After school that day, Jae-Hyun walked down the hallway, the muffled sounds of basketball sneakers squeaking and balls bouncing growing louder as he approached the gym. He paused at the door for a moment, letting the noise wash over him. Inside, the team was in the middle of a rigorous practice session, Coach Gang's sharp whistles cutting through the air as players ran drills.
Jae-Hyun stood still by the entrance, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the court. The team was mid-practice, and for a moment, no one noticed him. Then the coach — a stocky man with a commanding voice — blew his whistle sharply.
"Break! Water up!"
Players jogged toward the benches, breathing hard. That's when the coach spotted Jae-Hyun — tall, composed, the same boy who'd dismantled their star player not long ago.
Coach Gang's brows furrowed. "You again?" His tone wasn't unfriendly — more curious, maybe cautious. "What brings you here?"
"I want to join the team," Jae-Hyun said, his voice calm and sure.
Coach Gang blinked, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Interesting. You want to join the team?"
Before Jae-Hyun could answer, a familiar voice chimed in behind him.
"I knew you'd come around!"
Ji-Woon jogged over, grinning wide. He slung an arm around Jae-Hyun's shoulder like they were old friends. "Did all my persistence finally pay off?"
Jae-Hyun's expression didn't change. He simply slid Ji-Woon's arm off his shoulder and said flatly, "No."
Ji-Woon blinked, caught off guard. "Then why are you here?"
"I'm joining the team," Jae-Hyun replied smoothly.
Ji-Woon looked genuinely baffled. "Wait—you literally turned me down at lunch."
"I know," Jae-Hyun replied, as if it were obvious.
Coach Gang, who had been silently watching their back-and-forth, shook his head slightly and thought, Talk about being cocky. No junior on the basketball team ever speaks to Ji-Woon like that. He pinched the bridge of his nose, amused despite himself. Then he clapped his hands sharply.
"Okay, enough, you two," he barked. "Welcome to the team, Jae-Hyun."
He whistled, signaling for all the players to gather around. A murmur ran through the group as they noticed the newcomer, some whispering, some eyes widening. Coach Gang began introductions.
"This is Jae-Hyun," he said, motioning toward the tall first-year. "He's joining our team. I'm Coach Gang Seok-Jin and this is our team advisor, Mr. Kim Dong-Soo."
Several of the players leaned in, whispering amongst themselves. First-years and second-years alike couldn't hide their excitement.
"Wow… he's huge," muttered one of the first-years, eyes going wide.
"Yeah, how tall are you?" another asked.
"190 centimeters," Jae-Hyun replied casually. "About 6'3."
A collective wow ran through the group. Some players' mouths fell open, impressed. Others glanced at each other, a mix of admiration and curiosity in their eyes.
"He's a first-year… that tall?" one second-year muttered, shaking his head.
"He beat Min-Seok too," another whispered, as if it were impossible to believe. "Our star player… destroyed. And now he's on the team?"
A few players exchanged skeptical glances, clearly not sure whether to be excited or annoyed at this new addition.
Coach Gang nodded to the group. "Alright, enough gawking. Jae-Hyun, get changed. We'll start practice immediately."
Minutes later, Jae-Hyun stepped onto the polished court in his new practice gear. The team formed two groups for a scrimmage — Ji-Woon's team on one side, and Coach Gang placed Jae-Hyun with the other.
The whistle blew.
The game ignited.
The first few minutes were tense — the usual back-and-forth hustle. Then Jae-Hyun moved.
He cut through defenders like a blade through mist — fast, fluid, unreadable. His dribble was tight, deceptive; a simple shift of weight sent his opponent stumbling. He drove forward, faked a pass, spun, and sank a clean jumper.
The net snapped. 2–0.
Murmurs rippled through the gym.
"Whoa, did you see that move?""His footwork's insane."
The next play came fast — Ji-Woon's team tried a double defense. Jae-Hyun read it before it happened, slipped between them, and tossed a no-look assist to a teammate who barely realized he had the ball until it dropped into his hands. Layup. 4–0.
Ji-Woon grinned, excitement mixing with disbelief. "Alright, alright… you've got skills."
Jae-Hyun said nothing, just glanced at him once — a calm, piercing look that almost felt like a challenge.
They went again. This time Ji-Woon went on offense, slicing through defenders. He jumped, aiming for a layup — only for Jae-Hyun to appear out of nowhere, hand extended. The ball smacked against his palm with a crisp thwack.
The gym fell silent.
"Blocked," someone whispered.
Jae-Hyun landed, turned smoothly, and launched the ball downcourt. It sailed perfectly — a full-court three-pointer. The players froze, eyes wide, as the ball arced through the air and dropped straight through the hoop with a clean swish. Another clean shot. 7–0.
Ji-Woon ran a hand through his hair, laughing breathlessly. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Coach Gang's eyebrows rose, impressed despite himself. This kid… he's not just good. He's reading the entire court.
Possession switched again, but it didn't matter. Jae-Hyun dominated. He intercepted passes, predicted plays before they happened, and moved with a precision that seemed unnatural. Every shot he made looked effortless — smooth, calculated, devastatingly clean.
One by one, the morale of the opposing team started to crack.Missed passes. Broken formations. Fumbled plays.
Even Ji-Woon, usually unshakable, found himself smirking out of frustration. "You're really something, you know that?"
Jae-Hyun finally spoke, voice quiet but sharp enough to cut through the noise."Try keeping up."
Ji-Woon barked a laugh. "Cocky freak."
The whistle blew again — end of the scrimmage.
The scoreboard glared back: 32–4.
Silence. Then the gym erupted."No freaking way!""He wiped the floor with them!""Coach, where did you find this guy?!"
Coach Gang was grinning now. "Didn't find him. He found us."
Ji-Woon, chest still heaving, walked over and clapped Jae-Hyun on the back. "Alright, fine. You're a monster. Happy?"
Jae-Hyun just picked up his towel, draped it around his neck. "Not yet."
The other players stared, a mix of admiration and unease in their eyes. There was something about him — not just skill, but presence. It felt like the court belonged to him.
Even Coach Gang could feel it.A player like this… might just be our ticket to nationals.
The sun was low when practice ended, streaking the gym windows with soft gold. The sound of sneakers squeaking slowly died down as players packed up, laughing and chattering. Jae-Hyun, as usual, didn't join in. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, heading out the side door.
"Hey!"
Ji-Woon jogged up behind him, hair still damp from sweat, a wide grin on his face. "What direction are you going?"
Jae-Hyun didn't slow. "East."
"Oh? That's my way too. Are you walking?"
"Yes."
"Want a ride?"
"No."
Ji-Woon laughed like he expected that answer. "Okay then. I'll just walk with you. After all, same direction."
"Sure," Jae-Hyun said flatly, though his expression clearly said please don't.
They fell into stride, the silence between them filled only by the sound of shoes against pavement and distant traffic. Ji-Woon, however, wasn't built for silence.
"So what made you change your mind about joining the team?"
"Because of the competition," Jae-Hyun replied, eyes fixed ahead.
"Oh? Wanna lead the team to nationals that bad?"
"No."
"Then why?"
Jae-Hyun sighed, long and quiet. "Because I want to play against talented people—people who make the game fun."
Ji-Woon blinked. "Are you saying we're not talented enough?"
"No."
"You should really elaborate more. One-word replies only make me ask more questions," Ji-Woon said, half-teasing.
Jae-Hyun finally turned his head slightly, his gaze cool. "If I give you your answer, will you stop talking? Or better yet, stop following me?"
"Maybe. Worth a shot," Ji-Woon grinned.
Jae-Hyun exhaled again, like someone being tested for patience. "You guys are talented, I guess. Just… unpolished. Severely unpolished. That's why playing with you is boring. Happy?"
"Wow," Ji-Woon said, laughing in disbelief. "So I'm an unpolished gem, huh? Then help me get polished. I could practice with you—might even make practice fun."
"No."
"Why not?"
"I'm not interested."
"Again with that! My persistence is starting to itch," Ji-Woon said with a grin that clearly promised he wasn't giving up anytime soon.
Jae-Hyun stopped walking and turned to him. His tone stayed calm, but the look in his eyes was sharp. "Don't even think about asking me to practice with you. I'm not babysitting someone under the excuse of teamwork."
Then he turned and kept walking.
Ji-Woon stood there a beat, mouth half open, before jogging to catch up. "You sure are rude. I'm your upperclassman, you know."
No reply.
"Okay, fine," Ji-Woon continued. "But basketball's a team sport. You can't win against stronger teams without good teammates. That's why you should help me train."
"All you have to do is stay out of my way on the court and pass the ball to me," Jae-Hyun said calmly. "I'll handle the rest. I never lose."
Ji-Woon stared at him, half impressed, half exasperated. "You're the cockiest person I've ever met."
"You mean confident."
"No. Definitely cocky."
They turned the corner toward the station, the city lights flickering on one by one.
"Isn't your driver gonna be worried?" Jae-Hyun asked suddenly. "You leaving school alone?"
"No. I'll just call to say I'm getting home myself."
"Okay."
"By the way," Ji-Woon said, shoving his hands into his pockets, "are you a scholarship student? Just curious."
"No. Why?"
"Then what happened to your car? Why are you walking?"
Jae-Hyun tilted his head slightly, his voice dry. "Let's see… Walking is good exercise. I want to walk. I like walking. Does that answer your question, or would you prefer I say I'm from an average family, have a terrible student record, but this school still accepted me because my grades are flawless and despite the ridiculous tuition, my family still struggles to keep me here?"
That made Ji-Woon stop dead for a second. He caught up quickly, scratching his neck. "I… I shouldn't have asked that. Sorry. But it's not like you to answer in detail. What happened?"
Jae-Hyun gave him a sideways look. "When do you plan to stop interrogating me? I only answered so you'd shut up."
Ji-Woon laughed softly. "You're impossible."
By the time they reached the bus stop, the evening bus hissed to a halt beside them. Jae-Hyun stepped on and swiped his T-money card. Ji-Woon followed, but the driver frowned.
"Hey, kid, pay your fare."
Ji-Woon blinked, looking completely lost.
Jae-Hyun turned to him with a deadpan stare. "You don't even know what a T-money card is?"
Ji-Woon rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish. "Uh… I usually don't take the bus."
Jae-Hyun sighed, swiped his card again, and gave the driver a polite nod. "Sorry about him." He dragged Ji-Woon by the wrist to an empty seat.
the back.
When they sat, Jae-Hyun leaned back and muttered, "Give me your full address. I feel like you might get lost."
Ji-Woon grinned, undeterred. "So you do care."
Jae-Hyun didn't even glance at him. "No. I just don't want you following me home by mistake."
Ji-Woon gave him a deadpan stare, wondering when the roles had reversed and he'd become the junior.