the nba finals are on which means the entire mood of the house depends on a group of men who have absolutely no idea you exist. wonbin knows this. he's learned about your passion for the sport over the years. unfortunately your 6 yesr old daughter is still learning.
the game has barely started and you’re already sitting forward on the couch, eyes locked on the screen with one hand gripping a throw pillow so tightly it looks like you’re trying to strangle it. wonbin is sitting on the floor with sunshine in his lap. she’s perfectly content, chewing on one of her toys while bunny colors beside them.
for a while, everything is peaceful.
then the knicks miss an easy shot.
you immediately throw your hands into the air and shoot up. “what are you doing?” you demand at the television. bunny’s head snaps up from her coloring book. she looks from you to the television and then back to you again. “who are you talking to?” she asks with complete sincerity.
“the knicks,” you answer without taking your eyes off the game.
bunny frowns. “can they hear you?”
“they better.”
wonbin lets out a quiet laugh from the floor, adjusting sunshine when she starts kicking excitedly at the sudden yelling. “they definitely can’t hear her,” he tells bunny in an amused voice. “then why is mama yelling?” bunny asks, looking confused. “because she’s a fan,” wonbin explains patiently. bunny considers that answer for a moment before looking back toward the television.
unfortunately, the game gets worse and the worse the game gets, the louder you become.
you start pacing.
then sitting.
then standing again.
at one point you end up directly in front of the television with your hands on your hips. “no, no, no,” you mutter under your breath as a player dribbles. a second later you groan loudly and drop your head back. “why would you do that?” sunshine startles slightly at the sudden volume and turns immediately toward you. wonbin catches her little body before she can launch herself sideways trying to see what’s happening.
“don’t look at her,” he says to sunshine as he bounces her lightly. “mama is not being sane right now.”
“i’m being perfectly sane,” you argue immediately without looking away from the game.
“you keep yelling at the TV."
“because it was a bad pass.”
wonbin exchanges a look with bunny. bunny shrugs helplessly. by halftime wonbin has changed and fed sunshine, given bunny a snack and got her ready for bed, and folded a basket of laundry. you have not moved from your spot on the couch. at some point wonbin walks over and places a plate of food next to you. you don’t even notice.
a full minute passes before he points at it. “eat,” he says firmly, nudging your knee with his. “i can’t,” you answer immediately, still staring at the television.
“why?”
“they’re down twenty nine wonbin.”
wonbin closes his eyes briefly. bunny climbs onto the couch beside you and studies your face carefully. “is that bad?” she asks quietly. “very bad,” you answer dramatically. “oh.” now bunny looks concerned too.
the fourth quarter the game gets close which somehow makes everything worse. every possession suddenly feels life threatening to you. wonbin swears you stop blinking. he has sunshine asleep against his chest by now, her tiny face pressed into his shirt while he rubs slow circles against her back. even he starts paying attention because your reactions are becoming impossible to ignore. the knicks start coming back little by little and you freeze. “wonbin,” you whisper. he immediately looks up, “what?”
“don’t talk.”
“i didn’t-"
“don’t.”
bunny looks between both of you. “what’s happening?" “something,” you whisper. the game gets closer.
and closer.
and closer. now theyre only 3 behind.
you’re standing again with your hands clasped together. every possession of the ball feels like it lasts ten years. wonbin has stopped pretending not to care. even bunny is watching now because your reactions are making this seem like the most important event in human history.
the final minute is agony. you pace then you sit and then you stand again. by the final seconds you have to sit because your legs feel like they're going to give out. wonbin is laughing at you now, “i think you’ve walked a mile.”
“stop talking to me.”
“okay," wonbin stood up to go put sunshine in her crib.
“actually no, stay.”
“okay," wonbin slowly sat back down.
“but stop talking.”
“right.”
then the buzzer finally sounds. for a second you just stare. the celebration starts on the screen. there's players jumping, confetti falling and the crowd losing their minds.
you stare.
and stare.
and stare.
and then it hits you.
“THEY WON!” the scream that comes out of you is so loud that sunshine startles awake immediately. “THEY WON! OH MY GOD THEY WON!” you jump straight off the couch. “WONBIN THEY WON!”
“i can see that,” he says, already laughing. “THEY WON!” you look seconds away from passing out. bunny is staring at you in complete shock “mama?”
“THEY WON THE FINALS!” you're hand is over your mouth in shock as you stare at the celebration on the screen. bunny immediately starts jumping too because she sees your excitement. “THEY WON!” she repeats enthusiastically despite having absolutely no idea what they won or who even won. “THEY DID!” you shout with a smile, grabbing her and spinning her around for a second before pulling her into a huge hug. sunshine is fully awake now, blinking in confusion while wonbin bounces her and laughs so hard he’s struggling to keep a straight face. “i’ve never seen you this excited over anything,” he admits.
you point dramatically at the television where the team is celebrating, “LOOK AT THEM!”
“i am looking.”
“NO LOOK!”
“i’m looking!”
you laugh, cry, and somehow keep yelling all at the same time while the celebration continues on screen. every time the championship celebration shows another replay, you point at the screen and smile all over again like you still can’t believe it actually happened.
