EAR Ch 26

The Class 2 kids competed to shower Jaemin with praise. Only then did Jaemin seem to regain his composure, suppressing his broad grin and feigning calm, but heat rippled across his face, where his usual coldness was nowhere to be found. While Class 2 shared the ecstasy of their first goal, the Class 4 kids were hurling criticisms at their center.

“Ugh, you couldn’t even block that?”

“Ah, it’s just because I let my guard down a bit. I’ll do it properly.”

Though there was a bit of a height difference, the center of Class 4, who had given up the first goal to a beginner’s shot, answered sheepishly. Seungpyo silently looked at Jaemin, who was smiling under the basket. Even so, it was only the first goal. Class 4 was still overwhelmingly ahead in the game.

The Class 4 kids tried to find their pace again, but Class 2, having scored their first points and gained momentum, was not as easy to deal with as at first. As the power balance, which had been tilted like a leaning scale, gradually regained its equilibrium, the ball moved back and forth faster than before, traversing every corner of the court.

Incredibly, Jaemin scored two more goals. Without any special strategy, he had put in goals strictly through textbook layup shots faithful to his initial plan. The center of Class 4, who had initially claimed he fell for it because he let his guard down, found it hard to put forward the same excuse as Jaemin’s scoring continued. Though it was said to be his first time playing a basketball match, Ryu Jaemin was a bit taller than him, and his jumping ability and sense of timing were better than expected, making him far from easy to defend against.

As similar patterns of conceding goals repeated, the Class 4 kids ultimately shouted in unison:

“Oh Seungpyo, you cover center for a bit!”

Despite the kids’ desperate shouts, Seungpyo answered with a bored face.

“Ah, why. I hate center because it’s boring.”

“Just do it this once. Ryu Jaemin is tall, so it’s hard to block him unless it’s you.”

It was Oh Seungpyo, who absorbed himself more than others in things he liked and wanted to do, but became lazier than others in things he was bad at or disliked doing. He clearly showed his inner dissatisfaction with the situation through his expression, but in the end he had no choice but to yield to the majority opinion. After all, basketball was a team sport, and today’s match was a game with quite an important bet on the line for Seungpyo as well.

Accepting the position switch, Seungpyo ran toward the edge of the court while exchanging hand signals. When he, who had been dominating the center of the court the whole time, blocked the area near the basket like a gatekeeper, a sudden pressure was felt around that neighborhood. The kids from each class loudly shouted fighting, solidifying their resolve once more. Except for two people who were busy squabbling under the basket.

“Hey, don’t stick so close.”

“This is how under-the-basket defense originally works, so what do you want me to do.”

“Don’t pull my shirt.”

“I never pulled it, okay? You just learned basketball and you’re already trying to pull a fake.”

While the other kids were repeating offense and defense, breakthroughs and checks, unable to easily charge up on either side, the two centers in charge of under the basket were also repeating whispered bickering.

To cut off Jaemin’s under-the-basket attack right from the start, Seungpyo stood glued right behind Jaemin’s back from the beginning, moving together like a shadow every time Jaemin took a step.

Jaemin narrowed the space between his brows slightly and sharpened his nerves more than ever. Though it might be an illusion, he felt as if he could feel even Oh Seungpyo’s breath. Whether due to the body heat transmitted from behind, his back felt hot. Even when he shifted positions here and there wanting to shake him off, Seungpyo didn’t miss Jaemin and followed right along immediately.

Come to think of it, he felt like the defense before the switch was not much different, but since the guy he disliked was clinging to him, it seemed to feel even more uncomfortable. His once-warped expression didn’t smooth out easily, but knowing that the center’s defense style was like this as Seungpyo said, he grit his teeth with no choice.

Jaemin was always of a personality that quickly focused on necessary tasks. Accepting the situation, he didn’t watch Seungpyo following him behind his back, but followed the flow of the court and watched only the ball. As his head filled up with the thought that if he received a pass, he must shoot without missing the right moment, his discomfort toward the closely adhering body heat also ended up fading.

On the other hand, the gaze of Seungpyo standing behind him was still failing to focus on one place and scattering.

His pupils, which ought to move nimbly following the situation of the court and the ball, kept landing on top of the black hair right in front of him. Every time Ryu Jaemin moved left and right, his hair also fluttered together, moving a beat late like a tail.

Every time that happened, a fragrance that was confusing whether it was shampoo or a scent coming from Ryu Jaemin’s body drifted subtly. It would be fine if it felt clear like the scent of perfume, but as it repeatedly stimulated his nose fleetingly and vanished like a mirage, it bothered his mind continuously to the point he wondered if this too was a strategy.

Scent or whatever. Oh Seungpyo tried hard to ignore it and turned his eyes toward the court side again, but every time Jaemin moved a step ahead of him or followed a step late, the jawline seen at a slant, the nape of the neck seen from behind, and the modest back of the ear kept catching in his field of vision so he couldn’t concentrate. Perhaps because they had conversed only while standing facing each other every time, the sight of Ryu Jaemin seen from behind was surprisingly unfamiliar.

Even though it was winter, sweat slightly seeped over his white nape was visible. Being hot was the same for Seungpyo as well. Having exchanged a few goals, he had already run quite a bit. Out of breath, Ryu Jaemin’s breathing was a bit heavy. The sight of the guy, who gave off a calm feeling even when throwing a fit, panting and moving his body was a bit different from when seen from afar….

“Oh Seungpyo, what are you doing!”

Snapping to his senses at the kids’ urgent shout, Seungpyo only then realized the fact that the ball was in Ryu Jaemin’s hands. Jumping while chewing on a curse, his timing was late. Jaemin had already leisurely attempted the textbook layup shot he had succeeded in several times once again, and the ball passed over Seungpyo’s hand, cleanly going through the basket net.

Woah! The largest cheer so far erupted. Even the teachers standing in between the students muttered, my goodness, covering their surprised mouths.

“Crazy, Ryu Jaemin even broke through Oh Seungpyo!”

“I don’t know how this will turn out now. Place your money even now.”

Before they knew it, the spectators, who had doubled from the beginning, each began to get excited. There were kids who placed bets belatedly, and there were also kids who filmed video of the match with their mobile phones.

Having scored a goal, Ryu Jaemin immediately ran toward the opposite basket to defend. The Class 2 kids couldn’t hide their excitement as they bumped shoulders wildly or high-fived Jaemin running on top of the court together.

“Ryu Jaemin, aren’t you seriously a genius?”

“You can’t get out of basketball now. We’re going to keep clinging to you.”

At the kids’ joke-mixed praise, Jaemin laughed aloud and clapped hands together. It was a refreshing and cool smile, just as if a tooth that had been aching had come out.

“Oh Seungpyo, why are you like this?”

“How can you not block that, you!”

Unlike Jaemin, who was receiving the admiration and spotlight of everyone watching this match, Seungpyo was surrounded by the scolding of the kids who had trusted him and left center to him. But instead of feeling ashamed, Seungpyo stared almost glare-like at Jaemin, who was running over that way, and then retorted flatly:

“That’s why I told you I didn’t want to do center.”

“Then switch back?”

“No, I’ll do it properly this time.”

As his motivation seemed to catch fire, the kids also stopped nagging. Seungpyo ran toward Class 2’s basket. Class 4’s attack began.

The excitement that basketball newbie Ryu Jaemin had broken through none other than ace Oh Seungpyo’s defense and succeeded in a shot rather made the Class 2 kids distracted. As the tight tension up to then broke down, this time passes were connected easily, and in an instant the ball came into Seungpyo’s hands.