Last Saturday

ch.05

Minji is lying on her bed, staring blankly through the window. She had nothing to do on a Sunday. Her doorbell rings, and she quickly gets up to go downstairs, not even bothering to fix herself, wondering who would be visiting her. She isn't expecting Hanni, since the girl said she had a painting she was working on.
She opens her door to see someone she did not expect to see.

"Hi!"

Minji blinks once, twice, and it's really her. The owner of the ice hockey varsity jacket her ex wore years ago is standing on her front porch.

"Hae..." She couldn't even finish her statement, so many questions were clouding her entire brain.

"...rin." The ice hockey player completes it for her.

Minji already knew what Haerin looked like, due to the athlete's hockey matches always being broadcasted in sports channels. They studied in the same school, talked a few times,had a few projects where they had to work together, but were never really considered as close. The Haerin now drastically changed. She grew taller, even taller than Minji and it
shocks her since the woman used to be a few inches shorter than her, which also explains why she had to do a double take to convince herself that it was her fellow schoolmate herself.

She even seemed paler, and Minji guessed that it was probably from staying indoors a lot for practice.

'Wait- what is she even doing in front of my house?'

Minji remembers, she was on her way out of the building, walking home when she caught a glimpse of Haerin in one of the hockey games on the television
"W-why are you here? How- didn't you just finish a match?"

Minji was already aware that Haerin knew where she lived, they both had to work together in a math project back then while Minji was already moving out of her apartment to her home now, but that was already years ago.

"Our division is finished with the first round of playoffs, so I'm on vacation for a week now! I arrived at the airport yesterday and I wanted to come by to say hi to my friends. It's been a while since I last visited my hometown, and I passed by the subdivision and wondered if you still lived here, which obviously answers my question! So I decided to give boxes of donuts as gifts, and you're included!"

Right, this city is Haerin's hometown.

"O-oh wow, that's nice of you, really." Haerin was always a kind person, Minji considered her too kind for a face that looked so intimidating. She was unlike some of her former school teammates who were extremely cocky and full of themselves. It obviously makes sense almost everyone in university fell for her charms, even Da-

"Hey, Minji? The donuts..." She doesn't notice how Haerin was already reaching the box out to her waiting for her to carry it.

"Oh right, right. You should come in, you seem exhausted from what you're doing."

Haerin hesitates for a while, but ends up entering Minji's home because she's correct.

She was definitely worn-out from giving out boxes of donuts like a delivery woman, but that didn't matter because at least she saw her friends smile.

Minji prepares her a cup of tea and after multiple tries, successfully convinces Haerin to eat one of the donuts the athlete herself gifted. She seemed really hungry, you can't blame her.
They're both catching up on their lives, Minji congratulating Haerin for winning the said game she played in just a week ago, Haerin asking about her basketball career, finding out
that she had already quit immediately after graduating.
"Why though? You were a star player in the school."

" Were , Haerin. Besides, I only got to study there because of the scholarship it gave me, it isn't really my dream. Maybe I was just really good at it."

"You were great at it. A kind of great that would've gotten you to be drafted in the WNBA."

Haerin enunciates.

"I guess you could call it that. But really, it wasn't something I envisioned myself doing 'til I
turned 40 or something." Minji chuckles.

To be completely honest, Minji never even had a dream of what she wanted her career to be. Her path in life was unpredictable, and to this day, it still is.

"I see."

"How are you and Danielle by the way?" Minji takes up all her inner courage to ask that
question, already expecting the look of surprise on Haerin's face.

"Wow, uh-," Haerin coughs, "We're still the same." She relaxes and the smile comes back to her face again, "She's doing really well."

"That's nice." Minji was really glad to know that Danielle was doing great, she deserved
Haerin, and Haerin deserved her.

"How about you? Anyone stealing your heart lately?" The athlete swiftly shifts the topic to Minji, and teases through wiggling eyebrows.

She laughs, "No. I'm too busy for that." She sips her coffee to avoid more conversation.
"Your wall over there says otherwise." Haerin points her head to the metal grid rack behind Minji, standing up to take a closer look.

"Wha- hey, don't- mind that..." Despite her words, Minji makes zero effort to block Haerin off.

"You're even more suspicious trying to hide it." Haerin points out, narrowing her eyes.

"She gave it to me as a friendship gift."

By the look on Haerin's face, she was nowhere even near half-convinced.

"These polaroids are filled with only the BOTH of you, Minji. And to mention the fact
there are numerous hearts and lip stickers pasted here-"

"I swear, we're not what you think you are."

"But do you like her?" She jokingly smirks, but it seems that Minji was too seriously
invested in the question to notice.

She opens and closes her mouth like a fish, unable to answer. She was somewhat glitching, and Haerin giggled.

"Relax! I was joking, you don't have to answer that. You're taking this too seriously, and
your ears are red." If Haerin can't get the answer from Minji's mouth, she gets them
from her ears.

And Minji hates it. They always expose her when she forces herself to stay quiet.

Everyone of her former schoolmates knew about this, so it's pretty obvious that Haerin was aware of it as well.
Haerin slightly adjusts one of the tilted pictures on the rack, "If I were you, I'd make a move before it's too late."

'I wish I could.' She thinks.

"I can't do that, even as much as I wanted to." Minji bittersweetly chuckles, scratching her nape, confessing in the end.

"Why not? She obviously likes you back." Haerin points to one polaroid where Hanni was kissing Sooyoung's cheek.

"Yeah right, such really close friends." Haerin jests once more, and Minji laughs but it quickly fades this time.

"Don't tell me...Minji!" After a short pause, Haerin's smile fades, turning into sadness.

"What?" Minji questions, yet absolutely knows what she's talking about.

"You won't hurt her, don't overthink. You aren't the person from 3 years ago anymore. Don't be afraid to try again."

How would anyone even know that she won't make the same mistake again? Even Minji herself is unsure, and Haerin? Her ex's girlfriend? How is she supposed to believe her?

"I don't- I can't, hurt her. You know me, Haerin. I'm not letting that happen again, especially to Hanni."

"Then don't hurt her. Standing still would torture you more than trying to change. How are you going to achieve that when you always choose to hide?"
Haerin gives her a reassuring smile, pats her shoulder, then makes her way back to the table to take a seat and finish her donut.

Minji takes a last look at the metal rack filled with their polaroids before following
Haerin.

'Maybe she's right.'