become part of Minjeong's ritual.

Minjeong [06:06]:
I'm competing today
A good luck would be nice

Jimin unnie🐈‍⬛ [06:10]:
Good luck, Minjeong-ah

Minjeong [06:11]:
I take it back
A kiss would've been much better

Jimin unnie🐈‍⬛ [06:12]:
Wouldn't you like that, huh
Have a great time, Minjeong-ah
I'll wait for you tomorrow at home

Minjeong's stomach flipped at the casual way Jimin lately referred to her place as their home. Inviting the nation's sweetheart to her dorm on campus wouldn't be the smartest decision. She recently got her own smaller place after graduating from university, but there would still be a lot of things to compromise regarding privacy. Hence, Minjeong's increasing presence in the actress' penthouse.

She really couldn't wait to see Jimin. She remembered the promise of rewards, too.

Strongly motivated by Jimin's shower of affection in mind, Minjeong went on to add another silver medal to her collection. She then boarded the earliest direct flight that same evening, still in her national team tracksuit when she arrived at her lover's place the next afternoon in Seoul.

Jimin welcomed her at the door with a soft smile, glad to see her favorite person finally back in town.

Minjeong didn't say anything and walked inside to give the actress a big hug, inhaling the scent of Jimin's familiar perfume, smiling as she realized she was finally at home. "I missed you," she mumbled into Jimin's shirt before pulling away, her face full of mischief. "And I like you, too, by the way."

The actress tried to fight the blush forcing its way to her cheeks. "Shut up. Come, I made you something."

Sniffing the delicious aroma wafting through the door, Minjeong rolled her suitcase and followed Jimin inside.

"You're cooking?" she asked as she approached Jimin who was already back in the kitchen area, tending to the pots on her stove. Minjeong wrapped her arms around the actress' midriff from behind, peeking over the shoulder.

"Yeah, it's for celebrating your win."

"But I thought I was promised kisses?"

"I'll feed you and shower you with kisses after," Jimin answered before pecking the girl on her cheek.

"No schedule for today?"

"Nope. The company gave me rest after that press con earlier this week. I'll be free before another photoshoots for promotion starting Monday."

"Oh," Minjeong hummed. "That press con, huh."

The actress had to close her eyes in exasperation. "You're going to bring that up forever, aren't you," she said, looking at the girl's smug expression.

Minjeong then took a shower while Jimin finished the rest of her cooking, continuing to stay for lunch and dinner. Later that night, she joined the older girl at the couch after doing all the dishes.

"Should we watch a movie?" Jimin asked as her Netflix page appeared on the TV screen.

Leaning closer to the actress, Minjeong nodded. "Sure."

"What do you want to watch?"

"Not sure. You choose tonight." Minjeong's eyes followed over the numerous movie posters showing on screen while Jimin continued to browse for the perfect film.

Her eyes then caught two different posters with Jimin's face on it, both with different male actors. Minjeong recognized one of them as a very popular romcom in the country, one that established Jimin into a household name. She remembered how every person basically wished for Jimin to end up with her co-star in real life.

Jimin proceeded to skip over her own movies, something about feeling weird watching herself on screen. She then chose an action movie none of them had watched before, settling Minjeong comfortably into her arms.

As they watched the characters constantly putting themselves in near-death experiences, Minjeong couldn't help her mind from wandering back to her previous thought.

"Unnie."

"Hm?"

"Do you still keep in touch with Do Kyungseok?"

Jimin was perplexed at the sudden question. "The actor, Do Kyungseok?"

"Yes."

The older girl took a minute to remember. "Not really. It's been... what? Five years? We don't really keep in touch with each other. I saw him again at Baeksang last year, though."

Minjeong nodded. She tried to focus back on the movie before failing again. "Unnie."

The actress looked at her wordlessly this time.

"Have you ever fallen in love with a co-star before?"

Again, Jimin took her careful time before answering. "I don't think so," she said, tilting her head in thought. "I guess I can see how easy it is to blur everything when you're playing someone else. But actors can be very different from their characters on screen. Sometimes the director would yell 'Cut!' and you would immediately face someone you just... don't fall in love with," Jimin shrugged.

"Even when you kiss and touch each other?"

"Even then," Jimin nodded, her eyes wide to emphasize her point. "And those scenes are actually very technical on set that it felt anything but intimate," she winced. "What's with the questions, by the way?"

Minjeong blinked silently. "Just curious." She tried to ignore Jimin's narrowed gaze at her, actually doing good at keeping up with the movie's plot for once.

The story was reaching its climax, an explosion bound to happen after a tearful goodbye kiss between the hero and his love interest. Unfortunately, watching the actors lock lips on screen brought out images of Jimin being intimate with her co-stars. People who weren't Minjeong.

And it bothered her. 

"Unnie," she said right as the bomb exploded in the movie.

Jimin jumped a little behind her, grabbing the remote to press pause. "Yes?" she turned to Minjeong again for the third time. "Should we just stop the movie right here?"

Realizing she had been distracting Jimin way too much, the athlete shook her head. "No, Unnie. Let's continue. Sorry, I forgot what I was about to say."

"No, you didn't," Jimin said, stroking Minjeong's arm. "Tell me."

"It's nothing important. I've only realized now how stupid it was-"

"What is it, Minjeong-ah?"

"Would you have kissing scenes in your upcoming drama?"

Jimin went silent, staring into the girl in her arms. Is that what's been bothering her mind the whole night?

"If I said yes, would it be a problem for you?"

Minjeong slowly shook her head, looking up at Jimin with doe eyes.

"Would you be jealous, perhaps?" Jimin asked again.

Her heart swelled when Minjeong gave a reluctant nod, looking down and refusing to meet her eyes. Not knowing how to handle this, Jimin pulled Minjeong flush to her body and sighed.

"I'm sorry you'll have to see me kissing Choi Minho after this," Jimin pouted.

"It's okay, I watched you kiss Do Kyungseok together with the rest of the world before," Minjeong said, her voice muffled into Jimin's shoulder.

Pulling away, the actress huffed and looked straight into Minjeong's eyes, her own face visibly upset at the thought of making her girl jealous. "Just say the word, Minjeong-ah. If my girlfriend doesn't want me kissing another person in front of the camera, I'll never do it again from now on."

Minjeong would've laughed at how ridiculous Jimin looked right now, seemingly hell-bent on taking care of her heart, if it weren't for the fact that the actress had just called Minjeong her girlfriend. "G-girlfriend?"

Jimin's eyes widened comically, her face turning pink as she realized what she had just said. "I-I meant to say if you don't want me kissing another person. Not my girlfriend. I mean I do want you to be my girlfriend. I really adore you and everyday I already imagine us growing old together. I guess I just like you so much and I love spending time with you that my stupid brain just sort of see you as my girlfriend already. We basically spend our free time together, which I really love because I also happen to love you and-"

Her ramble was cut short when she felt soft lips covering hers, effectively silencing her nerves. Minjeong took all of her breath away as she kissed her tenderly, unhurried. When the younger girl finally pulled away, she smiled softly at Jimin's dazed countenance.

"I love you, too," Minjeong said, giving another kiss on a mole located underneath the actress' lips. "And no, I wouldn't want you to hinder yourself from great roles and opportunities just because of me. I'm not that kind of girlfriend and will never be."

Jimin, who had slowly regained her bearings, smiled as Minjeong's words finally registered in her brain. 

Minjeong and her. Girlfriends. Love. She loves me.

The actress turned off the TV for good this time, returning to Minjeong with a dopey smile for even more kisses.

As she took time savoring her girlfriend's lips, she mentally took note of how she would discuss her upcoming roles with Minjeong from now on. She finally had someone to commit to, to take care of.

And she would do a hell of a great job at it.

"Is that Yu Jimin?"

Minjeong glanced sideways when she heard the women sitting on the table behind them, guessing whether the beauty entering this restaurant was really Jimin.

"I think it is," another answered, whispering not so discreetly.

They had just arrived at a restaurant to have a mini catch-up lunch with Aeri and Yizhuo. Even after choosing the most secluded corner, going anywhere in the country without being recognized was apparently impossible for Jimin.

"Should we move tables?" Minjeong asked in a low voice.

Her girlfriend seemed untroubled as she flipped through the menu. "No. Does it trouble you?"

The athlete shook her head, already used to Jimin's fame. She was about to grab her girlfriend's hand from across the table when the same group of women gushed again, canceling her action.

"Wait, is that the athlete?"

"Who?"

"The cupid."

"Kim Minjeong?"

"It is, oh my gosh!"

Jimin looked up at her with an eyebrow raised, paired with a smirk. 

Minjeong blushed. "We really should've chosen somewhere more private."

"It's fine, baby," Jimin replied, only mouthing the endearment.

"But I wanna hold hands with you," Minjeong pouted, her voice reduced to a whisper. "I missed you."

Jimin looked at her girlfriend again. "But we woke up next to each other today. We had breakfast together, then I went for an interview and you picked me up after for this."

"I just came back from abroad and wanted to spend more time with you."

The actress softened before she opened the menu and put it upright on the table. Leaning forward, she hid her face behind the book and signaled for Minjeong to do the same. 

With their faces being out of the women's sight, Jimin whispered to her very adorable girlfriend. "I missed you, too," the actress sighed, not being able to stop her hand from pinching Minjeong's cheek. "I'm all yours after this, but you really need to stop being so cute before I kiss you over this table and wreak havoc on the whole country."

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

The couple looked up at the same time to see Aeri and Yizhuo towering over them with funny looks.

Minjeong was the first to straighten in her seat. "Nothing," she said as the other two settled in their chairs. "Just telling my girlfriend that I missed her."

Everyone at the table looked at her with surprise, Jimin included since they both hadn't revealed their relationship to anyone else.

"What?" Aeri was the first to speak, her mouth gaped.

Yizhuo turned her head to Jimin, who was resembling a boiled tomato by the passing minute. "Unnie!" she whisper-yelled.

It took another minute for Aeri to keep looking back and forth between the new couple.

"We'll talk about this," Aeri glared over the menu as they placed their orders.

Yizhuo then had to run to the bathroom before she returned at record speed, sitting back in her chair. Leaning forward on her elbows, she eyed Minjeong and Jimin with an eager look. "Now, spill."

"Everything," Aeri added.

"How did this happen?" Yizhuo asked.

The new couple looked at each other before Jimin sighed. She went on to explain everything in a chronological order, trying her best to satisfy her nosy friend and cousin while also eating the steak she ordered. Minjeong would step in, taking turns for Jimin to have actual bites.

"So you guys kind of liked each other since last year?" Yizhuo confirmed, followed by the couple's nods. "Since the first time you met each other? The Krush+ Olympics promotional shoot?"

"Wrong," Aeri suddenly intercepted after being silent the whole time.

"What do you mean?"

"That wasn't the first time they met each other."

Minjeong had a questioning look while Jimin sent a warning glare at her cousin. "Aeri-yah."

"They met way before," the Japanese continued with a knowing smirk.

"Really, Unnie?" Minjeong turned to her girlfriend.

"Do you want to tell them or should I?" Aeri asked to Jimin in particular.

The actress let out a long breath before she faced Minjeong with a grimace. "Promise me you won't think I'm weird after this."

Worried, the athlete held her hand in hers. "What is it?"

Jimin made sure to send her insufferable cousin one last glare before speaking. "I actually first saw you during one of the national junior championships a few years back. Do you remember Aeri's last competition where you won silver?"

Minjeong nodded, unsure where this was going.

"I was there. I went there with my mom to root for Aeri, but then... you happened. And I kind of remembered you since then," Jimin felt her voice wavering as she went on, unable to hold her girlfriend's gaze. "I followed your updates, sometimes I would watch videos of you competing. Long story short, I became a fan of yours."

She dared herself to peer at Minjeong through her lashes, finding her girlfriend out of words.

"So, the Olympics?" Yizhuo joined in, referring to Jimin watching the athlete during last year's games.

"I did request seats to watch Minjeong in the Olympics, that was all," Jimin explained hastily. "I just wanted to watch her in person. I really didn't expect that the contract would come with promotional stuffs with her, leading to our first actual meeting."

The actress seemed smaller in the end, prompting Minjeong to squeeze her hand in comfort. "Hey," she gently called, searching for her girlfriend's eyes. "Look at me."

She started to speak as soon as Jimin returned her gaze.

"I guess it is daunting to ever think that someone as great as you would be an actual fan of mine," she chuckled. "Surreal, but nice."

Jimin frowned. "Don't say that. Baby, you're a phenomenal athlete. You deserve even more."

"Okay, okay," Minjeong nodded, wanting to soothe her girlfriend. "I guess I'll never get used to that," she muttered to herself before continuing. "What I want to say is how that's never gonna change anything between us. At least the promotional shoot led me to you. Even without it, we're still going to meet each other through Aeri," she said, eyes drifting to her best friend.

Aeri rolled her eyes, a fond smile sitting on her face as she watched the two of them.

"Nevertheless," Minjeong continued, smiling as she looked back at the love of her life. "I know I'll still fall in love with you."

"Baby," Jimin pouted, her heart clenching.

"Now, let me take care of you and return the support you gave me all these years, hm?" Minjeong said, giving a gentle caress on the back of Jimin's hand.

"Jimin-ah, are you crying?" Aeri asked in alarm.

The actress' pout deepened as she tearfully turned to her cousin. "I just really wanna kiss her right now."

"Oh, man," Yizhuo sighed, starting to massage her forehead.

Jimin really wanted to get away from this award show. She would have enjoyed dressing up and socializing with fellow artists in the industry if it weren't for the awful timing.

The actress had been sitting for hours in her dress, going up on stage once to receive a popularity award. She was far from ungrateful, only having something more important on the other side of the world right now. If it weren't for her company forcing her to attend this event, Jimin would be on a direct flight to Madrid already since yesterday.

She subtly took a glance at the time showing on her phone, noting there was only half an hour left before the show ended.

One more award and I'm out of here.

The joke was on her because, as it turned out, the last and most awaited award was meant for her.

"The 7th Blue Dragon Series Awards Daesang goes to... Yu Jimin-ssi for Lover's Rock. Congratulations!"

Jimin blinked at the spotlights directed her way, suddenly returning to the stage as every person in the room gave a standing ovation to her performance in her latest hit drama. Once every one sat back down, when the background music stopped and every eye looked up to her with respect, only then Jimin felt the weight of the trophy in her hand.

She had done this dozens of times before, this being another Daesang to add to her impressive shelf of awards. However, tonight felt different. Her earlier urge to go home vanished in an instant as she realized the solemnity of the award.

This drama hadn't been the easiest ride. There were days when the character consumed too much life out of Jimin that continuing felt like a struggle.

Her mind went to her girlfriend for a second. It had been three years since Jimin had Minjeong as someone to run to, four years since the previous summer Olympics, and eleven years since Jimin worked as an actress. This project had felt like the last straw, a turning point. Something that made her feel all the fatigue she had been ignoring since her debut.

If it weren't for the most wonderful people working with her on set, Lia, her family and, most importantly, Minjeong, she didn't think she would ever stand on this stage. Ignoring the huge lump on her throat, she took a deep breath and started thanking everyone she could think of through the mic.

"And to the fans, everyone who had given appreciation to Lover's Rock, I thank you. Thank you for loving this project as I do," she smiled through the tears welling in her eyes.

This award felt like a meaningful closure to more than a decade of work. An end to a chapter she was greatly honored to have.

After thanking everyone, her athlete girlfriend remained in her thought as always. Memories of Minjeong staying with her, holding her steady throughout the toughest times, played over and over again. It was admirable how the girl managed to do all that while also striving for perfection in her own field.

"One last thing. To everyone competing in the Olympics right now, the athletes who bravely represent our country, I hope you always find joy in doing what you love. Your spirit have inspired a lot of us and we appreciate you."

I appreciate you, my love.

An hour later, Jimin was already in Incheon's FBO terminal with Lia and the bodyguard hired by her company. The 10 m Air Pistol qualification this Olympics just had to be scheduled at the same day as the award show. Jimin had to immediately charter a private jet to catch up.

Minjeong [21:30]:
Unnie
Congratulations on your Daesang, I'm so proud of you 🤍
Quali has just finished btw
I ranked 1st

Unnie💗 [21:32]:
Babyyyyy
I knew you would do great!!!
I'm at the airport right now
I promise I'll be there for the final tomorrow

Minjeong [21:36]:
Safe skies, my love
I'll see you tomorrow
I love you

Unnie💗 [21:37]:
I love you too, baby

The time differences made it possible for Jimin to watch the final round in the next morning. She would never forgive herself if she managed to miss her girlfriend's gold medal chase.

As soon as she landed, Jimin forced herself to get a few hours of sleep in the hotel despite how nervous she felt for her girlfriend's upcoming appearance. She woke up exactly to the first alarm ringing from her phone, arriving at the venue right on time before the event started. She scanned for a familiar figure before walking into the VIP area.

"Eomma," Jimin said, landing a gentle hand on an elderly woman's shoulder.

Minjeong's mother looked up, a smile on her face when she realized who it was. "Omo, Jimin-ah, you're here."

Jimin sat down and hugged her. "Sorry, I'm late," she said after pulling away.

"No, the event hasn't started yet. Have you eaten?" the woman's eyes were full of care. "I brought some kimchi here with me."

"I grabbed something from the room service, Eomma. But kimchi sounds delicious."

"I'll give it to you later in the hotel," the woman said, as she ran a comforting hand along Jimin's arm. "You must be tired. Have you been sleeping well?"

The older woman continued to fuss over her wellbeing until the announcer came in and grabbed both of their attentions. Her heartbeat started to run when the athletes were called inside.

Jimin let out a soft gasp when she spotted Minjeong, her heart harboring a void after the girl had been spending more time with the national team in preparation for this. The actress herself had been busy, deepening the longing she felt for the girl's presence.

Minjeong walked behind the firing line like she had nothing else to prove. Her qualification score had been a staggering 594, breaking the world record and unintentionally making herself a target of expectations previously thought unimaginable.

Everyone was curious to see what kind of magic she could do today. Different from her experience four years ago, the whole nation was now tuning in to watch her.

After she heard her name being announced in the building, she let her gaze fall to the VIP area one last time, finding her mother and Jimin sitting side-by-side. The two most important women in her life were here today.

Jimin blew her a kiss, washing away the figurative weight on her shoulders. 'I love you,' the actress mouthed at her. Minjeong nodded and turned her head back to the front, taking a deep breath while closing her eyes.

She had a good feeling today.

After doing her rituals, Minjeong started dry firing along with the other finalists until the range officer signaled for the official scoring to begin. She maintained the grip on her pistol, a new one with a blue cylinder, a homage to her girlfriend.

"For the first competition shot. Load."

Her fingers automatically moved once she heard the range officer's command. She loaded the pellet with muscle memory before reinserting her left hand into her pants pocket.

"Attention. 3, 2, 1. Start."

She raised the pistol before correcting her aim. Taking a few seconds to maintain the alignment, she started pressing on the trigger.

The first shot was fired.

Her posture remained for a while before she lowered her gun.

"Stop."

"Kim. 10.1."

A statement that today was indeed going to be good. Minjeong basked in the applause as her collected mind remained in the zone. The next nine shots passed by, with Minjeong comfortably taking the first position, a dominant 3-point gap from the second place.

Jimin watched it all unveil with wonder. She could see from the moment Minjeong walked in that her girl was going to win it all today.

And with that, Jimin only felt happiness for her.

Minjeong was as effective as a cold-blooded assassin, shooting through the consecutive eliminations with ease. Her performance felt too good to be true, her cumulative score too high, she only hoped that it made everyone who mattered to her proud.

"With a score of 176.5, in fifth place is the athlete representing South Korea, Shin Ryujin."

At the mention of her teammate being eliminated, Minjeong held back a disappointed sigh. She had really wanted to share the podium with a fellow Korean this year.

It made her falter for the first time today, scoring a costly 9.3 that narrowed the gap significantly between her and the talented woman from China.

Now being the only remaining athlete representing her country, Minjeong forced her mind to keep focusing on the target. Just that damn circle.

"Ladies and gentlemen, with a score of 222.8, the bronze medal goes to..."

Minjeong tuned out the rest of the sentence as she still had a gold medal to attain.

Just two more shots, Minjeong-ah.

She heard nothing but the range officer telling her to load the gun. Taking the pellet with regular precision, she tried to think as if she was in her private shooting range at the moment, counting down the time before going back to meet Jimin at home after a long day.

"3, 2, 1. Start."

Minjeong exhaled steadily as she raised the gun, lowering it down to focus on the black square of the front sight. The rectangle she had seen the most in her life. She checked the alignment, feeling satisfied when she made sure it was the perfect gap below the black circle on the target.

Slow and steady, her index finger started pressing on the trigger. She made sure her gun stayed still until it finally fired.

"Kim. 10.3."

Minjeong looked down at her feet.

One more. Just one more.

Before long, she was already raising her gun to make another aim.

Her breathing slowed as she faced the one moment that matter in the end.

She felt the click when her pistol fired the final shot. As she pressed fully on the trigger, she could've sworn the black target turned into gold for a minute there.

Lowering her gun, she got welcomed by the loud noise from the crowd inside the auditorium, already too excited to care.

"Ladies and gentlemen, with a score of 242.9, the gold medal of the Women's 10 m Air Pistol event at the 2028 Summer Olympics goes to..."

Minjeong closed her eyes as she leaned her head back with a smile.

"Kim Minjeong from South Korea!"

As soon as Minjeong and the rest of the athletes walked out of the competition zone, Jimin was also out of her seat.

"You did it," the actress gushed, her arms wrapped around Minjeong tightly as they met each other in the hospitality area designated for guests.

There was a short interval before the medal ceremony. The couple, who couldn't wait to see each other, took advantage of it. Minjeong gave an appreciative nod to her coach and team when they walked out to give them some privacy.

"Thank you," Minjeong whispered, stroking her girlfriend's hair. "Thank you, my love," she repeatedly expressed her gratitude. Not for the words of congratulations, but for Jimin's persistent support all these years. For believing in her, even at times when the athlete herself couldn't.

When she heard her name getting called into the highest podium later, she bit the gold medal in her hand. Laughing freely at the cheers coming from her team and family. She grinned at the sight of her team bawling their eyes out before throwing a sneaky wink in her girlfriend's direction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please all stand for the national anthem of the Republic of Korea."

As Minjeong and everyone else in the building watched her national flag being hoisted to the very top, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Today had been a good one.

It was honestly a miracle that they managed to keep their relationship private for so long.

Minjeong had pushed their luck way too much this time. Holding hands could be excused. But kissing each other on the lips?

The athlete sat in silence next to her girlfriend when Lia and Yeji, her manager for the past two years, showed them the pictures. It was grainy, taken at night on their shared apartment's parking lot.

Jimin remembered that moment. They had just gone home from a nice date, not being able to keep their hands off each other. Minjeong, unable to resist the vixen that had tempted her throughout the drive home, had pounced on Jimin right then and there. They had checked around the place after, making sure they were safely alone since it was already past midnight.

Or so they had thought.

Minjeong squinted her eyes at the photographer's supposed position, the grain increasing with the zoom. A breach of privacy and there was nothing she could do about it.

Sensing her girlfriend's sour mood, Jimin looked back at the two managers. "Do you guys mind giving us a moment?"

Lia and Yeji nodded before they stepped out of Minjeong's office in the shooting range.

"Jagiya," Jimin gently called, grabbing Minjeong's hand.

The athlete sighed, her face upset. "I'm sorry, I should've been more careful."

"Well, I kind of played a part in this, too," Jimin replied, pursing her lips as flashes of the memory appeared inside her head.

Minjeong must be thinking the same thing because she started chuckling herself. "What do you want to do about this? I'm worried about you."

The actress frowned. "Babe, I'm on an indefinite hiatus after working my ass off for eleven years. I've achieved everything I could possibly dream of. I only care about you."

"This would affect nothing of my work."

"Same goes for me."

The athlete gave a disbelieving glance at her.

"Seriously," Jimin exclaimed. "Maybe it would affect the roles offered to me, maybe it won't. And if my fans truly cared for what I work for, then they should already know that being in a healthy relationship wouldn't affect my excellent acting skills. I already have three years worth of proof for it."

Minjeong smiled at her girlfriend, brushing a stray strand behind the actress' ear. "And being in a happy relationship with you made me a better person. With some medals as bonuses."

Jimin's eyes softened. "The point is, I'm saying that I love you and I care for you more than anything. I love you now and I will still love you even without all those medals."

Not finding the right words to convey the extent of her feelings, Minjeong captured her girlfriend's lips instead. Jimin then took the athlete in her lap, wrapping their arms around each other in comfort. "I love you, too," Minjeong rasped out, breathless as she felt her girlfriend's lips traveling further down.

Jimin bit playfully at the base of her neck, sucking the skin to make sure it would turn into a mark later. The athlete stifled her moan, remembering their managers were still standing close outside the room.

"Babe," Minjeong whispered, pushing Jimin's shoulders with her palms. 

Pulling away, the actress followed her girlfriend's eyes and looked at the pictures printed by their managers earlier. Their genuine show of affection being spread on the table as a form of blackmail.

"So, are you ready?" Jimin asked the girl on her lap.

Minjeong returned her gaze. Am I ready to let the world know that I'm irrevocably yours and you're completely mine? She nodded.

"Good," the actress smiled, satisfied. "Now, I can finally show you off."

A few days later, the article was published.

[BREAKING] Top Actress Yu Jimin and Olympic Gold Medalist Kim Minjeong Confirm Relationship

It's official! 

On September 15, Yu Jimin's agency SM Entertainment confirmed the speculations and stated, “Actress Yu Jimin initially met Kim Minjeong in a project a few years ago and became closer through a mutual friend. Romantic feelings had developed soon after, and they are currently dating with marriage in mind. We ask that you look warmly over their relationship and cheer on their future projects.”  
  
The athlete had personally confirmed through an Instagram post, stating, "I wanted to personally address the recent reports regarding my relationship. I am currently seeing someone special with marriage in mind. She is someone I hold dear to my heart and hope to spend the rest of my life with. As an athlete, I will continue to fulfill my responsibilities while also supporting my partner in every way I can. As I thank you for your endless support, I hope you continue to look over us warmly."

Yu Jimin and Kim Minjeong first met each other on the set of Krush+ advertisement as the official NOC sponsor for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The athlete recently won the gold medal for the women's 10 m air pistol event in 2028 Madrid Olympics, with reports of the actress in attendance.

We extend our congratulations to the happy couple!