Chapter 1: The Final Set

The ball fell onto the court.

The cheers of the crowd had quieted down.

A familiar yet unpleasant chill swept across the back of his neck.

And the referee, extending his hand toward the opposite side of the court, blew the whistle.

Every single sight passed by as if in slow motion.

“Waaah!”

Immediately, the thunderous voices from the opposing supporters’ section shook the hall.

Even the commentators in the gym began shouting into the microphone, broadcasting with full energy.

“Yes! With this, the 57th Presidential Cup National High School Volleyball Tournament champions are Wonjang High School!”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Wonjang High School, trailing by five points in the final set, has made a dramatic comeback!”

Kang Woo-joo panted heavily, staring blankly at his own reflection in the sweat drops on the court.

Thoughts of how he could have blocked the last attack or created an attacking chance swirled chaotically in his mind.

They were all questions that had no answer—or if there were, it was already too late.

Still feeling his heart pounding violently, Woo-joo stood dazed on the court.

His body, relaxed from tension, was screaming in pain, but he didn’t care about that at all.

“Woo-joo, let’s go. Time to line up.”

A teammate patted his back.

It was a signal to finally return to reality.

“Ah… yeah.”

Even as he ran to the end of the court, it didn’t feel real.

The feeling of losing the final always came too late.

He bowed his head toward the opposing team in response to the referee’s call.

Some sections of the audience were still cheering loudly, while the students in the cheering section of Daehyeon High School, where Woo-joo belonged, gave only weak, lifeless applause.

It was a natural reaction after their expected victory was overturned.

“Everyone, good job. Monitoring will be done back at school. Pack up your things and get on the bus immediately.”

“Yes!”

As soon as the coach finished speaking, the team members began to shed tears one by one.

From first-year students crying their hearts out to third-years holding back tears to comfort their juniors.

Only then did Woo-joo realize.

His high school volleyball career had ended like this.

His eyes grew hot.

He had always thought that crying after losing a match was foolish, yet tears rolled down his cheeks.

Seeing Woo-joo—who had never cried right after a game—break down so openly, the team members sobbed even harder.

The coach silently patted each of them on the shoulder and let them step aside.

“Woo-joo, ten minutes, and we depart.”

“Okay.”

Park Hyun-jin, a fellow third-year, left the gym slowly, leaving Woo-joo behind.

At times like this, giving someone space was far better than offering the usual words of comfort.

“Ha…”

Woo-joo exhaled heavily and looked around the court.

It was so quiet that it was hard to believe a heated match had just taken place here.

He would never wear this team uniform and step onto this court again.

Three years of volleyball, long in some ways and short in others, had come to an end today.

Woo-joo packed his sports bag and slowly got up.

He knew better than anyone that regretting anything now was useless.

To become a better player, he had to use this painful defeat as a stepping stone to rise again.

As he tried to swallow a sigh that escaped unconsciously and step out of the gym, a shadow appeared before him.

“What’s this? Usually, you wouldn’t shed a single tear even if pricked. So Woo-joo is human after all?”

“…Won Ji-tae.”

The spiker from Wonjang High School.

The hero of today’s dramatic comeback.

And Woo-joo’s long-time rival.

He looked down at Woo-joo with a confident face.

“Move.”

“Are you so gloomy because it’s your last match? It’s not the first time you’ve lost to me. Don’t blame yourself too much.”

“…This bastard!”

It was common for them to bicker after a game.

Normally, Woo-joo would respond with childish arguments.

But this time, he reacted differently—probably out of a little irritation.

The frustration of losing to his rival in the final match tangled up with all other feelings and swallowed his mood whole.

Anyway, Woo-joo had no intention of quitting volleyball, and in fact, he felt this was only the beginning.

Yet being immature, it was natural to feel like the world had ended.

Bang—!

Woo-joo grabbed Ji-tae by the collar and pushed him hard against the wall.

Though there was a height difference, cornering an unguarded opponent was not difficult.

“Don’t get cocky just because you won the last final. My match isn’t over yet.”

Woo-joo’s eyes were filled with intensity.

Ji-tae, even with his neck being pressed, looked completely relaxed and even smirked.

If Woo-joo had no shred of reason left, he could have knocked him out.

He didn’t because Ji-tae was a fellow player. That was all.

“Right. Woo-joo, nothing’s over. You know that better than anyone.”

“…”

“So do it again.”

Woo-joo’s grip gradually loosened.

Strangely, her words calmed him.

“…Hey, Won Ji-tae.”

He let go of Ji-tae’s clothes and stepped back slightly.

“Next time, I’ll win.”

Ji-tae smiled broadly, so brightly that even Woo-joo, who had just issued a challenge, was taken aback.

“…Okay.”

“You annoying bastard.”

Woo-joo shook his hands and left the gym with more spirited steps than before, unaware that Ji-tae was watching him with satisfaction.

What Woo-joo didn’t know then was not just that.

He didn’t know that the match where he grabbed Ji-tae’s collar would be their last encounter.

Ji-tae would later disappear from the volleyball scene.

The alarm blared violently, and Woo-joo struggled to open his eyes.

He was sure he had gone to bed early after finishing practice yesterday, but his body felt stiff and sore.

Normally, he slept so deeply that he wouldn’t notice even if someone carried him away, but around this time of year—precisely in May—no amount of sleep seemed refreshing.

Because the past always appeared like a dream.

And yesterday, just like any other day, the gym appeared as the backdrop of that dream.

“Haah.”

Woo-joo sighed deeply and slowly got out of bed.

The domestic league season had ended last month, so he was spending a relatively leisurely offseason.

Usually after the league ended, players either trained or played friendly matches with other teams.

He washed his face roughly and went to the kitchen.

He was hungry and needed something to eat, but there was nothing suitable at home.

He had procrastinated grocery shopping, and now it had come back to bite him.

In the end, he settled on cereal.

He poured a bowlful—about twice the amount a normal person would eat—and added milk.

Determined to finish it before it got soggy, he ate quickly.

Just as he was finishing the bowl, his phone, left carelessly nearby, began to ring loudly.

The screen was filled with a message from a familiar person.

[Player Kang, is public opinion finally going downhill?]

[Link]

[The article is already out and causing chaos~]

It was a message from Park Hyun-jin, his friend from the high school volleyball team.

Even without opening the link, he could guess what kind of article it would be.

Still, curiosity got the better of him.

Woo-joo sighed shortly and clicked the link.

[Baek Young Construction Setter, Player Kang Woo-joo. Overstepped at a friendly match?]

As expected, the article was about a recent friendly match at Baek Young Construction’s home court.

The opponent was Sanhae Life, a team competing for first and second place in the league, drawing significant attention from volleyball fans.

For the first four sets, the match proceeded smoothly with no issues.

Baek Young won the first set; Sanhae took the second and third; in the final set, Sanhae reversed Baek Young and claimed victory.

The problem arose at that very moment.

Sanhae’s Lee Geon-woo, after winning the final match point, performed a provocative celebration toward the disappointed Baek Young players.

Excited, the opposing player continued the performance even toward the fans cheering for Baek Young.

Woo-joo couldn’t hold back, grabbed a water bottle, and clashed with the player.

He scrolled through the article with an indifferent expression.

Naturally, the comments section, burning with excitement, caught his eye.