i won't share you / purinz

the game

Sakura accompanies Chaewon to the baseball game and they sit together on the bleachers, squinting against the sun. Chaewon can't understand what's supposed to be fun about playing baseball, let alone watching it. The game stops about every three seconds and the players look ridiculous running around in circles. She finds her eyes focusing less and less on the action and more on one particular player, her hair in two braids under her batting helmet.

Chaewon expected to see a different side of Yunjin on the baseball field. She expected to see Yunjin all confident, calling the shots, making the crowd swoon and the opposing team throw down their bats in surrender. Instead, Yunjin is just regular old Yunjin in a baseball jersey. She looks just as confused and cheerfully awkward as she always does, trotting around where her coach directs her and blowing pink bubbles while she waits for the game to continue. When Yunjin runs the bases, Chaewon has to hide her laughter behind her hands. It's like watching a little puppy learning to run, her arms and legs going as hard as they can but not all that coordinated with each other.

The Wildcats win and the team gathers to give each other weird bro-fives and back slaps. Yunjin catches sight of Chaewon in the crowd and beams, waving her arms in the air to get her attention. Chaewon waves back a normal, one-handed wave. It takes her a moment to notice Hajoon standing next to Yunjin, grinning and waving as if he thought Chaewon's wave was meant for him. Guilt pokes at Chaewon's chest. She's supposed to be here for Hajoon. Yunjin already has a date, and the whole point of her plan was to distract herself from the unfortunate fondness she's beginning to feel towards the girl. Hajoon is cute, his fluffy black hair poking out from under his helmet, and yet Chaewon's eyes keep straying. She keeps glancing towards Yena, the ugly pang of jealousy she feels each time making her even more ashamed of herself. Maybe coming to the game wasn't her best idea.

The crowd begins to file out. Sakura catches sight of Nakamura Kazuha milling about with her friends and abandons Chaewon to flirt with her, leaving Chaewon alone while she waits for Hajoon to emerge from the showers. She sits in the grass behind the bleachers, poking at the ground with a stick. When she hears footsteps approaching, she's surprised to see it's Yunjin, not Hajoon, who sits beside her.

"You're out early," says Chaewon.

Yunjin leans back onto her elbows, looking out at the expanse of grass instead of at Chaewon, "I don't have to share a locker room like all the guys do."

Chaewon doesn't respond, still poking at the ground with her stick. She's never been this awkward with Yunjin before. She doesn't like it, this weird silence that would normally be filled by Yunjin's dumb jokes and nervous ramblings.

"So, you and Hajoon?" Yunjin finally looks at Chaewon, her usually bright eyes dulled over.

"Yeah," says Chaewon, turning away from her gaze back towards the upturned dirt.

"Do you like him?" Yunjin asks.

"I don't know," says Chaewon, "I haven't really talked to him much yet."

"You're not wearing my hat," Yunjin suddenly points out.

"Oh," Chaewon looks up to meet her eyes again and she doesn't look angry, "Yeah, I, um, didn't know if you'd want me to."

It's a long moment before Yunjin speaks again. "Are you going to Zuha's thing?"

"What thing?"

"We have a party at Zuha's place after every game," Yunjin explains, "Her house is huge and her parents are, like, never home. They're doctors or something."

"A party?" Chaewon repeats, "On a school night?"

Yunjin laughs. It's the first time Chaewon has seen her smile since she sat down to talk.