The sound of trickling water from the shower area had just stopped. Jeongmin walked out of the bathroom bare-chested, wearing only gray sweatpants. His hands were busy drying his wet hair with a white towel. He headed toward the row of lockers and opened his own, right beside the locker belonging to his best friend, Kim Minjae.
"Today's practice burned a ton of calories," Jeongmin muttered as he took a clean T-shirt, cologne, and several other essentials from his locker before putting them in his duffel bag.
After pulling on his black T-shirt, Jeongmin walked over to Minjae, who was sitting on the long wooden bench in the middle of the room. Minjae, the usually calm captain of the baseball team, seemed to be surrounded by a dark aura this time.
Minjae had looked extremely restless throughout practice. His throws had missed the target several times. Their campus baseball team had a crucial major division game coming up in four weeks. It was an important game they couldn't afford to lose by even the slightest margin if they wanted to advance to the national round.
Jeongmin sat down beside Minjae and set his duffel bag on the floor. Without hesitation, he nudged Minjae's arm with his elbow. Minjae slowly turned his head, sweeping Jeongmin with a sharp look and an irritated expression. Instead of being afraid, Jeongmin grinned, amused by his best friend's expression.
"You looked really agitated and distracted throughout practice today, Captain," Jeongmin teased. "Having trouble with your new pitching technique? Or is something else on your mind?"
"Nothing," Minjae replied with a deep sigh, combing his still half-wet black hair back with his fingers.
"Maybe his mind wasn't on the field at all, but over in the health sciences building... namely, because of Yoo Na-rae," Khai remarked as he entered the locker room carrying two bottles of soda.
Minjae immediately shot Khai a murderous look. "Don't even mention her name, Khai!" Minjae said firmly, his voice low and emphatic.
Minjae's defensive response instantly triggered bright laughter from Jeongmin and Khai at the same time. The locker room, which had been tense moments ago, was now filled with their laughter.
"Look at your reaction! So it's true," Jeongmin teased, patting Minjae on the shoulder. "The unstoppable Minjae on the baseball field brought to his knees by one girl's name."
"What exactly happened between you two this time?" Khai asked as he sat down beside Jeongmin and opened his soda. "You broke up three months ago, didn't you?"
For context, Yoo Na-rae was Minjae's ex-girlfriend as well as his fiercest rival in the race for the highest academic ranking in their year. Their post-breakup relationship was legendary on campus: they were always arguing and trading cutting remarks whenever they accidentally crossed paths in the halls.
"Nothing happened between us," Minjae protested, shrugging as if he had no desire to discuss the topic any further. "It's just that... she's a little more annoying than usual. This morning, in the library. She made fun of the way I organized the bibliography for my assignment."
"Excuses," Khai snickered with a mischievous smile. "Just say you're still in love with her and haven't moved on."
"I seriously doubt that," Minjae muttered flatly. "I'd rather repeat a semester than get back together with her."
"Enough. Stop talking about Na-rae," Khai said, shifting his gaze to Jeongmin, who was busy tying his shoelaces. "What about you, Jeongmin... how's that situation going? Is your target girl mad at you?"
Jeongmin stopped his hands on the laces and sighed. "I don't know... maybe she's really mad at me. And honestly, this is entirely my fault for sending her provocative, weird texts." He leaned back against the locker behind him. "Also... she doesn't seem interested in me at all. Her rejection was brutally direct and completely without hesitation."
"Wait a second... Who are you two talking about?" Minjae asked, looking confused. "Which girl?"
"Han Hyebin. The Veterinary Medicine major who's Hanjin's cousin," Khai answered confidently, clearing things up.
"Oh... Han Hyebin. So you're really serious about pursuing her, Jeongmin?" Minjae looked at Jeongmin gravely. "I thought your plan yesterday was just a bet or something you joked about while drunk."
"Since when have I ever joked about my feelings or a girl who catches my attention?" Jeongmin replied, resting his chin in his hand as he thought about a new strategy, now that his first approach had fallen apart completely. "But the problem is, she's built her defenses so tightly. I don't know where to start anymore."
"If you're really serious about getting to know her properly, there's an easy way," Minjae said, making Jeongmin immediately look up. "I heard she got a really bad grade on last semester's project," Minjae explained calmly. "And Professor Kang is currently looking for a student with consistently strong grades to accompany her and help her with a major project next semester."
"How do you know that much?"
"Actually..." Minjae cleared his throat softly. "...Professor Kang himself called me yesterday afternoon and asked me directly to be Hyebin's project partner because he knows my research methodology grade is high. But I haven't accepted or signed the offer yet because our baseball practice schedule is so packed." Minjae fixed his gaze on Jeongmin. "So if you're willing and can manage your time, I can give up the position and recommend your name to Professor Kang as my replacement."
"Look at that!" Khai slapped Jeongmin on the shoulder. "Our captain's got the perfect plan! You can be her academic hero while slowly stealing her heart!"
A small grin tugged at Jeongmin's lips. "Fantastic plan, Minjae-ah!" Jeongmin exclaimed excitedly. He immediately stood and grabbed his duffel bag. "All right, thanks a lot, guys! I owe you both dinner tonight. I'm heading home to prepare the materials!"
Jeongmin waved cheerfully and strode out of the locker room, leaving Minjae and Khai shaking their heads at their friend's behavior.