TEASER TWO
🎓 CLASS OF 2020 :: ORIENTATION IN SESSIONIn a four-room apartment located in Bangeo-dong, Dong-gu, Ulsan, Na Jiae was scurrying around her bedroom, doing last-minute checks for her packing. One of her large suitcases, containing her daily necessities, was already zipped up and placed at the side of her wardrobe. Another suitcase lay open on the floor, already close to being fully filled.
“Your luggage is gonna explode at this rate and you’re gonna get fined for having overweight luggage,” her brother, Na Jihwan, noted with a bemused chuckle.
“Don’t jinx me,” Jiae huffed as she attentively ticked off her rhythmic gymnastics training apparatus and gears checklist once more, making sure she wasn’t forgetting anything important. “And what are you doing on my bed?” she asked, frowning crossly upon realising that the older male was sitting cross-legged on her bed.
“It’s not like you’re gonna sleep on this bed after today,” Jihwan brushed off her question and instead responded with one of his own. “So what’s the plan when you get to Seoul?”
“I’ll meet up with the national team at our training center for a two-week training camp before flying to Moscow to train with the Russian team,” Jiae explained. “Coach Nefedova got permission from their head coach to let me and Yeonjae unni use their training facilities.”
“Oh, that’s pretty cool. How long will you guys be in Moscow then?” Jihwan asked curiously.
“We’ll be there until we head to Rio,” Jiae answered as she carefully zipped up her last suitcase. “So around six months?”
Jihwan nodded in understanding. “I thought we would end up in the same class, now that I’m out of the army. But who knew you’d end up taking a year off to prepare for the Olympics?”
“Who wants to be in the same class as you?” Jiae teased, wrinkling her nose and deftly avoiding the bolster that was thrown in her direction.
“Jiae, darling, are you done yet?” her mother suddenly called from the living room. “Your flight is at five-twenty and it’s already two-fifty in the afternoon.”
“Coming, Mum! Gimme five—no—two more minutes,” Jiae promptly replied, hurriedly giving her room one final scan before dragging her luggage to the living room with some help from Jihwan.
“All ready to go?” her father asked with a warm smile.
“Yup, yup!” Jiae nodded.
They each carried a suitcase out of their home and down the stairs of the apartment complex to the outside parking lot. Jiae’s father and Jihwan then carefully loaded them all into the trunk of the car while Jiae settled herself comfortably in the back row.
“Oppa, you’re driving?” Jiae asked with a raised brow as she watched the older male get into the driver’s se
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