Chapter 01 • Southeast 

“Huh?! We're getting transferees at this time of the year?! Can they even participate in the Nationals?” Yujin exclaimed, she stood in disbelief after what she just heard. Well, this is a huge help since we are a very small team. But… isn't this kind of cheating? An Yujin, the next head of the An House, one of the notable businesses under the An house is their Security business, they have security guards for hire, and they offer services like CCTV installation. There have been rumors about the An House being involved underground business, or something like they have an underground group, though nothing has been proven as of now. Yujin is one of the Power Forwards of the East High.

“Yujin, it's not cheating. We are representing the whole union in the tournament, once we get there, we aren't only known as the East High School. We're the Compass Union representatives—the Compass. It's just right for the committee to do something like this, besides, this only happened once before.” Yuri explained, putting down her ipad. Jo Yuri, the only daughter of an ordinary glassware maker. She have been living with Yena since her family died, and her relatives refused to take her in. She is one of the Point Guards of East High and is the current captain.

It's been awhile since the East High Players were forced to move to the condominium where Kwon Eunbi's unit is located. Of course, by Kim Chaewon's request, they got a room on the same floor as her girlfriend, also just in front of her unit. It was quite tragic that the South High Players were also sent out the same time, it turns out that their shared house is also owned by Honda Hitomi's family. An Yujin and Jang Wonyoung got their separate unit, as a gift from Yujin's father. They were also told that they have to live together to get to know each other more. In the end, the South High Players decided to live in Eunbi's unit, while the East High Players decided to live in the unit in front Eunbi's, and Yujin and Wonyoung, on the unit beside their teammate's unit.

Though their new house is quite far from their school, which forces them to take a train just to go, they had no problems. Everything was just as normal as it were before, until the East High received the gift from the Compass Union's Sports Committee.

“Eh!? We are getting… South High’s main players as an addition and their coach!? Woah, talk about lucky.” Kim Chaewon clapped her hands upon hearing the news, she was more than happy to have heard about Kwon Eunbi becoming their coach. Kim Chaewon, daughter of the two olympic participants who mastered a lot of sports, both participated yearly on either figure skating or swimming. Considered as a basketball prodigy on her middle school with how she defeated a school with just her scoring and her teammates just passing her the ball.

“Looks like we have to blend in well to play the game again, huh?” Yena pouted her duck lips, trying to imagine how hard it would be to blend in with their old enemies. Choi Yena, since her family died in an accident when she was in middle school, the Jo family have been taking care of her, and now that her savings have all been used up, she had no choice but to become a scholar to not be a problem to her girlfriend’s family. She is one of the Small Forwards of the East High, and is the current vice-captain.

“But since we have them, it won’t be hard to gather information about Moon High, right? I mean, they played with them once before.” Jang Wonyoung, the supposedly next head of the Jang Group, or so she knows. She is now about to become the An Yujin’s bride, and is about to lead the An House with her if they successfully graduate without Yujin calling off their marriage. Jo Yuri has been eyeing her to be the next vice-captain. She is the Center, which she earned with her height, and her experience in middle school.

“Should we think of other strategies to be sync with them easier?” Honda Hitomi, her family holds a bunch of shared houses in Japan and Korea. Her family earns a lot with just their shared houses. Hitomi is one of the Point Guards of the East High. Jo Yuri has been eyeing her to be the next captain.

•••

South High School, all of the students regardless of the course were gathered in their auditorium. There was a sudden announcement from the principal and the sports department head. After the principal gave her speech, the department head stood in the podium on her green worn out track suit.

“Ladies, let me announce the ones selected to transfer. To compete in the Women's National Tournament coming soon.” She brought out a folded piece of paper from her back pockets.

“First one, our basketball team coach, Kwon Eunbi.” Once the head called Kwon Eunbi’s name, and she went up the stage in confusion, her players started crying—except for her usual starting players. Applauses were heard inside the auditorium, congratulating the coach. Kwon Eunbi, the coach. She is a former player of the East High School Knights, Kim Chaewon’s adoptive cousin, and is one of the so-called Golden Age of the Compass along with Lee Kaeun as Kazoo and the Amazon and her old teammates who went separate ways after graduation, they still meet for drinking sessions though. Students started calling her Executor after she placed a sticker on their yearbook, hiding the fact that she wasn’t called executor that time, but Kazoo. She was the one who chose the team members and is also responsible for the West High School transferees, which three of her main members came from.

“Lee Chaeyeon.” Lee Chaeyeon, the captain and at the same time, the ace of the team. She is the most popular member of the South High Basketball team, and is one of the so-called Monster batch, which the other players ended up transferring to other clubs after they triumphed their first compass tournament with an all-freshman team. She also have her own fan club in the south, it’s that fan club that cried when she went official with her team’s small forward, Miyawaki Sakura. Chaeyeon is also good friends with the streetball group called Twice.

“Miyawaki Sakura.” Miyawaki Sakura, a third year student who transferred to the South after she received a transfer invitation from Kwon Eunbi. She used to be paired a lot with Motomura Aoi during her time as a player of the West. Before going official with Chaeyeon, she’ll always receive a hate letter saying she should stay away from Chaeyeon every single day. Before leaving West, she never won against Matsui Jurina on a one-on-one, which developed her goal of defeating Jurina even just once—something that didn’t happen during the recent Compass Tournament because they lost in the first game.

“Kang Hyewon.” Kang Hyewon, she only learned how to play basketball in high school, her club history says she’s always in the gourmet club. But since Compass Union Schools only has academic and sports clubs aligned to the course they choose, she chose to join basketball club since she had nothing to do. She didn’t expect to be good in it, especially in clutch shooting. She is the only daughter of the popular Gourmet King Kang.

“Kim Minjoo.” Kim Minjoo, younger sister of the new Kim Advertising CEO. She played as power forward back in Gun Middle School with Jang Wonyoung as the center. She used to be known for her dirty playing style which she inflicts bruises on the player she is marking on the referee’s blind sight. Now, she’s known for her high jumps that she used during the game with the West.

Shouts of excitement and support echoed in the auditorium, in sync with the sobbing sounds from the mid-tier basketball team players. Yabuki Nako looked up at her teammates standing at the stage. Nice, I’m so proud of them. Will I also get to play?

“Yukiko Nagiko.”

“Huh?” The coach and her teammates were surprised after hearing the mysterious name.

Who’s that? Did we have a secret member named Yukiko Nagiko? Chaeyeon, confused, she looked at her coach and her co-players on stage.

I have no idea, girl. Minjoo raised a brow in reply.

I have every player memorized, I’m certain it’s my first time hearing that name. Eunbi, also as confused as Chaeyeon, she widened her eyes and looked at the students seated on the chairs.

Did we have a secret player? Is she our real point guard? Is she taller than Nako? Hyewon asked as she repeatedly glanced at Nako.

Man, they really had no idea, I know Nako’s gotta be standing right now, correcting the head—Sakura’s thought was cut when she saw Nako standing up, and is almost in tears. Ugh why?! Damn, you’re too good in academics but you can’t even deduce that you’re being called!? Sakura exclaimed on her head.

“Oh, sorry. It’s Yako Nabuki.” This time, it’s much closer! Nako will notice it—she was cut again, when she saw Nako looking really sad and jealous.

So it’s just Nako. Chaeyeon shook her head.

What’s the deal with these wrong names!? Eunbi glared at the head.

“I mean it’s Yanuki Nako.”

Ah! It’s too close! Nako looked wasted on where she stood.

“No, I mean Yabuki Nana.”

Aw, so lucky. I never even saw Nana play. Nako sat on her chair in sadness, her teammates up on the stage were trying to hold their laughs.

“I’m sorry, I swear this is the last, it’s Yabuki Nako.” Yabuki Nako, the scariest point guard the South ever had, she can make unpredictable passes, she can steal the ball before the opponent knows it, the one thing that terrifies her opponents are not her height, but that she can do three pointers when in a bind too. She is currently in an on-off relationship with Tanaka Miku, her girlfriend in Japan.

Nako jumped from her seat and ran towards her teammates on stage.

“These ladies from our school will be transferred to East High Permanently to be able to play in the Nationals along with their team. They will be representing the Compass Union along with the East High School Knights. Long live the saints!”

•••

“Wonyoung, I’m so tired. Give me a hug.” The moment Yujin got to sit on the couch, she immediately spread her arms open and called Wonyoung who was on the dining area, getting canned drinks from their refrigerator.

“Just a minute.” She replied.

Yujin frowned, she can’t even wait anymore. She stood up and hugged Wonyoung, startling her. She soon sighed and hugged the girl who just gave her a back hug. Yujin then carried Wonyoung on her arms, and brought her to the couch where she sat a while ago. She sat on the couch and made Wonyoung sit beside her.

“I can’t help but admire your beauty.”

Wonyoung started to blush, she can’t look at Yujin properly who then caressed her right cheek with her left hand “I can’t express how happy I am that I got you as my princess, Jang Wonyoung.”

“Stop it Yujin, I’m getting red.”

“You’re so cute, let’s prepare dinner.”

•••

“Yuri…” Inside a burger shop, Yena called Yuri’s attention who was seated in front of her, while chewing on the beef burger, Yuri tilted her head.

“Putting… Milk on cereals and vice versa isn’t considered cooking right?” Yena sighed heavily before handing her phone to Yuri. Yuri almost choked when she saw the screen.

It was an Instagram post by Jang Wonyoung, captioned ‘Get you someone who can cook you food.’ With a photo of An Yujin