episode_0024

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Ten voices merged into one.

The gymnasium, where the close match took place for about 40 minutes, was still filled with intense heat.

“You all did well today! Teamwork has become much better than before?”

A third-year senior who is the captain of Daeyoung Middle School’s basketball team sent words of encouragement to the members who had just finished a game.

“…”

However, the faces of the members listening to her story were not that bright.

That’s because last year, they advanced to the national competition and were said to be a traditional powerhouse, and they narrowly won a friendly match against an almost unknown school.

Their eyes were focused on one side, as they each cooled off the heat after the match in their own way.

“…Thank you for your hard work.”

Jina, who was wiping the sweat from her chin with a towel, quietly lowered her head.

It was entirely her fault that the match, which was supposed to be won overwhelmingly, was dragged out like this.

Even in Jina’s opinion, her performance today was the worst.

I couldn’t concentrate on the game at all.

“…I may be in a bit of a bad condition. Don’t worry too much about Jina. You just have to do better next time, right?”

A third-year senior tried to dispel the atmosphere, but there was no sign of improvement.

Because this wasn’t the first time she had been like this recently.

Everyone there was subconsciously realizing that even regular seats would be tight at this rate.

“No matter what, isn’t that a bit bad? It’s not a joke, what is this?”

“I could have shown a much better performance if I had gone out.”

Behind Jina, who was heading to the shower room, she could hear the students who did not make it to the starting team talking behind her back.

Jina bit her lip.

It’s been about a month since she joined the women’s basketball team.

There were many people who were jealous and envious of her as she took over the starting position in a short period of time.

“Our cute Jina. Why are you so downcast?”

After finishing the shower, someone spoke to Jina, who was drying her hair.

That was Gu Ye-seul, a classmate of Jin-ah who was also playing in the starting lineup.

She, who had been in the same class since first grade, was also the one who encouraged Jina to join the basketball team.

Goo Ye-seul shrugged her shoulders at the harsh words directed at Jina that were still being heard from outside the shower room.

“It’s like that because everyone is jealous. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t escape the status of candidates, but you were immediately recognized by your seniors as soon as you arrived.”

“…”

“I hear that too often, so don’t worry about it.”

Despite Yeseul’s long-awaited words of comfort, Jinah’s stern expression never seemed to ease.

How much better it would have been if it had simply been because I was in a bit of a bad condition.

“Isn’t something really going on?”

“…No. What’s going on?”

“Then tomorrow is the weekend, why don’t we go somewhere? In times like these, the best thing to do is to release and shake off all the stress.”

“…Thank you for the offer, but I will decline again this time.”

“Why? If you always reject me like that, it would be a bit hurtful to me. ah! I get it. It’s because of my brother. Have you made a date plan?”

“Date!?”

Jina’s voice turned upside down.

It was the first reaction she had shown since she had always had an indifferent attitude.

“Oh. It’s true that you’re surprised. Oh Gigi-bae. I can’t believe you were planning such a cute thing without my sister knowing.”

“Well, it’s not like that. To begin with, I’m not really close to my brother…”

A sly smile appeared on Yeseul’s lips as she saw Jina blushing and blushing at the tips of her earlobes.

“Did that person decorate their background with sticker photos?”

Yeseul snatched Jina’s cell phone from the dressing room and unlocked the pattern screen with familiar hand movements.

What you then see is a background image of a shy Jina and a pretty handsome man together.

It was a sticker photo that was often seen in arcades.

“Lee. Give it to me! Rather, how did you figure out my pattern?”

“Heh, there’s a way. Jina said that surprisingly, this kind of thing is simple.”

Jina’s face, which was startled and took the phone back, was clearly brighter than before.

**

“…I feel stupid.”

Jinah, who entered her room, leaned against the door and muttered quietly.

What comes to her mind is the scene she saw in the living room just moments ago.

Yuna and her older brother, who had recently arrived, were sitting next to each other.

“They seemed to get along very well.”

What were they talking about that they didn’t even notice her coming in?

It seems like the frequency of seeing two people together has increased these days.

Actually, it would be much more enjoyable for you to be with a beautiful and kind woman rather than having to deal with a child like her all the time.

For a moment, my heart was pounding and beating loudly.

Jina, who was standing in front of the door, grabbed her chest.

It was a pain I hadn’t felt in a really long time.

My current appearance was reflected in the full-length mirror in the room.

Compared to Yuna, whom I saw just now, her face is less wet and she looks like a child.

In addition, while Yuna is a beautiful woman with long, straight hair and full of feminine charm, she has her hair cut short like a boy’s and is quite rough.

If you were to ask 100 men who is more attractive, they would choose Baek Yuna.

Jina slid down into her seat and opened the screen of her cell phone.

As Yeseul said, a two-shot photo of Yoosung and Jina was set as the wallpaper.

“…It’s really stupid.”

Jina, who had been looking at the photo of herself with her older brother for a while, went into the settings and returned the wallpaper to the default background.

I tried to go into the gallery and delete the photos, but I didn’t have the courage to do so, so I just closed the window.

It’s already been over a year since I last went out to play with my brother.

Meanwhile, the number of family members grew, and naturally, opportunities to contact him disappeared.

When was the last time we talked alone?

I don’t know. It’s been so long that I don’t remember much.

And that fact made Jina so sad.

I sat down and buried my head on my knees.

I don’t really want to think about anything right now.

As I thought about my brother who would quickly forget about himself and talk to others in a friendly manner, my heart sank and my eyes filled with moisture.

Through the blur, I could see her orange uniform sticking out of the bag she had half thrown away.

Clothes with the number 13 printed in large white on the back. It was Jina’s.

Yeseul’s recommendation was the decisive factor that led me to join the basketball team, but there was actually a different reason.

‘…Think carefully about what you desperately desire right now. Because it will definitely come true.’

The day Jina collapsed due to a long-standing heart condition and was taken into an ambulance.

This was the story Yoosung said while holding Jina’s hand.

Listening to his earnest voice in her fading consciousness, Jina made a decision.

I decided to only show my healthy self so I wouldn’t have to worry again.

After successfully completing the surgery and receiving a complete recovery, she joined the basketball team.

This was possible because I heard from a specialist that there would be no problem with vigorous exercise.

“…Should I just quit the basketball team?”

I didn’t really like basketball.

Because Jina had always hated exercise in the first place.

I just wanted to appeal to my brother that I was fine now.

Because I didn’t want to see my brother’s face having a hard time because of her.

As soon as I started my club activities, unexpected side effects began to appear one after another.

Coincidentally, the basketball team that Jina joined was a prestigious team, so training was very frequent.

She had to come out earlier than everyone else in the morning, and was the last to return home in the evening.

Naturally, the time I could spend with my family decreased, and the stories I could talk about gradually disappeared.

Now I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t know who I should talk to to get along.

In the end, the feelings of alienation and loneliness that had been secretly accumulating one by one were weighing heavily on Jin-ah in the present.

If she hadn’t joined the club, she might have taken the place of Yuna, whom she saw in the living room just now.

“Idiot.”

I was so worried at the time, but now that he’s fine, my brother, who secretly says he didn’t know, is angry.

He must have forgotten what he said.

The sleeve on my elbow where I buried my head began to get damp.

It’s really ugly. I can’t believe I’m crying over something like this.

However, once the tears started to burst, they did not stop.

smart.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

Jina, who was startled, roughly wiped away the tears that were flowing with her hands.

“Is Jin-ah there?”

“Oh, oppa?”

“Can I come in?”

“Oh, no. Oh, I’m changing clothes!”

Jina hurriedly got up from her seat.

I could never show my brother this ugly side.

“What’s going on?”

“Tomorrow is the weekend. So, for the first time in a while, I thought I would go on a private date with my younger brother.”

“Date?”

Is it a dream?

Jina pinched her cheek with her finger without realizing it.

It hurt.

“It seems like it’s been a long time since I went out with Jin-ah. Of course, there’s nothing you can do if you don’t like it.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it!”

I was so shocked that I screamed.

I want to hide in a mouse hole out of shame.

“Really? I’m glad. Then, let’s go out together tomorrow for the first time in a while. Because my brother will buy me something delicious.”

“Uh, yes.”

I heard the footsteps of my brother, who was standing in front of the door, leaving, leaving Jina dazed by the dream-like reality.

“…It’s not really a dream, is it?”

Jina pinched her cheek once more. It hurt.