Blessing in Disguise

Chapter Eleven

Y/N

6/17/2018

Y/N sat at the center of the court, sobbing quietly, the weight of the night crushing him. It wasn't just the game—though his stat line still gnawed at him, a constant reminder that he didn't feel like he was enough. It was everything. The expectations from his team, his coach, his family, and the town. He felt like he was drowning under the pressure to be perfect, to live up to the potential everyone kept telling him he had. Even his game-winning shot hadn't lifted the cloud that followed him. The cheers, the applause—they didn't quiet the voice in his head telling him he had fallen short.

Slowly, he stood, wiping the tears from his face, trying to compose himself as he limped back to the bleachers to grab his things. That's when he noticed the missed calls from Yunjin. A pang of guilt hit him. She had been trying to reach him, and he had been too lost in his own turmoil to even notice. He quickly stifled the sobs that threatened to return and dialed her back, trying to sound normal as he answered.

"Hey, Jen," he croaked out, his voice raspy from crying, but he hoped she wouldn't notice.

"Y/N... are you okay?" Her voice was soft, but Y/N could hear the concern, and he knew he wasn't fooling her.

"I'm fine," he lied, forcing a chuckle. "Just had a long day, you know, the game and everything."

But Yunjin wasn't buying it. She could hear the strain in his voice, the way it wavered just slightly. "You don't sound fine. Can you turn on your camera?"

Y/N froze, his breath catching in his throat. He wasn't ready for her to see him like this—red-eyed and broken. "Uh, Jen, it's late, and I—"

"Please," she cut him off, her voice gentle but firm. "Let me see you."

He hesitated, his hand trembling as he reluctantly turned on the camera. When the video connected, Y/N's face appeared on her screen, and he saw the immediate shift in Yunjin's expression. Her eyes softened, and Y/N's chest tightened. He could see the worry in her gaze as she took in the sight of him—tear-streaked, his face pale and exhausted, his eyes red and swollen from crying.

"Y/N..." she whispered, her voice breaking slightly. "What happened? Why didn't you tell me?"

Y/N clenched his jaw, trying to hold back another wave of emotion. He looked away from the camera, ashamed of how he must've looked to her. "I didn't want to worry you," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Yunjin's expression faltered as she watched him, the tears filling her own eyes. "You're my boyfriend. Of course, I'm going to worry about you," she said softly. "What happened? Talk to me."

Y/N swallowed hard, wiping at his face again, his voice shaky as he tried to explain. "It's just... everything. The game, the pressure. I made the shot, but... I don't feel like I'm doing enough. It's like no matter what I do, I'm still failing. I keep trying to be perfect, but it's never enough."

He saw Yunjin's eyes fill with tears as she listened, her heart aching for him. "Y/N... you don't have to be perfect. You don't have to carry all of this alone."

Y/N shook his head, his voice breaking as the tears he had been holding back spilled over. "But everyone expects me to. The team, the coaches, the colleges... I don't know how to handle it all. And I didn't want to tell you because... because you've already got so much on your plate with Produce 48. I didn't want to add to it."

Yunjin wiped at her own tears, her voice steady despite the pain in her chest. "You're not adding to anything. I'm here for you, Y/N, just like you've always been there for me. It's okay to let me in."

There was a long pause as Y/N looked down, his hand shaking as he gripped the phone. "I just... I feel like I'm falling apart."

Yunjin's voice was soft but filled with conviction. "Then I'll help you put it back together."

Y/N's breath hitched, and for the first time that night, he let himself break completely. The sobs that he had been trying so hard to suppress finally erupted, and Yunjin stayed with him through the phone, her voice soothing him, telling him that he wasn't alone.

It wasn't a solution. The pressure, the expectations, they were still there. But in that moment, Y/N knew he didn't have to carry the weight by himself, and for the first time in a long while, the burden felt just a little bit lighter.

Yunjin

After the call, Yunjin sat on the edge of her bed, her heart aching. Seeing her Y/N break down like that shattered her. His face, tear-streaked and exhausted, haunted her. His eyes had been so red, swollen from trying to hold everything in, and his voice had cracked with a rawness she wasn't used to hearing from him. She had never seen him so vulnerable, and the fact that she wasn't there physically, to hold him, to comfort him, made it all worse.

She had insisted he go home and rest, practically begging him over the phone. "Please, Y/N. You need to take care of yourself. You can't keep pushing like this," she had said, her voice cracking under the weight of her worry. And finally, after much convincing, he had agreed.

Now, alone in her dorm room, Yunjin felt helpless. She wanted so badly to be there, to sit beside him on the bleachers, to take his hand and tell him that everything was going to be okay. But all she had was the distance between them and the glowing screen of her phone. It wasn't enough. It never felt like enough.

She stared at her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she hovered over the call button again. She missed him, and knowing he was going through something so heavy made her want to be with him even more. If she couldn't be there physically, she'd find another way to stay close.

Yunjin bit her lip before opening FaceTime, her heart racing as the call rang. After a few moments, Y/N's tired face appeared on the screen. He still looked drained, his hair messy, his eyes slightly puffy, but there was a small smile on his lips when he saw her.

"Hey," Y/N murmured, his voice soft.

"Hey," Yunjin replied, her heart aching just seeing him. "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged, leaning back against his pillow. "Better, I guess. Thanks for making me go home. I probably needed it."

Yunjin smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You definitely needed it. You've been carrying too much for too long."

For the next few moments, they just stared at each other through the screen, the silence heavy but not uncomfortable. Yunjin studied him carefully, taking in the way his shoulders slumped slightly, how his eyelids were still a little swollen. His vulnerability tugged at her heartstrings, but there was also a quiet strength in him—one that she admired so much.

"I wish I could be there," she admitted softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "It kills me that I can't just... hug you."

Y/N's eyes softened, and he chuckled weakly. "I know. I wish you were here too."

Yunjin swallowed the lump in her throat, determined not to cry. She wanted to be strong for him, but the helplessness of their situation weighed on her. "How about this," she said after a moment. "We FaceTime every night from now on. You tell me what's going on with you, and I'll tell you about everything here. We'll talk about our problems together, okay?"

Y/N smiled, the first genuine one she had seen from him that night. "I'd like that."

And so, they settled into a new routine. Every night, no matter how tired they were, no matter how far apart they were, they'd talk. Sometimes, it would be serious, like Y/N venting about the pressure of basketball or Yunjin sharing her struggles with Produce 48. Other times, it was lighter, full of jokes and teasing, reminding them both of the easier days back home.

It wasn't the same as being there in person, but it was something. And for now, that was enough.

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A/N: Please let me know what yall think of the story so far, I've been rewatching Produce 48 so I can get as much of the details right as possible, but the editing is getting on my nerves lol.