Some mornings, Hanni runs.
It's an unexpected interest - if anything, she hadn't expected herself to be so enamored with something that requires her to be up so early in the morning - but then again, she hits the point where she actually starts looking forward to her morning runs, and that's that.
Some mornings, Hanni runs with Yeji. Which is also unexpected, considering how Yeji is often out of Hanni's orbit, shoots and shifts considered, but by some stroke of luck Hanni finds herself with a couple of non-shooting weeks that coincide with Yeji's normal hour shifts.
(On the day Yeji first joined her, Hanni nearly choked on her water in surprise. She'd been taking a pause near one of the benches when Yeji approached casually, nudging Hanni's shoes with hers with a soft, "Hey." Hanni looked up, confused for a split-second before ultimately letting out a squeal: "YOU.")
"So," Yeji begins, falling in step beside Hanni, matching her steady rhythm. "Tell me about Minji Kim."
Hanni huffs, trying to speak through the heavy thudding in her chest. Where do I start? she thinks, noting the way her heart races just with the thought. "What about Minji?" she asks instead, catching her breath.
Yeji laughs. The way she sounds, it's almost like Yeji isn't running at all. "Come on, Hanni. The two of you are all over my feeds. You're doing pretty well."
"Had you stayed," says Hanni, grinning as she slows her pace a bit. "You'd have been included in all those events."
"Don't take this the wrong way but-guarding you was an absolute nightmare," says Yeji, and Hanni nudges her with an elbow in retaliation. "Seriously. I've had more peaceful patrols."
"You make it sound like I'm a constant crime scene."
"Correction - a high value target," says Yeji, raising her finger to make a point.
Hanni laughs, rounding the bend and slowing further. "Remember that time with the paparazzi-"
"Which one? The one where you signed the wrong posters?"
"In my defense, it was dark-"
"The ambush interview spoilers were so unnecessary. The look on Hyein's face-"
"-made it all worth it, right?" Hanni sprints for a bit, leaving Yeji behind for a handful of seconds before losing steam altogether as she rounds the final corner, ending where she often does: In front of her favorite bakery for breakfast.
When Yeji realizes where they are, she laughs out loud, her head thrown back. "Hanni."
"What?"
Yeji simply gestures at the bakery door. "You have never changed at all, have you?"
*
Hanni gets the bagels while Yeji gets the coffee, just like old times, and they eat breakfast in Hanni's flat. Hanni tells her more about Minji in between bites and sips, taking a peek at her phone every so often.
"Let me guess - shoot break 'til what, next Friday? But the two of you are keeping in touch all along, and it's not part of some strategy, is it?"
Hanni takes a long gulp from her coffee. "Strategy? Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Well, when people have a million or so followers between them, it kind of just pops up." Yeji shrugs. "It's just a thing."
Hanni opens her mouth to say more, but she notices her phone screen blinking so she goes for that instead, barely catching Yeji roll her eyes. When she unlocks her phone, it's Minji; of course, it is.
"Message from the bae?"
"Shut up," says Hanni, bringing her phone closer to her face to hide a bit of her smile as she tries to find an emoji to punctuate her Good morning with. "Come closer so we can take a selfie?"
"A selfie," Yeji deadpans. "I'm sweaty and ridiculous-"
"Come on, Yej," says Hanni, dragging her chair closer. "I'm sending a snap to Minji."
After a moment's resistance, Yeji relents, and Hanni tilts her head for effect before sending it with the caption, Post-run breakfast with Yej. Yeji just shakes her head and spends the rest of breakfast looking at Hanni judgingly instead.
Minji's reply comes much later, when Yeji's already gone to prep for her shift at the precinct and Hanni has already showered and is currently reviewing the script, like she does most days.
"New friend?"
No smiley, no emoji, Hanni notes, sighing and almost hearing Minji's tone. She goes ahead and calls anyway. "Good morning again, grumpy."
Minji yawns. "Morning." And then, "Who's grumpy?"
"You should run with us sometime," says Hanni. "Yeji and I could use another running friend."
"Yeji?"
"We used to work together."
"Oh." There's a long pause at the other end and Hanni chews on her lip as she waits for Minji's next word. "Also an actress?"
"No, she-"
"Model?"
Hanni laughs. Yeji would be so annoyed, she just thinks, remembering Yeji's initial frustration at being put on star duty because, as she put it, the squad was being a bit sexist. "Close-in security," she explains, trying to make light of it, as if it hadn't been a particularly difficult time. "It was a long time ago."
"You had a close-in security?" A small, nervous-sounding laugh laces Minji's question, and Hanni tries not to giggle at how adorable she sounds.
"It's not that big a deal - well, at the time it must have been, looking back, but-"
Minji breathes in, like she were bracing herself for a huge question, and this time, Hanni is unable to suppress a small laugh from coming out. "You're laughing? Are you - is this a joke?"
God, I don't think she's even awake enough yet for this conversation. "Sorry babe," Hanni coos. "Too early for this conversation?"
"I should have made tea first," says Minji, her small laugh getting through finally.
"I'd ask you to come over for breakfast, but-"
"No-yeah, I mean. Errands today, I told you, right?"
"Right." They are in the final stretch of downtime, and Hanni knows Minji could use the time for her own things. "I'll leave you to it then? Sorry to call so early."
"Don't be ridiculous Hanni," says Minji. Hanni presses her phone closer to her ear, if only to hear more of that tone she'd just used - all too soft, and just the way Hanni likes it. On the other end, Hanni could hear the shuffling of sheets, and the soft thud of pillows being rearranged on a bed. It fills Hanni with all too warm feelings. "It's always good to talk to you."
*
Yeji takes her boxing. Hanni liked combat workouts, but she couldn't quite get a good rhythm going, and besides it was kind of hard to find a gym and a buddy, so this is all kind of a nice surprise.
"How on earth do you even find an empty gym on a night like this?" asks Hanni, letting Yeji fix her hand wraps - it's been so long and Hanni had all but forgotten how to do it herself.
"Owner-friend gladly cleared it when I said I was taking you here," Yeji says, deftly finishing up one hand before turning to the other. "She's a fan of your show."
"Really?"
"Though she's kind of disappointed Minji isn't working out with you tonight, to be honest."
Hanni laughs. Minji boxing? Well, that would be a sight. "She's quite busy with her own things during downtime," she explains. "I could ask her if she could drop by, though. I mean - favor for a friend."
Yeji smiles. "Well. I've seen a fairly limited amount of her on TV and on your feed and she looks - well. Can she-would she even hit things? She looks so proper."
Hanni tries not to think about the many times she'd caught herself staring at Minji's arms. "She definitely could hit things-"
"Or you--"
Hanni blinks. "Excuse me?"
"You'd hit it, won't you?"
"Yeji."
Yeji just laughs, fixing Hanni's other hand before turning to lace up her workout boots. "Whatever you say, Hanni," she says, smirking.
Hanni hits extra hard as Yeji steadies the sandbag for her, partly in annoyance, and by the end of the third three-minute-long round, Hanni could already feel her shoulders about ready to fall off. "Shit," she curses, rolling them as she walks toward the sidelines.
"Water break?" Yeji follows Hanni to help remove her gloves, tossing a fresh towel at her as well.
Just like old times indeed, Hanni thinks, sighing as she flexes her temporarily freed fingers, testing the hold of her wraps. "Yeah," she says before opening her bottle of water and taking a swig. "My shoulders feel like concrete."
"Been a while eh?" says Yeji before turning around. "Speed ball?"
"Go ahead, I'll watch."
"You're here to work out, not text."
Hanni slips her phone out anyway, checking for messages; turns out Minji has left three. "Give me a minute," she says, unlocking her screen.
*
Minji arrives in denim shorts and Hanni almost hits herself on the face with the speed ball when her knuckles slide off the edge as she gets distracted. Legs for days, Hanni thinks idly, stepping outside of the speed ball's trajectory to greet her.
"You're here!"
Minji grins as she lowers her bag near the door. "It sounded fun," she says. "I wanted to watch."
"I thought you were trying a bit?" Hanni pouts, stepping closer. Minji makes a face, nudging Hanni away in mock disgust, muttering about sweat. "Yeji will be disappointed."
"Nah, Hanni just wants an additional partner in her misery," says Yeji, and when Hanni turns her head, she sees her approach from her session with the sandbags. "My name is Yeji," she says, extending a hand. "I've heard so much about you, Miss Kim."
"Minji," she counters, receiving Yeji's hand, smiling in kind. "Thanks for inviting me. Sorry I couldn't actively participate-"
"My friend's a fan," says Yeji. "She'd flip just knowing you've been here."
"Oh." Minji blushes and Hanni tries to bite back a small, amused laugh. "Is she not around? Would be lovely to meet her."
"Unfortunately unable to be here," says Yeji. "But I'd pass your message along."
Minji breathes in, turning to Hanni with an even bigger smile. "You seem legit." And then, to Yeji: "How's Hanni coming along?"
"Well-not bad for a rusty thing-"
"Hey!" Hanni says, nudging Yeji's shoulder just as Minji laughs out loud. "Standing right here, loves."
"Just being honest," says Yeji. "I meant that as a compliment!"
"Show me, Hanni," says Minji, sitting upon a bench, an expectant look on her face. "Just so I have an idea how it goes."
"It's boxing, Minji," Hanni says, rolling her eyes. "Ever watched Pacquiao? There are gloves and there's hitting things?"
"Ssshhh," Minji says, sticking her tongue out playfully at her. "Show don't tell."
*
Needless to say, Hanni spends the rest of the workout distracted, and Yeji has to call Hanni's attention many times to keep Hanni from hurting herself on the speed ball.
"Jesus, Hanni," Yeji mutters, holding the speed ball in her hand to stop it from hitting Hanni's forehead. "Can you be any more smitten?"
"What?"
"I said, can you be any more smitten with your co-star?"
Hanni rolls her eyes. "Isn't she lovely though?" she asks, and Yeji just lets out an exasperated sigh. "What?"
Yeji starts pulling off her gloves and reaching for a different set lying in one corner. "All right," she says. "Mitts now - but only because the speed ball has nearly killed you far too many times today than is bearable to count."
Hanni lets out a giddy squeal - mitts are the closest thing to sparring she'll ever have tonight, and to be honest, it kind of excites her. She looks around briefly and finds Minji, who in turn flashes her a smile and a thumbs up sign.
Yeji clears her throat, tapping Hanni's forehead with one of her mitts.
"Ow! The fuck?" Hanni groans.
"Pay attention, Hanni," Yeji just says, holding her mitts up and moving.
*
Later, after five rounds, Hanni slides bonelessly onto the floor in front of Minji, groaning unglamorously through her smile as she reaches for the water bottle that Minji hands her.
"That seemed like a good workout," says Minji.
"Join me someday?" asks Hanni, and the smile that graces Minji's lips when she says maybe makes Hanni's heart flutter, somewhat. Can you be any more smitten--
"What do you think we should leave for Yeji's friend?" Minji asks, and that snaps Hanni out of it, for the moment.
Hanni stretches idly as she thinks - A photo? An autograph? "A shoutout on social media?" Hanni suggests.
Minji furrows her brow, as if something is amiss or confusing. "A shout out?"
Oh my god. Hanni bites down on her lip, shifting her eyes to the mat below her knee as she stretches one leg, if only to keep from laughing out loud. On a scale of 1 to Minji fucking Kim, just how adorable are you? "Fine, let's stick with the autograph," she says instead, and when she looks back up at Minji, she's already digging into her bag, as if she were looking for a pen.
*
Yeji drives them back to their building after closing the gym. "Not like I'm letting the two of you out of my sight at this hour," she says, slowing to a stop by the curb.
Hanni laughs, touching Yeji's hand on the gear shift. "Some things never change eh?" she just says. "Thanks, Yej."
From the back seat, Minji chimes in: "Thank you."
Yeji waves her hand dismissively as Hanni leans in for a hug, muttering something about the following day's early morning shift that Hanni doesn't fully catch. "Don't forget to put an ice pack on that forehead," says Yeji, eyeing the spot just above Hanni's brow where the speed ball hit her rather hard earlier.
Hanni just nods, smiling as she scrambles out of the front seat, Minji following her shortly. They stand by the door, waiting for Yeji's car to turn the corner before entering the building altogether.
Everything is quiet until the elevator door closes. "You hurt yourself?" Minji asks softly.
Hanni turns to look at her; Minji is staring at the blinking floor numbers, and Hanni allows herself a couple of moments to stare at the lovely sight of Minji's jawline. "It's not a big deal," she says, grazing the spot gently with a fingertip. The contact makes her wince and hiss.
When the elevator opens to Hanni's floor, Minji steps out first, much to Hanni's confusion. "Well?" Minji just says. "That forehead is not going to put ice on itself."
Hanni fumbles with her keys - her fingers are shaky as fuck, but then again, it could be the hand wraps. Or perhaps something else entirely, she thinks, cursing as she finally gets it right. The door opens with a soft creak, and Hanni immediately feels her bones crumble lightly at the thought of her bed.
Behind her, she can hear Minji's soft footsteps, uncertain like they've never been here before. Oh. Something seizes in Hanni's chest, remembering the last time Minji was here.
"Would you like a drink?" Hanni offers, breaking the quiet.
"I'd like a bowl of ice cubes and a soft towel for that bruise," Minji replies, and when Hanni just stands there - still slightly stunned at all this tenderness, to be quite honest about it - Minji laughs softly and goes into the kitchen herself.
Not like she does not know how to move around this place, Hanni thinks. Not like she's seeing this for the first time. She looks on from the doorway to the kitchen, arms folded across her chest, watching Minji move like this place were hers.
After a couple of moments, Minji approaches Hanni gingerly, ice pack in hand. "What, no ice cubes?" asks Hanni, and Minji just backs her into the living room until Hanni sinks into the couch. Minji shakes her head as she presses the pack against Hanni's skin, dabbing gently and testing for pain. Hanni tries not to make a sound, but fails.
"Sorry," Minji murmurs. "That hurt?"
"A bit."
"Sorry," she says again, so close to Hanni now that Hanni already has difficulty reconciling the cold of the ice pack with the heat off Minji's skin. "Where did you get this anyway?"
"Speed ball rebound," Hanni says. "It hit me while I wasn't looking."
Minji makes a face. "Ouch." And then, "Why weren't you looking?"
"You were distracting," says Hanni, biting the inside of her cheek to tame her all-too-wide smile.
Minji pauses for a moment before speaking. "I was?" she asks back, pressing the pack a bit more firmly against the skin, only Hanni's forehead is already more or less numb for her to feel so much discomfort.
"It's the shorts," Hanni replies, fiddling with the hem of Minji's shorts for emphasis. "Legs for days."
Minji starts giggling, and it is the most amusing sound. "I'm sorry," she says, though she doesn't sound contrite, not at all. If any, she moves even closer, one knee now resting upon the couch right beside where Hanni is seated, and it takes all of Hanni to not simply pull Minji onto her.
Easy, Pham. "I'm not," she says. "And I'm the one with the bruise."
"You are."
"I'm glad you were there, though."
"Me too," says Minji. "Even if I weren't technically being useful."
"Well, you're being useful now." Hanni holds onto Minji's hand, a quiet request for her to put the ice pack away. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"All this... tenderness."
Minji pauses before lowering the ice pack on the table and sliding in right beside Hanni, finally sitting on the couch. "Eh. What are friends for, right?"
Friends. Hanni tries out the sound of that in her head; it feels like there is a chunk missing, but hey, she'll take it. "Friends, huh?" she asks back, shifting to face Minji, now sitting with her legs crossed. Hanni tries not to stare too openly at the way Minji's seated so comfortably, but in the end, Hanni ends up with a hand light upon Minji's bare knee.
After a while, Minji realizes Hanni had asked a question, so she replies with a soft and shaky: "Of course."
Hanni blinks. Fuck it, she thinks, inching closer, hand sliding up slightly on Minji's thigh. Fuck it, I want to. She breathes in, unable to stop her eyes from straying and staring at Minji's lips. "You and me?"
"Very good friends," Minji just nods, swallowing hard.
Minji's still nodding when Hanni goes ahead and kisses her - no further warning, just goes ahead and does it, leaning in with a shaky hand braced against Minji's leg. Minji stills - for a split-second or a lifetime, Hanni couldn't really tell, though her chest feels curiously devoid of sound as she waits for Minji to respond.
Minji breaks the moment once she starts kissing back - she lifts her hand to Hanni's face and surprises her with her icy touch. "Fuck," Hanni hisses, drawing back slightly. "Your hand is cold."
"Shit." Minji laughs, nervously running her offending hand into her hair, ostensibly to warm it. "Sorry. Shit."
"It's all right," says Hanni, reaching for her again, cupping Minji's face in her own warmer hands, giving them both a moment to gather themselves. And then: "We suck at this friends thing, don't we?"
Minji breathes out slowly, lips breaking into a grin. "Yeah," she says, kissing Hanni gently back, bumping her nose against hers. The move reminds Hanni of their first time on the lake; inside her chest, her heart feels like it's grown a couple of sizes. "Yeah, we definitely do."