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Humin brushes her hair back nervously. After 20 minutes of staring, her reflection in the mirror doesn't even look like herself anymore. She can feel every pore on her face, every unruly strand of hair and her dead skin cells staring back at her. Online forums suggested using pomade or wax to style her hair, so she snuck into her father's room and took a dab for herself. However, her inexperience with using styling products has made her hair look a like a stiff birds nest, which she is desperately trying to undo now.
She glances at the clock, there's still about two hours left till she needs to leave. Humin lets out a pained groan before tearing her clothes off and hopping back into the shower. The warm water provides temporary relief from her racing heart and the repetitive scrubbing motion calms her mind down.
She slips her oversized shirt on and pulls Baekjin's favourite shorts up her legs. Looking at herself in the mirror, she starts see why Baekjin likes it so much when she wears these shorts. The baggy silhouette suits her laid back personality and makes her look like an athlete. Not that she isn't, but Humin is sure that Baekjin likes that she's just as sporty. It shows off the muscles on her calves and when she walks, the hem rides up a little and gives Baekjin a peek at her strong thighs.
She preens herself for the last time in the train station toilet before heading out to wait for Baekjin. She taps her foot anxiously, shifting her body weight onto both legs as she waits. The jewellery box in her bag presses into her back, a stark reminder of how this date is supposed to go. With the way their last proper date went, Humin had every reason to be nervous that this one would not go according to plan.
After the fateful day, there had been a noticeable uptick in boys hanging around their school. There was no doubt in Humin and Baekjin's minds that they were affiliated with the Union. They stared long and hard at the school gates, scanning the students streaming in and out until they spotted their friend group. The surveillance was unsettling, but thankfully, nothing came of it and these groups started dissipating as time went by.
It pays to be careful though, Humin thinks to herself. As much as she believes that Ji Hakho and his executives would not try to start any fights, she wasn't too sure about the smaller groups under their control. In Sieun's words, they are less invested in the Union and therefore have less incentive to actually follow orders. Humin straightens her posture and tries to stop worrying. Her father says it would give her wrinkles and she doesn't want to look like a raisin next to Baekjin.
"What are you looking at?"
Humin jumps a little and turns to find Baekjin smiling at her. She looks at the direction Humin had been zoning out at, a way finding sign, and looks back at Humin expectantly. "Nothing," Humin sputters. She links their arms together and guides a giggling Baekjin into the train station, "Let's go."
Nowon Cosmos Space Centre is an hour and a half away by train. Normally, Humin would complain about the long travel time but with Baekjin leaning on her shoulder and playing with her hands, time passes faster than she wants it to.
Baekjin's eyes are practically sparkling when the space museum comes into view. She excitedly swats at Humin's arms. "It's so big," she marvels. "And that must be the giant telescope!" Baekjin points at the dome shaped portion of the ceiling.
At the counter, Humin scrutinises the observatory and planetarium schedules, trying to piece together the best slots to book. However, Baekjin had already done her research. Humin holds herself back from cooing at the way Baekjin's eyes lit up when the clerk hands them the tickets and confirms their slots for the observatory and planetarium.
While Humin is more than happy pressing buttons and making full use of the interactive exhibits, Baekjin is carefully reading all the text on the walls, soaking in the atmosphere and information. Humin watches as she glides along the wall with a serious, but wide-eyed look on her face.
"Have you always liked astronomy?" She asks, sliding up next to Baekjin.
Without taking her eyes off the wall, Baekjin replies, "Yes, when I was younger, there was this children's show about these 2 aliens travelling around space and visiting different planets. I watched it all the time."
"That's cool, we should watch that show sometime."
Baekjin looks at her incredulously, "Really? It might be kind of boring." When Humin reassures her that it's okay, Baekjin smiles lightly and obliges. "What about you? Do you like astronomy too?"
"Yeah, but I got into it a little later than you. Some of my teammates were talking about mercury being in retrograde after we lost a game, so I looked it up when I went home. Turns out, the planets can affect us! Which is insane to me."
"Humin, oh my gosh," Baekjin says between laughs. "That's astrology!"
"Okay, yeah, but I did end up learning about all the planets and stuff, " Humin puts her hands up defensively, grinning at Baekjin.
When they are up in the observatory looking at the solar flares, Baekjin realises that they don't compare to the overwhelming brightness standing next to her, Humin. She indulges in Baekjin's rambles about space, attentively listening to every word she says and asks follow-up questions. There is no way they could return to who they were before their falling out even though they had talked through it already. The leftover frostiness had lingered in the way Baekjin fell silent after catching a glimpse of a fading bruise on Humin's face, forcing her to remember that she had caused it. It is hard to know how to act around Humin with the guilt still hanging over her, but Humin continues to melt the icy awkwardness that Baekjin is feeling.
"How could you still want to be around me?" Baekjin asks as they leave the science centre.
"It isn't your fault, Jin-ah. Everything that has happened wasn't only because of you. That guy harassed Sieun first. The orange haired guy, Jihun? He confronted you and started beating you up first. The Union called for the fight at the underpass and forced us into it. Don't think for a second that if you did something differently or if you didn't confront the scum at the bowling alley that everything would be different. We both did what we had to do to put an end to it."
Baekjin's nose sours and she begins to feel tears welling in her eyes,"But I— How could you forgive me? I said all those cruel things about you and blamed you for the way I was acting, yet you were the only one who bore the brunt of their violence. Isn't it be easier to hate me?"
"I don't think that there will ever be a universe where I would hate you. Jin-ah, there have been many times where I have messed up. Remember what I told you about putting my cousin in the hospital when we were play-fighting? Frankly, it was hard to come to terms with being forgiven, especially when I still think it's all my fault, but seeing my cousin feel bad about me feeling bad about myself shifted my perspective. If he could find the strength to forgive me, then I will be able to find the strength to forgive myself too. If not for myself, for his sake at least, " Humin speaks solemnly, reaching out to cradle Baekjin's shaking shoulders.
A tear rolls down Baekjin's cheek. She momentarily worries about her makeup being ruined before dabbing at it with her fingers. Humin's hands stroking her shoulders seem to calm her down and she wills the rest of the tears back into her eyes. "Shall we go eat something?" She says, her voice still slightly unsteady.
Humin smiles gently at her, hoping that this means she has gotten some closure, "Yeah, there's a decent noodle shop around here."
They split a bowl of spicy seafood noodles and a plate of 3 mandus. The mandus come out piping hot and Humin almost burns her tongue biting into it before letting it cool off. The skin is impossibly soft and as Baekjin bites down on it, the filling comes spilling out of the skin.
"Wow, this is really good, " Humin says after frantically chewing and swallowing her bite of noodles. Usually, she wouldn't hesitate to talk mid-chew, but Suho warned her that it was generally off-putting to the rest of the population. She visibly brightens when Baekjin nods back approvingly, chewing slowly on her bite of noodles. Even though they had been going out for a while, they hadn't quite reached the stage where they would instinctively know each other's palate and Humin hadn't actually tried this place before, having only seen it recommended on a few food blogs.
Humin spends the next few seconds peeling the shell of a prawn that she intends to give to Baekjin. When they decided to share the bowl of noodles, they had split all the seafood evenly, but Humin thought it would be a nice gesture anyway. However, when she's ready to place the naked prawn in Baekjin's bowl, a separate peeled prawn lands in her bowl.
Her heart warms when she looks up to see Baekjin avoiding eye contact and attempting to pick up more noodles. Just as she is thinking about Baekjin, Baekjin has been thinking about her as well. Her nimble fingers must have pulled the shell right off the flesh, Humin thinks to herself. The noodles slip out of her chopsticks, making Humin giggle as she places the prawn she peeled in Baekjin's bowl, "You're so cute, you know that?"
Still avoiding eye contact and focusing on picking up more noodles, Baekjin murmurs, " I don't know what you're talking about." The slight upturn of her lips betray her heart and Humin giggles before returning to her food.
Humin's head bumps against Baekjin's shoulder for the third time while they're on the bus heading to the cafe. She reluctantly leans against the headrest of the seat instead, only for the it to slam into the back of her skull. On any other day, Humin would have been so irritatedthat she would have shot several angry texts about the bumpy ride to Hyuntak and Suho. However, Baekjin's amused giggles douses the embers of fury kindling in Humin and she settles for humming along to Baekjin's playlist that's blasting in their shared earphones.
Lucky for her, the bus ride is short. They alight at a busy shopping street, winding through the throngs of tourists and students walking through the area. Baekjin wraps her hands around Humin's decisively, letting Humin tug on her and lead her to the cafe. As they approach it, Baekjin's eyes light up, "Yes, this place. I'm pretty sure Sieun has been here before."
"She has?"
"Yeah, she came a few weeks ago, talked about the variety of teas here."
Humin raises an eyebrow. When she was absentmindedly scrolling through reviews of the cafe during practice, Suho had glanced at her phone screen and remarked that the same cafe served a mean nama chocolate cake. Suho's palate leans heavily on the savoury side, preferring to down salty potato chips and gorge herself on quality meat, which made it all the more suspicious that she would have gone to a cafe like this and liked the dessert.
"Did she—"
Baekjin cuts her off, " Did she come here with Suho? Yeah, she did. Sly fucker didn't want to tell me that she was here on a date until I pressed her about it."
Humin laughs heartily, "I didn't even know that they had gotten to that stage yet! Suho doesn't tell us anything either."
"Yeah, that's why they are literally made for each other."
As per Sieun and Suho's recommendation, they get a slice of matcha nama cake to share. Baekjin chooses to nurse a pot of hot green tea while Humin tries a genmaicha latte. The first sip of her drink delivers a burst of nutty brown rice flavour on her tongue. She savours the sip before turning the straw towards Baekjin.
Baekjin sips the drink cautiously, scrunching up her face slightly, "It's a little sweet for my liking, but I like the creaminess."
Humin blows the steam off the tea cup before taking a small slurp, "Ugh, I don't know how you can drink this, it's so bitter."
"It's all about balance, Min-ah." Baekjin says, spooning a sliver of cake into her mouth, "I would get sick of eating if everything was just overwhelmingly sweet." The nama chocolate melts on her tongue slowly, the harmonious mix of bitter and sweet diffusing onto her palate. She hums contentedly, picking up a spoonful of cake for Humin. "Say 'Ah'. "
Humin opens her mouth willingly, letting Baekjin feed her the slice of cake. The rich, earthy taste of green tea floods her taste buds. It makes Humin think of lush, rolling hills of green tea plants, the mist that hangs over them and the meticulous farmers that harvest and process the leaves. Unlike her latte, the grassy notes are more pronounced. Paired with the chocolate and fluffy sponge of the cake, Humin understood why even Suho couldn't stop thinking about it.
"It's good, right?"
Baekjin's shoulders dance as she nods happily, eating another sliver of cake. "It's even better with you here," she smiles at Humin, shooting her a cheesy wink.
Blood rushes onto Humin's face and a red, hot blush blooms in its wake. Now that the awkward air has been cleared, it seems Baekjin has settled comfortably into her cheerful and loveable personality again. Despite Humin hiding her grin behind her hands, the tips of her ears and neck are still flushed. She reaches a hand into her pocket, thumbing the velvet jewellery box nervously, "Na Baekjin, I know we haven't had an easy time lately and I would totally understand if you took it as a sign that we aren't compatible."
Her voice grows more steady as she catches a pink blush dusting over Baekjin's cheeks. "However, I really, really like you. I like the way you carry yourself, I like the way your brain works. You are so, so smart, Baekjin. Not just in the academic sense, but you are sharp and so incredibly funny. There will never be a version of me that wouldn't want to be around you, so would you let me have the honour of being your girlfriend?"
Baekjin chokes back a sob at the sight of the open jewellery box, almost launching Humin out of her seat. However, she speaks up steadily, "Park Humin, you are the warmth of the sun to me. All of the time that we've spent together has been immensely enjoyable, so yes. I want to be girlfriends, I want to keep going out with you. I will always like you, Min-ah."
The ring in Humin's hands almost falls with how shaky her hands are as she holds it out gingerly towards Baekjin. It's a simple silver band, bought with the extra pocket money her dad gave her for helping with marketing his fried chicken store and bringing in a wave of customers. She had memorised Baekjin's ring size from a time before the Union, when they were lazily playing with each others' fingers in the library. Now, she traces the outline of her hands, feeling the callouses on her palm as she pushes the ring onto Baekjin's index finger.
The ring catches the golden ray of sunlight streaming in from the window as Baekjin admires it. "You too," she adds, slipping Humin's ring onto her finger. She interlaces their fingers, staring intently at the spot where their rings touch. Her voice is raised barely above a whisper, "I like this so much."
With her free hand, Humin pushes the box over to Baekjin. "I know you can't wear jewellery while cheering, so use the box to keep the ring safe, okay?"
The grip on her hand tightens as Baekjin beams back at her, "I will."
They spend the train ride home with their hands intertwined, admiring their matching rings as they talk about the new school year. Although the class allocations haven't been posted, they know that it would be difficult to be placed in the same class because of the disparity between their grades. Baekjin settles into the crook of Humin's neck, stroking her hand with her thumb absentmindedly, "Don't worry, we would have so much time to see each other after school anyway."
"But there's just so much studying and training! Why can't we just go out everyday?" Humin whines.
Before they part ways and go home, Baekjin wraps her arms around Humin and pulls her close. With her nose buried in her clothes, she can smell the comforting, cotton-y smell of Humin's detergent. "I'll see you next week, right?"
Humin presses a kiss on Baekjin's forehead, " If I could see you tomorrow, I would. If only I didn't have training…"
Baekjin cuts her off with a kiss. Humin's mind blanks with the warm press of Baekjin's lips against her own. Her warm exhale ghosts across her skin as she closes her eyes, indulging in exploring the ridges of Baekjin's lips. When Baekjin pulls away, she says assuringly, "I know, but we have all the time right now."