EAR Ch 23

Anyway, Jaemin practiced really hard. Seeing him come out alone even during break times to practice dribbling or put up layups, all the students of Ilyang High School thought similarly. That the reason he never missed the rank of number one in the whole school was because he was that ruthless in everything.

📚

As soon as he stepped out of the house, his eyes snapped wide open as if he had been doused with cold water by the chilly morning air.

Having woken up early, Seungpyo set off on his early walk to school, blowing into the air like a game as his breath flew white haah, and looked up at the sky. Even though it was getting close to seven o’clock, the sky was still pitch dark. Winter, when mornings were late and nights were fast. Seungpyo didn’t dislike long nights either, but spring and summer, when the days were long, were still better for being active.

The air was cold, but Seungpyo wasn’t cold. Rather, it was refreshing, so he felt good. Seungpyo was someone who always walked around in short-sleeved t-shirts even at home in the winter. Whenever his aunts on his mother’s or father’s side dropped by, every time they saw Seungpyo like that, they would say it was because he was young and had a lot of body heat, making gestures of shivering as if he felt cold just looking at him. Whether because he was young as they said or for some other reason, Seungpyo, and naturally Seungpyo’s older brother as well, still didn’t know much about winter cold.

Anyway, why did he wake up early today of all days? Seungpyo went over his daily schedule in his head. There were no particularly tricky homework assignments or classes, nor was it a day scheduled for exams. If there was anything special about today, it was just one thing: that there was finally a basketball match with Class 2.

The chances of kneeling down in defeat to Ryu Jaemin, apologizing, and then getting flicked on the forehead were zero even if a miracle happened a hundred times, but anyway, today’s match seemed like something that bothered Seungpyo. Judging by how thinking of the basketball match was the very first thing he did as soon as he opened his eyes, that was definitely true.

Tsk. He didn’t want to admit the fact that he was conscious of this match, but he couldn’t turn a blind eye to it either, so Seungpyo just clicked his tongue for no reason as he entered the school gate. Even the area around the school gate, which would usually be bustling in the morning, was still quiet.

Oh Seungpyo, who was walking across the playground, stopped short at the sudden and unexpected sound of thump. There were lights on the playground, but there were only a few illuminating the edge walkways. As he looked toward where the sound came from, in the dimness, someone’s shadow standing on the basketball court caught his eye.

No way. Frowning and stepping closer, Seungpyo ended up parting his lips slightly and letting out a sigh.

The ball that had just left the fingertips then flew, drawing a long arc, and came to rest on top of the rim. After lingering and spinning as if it might go in or might not, instead of passing through the net, it dropped straight down outside the net.

Thump, thump, thump… The ball, bouncing on the ground, rolled and tried to escape out of the court. Jaemin, who had been chasing after it in a hurry, finally discovered Seungpyo and raised his head.

To Jaemin, who stood looking at him without a word while holding the picked-up ball, Seungpyo ultimately spoke up first in a blunt voice.

“Are you seriously coming out since dawn and practicing because of today’s match? Anyone seeing you would think you’re a basketball team member going to a national competition.”

“Why would a basketball team member practice? I’m not good, so I have to practice even more so I don’t cause trouble for the other kids.”

“There aren’t any good kids in Class 2 anyway. Even if someone else joins instead of you, you’re going to lose.”

“That’s what you think.”

As if it didn’t matter to him whether Seungpyo was standing there or not, Jaemin went back to his spot from a moment ago. Staring intently at the hoop with concentration, he abruptly threw the ball. Swish, it went in properly this time. Jaemin’s eyes widened as if slightly pleased, but that was it.

Like a screen being rewound, the same scene repeated for a brief while. Jaemin repeatedly shot and then went to pick up the ball, while Seungpyo watched the scene from the side as if it were absurd.

Jaemin’s goal success rate wasn’t that high. Since Seungpyo arrived, he had taken six shots and only one of them had gone in, after all. Since the other guys didn’t hit the mark 100% of the time either, you couldn’t say his skill dropped, but at least for Jaemin, who had set a high goal of beating Oh Seungpyo, it meant he still had a long way to go.

“You’re going to hang around under the basket anyway, so why practice 3-pointers?”

“My business.”

I asked him quite at length, yet he gives a short answer with no manners. While grumbling inwardly, Seungpyo called out to him once more.

“Hey.”

Unable to just watch anymore, Seungpyo stepped onto the court. Jaemin had just picked up the ball that had bounced off the rim.

“Hand it over.”

When Oh Seungpyo held out his hand, Jaemin stared blankly without saying yes or no, and eventually passed the ball. As soon as he caught the ball, Seungpyo shot it up with a whoosh. Rising as lightly as the movement itself, the ball passed through the hoop without hesitation and dropped to the floor. Seungpyo asked, shaking his left hand.

“Are you by any chance left-handed?”

“No.”

“Then based on your right hand, you keep missing because you’re putting too much strength into your hand.”

“…”

“Look here. Instead of throwing with strength in both hands, you have to support the ball with your left hand and push it with your right hand so the ball catches the right direction and flies. The left hand just supports, don’t you know?”

Seungpyo, who had gone to pick up the ball, demonstrated once more. This time too, the ball passed through the hoop without obstruction. Did you see that? Seungpyo looked down at Jaemin with a gaze as if showing off.

He might have found the interference annoying, but Jaemin received the ball without a word. When he took his stance to throw the ball, Seungpyo added some more coaching.

“Bend your knees more. Don’t think about throwing with just your arm strength, think about throwing with your whole body. Focus on your right hand and keep your body light.”

Despite the interference he would usually have detested, Jaemin obediently bent his knees instead of rebelling. Staring fixedly at the hoop, he sprang up lightly with a whoosh and threw the ball.

The ball flew, drawing a stable arc. Both of their gazes followed the ball simultaneously. Before he knew it, the sky was brightening bluishly. The round ball flew, catching the sunlight that was just beginning to rise, and passed through the hoop without a sound.

The dropped ball bounced on the ground a few times and rolled, but Jaemin didn’t go right to pick it up this time. Neither of them said anything. After a brief silence, Seungpyo let out just one faint, derisive chuckle and slung the bag he had put down over his shoulder.

“The kids will be coming along soon now. You should quit while you’re at it and go in.”

“Yeah.”

Even after answering like that, Jaemin didn’t look like he intended to leave the spot. Rather, as if he had caught the bug for it thanks to the shot he just succeeded in, he took his stance once more and aimed at the basketball goal.

Such a stubborn one. Seungpyo shook his head vigorously and headed to the classroom, leaving Jaemin behind. If he was going to go in as an under-the-basket defender instead of Hyeongseo, he should at least practice layups one more time, but who knows what reason he had for coming out at dawn to practice 3-pointers, which he would hardly ever get to shoot.

The reason he gave advice in the first place was because it wouldn’t change the landscape anyway. If it was a game they would lose just because the shot success rate of a substitute beginner went up a bit, they’d lose anyway.

…Well, it was also quite unexpected to see him approach practice much more seriously than he had thought.

‘Is that really why he gets 1st place in the whole school?’

A thought that he hadn’t ended up agreeing with even when others admired and praised it was now being thought by Seungpyo too. Startled by his own thought, Seungpyo shook his head vigorously and walked up to the classroom.

∞ ∞ ∞

Daylight had broken completely. Inside the empty classroom, kids gradually started taking their seats one by one, acquiring their usual appearance. The sky was clear and the weather was mild, unlike winter. It was the best day for playing a basketball match.

In a school filled to the brim with growing teenage boys, class-vs-class soccer or basketball matches were held several times a day. Since the participating players were always the same guys and the game level was also par for the course, the only people interested in which class was playing against which class and who was coming out this time were the kids of the classes participating in the game.