Liebesleid || yuri on ice

ii.

Viktor

I had traveled to many different parts of the world. One year, I participated in Skate America, a qualifier for the Grand Prix Final.

While I was there, I met many skaters in my bracket and those under mine.

One skater had always stuck out in my mind. She was from Korea, a few years younger than myself.

The girl was very shy and kept to herself quite often. I had never heard her speak for the first two days that I was there.

She just rushed out onto the ice, and performed like any skater would.

She refused any and all interviews and panels. Above all, she barely even looked her coach in the eye.

"What's your name?" I asked finally approaching her on the last day. She glanced up at me with wide eyes. There was a strange silence between us. It wasn't uncomfortable or tense, but just a normal silence.

As if words could be read across our faces.

"Jeong Yi." She had muttered after a few moments.

"Well Jeong, I'm Viktor Nikiforov, and I propose we become friends!"

She had stared at me skeptically before nodding. For the rest of the day I couldn't help but follow her around.

Jeong came into skating later on in her life. Whereas most others started young, her first adventure onto the ice was at age 17.

Her friend at the time had coaxed her into it and before she knew it, Jeong had fallen in love with figure skating.

But a few years after that very friend left her in the dust.

"I lost my motivation for a lot of things. I dropped out of school and ran away from home often." She uttered with a sad smile. Jeong was reluctant about making friends after that.

But I was glad that she was letting me in. Allowing me to chip away at her shell. I barely knew her, yet I felt like we connected on a deep level. As if I'd known her all my life.

"But I grew up. I began skating out the emotions I felt when she left. Doing so, I claimed a lot of wins at small competitions."

And yet it had brought her all the way to the Grand Prix Finals that year. Though nobody was prepared for what would actually happen that day.