Present
Yeji finished recalling the events that happened, though obviously omitting the part where she had her first kiss with Jisu. That memory was precious and she wanted to keep that between the two for now.
By the time she had finished, everyone was noticeably feeling down in some sort of way.
Both Yuna and Chaeryeong were on the verge of tears, upset that the eldest had to go through something so horrible, while Ryujin was incredibly furious, her eyebrows furrowing and her eyes seething with rage and anger, and if looks could kill, hers definitely could at that moment.
"I'm going to fucking kill him," Ryujin muttered out, her fist clenched so tight that her knuckles had began to turn white.
Jisu on the other hand, sat in silence, head down, ashamed to even look at the girl sitting right by her.
Out of everyone in the room, she felt the most guilt and pain after hearing Yeji's story.
After all, she was the closest to Soobin among everyone there, yet she was most oblivious to the horrible things the boy has done, especially to someone as important to her as Yeji.
And before she even realized, single teardrops had began trickling down, gliding across her cheeks and falling onto her pants, causing little damp spots to appear.
"Hey...," Yeji spoke with the softest voice she could while reaching her hand out, gently placing it right on top of Jisu's head, patting it lightly. "There's no need to cry, Jisu-ya..."
Through the sobbing, Jisu managed to respond.
"W-why didn't you tell me? ... Or any of us?" she asked, still not brave enough to look up and into Yeji's eyes.
Jisu was too embarrassed after learning that she was the one that caused Yeji so much pain and so much hurt. Even almost destroying Yeji's basketball dreams.
Yeji moved her hand underneath Jisu's chin, and with as little force as she could, lifted Jisu's head, so that she could look into the shorter girl's glossy eyes.
"It's okay, Jisu. It's in the past now. There's no point in dwelling on it," Yeji flashed a warm smile at Jisu, hoping it would comfort the girl.
Upon meeting Yeji's cat-like gaze that was so tender and soft in that moment, Jisu couldn't help but burst out in tears, no longer doing what she could to hold it back.
How many more times was the silver haired girl going to get hurt because of her? Jisu thought to herself.
And so Jisu did the only thing she wanted to do in that moment, the only thing her heart yearned for, which was to scoot as close as she could to Yeji, before sliding her arms to wrap Yeji's waist while burying her face into the neck of the silver haired girl, hugging the older girl as tight as she could.
"I'm so sorry." Jisu managed to whisper, and while the others couldn't hear it, Yeji did.
Yeji wrapped her arms around Jisu as well, gently rubbing the smaller girls back in an attempt to calm her down while gently whispering into Jisu's ears.
"It's okay. It's okay. It's okay."
"...What now?" Yuna asked.
Everyone in the room fell silent at that question, before Yeji spoke up first.
"There is no what now, Yuna-ya," Yeji said calmly.
"Unnie! What do you mean??" Ryujin exclaimed, standing up, though Yuna was quick to grab Ryujin's hand, in hopes to calm her girlfriend down.
"We don't do anything, Ryujin-ah," Yeji replied, still just as calm despite Ryujin's outburst.
"He has to pay for what he did to you!"
"And he will," Hyunjin interrupted with bandages plastered across his face from Chaeryeong and Kim Jisoo tending to his wounds. "He's going to get suspended from the team after tonight."
"It's not only about tonight though!" Ryujin argued back.
"Ryujin, I don't want you getting involved in this, okay? It's not worth it, and you have too much at stake. I'll never forgive you if you decide to throw what you have away just for me," Yeji responded.
As much as Ryujin wanted to disagree with Yeji, she knew the silver haired girl was right. There really wasn't much she could do without it coming back to bite her, and with that, she could only grit her teeth in frustration, once more taking a seat.
"It goes for all of you too ..." Yeji said, looking at everyone else around the room one by one, with Yuna and Chaeryeong immediately nodding back.
It wasn't that Yuna and Chaeryeong weren't as angry as Ryujin was about what Soobin had done to their friend. They wanted revenge as much as the blonde haired girl did.
But what they wanted more was for Yeji to rest, for Yeji to find peace. The oldest had been carrying too much burden all these years, and for them to act selfishly against Yeji's wishes would only add more to the girl's plate of things to worry about.
What's more was that they trusted Yeji. More than enough to listen to what she was saying.
" ...Especially you," Yeji whispered into Jisu's ear, who was still tightly holding onto her with no signs of letting go anytime soon.
Jisu knew what Yeji meant.
The older girl knew that out of everyone here, the one most likely to act on her own will more so than even Ryujin, was Jisu herself.
Especially because Yeji knew how responsible Jisu must feel for causing all that has happened.
"Promise?" Yeji quietly asked, which the girl replied by ever so slightly nodding her head.
"Alright, but next time he pulls some shit like this again, I'll be the first to kick his ass," Ryujin commented, and though a part of her was serious when she said that, she was also trying to lighten the mood.
It was still Halloween after all, and it would be a shame to end the night for such a festive day on a bad note.
Ryujin's comment caused everyone to chuckle, easing up the tension almost instantaneously.
"I have some candy and snacks in the cupboard," Yeji said, "Maybe we can eat while watching a horror movie? It's still Halloween."
"I'll get them ready!" Chaeryeong responded excitedly.
"I'll help you too," Kim Jisoo followed Chaeryeong into the kitchen. She's never met the others except for Yeji and Jisu, but just from watching them tonight, she knew these people had something special.
A bond stronger than blood could ever forge, and it compelled her to stay.
"Unnie," Ryujin called out to Yeji as she approached the silver haired girl, her hand holding Yuna's. "Next time, please tell us."
Yeji chuckled, before nodding with a smile on her face. "I will. Thank you, Ryujin."
"Yeji, you do realize that if Soobin's gonna get suspended, you might be too?" Hyunjin chimed in, not wanting to dampen the mood, but he wanted to make sure his cousin knew what was coming her way.
"I know. It doesn't matter."
With everyone else gathered in the kitchen, rummaging through Yeji's cupboard and fridge to get food ready for their sudden movie night, Yeji was left alone with Jisu on the sofa, the younger girl still buried into Yeji's neck, though her crying had finally stopped.
"...Y-yeji?" Jisu mumbled weakly.
"Hmm?"
"...C-can I stay for the night?"
A smile stretched across Yeji's face, though Jisu couldn't see it.
"Of couse you can."
-----
It had been more than a week since the fight at the Halloween party, and the aftermath of it all was just as Yeji had expected. Not more not less.
Videos of the brawl between her, Soobin, and Hyunjin spread throughout campus like wildfire almost instantaneously, and though Yeji had no social media, both Ryujin and Yuna kept her updated.
Nobody outside their circle knew the reason why the two basketball captains fought with each other. And with nobody knowing the true story behind it, rumours began to spread.
Some predicted that Soobin was jealous of the success the girls basketball team had, which was reasonably logical, while others came up with laughably ridiculous stories. Some, to Yeji's surprise, were actually able to sort of guess correctly the story though only at surface level, that Soobin liked Jisu which was a known fact around campus, but that Yeji stood between the two.
Rumors even began to spread that Yeji and Jisu had a thing for each other as some people were able to catch a glimpse of the two girls being rather intimate underneath the starry skies that night at the party, before the fight started.
Yeji never indulged in any of these rumours though.
She never responded or involved herself, never spoke up or bothered to tell her side of the story, never looked back at the stares and looks she'd get when she walked down the hallway, hoping that if she just ignored it, it would go away on its own.
And Jisu and the others did the same too.
But as much as they wanted the whole thing to be swept underneath the carpet, it didn't take long for the video to spread outside beyond the student body and into the hands of people that actually mattered more.
Yeji was soon told by her coach that she was suspended until further notice from the basketball team, though the coach did warn her it could be permanent.
News got out pretty quickly after, that the captain which had been experiencing extreme success leading the basketball team had been suspended, and news outlets and sport websites began reporting on it almost immediately, with tons of articles being written.
The number of reporters that attended their following game almost doubled and all were there to hopefully get a word or two from Yeji about her suspension, who spent the whole game sitting on the bench without a uniform.
After the game was over, which they thankfully were able to win thanks to Yuna and Ryujin though it was clearly not as easy without Yeji, reporters came swarming in on the silver haired girl, who once more had to politely decline to speak on the matter, walking away coldly from all the cameras and mics pointed at her.
It didn't bother Yeji whatsoever.
All the things people were saying about her, especially the way sport analysts had began to turn against her, twisting her suspension story into questioning her abilities and even her leadership of her team, it didn't matter to Yeji, only going in one ear and out the other.
It was the rough reality of the world they lived in, where one little thing could overturn the truth and completely redefine someone's narrative.
But she didn't care, because none of them knew her real story, and even if they did, it wouldn't change what Yeji thought or felt.
The only thing that she was upset about was that she couldn't play basketball.
The sport she loved so much. The sport she thought she'd spend the rest of her life playing.
It broke her heart that there was a chance she would never play professionally ever again, that she'd have to give up her dream of playing on the grandest stage.
But it didn't stop Yeji from showing up to their games or even practice.
She didn't have to. But she wanted to.
The hardwood floor felt like her second home, and though it would be easier for her to let go if she stayed away, she just couldn't.
Which was why she was here again in the gymnasium, showing up to practice in casual clothes.
"I'm sorry, unnie," Yuna softly said to Yeji.
The two were sitting on the bench, watching everyone else warming up, getting ready for practice to start.
"It's okay, Yuna-ya, unnie is fine," Yeji lied, hoping her empty words could soothe the youngest.
"I-I should've stopped you that night..."
"Yuna, you know it's not your fault, right? I threw myself in. I did. Not you, not Chaeryeong, not Ryujin, and not Jisu. It was me."
"B-but if I had stopped yo-"
"I asked you to stop Ryujin, and you did that perfectly," Yeji flashed a smile at Yuna, her hand ruffling the younger girl's hair. "If you didn't do that, I think I'd be even more upset than I am right now. So thank you."
Yuna wrapped her arms around the oldest, hugging her tightly.
Just then, Ryujin entered the gym.
"Yeji unnie!" she yelled from the entrance. "Coach is looking for you!"
Yuna let go of her hold on the silver haired girl, as Yeji quickly ran over to where Ryujin stood.
"Do you know what it's about?" Yeji asked, wondering what the coach would want to talk to her for. There was nothing she could think of that hadn't already been said.
"I have no clue. But tell us after, okay?" Ryujin replied.
Yeji gave her a quick nod, before jogging away to the coach's office, which was right beside their locker room.
She gave a light knock on the wooden surface, before gently opening the door.
"Coach. You were looking for me?" Yeji politely asked, peaking inside the room.
"You can come in. Have a seat."
Yeji took a seat on one of the two chairs in front of the desk.
"Ryujin said you wanted to talk to me?" Yeji asked, curiosity evident in her voice.
"It's about your suspension," the coach answered calmly.
This must be it. Yeji thought to herself, getting her heart ready and prepared for the bad news.
She wasn't sure what else could be said about her suspension that hadn't already been said other than the fact that she was probably going to get permanently kicked out at last.
"Your ... girlfriend came to see me?"
Did Yeji hear that right? Did her coach really say girlfriend?
"U-uhm ... I-I don't have a girlfriend, coach," Yeji answered, awkwardly scratching her head.
"Lia, was it? Choi Lia? She came to see me a few days back."
Yeji was surprised.
Surprised at the fact that her coach thought Jisu was her girlfriend, and even more surprised that the shorter girl came to see her coach.
"Ah ... s-she's not my girlfriend ... she's just a friend..."
Her coach chuckled lightly.
"Ah my bad. Apologies, I just assumed. But yes, she came to see me a couple days ago. And after a lot of thought, I've decided that as of today, you're no longer suspended," she flashed a smile at Yeji.
Yeji's eyes grew as wide as it could, brightening up like the sun rising in the morning, as if bringing light to what once was a dark sky.
"W-wait what? Is this for real??" Yeji exclaimed.
"It is. Your friend explained what had happened that night and why you got caught up in the fight. You were trying to protect her, right?"
Yeji nodded shyly, a little embarrassed.
"Why didn't you explain yourself when I first asked you about it?" the coach leaned forward onto her desk, her face projecting curiosity. If she had known that her captain was only trying to protect someone, she wouldn't have suspended the girl in the first place.
"I ... I didn't want to make any excuses, coach. There was no excuse for me to have gotten caught up in something like that. A-And I thought it was only right for me to accept the punishment you'd give."
To Yeji's surprise, her coach laughed at what she had said. It wasn't a condescending laugh or did it sound like mockery at all. It was amusement.
"That girl really does know you, Yeji. Lia had told me you would say what you just said."
Yeji didn't really know how to respond, other than to put her head down, though a sneaky grin had appeared on her face.
"Well, we're about to start practice," the coach continued. "You can join us already if you'd like."
Yeji nodded in excitement, eager to get back on the court as soon as possible. It had only been a little more than a week, but she missed basketball as if she hasn't played in years.
"Thank you, coach," Yeji said with a smile on her face.
"Don't thank me, thank your friend. If it wasn't for her I would have never known. And about the media..."
"I'll give a statement to them at the next game," Yeji interrupted.
The silver haired girl got up from her seat, giving her coach a 90-degree bow, before turning around and reaching for the door.
But before she could open it, her coach had once more called out to her.
"Oh, and Yeji..."
Yeji turned around, her ears perked up.
"I don't know if you know this, but that girl, Lia, I can tell she cares about you a lot. I'm glad you have a someone like her in your life. Take it from someone who's experienced life a little longer than you, but do your best to keep her around."
Yeji blinked a few times, a little taken aback at her coach's words for her.
But it wasn't very surprising if she thought about it.
She and her coach had gotten quite close over the few weeks of working together managing this team, and even Yeji could realize how much trust her coach put in her as team captain. For her coach to give her a little bit of life advice was proof of this trust and Yeji was grateful for it.
"Thanks coach, I will."
Author's Notes:
I know it's not really related to this chapter, but I drew the above image since I had a little bit of time on hand. It's sort of what I think the three would look like as basketball players in this story. I hope you guys like it😅.
And I promise you guys I have a life outside of this au. It might seem like I'm spending a lot of my time on this, but it really is something I enjoy which is why most free time I have I'll dedicate to this😂.
See you guys at the next chapter!❤️