Wednesday | October 25th, 2023 | 7:31 AM
"You're up early." Seulgi said. I was sitting on the couch, the television set on some random channel. I wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying. I more or less had it on for some white noise background. Seulgi had walked out of her room, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was tousled and messy, and her pajamas were wrinkled.
"You're up early, too," I said, scooting over and making more room on the couch. Seulgi plopped down on the couch next to me, wrapping a blanket around herself. "What are you doing up?"
"I woke up and I couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to eat an early breakfast," I gestured towards the bowl of milk on the coffee table in front of us.
"Hmm," Seulgi hummed, nodding. I looked over at her and she was staring blankly at the TV screen, her expression neutral.
"Did I make too much noise? Sorry if I did," I murmured.
"No, not really. Just woke up and couldn't fall asleep either." She yawned, her eyelids fluttering shut. "I don't think I've had proper sleep in weeks."
"That's rough," I said. I haven't seen or spent time with Seulgi recently, she seemed to be a little bit busier than usual. She would always come home late and leave early, so we haven't had much time to hang out, even though we lived in the same dorm.
"Yeah." She yawned again. I aimlessly patted the armrest next to me, the sound of her breathing filling the silence. "So, uh, how've you been? Feels like you haven't been home recently,” I brought up.
"I could say the same for you," She snorted, "I've been fine. Just studying, being with Minhyuk, the usual."
"Mhm, right."
"Speaking about Minhyuk, our trip is this weekend. You're still housesitting for him right?" Seulgi brought up. I was reminded of the morning that Minhyuk dropped the job on me, guilt tripping me with breakfast and Seulgi's presence.
"Yup," I popped the 'p' at the end. "Still doing that for you guys."
"Great," Seulgi hummed, nodding her head. There was another beat of silence, "You're not going to be doing much, just watering his family's garden and feeding their dog. Shouldn't take too long, probably an hour tops. Maybe a little bit more."
"Alright," I sighed, "Sounds easy enough."
"Mhm." She replied, "And, if you have some spare time, play around with his dog? It'd be nice if he was still active while Minhyuk was out."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you need, Seulgi."
"Cool," Seulgi sighed. "Minhyuk will send the keys and stuff later. It's not that bad of a drive from here, about maybe 10 minutes max."
"I'll figure it out, no worries."
"Good." She breathed. There was a lull in the conversation and Seulgi and I watched the television in silence, neither of us saying anything. We were watching some infomercial, and the overly enthusiastic lady was explaining how this specific hair dryer was better than the competition.
"Sorry, I never asked, how have you been, Minjae? Haven't talked to you in a while." I shuffled around in my seat. I could see her eyeing me, her eyes looking over my frame. She had this curious look in her eyes, and I had a feeling that she had figured something out. Hmm, how do I explain that so much has happened since we last talked.
"Uh," I hesitated. Where would I even begin, would I tell her about Haerin, my newest and current crush. Do I break down the story of how I broke into a house for the first time, and not just any house either, the one that belongs to my professor? I can even throw in Ryujin and our weird little thing, the kiss and our moment on the porch, and our conversation.
I never gave myself enough time to fully digest what had happened these past couple days, letting every other event just roll in one after the other. At some point, I won't be able to get away with just following the flow.
"Well," I cleared my throat, "A lot has happened, and it's kinda hard to explain everything."
"I've got time. I don't have class until later, what has Hwang Minjae been up to?" She asked, giving me a smile.
"Well, for starters, I think I’m into someone. Her name's Kang Haerin, and we met at school." I said.
"Oh?" She perked up, her tone teasing.
"She's... different. She's a little shy, and quiet. And, she's so nice. She's really pretty, too."
"So she's the reason why you've been spending less time here," She teased.
"I wouldn't put it like that, but yeah. Sorta."
"What else?" She grinned, leaning back into the couch.
"Well, we went on a date. Never mind, I can't really call it a date, it was just a dinner."
"And? How did it go?"
"It was fine, I guess."
"You guess?" She pressed, raising her eyebrow.
"Yeah, it was... alright. It was fine." I repeated. "Nothing really happened, it was just dinner. I didn't really get to know her like how I wanted, but it's fine, I understood that she was just a little shy. It was fine, we'll just try again."
"You seem like you're hung up on her."
"Am I?" I chuckled, shaking my head. "I mean, yeah, normally I would want to talk and talk, get to know them, have some banter and inside jokes to reference later on. Without that, I just don't know where to go from there."
"Did you want this to go somewhere? Like a relationship?"
"I do," I admitted. "It's not just that, she's so... interesting. When I'm with her, my head feels fuzzy, and I get butterflies in my stomach. It's a nice feeling."
"You sound like you're in love." She giggled.
"I've barely known her for a month. You can't be in love with someone when you haven't gotten to know them," I argued.
"I don't know. But, what else? Are you two still talking?"
"Hmm, I haven't texted her or seen her since we had dinner. She's not the type of person to text first. And I didn't know how to start a conversation with her either, so..." I thought back to dinner that night, and the walk the two of us had taken afterwards. I remembered the heart wrenching confession about her insecurities and introvertness. I could still see the sad eyes she had given me while she spilled her insecurities and fears out for me to hear.
In the moment, it had felt so surreal, so sudden but I didn't expect her to be the one to open up about her anxieties. She didn't owe me that, and yet she did, and I felt like I was intruding. It felt like she told me something that was supposed to stay hidden, but I don’t think I earned enough of her trust or her respect.
She even asked if we could hang out, just the two of us together but for some reason I don't feel like I deserve the chance she's given me with her. There are cells in my body that would practically be screaming with joy that Haerin wants to spend time with me, but at the same time, I can't bring myself to agree with it.
For some reason, every time I think of Haerin now, flares of self-loathing follow right after. If I had to describe the feeling, it felt like a constant argument inside of my head. Two different sides of me arguing whether to keep going forward with Haerin or not.
"Minjae?" I must've zoned off because I jumped at the sound of Seulgi's voice. She looked at me with concern in her eyes. "Don't worry about it too much, just give it some time. If it's meant to be, then it'll work out for you, I promise. I didn't think me and Minhyuk would've been friends, let alone end up as a couple. But, we're together because life happens!"
I don't think being compared to Minhyuk when it came to Seulgi was the right thing for me to hear, but the thought was there, and the advice wasn't entirely useless. I guess she had a point.
"Yeah, you're right." I said, trying to convince myself. "I just, it's different from my past relationships. When I first dated Nakyung, I had issues with making the first moves and we broke up mutually. With Cha-, sorry you don’t know her. With my last girlfriend, I had the same issues with her but she looked past it. When I had a small crush on you, I also couldn't make a move." Seulgi smirked to herself hearing the last part, "But with Haerin, I'm finally making the first moves only to be met with a brick wall."
"Give it some time, things will turn out. For now, focus on something else." Seulgi said.
"Like what?"
"Hmm," She hummed. She tapped her chin and looked off in thought, "How about your first game later today? Do you think you're ready?"
I smiled as she brought up volleyball, "I've been skipping the past couple practices, so honestly I don't know. Hopefully the others are more prepared."
Seulgi nodded to herself, "Fair enough. I'm sorry, by the way. I won't be able to come today and see your game. Minhyuk wants me to come over to help him with homework."
"It's okay," I waved her off, "I understand."
"I'll try to make the next game, but no promises. It's really just a matter of how my classes are going to go." She said,
"Again, I get it, Seulgi."
"Sorry for bailing, it's not like I can just ditch him." She explained.
"Don't worry about it."
"Okay," She muttered, "I just feel a little guilty, since we haven't seen each other for a while."
"It's okay," I laughed.
"Fine, I'm done with the apology and guilt trip." She rolled her eyes, and gave me a small smile.
"Great, because I'm getting tired of listening to it." I teased. Seulgi smacked my shoulder lightly, a soft laugh leaving her lips. The two of us fell silent, the only noise coming from the TV. It was like that for a while, just sitting there, barely paying attention to the TV, leaving it as white noise.
Eventually, we both decided it was time to get ready for our classes for the day. As I stood up from the couch, turning off the TV, I stretched my limbs and yawned.
"See you later, Seulgi. I don't know if we'll see each other again before you leave, but have a good trip."
"Thanks," She yawned, following my lead and standing up from the couch, her blanket wrapped around her body. "And good luck with your game, Minjae. Knock em' dead."
"Yeah," I laughed, "Thanks."
Wednesday | October 25th, 2023 | 3:38 PM
I let out a silent yawn while my eyes stayed glued to the slides on the overhead. Unlike my other classes, I tried to make it a point in this one to pay attention and actually listen. Maybe because this class actually mattered to my major, or because I was actually interested in the topic, I haven't decided.
I won't bother with trying to explain the computer science jargon that was thrown on the screen, all I know is that we were talking about different types of wireless technologies for this lesson. You know, wifi, bluetooth, radio and whatnot. As I wrote down my notes, I found myself zoning out more often than not, rather fixated on my upcoming intramural match in a couple hours.
Damn, I didn't think I would be so nervous but now that it was only hours away, my nerves were slowly rising. I definitely wasn't this nervous last year, but then again I, as well as the other goobers, went into it with no expectations or worries. We just played the sport, and we were having fun, no stress, no worries, even if we were getting demolished.
My past experience was always playing casually, nothing competitive. It was fun and enjoyable, and it was something that helped me blow off steam and let out my pent up emotions. But, now it is different, I know our team has gotten better and I truly do believe we have a chance to make it high up the brackets.
I don't want our time spent practicing and playing to go to waste, especially in the placement rounds. Our goal, or at least my goal is to make it into the tournament bracket. After that, I don't have a clue where to go, but I could dream about winning the whole tournament, and the bragging rights that comes with it.
My thoughts were interrupted by the change in the slide on the projector. I looked down, scribbling rough notes down onto my notebook. "Wireless technology can often be said to be dependent on the existence of radio waves." My professor's voice rang out, catching my attention.
"Radio waves are typically categorized by frequency, the range that can be sensed. These ranges can fall under different types of bands, and can range from the higher end ranges, which are used by cell phones and television stations, all the way down to the lower bands, where they are often used for military or civilian uses. Things like Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi can fall within these bands."
The professor clicked onto the next slide, which had more examples of things that use radio waves. One thing that caught my eye was a picture of my professor's school id badge. Luckily, I didn't have to think too hard about it as he continued explaining.
"One common way to use wireless communication is by using radio frequency identification, or RFID. Things like credit cards, and even our school IDs, can all use RFID. RFID tags, or chips, are used as a means of identification. These RFID tags are embedded inside of things and have unique identifiers for each object. The tags can then be scanned, allowing them to transmit the data that's been encoded within the tag."
Well, that makes sense. I never really gave it a second thought, but yeah, our school IDs were pretty high tech. But, then again, this was a university, one with a good reputation and a name for itself as one of the top prestigious schools. So, it made sense why our ID badges were so advanced. Hmm, if I had to draw a similarity, they worked exactly like hotel keycards.
Intrigued, I opened up my laptop from my backpack and began to do my own research into RFID. My suspicions were right, hotel keycards worked by having unique identification codes on the cards. The reader would extract the information from the card, and then open the door if a match was found between the card and the reader.
I nibbled on the end of my index finger while I thought about the implications and possible uses for something like RFID. While it wasn't a huge discovery, it was still intriguing. It made me curious and a little eager to dig deeper into the technology. What if there was a way that I could learn to decode and extract the information on an RFID card. Well, that would make any locked door with a ID scanner virtually nothing to me, right?
The implications of what I could do with this information was tantalizing. A smile appeared on my face, as I found myself thinking about all the possibilities and things I could accomplish if I learned how to do that. I could easily sneak into any place, no door or barrier would stop me. Panties and underwear wouldn't be safe from my hands.
My mind was racing, the gears were turning and ideas were popping up one after the other. I know for a fact that it's possible too, considering the school offers a ID replacement program for anyone who's lost their badge. If the dorm locks did work off of RFID, then that would mean the card itself isn't the key that unlocks it, but rather the information encoded onto the card.
As I delved deeper into this, the more involved I was. And the more invested I became, the more determined I was to learn and find the answers to the questions in my head. After a short while of searching, I found different articles and links all about RFID and bookmarked them for later.
Finding videos on how to read and write a RFID card, I had the makings of a basic plan. The idea was simple, the execution had some work, but overall the concept was sound. I would need to purchase some sort of RFID reader, something that I can hook into my computer, in order to read and copy the data to another RFID card.
I know that it's possible to replicate the data since I found some companies that sell pre-programmed blank cards on their websites. As a complete plan finally started to come together, my excitement was building, moving down towards my crotch as I thought of the endless girls' dorms that would be open to me.
I felt like a kid in a candy store, and the candy was panties. The idea of getting the ability to enter into the girl's dorms was so thrilling. So much so, I couldn't keep the smile off my face, and it only grew wider. Before I knew it, I was browsing Amazon and adding items to my cart, getting ready to type in my card info and checkout. Worst case scenario, I get frustrated trying to crack my school ID and waste over like 70$. But best case scenario, the entire Student Village and every single dorm within it would be open for me to explore and enjoy.
I'll admit, it's an impulsive purchase, and something that was entirely malicious and selfish. But ultimately, my goal of having a collection of panties would be that much closer, and it was too exciting to pass up. With a couple of clicks and typing of my info, the transaction was completed and an estimated ETA of two weeks was given for my purchase to arrive.
I guess it'll just have to wait. I let out a held breath as I let my back hit against my seat, letting my body relax. I turned my attention back towards the front of the classroom, the lecture had seemingly ended without me noticing. All around me, my classmates were gathering their stuff, packing up and standing up, shuffling around and making their way out of the room.
I closed my laptop, sliding it back into my backpack. Packing up my stuff, I got up from my seat, heading towards the door. Guiding myself through the hallways, I walked out of the building, and out into the warm and sunny day. Weather was pretty nice, up until it started to get dark out and the temperature began to drop.
Usually, I would head to my last class of the day, English with Ryujin, but I've sort of grown accustomed to skipping that class anyways. The goobers should've been expecting me in the recreational center for some practice before our game so I started heading towards that direction. The campus was pretty lively in between periods, with students either heading home or to their next class.
The walk was uneventful, and it was a bit longer considering the recreational center was all the way across campus, near the athletic field. As expected from this expensive university, the recreational building was huge and fancy, decked out with some quality gym equipment. But, that was only one part of the center, the rest of the building was divided up by different kinds of recreational facilities.
From a pool, to a sauna and shared basketball courts, there was a lot more to this center than the gym. Entering through the glass double doors, the lobby was wide, decorated with plants, and had some comfy chairs for people to relax. The main desk was a little ways from the entrance, a couple of students working behind the counter, manning the computers and checking people in.
The first thing you notice when you enter the rec center is the smell. The place is airy, and always smells like cleanliness, a complete juxtaposition to the stink of sweat and musk in the gym. I headed towards the front desk, pulling out my ID, ready to check in for the gym. The person behind the desk greeted me with a smile, since I've been coming here regularly for about a year, some of the student workers have gotten used to seeing my face.
"Hey Minjae, here for the volleyball courts?" He asked, typing away on the computer.
"Yeah," I said, handing over my ID for him to swipe me through.
"Trying to get some practice in before intramural starts?"
"Pretty much, yeah." I chuckled.
He nodded and slid my ID back over, "Go ahead, you're good. Just know some groups are going to start coming in to practice soon enough, but we have more than enough courts and room for everyone."
"Alright, thanks. Have a good one," I took my card back, tucking it away into my pocket. He waved me off, returning his attention back to the computer screen. Turning my back to the counter, I walked through the lobby, passing past a hallway that led down towards the gym where the sounds of exercise and heavy-lifting could be heard and the smell of sweat grew stronger.
I ignored the noise, continuing to walk deeper into the facility until the familiar sounds of balls bouncing and sneakers squeaking became apparent. My feet led me into the courts, where people were already warming up, playing casual games, or doing their own exercises. There were about six full-sized courts lined next to one another that were all separated by tall and wide nets, each with a different number. Two courts were reserved for basketball, and the rest was set up for volleyball.
It wasn't a big turnout, not many people were here today. It wasn't that surprising though, I was here a little early. Across the gym, there were a familiar group of guys and girls gathered around, warming up and stretching. A grin spread across my face as I walked over, approaching the team of goobers.
The girls, Yeji, Sana, and Tzuyu noticed me approaching first and happily welcomed me, calling me over and greeting me with their usual smiles and warmness. Jinho and Haechan were in the middle of their own conversation, which was quickly cut short when they saw me approach.
"The prodigal son returns, finally he's here for practice." Haechan teased, stretching his arms above his head. I smiled at the jab, greeting everyone with a quick wave.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here now." I said, setting my bag down.
"Thought you were too good for practice, huh," Jinho chuckled, a smirk on his face, "You think you're better than us?"
I shrugged, "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." Jinho gave me a playful shove while I started to get ready for practice. I shimmied out of my sweatpants, revealing the shorts that I was wearing underneath. I also took off my sweatshirt, tossing the garments atop my backpack. I crouched down to unzip my backpack, pulling out my basketball shoes I used for volleyball, along with some knee pads.
As I sat on the ground putting on my shoes, I felt the group crowd around me and readied myself for the inevitable interrogation.
"So, skipping 3 practices, what were you doing that was more important?" Sana asked, crossing her arms and looking down at me.
"Studying, obviously." I chuckled, lacing up my shoes.
"We know you don't study," Tzuyu deadpanned. Yeji added, "Yup, at least, you don't study for over a week straight and don't have time to play some volleyball."
"I was actually studying. Midterms and stuff, you know," I fibbed, tying the last knot and standing back up, "Midterms are over for me, so now I'm a free bird again."
"Uh-huh, right," Jinho rolled his eyes, "Whatever, you better pull through today then. One mistake, and you're cut as captain."
"Oh, and who would be taking my place then?" I asked, a cocky smirk on my face, "Haechan, would you want the title?"
"Nah, too much responsibility. I'm the one that keeps the morale up, no one's going to do that if I'm the captain," He smirked, "Besides, I'm already a star player. Wouldn't want to have to deal with the captain's responsibilities, you know?"
"Mhm, right," I mocked, doing some small stretches, "Well, let's get going then, shouldn't we?"
We continued chatting while we finished warming up, the girls taking the opportunity to tease me, while the guys just joked about random things. We did some simple drills, passing the ball around, working on our reactions, and getting some light exercise. I didn't want us to be winded by the time intramurals came around and started.
Speaking of which, as I looked around the courts, I noticed that more and more people were starting to arrive. It looked like some of the other teams had started to come and get ready for their own practice. As the curious side of me was peering around, looking at the different players and teams, Jinho approached me with the ball.
"So, think we're making it through to the tournament?" He asked, passing the ball over to me. I caught the ball and tossed it up into the air, lightly throwing it up off of my fingertips.
"Hmm, I don't know, we'll have to see until we finally get into a game," I answered, catching the ball as it fell back down, "But, I want to think we have a chance."
Yeji skipped over, taking her spot at Jinho's side. "We've been practicing a lot, I don't see why we don't have a chance." True, we did practice a lot throughout the past year since last year's intramural. The only caveat I was concerned with was that our practice was only restricted to us. We never really practiced in a competitive setting or against other teams that played volleyball. We had no experience playing to win and not just friends playing a sport together.
"You're not gonna make any mistakes and lose us a match, are you?" She teased, a playful smile on her face.
I scoffed, "Of course not, I wouldn't dare."
"Good, otherwise, I'd kick your ass." She spat.
I raised my hands up, surrendering. "I don't doubt that, no sir, not at all."
She smiled at her playful banter, leaning in to press a soft kiss against Jinho's cheek, earning a smile from him. I tossed the ball over to Yeji, who brought it back to the others to practice with while Jinho and I stood at the edge of the court near the net partition. I eyed the other teams, finding myself trying to size them up.
"I don't wanna end up losing on the first game," I muttered, looking around the courts. "That'd be mad embarrassing, wouldn't it."
Jinho chuckled, "Definitely, but we can only do our best, there's not much else we can do." He paused, his face growing a little more serious, "Though, it would suck if we lost."
"Hmm, we can only try our best," I parroted, nodding my head in agreement. Jinho suddenly burst into laughter, shaking his head, "Jesus, I can't take you seriously when you're acting like a cartoon villain."
I raised an eyebrow, a smile growing on my face, "What?"
"Dude, look at yourself, you're standing spread-legged with your hands behind your back, staring menacingly," Jinho chuckled, "We're going to have fun, and win, let's not worry too much about it." I looked down and relaxed my pose, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, yeah, right."
Jinho laughed and shook his head, "Don't overthink it, you'll just start making mistakes and fall from there."
I shrugged, "Probably, we'll have to see." I turned back towards the others, who were still doing their own practices. I watched Tzuyu gently spike the ball towards Yeji, who quickly moved to pass it back high to Tzuyu. Her tall frame reached up towards the ball, her fingers smoothly pushed it up and behind her, falling into the path of Haechan who was running up to the net.
With a strong jump, he lifted into the air and threw his hand out to smack the ball, sending it sailing back across the net. Too bad Jinho and I watched the ball sail out of bounds, bouncing into the net dividers and rolling down onto the floor.
"Man fuck," Haechan groaned, walking over to pick the ball back up, I called out, "You had the power, just not the height. Maybe you should slow down your run up so the ball can fall just a bit more for you to hit."
"Yeah, yeah," He grumbled, tossing the ball over to Jinho, "Next time, I'll do it." I turned back to Tzuyu and Yeji, who had made their way back to their positions. I gave them a nod and a small thumbs-up. The two former high-school players looked amazing as usual. I felt a little jealous wishing that I looked as effortless as they did.
"Alright, we've got to keep practicing," Jinho said, taking a few steps away, "Sana, pass back to Tzuyu!" He tossed the ball up and whipped his arm out, sending the ball towards Sana, who stumbled into her position. Her receive was a little messy, causing the ball to pop up high and sideways.
Tzuyu was swift to move however, salvaging the decent pass and setting it up for Jinho to spike. I watched the others practice while occasionally offering tips and guidance. I had no doubts that our team was good, if not a bit better than some of the other teams, especially with Tzuyu and Yeji on our side. Compared to last year, the rest of us also improved and learned quite a lot.
"Are you guys ready? You guys excited?" A rather loud and boisterous voice cut through the air. I found myself smiling and chuckling as I turned around to see Jung Wooyoung walking towards us. His signature shit-eating grin was on his face as he approached. I leaned over, looking behind Wooyoung at the entrance to the courts, trying to see if anyone else had came in with him.
"Yeah, I'd say we are," Jinho responded, walking over and giving Wooyoung a quick hug. I walked over and greeted Wooyoung, clapping his shoulder. "Thanks for coming out, we really appreciate it."
"No problem, anything for you guys," Wooyoung grinned, looking around before shuffling over to Haechan and giving him a hug, "What's up, bro."
The two of them shuffled around as they play fought, while the girls approached and said their hellos. "You just got out of class?" I asked, watching the two guys goof around.
"Yeah, yeah, just got out of my class, didn't want to miss your game," He responded, breaking his grip on Haechan and turning his attention to the girls.
"Don't worry, you had a bunch of time, I think our game's scheduled last for tonight," Sana assured him, patting his shoulder, "We've got a few hours before we start."
"Oh, well, it doesn't hurt to be early." He chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"If you just got out of class, Joy should be arriving soon then, right?" Tzuyu pointed out, looking around. Wooyoung shrugged, "I don't know how I got here first, when my class was literally across campus."
"Maybe she's on her way right now, just give her a bit," I suggested. The group started chatting, catching up and discussing random topics while Wooyoung went on about his day, talking about his classes and how annoying they were. I wasn't really listening, my eyes wandering around the gym.
The rhythmic sounds of sneakers squeaking, the gentle thud of volleyballs hitting the ground, the muffled voices and conversations. I felt an unwavering sense of pride, excitement, and nervousness all mixed in one bundle of emotions.
As the minutes went by, the gym had started to get full, with teams getting gathered and doing their own thing, getting ready and warmed up. The sounds had started to crescendo, rising into a pleasant white noise that filled the room. Not only that, there also seemed to be a number of people who were here to spectate, just like Wooyoung.
Near the entrance of the courts, I saw a group of students enter with matching gray sweatshirts, with the logo of our university as well as the words, "Recreational Center" printed in white lettering on the back.
"Alright, Fall 2023's Volleyball Intramural is about to start. Before we start, can we have the captains of their teams come over here and sign your teams in?" One of the staff members said, calling all of us over. I felt Sana gently push me forward, encouraging me to get going. I smiled, waving her off.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," I chuckled, walking over to the staff member. I was handed a clipboard with a list of all the teams that signed up for this year as well as our scheduled times and opponents. We were up against a team named the "Avengers" at 8PM, which was the latest time we could've been. There was also a section for us to sign in, along with the date. I found our team's name, The Goofy Goobers, and wrote in today's date, then handed it back.
I watched the rest of the teams come forward, signing in. I could hear a few murmurs of excitement, along with a few nervous chuckles. After everyone had signed in, the staff member stepped aside and called out to us.
"Alright, our first game will be with 'Golden Spikers' and 'Wall Street' on Court 3! Please have your teams gathered and ready on the court, you will have 5 minutes of warm up starting now!" The crowd dispersed as the teams made their way over to their designated court, the other staff member guiding them along the way.
I moved away and headed back towards the goobers, who were still situated at their side of the courts, the group waiting for me.
"Well, Captain?" Yeji teased, leaning against the wall, a smirk on her face.
"We're going up against the 'Avengers' later, and it seems like the 'Golden Spikers' from last year are here again. Their game is about to start in a few minutes," I reported.
"Again? We should go watch their match," Sana gasped, perking up at the mention of them. I looked around at the mess of bags, shoes, and water bottles that the goobers had accumulated during our time here. "Let's clean up and head over, I don't want to leave a mess and our bags here," I suggested, walking over and collecting my bag and clothes.
The others nodded, grabbing their things and stuffing their bags, then following me as we walked over to the designated court, the "Golden Spikers" having already begun their practice. I could feel myself become a little antsy and restless, feeling the nervousness bubble within me, although I could've been confusing it with excitement.
Every other team was standing off to the side of the court, their eyes focused on the players on the court, watching them as they passed and practiced. Some were cheering on their friends or their teams, others were just silently watching. I found a spot where we could comfortably stand and watch, while still remaining out of the way.
The buzz among the crowd was high as we watched the Golden Spikers get into their starting positions. On the other side of the court, the Wall Street team also started lining up. I don't remember seeing any members from Wall Street in last year's intramural, so I just assumed they were freshmen who joined this year.
Freaks of nature, that's what they really were. I just noticed that four of them were tall, probably over 185 centimeters, with the rest of the members being shorter, but not by much. They definitely outsized the Golden Spikers, and I felt my heart race as the whistle was blown.
The game was in motion and I watched on as the two teams clashed together. As we watched the teams play their game out, a sudden tap on my shoulder surprised me. I whipped my head around and smiled at Karina, who had reached between Jinho and Yeji to get my attention. I excused myself and squeezed between the couple to talk with Karina.
"Hey, how are you," I asked, giving her a friendly smile. I wasn't entirely used to seeing Karina outside of work, I rarely see her on campus. She was dressed in a simple t-shirt tucked into a pair of black shorts, super casual compared to her usual work attire.
"Good, just got out of class. Glad our team's game wasn't first," Karina chuckled, a smile on her face, "Are you guys playing last?"
"Yup, we got the last slot," I responded, looking over her head and around us, trying to point out who else was here. She nodded to herself, "I thought I saw the Goobers on the clipboard, wasn't sure if that was you guys or not." Karina reached her hands up and played with her hair, making a rough ponytail before dropping her arms back down to her sides.
"You guys are lucky you didn't get paired against my team, or else we would've traumatized you," She joked. I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms.
"Really now? What makes you so confident?" I teased back. Karina scoffed, "Don't you remember the last intramural we were in? You guys only managed to get 10 points on us."
I laughed and nodded, remembering that particular game. Karina and her teammates dominated us, managing to win in a landslide against us. Their team, the "Sweaty Cheetahs", or something, placed 3rd.
"We got a lot better though, you'll have to see," I said. Karina smiled, "Oh I will, I definitely will. I'll be rooting for you today!" She reached over and patted my arm, giving me a thumbs up.
"Ditto, good luck with your game," I responded, returning the gesture.
"Thanks," Karina waved, "I'm going to go watch the game with my team!" I took the opportunity to sneak back into the small gap that Jinho and Yeji had left open, the two of them now watching the Golden Spikers. After a few seconds, I heard a few voices coming from behind me.
"Joy!" Sana happily greeted. I turned around and looked behind me, seeing a familiar face approaching us. Actually, familiar faces. I saw Jennie and Xiaoting as well, who I haven't seen since Joy's party, trailing behind looking just as fashionable and attractive as ever. The other girls turned around and girlishly greeted one another, hugging and squealing in excitement.
I waved towards them, greeting them. Xiaoting gave me a short smile and wave, Jennie following her with her own smile. I watched as our group slowly got bigger and I shuffled around to make some more room. I craned my head around, hoping to see if anyone else was going to drop in like a surprise.
"How's it going, guys?" Jennie asked, her voice sounding slightly more nasally than normal, her eyes glinting. She had on a cute black and white outfit, complete with a denim jacket. It looked a bit more expensive than I could afford.
"Pretty good, you?" I replied. She smiled, "Good, I just got out of a lecture. Xiaoting and I came over to watch the games. Did you guys play yet?"
I shook my head, "No, not yet. Our game's at the very end, so we're watching a few games and killing time until then." Jennie nodded in response, and I took a look over at Xiaoting, who looked pretty good in a simple oversized sweater. Her long dark hair was in a cute braid, her bangs resting on her forehead.
"Did you just get out of class also?" I asked. She looked a bit surprised, dismissing it quickly, "Oh, no, actually I was asleep in my dorm but Jennie and Joy came to wake me up to come watch."
"Ahh," I let out, smiling. Jennie leaned over to the side and looked at Xiaoting, letting out a laugh. "You should've seen the state she was in when we got there. I almost couldn't recognize her. Her face was all squished and her hair was sticking out," She explained. Xiaoting's eyes widened as she playfully shoved Jennie, shaking her head. The group chuckled around us.
"N-no, don't tell them that," Xiaoting pleaded, her cheeks turning a faint red. For someone who apparently just woke up, she sure did look flawless. Her light makeup was immaculate, not a single smudge or blemish, and her face was glowing. With a loud roar from the crowd, I whipped my head back to the court and witnessed a massive wall of blockers landing down, with the ball bouncing on the side of the Golden Spikers.
"Jesus, no wonder they call themselves Wall Street, that three man block was fucking huge," Sana pointed out, a hint of fear and amazement in her voice.
"Yeah, the Golden Spikers aren't going to be winning this, unless they step their game up," Jinho added. I watched on as the Golden Spikers rallied, the setter passing to one of their attackers, who sent the ball flying over the net. The wall of blockers managed to stay, but a small gap formed, a chance for the Golden Spikers to score.
Other than that, it felt like the Wall Street team had the entire game in their hands, their blocks being almost impenetrable. Their defense was super strong, as well as their offense, scoring points off of quick attacks and cheesy dumps. Eventually the game ended with Wall Street winning 25 to the Golden Spikers' 19.
As the teams left the court and the staff went up to mark down the results and the court, the crowd of spectators moved away. Some teams went back to their courts to prepare, others were chatting with the other people and teams.
"Wow, I feel sorry for whoever's playing against Wall Street," Jinho mumbled, crossing his arms, "Those guys were huge and could really spike. That three-man block was just insane, how can they cover so much?"
"Yeah, you're not wrong, those guys were massive," I agreed, letting out a low whistle as our group wandered back to our side of the courts. We were getting resettled when another wave of greetings erupted from the girls and I noticed Saerom had suddenly appeared next to Haechan. She was smiling ear to ear while waving towards the girls.
"When did you get here? I didn't see you earlier," Wooyoung pointed out, stretching his arm out for a hug. Saerom laughed and walked over, returning his embrace, "I just got here, I think the game ended just as I walked in."
With the amount of people we had gathered, the group was now pretty sizable, taking up quite a bit of space near the court. I dropped my bag back onto the floor, turning around to look over at the other court where the next game was starting. I felt someone approach me from my side, and I turned to look and see Haechan holding a volleyball out towards me.
I took it from his hands and held it, my fingers instinctively squeezing it, "What's up, Haechan?"
He chuckled, his cheeks flushed, "Nothing much, just thought we should get some reps in while we still have time to kill. You know, practice makes perfect and shit." I let out a small laugh, wondering where this sudden work ethic came from, but it should've been obvious since new people are here for him to show off.
"Yeah, yeah, I got you," I decided to humor him, tossing the ball back and forth between my hands. "You better make sure you don't fuck this up and look stupid." I moved towards the front row, nearing the center of the net, while Haechan lined himself up against the edge of the court.
"Alright, you can go Minjae!" Haechan said, albeit a bit louder than he usually would, probably to get the attention of everyone around us. With a sharp inhale, I stepped back, raising the ball above my head and tossing it up. As it fell, I swung my arm and sent the ball down towards Haechan.
I tried my best to aid him, trying to place the ball right on him so that he didn't have to do any awkward movements or readjustments. The ball properly bounced off his forearms and back up at me. I took advantage of my height and lightly hopped to meet the ball, tossing it back up towards Haechan's line of sight.
Despite being a bit bigger than most, he was able to move quickly and jump up. The ball made a satisfying smack as it connected with his palm and he properly sent the ball down the other side of the net. A few claps came from the sidelines, along with a couple whoops.
"Oooo, nice one, Haechan!" I heard Saerom cheer, her voice sounding slightly muffled by the others talking over her. Haechan looked like a damn fool with how hard he was grinning, the biggest smile I've ever seen him give. I walked back towards my bag, calling out to Tzuyu who was standing nearby, "I could've done a better set, huh."
Tzuyu looked down at me, a playful smile on her lips, "It was fine, don't worry about it. My sets aren't perfect either." I chuckled, shaking my head. "No, your sets are good," I argued.
"Hmm, it's whatever. C'mon, don't get too comfortable, let's get another quick practice in. We have a bunch of time to kill," Tzuyu urged, pulling me back. Soon enough, the rest of the team came onto the court and practiced in front of our audience, a little mini show before our match.
We built up a bit of a sweat before eventually, the time came for our game to begin. "Goofy Goobers! Avengers! Please come up to the court," We heard our team name get called by the staff on the other court. We hurriedly wrapped up our business on our court, snatching our bags off of the ground and walking over to the court.
As we approached, I noticed the large audience who had spectated the first game seemed to have dwindled, a result of having the latest game on the schedule no doubt. One last survey around the courts, hoping to see if anyone else would've came to support us but no dice. I saw Karina walking off the court, looking winded and sweaty. She gave me a quick grin before making her way over to her own team.
Our group of friends situated near the edge of the court, giving themselves a good view of the upcoming game. I slid my backpack off my back and dropped it onto the floor. "Hey, Xiaoting, can you just watch my bag for me please?" I asked Xiaoting, who was the closest to me.
"Yeah, of course!" She quickly answered. I thanked her and turned to walk back to the rest of my team who was getting warmed up on the court.
"Good luck, Goobers!" Jennie shouted. I did some stretches by myself while the others were doing some last minute passing practice to each other. Karina called me from the side, "The other team looks easy, you better not choke this."
I laughed, shaking my head, "I'm not gonna choke, we got this." I looked at the other side of the net and analyzed the team. There were four boys on the opposing team, none of them looking too impressive, maybe a bit bigger than me if I had to estimate from this far. The rest of their team was made up of two girls, who both looked to be as short as Sana which was a good sign.
All of them had a different shirt themed around each member of the Avengers, which I thought was cool. Originally, I wanted our team to also have a uniform but everyone else thought it was too tacky.
"Minjae! Good luck!" I heard from behind me. I turned around, my eyes tracking the familiar voice back to a group of three girls. Hanni and Danielle waved excitedly towards me, almost jumping in place. Standing next to them was Haerin, who was smiling softly, giving me a small wave.
My heart jumped at the sight, a rush of happiness overcoming me. I would've given them a similar response but all I could muster up was a single wave back. Despite my attempt at being nonchalant, my eyes couldn't seem to stray from Haerin, who threw up her thumbs like a sign of good luck.
My attention was taken away after the staff blew a whistle, "Are both teams ready?" They asked. Haechan answered for me, screaming, "Yes sir! Let's go!" The other team gave a similar response and we all lined up, spacing each other out to cover as much of the court as possible.
From the side, our friends started shouting cheers and chants, encouraging us and hyping us up. "You guys got this!" Joy screeched, her voice piercing through the background noise.
"Go, Goobers!" Jennie encouraged us.
"Show us something good, Minjae!" Karina egged on.
"Haechan, let's go!" Saerom added.
"Don't fumble in front of the courtside baddies," Wooyoung advised, causing an eruption of laughter from the rest of our audience. I let out a chuckle, focusing back on the game and taking my place in the front row. Knowing Wooyoung, he probably meant Jennie or Xiaoting but I immediately thought about Haerin. I can't afford to look like a doofus in front of her.
With the referee giving us the go ahead, the game was off to a slow start, points getting lost and gained back and forth. Contrary to popular belief, having the girl of your dreams watch you play a sport is more distracting than helpful. We were currently tied at 11-11, and I think the nerves were getting to me because my passes were a little wonky.
A small, barely noticeable error here and there, but enough to give me an uneasy feeling. C'mon man. Don't look stupid, just get through this, I kept telling myself, but the words fell on deaf ears. My body was running on autopilot, mindlessly going through the motions. Now wasn't the right time to zone out, the stakes were higher.
I spent the good part of the past month, practicing, working, and thinking about this day and how our team was going to show off how much we improved only for me to crumble apart when faced with the reality. Leave it up to my brain to fuck everything up, always overthinking and underperforming.
I felt myself in the air, aiming for a ball that Tzuyu had sent for me. I slapped my hand on the ball, a bit off and uncontrolled. In front of me, a wall of arms appeared from their two blockers who had jumped into my way. My spike bounced off their arms and back up onto our side. Seeing the ball in the air near me, I tried to hit the ball up but that was a dumb mistake considering I was also in the air still and my pass would be iffy. Sure enough, I hit the ball in a worse direction than intended.
"Fuck," I hissed under my breath, turning towards my team who were all stretching their hands towards me. A chorus of reassurance from my team echoed as I gave their hands quick slaps before moving back into position. I peeked over towards Haerin out of the corner of my eye, hoping she didn't see the blunder I had just committed. Her eyes were fixated on me, however. Her teeth were bared, her excitement for me clearly showing.
Hmm. No matter what, she still cheered me on and didn't look disgusted. That has to count for something, right? Hmm. Right, yeah, okay. This is nothing. Get it together. I gave myself a deep breath, taking in as much air as I could before exhaling out. With that, I watched the other team serve the ball over to our side.
Yeji moved up and collected the serve, giving Tzuyu a good ball to work with. I lined up to run but Tzuyu set the ball to Jinho, who ran up on the opposite side of the court for his spike. The ball was sent cleanly over the net but the other team easily recovered it, beginning to set up their own attack.
Noticing the ball was being set to the spiker in front of me, I jumped up into the air and threw my arms in the way. The ball connected with my forearm, a loud thud ringing through the court, but it spun upwards and over me after my block. Holding myself back from trying to hit the ball while falling, I trusted Sana who ran from behind me to pass the ball instead.
I backed up, feeling the muscle memory taking over as my eyes locked onto Tzuyu's hands and the ball that was falling into them. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the ball up towards my path of attack. Following a short inhale, my feet pushed me forward, the tips of my toes being the last thing on the court as I sent myself up into the air.
Eyes trained onto the ball falling, out the corner of my eyes I saw the same wall of two blockers rising to stop me. In the back, I can see a girl wearing an Iron Man shirt just watching me. My arm was cocked back, swinging down and forward in an arch, bringing my hand roughly onto the ball. The ball moved just off to the side of the blockers, landing and bouncing between the unprepared girl's legs.
"Point!" Haechan excitedly screamed. The peanut gallery started cheering, clapping loudly for us. My team quickly rushed up to me and gave me high fives and pats on the back, congratulating me on the point. "Keep it up!" Jinho praised.
"Let's go!" Sana shouted, giving me a hug.
"Hell yeah! That's how you fucking play!" Karina whooped.
"Great job, Minjae!" Hanni exclaimed.
I took a deep breath, a smile creeping up onto my face. My chest felt warm and fuzzy, a feeling of accomplishment flooding through my veins. I tried to focus on that feeling, holding onto it for as long as possible. It felt great.
Sana got the ball and proceeded to serve it to the other side. One of the guys on the other team moved to receive it up but it flew higher than it should've, coming back to us. I quickly reacted, jumping straight up into the air and tipping the ball back over. They were ready for that because they started building an attack, although it was cut short by them hitting it high over the net.
Sana didn't look like she was ready for that, though we all weren't because we were expecting a spike. She tried her best to move forward and pick it up, but it shot sideways and off the court. One thing about me that I'm sure is apparent by now is that I'll do anything and everything if I want something bad.
Right now, all I wanted was to win this game. To impress everyone watching me right now.
Without thinking, I ran off the court after the ball, hoping that I could somehow get to it before it could touch the ground. If I got to it, it'd still be valid as long as I don't let it meet the floor. I huffed as I got closer to the ball's landing point, throwing my body forward and stretching my leg out towards the ball.
With a dull thud, I landed in a semi-split position but the ball bounced off the tip of my shoe. I crawled up to my feet to watch Yeji, who had followed behind me, pass the ball over the net off my save. As I was running back, Haechan shouted, "Nice job, Minjae!" I tuned him out for now since the rally was still going.
Their setter tossed the ball over to their spiker who went up, but his angle was weird and he was way too close to the net. His hand was way off the ball and it was obviously a botched attempt at a spike. It instead rolled over the net, giving Jinho an easy ball to pass to Tzuyu. Her eyes met mine, and without hesitation, she flicked the ball my way.
Once again, my muscle memory from practicing with Tzuyu kicked in and I started my run up, preparing for another spike. My heart was beating quickly and hard, I could feel my blood pumping. Everything in the room felt quiet and the world around me was muted. My ears were ringing, my focus laser-centered on the ball falling through the air.
I had an easy run up, the ball was close to me. Tzuyu's passes were perfect, she wouldn't ever send the ball to me if it was too high or too low. All I had to do was trust in her, which was an easy feat to accomplish. I swung through the ball with all I could. The wall of blockers was too slow to get in my way, giving me an easy path towards an empty space on their side of the court.
I roared, feeling the rush of the moment fill me. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers, including my own teammates as they piled around me, praising me and Tzuyu's play. Tzuyu wrapped her long arm around my shoulder, pulling me in for a hug, her sweaty skin pressing into mine as we both breathed hard.
"That's what the fuck I'm talking about," she panted, giving me a tight squeeze. Haechan encouraged us loudly, "Let's finish this!"
Wednesday | October 25th, 2023 | 8:28 PM
25-22, we won by 3. The game was finally finished. "Yeah!" I screamed while pointing at Jinho and Haechan, the both of them pulling off a crazy save and spike for the winning point. "Nice work, guys!" I shouted while we all met up in the middle, wrapping our arms around each other.
"Let's keep this momentum for the next match," Jinho breathed, obviously exhausted from the match.
"That was such a sick finish!" Sana shouted, the adrenaline from the end still rushing through her. We broke our group hug, and started making our way towards our friends. The rest of the goobers plus company swarmed us, cheering and congratulating us. Off to the side, most likely waiting for me, was Hanni, Danielle, and Haerin.
I noticed Saerom hovering around Haechan as the two of them chatted, a smile appearing on Haechan's lips and a light blush on his cheeks. I chuckled as I listened in on Joy's overly excited recap of the game.
"Oh my god, when Haechan completely stared at the ball land in front of him," Joy laughed, mimicking Haechan's shocked face, "Jinho and Minjae just both getting up and screaming at him at the same time was so funny!"
"Sorry, it was the heat of the moment," I smiled, remembering how loudly we were screaming at Haechan in front of everybody.
"And, you," Joy poked my chest. "You were on fire! What's gotten into you? Did you have a secret meeting with the volleyball gods? I'm just," Joy paused and threw her head back. "Ah, so proud of yall!"
"I mean, it wasn't all me," I humbly said. "Tzuyu was really on fire as well, her setting was great. We got some crazy spikes in that game because of it."
"Yeah, she was like a goddess or something," Jinho added.
"Thanks, guys," Tzuyu's voice cracked a bit, the exhaustion clearly setting in.
"Anyways, I think we all should go out this weekend, we can celebrate your first win of the intramural season," Wooyoung brought up, "Someone really good is playing at the club this Saturday!" I looked over at the other guys, Jinho and Haechan smiling towards each other.
"I'm down," Jinho said, wrapping his arm around Yeji's waist and pulling her close, "You babe?"
Yeji hummed, thinking about it before answering, "I guess. Only if the others want to."
"Of course!" Sana and Tzuyu chimed in. With everyone else agreeing, Joy chirped in. "Well, if everyone's going, I'm down. This Saturday?"
"Yes, yes, this Saturday," Wooyoung answered, checking the rest of the group's faces for any objections. If it was this weekend, well shoot. "Ah, I have to watch Minhyuk's house this weekend," I brought up.
"Huh? Wait, why?" Haechan asked.
"He's going to the countryside with Seulgi, and he needed someone to look after his house and dog," I explained.
"C'mon dude, you probably aren't staying at his house the entire time. We're going out at night, you'll be free by then, right," Wooyoung argued.
"I mean," I hesitated. "I mean yeah, I guess I could go out."
"Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about," Wooyoung celebrated, pumping his fists into the air. "What about you, Saerom? Are you coming out with us?" He pointed finger guns at the girl, formally inviting her to our hangout.
"Oh, u-um," she stuttered, glancing at Haechan who was watching her with interest, "Sure. Yeah, why not?" Haechan looked happy, a big smile appearing on his face as she agreed.
"Greaaat, and what about you two? We can't just go out and not have our beautiful girls there," Wooyoung asked, addressing Jennie and Xiaoting who laughed at his casual compliment.
"Sounds fun, we'll be there," Jennie nodded.
"Nice! Alright, this Saturday, we meet up at my place, do a little pre-game before we go out!"
"Sounds good," Joy clapped her hands. I shook my head, smiling to myself before reaching for a bottle of water from my bag. My body was sore and sweaty, and I really needed to take a shower. I craned my head around, trying to spot Haerin amongst the moving hoard of people. That's when I spotted her standing around near the edge of the other side of the court with Hanni and Danielle.
"Guys, I'm gonna head out. I gotta shower and get to work," I called out. The goobers said their goodbyes to me and went back to chatting loudly about the game. I hobbled over to the other group, grinning widely at them as I approached, "Hey guys!"
"Minjae!" Danielle acknowledged me. "Oh my god, that was such a wild match, and you killed it!"
"Thanks," I laughed.
"Yeah, you did so well!" Hanni chirped, patting me on the back.
"Thanks, guys. You guys should come to the next one! I promise I'll try to show you guys a better game."
"I wouldn't worry about that, that was a really intense game. It was really cool," Haerin joined in.
"Oh, yeah? You think so," I said, looking into her eyes, a small smile appearing on her face as she nodded. Hanni threw her arm around Haerin, "Haerin recorded some good clips for you, she didn't stop watching!"
"Yah," Haerin laughed, pushing her friend away. I glanced at Haerin's phone in her hand, and then back at her, "Yeah? Thanks. I'm glad you came, Haerin."
"Me too," she smiled up at me. I felt a rush of butterflies hatch in my stomach, jesus.
"Well, I have to head home now, need to take a shower," I informed the three. "What are you guys going to do now?"
"Hanni and I are probably going to go out and eat," Danielle answered, she looked over at the quiet girl, "Do you want to eat with us, Haerin? Hanni can drive you if you want!"
I met Haerin's eyes and I felt her staring into mine. She didn't say anything, a hint of shyness showing on her face. I nodded, giving her an encouraging smile. After a pause, she shook her head. "Sure, I'll come eat with you guys."
Hanni and Danielle's faces lit up. "Oh, hell yeah, it's on me then!" Hanni cheered.
"You don't have to-"
"No, no, it's cool," Hanni stopped Haerin. "Minjae, we're all gonna go now, okay?"
"Okay, I'll see you later," I waved. "Next week, same time, hopefully a little bit earlier."
"Good job again, Minjae. Can't wait for the next one!" Danielle cheered. The two girls grabbed onto Haerin and dragged her away, running towards the gymnasium exit. I chuckled to myself as I watched them run, waving one more time at the trio.
I sighed happily, looking up at the ceiling as a smile creeped up on my face. A sense of relief washed over me. The day was finally coming to an end for me. I think I accomplished all I wanted to today. Now, it's time to rest. I began leaving, heading towards the gymnasium exit. I was starting to finally feel the adrenaline wear off and the soreness in my legs grew stronger.
As I left the recreational center and felt the cold breeze hit my sweaty skin, my phone buzzed in my pocket and I quickly pulled it out.
Haerin > before i forget, haha
It was an album of videos, a bunch of short clips of my volleyball game. I smiled softly as I opened up the first one, the camera was fixated on me from a behind angle. I watched myself move around, noticing Haerin's little sounds of joy from watching me play.
"Wahh, he jumps so high," Haerin cutely commented. I could hear her smile as she spoke, her soft tone causing a smile to appear on my lips. The next few videos were all of me, her commenting on each of my moves.
"Ah, that was so cool!" Haerin gushed as the video zoomed in on my face as I landed back on the floor and high fived the others after a strong spike. I felt myself blush, feeling slightly embarrassed seeing myself on the screen.
"That was so good," Haerin quietly mumbled. "He's so good at volleyball."
My eyes widened and I stopped the video, replaying that part.
"That was so good," Haerin cutely commented, her tone making me blush. "He's so good at volleyball." The clip cut off, but the way she said those words and how cute she was made my heart race. I was so glad the goobers weren't around to see my expression.
I kept scrolling through the videos, watching a bunch of random ones where she'd comment on the team's plays and the other player's movements. Listening to the last one, her screams of excitement after we finished off a play and ended the game, I realized I wasn't even watching the video anymore and I was walking while pressing my phone against my right ear.
I shook my head, stopping the video, feeling like a complete idiot.
"Fuck," I chuckled, realizing how gone for her I was. I opened up our messages again:
Minjae > love the clips, thanks fool
As I dropped my phone into my pocket, I felt like a complete lovesick idiot, and it wasn't a bad feeling.
comical whistle noise I'm alive! Took a little longer than I thought. I didn't know how I wanted this chapter to go to be honest. I had a rough draft, but just like some previous chapters, I completely scrapped most of it and started again! Isn't that fun?! Heavy emphasis on the volleyball scene in this chapter, I really hope I was able to convey the actions properly so you guys cna keep up and have an image in your head of how the scene is moving.
A bunch of characters appeared in this chapter as well, isn't that fun? If I could, I would love to see every single character in one chapter but oof, that'll be a hard chapter to digest. Too many personalities, too many dialouges, just too much to keep up with, not just as the writer, I feel like being a reader and seeing all these names would be overwhelming! Yap session, sorry! Just watched the new NewJeans M/V, that was pretty dope! Yeah, sorry, I don't know how to do these author notes properly, I just treat it as my 5 minute yap session, so thanks for being here if you're still here. I really appreciate it! Thanks again for keeping up with "Idolized Panties"! - PI (Just saw an [M] chapter drought, hmm, maybe I'll drop a [M] chapter next?)