Chapter 75: Standing Outside the Court

“Choi Seokhyun, haven’t you gotten a bit heavier? Just because it’s the off-season doesn’t mean you should slack off in training.”

It was right when Choi Seokhyun struck the ball that Wooju had set.

Wooju immediately shot him a sharp glare.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that with emotion behind it. You only say nice things to the others.”

“I’m just stating facts. Come again.”

Under Wooju’s sharp gaze and imposing presence, the spikers waiting nearby gulped nervously.

Seeing that, Coach Kim burst out laughing.

“Alright, ten-minute break. We have a friendly match tomorrow, so we won’t push the training too hard today.”

“Yes!”

Soon a short break was given.

Coach Kim walked over to Wooju, who was using the break time to continue nagging Seokhyun.

“Wooju, you seem a little sensitive today.”

“Huh? Really? I’m acting like I normally do.”

“Well, that’s true. But you’ve looked pretty relaxed lately, so maybe today it just stands out more.”

Wooju pressed his lips together as if he had nothing to say.

Coach Kim patted his shoulder and told him that Seokhyun might look tough but was actually soft-hearted, so if he used the whip he should give some carrots too, then left.

“Wooju-ya.”

At that moment Jitae, who had been waiting, approached and handed him a water bottle.

A neatly folded towel as well.

“Thanks.”

While drinking the water, Wooju stared intently at Jitae.

The part Coach Kim mentioned about him being sensitive wasn’t actually that different from how he usually acted during training.

On the court, even if it was just practice and not an official match, he felt compelled to take it seriously.

But the reason his mood felt sharper today wasn’t simply because it had been a while since he trained with the ball.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jitae tilted his head.

The message he had accidentally seen yesterday at the café wouldn’t leave Wooju’s mind.

He knew it was wrong to read someone else’s messages, but once something caught your eye it was hard to shake off.

“It’s nothing.”

Wooju shook his head.

The message labeled “Mom” had clearly been scolding Jitae.

Just from that, it seemed obvious there might be some serious conflict between mother and son.

Was there really a mother who worried that much about contacting her twenty-seven-year-old son?

Wooju usually called home once every two weeks if he had time, or once a month if he was busy—just a brief “I’m alive” check-in.

So it was a little hard for him to understand.

And there was something else that bothered him even more.

When Won Jitae came back from the restroom and checked his phone, his face had stiffened.

The way he tapped the screen with empty eyes kept nagging at Wooju’s mind.

“…Ju-ya. Kang Wooju.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you spacing out like that? Looks like they’re starting again.”

The break was over and the teammates were gathering back on the court.

“Oh, right.”

Wooju handed the water bottle and towel back to Jitae and walked toward them.

Jitae absentmindedly watched his back and rubbed his chin.

“Is he not feeling well? Or maybe he’s tired. He seems sensitive today…”

Jitae murmured quietly as he slowly walked away from the court.

But after just a few steps, he glanced down at the sneakers standing on the orange court.

The floor beneath his feet wasn’t any different from usual, yet something about it felt strange.

It wasn’t simply because he was standing on this court again after a long time.

Jitae returned to his spot and followed Wooju with his eyes as he resumed training.

The way he set the ball, delivering it perfectly in front of the spikers, had not a single unnecessary movement.

It was on a completely different level from when he was in high school.

Even back then Wooju had been highly skilled, but now he was the starting setter of the league’s top team.

How many times had Jitae watched that very setting motion from the opposite side of the court?

“……”

The hand holding the towel he still hadn’t put away slowly tightened.

Just then Wooju’s hand slipped and the ball dropped somewhere awkwardly.

The teammates instantly pointed at him and teased him as if they had been waiting for it.

Laughter quickly bloomed around them.

At first Wooju’s ears turned red in embarrassment, but soon a smile spread across his face too.

The more Jitae watched that harmless smile, the tighter his chest felt.

He knew exactly what this feeling was.

And that was why it hurt even more.

He envied the players hitting the balls Wooju set.

The ones standing on the same court wearing the same uniform and matching their rhythm with him.

The choice he had made long ago had already been buried.

Regret wasn’t something he felt strongly anymore.

But standing here in this familiar yet unfamiliar gymnasium, watching volleyball player Kang Wooju only as an outsider—

He couldn’t say he felt nothing at all.

A bitter smile slowly appeared on Jitae’s face.

At the same time, players in the Yuseong Fire & Marine Insurance team gymnasium were also passing the ball back and forth in training.

“That’s it for practice today. Gather up.”

“Yes!”

“As you all know, tomorrow we’ll play a friendly match at Baekyoung Construction’s home court. Even though it’s basically a fan event for both clubs, don’t relax too much and take care of your condition. Got it?”

The players responded with loud voices that echoed throughout the gym.

After finishing practice safely, the Yuseong Fire & Marine Insurance team members headed to the locker room one by one.

“Do you think Kang Wooju will start?”

“He’ll probably play, right?”

The players gathered in the locker room began chatting casually.

The topic was tomorrow’s friendly match.

“He might not. Isn’t he filming some variety show or something right now?”

“But he really is good. Baekyoung didn’t reach first place in the league for nothing after recruiting Kang Wooju.”

“That’s why they say half of sports success is natural talent.”

Naturally, whenever Baekyoung Construction was mentioned, Kang Wooju couldn’t be left out of the conversation.

A man slowly approached the two players leading the discussion.

“I agree with that. Kang Wooju was insane even back when he was a student.”

“Oh right, Jaeyeon—you’re from Wonjang High, right? And Wooju went to Daehyun High.”

Both schools were still well-known for their prestigious volleyball teams, something most players already knew.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Yuseong Fire & Marine setter Yoon Jaeyeon smiled and joined the conversation naturally.

A player who had been quietly listening nearby suddenly clapped his hands as if remembering something.

“Wait, wasn’t there some monster at Wonjang High back then?”

“Ah, yeah. There was someone like that.”

Yoon Jaeyeon ran his hand through his wet hair, deliberately emphasizing that it was all in the past.

“I remember people saying Korea had finally produced a real talent… what was his name again?”

Jaeyeon’s eyes rolled upward as he stared into the air for a moment.

Then he shook his head.

“I don’t really remember. He doesn’t play volleyball anymore anyway.”

The other players teased him, asking how he could forget the name of someone who used to be his teammate.

“What’s the point of remembering? He quit and ran away anyway.”

Jaeyeon’s voice dropped slightly.

As he traced back the past, he casually spoke a lie.

Wooju walked out of the gym together with Jitae.

Practice had ended earlier than usual so it wouldn’t affect tomorrow’s friendly match.

“Are you starting tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Probably.”

Wooju answered casually while naturally looking around for somewhere to eat near the gym.

He and Jitae had agreed to grab dinner nearby before going home.

“If we go into that alley behind there, there are a bunch of restaurants. Most of them are good, so let’s just pick one.”

“Okay.”

With a camera on each side, the two of them casually walked down the street.

The area around the gym was a little remote, but once they reached the busier district there were quite a lot of people.

Since it was exactly dinner time, the alley they entered was more crowded than expected.

“Huh?! Isn’t that Won Jitae?”

“No way! It’s Won Jitae! And next to him—that’s Kang Wooju, right?”

“They must be filming something!”

At first people were just curious about the cameras, but once they noticed the tall pair they hesitated for a moment before suddenly clapping and shouting excitedly.

“Hmm. Maybe we should’ve just eaten at home.”

“What’s the problem?”

Jitae shrugged and skillfully greeted the fans who stared at him with sparkling eyes.

Fortunately people seemed aware that filming was happening, so although they were excited they didn’t rush over recklessly.

“So? What’s good here?”

“Everything’s good, but you don’t like spicy food, so…”

Wooju looked around carefully at the brightly lit signboards.

Then one word caught his eye.

“Won Jitae, do you like gukbap?”

The place Wooju pointed at was a pork soup rice restaurant boasting 30 years of tradition.

Jitae’s face showed a slightly awkward expression.

“I’ve never eaten it before.”

“What? Are you even Korean? How did you live 27 years without eating that?”

“That can happen.”