2012 · Los Angeles · Downtown Café
The place Mark chose wasn't quiet.
It wasn't loud either.
Midday traffic hummed outside the glass windows. Coffee machines hissed and clicked. People talked about normal things—work, plans, weekends.
Basketball didn't exist here.
Which was exactly the point.
---
Mark arrived on time.
No suit.
No tie.
Just a jacket, a notebook, and the kind of calm that came from knowing he didn't need to impress anyone.
"Sit," he said, gesturing to the chair across from him.
Gu Kai did.
They didn't talk right away.
Mark ordered coffee. Black. No sugar.
Gu Kai followed.
Only after the cups were set down did Mark look at him.
"You handled the closed runs well," he said.
"No panic. No forcing."
Gu Kai nodded.
"That's what they said yesterday," Mark continued.
"But that's not why I called you."
He flipped open the notebook.
Inside weren't stats.
There were notes.
---
"Everyone can see your body," Mark said.
"Some people see your burst. Fewer see your decisions."
He tapped the page.
"At that level, talent doesn't separate you.
It just gets you in the room."
Gu Kai listened.
Didn't interrupt.
Mark closed the notebook.
"I'm not here to offer you anything," he said plainly.
"No deal. No paperwork."
Gu Kai met his eyes.
"I know."
Mark smiled faintly.
"Good. Because most guys don't."
---
Outside, a bus passed.
The sound filled the pause.
"You understand what comes next?" Mark asked.
"More runs," Gu Kai said.
"Better players."
"And fewer chances," Mark added.
Gu Kai nodded again.
Mark leaned back.
"If you're bad, you're gone," he said.
"If you're average, you linger."
"If you're interesting…"
He stopped there.
Didn't finish the sentence.
---
The system interface surfaced quietly, almost restrained.
---
[Reality Confirmation]
[No Binding Contract Detected]
[Current Status: Unaffiliated Prospect]
[Risk Level: High]
---
Gu Kai took a sip of coffee.
It was bitter.
"Then why talk to me now?" he asked.
Mark didn't hesitate.
"Because the next phase breaks people," he said.
"And I wanted to see how you sit across a table."
Gu Kai didn't react.
Didn't lean forward.
Didn't pull back.
He stayed exactly where he was.
Mark watched him for a second longer.
Then nodded.
"Same facility," he said.
"Tomorrow night."
Gu Kai stood.
"So nothing changes," he said.
Mark smiled again.
"That's the part most people don't like."
---
They left separately.
No handshake.
No promises.
---
That night, Gu Kai returned to the small apartment his father had arranged.
He didn't turn on the TV.
He stretched.
Iced his knees.
Lay on the floor with his eyes closed.
The system interface appeared one last time for the day.
---
[Stage Two Ongoing]
[Evaluation Density: Increased]
[Gold Trait Unlock Progress: 24%]
[Reminder]
At this level, effort is assumed.
Only outcomes are counted.
---
Gu Kai opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
This wasn't the moment where everything changed.
This was the moment where nothing did.
And somehow—
That made it harder.
He rolled onto his side, exhaled slowly, and closed his eyes again.
Tomorrow night, the court would be smaller.
The players would be sharper.
And the room would not wait for him
to catch up.
That was fine.
He wasn't here to be comfortable.
He was here to last.