Today is the game against their neighbouring school. People have gathered, taking their seats on the bleachers, and the cheerleaders were getting ready as well. Even students from the other school came, wanting to witness the game. 

Players from the opposing school have already arrived and have changed into their basketball kits. 

Yeji noticed that Ryujin is still nowhere to be found. 

"Where's Ryujin?" Yeji asked the team. 

"She's still in the locker room."

Yeji hurriedly went towards the locker room because the game's about to start in a few minutes, and they need to discuss the game plan.

She saw Ryujin sitting on the long bench facing the lockers; she wasn't even wearing her jersey. Ryujin was only wearing her sports undergarment and safety shorts, with a towel wrapped around her neck. Yeji sat beside the unfazed Ryujin, who's staring blankly at the ground. 

"Why aren't you going out? The game's about to start," Yeji asked.

"Ah, R-right, sorry, I spaced out," Ryujin stuttered while finally putting on her jersey. Yeji noticed the quivering hands of the latter. She held Ryujin's hands, and they were cold and trembling.

"Don't tell me you're nervous?" Yeji questioned with a worried look on her face. 

Ryujin looked into Yeji's eyes; they were comforting and reassuring. The younger felt her slightly anxiety fading away.

"To be honest, this is my first match. I've never played basketball competitively before."

Yeji softened at the younger girl's confession. The Ryujin in front of her is not the one you would see every day. She's fragile and vulnerable right now, and it's making Yeji want to protect her. Yeji stood up and tugged Ryujin up by her hands, making her stand up. Yeji pulls her into a tight hug and pats her back.

"You'll be fine," Yeji says, her palms are circling on the younger girl's back. The statement is sincere, and Ryujin reaches for Yeji's waist and returns the hug. 

She feels a bit more relieved with the warmth of Yeji calming her mind. 

"Thank you."  


 

~


 

The two went out of the locker room and joined the rest of the team. Ryujin listened attentively to their captain, Chaeryeong, since their coach was not around again. 

Ryujin, even though it was her first match, was part of the starting lineup. Yeji, as a manager, is the one tasked to monitor the players, jotting down stats and calculating efficiency. This game is their chance to improve since some players haven't played an official match yet, like Ryujin. 

Chaeryeong is the center, while Ryujin is the shooting guard who can also play forward. Yeji didn't overlook Ryujin's athleticism— she couldn't believe that it was Ryujin that had a panic attack just a while ago. It doesn't show in the way she played the game so confidently.

Yeji could not pry her eyes off Ryujin. She sure attracts attention, even most of the crowd's people were cheering for the rookie. She shook her head to clear her mind and focused on every player, not just on Ryujin. 

The game ended with a massive gap in favour of the home team. 

Chaeryeong, usually scoring an average of seventeen points-per-game, scored a total of twenty points. Ryujin, being her first match, has set her record starting high with twenty-eight points, five steals, and six assists. These numbers are too high for a rookie. 

Yeji did notice a problem; Ryujin, and Chaeryeong, were not playing as a team. Even if Ryujin had an opening, Chaeryeong would still try to make a contested shot and vice versa.

"Chaeryeong, I just noticed that the team was lacking a lot of communication during the game, especially between you and Ryujin." Yeji approached the captain; she's not used to Chaeryeong getting too personal during a game. "Is there a problem?"

"I just don't trust her that much," Chaeryeong sighed, giving a short response.

"What do you mean you don't trust her? Her stats don't lie Chaeryeong, can't you see that? She's more capable than most of the girls on this team." Yeji finds herself defending Ryujin, even arguing with Chaeryeong— which she couldn't believe she would do in her lifetime. 

Chaeryeong was surprised by the older girl's words, but Yeji has a point. 

Sure, Ryujin is a skilled player, but Chaeryeong's 'trust issues' against Ryujin stems from not knowing the latter's true intentions towards Yeji. 

"Fine, she's our key player after all. I admit that she was outstanding, but she needs to fix her attitude towards practice." Chaeryeong said sternly, "She's just been sticking with you every practice. You should be more careful around her." 

"I trust her," Yeji said, "You should try to get to know her more for the sake of the team."

Chaeryeong stayed silent, nodding along to what Yeji's saying.

"I know how much you want to make it to Nationals, that's why I decided to be this teams' manager in the first place, but you have to do your part as captain and exert an effort to make this team work."

Yeji was right. Chaeryeong felt relieved that Yeji was there as their manager to set her mind clear, to be a better captain. 

"I'll try to talk things out with her during training camp, I guess," Chaeryeong assured.

Their training camp is going to take place at a private villa near a beach. This excursion is the most anticipated event by the basketball club since it was a three-days, two-nights outing/training.

Yeji was not sure what to feel about the camp. She just hopes that Ryujin and Chaeryeong would fix their issues.