Proof of Life

I thought Jihyo’s day would begin with walking. That felt reasonable. Safe. Healthy. Unlikely to involve public humiliation.

Jihyo had changed into activity clothes after breakfast, hair tied back, shoes proper, expression already dangerous in the way only Jihyo could make wellness look like a scheduled threat.

I had changed too. Comfortable shirt. Shorts. Shoes I could move in.

A body that had been lovingly over-nourished for several days and was now preparing to file a complaint against rice, fruit, and girlfriend-led recovery.

Jihyo looked me over once. Not judgmentally. That was worse.

“You look nervous.”
“I asked for physical activity.”
“You did.”
“I did not specify intensity.”
“You should be more careful with me.”
“That is not reassuring.”

She a gave me a smile. Be it the leader smile, girlfriend smile, or vacation smile— all three had become a public safety concern. “We’ll start easy.”

“That sounds like a lie.”
“It is flexible.”

We started walking. For about three minutes, I believed her. Then we heard the basketball. A ball hit pavement somewhere ahead. Once. Twice. Then shoes squeaked, someone laughed, and another voice said, “No more left, sir.”

Jihyo turned her head. I already felt the universe setting a trap, “No,” I said. Jihyo looked at me “What?”

“Whatever that is, no.”
“We are just looking.”
“Lately that is how disasters have been happening.”
Her smile widened “We are walking toward activity. You asked for activity.”
“I asked for physical activity, not narrative consequences.”

She took my wrist and pulled.

The court was tucked near the resort’s recreation area, half-shaded by palms and a low roof on one side. A few staff members stood around watching. Some had towels over their shoulders. Some had water bottles. Some looked like they were off shift and had decided entertainment had arrived for free.

At the center of it was Ben.

He had the ball in his left hand and a grin on his face that meant someone had already made the mistake of taking him lightly. Yeji sat on the side with Lia, Ryujin, and Yuna. Nayeon and Jeongyeon were nearby with drinks, probably because gossip had a gravitational pull and Nayeon had no resistance to it.

One staff member guarded Ben closely. Another spectated near the side, arms crossed, amused. Ben bounced the ball once.

The staff defender lowered his stance “Left again, sir?” Ben smiled. “You say that like knowing helps.”

“It should.”
“It doesn’t always.”

Then Ben moved. Not fast, the way he paced was the annoying part. He gave one shoulder, paused, stepped left.

The defender stayed with him this time, but Ben’s rhythm changed halfway through the step, like his body had lied and the ball had signed the statement. He crossed the second step at an angle that looked wrong until it opened the lane, slipped past the defender’s hip, and finished with his left hand off the glass.

The staff watching groaned. The defender turned around with both hands raised. “I was there.” Ben caught the ball as it fell through the net “You were adjacent.”

Ryujin slapped her knee “Adjacent defense.”
Lia sighed “That was rude.”
Yuna leaned forward “Why does he move like that?”

Jihyo stared. I looked at her. She was not analyzing anything. She was simply confused and impressed “Why does he move like he is lying with his body?”

I blinked. Then looked back at Ben “That is actually very accurate.”
Ben turned “I heard that.”
“You were supposed to.”
Jihyo pointed at him “I knew he was fit.”
Ben placed one hand over his chest “Thank you.”
“I did not expect him to be good.”
“Wounded.”
Jeongyeon sipped her drink “I hate that he is good.”

Yeji looked like she did not hate it at all, which made her blush when Ryujin noticed. I watched Ben bounce the ball again. Then narrowed my eyes “You move more like Manu Ginóbili now than you did back in college.”

The ball stopped. Ben’s smile became worse. That was never good “Oh?”

I immediately regretted speaking. Jihyo looked at me “Manu Ginóbili?”
“NBA Legend. Left-handed. Weird rhythm. Eurostep. Makes normal defense feel stupid.”
The staff defender pointed at me “That is exactly what happened.”
Ben nodded solemnly “Art.”
“Annoying,” I said.
“Art can be annoying.”
Lia lifted her drink “Unfortunately true.”
I stared at Ben “You were not this smooth back then.”
“I would hope not.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Ben.”

He shrugged like this was normal “Otherwise, flying out to play with Ginóbili after he retired in 2018 would have been useless.”

The court went silent. Even the ball seemed to stop bouncing emotionally. Nayeon lowered her drink “You flew out.”
Jeongyeon added, “To play basketball.”
Ryujin finished, “With this NBA Legend, Manu Ginóbili?”
Ben looked confused by the reaction “Not always full games.”
Lia closed her eyes “That does not make it normal.”
Yuna pointed at him “Billionaire side quest.”

Yeji stared at him “Benjie.” He looked at her, suddenly cautious “Yes, love?”

“Why did I not know this?”
“It did not seem relevant.”

Ryujin laughed “You flew to train with an NBA legend and decided that was not relevant?” Ben bounced the ball once “I also had business meetings in America.” Nayeon pointed at him “That is worse.”

Jihyo looked at me “You knew about this?”
“I knew he liked basketball. I did not know he flew to play ball with a retired legend.”
Ben grinned at me “You noticed the footwork, though.”
“I noticed the damage.”
“Same thing.”

He walked toward me, ball tucked against his hip. I took one step back. Jihyo noticed. So did everyone else. Ben’s grin widened.

“No.”
“I have not asked anything.”
“You are about to.”
“Best buddy.”
“No.”
“Come on.”
“Hell no.”
“One game.”
“I have not played in years.”
“Then expectations are low. Very freeing.”
“That is not motivation.”
“It is mercy.”

Jihyo looked between us “You played?”
“A long time ago.”

Ben scoffed “He shot.” I glared at him “That is literally playing.”

“No,” Ben said, turning to Jihyo like he was presenting a historical artifact “He did not just play. He was my Parker.”

The reaction hit immediately. Nayeon leaned forward. “His what?” Ben pointed at himself “If I was Ginóbili.” then he pointed at me “John was my Parker.”

I closed my eyes “Do not make it dramatic.”

“It was dramatic.” Ben pointed toward the court. “I drove left, made everyone panic, and he made them regret helping.”
“That is not—”
“He punished disrespect.”
“Ben.”
“He stood outside like a tax.”
Ryujin pointed at me “Outside like a tax is good.”
Yuna looked at me with bright eyes “Wait, so John was a shooter?”
Ben grinned “John was the guy you left open once and regret doing so.”

The court went quiet in a different way. Jihyo looked at me. Not like a leader planning my recovery, but like a girlfriend who had accidentally opened a door and found an older version of me standing behind it. I shifted my weight “That was a long time ago.”

Ben bounced the ball to me. I caught it by reflex. Clean. Too clean to be ‘out of my prime’ allegedly.

Everyone noticed. Unfortunately. Ben’s face lit up “Looks like he is still there.” I looked down at the ball. For half a second, the court was not a resort court. It felt like I was younger. Louder. Simpler. Ben cutting left because everyone knew he would and still could not stop it. Me drifting to the wing. Hands ready. Catch, set, release.

No schedules. No rotations. No recovery plan. Just a ball, a floor, and the stupid confidence of being young enough to think tomorrow would wait. Jihyo stepped closer “You miss it.” I looked at her, “I miss when it was easy.”

Her expression softened. Then she smiled, “Then go make it easy.”

“That is not reassuring.”
“It is honest.”

Ben clapped once “Two-on-two, come on.” This was when the taller staff member on the side stepped onto the court “I’ll play.”

The first staff member looked at him “Against both of them?” The taller one shrugged “You saw him catch the ball?” The first staff member looked at me again. Then nodded “Fine. But if this becomes serious, we’re considering the recreational work.”

Ben smiled “It will be semi-serious.”
“That means serious.”
“Only emotionally.”