𝐓𝐀𝐄𝐊𝐖𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐎 ʸᵃⁿᵍ ʲᵘⁿᵍʷᵒⁿ [UNDER EDITING]

10. 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 22𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫

•Haeun POV•

The car rolled to a stop outside the gym. The sun had long disappeared behind the hills, leaving the sky inked in a deep blue shadow, speckled faintly with stars. I could already see the windows glowing from inside, casting a warm yellow light onto the snow covered ground.

"Thanks, Yunjin," I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. "And thanks for today. The mall... and everything."

She gave me a little salute from behind her sunglasses, even though the sun was gone. "Go win nationals," she teased.

I stepped out of the car and into the cold. The snow crunched beneath my boots, and my breath turned to mist in the air. As she drove away, the taillights of her car faded into the distance, leaving me standing alone in the dark, the training centre ahead of me like a glowing island in the cold.

I crossed the snowy lot quickly, hunching my shoulders against the wind. The main entrance doors were still propped open slightly, class for the younger kids had just ended, and a few parents were still shuffling their children out into the cold.

Inside, it was warm, blessedly warm, and smelled faintly of sweat, mats, and peppermint-scented cleaning spray. A strange mix of effort and Christmas.

I made my way to the changing rooms, flipping on the lights with a soft click. The fluorescent bulbs buzzed overhead as I sat on the wooden bench, pulling my uniform from my bag.

I slipped out of my clothes, folding them neatly beside me. As I tied the drawstrings on my trousers, my fingers trembled a little, not from the cold, but from something else. Nerves? Anticipation? I couldn't tell anymore. Everything felt a little jumbled since... since I saw him earlier.

I stared at myself in the mirror as I tied my hair back into a ponytail, tight, neat, no flyaways. My reflection stared back, unreadable. Focused. Or trying to be.

'Breathe, Haeun. You're here to train.'

I shoved my bag into a locker, closed the door, and walked out into the main hall.

The gym was quiet, echoing slightly with the low hum of the heating system. Christmas decorations hung across the top of the walls, tinsel, some paper snowflakes, and even a mini tree in the corner with tiny baubles in the shape of kicking figures. I rolled my eyes slightly but couldn't help the ghost of a smile.

I began to stretch on the mats, the movement loosening my joints and easing the weight in my chest. Stretch, hold. Roll your neck. Breathe.

Five minutes in, Coach walked through the main doors and made a beeline for his office, barely glancing up. Typical.

I counted thirty more seconds on my hamstring stretch, then straightened and headed over. My knuckles tapped lightly against his open office door before I stepped in.

"Evening, Coach," I said, keeping my voice respectful but steady.

He looked up from his laptop. "Ah, Haeun. You're early. Good." He smiled faintly. "You excited for the Christmas party tonight?"

'Wait, what?'

I blinked. "Christmas party?"

He chuckled. "You didn't know? I posted about it on Facebook last week."

"No, Coach. I don't really... check Facebook."

"Clearly," he said with a grin. "Well, it's happening tonight after training. The others know. There'll be pizza, music, a few games. Nothing fancy, just a bit of fun before nationals."