Player No. 2

“Did you like your birthday dinner, Yoona?” You ask Sullyoon as the two of you ride the elevator.

“I did, Oppa. How’d you know I love Italian food?” She says as she hugs your arm.

“I saw you scarfing down the pasta and pizza during game caterers. Kinda hard to miss.” You joke.

“Well, it was a great surprise Oppa! But it’s going to cost you. You really decided to load me up on carbs before Mario Kart? That’s like signing a death wish.” She says as she hugs your arm tighter. You chuckle at her attempt to intimidate you. 

With a ding, the elevator opens to your floor. You both walk to your apartment after eating at an Italian restaurant for Sullyoon’s birthday. With some leftovers in hand, she thought the two of you were ready to call it a night. But you had one more surprise up your sleeve. 

“Well I’m glad you liked dinner Yoona, but for Mario Kart night… Well let’s just say dinner was not the only surprise I had planned for tonight.” You say as you open the door. The two of you enter the apartment, with you putting down the leftovers on the table.

“What? What else do you have— IS THAT—” Her eyes widen at the console set up in front of the TV.

“An SNES? Yup!”

“Where did you even—” She says as she rushes to kneel in front of it.

“It’s my older brother’s. He had it boxed up in his attic. When you told me you’ve always wanted to try the original Super Mario Kart, I just knew that I had to borrow it for you.”

“Oh my God…”  Sullyoon’s in awe of the prehistoric gadget, staring at it like it was some sort of relic. “Wait! So you still have the original cartridge?”

On cue, you pull it out of your pocket. “Yup. I hid back when I was a kid.” You say as you hand it to her. “I also spent the last few weeks making sure it could still run, and would work with our TV.” Like clockwork, the screen lights up when you press the power button. Sullyoon’s eyes light up as well in amazement. 

“Oppa, this is amazing! But I can’t help but feel like this just to get me to stop using Kirby.” She jokes. 

“Oh no! You’ve seen through my plan!” You joke back. “But honestly, when you told me you wanted to try it out, I thought it would be a perfect gift. Especially with how many memories I made with it when I was a kid.”

Sullyoon waits for you patiently as she sits down in front of the couch. You take your place beside her with the heated leftover slices of pizza in hand.

“I’m gonna be so bad at this.” She whines as she watches you insert the cartridge.

“Oh come on. You’re an ace at gaming no matter what console we use.”

The game doesn’t work on the first go. So you do what you did as a kid. You motion to Sullyoon to come over and help you. Together, you blow into the cartridge before loading it back in. Like how it did back when you were a kid, it somehow worked this time.

“Still, this is my first time on an snes. You’ll probably win against me.” Sullyoon whines as she sits back down beside you, hugging your arm in premature defeat.

“Tell you what, you can be player number 1 and get a few rounds of practice before we race for real.” You say as you hand her the first controller.

“Oppa… I can’t. It’s basically your console.”

“Yoona, it’s fine. Besides, I prefer being player number 2. I spent most of my childhood playing alongside my older brother. I don’t mind if I have to again as long as it's with you.” You give her a smile of assurance. She smiles back softly to you in reply. 

For the first hour or so, Sullyoon spends the time getting used to the new console. Getting a feel of the controller, adjusting to the graphics, and so on. She rests her head on your shoulder, leaning on you as she goes through each of the courses. You sit beside her, watching her play, chuckling at the little sounds she makes. Every so often you’d hold up a slice of pizza to her mouth, feeding her while she continues to race. She gets into it, like really into it like she does with every new game she tries out. It’s after her second win against the npc’s when she suddenly turns to you.

“Alright Oppa. I think I’m ready. Prepare to eat my dust!” Her exclamation is accompanied with a bright smile.

The renewed confidence makes you chuckle as you grab the second controller. It amazes you how good she got with just a few hours of playing, but the muscle memory and the comfort of your old controller helps you just edge out Sullyoon for the win. Your cheers were met with whines.

“Ugh! I almost had you!” Sullyoon complains. “One more game!”

You smile from the challenge, because you know it won’t be just one. Hours pass. Race after race. Game after game. Trading wins and losses. Going on winning and losing streaks. Sharing laughs, whines, screams, and cheers. Soon enough, the sunrise breaks through your curtains. After the… fiftieth game, you finally concede and finish the night (or morning) with a win for Sullyoon. 

“Heh, told you I’d get you!” Sullyoon cheers, but a yawn escapes and interrupts her jubilations.

“I can’t believe we played through the night.” You say as you lean back on the couch.

“I… didn’t want to… stop on a loss.” She manages to say as her body starts succumbing to the fatigue. 

More yawns start to escape Sullyoon’s mouth as she leans her head on your shoulder. You welcome her weight, letting her get comfortable after your hours of gaming. You can feel her breathing start to slow, letting you know she’s close to falling asleep. You slowly power down the console, not letting her head fall from your shoulder.

For a few minutes, you do your best not to move from in front of the couch. You continue to look at Sullyoon, just remembering how happy she was while playing. How much she was laughing and enjoying herself. You’ll carry her to the bed sooner or later. You always do when the two of you get carried away while playing. For now, you just sit there and let her rest. You stroke a few strands of loose hair from her face before you whisper in her ear.

“Happy Birthday Yoona.”

You lean in close and plant a soft kiss on her forehead. Her lips curl into a soft smile after.