Episode 2 :

Miae is reading a book in the library about how the last day of 1999 will be the end of the world: "'1999, a terrifying overlord is coming...the end of the human race.." -> this might be a reference to the famous prophecy of Nostradamus in which in the 7th month of 1999 a great king of terror would descend from the skies (which makes me think...is it July in the story right now?)

The Hwang family's phone stops working

Miae's dresser breaks and therefore she has to take out the trash, where she sees Cheol crying

"This boy is about to be this girl's most special person, someone whom she will never be able to forget."

Episode 3

Miae and her mother visit the Buddha statue and Miae's wish is not to be in the same class with Cheol - it doesn't come true.

Miae, Cheol and Jisu all become classmates in their last year. Miae and Cheol become deskmates by coincidence.

Episode 4

Cheol's furniture becomes Miae's, along with the contents of his dresser, something only he knows about

Episode 5

Yunhui calls Miae on their new cordless phone, the line is interrupted by another conversation, "Did you get the present I sent you?" - it sounds like a message to Miae from the higher power about Cheol

Episode 8

Miae ruins her bangs, her mother says she should do something about her hair - the first time we are told Miae should go to a hairdresser to fix it

Hwanggeum Academy uses corporal punishment - might be relevant later on?

Miae has to go to karaoke so she gives up on going to the hair salon (this foreshadowing is super crazy btw)

Episode 9

Cheol is compared to the protagonist of the comic Miae reads, 'My First Love Next Door Is Number 1' - gets into trouble and transfers, fights the school bully and wins, nicknamed Lucifer, has a facial scar, lives next door

As Miae is thinking about Cheol, her thoughts are interrupted by a cockroach in the classroom

Episode 11

Miae notes how strange it is that she keeps seeing Cheol while they didn't bump into each other the previous year (just like how Jisu later keeps commenting how strange he keeps meeting Miae) - Miae acknowledges the higher power

Yunhui's pager says "between friends goodbye"

Episode 12

Miae has a weird feeling when she's talking to Cheol's shoe as if it understands what she's saying

Episode 15

In her dream, Miae remembers Cheol crying and her making a wish with a stone tower about how she wants to be his friend. The phone suddenly rings, the TV becomes static and there's a storm outside despite the weather forecast not saying anything about it. The other end of the phone is silent and the lights go out.

Episode 17

Cheol's shoe gets smudged with ink so Miae cannot give it back to him. She cannot concentrate on her practice test, foreshadowing her involvement with Cheol's academy.

Episode 21

Miae again remembers some memories about Cheol saying he doesn't want to be her friend while she's sleeping

Side note: while Soonkki is a great writer, there's some inconsistency about Jisu's seating arrangement. I think she always meant him to sit in Block 1, that's why we got limited panels of that area of the classroom, but his position kept changing until his official introduction. Here, he should have been sitting in front of Seonghan, but there's another boy in that seat. In episode 23, we get a panel of Block1 again, and there's a boy who looks like Jisu from behind in that.

She again remembers her time with Cheol while sleeping on the bus

Episode 24

Daebak Academy notebook says "The teacher is spoon-feeding you, so why can't you pass" -> the higher power is giving hints to Miae, why can't she understand them?

Episode 29

Miae thinks about how she doesn't bump into Cheol as much as before, we get a close-up of the shoe and the Daebak Academy notebook

Episode 37

Miae falls on Cheol while playing soccer

Episode 39

Miae and Cheol are arguing but still bump into each other because of their parents

While Miae thinks about how Cheol should smile at people, she almost gets hit by a ball but Cheol saves her.

Episode 40

Cheol goes to Miae's house to do their homework. Miae's mother says she wonders if it will rain before she leaves. Cheol tries to change the lightbulb in Miae's room, but the lights go out because of the storm. Miae thinks "again?" and they fall on each other. She tells Cheol they should be friends.

Episode 41

Cheol agrees to be Miae's friend and we see a flashback of young Miae wishing they would be friends. While they are doing their homework the rain stops. Miae says planes even fly in the rain and Cheol replies that airplanes fly above the clouds.

Episode 42

Miae answers their phone and the line is interrupted again. Someone thanks their boss for the present and says they will do well on their own from now. -> is it a sign Miae should do well on her own after the hints?

Interesting to note that every time Miae might be involved with the higher power, certain objects in her room are highlighted - Cheol's shoe, the lamp, the notebooks. They all give signs to Miae that she keeps ignoring.

Episode 43

Cheol and Yonghui point out that Miae should get a haircut. Miae ends up cutting it herself instead of going to a salon.

Episode 45

Miae wishes upon a star instead of a plane so that the presentation in class will go okay. This actually comes true, as also noted by the narrator in ep 46.

Episode 46

Daebak Academy booklet says "nothing comes easy"

Episode 47

Something I've noticed is that throughout the story Miae keeps thinking she forgot something, and there's usually a situation that seems like the answer to it. Here, it turns out she forgot about Jinseop's homework. And Taekwang's song is about how someone cannot do both things at the same time. It was the same when she forgot about her homework while playing soccer. Forgetting about things is a recurring plot point for Miae, which culminates in the Jisu subplot where we learn Miae completely forgot about his existence even though she didn't have many friends who were boys.

Episode 50

Cheol's father wants to take a picture of Cheol and Miae, but Cheol refuses

Episode 51

Miae again cuts her own hair and wonders if she cut it too straight

Episode 55

Cheol kicks Miae's pencil into Jisu's chair (side note: you can see here again how Jisu's seating arrangement was inconsistent, he should have been closer to the window)

Episode 56

Miae gets sent out to the corridor with Jisu

Miae's friends talk about handsome boys and someone mentions the number1 student (Jisu)

Episode 60

Jisu becomes Miae's folk dance partner - the first time Cheol and Miae are not doing something together

Episode 61

Hwanggeum Academy booklet says "there's nothing you can't do if you put the work in, do not expect a miracle" when Miae is struggling with the dance

Episode 65

Cheol's father takes a picture of Cheol and Miae after the sports festival

Episode 66

In Miae's dream, Cheol's sister says for a while means 5-6 yrs, Miae counts she will be in middle school by then. There's also a memory of Miae running after Cheol, saying "wait for me".

Miae's mother tells her to get a haircut but Miae replies she needs a bigger allowance for it.

The narrator says Miae should watch where she's walking after she bumps into Cheol.

Episode 67

Miae loses her name tag and Jisu finds it

Episode 70

Miae wonders how her wishes never come true, but remembers she also made one with the stone tower as a kid, but cannot recall what it was about.

Episode 71

Miae's mom notes their phone keeps ringing since yesterday. That day Miae wanted to tease Cheol with how she heard him saying he "loved her" in the shop and she saw him shirtless the same night.

Miae doesn't realize it was Jisu who called her a pervert

Episode 72

Miae notices someone wearing her name tag (Jisu), but doesn't find the culprit

Episode 75

Cheol wants to ask Miae something, but the homeroom teacher interrupts. Miae and Jisu get called to the teachers' room and have to do cleaning duty together for a week.

Episode 76

We see Miae's mom at a hair salon - could the lady in orange be Jisu's mother? who knows

Episode 77

Cheol stands up for Miae, but when Honggyu asks if they are dating, they both vehemently deny it. It suddenly starts raining.

Episode 78

Miae and cheol promise to be friends for real, forever. The narration comments, "But will they end up regretting their promise?". The rain stops. "1999, the final year of the century is half over" -> Miae's story is half over at this point. I have pointed out this before, but the series seems to be about the transition period between childhood and young adulthood, symbolized by the last year before the new millennium. Hence the title, 'green apple academy'

In her dream, Miae remembers asking Cheol if they are friends. She is awoken by their phone. the Daebak Academy notebook says "you are in danger if you are relaxed" and we see a girl talking to Cheol.

Episode 81

Cheol and Miae fall on each other and almost kiss, but the phone rings. Later, they do end up in the same position with an accidental kiss.

Episode 82

Miae wants to confront Cheol about the kiss and gets embarrassed, but her actions are interrupted when the trash bag she gave Jisu splits open, spilling its contents. Miae runs to him to collect it.

Episode 83

While Miae talks to her friends, she thinks back on her memories with Cheol and the narration says "I always liked.." and Miae looks surprised by it.

Episode 86

Interesting detail that Cheol doesn't know why Miae keeps looking at airplanes. If we assume she has a reason for doing it from the past, it's likely not related to Cheol.

Episode 87

Miae uses the trashbag as an excuse to run away from Cheol, repeating how she has to throw it out. All of a sudden, Jisu appears and takes it out of her hand, giving her a chance to run. It's just my personal theory that the trashbag here symbolizes Miae's vulnerability and reluctance to face her feelings, and Jisu takes it from her hand. It makes sense when we remember how his words made her think about her actions when she wanted to interrupt the confession. It's a great early foreshadowing that Jisu might play an important role in Miae's growth story as her voice of reason.

Episode 89

Cheol and Miae take photos together in a photo booth, first with Jinseop and Song-I, then the two of them alone. We don't know if Miae still has her pictures, but we can assume she somehow lost them during running around from the bullies because we never see them again. Cheol gives her a new name tag in the next episode.

Episode 95

Cheol gifts Miae an airplane model for her birthday. I personally believe this episode marks the end of the first part of the story and it's a turning point, but more about this under ep96.

While Miae leaves for school, their phone suddenly rings and her mom answers it. Miae sees posters about love on her way to school. For the first time, Jisu arives early for cleaning duty.

Episode 96

The series has had 2 symbolic illustrations at the end of 2 episodes. The first one was at the end of ep2, when Cheol and Miae's story started in the present:

Miae is offering a green apple to Cheol - a biblical allusion, here, the green apple probably signifies how Miae helps Cheol in the first part of the story to mature and grow as a person with her own knowledge.

This illustration comes at the end of ep96. Like I mentioned, I believe this marks the start of the second half of the story which focuses on Miae's growth as a person. Space is an important concept in the series, Miae also has planet stickers on the wall of her room,has a charm on her bag, etc.

"16 years old. An age much like the universe." "16 years old. An age where it's like you're thrown into space." - highlights the narration.

But why is it compared to space? We have the illustration right after Jisu splashes water on Miae's face and Cheol wakes up from his dream. In my opinion, it's because this is where these kids' limited worlds start to expand. In part 1, Cheol and Miae were mainly together, but as you grow up you start to feel like you're just one insignificant part of a greater whole. You might feel like you're the center of the universe when you're a teenager, and that the world is ending when you experience negative emotions, but as the illustration shows us, it's not just Miae and Cheol standing alone in the universe. There are other people, facing different directions, but they are all interconnected by an invisible force. Miae is looking at Cheol, but Jisu is standing in her shadow- because even though she was not aware of him, Jisu had his own life happening parallel to what we saw in part1, and this is where he starts to have an intersection with Miae. If there is a higher power in the story, it is aware of all these connections and talks about youth in a nostalgic way. The sense that these moments are fleeting is always present in the story, however, connections formed between individuals will always have a lasting impact, just like how the universe will continue to exist. Being thrown into space might feel like losing your footing, but here it's the personal relationships that ground these teenagers and make them stay close to Earth.

Episode 98

The teacher tells Miae to cut her hair after Jisu takes the blame for ruining the plant.

Cheol is acting strange because of his dream, and while Jisu looks at Miae the narration box says: "16 years old. An age riddled with the unknown, just like the universe."

Episode 99

Miae's hair gets stuck in the zipper of Cheol's bag and he pulls it out, ruining her bangs in the process. They go to the infirmary after Miae gets scratched by the zipper.

Episode 100

At the countryside, while Miae picked a flower she thought how nice it would be if Cheol came to her school - and it became true. She thinks how it was so strange -> Miae again unknowingly acknowledges the higher power when it comes to Cheol

Episode 101

It's raining and the TV is not working in Cheol's home. He remembers taking a picture with Miae in the countryside. He asks his father about the picture on the sports day -> the data was lost. Miae gets grounded by her mother and she wants her to quit the academy.

Episode 102

I've mentioned symbolic objects in the story, but this one was noted by other readers as well: in ep 101, Miae accidentally drops the chalkboard eraser out of the window and Jisu fails to catch it - but Cheol does. However, in this episode Miae tosses it back to Jisu before saying she hopes they'll never see each other again (it's the first, but not the last time she declares it).

Cheol fails to convince Miae's mom about the academy -> Miae's mom points out Miae's grades have been dropping since last year. She makes her stance clear - she wants Miae to study.

Episode 103

It's raining and Miae cannot open Cheol's drawer in her room.

She tries to cut her hair, but the phone rings. On the other line, Miae hears someone saying "I only did what I did because you wanted it so bad, but you screwed up that chance! You don't deserve that project, I'm going to hand it to someone else." -> the first time the higher power tries to directly say Miae is late

Miae's mom cuts her hair instead of sending her to a salon...

Miae loses the name tag Cheol gave her

Episode 104

Jisu says "see you again" to Miae (and will keep saying for a while lol). Miae points out she never wanted to see him again.

Episode 106

After the teacher discovers their conversations in class, Miae and Cheol get separated and Miae becomes Jisu's deskmate. Miae and Cheol are not allowed to interact until the final exams are over.

Hwanggeum Academy's notebook remarks "Do you regret it now?"

Episode 107

Miae dreams about the flower from the countryside and a voice says she should hurry up and do what she wants about her wish if she remembers. She doesn't remember and the voice gets angry, Cheol appears and crushes the flower, telling her if she doesn't remember she should just forget it. The voice remarks Cheol is angry because Miae is late.

Episode 111

Jisu, who has also become aware of the coincidences, tells Cheol he's not the only one having something special with Miae.

When Miae calls Jisu her friend from the same class and tells him he should learn for himself, Jisu tries to say something, but he is interrupted by Cheol.

Episode 112

Miae thinks about their bet and how she should ask something serious, something more than friends do from Cheol, and we get a bunch of error messages. Cheol's dream is all fuzzy.

Jisu wins the bet, but we never get to know his wish because Miae gets angry at him.

Episode 115

The narration points out Cheol has changed and matured a lot, is it Miae's turn?

Episode 116

We see some posters about a summer festival, the forest in Midsummer Night's Dream and how everything is the product of coincidence.

The forest in Shakespeare's play is dominated by the supernatural - what we have in common with this story is the forest Miae and Cheol played together as kids, and obviously the involvement of a higher power. The coincidences poster is possibly a reference to Carl Jung's Synchronicity, a concept that states that seemingly meaningful coincidences have a deeper meaning, they don't have a rational explanation - almost like destiny, a deeper order in the universe. It's a connection between one's psyche and the material world (so you have to notice and acknowledge the deeper meaning of these coincidences in order to experience synchronicity). Jung used this to argue for the existence of the paranormal. For example, if you cannot decide something, you might come across a book on the topic. What a coincidence, right? In this interpretation, everything is interconnected in the universe, and we are a part of this web of connections. So those coincidences...were actually not coincidences. -> Hmmmmm.....I wonder.....meaningful coincidences, the universe, connections...why do they sound familiar??? BECAUSE OUR STORY IS EXACTLY ABOUT THIS NOTION! Who notices these coincidences? Miae about Cheol, Jisu about Miae....One has to be open to the possibility of the connection between our inner world and the outside world, only then they can start to notice the signs the universe is sending them. Soonkki, you deserve my applause! Because it was exactly what I said about the art at the end of ep 96 and the placement of the characters. Mind? Blown!

Miae thinks that she feels something is wrong

Yunhui's pager says friends goodbye

Jisu gets involved in the Yonghui-Yunhui storyline by coincidence

Episode 117

We see all the coincidences from Jisu's perspective and how he became aware of them. And what does he say about them? That they are fascinating and kind of funny! My boy Jisu got the synchronicity message.

This is the 3rd time Miae and Jisu didn't hold hands. The first time Miae pretended to help him up, only for him to fall back. Then Jisu held out his hand after the exam, but she didn't take it. Here, he again reaches out and Miae doesn't take his hand. Remember this later!

Episode 118

Someone steps on Cheol's bag, and he's worried it might be Taeuk

Jisu wants to join in another bet in exchange for his help

Episode 119

Jisu gets involved in the Shim storyline, and as we know from later he picks up the cigarettes to get revenge on him

Episode 122

Miae learns that Cheol rejected Seonyeong and the lights flicker in her room

She cannot remember her dream. The narration says that she should have realized that something changed.

Episode 123

Miae notes that she experienced the kiss in the comic book with Cheol

Jisu almost catches her, but Cheol pushes him away

Episode 126

The parents are having dinner together at a pig feet restaurant and toast for the future of their children. The TV is not working, and a boy who looks like Jisu tries to fix it.

Miae kisses Cheol

Episode 127

Miae has a dream again in the white dress. As she realizes she might like Cheol, the voice says she's too late and there's no use regretting it.

Episode 129

Miae remembers that they took a picture in the countryside together and wants to take one now. She makes a wish to an airplane about how she just wants one photo, and remarks that the planes never granted her wish before. Spoiler, they won't this time, either.

Miae chooses to take the picture with Cheol. The narration box says "she's always done whatever she sets her mind to. That has always been one of her better attributes. But Mi-ae, it seems as though you keep forgetting something. I told you, you're too late."

The pager's message means idiot, cancelled and it suddenly starts raining. Maie and Cheol cannot take their photo and Cheol cannot give her back the hairpin she dropped a few eps ago.

Episode 132

Graduation photos were postponed until the second semester

In Miae's dream, the voice says she's all over the place and cannot decide what she wants from Cheol. In her memory, Miae wishes at the stone tower that Cheol would like her back. The voice angrily remarks how it must not mean much to her.

Episode 133

While Cheol and Miae are looking at each other, Miae is smacked in the face by a flyer. Later while they are riding the bike, Cheol almost says she looks pretty but he is hit in the face with a flyer that belonged to Jisu.

Episode 134

Miae takes the cigarettes from Jisu and puts them in her backpack

While Jisu and Miae look at each other, the narration box says "Well. this is what we would call fate. What do you think?" Miae can sense the voice and dismisses it.

Jisu again says "see you later" and Miae answers let's not, but Jisu replies they never know and it would be fun.

On the radio in Miae's room there's a voice speaking, asking if it was a success and how there is something you can't stop thinking about. "A friend? The fact that you weren't wrong? Whatever it is, I don't think it's such a bad thing to obsess over it a little bit. I hope you have no regrets about it."

Episode 135

Miae's eyebrow and bangs are so ruined she has to finally go to a hair salon. Yunhui gives her money and says there's a cheap place where she can go. It turns out Jisu's mother is a hairdresser and after realizing she is Jisu's friend, she doesn't ask for money. So if anyone ever wondered why Miae kept ruining her hair in the story, here's the answer....

a little bit of strange wording here:

The narration says "Now that I think about it, this was about the time..wait,no, it was a little bit earlier that things started to go wrong, little by little. You two were completely oblivious, though. Just you two."

Miae's mother goes to the academy. One theory I can give on this is that Miae's family might be moving. She wished for it at the start of the story, mentions it in a later episode as well. Who knows ~

Episode 138

Miae doesn't tell Cheol her feelings because of her pride as she feels like she would lose first

Miae has a feeling as if something is trying to make her look bad in front of Cheol and her gun suddenly starts working

Everybody forgot to buy the picture they took together in ep 139

Episode 140

After conveying their feelings indirectly to each other, Miae tells Cheol they cannot date right now because her mom wouldn't allow it. She plans to go to the same high school, university, everything and thinks there's no one to stop them so nothing can go wrong.

Episode 141

Cheol imagines high school together with Miae and their friends

Every time Cheol is flustered, he accidentally drinks his sister's coffee and he cannot sleep at night..in a story where dreams are relevant I'm sure this is just a coincidence, right???🧐🙃😏

Miae says they should not be obvious before the entrance exam and they start to think of it as a competition

Someone watches them from the street

Episode 144-145

We get everything from Cheol's POV

Cheol got his scar because he wanted to give Miae the romance book she liked before they left and he fell on the stone tower

The picture his dad took of them is about a young Cheol accidentally kneeling with flowers in his hands, the same flowers from Miae's dream, in front of Miae. This picture was in the book Cheol and his family kept.

Cheol realized the book was in his dresser that is now in Miae's room, the one she couldn't open before

Episode 146

Miae sees two flyers in the newspaper, one is about how a student still didn't give it up, the other is about changing one's car

On the street, the same car ads keep flying after her in the wind

Miae goes with Yonghui to wait in a line and the same flyers are all over the place

Episode 147

Miae wants to call Cheol, but Jisu stops her. Miae notices how often they have met during vacation, and Jisu says these coincidences are fun. He remarks it's almost like as if some higher power is involved (!!). Miae is standing on the car ad, they look down on it with Jisu, then she kicks it away. Jisu tells her he has a feeling they will meet again, but Miae hopes they won't.

The academy is also full of the car ads and Miae falls on them

Miae thinks that for a while she's had a feeling as if something wants to get between her and Cheol, but brushes it off

Miae ends up with a bubble gum in her hair and goes to Jisu's house to fix it. Jisu tells her she should stay because he is bored, and there is a car ad on a stool.

Episode 148

We see some of Jisu's childhood memories and he was called a magpie by Miae which was a symbolic choice (I also made a post about it). Jisu in this story is the grateful magpie.

Miae and Jisu "touch hands" for the first time when they high-five (I wrote about how their hand hold never happened before)

After spotting some men smoking, Jisu tells Miae to go inside (one of them might be his father?)

Episode 149

Miae finally remembers Jisu

the narration boxs keeps saying how Jisu is cool and showing heart-thumping sounds and Miae is confused about these strange things

Miae not remembering Jisu was an important plot point considering she recalled everyone else from her past. As I theorized, memories and fate seem to be intertwined, the synchronicity theory also supports this. Synchronicity happens when seemingly unrelated events coincide and they become significant to you. It's easy to see why Jisu was aware of this notion, but Miae was not - because Miae had no idea about those coincidences other than meeting Jisu randomly. Him being her classmate, being the one who found her pencil, who helped her in the crowd, found her name tag, etc. - only Jisu knew about these. But right now, Miae was made aware that they knew each other in the past - a pretty big coincidence.

So now that Miae might have kickstarted her own fate, the question is whether she will be able to fight it or if there are certain things bound to happen no matter what. Is the narrator omnipotent and omniscient? So many questions that will hopefully get answered.

Episode 150

For the first time, Miae says she and Jisu will see each other again sometime. Before this, it was always Jisu who said it and Miae would reply that she didn't want to meet him again.

Miae remembers Jisu transferring, but doesn't know why he singled her out (so she will probably recall more memories later)

As Miae leaves Jisu's house, the car ads are flying in the air around her

Jisu enrolls at the academy and for the first time he says it's not a coincidence

Episode 155

Hwani tells her mother it would be great if they could keep being neighbours with Miae because she's fun. After a pause, Cheol's mother agrees.

Jisu keeps telling Miae she's a "traitor" or "bat" (depending on the translation, meaning she keeps secrets from others like the Yonghui Yunhui situation and the fact that she went to Jisu's house) and she might get into trouble because of that

Episode 156

The narrator directly communicates with Miae again, and informs us about Miae's thoughts. It makes heart-thumping sounds when she's with Jisu just like in previous episodes, but Miae ignores them.

Jisu again says how the coincidences are so fun. He counts to three until the teacher interrupts Miae and Cheol's bickering (similarly to Taekwang in ep 158)

When Jisu tells Miae he'll go out of the room to let her talk with Cheol, Miae thinks she'll talk to him regardless of anyone's interference and we get a close-up of an academy notebook saying 'NO' and a plane flying in the sky.

Episode 158

Flashforward in the episode to a scene with Cheol leaving Miae at the academy while a storm is coming and Miae looks like she's about to cry

An hour earlier in the story the dark clouds are already gathering (I mentioned how rainy weather is always connected to the change in Miae and Cheol's relationship, and how it's usually an ominous sign). After seeing Jisu's flustered face, Cheol tells Miae that he wants to change the lightbulb in her house before she gets hurt. The lights at the academy are highlighted as they keep vibrating. (I also noted how the lights are signs of the supposed higher power, they get their own panels in Miae's room, and they went out 2 times when Miae and Cheol's relationship changed)

After Jisu reveals that Miae was in his house and Cheol gets angry, Miae's pager starts buzzing (again, the pager messages always appear when the higher power wants to communicate with Miae).

Taekwang is an interesting character because the things he says are sometimes connected to the greater theme of the story. Like when he listened to his music and said how Miae cannot choose two things at the same time (come on, it was the foreshadowing for the current conflicts!), he smelled Jisu on Miae (???), Jisu even said he's the one he cannot deal with, and now he was counting the seconds until Miae got another sign. Is he used as a medium? (who knows lol)

Miae wants to check the pager message but the fluorescent lamp(?) breaks. Jisu shields Miae from the shards while they fall on the ground, making it his first successful attempt to save Miae in the story. The pager lands in the corner of the room.

Episode 159

Miae goes to a phone booth to check her messages and it's filled with the car ads so she kicks them away

The first message is a loud noise of a song recording. I personally think if there's a higher power in the story, this message came from it. The other is about Miae's friends telling her they'll visit her at her academy which gives Miae a sense of panic knowing Yonghui and Yunhui might meet.

Miae sees an airplane in the sky and the narration says Miae has a feeling that something is interfering with her and the panels get fuzzy with flashbacks to phone calls earlier in the story (omg this is actually crazy)

“she doesn’t let the ball drop,” ushijima stated, his voice booming in the quiet tatami room like a sacred temple gong. he’s sitting perfectly straight, staring at his mother with an expression that could only be described as aggressively proud. “her platform is the most stable i have seen in the miyagi prefecture high school girls’ division. her center of gravity is remarkable.”

mrs. ushijima sat across from you, pouring barley tea with the grace of a woman who had never accidentally stubbed her toe in her entire life. she looked up, her sharp eyes scanning your face, then landing on her son.

“i see,” she murmured. then, a very tiny, very elegant smile touched her lips. “you chose well, wakatoshi. she has excellent posture.”

“thank you,” ushijima said, nodding once, looking immensely pleased with himself. “she’s my girlfriend.”

you, currently chewing on a piece of pear, just beamed and nodded along. yes! friend who is a girl! that’s me! you even gave his mom a little thumbs-up. “he’s really nice to me at school, mrs. ushijima! he let me use his personal muscle roller yesterday. it’s very heavy, but he carried it across campus for me.”

mrs. ushijima’s smile widened by approximately two millimeters—a monumental shift. “he’s a boy of few words, but he’s dedicated. please take care of him. he can be… single-minded.”

“oh, i know!” you laughed, completely missing the heavy, deliberate weight behind her words. “at practice, he just stares at me until i take a water break. it’s like having a giant guard dog.”

ushijima’s eyes softened so much they looked like melting chocolate. his hand came down on your knee—not a casual tap, but a heavy, warm weight that felt like an anchor anchoring you to the earth. “you require hydration to maintain your response time. i’m only monitoring your safety.”

your heart did a weird, violent salsa dance against your ribs. wow, you thought, he’s such a caring friend. boys’ volleyball captains are so intense.

the real test came twenty minutes later when ushijima’s phone began to buzz with a video call notification. he slid the screen open, revealing the face of his father, takashi utsui, sitting in what looked like an apartment in california.

“wakatoshi!” his dad grinned, the background behind him bright with american sunlight. “how’s the training going? are you hitting the cross-shots like we talked about?”

“the training is optimal, father,” wakatoshi replied, holding the phone out at an angle that gave his dad a magnificent view of the ceiling and half of his own forehead. “however, that isn’t why i’m calling. i need you to see her.”

he aggressively pivoted the phone toward your face. you suddenly found yourself staring into a screen, your eyes wide like a deer caught in high-beam headlights.

“hello!” you chirped, waving a hand.

his dad blinked, leaning closer to his camera. “oh! oh, wow! wakatoshi, is this—?”

“this is my girlfriend,” ushijima declared to the entire state of california. “she plays as a libero. her lateral movement is exceptional. during our last scrimmage, she defended three consecutive spikes from my opposite angle without losing her balance.”

takashi’s face erupted into a massive, delighted grin. “no way! a libero? you pulled a defensive specialist? man, i always knew you had good taste, but this is legendary! hey there, kiddo! how do his serves taste? they’re heavy, right?”

“they feel like a bowling ball falling from the second floor, sir!” you replied honestly, leaning into the frame. “but if i angle my wrists just right, they pop right back up to the ceiling!”

“she’s magnificent,” ushijima added, his voice dropping into a register so thick with reverence it belonged in a cathedral. he was looking at you through the screen, even though you were sitting right next to him. his gaze was a physical weight, warm and utterly unblinking. “i have no intention of letting anyone else have her.”

you blushed, your cheeks feeling like they have a built in heater. jeez, he really takes this friendship loyalty seriously. sport bonds are crazy.

“hey, treat her right, you hear me?” takashi laughed, shaking his fist playfully at the camera. “don’t just talk to her about air resistance and muscle fibers! take her out for parfaits!”

“i buy her meat buns every tuesday,” ushijima said, entirely serious. “and i carry her duffel bag because it keeps her shoulders aligned for the weekend matches.”

“good lad! nice to meet you, kid! keep him in line!”

the call ended, leaving the room quiet again. you turned to ushijima, your heart thumping against your chest like a trapped bird. “your dad seems really cool, waka. you look a lot like him.”

wakatoshi set the phone down. he didn’t pick up his tea. instead, he shifted his massive frame so he was facing you completely, his knees brushing against your thigh. the sheer size of him always made you feel small, but right now, with the afternoon sun hitting the side of his olive-brown hair, he felt massive in a way that made your stomach twist into a bunch of happy knots.

“he’s glad,” wakatoshi said softly.

“glad about what?”

“that i found you.” his large, calloused hand reached out, his thumb gently brushing a stray crumb of mango from the corner of your mouth. his touch was incredibly gentle, a stark contrast to the hands that could dent floors with a leather ball. “i told him last month that i found someone who makes me want to play better. he told me to keep her close.”

your throat felt entirely dry. “oh. that’s… that’s really nice of him.”

the next morning at school, you were standing by the shoe lockers when tendō materialized from behind a pillar like a tall, red-headed sleep paralysis demon.

“soooo!” tendō sang, leaning down until his nose was nearly touching yours, his eyes wide with interest for gossip. “the golden boy took the celestial shield to the home fortress! how was the queen mother? did she approve of the future daughter-in-law? did wakatoshi show you his collection of perfectly organized sports towels? details, look, details!”

you slipped your indoor shoes on, looking at him with mild confusion. “mrs. ushijima was really nice! she gave me barley tea. and we talked to his dad on the phone. he’s in california!”

semi, who was walking past with a stack of printouts, stopped dead in his tracks. the papers creased under his grip. “wait. hold on. he introduced you to his parents? both of them? in the same afternoon?”

“yeah,” you said, adjusting your school bag. “wakatoshi’s so sweet. he’s the best friend i’ve made since coming to shiratorizawa. he’s just so supportive of my volleyball career.”

the hallway went dead silent.

semi’s soul looked like it was actively trying to escape through his ears again. tendō froze mid-sway, his long fingers locking into claws in front of his chest.

“…friend?” tendō whispered, his voice cracking like dry kindling. “friend who is a boy? platonic? like… a buddy? a pal? a comrade-in-arms?”

“well, yeah,” you said, completely earnest. “he asked me to be his girl-friend after that joint practice, remember? it’s really nice having a guy friend who doesn’t make a big deal out of things. he just treats me normally.”

from five feet away, shirabu walked past, paused, looked at your face, looked at tendō’s melting expression, and simply said, “moron.” then he kept walking.

“no, no, no,” semi said, dropping his papers onto a nearby bench. he grabbed you by the shoulders, his eyes wide with a frantic, desperate energy. “look at my face. listen to my words. ushijima wakatoshi does not have ‘girl-friends.’ he doesn’t even have regular friends that he invites over to meet his mother. tendō has been close to him for years and he’s only seen the inside of that house twice, and both times were because of a group project on regional agriculture!”

“he’s literally courting you like an eighteenth-century warlord,” tendō wheezed, clutching his stomach as a massive grin broke across his face. “oh my god. he thinks you’re his fiancé at this point. he probably has a small shrine dedicated to your knee pads in his bedroom.”

you blinked, the words slowly tumbling around in your brain. courting? fiancé? shrine?

“but… he just likes my receives,” you mumbled, though your face was suddenly reaching a boiling point. “he says my center of gravity is optimal.”

“that is the equivalent of a poetry slam for him!” semi yelled, throwing his hands up. “if that man tells you your platform is stable, he’s basically asking you to move in with him!”

before you could process the absolute collapse of your reality, a heavy shadow fell over the three of you.

ushijima stood at the end of the hall. he had his blazer buttoned perfectly, his hair neat, and in his right hand, he was holding a small, warm plastic bag from the convenience store. he walked past semi and tendō as if they were nothing more than decorative house plants, stopping right in front of you.

“the cafeteria was out of the pork buns you like,” he said, his deep voice instantly cutting through the panic in your head. he reached into the bag and pulled out a fresh, steaming bun, wrapping it carefully in a napkin so you wouldn’t burn your fingers. “so i walked to the station store before the bell rang. eat it before class starts. your energy levels need to be high for the afternoon receiving drills.”

you looked at the warm bun in your hands. then you looked up at his face.

for the first time, you noticed the way he was looking at you. it wasn’t the look he gave the whiteboard during strategy meetings. it wasn’t even the look he gave a perfectly inflated ball. his pupils were blown wide, his jaw was slightly relaxed, and there was a soft, almost desperate warmth in his eyes that was entirely directed at you. he looked like a man who had stared into the sun and decided he never wanted to look at the dark again.

“wakatoshi,” you squeaked, your heart doing a massive backflip that left you slightly dizzy. “do you… do you think we’re dating?”

ushijima tilted his head, his brow furrowing in genuine, uncomplicated confusion.

“we are,” he said simply. “i asked you to be my girlfriend. you said yes. i have already informed my family and the team captain registration form for the summer tournament lists you as my emergency contact.”

tendō let out a high-pitched shriek of pure joy behind him, while semi just covered his face with both hands, groaning into his palms.

you stared at him, the sheer, beautiful absurdity of the situation finally crashing down. he was so serious. so completely, utterly devoted to you that he hadn’t even considered the possibility of a misunderstanding. he had just decided you were his, and he had been taking care of you with every ounce of his massive, stubborn heart ever since.

a sudden, wild burst of affection bloomed in your chest. you took a big bite of the pork bun, chewed quickly, swallowed, and grabbed his free hand with both of yours.

“okay,” you said, your face burning but your grin matching his dad’s from across the ocean. “then you better buy me the big parfait after practice today, boyfriend.”

ushijima’s eyes widened slightly, a rare, beautiful flash of teeth showing as a genuine smile broke across his face. his hand squeezed yours back, so hard your fingers cracked a little, but you didn’t care at all.

“i will buy you three,” he said.

n: i’ll be going out to treat my siblings tomorrow so idk if i can upload :3 it’s my little sister’s birthday tomorrow !

© showhay — don’t copy, repost, or translate without my permission. do not use/feed my works to AI.

okay. picture this.

a normal thursday afternoon at shiratorizawa academy, except the air feels a little different—like the calm before a storm, except instead of thunder and lightning, it’s ushijima wakatoshi standing at the back line of the court with a volleyball in his hand, ready to absolutely obliterate some poor libero’s arms.

and that poor libero? yeah, that’s you.

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

the joint practice was supposed to be a good bonding experience. boys’ and girls’ teams working together, cheering, pushing each other to their limits. coaches on both sides thought it’d be “good for morale.” what they didn’t factor in was ushijima wakatoshi, captain of the boys’ team and human wrecking ball, deciding to serve at full power because, in his own words, “there is no point in holding back.”

so he didn’t.

and oh boy, everyone in the gym regretted it.

ushijima tossed the ball high, his arm snapped forward, and the sound of the ball leaving his hand was like a gunshot. the girls’ team collectively flinched. the boys’ team smiled like, oh yeah, here it comes.

you? you crouched low, arms out, eyes locked, like a soldier in battle.

the ball blurred through the air like a meteor about to wipe out civilization, but instead of dying on the spot, you bent your knees, cushioned the force, and passed the ball up in a textbook-perfect receive that floated right into the setter’s hands.

silence.

dead. silence.

like, the kind of silence where everyone genuinely forgot to breathe because how on earth did you just do that?

your captain broke it first, throwing her hands in the air like she’d just won the lottery.

“DID YOU SEE THAT?! DID YOU SEE THAT?! THAT’S OUR LIBERO!! THAT’S MY GIRL!!” she shrieked, voice cracking in pride.

the girls’ team exploded, screaming, clapping, losing their minds. someone actually started crying. another girl yelled, “SHE’S NOT HUMAN!!”

meanwhile, the boys’ team—absolute chaos.

semi dropped his water bottle so dramatically it rolled across the floor. shirabu had his clipboard in hand, but his jaw dropped so low he almost bit the pen he was chewing. goshiki looked like he was seeing his entire volleyball career flash before his eyes, mumbling, “she’s the future ace… i-i need to—i need to—” while tendou was doubled over, clutching his knees, wheezing.

“bro. bro. wakatoshi,” tendou gasped out, eyes bugging, “did you see that? did you SEE THAT?? she ate your serve like it was nothing—like it was breakfast—like it was a croissant—”

ushijima himself?

just standing there. blank-faced. holding another ball. except—and only tendou caught this—his eyes weren’t blank. oh no. his pupils had dilated.

this man was in an enamored state.

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

practice somehow continued, but everyone was distracted. every time ushijima served at you, you got it up perfectly, like it was a game. the boys’ team started keeping track. semi made tally marks on the wall. goshiki cried a little each time. tendou was live-commentating like a sports announcer, “ladies and gentlemen, the serve cannon vs the celestial libero—WHO WILL WIN?? spoiler: it’s her, every time.”

by the end of practice, everyone was sweaty, dead tired, and rethinking their entire lives.

and then, ushijima, being the absolute blunt menace that he is, walked straight over to you while you were tying your shoelaces, crouched down so he was eye-level, and in his deep, unwavering voice said:

“you should be my girlfriend.”

the gym gasped.

like, genuinely. a collective inhale, like everyone was watching a telenovela. someone in the girls’ team dropped their knee pads. goshiki actually choked on his water. tendou clutched semi’s arm and whispered, “HE DID IT. HE ACTUALLY DID IT.”

you blinked up at him, confused. “a girl-friend ..sure?”

the silence that followed was deafening.

the girls stared at you like you’d just announced you were moving to mars. the boys stared at ushijima like what the hell did you just pull off?? tendou, ever the dramatic, collapsed onto the floor in hysterics.

and ushijima? he nodded once. “good, thank you.” and walked away like nothing happened.

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

except it wasn’t nothing. oh no.

from that day forward, ushijima acted like you were officially dating. meanwhile, you, in your blissful obliviousness, thought he meant “girl-friend,” like, friend who is a girl. you even told your captain, “it’s nice that ushijima wants to be friends, he’s so straightforward,” and she looked like she was about to pass out.

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

it started small. ushijima always waiting for you after practice. not just sometimes—every time. standing outside the gym doors, holding his bag, as if escorting you out was his life mission.

the girls whispered like crazy. “oh my god, he’s WAITING for her.” “is that a thing?? do guys just—do that??”

the boys heckled him relentlessly.

“ushijima, you’re whipped,” semi teased.

“he’s not whipped, he’s—he’s IN SHAMBLES,” tendou corrected, cackling.

goshiki, inspired, started journaling about it. “note to self: one day, i too will have a girlfriend like that.”

shirabu just rolled his eyes but even he couldn’t stop glancing at you two walking off together.

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

and you… you were falling, slowly but surely.

you liked the way he was so honest. how he never sugarcoated anything, but somehow it never came off harsh (that only goes for you sometimes). how he noticed things without you telling him. like when you forgot your water bottle, he handed you his without a word. when you limped slightly one day, he tied your shoelaces tighter, double-knotting them before you could stop him.

and he didn’t talk much, but he always… understood.

which made your heart do stupid flips, even though you still thought you were just “friends.”

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

of course, the teams made it everyone’s business.

tendou once shouted across the cafeteria, “HEY, LOVE BIRDS, WANT ME TO SCOOT OVER SO YOU CAN SIT TOGETHER??” and ushijima literally did. he picked up your tray, sat next to you, and continued eating like it was nothing. you almost choked on your rice.

goshiki begged you for “the court seraph advice” while sneaking glances at ushijima like, is this what having a cool girlfriend looks like??

semi played wingman without being asked, constantly nudging ushijima and whispering way too loudly, “compliment her hair. say something about her receive. come on, captain.”

and he tries to, telling semi to listen on how good it is. “your hair reduces air resistance. that’s good.”

“HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO FLATTER HER BY CALLING HER AERODYNAMIC??” semi was losing hair, “try again. about her receives this time.”

the olive haired guy nodded and went up to you.

“when you received that serve, the ball did not touch the ground.” you gave him a confused smile. what you can see behind him is semi’s soul popping out of his body and tendou dying of laughter.

“ARE YOU TRYING TO WRITE HER WEDDING VOWS OR A MATCH SUMMARY?!” poor semi’s getting wrinkles.

shirabu… well, he muttered “unbelievable” every five minutes, but he still covered for you guys when the coach was around, so maybe he was rooting for you deep down.

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

and ushijima?

he didn’t need words. he just showed you.

the way he always walked on the side of the sidewalk closer to the road.

the way he carried your bag without asking.

the way his eyes softened—just barely—every time you nailed a receive at practice.

you didn’t notice it at first. but everyone else did.

everyone.

and they were going insane.

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

because the truth was… ushijima wakatoshi, the stoic, unshakable ace of shiratorizawa, was love-struck.

and he wasn’t going to let you slip through his fingers; you wouldn’t be able to.

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

‎♡‧₊˚✧ ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✧˚₊‧♡

a/n: ushijima is so unintentionally funny, i’m gonna choke on air. also don’t you love how ominous i am?

© showhay — don’t copy nor translate without my permission. i do not own any of the photos that i have used. credits to all the rightful owners. (˶ˆᗜˆ˵)

Now, this is a hard question to answer. And I will try my best to break down what we know about him so far.

We only have two fragments of the time when Jisu and Miae were classmates. The first one is when Miae called out Jisu's bullies and she asked him the same question Jisu repeated years later to her (important!) about scolding the bullies. The other memory was Jisu's transfer to another elementary school. He was forced to write a letter and mentions how he liked Miae the most and the whole class, including Miae, cry their heart out. Jisu remembers how hard Miae sobbed and Miae can also recall someone telling her they liked her, but doesn't remember the boy's face or name.

Years later after moving around, Jisu ends up in the same school with her again in the spring semester in 1998. He is surprised, even more so when they become classmates in the following year, but doesn't care enough to interact with Miae. Coincidences keep happening - her pencil landing at his chair, they get sent out to the corridor, they become folk dance partners, he finds her name tag and uses it to avoid punishment, they get detention the same time. And Jisu still doesn't care about the whole situation, not until their actual detention week starts when he initiates conversation for the first time. This is when Jisu concludes their random encounters are fun and Miae is an interesting person.

Based on these alone, I'm inclined to believe that even if Jisu loves her romantically at this point of the story, he's not aware of it. For him, being around Miae is exciting because she is fun. She doesn't remember him at all, but she's still the same person as she was years ago in elementary school so Jisu feels comfortable around her which didn't go unnoticed by their homeroom teacher or Jisu's mother. Miae probably doesn't understand why people keep emphasizing his unique personality and connect the dots, but we readers can easily assume Jisu was bullied because of his difference. And it is something he shares with Miae so he might feel like she understands him, or rather, she doesn't treat him differently because of it. It's a situation that can easily bloom into love with time, even if he's not there yet.

But why is Jisu is important in this story?

One thing I always see people complaining about is Jisu's plot relevance. However, it is a much more complex narrative choice than just a simple love triangle.

I have said this before, but memories and fate are intertwined in this story. There are just too many clues that support this. Miae doesn't remember Cheol at the beginning of the story, she even has trouble recalling his name. As the plot progresses and we see more of her memories, fate keeps throwing them together and they develop a friendship that turns into romantic love. In fact, it's a recurring point in the story that Miae keeps forgetting important things. Her dreams, things she must do, Jisu's entire presence in the past.

Which takes me to my next point, the unidentified higher power in the story. It's been always present, at first only giving small signs of its existence in the form of phone calls or changing the weather. Let's remember that lots of times Miae and Cheol had a moment it started raining (Miae's dream about Cheol, when he helped changing the light bulb, when they wanted to take a photo together). However, the unknown presence's voice gets more and more active as thes tory goes on. Not only it starts interacting with Miae in her dreams, she can also hear it in certain situations and wonders where it came from. In fact, when she is talking to Cheol's shoe in one of the very first chapters, she has a weird feeling for a second and we get a close up on the shoe. This supernatural (?) power has always been involved with Miae, but it starts to be more aggressive.

Not only it tells Miae that she's too late and it tried to warn her, in the newest chapter it floods every scene with car ads that are about changing one's car. So the mysterious entity clearly tries to intervene, giving chance encounters to Miae and Jisu while preventing Miae and Cheol's relationship (like how they cannot have a photo together).

Okay, so what does it mean?

It is something I obviously cannot answer as I'm not the writer.

BUT let's not forget that someone like Jisu in this story, who was shown to have exceptional cognitive skills (like knowing every person's name whom he's ever met, being first in the school and likely is on the spectrum), also has excellent memory. And what did I say about memories and fate? That they are seemingly intertwined! Jisu is writing his own fate, he appeared later in the story because he chose to not get involved until that point! He is the character who is aware of everything in the past and present. While Miae has trouble with her memories, and what do we see? Fate aggressively trying to steer her.

At the end of the day, we have two routes that are possible:

Miae is fated to be with Jisu, fate/the stone deity/the universe knows it and tries to warn Miae her time with Cheol is short so she shouldn't have any regrets. In this case, the story is about how Cheol and Miae helped each other in a certain period of their lives, but had different fates set in stone.

Miae was fated to be with Jisu, and the higher power knows it, but Miae will change her own fate to be with Cheol instead. In this case, in the remaining chapters we will see her fighting against her own destiny and win in the end.

At this point, I feel like I have to mention I've studied philosophy for quite a few years, and I highly doubt we can get a satisfactory explanation of any of these possibilities. But rather, it will be a simple:

even though we were not fated together, I cherished our time together

or love overcomes destiny itself

Other interesting idea

This is just for fun, but the comic Miae reads is a clear symbol of her relationship with Cheol. They have almost every cliche in the book (with sometimes a little twist) like troubled boy meeting childhood friend, becoming neighbours with their windows facing each other, accidentally seeing the other's body, falling on each other first kiss, etc. This is your typical 90s shoujo manga which makes sense because the story takes place in the 90s.

On the other hand, we have the chaotic meetings of Jisu and Miae who bond over trash, doesn't get the accidental kiss trope, etc. And whether it's meant to illustrate that they will only remain friends or it's meant to be a contrast to Miae and Cheol's comic book romance, I don't know. Depends on the ending the author wants to convey. I would be fine with either possibilities as long as Jisu won't be used as a plot device.

Plus, Miae&Jisu and Cheol&Miae parallel each other a lot. Just coming from the latest chapters, Miae has interacted with Jisu's mom, but not really Cheol's parents. Cheol has interacted with Miae's parents. Miae is bothered by Jisu. Cheol was bothered by her. Cheol saying the same thing Miae said to Jisu. These are all definitely intentional.

As usual, please don't take my words seriously, this is just all for fun.

Edit: there's one other interesting thing to consider:

Jisu is aware of the coincidences and thinks they are fun. He's been saying this for a while. Which means if there's indeed a higher power in the story, Jisu is accepting of fate.

Miae, on the other hand, willfully rejects her own fate. Let's say Miae and Cheol's meeting was bound to happen - it was also their destiny. She acknowledged those coincidences and even wondered how strange they were. So the higher power was content. But what if, according to their fate, their time together is indeed short? Because Miae rejects her coincidental meetings with Jisu, saying how she hopes she won't meet him again, only for the higher power to be more aggressive and take on an active voice. In the last chapter, she even kicked the flyer away about changing one's car, only for her to end up with a bubble gum in her hair so she was forced to get a haircut from Jisu's mother. Jisu's question last chapter is more than just him asking to play together - it's a chance for Miae to go into the direction the higher power wants her to be.

The real questions:

You couldn’t possibly tell Kiyoomi. How could you? It was all your fault. Why would he ever consider keeping you around, let alone replace it with a new one when he bestowed one with sentiment to you, and you lost it.

He grits his teeth, “I’m serious. Do you not like it? You can tell me, you won’t hurt my feelings-“

“Kiyoomi.”

“What does hurt my feelings is you completely icing me out-“

“Kiyoomi!”

“I’ll buy you a new ring, I just want you to be honest with me-“

"I lost it, okay! It's gone, it vanished, alright? I don't know if I put it down, or if it fell, or if someone stole it, but it's gone!" Your bottom lip quivers as his arms fall from their disapproving cross. You sigh shakily after a few beats of silence, embarrassment and frustration for hiding such an important detail from your new fiancé for so long, for losing the gorgeous ring that he'd wrongfully entrusted you with, and your voice is tight as you drop your head forward, "and... I didn't want you to think you shouldn't have given it to me..."

More silence. Your shoulders quiver as you try to fight the sobs that want to expel from your chest, blurry, watery eyes focused on your feet, and-

"That's it?"

His voice is soft, but you can almost hear the casualness in his tone, your eyes flying open in confusion, but your head still down in shock. "You've been avoiding me, giving me the cold shoulder, not answering my texts because you lost the ring?"

"What..." your voice trails off, tears stopping in their tracks. You slowly raise your head, "I'm... sorry?" The apology is formed in a question, differing greatly from the sob-filled ones you'd expected to give him.

You watch in complete bewilderment as his eyes close peacefully, a smile splaying on his cheeks and hands coming up to scrub his face in exhaustion, "I genuinely thought you were cheating on me with Hinata."

"WHAT?"

"He was avoiding me all week, as were you, for that matter, and every time I looked at your phone there was a message from him, and every time you'd answer his call, you'd leave the room- like I was fully convinced you were leaving me for him."

"Kiyoomi!" You cry, but relief fills your heart at the lack of even the smallest semblance of annoyance in his presence, like you were merely telling him you forgot to grab the mail. So much relief, that your sobs turn into watery laughter, waves of tears still flowing. "I was... so scared to tell you..."

He hums and reaches up slowly to wipe your tear tracks, "never, ever, be afraid to tell me anything, alright?" He whispers. "especially something as little as material things. Those things don’t matter.”

“But… it was important to you,” you sniffle. “And I lost it.”

“Baby,” he chuckles, tugging you against his chest. “You didn’t lose it; it’s in the engagement box.”

“Excuse me?”

He laughs as he grabs your hand, guiding you down the hall and to the bedroom. You watch with wide eyes and a queasy stomach as he opens your bedside table, where you keep tour most important belongings, and he flips open the velvet box and in fact, revealing the beautiful ring that glimmers in the light. “You left it in the bathroom and I put it back for you, assuming you’d check here first.” Your jaw is agape, stomach churning as the ringing in your ears increases volume, blocking him out. He gently puts down the box and tugs you in for a hug, “even if you did lose it, it’s alright… I would buy you 50 diamond rings if it meant you were happy to be my fiancé.”

“I am,” you sniffle, nuzzling into his chest. “It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever gotten the chance to do…”

He kisses the crown of your head and squeezes you close.

Ushijima was unmoved. He stared at his drink, took a single sip, and let it rest in his hand. He didn’t participate in the yelling, the toasts, or the story someone was animatedly telling about a missed serve from three seasons ago. He just existed—quietly, stoically—as a satellite to the chaos.

Except, of course, they all knew he was waiting.

He always was.

There was a pattern to the transformation. First, he’d sit there like stone. Then he’d blink a little more slowly. His brows would draw together—not in anger, but in vague confusion, like he was lost in a thought he couldn’t solve. His fingers would move against his glass, not to drink but to fidget, just a little.

And then…

“Has anyone seen my phone?” Ushijima asked, barely louder than the buzz of conversation.

Hoshiumi slid it across the table immediately. “Right here, Ushiwaka. Sorry! We took a few pictures here and there.”

“Thank you.”

He looked down at the screen. It was still lit with the last message from you from earlier that day: Good luck, baby. Don’t forget to stretch your left shoulder. He’d never replied—he never did, not when he was already in headspace—but now, he stared at it like it was the only thing tethering him to reality.

“You want to text her?” Hoshiumi asks, lightly teasing, which Ushijima didn’t catch onto.

Ushijima didn’t answer. He opened the thread and typed a few letters. Deleted them. Typed something else. Backspaced. Then just stared.

And then finally: “She hasn’t replied.”

His teammates laughed.

“There it is!”

“It’s only been seventeen minutes! I win!”

“No, you cheated. I said ten, and he didn’t even check his phone until minute twelve!”

“Shh, shh, look at him—he’s pouting.”

“Wait, is this the pout phase? I thought that came after the silent brooding phase.”

“Technically we’re entering pout-brood overlap. It’s a dangerous time.”

Ushijima didn’t argue. He simply set the phone down again and folded his hands in front of him. Kageyama leaned over.

“You want me to call her for you, Ushijima-san?”

Ah, yes. Kageyama was too nice for his own good. Trying to enhance his socialization and trying to lessen his awkwardness with his teammates when the conversation didn’t revolve around volleyball.

Ushijima nodded. Just once. Immediately. “Yes.”

...

“Amazing! He’s not even trying to hide it.”

“Can you imagine being that in love?”

“He just wants his wife. Look at him. He’s a whole sad poem in one sitting.”

“She’s gonna get here, and he’s gonna light up like a lantern.”

“May this love run me over.”

Kageyama stood and walked a few paces away from the table, already dialing your number. Meanwhile, the others watched Ushijima sip his drink again—not because he wanted it, but because it gave his hands something to do. His eyes were glued to the screen even though no new notifications had appeared.

Romero leaned in conspiratorially to Hirugami. “Do you think she talks to him in, like, soft tones? Calls him ‘baby’ and stuff?”

“I think so,” he shrugs. “I think they’re sweet like that.”

“Aw, young love.”

The teasing continued, but it softened. Because underneath the jokes and the laughs was a sort of awe.

Their teammate—so serious, so focused, so unreadable on court—was completely and utterly soft when it came to his wife. Not in a loud way. Not in any way that could be easily teased, really. It was quiet. Heavy. Real.

When Kageyama returned, he had a pleased expression. “She’s on her way. Said she just got off work and is driving over.”

Ushijima gave another slow blink.

“Thank you.”

Kageyama nods. Somehow they manage to have conversations even if they just continue nodding to each other.

As soon as Kageyama said it, his phone buzzed with a new message. He didn’t even need to open it. He could tell by the way his entire body relaxed by a single, barely noticeable degree.

Sorry, hun. Just got off work. Are you okay?

He replied.

I’m okay. I miss you.

And then he set the phone down and folded his hands again, this time with more calm. More certainty. You were coming. That was all he needed to know.

The others noticed the shift immediately.

“He smiled.”

“No, he didn’t.”

“He did! Don’t argue with me; I saw it. It was micro. But it counted.”

“He’s already halfway out the door with his heart.”

“Watch, the second she walks through that door, he’ll go full puppy mode.”

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, the door opened. A gust of cold air followed you inside, along with the soft jingle of the bar’s entrance bell. You spotted them easily—your eyes landing on Ushijima before anything else. And his entire body seemed to change shape.

He stood up—not quickly, but instantly, with a kind of gravity no one else in the room had.

You smiled as you approached, slipping out of your coat and brushing off the cold that nipped your nose softly. “Hi, love,” you greeted softly. “You ready to go?”

“Yes,” Ushijima said, already reaching for his jacket.

As he shrugged it on, you turned to the table. “Hope he wasn’t too much trouble?”

Hoshiumi leaned on the table with a grin. “[Name], your husband is the definition of ‘not trouble.’ We’re just grateful you came to collect him before he sighed himself into the carpet.”

“Tell them what he said!” someone shouted.

“He asked if anyone had seen his phone like it was a national emergency.”

“And he didn’t pout—he brooded. Like a man out of a romantic novel.”

“I think I did,” Ushijima just nodded at their comments about him.

He then stood by quietly, waiting for you to finish your goodbyes. When you looped your arm through his, he leaned ever so slightly toward you.

As they left, Romero raised his glass.

“To [Name]’s husband,” he declared. The table cheered.

Outside, as you two walked toward the car, you glanced up at him, fingers tightening around his arm.

“You really okay?” you asked.

He hummed. Then, in that low, steady voice only you ever got to hear, it softened—

“I missed you,” he said again. “They were loud. I wanted to see you very much.”

You smiled and gave his arm a firm, loving squeeze. “Well. I’m here now.”

And... yeah.

That’s what he’s been wanting to hear all night.