Hyunsoo’s single word left Diante flustered, as if his secret had been exposed.
“…… What?”
“You heard me right. You think I’ve forgotten what you did?”
“……”
He struggled to find words.
He felt intimidated without even realizing it.
The aftermath of being dominated throughout the practice game.
It was a series of nightmares.
If he dribbled carelessly for a moment, Hyunsoo would approach in a low stance and swipe the ball away.
He would read the passing routes like a ghost and steal the ball.
If his shooting motion was even slightly delayed, he would be blocked in no time.
‘How can he jump that high?’
Even with a considerable height difference, Hyunsoo was slightly higher when he reached out.
And that final in-your-face dunk!
The humiliation he suffered in front of a thousand people wasn’t something he could easily forget.
A game where he didn’t score a single goal……
Even now, despite not being in a game, just standing face-to-face with Hyunsoo filled him with fear.
In such a situation, Hyunsoo smirked and spoke.
“Well, if you want to pretend you don’t know, that’s fine. I don’t want to explain it myself. Anyway, today’s game was fun. I haven’t been this interested in a starting position until now…”
“…?”
“Your position looked pretty cool. The main scorer. The one who puts the ball in the basket, right?”
‘Is he mocking me right now?’
He mentions a position where he didn’t score a single goal and says it looked cool?
“But can only one person do it on the team? Then how about we have a fair competition for it? Fair and square.”
“……!”
A declaration of war to compete for the same position.
Diante couldn’t even laugh.
For some reason, his words sounded like a warning.
‘You’re going to pretend you didn’t do anything? That’s not going to work. If you want to stay on the basketball team, you better behave.’
His heart sank. The seriousness of the situation hit him.
“……”
So, what should he do now? In the suffocating silence, only his eyes were busy darting around.
“What are you doing here? The team is waiting!”
Just then, Charles approached and took Hyunsoo away.
Amazing. Today was so much fun. Let’s play basketball together again. Okay?
How many goals did I score against the starting team? Thanks, Hyunsoo. I’ll never forget today.
Teammates spoke to Hyunsoo with excited faces.
Eventually, even the coaches began to gather around Hyunsoo one by one.
Why are you only showing up now? We needed a player like you on our team!
That was impressive. Not just saying this as a coach, but as a long-time fan of basketball, your play moves people.
When can you start?
Seeing Russell, the head coach, and O’Connor, the assistant coach, chatting happily with Hyunsoo, Diante’s shoulders felt heavy.
‘He’s not really after my position, is he?’
Diante’s thoughts grew complicated as he mulled over Hyunsoo’s words.
Hyunsoo returned home and loosened up his body.
‘I’ve really worked hard.’
After the game, the dominant opinion was to go out and eat, but… as soon as everyone washed up, they unanimously postponed it.
Everyone was too tired.
Especially Charles, who had pushed himself the hardest, fell asleep leaning in the locker room. They had to pour cold water on him to wake him up, no matter how much they shook him.
“Hmm.”
But Hyunsoo, massaging his calves, was amazed.
‘This recovery rate is unbelievable.’
Today’s tryout really tested his stamina. Contrary to his initial intention, Hyunsoo also ran hard, unknowingly accumulating fatigue, but he already felt much better.
Probably after just four hours of sleep tonight, he would be perfectly recovered. Just like always.
His body was too good for him.
“Hyunsoo, come eat.”
“Yes!”
Hyunsoo ate the dinner his mom prepared, and to let her rest, he did the cleaning up by himself.
At first, he only intended to do the dishes, but as he went on, he ended up cleaning the kitchen and the living room.
His mom, who came back later, was startled by how clean the house was.
“Oh… I was going to do it later. Thank you, son. But don’t do this next time. You need to rest too. I thought a cleaning service had come.”
“What are you talking about, this is nothing. You know high school ends at two o’clock sharp here. I’m the freest one.”
“But you must have a lot to do too. It must be hard for you…”
“Don’t worry too much. I can’t do this for you every day.”
“Really? I was worried you were doing this every day and getting tired.”
“……Wow, this is scary. How can I clean up again after this?”
Hyunsoo playfully grumbled as he hurriedly went up to his room.
From behind, he heard his mom’s sincere voice.
“Thank you, son.”
It was nothing special, but his heart felt warm.
These days, his mom was immersed in fashion, constantly studying or making something whenever she had time.
She often lost track of time when she was engrossed, and Hyunsoo liked seeing her like that.
But when housework piled up, she unconsciously came out and took care of it first, just like now. It was a sort of occupational habit.
Hyunsoo decided to take care of it whenever he had time.
‘What book should I read today?’
As a habit from the past, he usually read a book before going to sleep.
With a fully paralyzed body, there weren’t many hobbies he could enjoy, so he usually listened to audiobooks with the help of the latest devices or read e-books that automatically turned pages with his gaze.
“This book is good. Does the author have any other books?”
After his regression, he had such an intense focus that even he found it scary, making reading much more enjoyable.
Just reading a few sentences made him completely absorbed, as if a new world opened up in his mind.
“……”
As he ventured through this new world as a pioneer, the door opened.
Creak—
“Son?”
“Oh, Dad. You’re back?”
These days, his dad always came home late at night. Despite looking exhausted, he forced a smile when he saw him.
“Yeah. I heard from your mom that you joined the basketball team.”
“Haha, yes. I did.”
“That’s amazing, my son. Were you always good at basketball? I knew you had good athletic skills like me…”
“Mom says I take after her, though. Who should I believe, haha.”
His dad answered as if it was the most obvious thing.
“Of course, when it’s just the two of us, believe me. But when it’s the three of us, absolutely believe your mom. The truth is valuable only when few know about it.”
“Hahaha. I’ve learned something new today. I’ll remember your teaching forever.”
“Keep that in mind. It could save your life three times in critical situations.”
His dad then asked about Hyunsoo’s day, and they chatted about various things.
It was a tradition that had continued for many years.
“Then get some sleep, son. You must be tired.”
“Yes, you too, Dad. Thank you, always.”
“……Yeah.”
After his dad left, Hyunsoo’s emotions grew complicated.
‘This used to be so normal.’
The time spent alone with his dad had been cut off after the accident.
They always knew they cared for each other, but there weren’t many chances to confirm it like this.
His dad felt sorry for not being able to protect him, and Hyunsoo felt guilty for his dad’s sacrifices.
‘Things should be different from now on. …But I’m worried about Dad’s business.’
The reason his dad was always late was because of his business planning. One of the businesses he was working on with some colleagues had already failed.
Due to the popularity of e-commerce, they opened a shopping mall importing goods from China and set up sales channels through Amazon, but marketing wasn’t easy.
As a result, he frequently traveled to China to select new items.
‘It’s hard to tell him that he will succeed with a laundry business… There must be a way.’
Hyunsoo closed his book for a moment and pondered deeply.
“……?”
Hyunsoo lay in bed to sleep after a long day.
But suddenly, he started to cry. Tears flowed endlessly, and Hyunsoo was confused.
‘Why?’
At first, he didn’t know the reason. He had spent a very happy day. The more he recalled it, the more he smiled, and his heart felt full.
It was a precious memory that happened just today, but he already wanted to replay it several times.
But that made him cry even more.
‘Oh.’
He realized. The 17-year-old Hyunsoo was crying. No, it was the pent-up frustration from his past life.
How many rationalizations had he made in his life?
It’s okay. Even without a body, I can live happily. I’ve achieved so much, right? Many people have benefited through me, right? If I hadn’t had the accident, I would have lived an ordinary life. I’m not regretful. It’s actually better this way. I’m happy. I like it this way. I’m happy……
That was the driving force that kept him from collapsing over the years. He was obsessed with work and constantly pushed himself.
“……”
But in reality, it wasn’t okay. He wanted an ordinary life. He just buried himself in work on purpose. Whenever he had too many thoughts, he always suffered from severe depression.
‘It’s okay, Hyunsoo.’
It was the past Hyunsoo, who lived so fiercely, shedding tears of gratitude for the reality and the day he had today.
‘Don’t cry yet. It’s just the beginning. I’ll make sure you no longer have to cry, and you’ll enjoy everything you couldn’t because you didn’t have a body.’
Goldstein Mansion.
‘What’s gotten into her?’
Jesse looked at her phone and laughed, then got ready to go out with the help of her secretary.
Kyle, her twin brother who was shoving breakfast into his mouth, saw her.
“What? You’re going out without eating?”
“Yeah.”
“Jesse Goldstein skipping breakfast?? A girl who follows her routine like a commandment is going out early on a weekend morning, something serious must have happened.”
“Stop exaggerating.”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed.
“You’ve been acting weird lately. Your outfits are more relaxed, and your makeup is lighter?”
“What are you talking about? It’s the same. Let me ask you something. Under what circumstances would you cook for a girl?”
He frowned.
“What’s with that stupid question? Why would I cook for a girl? Girls bring me things, not the other way around.”
“Just hypothetically. If you were to cook, under what circumstances and for whom?”
“……Are you really curious about that? Weird… Fine, I’ll answer. Your eyes are intense. Hmm. If I were to cook.”
Kyle thought about it seriously.
“Well, maybe for Mother’s Day, for mom. If she’s unwell, also for mom. Never for you. But usually, the cook handles all that, right? There’s no need for me to do it.”
“Tsk tsk, such a mama’s boy. I’m stupid for asking a simpleton like you.”
Jesse grabbed her handbag and car keys and opened the front door.
“Why, did some guy say he’s going to cook for you? So, you’re dropping everything and rushing over?”
“Do you want to die? Secretary, bring me a golf club.”
“……Wow, you’ve always had a thing for tools. It doesn’t even sound like a joke when you say it.”
“Then behave yourself.”
“Oh, by the way, take this.”
Kyle took something out of his wallet and handed it to the secretary to give to Jesse.
“You need to behave too. Make sure you take this CD.”
“……”
Jesse’s face turned red, and she threw it forcefully.
“Ugh!”
It hit Kyle’s face squarely from across the table without the secretary’s help.
Fuming, Jesse stormed out, and Kyle couldn’t help but laugh at her retreating figure.
“Man, our genes are something else. How does she hit me right in the face?”
Vroom!
The SUV sped away from the house. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw her rush like that.
‘Is it that guy? The one who put emotions in the android?’
Jesse drove quickly, recalling the morning’s events.
She had hesitated for a long time before sending a text.
[Me: What are you doing on the weekend?]
The reply came faster than she expected.
[Him: I was just about to text you. Wanna come over for brunch?]
[Me: Can I come right now?]
[Him: Yeah.]
She already knew the address. It only took 40 minutes to get there with no weekend traffic. A neighborhood she had never visited before.
After one final check of her appearance, she rang the doorbell.
The person who opened the door was someone she hadn’t expected at all.
“What are you guys doing here?”
