Sunbae’s face was full of expectation as he handed the ball to Heon.
Heon hesitated before taking it, positioning himself midway to the hoop. He stood just shy of the three-point line, and his stance looked familiar—like something out of a textbook.
He jumped and shot with textbook form.
The ball arced nicely but fell short, bouncing off before it even touched the rim.
I sighed in relief. Even I miss three-pointers sometimes, and if a complete beginner like him had sunk one on his first try, my spot as shooting guard might’ve been in jeopardy. For now, his height made him a better fit for center.
Sunbae clapped exaggeratedly and stepped forward. “Great job! You’ve got potential. Your form’s clean. I was shocked—it’s just like Siwoo’s. Now that I think about it, you two kinda look alike.”
“How so?”
Heon, who’d been staring blankly at the rolling ball, suddenly looked up.
“Uh… the handsome part?”
Seriously? I rolled my eyes so hard it was almost audible.
Heon, unlike me, took Sunbae’s words at face value. He repeated “handsome, handsome” a few times under his breath, then blushed. “Siwoo hyung is handsome.”
I gave him a flat look. We’d only just exchanged names yesterday and found out we lived nearby. It felt too soon for him to be this chummy.
“Siwoo, show him how it’s done. Teach him step by step.”
“……I think Jin-wook would be better. He’s a power forward, after all.”
I felt weirdly uncomfortable. I did want to avoid Heon, but Jin-wook was the better teacher. Their positions were similar, so he could pass on the know-how.
“Me?”
Jin-wook walked into the gym just then. He must’ve heard his name. He changed into his basketball shoes and added, “Yeah, I’d be better than this dumbass Baek Siwoo.”
“Why am I a dumbass?”
“Dumb and brute.”
“What are you, then?”
“A fucking genius.”
“You don’t even know what that means, do you?”
I grabbed the ball from Sunbae and hurled it at Jin-wook’s face. He yelped and dodged, catching it with a smirk.
I scowled, but I must’ve been smiling too.
When I turned my head and met Heon’s gaze, I awkwardly looked away. I’m not usually shy, but his sudden friendliness put me off.
We’d be teammates, so this awkwardness wasn’t ideal. But at least his basketball skills were beginner-level. Time would fix the awkwardness, and by the time he grew into a decent center, we’d be close.
***
A week later.
Whenever my schedule was free, Jin-wook dragged me to the gym to do push-ups, jump rope, or whatever. He wasn’t the only one—Heon was there too, dribbling nonstop for 30 minutes straight on Jin-wook’s orders.
For someone who’d only shown interest because of his height, he was surprisingly dedicated.
After a week of watching Heon dribble, we started eating together daily, and the initial awkwardness faded.
Turns out Heon was the type to get chummy with anyone once he decided to befriend them. My initial discomfort had come from his cold, almost hostile expression, but maybe there’d been a reason for that. I hoped we’d get close enough for him to share it someday.
He had natural athleticism—he even pulled off a crossover dribble. He was still clumsy while moving, but he’d get the hang of it soon.
At this rate, he might even steal Jin-wook’s starting spot.
Jin-wook seemed to think the same. He started acting weirdly hostile—petty sabotage, grumbling. Like snatching the water bottle I’d offered to share with Heon.
“Ah, I’m thirsty.”
I smacked Jin-wook’s shoulder, annoyed. “You’re stealing water from a kid?”
“What else am I supposed to do? There’s more over there.”
“I’m fine. I’ll get my own.”
“…….”
Heon, now pretty friendly, smiled and went to fetch his own water. I glared at Jin-wook and took the bottle from him.
“Cut it out.”
“What?”
“You’ve got to earn your spot with skill.”
“……That’s not why I’m doing this.”
“Then why?”
“That bastard just…….”
“That bastard what?”
“Never mind.”
“You started talking, so finish.”
“I just don’t like him.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. His obsession was ridiculous.
***
Our small club of fewer than 15 people had frequent gatherings. “Dinner” was less about food and more about drowning ourselves in alcohol. I loved these reckless drinking sessions—because I had the highest tolerance of anyone.
Even late at night, the campus was bright and noisy.
The 4th-year seniors, including Baseok sunbae, scouted for cheap tents where we could drink soju by the bottle.
After wandering the plaza, we ended up at our usual spot. Guess nowhere was cheaper.
Normally, the starters sat together, but I didn’t want to leave Heon, the newbie, with strangers. I moved to sit beside him.
Jin-wook, scowling, stood up and wedged himself between us.
“You, move to the other side.”
“……What’s your problem?”
“Let’s play a game.”
“What game?”
“Who can drink the most.”
“You serious?”
“Yeah.”
“No regrets. What’s the bet if you lose?”
“Loser does whatever the winner wants.”
I had no idea why he was so eager to lose.
I poured soju into our glasses with a smug look. Jin-wook stared at the bottle, then added grimly:
“And he’s in too.”
I frowned at him dragging Heon into this.
Such a dick. First team dinner, and he’s trying to get everyone wasted. The tradition was to make newbies drink malsool, but Jin-wook didn’t care about the 194 cm giant’s limits.
I shook my head at the seniors desperately trying to stop him.
“Not happening. You two can’t beat me anyway.”
“Who said it’s one-on-one?”
“Then?”
“One vs. two. Heon and me vs. Baek Siwoo.”
“…….”
Two against one? I raised an eyebrow.
Heon, looking uneasy, raised a hand politely. “Hyung, you must be good at drinking.”
“Siwoo’s a total alcoholic. We have to win this time.”
Oh, please. Where was this unity when he was refusing to sing?
I called the ajumma over and ordered more soju.
Then I poured it into a large glass with a bitter smile.
“Bring it.”
Jin-wook’s eyes burned with competitiveness—then dimmed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
