do you still like.... use this app for reading? 😅 I get youre not posting rn, but im just curious
Very late on answering that (I've been preparing for the concert trip sorry-) but yes I do like to read quite a lot here whenever I have free time (which I don't have a lot of rn)
hi just wanna stop by and ask if you not write anymore :(
Currently I'm trying to get back into writing rhythm after a long break due to my life being busy but I'm planning to be back into writing at some point <3
synopsis:
↳ when yonsei university's star girls basketball player, an yujin, has to get tutored by the one person who hates her more than anything, lee y/n, yonsei's student council president
genre:
↳ wlw, fluff, non-idol x non-idol, angst, college au, enemies to lovers
featuring:
↳ basketball player!yujin x top student!reader
↳ ive (gaeul, rei, wonyoung, liz), tripleS (dahyun, mayu, xinyu, nakyoung, sohyun, nien, seoyeon, chaeyeon) nmixx (haewon, lily) le sserafim (kazuha, yunjin)
warnings / notes:
↳ happy birthday to my bestie! @vex91
↳ 2, 765 words
The gym always smelled like polished wood and sweat.
It was the smell of victory, of sneakers squeaking across the court, and late nights filled with adrenaline and the roar of a crowd echoing in your ears long after the game ended.
For An Yujin, the basketball court was home.
She thrived under the bright arena lights, hair pulled into a messy ponytail, jersey clinging to her shoulders as she moved like lightning down the court—fast breaks, sharp pivots, and perfect three-pointers.
The captain of the Yonsei University women’s basketball team; everyone knew her and everyone liked her.
Well…almost everyone.
The locker room buzzed after practice.
Yujin dropped onto the bench with a dramatic groan, tossing her head back as sweat dampened the loose strands of hair framing her face.
“Coach Park is trying to kill us,” she muttered.
Across from her, Kim Gaeul, snorted while tying her sneakers. “You say that every practice.”
“And every practice I’m correct.”
Naoi Rei was leaning against a locker, sipping a sports drink. “You wouldn’t survive five minutes on the track team.”
“Please,” Yujin scoffed. “I’m an athlete.”
“Barely,” Rei said lazily.
The locker room door swung open again as two of their friends from the music department wandered in, Huh Yunjin and Nakamura Kazuha.
Yunjin whistled, “Practice looked brutal today.”
“Because someone,” Gaeul said pointedly, glancing at Yujin, “spent half the time trash-talking the boys team instead of running drills.”
“It’s psychological warfare.” Yujin defended.
Before anyone could respond, Coach Park’s voice boomed from the hallway.
“Yujin, Office. Now.”
The locker room went quiet as Rei slowly lowered her drink.
“Uh oh.” she muttered quietly, watching the junior girl slowly get up and leave the locker room.
Ten minutes later, Yujin sat stiffly in the chair across from Coach Park’s desk.
The woman looked tired, but more importantly, she looked disappointed which was worse.
“Your midterm reports came in,” she said, sliding a paper across the desk.
Yujin looked down, her stomach dropped as she looked at the results written on the paper.
Two D’s and one F.
Coach Park clasped her hands together, “You know the rules.”
Yujin’s jaw tightened, “Coach—”
“You’re on academic probation.”
The words hit harder than any rebound on the court.
“You can’t play,” she continued, “until those grades come up.”
Yujin felt her chest tighten.
“No games and no traveling.”
Silence filled the office.
Then Coach Park added gently, “You’re one of our best players, Yujin, but this is a university first.”
Yujin dragged a hand down her face.
“Find a tutor.” the older woman said before dismissing the junior girl from her office.
That was how Yujin ended up standing outside of the library two hours later, staring at the tutoring sign-up list like it had personally betrayed her.
At the very top was a name that she recognized immediately, Lee Y/n.
Top of the class, perfect GPA, a member of the honors program and professors practically worshipped her.
Yujin’s academic rival since freshman year and the only person who could tutor the course she was failing.
Yujin groaned under her breath, glaring at the sign-up sheet. “Seriously?”
—
You were sitting at your usual table in the library, stacks of textbooks surrounding you like a fortress with highlighters, notes, and your laptop open.
You were focused, calm, and untouchable, until a shadow fell across the table making her look up and there she was.
Tall and athletic build, hoodie thrown over her practice jersey.
An Yujin.
You raised an eyebrow slowly, looking at the star player of Yonsei’s women’s basketball team.
“Well,” you said, leaning back in your chair. “If it isn’t the campus celebrity.”
Her expression immediately hardened, “Don’t start.”
“Start what?”
“The attitude.”
You blinked innocently, “You came up to me.”
Yujin sighed like this was the worst moment of her life, “Coach Park said that I need a tutor.”
“And?”
“And you’re the only one available for this class.”
A pause.
You folded her arms, “So you want my help?”
The basketball star looked like she would rather swallow a basketball.
“…yes.”
You tilted your head thoughtfully.
“Interesting.”
Yujin frowned, “What?”
“You’ve spent two years calling my studying ‘overachiever behavior’ and now you’re asking for my help.”
“And you’ve spent two years calling athletes ‘walking concussions’, so yes, I am asking for your help.”
“Fair.”
The silence between them stretched, then you sighed dramatically.
“Fine, sit down.”
Yujin blinked, surprised that you gave in so quickly.
“That easy?”
“Don’t get used to it, An.”
Yujin chuckled quietly, sliding into the chair across from you.
Up close, you noticed things that you hadn’t before about Yujin. The faint scar on her eyebrow, the way her hair curled slightly when it dried from sweat and quiet intensity in her eyes.
You shook the thought away.
“Alright,” she said briskly, pulling a textbook toward her. “Let’s see how bad the damage is.”
Thirty minutes later, you were staring at Yujin’s paper like it had personally offended her.
“How,” you said slowly, “did you get this wrong?”
Yujin leaned back in her chair, “I guessed.”
“You guessed?”
“Yes.”
“On a written answer?”
“…creative guessing?”
You pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance and frustration.
“Yujin.”
“What?”
“You wrote three paragraphs about something that has nothing to do with the question.”
She leaned forward, peering at the page.
“…Oh.”
You stared at her and she stared back, then she laughed.
Actually laughed, making your annoyance falter.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“Yet, here I am.” she said, grinning.
Something about the grin made your stomach flip but she ignored it.
—
Tutoring became a routine, three evenings a week in the library with coffee cups and endless notes.
At first, it was chaos due to Yujin’s constant complaining.
“This is torture.”
“This is studying.”
“Same thing.”
“You’re dramatic.”
“And you’re bossy.”
But slowly, something changed as you noticed that Yujin tried harder.
She started to actually take notes, asked questions instead of guessing, and sometimes, when she concentrated, her tongue would poke out slightly between her lips.
Which you absolutely did not find adorable, not even a little.
One evening, rain poured against the library windows as you were explaining a concept when Yujin suddenly leaned closer.
Too close.
Her shoulder brushed against yours, making you freeze.
“Wait,” she murmured, pointing to your notebook. “So this part connects to the earlier formula?”
Her voice was softer than usual causing your brain to short circuit.
“Y-yes.”
She studied the page, then her eyes lit up.
“Oh.”
You blinked, “You got it?”
“I got it!”
Her excitement was so genuine that it caught you off guard.
She grinned at you, wide, bright and proud. And for the first time…you noticed how pretty she was.
Not the popular-athlete kind of pretty but the warm, alive, and dangerously charming kind of pretty.
Your heart skipped and you quickly looked back down at the notebook.
“Good,” you muttered, but your ears were burning.
Weeks passed, Yujin’s grades and her focus had improved.
Your arguments had turned into teasing and your teasing turned into comfortable silence.
And sometimes, you caught her looking at you but not in her usual annoyed and competitive way, just looking like you were something interesting.
Like you were stuck in her head.
—
One night after tutoring, you were packing your bag when Yujin suddenly spoke.
“Hey.”
You glanced up at her, noticing that she looked nervous, which was new.
“Yeah?”
She rubbed the back of her neck, “If I pass this class…I get to play again.”
“I know.”
A pause.
“And I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Your chest tightened slightly at her words.
“You did the work,” you said softly.
“Still.”
Her eyes met yours, and there was something intense in them now.
Something deeper than rivalry.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked.
You nodded silently in response, letting her continue.
“Why did you agree to tutor me?”
You shrugged lightly, “You needed help.”
“You hate me.”
“I never hated you.”
Yujin blinked, taken aback by your words.
“You didn’t?”
You smiled faintly, “I just thought you were annoying.”
She laughed, “Fair.”
The moment lingered, then she asked quietly.
“…Do you still think that?”
You hesitated, thinking for a moment then you shook your head.
“No.”
Her heartbeat seemed loud in the silence.
“Good,” she murmured.
“Why?”
Yujin leaned closer, close enough that you could see the faint gold flecks in her eyes.
“Because,” she said softly, “I think I’m starting to like my tutor.”
Your breath caught in your throat at her words.
The library suddenly felt very small, quiet, and warm.
And when your fingers brushed against hers on the table…neither of you pulled away.
The contact was barely anything, just the faint press of skin against skin, but it felt like the entire room had shifted around it.
For once, An Yujin wasn’t talking and that alone felt unnatural.
Her hand stayed where it was beside yours, her long fingers relaxed against the wooden surface. Close enough that if either of you moved even a little, your hands would lace together.
Your pulse drummed loudly in your ears as you forced yourself to look down at the open textbook between you.
“Yujin,” you said, trying to sound composed.
“Yeah?”
“You should probably go to practice.”
She didn’t move, “I’m suspended from practice.”
“Oh right.”
Academic probation.
Your stomach twisted a little.
Slowly, Yujin leaned back in her chair, dragging her hand away from yours. The cool absence made you strangely aware of how warm her skin had been.
“I should probably study more anyway,” she said.
You blinked, “Did you just voluntarily suggest studying?”
“Don’t get used to it.”
But the small smile tugging at her lips gave her away.
—
The next day, the basketball gym felt strangely quiet as the team was running drills without their captain.
Gaeul bounced the ball toward Rei, watching her shoot.
“Have you noticed something weird about Yujin lately?” Gaeul asked.
Rei caught the rebound, “Besides failing a class?”
“Besides that.”
Rei wiped sweat from her forehead thoughtfully, “...She smiles at her phone now, actually.”
Gaeul froze, “Wait, she does?”
Across the court, two other players had also been whispering.
Zhou Xinyu and Kim Nakyoung had both just walked into practice carrying their duffle bags on their shoulders.
“She’s definitely talking to someone.” Xinyu said, her long hair tied back into a ponytail.
Nakyoung nodded in agreement, “She left practice early yesterday to go to the library.”
Everyone slowly turned toward the empty bench where Yujin usually sat and Rei crossed her arms.
“...Our captain is in love.”
Meanwhile, the library was suspiciously lively as your usual study group had gathered around the table.
Jang Wonyoung was scrolling through her notes while Park Sohyun flipped through a textbook. Across from them sat Yoon Seoyeon, Kim Chaeyeon, and Lily Morrow.
The table looked more like a research conference than a study session.
“You’re distracted.” Sohyun said suddenly, looking towards you.
You looked up, “I’m not.”
Chaeyeon smirked, “You just read the same sentence four times.”
Your cheeks warmed, “I’m tired.”
Seoyeon leaned forward with a mischievous grin.
“Is it because of the basketball player?”
Your pencil froze, “Who?”
“Oh please,” Lily said, “Half the campus knows she’s tutored by you.”
Chaeyeon tilted her head, “An Yujin, right?”
You forced your expression to stay neutral, “Yes.”
Wonyoung giggled, “She’s hot.”
You choked on air, surprised by her words.
Sohyun leaned back in her chair, staring at you.
“So…enemies to lovers?”
“No.”
“Rivals to lovers?”
“No.”
Lily tapped her pen against the table, “Academic prodigy x dumb jock romance?”
You pointed your pencil at her, “She’s not dumb.”
The entire table went silent, then Seoyeon gasped dramatically.
“Oh my god.”
You froze as everyone else looked at her in confusion.
“You’re defending her.”
You groaned in annoyance before going back to studying as they all continued to tease you about Yujin.
Fifteen minutes later, Yujin had arrived, her hoodie was damp from the rain outside and her hair was slightly messy from the wind.
She looked around the packed study table, quietly observing everyone before looking directly at you.
“...Am I interrupting a board meeting?”
You stared at her before pointing at the empty seat next on your left.
“Sit.”
She sat down immediately, which didn’t go unnoticed by your friends.
Chaeyeon whispered loudly, “So obedient.”
Yujin frowned, looking over at the girl.
“What?”
“Nothing.” the group said in unison.
You buried your face in your hands at their idiotic behaviour.
—
Over the next week, the teasing had only gotten worse.
Your friends noticed everything from the way Yujin would lean closer and watched you carefully when you explained something to the way you softened every time she actually understood a concept.
Even Yujin’s friends had caught on.
One evening outside the gym, Seo Dahyun had nudged Oh Haewon as she had caught sight of you and Yujin together.
“Look.”
Across the courtyard, Yujin was walking beside you, carrying two iced coffees causing Haewon to blink in surprise at the sight she was seeing.
“Did she just buy someone coffee?”
“She bought two.”
Haewon gasped, “Romance.”
Despite everything, tension lingered between you two but it wasn’t the angry kind anymore, it was something heavier and unspoken.
Especially the night before Yujin’s exam.
The two of you sat in a quiet study room together, side by side.
She looked exhausted.
“You’re going to pass,” you said, her voice soft.
“What if I don’t?”
“You will.”
She looked at you for a long moment.
“...You believe in me a lot.”
You shrugged, “You’re not stupid, Yujin.”
“Don’t tell my teammates that.”
You laughed softly, and the sound seemed to surprise the two of you.
Yujin leaned back in her chair, “If I pass…”
“Yeah?”
“I can play in Friday’s game.”
Your chest fluttered, “Then you should definitely pass.”
She grinned, “Are you going to come watch?”
You hesitated, basketball games weren’t exactly your thing but…
“...Maybe.”
Her smile widened.
—
The gym was packed Friday night, students filled the stands, cheering echoing through the arena and for the first time in weeks, An Yujin stepped out onto the court again.
Her teammates erupted immediately as Rei tackled her into a hug.
“You passed!”
Gaeul high-fived her, “Told you tutoring works.”
Across the court, Yujin’s eyes scanned the stands, searching the crowd of students on the Yonsei side of the arena and then she saw you.
Sitting with your study group, causing her entire face to light up.
You pretended not to notice but your friends absolutely noticed.
Sohyun leaned over, “She’s staring.”
“I know.”
“And smiling.”
“I know.”
“You’re so doomed.”
The game was intense, fast and physical as Yujin played like she had something to prove.
Every pass was sharp and every shot was precise, but near the end of the third quarter, something happened.
An opposing player from the other Seoul University bumped into her, harder than necessary then the girl smirked.
“Didn’t know you had fans in the stands, An.” she said, glancing toward you.
Yujin stiffened, jealousy flaring hot in her chest.
The next play? She sank a three-pointer, then another and another.
And by the final quarter, the entire crowd was chanting her name.
The buzzer sounded, victory.
The team exploded into celebration but Yujin barely noticed, her eyes were already scanning the stand again and you were still there, waiting.
By the time she had reached you outside the gym, she was breathless, not from the game but from you.
“You came,” she said.
“You asked.”
For a moment neither of you spoke, then she laughed softly.
“I played better because you were there.”
“That’s a lot of pressure.”
“Worth it.”
Your heart skipped as the noise of the crowd faded behind you and suddenly it felt like there were only two people in the world.
Yujin stepped closer to you.
“So…” she said quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Do I still live in your head?”
Your breath caught and you met her eyes, "Unfortunately."
She grinned, “Good.”
Then she leaned in and this time, when her lips met yours neither of you hesitated.
The kiss was soft at first, warm and careful, then Yujin’s hand slipped to the back of your neck, pulling you slightly closer as the world spun around you.
When you finally pulled, she looked dazed.
“So,” she murmured. “Are you still my tutor?”
You smiled, “Maybe.”
She laughed, shaking her head slightly. “Good.”
Because judging by the way she looked at you, you weren’t getting out of her head anytime soon.
