Seungwan really should have said no. Honestly, how hard would it have been to say that one two letter word? If she’d had the courage then maybe she wouldn’t currently be getting dragged onto the gymnasium floor by her best friend in order to try out for their university’s volleyball team. But then again, she’d never been able to say no to Kang Seulgi.

So with her shoulders slouched and her head hanging low, she allowed Seulgi to forcibly lead her to the sign-in tables that had been set up on one side of the gym. Honestly she’s a little overwhelmed by it all. She knew SMU was known for its women’s volleyball team, but the chaotic atmosphere around her really drove the thought home. There must have been at least a hundred girls here, all of them looking to join the roster.

The sharp note of a whistle cut through the cacophony and almost immediately the entire gym went silent. Standing at the entrance to the locker rooms and commanding the attention of everyone around her was a sharp-eyed woman in a pink polo. The embroidery underneath her shirt pocket read Kim Taeyeon- Head Coach. “Alright, listen up ladies! Once you’re signed in I want you in single-file lines according to cohort so my staff can better organize today’s tryouts. Freshman on the left, seniors on the right!” There was a pause, in which no one dared speak until Coach Kim clapped her hands. “Now, please!”

Almost as if they’d been slapped, the gymnasium suddenly filled with sound again as everyone began rushing to get in their lines. Seungwan shuffled over to the sign-in table with Seulgi, looking over at the growing line of sophomores. Several of them looked like they’d been through this already. If she didn’t have doubts about this before, she sure did now. She was jolted out of her thoughts though when a kindly older woman got her attention. “What’s your name, dear? And what position are you trying out for?”

“Son Seungwan,” she answered. “I’m uh, trying out for libero.”

The woman nodded, marking down Seungwan’s information and handing her a worn-out nametag with the number 77, along with a couple of safety pins. “Please attach this nametag to the back of your shirt, find a partner in your cohort and start warming up. Tryouts should begin shortly.”

Seungwan thanked her and walked off to join the line of other second-year students, waiting for Seulgi to join her. Her best friend came jogging over a minute later, a ball already tucked underneath her arm. Seungwan rolled her eyes, of course Seulgi would be prepared. Some things never changed. “Ya, help me put this on, Seul!”

She turned around to allow Seulgi to carefully fasten the nametag to the back of her shirt, before gesturing for the other girl to do the same.

“Thank you for agreeing to do this, Wannie,” Seulgi said quietly, fidgeting a bit while Seungwan pinned her nametag to her back. “I know you weren’t looking to play college volleyball.”

Seungwan shrugged, pulling at the edges of Seulgi’s nametag to make sure it wouldn’t accidentally fall off during the tryouts. “Why try out now, and not when we were freshmen?”

“I guess I wanted the traditional college experience first, without having to worry about sports. But then I joined the intermural volleyball team and realized how much I missed playing.”

Satisfied with her work, Seungwan tapped Seulgi’s shoulder and motioned for her to pass the ball. Carving out a spot for them near the end of the sophomore line, the two began warming up. She was rusty, that much was obvious. She hadn’t played in over a year, but her muscle memory hadn’t completely deteriorated. She soon got into the swing of things, enjoying the familiar burn in her muscles as she got more comfortable going for more complex passes. Seulgi shot her an encouraging grin when she returned a particularly difficult pass. “Glad to see I’ve still got it.”

“You never lost it,” Seulgi said, and Seungwan laughed. It was nice, the entire exchange bringing back good memories of when they played together in high school.

“BALL!”

Seungwan’s body reacted on instinct, sinking to the ground just as a volleyball whizzed past her head from the direction of the junior line and smacked into the wall behind her. Maybe it was a good thing she was short…

“I’m so sorry, it’s not my fault, I swear!” Seungwan stood up, a reply already on the tip of her tongue, when she caught sight of perhaps the prettiest girl she’d ever seen. The girl in question shot past her, chasing after her volleyball, jet-black hair pulled up into a tight ponytail.

Seungwan’s answer died, and when she opened the only thing that came out was a stuttered, “N-no worries.”

The girl shot a quick smile at both Seungwan and Seulgi, bowing politely and returning to her passing partner, a similarly good-looking girl who was overcome with a case of the giggles. Seungwan made sure both of them were out of earshot before turning to Seulgi.

“Wow, way to freeze up there,” Seulgi giggled, watching Seungwan turn around again to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous girl who had just walked away. “I know she’s hot, but damn!”

Seungwan wasn’t listening, her gaze transfixed on the mysterious girl. Seulgi snapped her fingers in front of her friend’s face to jolt her out of her gay reverie. “Hello, earth to Seungwan. WENDY!”

Seungwan shook her head, hearing her old high-school nickname jarring her back to the present situation. “Sorry, what?”

“What’s with you?” Seulgi asked.

“Nothing I just—who was that?”

“I’m surprised you didn’t recognize her, that’s the team captain, Bae Joohyun. One of the best setters in the league.”

Now that Seulgi said it, the girl did look familiar. But why was she actively participated in tryouts if she was already on the team?

Seulgi answered the question for her, “I heard Coach Kim makes everyone attend tryouts no matter if they’re already on the team or not. I guess it keeps them on their toes.”

Seungwan nodded, forcing herself to look away from Joohyun before she was caught staring. Bae Joohyun was a junior and widely considered to be one of the most talented setters in the last thirty years. Seungwan had heard of her, but she never expected to meet her during tryouts. She had to admit, Joohyun was even prettier in person. If you’d asked her this morning, she would have said she wasn’t looking to pass these tryouts but now?

Now things might have to change.