Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Yeongdeungpo was never that safe to begin with, especially with the amount of construction going on now. It created small alleys, tucked away underpasses and quiet backroads that bred and nurtured the growing number of wannabe gangsters. It started with complaints that more groups of boys were loitering after 10pm, smoking incessantly while littering in front of their part time jobs. Then came the quiet discussions of their brothers coming home injured, insisting on walking them home and warning them to avoid the small roads where the street lights flickered. It culminated in hushed whispers while everyone was hunched over Naver maps, telling each other to avoid the hotspots for the newly formed 'Union' where the mangle of uniformed boys oogled at and cat-called any girl.

That's why Ahn Suho, in all her tracksuit-ed glory, sat down in the basketball clubroom and started scheming, "We should start a self-defense club."

Humin narrowed her eyes, fiddling with the basketball in her hands, "Why would we do that?"

"Because, what if my beautiful baby Yeon Sieun gets jumped on her way to cram school?"

Hyuntak scrunches her face up in disgust, "She doesn't even know you exist."

"That's why we should start a self-defense club, so she can get to know me." Suho lets her eyes glaze over, "And maybe she will find out how hot I can be when I'm on top of her."

Humin flings the basketball at Suho's feet, "We're not starting some stupid club just because you want to roll around with Sieun."

Suho straightens up, "What if Na Baekjin joins? You know those cheerleaders are tight as fuck."

Humin stares straight at Suho's widening smile, pretending to be normal as if Suho didn't just say her favourite words, Na Baekjin. No words available to Humin could ever describe the feelings she had for Baekjin, the subject of her daydreams.

Suho continues, "We just have to advertise it well, and if enough people start showing up, who's to say that the cheerleaders won't come too?"

"What… what do you plan to do?" Humin croaks out, trying so hard to ignore the visions of Baekjin's slanted eyes and how they squint when she smiles.

"Erm… well. Hyuntak does taekwondo and I do MMA," Suho looks back at Humin. "I guess you're kind of tall and strong, so… we can just figure it out when it comes to you."

Humin nudges Hyuntak with her foot, "Are you actually on board with this?"

"I already coach at my dojang, so it's no different for me. Plus, the Daehyeon boys have been getting on my nerves lately."

Suho drapes her arm around Humin, pulling her closer, "Don't you want to roll around with Baekjin? Hm? If you get lucky, maybe your Baekjin-ie would end up in your lap."

Humin shoves Suho off her back, face twitching to hide her blossoming smile.

The first club meeting was awful to say the least. Not only was Na Baekjin not there, it seems that Suho had no real plans for how to conduct the sessions, leaving Hyuntak to take over. Humin glanced over at the gaggle of nerdy girls that showed up, weakly kicking at the air as they followed Hyuntak's instructions. Most of them were from the manga club, convinced by their club chairperson, Juntae.

After Hyuntak is done coaching, Juntae sits on the benches and catches her breath, "Humin-ah, it's great that you guys did this, you know?"

Humin looks over at Juntae, "Are they bothering you again?"

"It's not as bad as that time, but you never really know with guys, right?"

Humin gulps her water down, nodding sagely. She recalls their first meeting: Humin scaring off a Yoosun student cornering Juntae during her shift. It was simply bad luck for Juntae to be working at the closest manga store to Yoosun High, but it was fate for Humin to have been browsing in the shop, and then walking over to slap him on the head with a copy of Slam Dunk, intimidating him just enough for him to run off with his tail between his legs. Afterwards, when Humin tried to pay for her manga, Juntae waved her off, insisting that her employee benefits gave them one free purchase a month. Now when they passed each other in school, Juntae waved back when Humin wagged her arms enthusiastically at her.

The club teeters on. Suho isn't much better at coaching than Hyuntak, laughing through her instructions and half-heartedly correcting the girls' stances. Humin tries her best, of course, supplementing Hyuntak's taekwondo coaching with whatever she knew from grappling with her cousins and leading the girls in physical conditioning.

"Is this the self-defense club?"

Humin whips her head back so fast Hyuntak was convinced that her neck would snap right off. Baekjin's shiny black hair is slicked back into a high ponytail, swishing with her hips as she walks towards them. Her cheer skirt is impossibly short, cutting off right at the curve of her butt. Baekjin's thighs are so lean and toned that she can see the muscles rippling as she walked, worlds apart from Humin's thicker legs, which jiggled a little everytime she made a dunk shot.

"Yes! Yes, I mean," Humin scrambles up from the floor, almost tripping over her feet. "This is the self-defense club, are you looking to join?"

Baekjin smiles, "Why else would we be here?"

Humin looks over to Sieun, whose existence she had neglected to parse. Sieun stands quietly next to Baekjin, looking over at the group of girls huddled on the floor with an unreadable expression. Her big doe eyes rove over them, before finally settling on Suho, who is staring back with an open mouth, not saying a word. Loser, Humin thinks to herself, as she gestures lamely for Baekjin and Sieun to join them in the circle.

Seeing Baekjin strike up a conversation with the girl next to her, Juseong, leaves a sour pang in Humin's heart. Her throat ran dry as she struggled to find something to say, anything to steer Baekjin's attention back to her. All she could do was to stare helplessly at Baekjin laughing at something Juseong said.

An idea pops into her head. "Oh, we… We went over how to throw a punch last week, but I can recap it for the both of you, then we can catch up to what they're doing today," Humin winces at how her voice almost gave out towards the end of her sentence.

Baekjin and Sieun turn to look at her. "Okay! Catch you later, Juseong," Baekjin says, holding Sieun's wrist as they walk over to her. Humin helplessly gulps as she bears witness to Baekjin's smile in all it's glory, the right side of her lips curling up, matching a curious twinkle in her eyes. Baekjin smiles like she knows the effect it has on everyone, that anyone would be vying for a chance to catch a glimpse of it.

"Er… So you guys would wanna curl your fists up tight and— How about you guys throw a punch and let me see what we're working with?"

Sieun goes first, throwing a half-hearted punch at the air. Baekjin curls her long fingers tightly and actually winds up before punching the air in one swift motion. Humin's eyes widen, "OH! That was good! You wanna think about hitting the space behind your target, not just the target themselves, so your hit will have more power. You guys can also try twisting your hips while you throw that jab, it will give you guys more leverage."

Humin straightens up and demonstrates, locking eyes with Baekjin as she throws a jab at the air. She relishes in Baekjin's eyes widening in surprise, her mouth letting out a shout of admiration. "You guys try."

Sieun takes surprisingly well to her advice, still jabbing weakly at the air but incorporating what Humin said about using her hips. Baekjin on the other hand slams her fist into Humin's arms, her long legs outstretched to anchor her body against the twist of her torso. Humin doesn't even register the pain shooting up her arm, eyes trained on the rippling of Baekjin's legs as she fawns over her. "Oh shit! Humin! I'm so sorry," Baekjin rubs her arms gently, wide eyes scanning her face for any sign of distress.

"Are you okay?" She asks.

Humin nods lamely, hoping that the heat on her face wears off before Baekjin notices, "You… That was a really good punch, I think we can join the others now."

Baekjin doesn't let go, "Are you actually okay?"

She flashes a toothy smile, "The point-guard at Ganghak shoves me harder than this, don't worry."

Baekjin smiles back, chuckling a little before shoving Humin playfully, "If you say so."

Humin trails behind them, enjoying the burn where Baekjin had been holding her arms. Maybe she should have pretended it hurt more so Baekjin could fawn over her for a little longer, but Baekjin probably hates whiny little babies that can't take a hit.

"Oh!" Suho claps her hands together, projecting her voice from across the basketball court, "Now that we have Humin back with us, we can try some hold-downs with each other!" Humin notes that Suho mostly stared at Sieun while saying that, only acknowledging herself when mentioned.

Humin clears her throat, " A hold-down is a thing they do in judo, but could very easily happen to you if you're brawling. Basically, one person will try to pin the other person down while the other tries to get out of it. If you're the person pinning the other, you can put more of your weight onto them."

She breaks her spiel to steal a glance at Baekjin, who is watching her with an intense focus. She gulps nervously, hoping the lump in her throat doesn't catch as she raises her arms and clumsily mimes out the move. Her mind blanks for a while before her thoughts catch up to her mouth. "We can focus on the pinning part for today, so be mindful of each other. The escaping part… We can come back to it another time. Shall we… shall we partner up?"

Suho's eyes start sparkling with an intensity Humin and Hyuntak only witnessed when they were barbequing meat, no doubt already thinking about Sieun below her, or Sieun pushing her weight onto her shoulders. "Disgusting pervert," Hyuntak whispers under her breath before she waves the group of girls around and helps pair them up according to height.

Humin snorts out a laugh, her upturned cheeks causing a squint before accidentally making eye contact with Baekjin. Baekjin is looking curiously at her, her usually fiercely focused eyes softening at the corners. Humin wonders if she is carefully critiquing the way she had hemmed and hawed through her instructions, since she must be used to real structure and actual athletic discipline.

Baekjin looks her up and down, wiping the smile off Humin's face. Humin raises an eyebrow at Baekjin. "What's up?", she asks.

Baekjin smiles and waves her off, "Nothing, just seeing if we are the same height."

They are not. Humin knows this fact by heart, given the amount of times she had tried casually walking by the cheerleader's benches during competitions just to get a glimpse of Baekjin. She smiles back and Baekjin turns to speak to Juseong, probably asking her to pair up for the hold-down exercise. Before Humin can lament the size difference, Suho appears next to her, huffing, "Guess I'm pairing up with fuckass Hyuntak."

"Of course you are, Sieun is literally smaller than you."

Suho scoffs indignantly, "She didn't even look at me when I asked, just turned to Juntae and walked off with her? What the hell? I don't want fucking Hyuntak on top of me!"

Hyuntak shoves her lightly, "Watch it! At least you're not brawling with Humin, you know you would actually die if she got on top of you!"

Suho fake gags and laughs heartily when Humin jokingly shoves her. It works out that all the girls are paired up except for Humin, which leaves her to walk around and offer pointers. She tries her best to be helpful, moving limbs around if needed and placing a hand on shoulders to demonstrate the weight shift.

She eventually walks around to Baekjin and Juseong, glancing at Baekjin who is laying on the floor. Flyaways frame her perfect face and her once neat ponytail is now slightly mussed. There is a faint sheen of sweat and sebum on her forehead and nose , a rosy flush tinting her cheeks. She is less shiny and red compared to her post cheer routine self, but she is still just as beautiful. Humin is suddenly cognizant of the lump forming in her throat as Baekjin stares at her.

"Are we doing this right?"

"Uh… Yeah, yeah you guys seem good. Have you guys tried the other… like Baekjin… like the other way yet?"

Juseong relaxes her arms and gets off Baekjin, "I mean, we can try now?"

"Yeah."

Humin purses her lips, the top of her teeth almost bruising her inner lip. Baekjin swings her long legs over Juseong in record time, her deltoids bulging as she presses Juseong into the floor. A bright smile breaks across her face and Humin feels something ugly boiling in her chest before Baekjin turns to look at her, "Like this, right?"

"Yeah, yeah it's good. Juseong, you're doing okay, right?"

"Why didn't you ask if I was doing okay just now?"

Humin's eyes widen, mouth hanging open as if she's hoping some words would just fall right out. Baekjin's lower lip juts out in a small pout before it widens into a mischievous smile.

She cackles, breaking the intense silence. Juseong and Humin following suit, drawing the attention of the girls near them. "I'm joking, I'm joking," she pats Humin's shoulders reassuringly.

Humin returns the gesture and leaves them to continue with a peculiar tingle on her shoulders. When enough time has passed, Humin calls for everyone to stop. Hyuntak pushes Suho off of her, lightly kicking at the air around Suho when she stands. Sieun offers a hand to Juntae, who smiles brightly as she takes it. Baekjin smooths down her clothes after helping Juseong up, running her hand over her hair. The group of girls encircle Humin and Hyuntak as they clumsily debrief them.

Once Hyuntak is done talking, the group slowly disperses. Juntae, who found a new friend in Sieun, jokes, "It's a bit gay to be holding each other down like this." Sieun cracks a small giggle as some of the manga club girls cackle and playfully slap at Juntae's arm, unaware of the slightly horrified look on both Humin and Suho's face.

"Oh… no, that's not—" Suho's clumsy attempt at defending their conscience only causes her panic to compound. Humin stares at her, eyes wide like saucers, pretending that the homoerotic undertones to this was all just a coincidence.

Baekjin raises an eyebrow, "You're not homophobic, are you?"

Humin realises that they came across as suspiciously offended at the suggestion that they may be gay and finally sputters, "How— No! No, we're not. We… we love gay people!"

Suho adds on, "And lesbians!"

Hyuntak, with less of a guilty conscience eating away at her, rationalises, "Guys, it's clearly a joke. Besides, we are literally in a girls school, most of us are probably gay as hell."

Juntae almost doubles over laughing, holding onto Sieun for support. Sieun is chuckling silently, glancing between Suho, Juntae and Baekjin with her crescent-shaped eyes as her lips curl into an amused smile. Baekjin is similarly losing it, laughing generously as her torso rocks with her. Her laugh is crystal clear like beautifully composed flute music, Humin thinks that she must have accumulated enough good karma for her to have witnessed the glorious sight of Baekjin laughing. She joins her, laughing boisterously as a small weight lifts from her shoulders. The rest of the girls chuckle along, some even proclaiming their lesbianism.

As the laughter dies down, Suho finally contributes in a meaningful way to the club for the first time today. She speaks up, "Do any of you want to get some bubble tea? I know a good place near school."

The faces of some girls fall slightly as they politely decline, citing prior commitments like picking up their siblings or part time jobs. Juntae scrunches up her face, "Ahh, we have to meet our club advisor today."

Sieun shifts nervously as she looks at Baekjin, "Do you want to go with them?"

Baekjin bites her lip as she thinks, "Maybe… We were just gonna study after this, right?"

Sieun nods and steals a quick look at Suho. Lost in thought, both Sieun and Baekjin don't realise that they were staring at Humin until she waves enthusiastically at them. "Are you guys coming!", she shouts.

"We… were gonna… , but—", Sieun glances back and forth between Humin and Baekjin, unsure if she could speak for them, but Humin bounds over and flashes a big grin.

"It won't take too long, let's just go together!"

Baekjin returns the smile and looks at Sieun, "Shall we head to yours after? We should have enough time, right?"

Sieun replies in the affirmative, prompting Humin to pump her fists excitedly as she cheers. As Suho leads the way, Humin and Baekjin engage in some small talk as Sieun nods along and chirps in when they direct the conversation at her. For once, Humin understands the concept of thermal conductivity. She knows the basics like standing closer to a heat source makes you feel warmer, and Baekjin must be a heat source given how warm her blood feels while pumping furiously in her veins.

It feels like she has broken into the first layer of the atmosphere, slowly but surely finding her way onto the planet that is Na Baekjin. Every gasp that she elicits from Baekjin after bashfully revealing her grades, which fell short of the minimum needed for all athletes, still stirred something hopeful in her, like she was etching herself in Baekjin's memory. There must be something warm and gooey at the her core, and Humin feels warmer with every laugh and reaction, getting closer to it.

"Ahn Suho!" Hyuntak shrieks, slapping at her furiously, "You can't say you know a spot and bring us to your bubble tea shop! What the hell!"

Suho blocks her slaps unsuccessfully, "It's good and you know it. Stop complaining!"

Humin finally glances up and groans, "Suho! We have drank like all the drinks here. You only like coming here because you get a discount on the drinks."

Suho sticks her tongue out at Humin, "Whatever. We're already here, so suck it up."

"Actually, we've never tried anything from here. What's good?"

Suho blinks rapidly at Sieun, who just spoke up. She stutters again, tripping over her words as she asks Sieun what she normally likes to drink. Sieun just shrugs, stating that she doesn't really drink anything but water and plain tea.

Baekjin raises an eyebrow at Sieun and Suho's interaction, glancing at Humin. "I actually quite like the caramel milk tea from here," Baekjin reassures Humin in a hushed voice.

The smile on Humin's face widens, "Oh! Me too! Even though Suho makes us come here too often."

Suho interrupts her sales pitch to Sieun to glare at her, before quickly returning to recommending drinks to Sieun. While everyone orders and pays for their own drinks, Suho orders the 2 options Sieun is torn between. Yeongi, Suho's friend and the part timer on duty, glares at Suho till she makes her way behind the corner and starts mixing drinks with her, shouting over her shoulder to continue talking to Sieun.

Baekjin sips on her milk tea, "You're serious about your grades, right? Like you were not kidding when you said you scored 14 out of 50 for math?"

Humin almost chokes on her drink, "I mean— yes… I have to pull it up by the next mid-year exams. If not, I won't be able to play…" She stares at the ground, hoping that it would swallow her up and remove her from her embarrassingly vulnerable state.

"You could study with Hyuntak or Suho? It helps to do things together."

"They barely scraped by the last time round, and they say I distract them too much…"

"Oh. Do you want to study with me sometime?" Baekjin swirls her cup and the ice cubes clink together.

"Do you really want to? I don't want to distract you or pull your grades down…"

Baekjin scoffs jokingly, "Come on! Have some faith in me, my math is pretty decent. Plus, games won't be as fun without you playing."

Humin nods furiously, as if she's trying to shake the realisation that Baekjin pays attention to her, especially on court. "Really? I would really appreciate that, god knows I need to pull my grades up! Shall I get your number and we can coordinate from there?"

Baekjin's fingers brush past hers as she takes Humin"s phone and punches her number in. "I'm pretty much free after club sessions, since I'm pretty sure our training schedules overlap."

"Yeah, you're right. We can start next week if it works for you?"

"Let me check with Sieun, but it should be okay."

Humin takes a noisy slurp of her milk tea, "I'll text you."

The conversation flows like a noisy river, Suho directing a billion and one questions about cheerleading and their training to Sieun, whose apathetic replies only incite more questions from both Suho and Humin. Much to Hyuntak's amusement, Baekjin blushes as she admits to being a hardcore Kuroko no Basuke fan, enjoying the camaraderie and semi-fantastical elements of the franchise.

Sieun's eyes narrow as she stares intently at the space behind Baekjin, Suho following suit as soon as she realises that Sieun has shifted her focus away. An uncomfortable silence washes over the group when everyone else picks up on their discomfort, Humin picking at her nails as she takes a peek out of the corner of her eyes.

A cluster of noisy black jackets saunter past the group of girls, snickering to themselves as they leer at them. When Baekjin makes eye contact with the ringleader, he smirks at her as his slimy tongue wets his lips. Baekjin holds herself back, eyeing them stonily till they sauntered off. "Disgusting, the way they hang around us like that," she spits out, words laced with venom.

Later, Sieun excuses herself, Suho following her to bring her to the staff bathroom. Before they lose themselves laughing over Humin and Hyuntak's middle school antics again, Baekjin's concerned voice cuts through the silence, "Sieun and Suho have been gone for a while, should we check on them?" Baekjin checks her phone, "Sieun didn't text me, don't think she would disappear with Suho without telling me."

Hyuntak directs them to the back alley, lazily trailing behind Baekjin. As they walk closer to the entrance of the alley, Humin's ears perks up from the sounds of scuffling. Baekjin seemingly picking up on them too, starts sprinting into the alley, Humin and Hyuntak following close behind.

The sight that greeted them made Humin curse under her breath. The same group of boys, save their leader, were ganging up on Suho, poorly attempting to land a hit on her. Their leader however, was tugging on Sieun's arms, yanking her into his embrace. To her credit, Sieun's shoes dug into the concrete floor as she resisted against him.

Hyuntak nearly launches herself at them, joining Suho with a flying kick to the back of one of the boys. Humin flings her bag another one of them, turning his attention onto her instead. Baekjin runs over to Sieun, attempting to pry his hands off of her. However, he proves to be a formidable opponent, flinging both of them off of him.

Sieun yelps as she breaks her fall, butt slamming onto the rough concrete. Baekjin nearly shoves him off his balance before he grabs onto her wrists, snarling at her, "Na Baekjin? Didn't think I would get a 2 for 1 today."

"Fuck you," she spits back, pulling her foot back to stomp on his ankle.

He just chuckles as he digs his fingers into her skin, "Yeon Sieun, you should have just said yes, huh? Look at you now."

Baekjin's eyes widen, "What the fuck? What did you do?"

He laughs even harder, "Why? Wanna join?"

Before he can continue, Sieun slams a stray crate onto his back. He lets out a pained shout, releasing his grip on Baekjin.

The basketball girls were really trying their best, but it was obvious that they were outnumbered. As much as Suho punched and Hyuntak kicked, the boys would get up and hit back. Baekjin shoves one of the boys off Humin, giving Humin an in to landing a punch on his face. Armed with a crate, Sieun swings it at the boys, giving Suho and Hyuntak a brief respite from their hits.

"FUCK! FUCKING HELL!"

Baekjin turns back and sees the ringleader getting up, stalking angrily towards them. She grabs a fistful of soil from a nearby potted plant and runs towards him, flinging it in his face. Taking advantage of his impaired vision, she knees him in the crotch with all the venom in her body. She grabs his blazer, attempting to pin him down, "Choi Hyoman? Hyeongshin High?"

However, before Baekjin realises, his hands find her shoulders and shoves her away. Baekjin stumbles back, feet nimbly catching her balance before she swings her arms at the boy. Her fist slams into his face, the impact stinging her skin like firecrackers. Her jaw clenches and her teeth grind upon each other as she gears up for the second punch, not wanting to give him any opportunity to hit back. As her fist flies towards the guy's face again, her body jerks back as a warm hand grips onto her shoulders, her once boiling hot blood suddenly turning ice cold as she processes the sensation.

She turns around to see that Humin is the one who held her back, chest moving up and down as she takes in deeper breaths. She takes one last look at the boy who is holding his jaw and then back at Baekjin, "I think that's enough." With their leader incapacitated, it seemed like the rest of Hyoman’s lackeys were unwilling to continue the fight, choosing to slink behind him. Humin spits her words out at the boys that stood behind their leader, "Don't ever try this shit again."

Suho and Hyuntak lick at their wounds, running their fingers along the bruised bits and silently replay their fights in their heads. Humin is still holding onto Baekjin, stroking her back in an attempt to calm her down. Baekjin however is staring straight ahead of herself, her usual perfect posture is now replaced with a slightly animalistic hunch. The throbbing in her head has mostly settled and she feels the adrenaline dissipate into the road as she walks away.

"Woah! That was so insane," Humin breaks the silence, her backpack swaying with her swagger. "Are we all okay?" With a small chorus of yeses and head nods, she breaks into a toothy grin and lets go of Baekjin's shoulder, "Oops, didn't mean to hold you for that long."

"It's okay," Baekjin answers in a hushed voice.

"That was a really good punch back there."

She smiles brightly and playfully brushes against Humin's arms, "You taught me that."

A heat begins to rise in Humin's face, "Oh? No! That was all you, I didn't do much."

"We're still on for next week, right?"

"Yeah! Yeah, of course."

Sieun walks up to Baekjin's side as they reach the main road, "I think we're going this way, how about you guys?"

Hyuntak is taking the bus in the opposite direction while Suho and Humin decide to walk home together. The late afternoon sun beams down onto them, basking them in its golden light as they wave goodbye to each other.

As soon as Humin closes her bedroom door, she couldn't stop screaming from excitement, clicking on Baekjin's contact incessantly like she's checking if its real. She screams even louder when Baekjin finally confirms that their study date next week was on, which earns her loud, resounding bangs on her door. In the silence of the night, she falls asleep to her memory of Baekjin's messy hair and the sparkle in her eyes as she throws her punch.

The silence of the library roars in Humin's ears. With every scratch of a pencil, rustle of paper and click of a pen cap, Humin itches to speak, to do anything but exist silently. She taps her toes in her sneakers incessantly, certain that she might have dug a divot in it's inner sole before whispering to Baekjin, "How are we supposed to study when it's this quiet?"

Baekjin and Sieun strut ahead of her with their heads held high like the library was their territory. She whispers back, "Don't worry, there is a discussion room that we can use."

Sieun opts to sit in the quiet area, waving them off as she saves a seat for Baekjin with her bag. When the discussion room door closes, Humin lets out the sigh she's been holding back and groans, "Oh my god, that was torturous. How do you guys do this?"

Baekjin just chuckles lightly as she takes her textbooks out, "It's not that bad once you get used to it."

Under her breath, Humin murmurs, "I would never get used to it." She sits down all the same and pulls her midterm test out.

Baekjin is as patient as she is intelligent, slowly explaining the various question formats and how the different formulas can be used to solve them. When Humin tilts her head in confusion, she would come up with a different manner to explain it, simplifying it to the best of her ability. She must be a saint, like the ones Humin had heard about from the aunties that urged her to go to church, generous with their time without expecting anything in return. Anyone who thought that Baekjin was like the moon was sorely mistaken. Yes, she is beautiful and alluring, but she is the moon. She brings the warmth of the sun and gives it generously to the dark earth, she commands the waves of the ocean to crash into the shores and Humin looks adoringly at her on her loneliest nights, wondering if the moon is just as lonely as her among all the stars.

Baekjin finds an enjoyable study partner in Humin, who cheers, albeit too loudly, whenever she finally understands a concept. She is worlds apart from Sieun, who would only communicate in her signature deadpan and curt way, discussing language questions as if they were math. Chemistry, she thinks, is all about an action and a reaction. Right now, what they have is bubbling over in the conical flask. Baekjin can make an offhand remark and Humin would spin it into a joke that causes her to double over laughing, slapping the table because simply laughing is not enough to express what a comedic genius Park Humin is.

How have I lived without knowing you?

It's unsurprising how often Humin sees Baekjin now. The school compound is only so big and being athletes meant that they ran their warm ups on the same track.

"Baekjin!" Humin would call out to her while jogging, much to everyone's chagrin. She had a tendency to shout 'hi' to everyone, even if they were in the middle of practice or talking to someone, waving enthusiastically at them. Even if Suho or Hyuntak playfully shove her from the back, teasing her about her little crush, Humin would continue to beam at Baekjin.

Baekjin would return the gesture with a brilliant smile, waving back a tad less fervently than Humin. "Park Humin!" She would shout back from the stands, sweaty strands of hair sticking to her forehead. Before her coach can reprimand her, Humin is already speeding off, giggling to herself as she finishes her laps before everyone else.

During self-defense club sessions, Humin finds herself stealing glances at Baekjin, noting how her hair lay differently each week. Sometimes, Baekjin's ponytail was neat and smooth, other times, it was slightly unkempt, as if she had hurriedly put it up before making her way to the indoor sports hall. At times, Humin's eyes would play tricks on her, making it look like Baekjin was looking at her. However, every time she would look back, Baekjin would already be looking elsewhere or talking to someone else.

Even though she knew that Baekjin was strong, she didn't expect the amount of strength she could exert even in stretched positions. Watching Baekjin deliver an almost perfect high kick made her jaw drop, unable to speak as Hyuntak whooped and cheered. Suho, on the other hand, could not stop talking about the hunger behind Baekjin's eyes. She could see that Baekjin approached every spar and brawl with an intense greed for winning, often using all of her might to get out of her opponent's grip. It was increasingly clear that Baekjin was no match for the other non-athletes in the club, often sparring with Hyuntak or Humin. Never Suho, because she only made herself available to Sieun, who engaged when she wanted to.

As insane Baekjin's athletic abilities are, all Humin could really think about when she was around Baekjin was her intense focus and drive. Baekjin had made it her mission to get Humin passing all her subjects by their mid-year exams. If Humin herself was not invested or lacked the smarts, Baekjin would have dragged her above the minimum grade requirement using sheer willpower and her deliciously toned arms. She was relentless with her tutoring, slapping Humin's arms lightly when she started dozing off and even letting Humin snack while studying, seeing that it not only motivated her, but also kept her focused on her work.

Every minute spent with Baekjin made Humin feel like an archeologist, unearthing a different side to her. Before all this, she didn't know that Baekjin would tease her by saying that she loved Slam Dunk, only admitting that she hadn't read it at all after Humin had gone on a ten minute rant about how it was the best and only basketball media of all time. She lets Humin sling her arms around her shoulders, sometimes even leaning into the touch, her head almost laying on Humin's shoulders.

When Baekjin wasn't around, Humin could only think about how soft her skin is. The one time they got carried away joking around was the only time they studied in school instead. Now sitting next to each other in a cramped bench, Humin wonders if it was even possible to feel the heat radiating off Baekjin's back. She smells like expensive perfume, the kind that is soft, powdery and lasts for hours. Their bodies creep closer as the study date progresses, and soon, Humin's arms start brushing against hers. When Humin gets home that day, she religiously slathers lotion on her body, just in case they sit close like that again.

Suho, who Humin originally thought was too pathetic to actually make a connection with Sieun, somehow managed to befriend her. She had started tagging along with Sieun, Baekjin and Humin to the library, cracking stupid jokes that always got a giggle from Sieun. Although all she did was nap on the table next to Sieun after a valiant attempt at doing her homework, Sieun never seemed to complain, writing in her notebooks diligently. However, Humin and Hyuntak would have never imagined that they would have gotten close enough for Suho to invite Sieun and Baekjin to have lunch with them.

In an instance, Humin becomes really self-conscious of the way she eats. Her father often compares it to a starving dog, shovelling food in her mouth. With Na Baekjin sitting in front of her, Humin slows down her eating pace, scooping a smaller mound of rice with her spoon. As she chews her food slowly, she takes the liberty to observe Baekjin's eating habits. How is it that Baekjin has perfect chopstick technique, even able to pick up slippery strands of noodles without it splashing back on her soup? When recounting back the story to Hyuntak, Hyuntak raises her eyebrows because she was certain that a drop of Baekjin's soup did land on her hoodie, which Humin vehemently denies ever happening.

It is during one of these lunch gatherings that Humin proudly unveils her mid-year grades, which had improved so much, it had earned her a shiny "Great Job!" sticker from some of her teachers. Baekjin squeals loudly as she grabs onto Humin's arms, shaking her excitedly. "Oh my gosh! Humin!" She almost knocks her own lunch over, "You did it! You fucking did it!"

Humin's blush burns her cheeks as her smile grows wider, "It's because you taught me so well!"

"You took the test, you did it all by yourself, Humin-ah!"

Baekjin is practically shining, Humin feels like she could be blinded by how brightly she is smiling at her. It is at this moment that Humin feels what it's like to be an ocean, filled with an overwhelming amount of adoration that threatens to spill onto the shores just to lean closer to the moon.

Sweat stings Humin's eyes as she gazes at the scoreboard. With less than a minute left in the game and an evenly-tied score, she knows that the next few moves were imperative to securing their win. She turns her attention back to the opposing team, who are already standing in position, waiting for the whistle.

She takes a gamble, the starting player has a tendency to ignore her non-dominant side. Humin makes a strategic leap when the whistle blows, successfully intercepting the pass. With a glance to her sides, she passes the ball to Hyuntak, whose quick reflexes allow her to dribble past the opposing team's attempts at intercepting. Even with the burn in her legs and lungs, Humin sprints towards the net, powered by the roaring cheers of the crowd. She is sure that Baekjin must be one of those voices, screaming for them.

Hyuntak and Suho take turns dribbling the ball, getting closer to their net. Humin's feet sting as she bounds towards the net, keeping herself open. She gestures with her hands, "Tak-ah!"

Hyuntak throws the ball at her, flying past the opposite team and into her hands. Humin dribbles the ball out of the way before leaping with all her might, For those few seconds, all she can see is the hoop and backboard. The world around her seemingly stalls, as if she is in a vacuum. The net swishes as the ball passes through it and finally, her pumping blood roars in her ears as the stands and players erupt in victorious cheers.

"Humin!"

Before she can even see who it is, she is enveloped in people that pile on her, jostling her vigorously. She is showered with attention and cheers, which she screams back at everyone tenfold, slapping all her teammates on the back appreciatively.

"Good game! Good game!" She compliments the opposing team, beaming at them with her megawatt smile. Some of them barely crack a smile, while the older players that have played with her before reciprocate, telling her how much her technique has improved.

"Nah, you run so much faster now. And your dribbling? Don't think I could intercept even if I really wanted to," Humin jokes with Eunsoo, a middle school friend on the opposing team, as they walk towards the stands together.

"BAEKJIN!"

Before Baekjin even knows it, Humin is barrelling to her, arms outstretched like she is ready to catch her. Her strong arms lift Baekjin off the ground a little, "Did you see that! We won!"

To Humin's surprise, Baekjin wraps her arms around her and squeals, "Yes! I saw! You played so well!"

"Really?"

"Of course! Why would I lie? Anyone with eyes can see that you're a beast on the court!"

Humin blushes under the weight of Baekjin's arms still wrapped around her neck and the contact of Baekjin's sweaty skin against her own. The adrenaline of winning had already worn off, and with their arms still over each other, all Humin can hear is the intense beating of her heart. Thump, thump, thump. Time seems to still again, warping around Baekjin and Humin. Her throat dries up and she struggles to find words to continue the conversation.

"Humin-ah," Baekjin's smooth voice cuts through the gruelling silence. "You… you like me, right?"

Humin's eyes widen in shock, unable to look away from Baekjin's piercing stare. This is what she deserves for pining after Na Baekjin, the embodiment of femme perfection. She deserves to be exposed for her undeserving feelings, to be condescended upon for even believing that she could ever come close to being part of her long term plans. In fact, she is gonna die on this basketball court, flogged and shamed for all to see, to set an example for any pathetic dogs that dare to dream the same.

She fails to notice that her silence has caused Baekjin's eyes to soften in worry, "Humin, tell me, please. Tell me if you like me."

She nods slowly, choosing her next words carefully. "Yes, I have liked you for a while. It's… it's okay if you don't like me back, or if you—" She couldn't bear to even imply that Na Baekjin would be homophobic, or at the very least disgusted at the idea of the lowly and blubbering idiot, Park Humin, having a crush on her.

To her surprise, Baekjin looks relieved and uncharacteristically happy. Her arms around Humin tighten and she murmurs into her shoulder, "I'm so happy, I'm so happy, Humin-ah."

"You are?"

"Yes, I'm so happy that you like me back."

It feels like her blood has turned ice cold as Humin stands frozen in place, letting Baekjin nuzzle into her. Likes me back? Baekjin? Likes me back? Back?? Her mind feels like a hamster running on a wheel, trying to catch up to a goal that is not in sight, trying to parse a message that has no clear meaning.

"Do you, do you actually mean—"

"Park Humin, you actually like me, right?" Baekjin's brows are furrowed in worry again, looking at Humin and wondering if she was really so out of touch with her feelings to be lying to Baekjin. Maybe she was too much of a people pleaser and accepted every confession, just to let them down slowly two days later. Baekjin feels like she couldn't have mistaken all the stolen glances, and how Humin always laughed at her jokes, even the lame ones Sieun wouldn't bother remembering. Even when she had doubts, she always thought that her observations would have been within the margin of error, Park Humin did like her.

"Baekjin, I— I'm not sure if you mean to say what I think you're saying," Humin manages. "Why would you— How?"

Humin's cheeks are met with a plush pair of lips. The faint scent of lilies and powder reaches her nose as Baekjin leans closer. "Humin-ah, I— I like you. I'm serious."

Humin finds herself leaning forward too, drawn in by her natural gravitational force. "May I kiss you?"

Humin cups Baekjin's face tenderly as she brings her face closer to hers. Baekjin had nodded enthusiastically, a relieved and hushed "yes" flitting through her lips. Of course Baekjin's lips would be soft even after hours and hours of wearing lipstick. Even when Humin pulls away, she swears Baekjin leans slightly forward, chasing after the feeling of Humin's lips on hers.

Amidst all the excitement and cheer after the basketball match, no one seemed to realise that a group of boys had been quietly observing them from the stands. Even after most of the spectators had left, they remained seated till the last of the athletes and cheerleaders returned to their locker rooms.

The orange haired boy speaks up, "So that is Park Humin?"

"Yup," the other boy toys with the drawstrings of his windbreaker. "And the tall one in the skirt is Na Baekjin."

"You're saying that they beat up some of your boys?"

Windbreaker shrugs, "Weak ass bitches, getting hit by girls."

Orange Hair cracks a small smile, "We'll see."