“So you know how to cry too huh?” She heard the presence beside her, wiping her tears, she looks to her left to find Chanyeol’s big eye staring back at her. He was taken aback by her swollen features after crying. He had the urge to wipe her tears but kept it in.  “Heard you took day off, what are you doing here?” He took a double take at her knee to make sure he didn’t see wrong. she took her cast off. He doesn’t need an answer as to why she took a day off after it make sense to him.

“It’s curriculum hour, what are you doing here?” She asked back, looking at her feet.

“It’s free period, Choi ssem is not in school.” She nodded in respond, awkwardness sinks in once again until ChanYeol cleared his throat, “What happen to you?”

“I am okay”

“Crying because you are okay?” He squinted his eyes, pulling one of his leg us and rested his arm on the popped up knee. “It’s okay not to be okay sometimes, I know you are uncomfortable with me after all those that I did to you, it’s okay if you don’t want to share with me. You can always tell the other guys.”

His words made Roo felt weird, it was falling between guilty and feeling bad. She wasn’t uncomfortable with ChanYeol, nor did she not like him. He probably felt that she doesn’t like him anyway. He was always against him. “Why do you hate me, ChanYeol?” She said softly.

“huh?!” He whipped his head so fast towards her out of surprise, “I don’t hate you Roo” He replied after he realised what it was all about. “It was just difficult…difficult to adapt to you from the start. I guess everything is good now?”

“ChanYeol…” Her once stopped tears welled up in her eyes again. “basketball…has basketball become part of your life? Has it become one of your priority? Your life? Your everything?”

“huh?”

“because it has become my life, my dream, my hope, my everything.” She let out an uncontrolled sob that she was holding back, “I really don’t know what am I going to do without it.” She stared blankly at the ground, as much as she tried to hold it in, the pain came out like an uproar from in the form of a silent scream. The beads of tears started falling down, without a sign of stopping. was burning, from forcing herself not to let out any form of weakness. Knowing Roo for 1 month wasn’t too long nor too short, but he has never seen her so helpless before. Her fragile looking state makes him want to hug her tightly, comfort her. ChanYeol was lost for words, he had never met any similar situation before, he had no idea how to comfort a crying girl. “I thought I had done what was supposed to be done, but why does it hurt so much?”

“Roo, what really happened to you?” He sounded really concerned, scooted closer to Roo, he awkwardly placed his hand on her shoulder, in attempt to comfort her.

Can I let out everything for once? Is it alright that it’s ChanYeol?

“He said if I go for the operation, I won’t be able to continue basketball anymore, just so that I will be able to walk for the rest of my life, but if don’t go for the second operation, I would have left with at most 5 years for basketball, and by then, any treatment would’ve been of no use. What am I going to do? I really don’t know…”

“Why….? How?” He was speechless, “was…was it because of that match with JongHyun?”

It did made it worse… “No it wasn’t…”

“Then?”

“Back then, I injured myself during the competition”

“Was that why you disappeared from the basketball world? And came to Richmond?” Everything made sense to him now. Receiving no respond, he sighed.

“It’s my whole world, I know that no matter what I have to give up, but not now. I can’t. I started basketball when I was 12, and I told myself that I am going to play basketball until above 35years old, and after 45 years old if I can still afford to play. Why is life so cruel, why do they have to take something so important away from me? W-Why” She choked. ChanYeol finally found his courage to pull Roo into a hug. Pushing her head to his chest, placing his palm on the back of her head and another wrapping around her shoulders. She cried out loud under his embrace. Weirdly, she felt safe, sense of security warmed her.

To ChanYeol, he saw a younger side of him in her. Where did all his passion went? Before he entered Richmond, he had so much passion for basketball, as if he had that fire burning in him to continue. Ever since he entered Richmond, it was like a bucket of cold water splashed on him, washing away that fire, that passion. His younger self would train every single day be it under the hot sun or rain, he would obey every instruction from his coach without fail just so he could do well, he would go for a 7KM run every night. It made him reflect, how did he become this way? He could almost feel the sorrow in his heart hearing Roo’s cries.

Were they too harsh for her without knowing her? Was he too harsh? Deep down, he knew that she was only a 19 years old girl that love basketball, that held a dream higher than them.

After she calmed herself down, she sat up awkwardly, clearing , “Erm, what happened here stays in here”

“Are you scared of showing people your weakness? Sometimes, it’s okay to show, because that’s how bonds are form, how-“

“I don’t like to see pity in people’s eyes.” Suddenly, ChanYeol didn’t seemed like that cold jerk she first met.

“Can I ask you something since we are at it? before who knows we would have such a talk again.”

“shoot it”

“What makes you want to be a coach of a last place team?”

She thought for a minute, before giving him the answer. “It wasn’t exactly in my plan. At first, I just thought I wanted to prove something to people who was once in this part of my life, but after meeting all of you, I felt that, maybe you guys are worth it. It was a promise to Mr Park before, but now, it’s my promise to the 10 of y’all. You guys deserve to be on the top, because I could see the potential in all of you. I never once thought you guys are last place, I have never doubted your capabilities, I just thought you guys were difficult.” She snickered.

“Difficult? Did you see how a little girl like you ordered us around?”

“I am a coach during training did you forget that fact?” She gave him a pointed look.

“Well…then why did you leave Whimoon?” That question made her mind stopped. It was sensitive, to her. She thought she had to stop minding her past so much. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me”

“No, that shouldn’t affect me anymore. It’s the past isn’t it?” her lips, she continued, “I’ve always thought Whimoon was the right place for me, even when I know probably 90% of the acquaintance in that school hates me, I didn’t want to leave, because of one thing, basketball. They said I’m arrogant, self centered, they think that I am not as good as what the media says, I ignored all those for 2 years, just because I want to play on court. Because my favourite part of the game, is the opportunity to play.”

“You could’ve went to any school and easily become the captain, they will surely welcome you”

“I guess I was too hungry for winning, and I was greedy back then. Even up till now, I still think was a coward for leaving that school. But every time I thought back to that last game, and everything they said about me, I… thought I made the right decision. Maybe my sacrificing to them was a mistake. I can break my leg to save my teammate but they just don’t see the good in bad. I don’t deny I was never a good captain, and I expected that, but I never thought I couldn’t handle it.”

“Not all captains are willing to do that, you’re a great captain, from all the other captains I’ve seen, and I am not saying that to comfort you.”

“You know what! Richmond should totally meet Whimoon’s men team, they are stronger than HyoNam, it will be a good training for you guys”

“Are you going to bring us to another friendly?” ChanYeol excitedly exclaimed.

Roo was planning in her mind when she was suddenly reminded of something that woke her up, “No, not with Whimoon”, She wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with them anymore. She didn’t want them to know her whereabouts, at least not now.

“Why? You said yourself that it will be a good training for us. Or did you think we are not good enough yet? Because you are scared that we will be a shame to you?” He accused.

“OFCOURSE NOT! I told you I never thought you guys were last. I’m just not ready to meet anyone of them. At least, not now.” She played with her fingers, “I used to have friendly with them, even when we are not at that stage of friends yet, I was closer to them than my own teammates. Joohyuk, he reminds me of one of the junior I was assigned to teach. He was the one that I could comfortably call him my friend, and…I didn’t tell anyone about my departure.” I am guilty about it, I feel bad, I don’t want to face him “I am not prepared to meet them. Please understand”

“This is the first time you are talking so much, seriously”

She punched him lightly and checked her watch to realise that time passed so fast, “Yah! It’s almost been 2 hours since you’re out here! Aren’t you supposed to get back to class already?”

“It doesn’t matter”

“Did you forget what I said, your progress reports determine your next training, Park ChanYeol”

“Aish, seriously!” He ruffled his hair out of frustration, standing up with so much force, “okay, okay I get it!”

Before he was too far, she stopped him, “Hey! Thank you”

After ChanYeol left, Roo lied down on the bench as she led her memories engulf her, memories of her in Whimoon, and her words to ChanYeol. Did she do the right thing to tell him all those? Did she spoke too fast? Soon after, she fell asleep.

“Roo! Why are you here?!” Mino was the first one to leave the class and reach the basketball gym after school ended and was shock to see Roo sleeping there. He took a double take to confirm that unexpected fact. “YOUR CAST IS OFF!” He was smiling ear to ear when he saw that, but as usual, his excitement only last for that second before it left.

She groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes, giving a good look at her surroundings, she then realised that she had fallen asleep. She rubbed her face, and met Mino’s eyes. “Oh, Mino, I thought there’s no training today?”

“Yeah but other than training days, most of us would still play a game here every day after school. What are you doing here? I heard you had a day off” Why did everyone know she had her day off? She felt that her privacy was intruded. Mino marched towards the space beside her and put down his bag before beginning his warm up. Roo raised an eyebrow, since when was he so serious. She still remembered her first day here, they had their mouth full, late for training and doesn’t give a dam.

“Yeah, things c-“

“Came up” Mino finished up her sentence for her. “Seriously, you always say that. Change a line already”

“Make me” she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I am leaving” She stood up to leave.

“So fast? Do you not want to see us?” Mino gave her a puppy eye that made her hair stand, “Just stay until we are done, take it as extra training session for us”

“I took off remember, if ssem see me the-“

“Seriously, do you even look like you care about that”

“You need to stop cutting me off, if I get caught, you will get it from me” She sat back down, gaining a satisfied smile from Mino.

Not long after Roo started directing Mino’s position and techniques, the others came in, including Park ChanYeol who was surprised to see her still here. He met her eyes and she was giving him a don’t-you-dare-mention-anything look. He just returns with his bambi eyes. She was already expecting the same question from the others. She annoyingly replied, “If anyone ask me what am I doing here again, I am not going to arrange anymore friendly for you guys anymore and you will be stuck here doing suicides.” Instantly, they all kept their mouth shut. It was nice to see them playing basketball even when there is no training.

“Oh cast off? Finally?” Bogum pointed out making the rest of the members turn their head.

“Yeah” She was having mixed feeling. Cast off but…

Sehun walked in with tired eyes, and lit up when he saw Roo, “OH! Roo!! Why Are-“ Before sehun could finish his sentence, he was tackled on to the floor, with their palms over his mouth. He struggled and mumbled inaudible words.

“SHH, don’t be a little . You will be dead if you finish up your question” MinHyuk warned him.

“Why are you guys always doing this to me!” He threw tantrum, whined, making them laugh. They can all see his urge trying to spill out his doubt.

Woobin chuckled, “Got it got it, I will tell you later, just keep your mouth shut for now”