Cha Hakyeon stood relaxed in the shower, with the hot water soothing his aching muscles after a satisfying archery practice. The annual tournament was around the corner and he was more pumped than previous years. Like many rangemasters before him, he started as a rookie, then a substitute, and finally the front lines after passing the test. It's his last year in university and he wanted to make the best of it to look back on when convocation arrives.

He took a deep breath and exhaled before turning off the tap and drying off. He just loved the feeling when he cracked his back and shoulders after a long day. He put on his normal clothes, and stuffed his bag with his equipment and damp towels. When he left the change room, he still heard the distant thunk of the arrows puncturing the target in the range. Curious, he treaded up the stairs and searched for the source.

It was one of the newcomers in Howon University's archery team, Yoomin, he recalled her name with ease, still practicing in the after hours. He carefully watched her arm draw the bow back after nocking the arrow on the string, and frowned worriedly at the tension and trembling in her posture and arms.

She was stressed.

After releasing the arrow, he took the chance to approach her by calling her name. She turned around in a hurry, that she accidentally knocked over one of the empty quivers near her.

"Hey, just rest up for the day. It's not going to do any good if you hole yourself up here before the tournment," he said, and tossed a towel to her. Even when the air conditioning was at its maximum, Yoomin was still drenched in hardworking sweat. The subtle wince on her face, however when she caught the towel, did not go unnoticed from Hakyeon's sharp eyes. He also spotted a flash of white on her shoulders under the navy t-shirt and the bandages on her pointer and middle fingers.

"Yoomin, turn around," he nodded his head at her. Puzzled, she complied but flinched when his calloused fingers shifted the neckline aside to reveal two hot patches stuck on her back muscles. It was those muscles every archer used when drawing the arrow on the bowstring back. Yoomin turned her head and her brown orbs met his darkened gaze.

"Sunbae," she uttered nervously.

"What did I say about working yourself too hard?" Hakyeon scolded, "Look at you - you're a mess. You can't seem to focus on the targets and your arms were shaking the entire time. You think that you can improve when you know you're not taking care of your health properly?"

Yoomin shamefully lowered her head with emotions buzzing in her mind.

"Give me your bow and quiver," he held out his hand for it. Her eyes widened in shock, and he raised his eyebrows without having to repeat himself. As much as she didn't want to, she reluctantly relinquished her trusted recurve bow and waist belt to him. "Sit with me."

After setting her archery set aside, Hakyeon affectionately adjusted the towel from around her neck to covering her head. He sat down beside her on the bench and gave a smile. "You know, I remember the first time you tried out for the team."

Yoomin gave him a look and retorted, "None of my arrows stuck in the target." Hakyeon chucked at the memory.

"Sunbae." He answered with a hum. "Why did I make the team?" Hakyeon remembered the tryouts back in the first semester like it was yesterday. Right when the potential archers stepped up on the line, he was able to pick out who he wanted before they fired their first shot. One of them was Lee Yoomin - Lee Kikwang's younger sister. Both siblings had stellar appearances, but unlike her older brother, she had two left feet. Her performance wasn't as stellar as her appearance, but he could see the determination and focus in her eyes the moment she stepped into the range.

"Let's see," he mused. "If I were to choose between an archer who had many years of practice with little motivation and a newcomer with endless possibilities, it would be the newcomer." It was a little controversial in her opinion, along with everyone else's. There were whispers behind her back about Rangemaster Hakyeon picking favourites than Howon's athletic superstars - especially from Yoon Bora, who brought home last year's trophy. "If I chose Bora, then I would know for sure that Howon will win again."

"Doesn't every team want to win?" Yoomin raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, but I'd rather work hard for the win than waiting for it," he grinned and tousled her towel-covered hair. He glanced at the porcupine of a target and said, "Besides, you've improved a lot."

Even though it was a compliment, Yoomin couldn't take it. "I'm still not enough, sunbae. I still feel like I'm the deadweight in the team. I could see it in everyone else's faces, even though they don't say anything. The least I could do is to practice."

"The least you could do is to get some rest once in a while," he kept smiling when he put his arm around her sore shoulders. "The tournament is in two weeks and we have midterms to finish up first. So, hear me out - you are forbidden from practice until you're done with midterms. That's an order." He suggested with a playful glare. Yoomin sagged her shoulders with a pout.

"Well, at least until the hot patches and bandages come off," he quickly changed his mind with a little fluster, making her giggle. "Aha! You laughed!" His exclamation only made her giggle harder and hide her pink face in her hands. When she calmed down with a cute sigh, she leaned back into the mat hanging on the wall behind the bench. Hakyeon followed suit. "I'm just worried about you, Lee Yoomin. I want you to be in your top shape in mind and body before d-day."

The soft gaze he gave her made Yoomin's eyes a little glassy but returning the soft gaze nonetheless. "I know."

"I know you know. But I believe in you." The sincerity in his voice made a tear drop from her eyes. He pulled her closer and pushed her head  to his sturdy shoulder. One by one, the tears trailed down her face and into the towel as he gently her back.

The tournament day was full of tension and thick silence. Jung Daehyun placed 3rd in men's recurve; Kwon Sohyun and Lim Jinah placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in women's compound; Shin Dongwoo placed 1st in men's bare bow; and Howon's ace Cha Hakyeon placed 1st in men's compound and Park Sanghyun placing 2nd in men's compound. They needed one more first place to have the overall average first - and it all came down to Lee Yoomin in women's recurve.

It was the final round with Lee Yoomin from Howon University against Kang Jihyun from Yonsei University, who was three years her senior. So far, their scores were neck to neck with points between 8 and 10, and Jihyun was in the lead by one point. They had two arrows left each and she couldn't afford to lose any more points. Hakyeon could see Yoomin's concentration at her maximum and it was going to be a close match.

The sound of the horn blared through the auditiorium and Jihyun drew her arrow back. The arrow flew in the wind and hit its mark with the spotter reporting, "9 points!"

Hakyeon watched Yoomin nock her arrow on the bowstring and at Lee Kikwang with his friends Yoon Doojoon and Yang Yoseob in the spectator seats holding up a giant sign for her. Not even their cheering broke her focus. She drew back with an inhale, and let go with a painful wince.

"9 points!"

The senior stood up in worry, because Yoomin gripped the string so hard that the pad slipped from her fingers. As a result, her two fingers burnt badly. He eyed the rest of team sighing in defeat, but he wouldn't give up on her. "Hold!" he hollered and ran up to Yoomin. She turned her head to him in alarm.

Hakyeon walked to her and slipped on his special glove. He enclosed her drawing hand in his own and leaned his forehead against hers. "I believe in you."

"Fire!" he resumed afterwards. The horn blew and Yoomin took her stance confidently. She had forgotten until now that her brother and his friends were cheering her on in their own silly way. Jihyun fired her last arrow and scored eight points. Yoomin definitely needed ten points to win without going into overtime.

Everything depended on the twenty seconds given to her. She took a deep breath and drew her arrow back. Her fingers didn't hurt anymore thanks to the thick leather material of Hakyeon's glove, and the arm guard protected her left arm from whiplash. For a moment, she felt a bit of assurance - realizing that everything will be alright.

Five seconds left - Yoomin smiled and opened her left eye before firing with a thunk on the target.

Everything slowly went deaf around her as she placed her bow down in a mild state of shock. As soon as she stood up properly, she was suddenly hoisted up by a pair of strong arms around her waist, spinning her around in pride. Cha Hakyeon placed a kiss on her cheek while embracing her tightly with the rest of the team finally accepting her for her efforts and determination. "Told you," his lips grazed her ear before kissing her cheek again.

Tears of joy flowed freely as she gripped his shoulders tighter. She didn't care if her muscles ached again. Nothing else mattered at that moment.

Lee Yoomin from Class of 2018 placed 1st in women's recurve with 46-45 in her favour, finishing the tournament with Howon's overall average in 1st place.

A/N: Yeah, archery is really easy to start out, but it's hard to master. Take care of yourselves this summer, everybody!
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