Hyewon sighed in exasperation as she turned off her phone’s alarm. It’s Saturday and she had to wake up at six in the morning when it was one of the days she could usually sleep in. She closed her eyes again and put her phone back on the nightstand, badly wanting to go back to her deep slumber. Suddenly, she regretted her decision for joining the club. She hadn’t expected that club activities would be this wearying.

The memory of yesterday’s intrasquad match flashed through her mind, as if reminding her the reason why she’d joined the club. And the feeling of regret dispersed almost immediately. She would definitely regret more if she hadn’t joined the club.

Smiling to herself as she saw Jungkook indirectly receive Yoongi’s spike in her head, she thought, I really am an idiot.

Even so, her love for sleeping and doing absolutely nothing wasn’t that easy to defeat.

A notification came up on her phone, informing that she got a new message. She groaned as she took her phone and opened the message. It was from the other manager of volleyball club – Joohyun.

From: Joohyun

Have you woken up? Don’t forget we have to be there at seven!

Reluctantly, Hyewon sat up on her bed, replying Joohyun’s message with a short one to let her know that she didn’t plan on abandoning her responsibility.

To: Joohyun

I’m up.

Hyewon climbed off her bed lazily, shuddering when she could no longer feel her blanket’s warmth. She didn’t know if it was because today was colder than usual or waking up early in Saturday simply made her feel more fragile and lazier. Nevertheless, she took a quick hot shower and got ready for the day. She put on her practice uniform and tracksuit and covered them with a thin coat since it’s still early spring – the weather was a bit chilly.

Exiting her bedroom, she realized that her house was empty. Her parents had just got back from business trip yesterday late at night and they had already left the house early in the morning. She found the money that they’d left her on the kitchen mini bar counter. She’d hoped to see a simple note along with the money, but of course, there’s none. Not even food for breakfast.

It’s nothing unusual, although it’s kind of sad.

Sighing in disappointment, Hyewon took her allowance and walked out from her house, planning to stop by the nearest Subway to grab a breakfast sandwich.

“Jungkook! Wake up! Didn’t you say you have club activities today?”

Jungkook stirred awake from his mother’s shouting, groaned in annoyance, and closed his eyes again, drifting back to sleep. But he was soon woken up again when his blanket was taken away from him.

Opening his eyes drowsily, Jungkook found his big brother – Wonwoo – holding his blanket with an annoying grin on his face.

“Wake up, you sleepyhead. Do you want Mom to personally come here and splash you with cold water?” Wonwoo threw the blanket directly to Jungkook’s face. He then laughed and sauntered out of Jungkook’s room.

Moving his blanket away from his face, Jungkook sat up in irritation and dragged himself to the bathroom. He knew better than to make his mother angry.

Jungkook was wearing his practice uniform and tracksuit when he walked out of his room and found his family were already sitting around the dining table. His father was reading something on his laptop while sipping his hot coffee. His mother and Wonwoo were chatting while eating their omelets. Jungkook joined them by sitting next to Wonwoo who was also already wearing his practice uniform with a baseball in his hand.

“You have practice today?” Jungkook asked Wonwoo, taking a bite of his own omelet.

Wonwoo threw his baseball vertically and caught it. Their mother gave him a glare and warned, “Get that ball away from the table before it destroys anything, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo immediately put the ball down on the floor next to him. “Sorry, Mom.” Then he looked at Jungkook and answered his question, “Yeah. I have a practice match next week. You?”

“Our school has a practice match today,” Jungkook said dejectedly, remembering that he couldn’t play in the match.

From the look in his eyes, Wonwoo seemed to know what’s on Jungkook’s mind. “Of course you won’t be playing today. You basically just started playing volleyball.” He grinned and slapped Jungkook’s back. “It’s not like you to give up this early. You usually give up after a year.” He snickered and Jungkook wasn’t sure if his brother was trying to encourage him or bring him down. “So, how is it? Do you think you’ll stick with volleyball for a long time? You’ve been switching between many kinds of sports. I think it’s time for you to choose one and be serious in it.” Pointing at himself with his thumb, he continued, “Like me. Although I’m too far ahead for you to catch up.”

Jungkook couldn’t argue with that. Indeed, his brother was an amazing person. He’d been looking up to him since he’d been small. He’d even followed in Wonwoo’s steps in elementary school by joining their school’s baseball club. But it hadn’t worked that well for him.

Wonwoo was incredibly talented in baseball and his dream was to be a professional baseball player while Jungkook thought that baseball simply wasn’t for him. Like his big brother, he also wanted to be an athlete. But he hadn’t been able to find what sport he’d wanted to focus on until he’d seen that volleyball match in his third year at middle school where that amazing ace had played in.

Shrugging, Jungkook replied, “Volleyball is fun, I think. I’ll probably be playing it for quite a while.”

Wonwoo smacked Jungkook’s head lightly. “What’s with that uncertainty? Either do it or not. Pick one.”

Jungkook pouted and grumbled, “Fine. I really like volleyball. I want to be good at it. Happy?”

Ruffling Jungkook’s hair, Wonwoo grinned. “That’s better. To increase your motivation and determination, I’ll let you know this: I was chosen to be a starting catcher yesterday for my college’s baseball team.”

“I know.”

Wonwoo widened his eyes, utterly bewildered. “Eh? How?”

Jungkook rolled his eyes. It was the most obvious thing ever and he couldn’t understand why his brother seemed so surprised. Of all the baseball players that Wonwoo had played against, Wonwoo was the best catcher – the position for a baseball player whose job was to catch the ball from the pitcher. Jungkook believed in Wonwoo’s ability more than anyone else. After all, he’d always been the one constantly running behind him, trying to catch up with him.

“You’ve always been the starting catcher for your club since elementary school. It’s no doubt that you’ll also be one when you’re in college,” Jungkook muttered in a low voice, slightly abashed to admit his admiration towards Wonwoo.

Wonwoo gasped dramatically, making Jungkook regret what he’d said. “I’m touched that my little brother thinks so highly of me. As a reward, I’ll take you to school today. So play catch with me.”

“No, thanks,” Jungkook refused immediately. “I’ll be late for the match. And in case you forget, I no longer play baseball.”

“Oh, come on,” Wonwoo pleaded. “Don’t you miss our quality time? We’ll go there in my car, so you won’t be late.”

Their mother interrupted their conversation by suddenly asking, “Do you want to bring lunch box with you?”

Wonwoo childishly raised his hand up. “Yes, please!”

“No need, Mom,” Jungkook answered. “My friend’s family owns a cafe. We probably go there for lunch.”

As soon as their mother stood up to pack his lunch, Wonwoo continued his pleading. “Play catch with me, Jungkook. Don’t you miss your big brother? We rarely see each other lately.”

“We see each other every day, Wonwoo.” Jungkook sighed. His brother wouldn’t just let it go that simply.