Warnings: Mentions of blood

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You barely have time to process anything before you were right into the monster’s belly. The crowd had pushed you along into the gymnasium, Esther’s grip on your hand almost lost as the crowd swelled. After extricating yourself from the crowd to reach your seating area, there was the additional challenge of getting to the seat itself. The gap between the seats were narrow and you stepped on a few toes in the process, considering yourself victorious when you were finally able to plop down in your seat with a huff. You’ve never been to a match before, so you took your time to observe your surroundings. The seats right above you were steadily filled with the entire crowd bathed in red. Some simply wore red to show their support, whereas dedicated fans of the school’s basketball team were decked in the jersey of their favourite player – and unsurprisingly, you saw a few with the huge words “B.KANG” stencilled on them.

Of course… their star player. Everyone loves him.

The reminder of his immense popularity made you queasy, your throat suddenly turning parch dry. You were involuntarily here today to see him get slammed around on court and watch helplessly as injuries get inflicted upon him. You clearly didn’t have the stomach for this – you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You scanned around for an escape route but unfortunately, you were trapped in by people from all corners and besides, hearing Jimin’s voice booming through the speakers meant that the game was about to begin. You had no choice but to resign to your fate and you sunk further into your seat, crossing your fingers for good measure as you prayed for his safety.

Please let him be ok today… no more bad injuries…

“Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome, to the 31st National A division inter-school basketball tournament!”

The previously silent crowd now erupted into a cacophony of cheers around you, your school supporters using all sorts of props they had available to rise their volume above the opposing school. Not wanting to seem out of place, you let out a little hoot from your seat, your sound immediately fading out as you worried for the imminent future. After the screaming died out on its own, Jimin carried on with her introductory speech of both teams, building anticipation for the upcoming match.

“Known as the black horses of this season, they are the team that has risen through the ranks steadily, beating out their opponents initially with close scores. Yet, they surprised us once again, and secured an impressive 10-0 win over their semi-final opponents last week, setting a personal best for their school. Without further ado, let’s welcome Chung An High School!”

This time round, the crowd on the other end of the gym erupted into wild cheers as their basketball team made their way on court, all decked out in suave black jerseys. It was obvious that they had superior height over your school players, which would definitely tilt the game in their favour, even if it’s for a little bit. The thought of one of them tackling Brian Kang had you digging your nails into your palms, the feeling of fear intensifying and crawling under your skin. Jimin carried on with her speech, not giving you much time to be distracted by your emotions.

“With an impressive track record each year, the next team is one that never disappoints. Just like the years before, they knocked out their opponents during the preliminary rounds and secured a spot in the finals after star player Brian Kang secured the final goal for them, winning last week’s semi-final game with a score of 12-11. Let’s now welcome the defending champions of the A division inter-school games – Seoul National High School!”

From your front row seats, you got a good view of captain Sungjin leading the team in, and for a split moment, pride swelled within you when you saw the red jerseys the team so proudly wore, and felt the energy radiating off from the crowd behind you. The infectious energy reached the team, and you could see some of them smiling at the sight of the immense support they had from their student body. The only exception to the joyous mood was Brian Kang, whom you easily spot right in front of you, courtesy of your front row seat. Gone was the playful glint in his eyes that was ever present – his eyes were hard as glass now, the steely gaze filled with determination conveying one unmistakable message: the conviction to win. He sized up his opponents one by one, his dangerous stare sending shivers down your spine even from the long distance away.

He could become a killing machine today – or be killed.

Both teams met at the centre of the court, shaking hands with one another. With the distance closed now, it gave you a clearer view of Brian, and the faint purple tint still around his shoulder.

The buzzer lights up with the timing, and both teams position themselves accordingly around the court. Being the tallest, centre Jae is sent right into the middle of the court for the tip-off with the opposing team, the two forwards Brian and Sungjin right beside Jae, ready to intercept the ball when it comes flying. Wonpil and Dowoon take their positions as shooting guard and point guard respectively, their eyes trained on the ball as well. Like Brian, gone was Wonpil’s usual smile; his lips were now set in a thin line, his body ready to react to any changes on court. The drastic change in Wonpil shocked you more than Brian; it is very clear that things were getting serious now. Instinctively, you sat up straighter in your seat, breathing shallowly in anticipation for the next move.

The moment the empire tosses the ball up in the air, everything become a blur of activity. Jae successfully catches hold of the ball, making use of the reaction time of the opposing team to swivel on his left foot to face Brian before tossing him the ball. Ball in hand, Brian dribbles as he makes a beeline for the hoop on the other hand, Wonpil and Sungjin following him closely on both sides to make sure that no one gets the chance to intercept the ball. When Dowoon is finally in sight, he tosses the ball forward to him, before getting behind Dowoon to defend him. The opposing team is still far behind the pair and Dowoon takes the chance to shoot an uninterrupted three pointer from the arc