Chapter 5: For Saville

"An A."

Jay stood silently.

His father sat behind a massive desk.

The morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office.

Most parents would've celebrated.

Most parents would've congratulated their son.

Kang Minho merely looked disappointed.

"You ranked third. In the district."

Jay remained still.

"The first student scored two marks higher."

Silence.

"You call that acceptable?"

"No."

The answer came calmly.

His father leaned back.

"You represent the Kang family."

"I know."

"Then act like it."

Jay nodded.

The conversation ended there.

As always.

No praise.

No encouragement.

Only expectations.

Jay turned and left the office.

Neither man said goodbye.

Three days later.

The annual Inter-School Sports Championship arrived.

The biggest event of the year.

Thousands of students filled the stadium.

All Boys Schools from across Seoul occupied different sections.

Banners flew everywhere.

Drums echoed through the arena.

The atmosphere felt electric.

And in the middle of it all—

Jun Seo and Jay Kang were arguing.

Again.

"You're not captain."

"I am."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

Won sighed dramatically.

"I want everyone to know I died trying to stop this."

Nikki nodded.

"We'll put flowers on your grave."

Seuin looked thoughtful.

"What kind of flowers?"

"Stop planning my funeral!"

The group burst out laughing.

A nearby school watched the scene.

One of their athletes blinked.

"Those are Saville's captains?"

Another laughed.

"They look like they're about to fight."

"They probably are."

Unfortunately—

They were right.

The first basketball practice match began that afternoon.

Saville versus Daehan Academy.

Jun had the ball.

Jay was open.

Jun ignored him.

Thirty seconds later—

Jay got possession.

Jun was open.

Jay ignored him.

The entire team groaned.

"PASS THE BALL!"

"YOU PASS THE BALL!"

The game became a disaster.

The two strongest players on the court were actively refusing to cooperate.

By halftime, Saville was somehow losing.

The coach looked seconds away from a heart attack.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!"

Jun pointed.

"He started it."

Jay pointed.

"He started it."

The coach nearly collapsed.

The match ended in a draw.

A draw.

Saville High never settled for draws.

The opposing schools noticed immediately.

As students left the court, several boys from Haneul Academy walked past them.

One of them laughed.

"So this is Saville?"

Another shook his head.

"I expected more."

A third athlete smirked.

"Maybe the reputation was exaggerated."

The entire Saville team froze.

Silence.

Dangerous silence.

Jun's smile vanished.

Jay's gaze lifted.

For the first time all day—

They looked at the same people.

The same target.

The same insult.

One athlete continued.

"You'll probably lose half your events tomorrow."

Jun cracked his knuckles.

Won immediately grabbed him.

"No crimes."

"I'm considering it."

"No crimes."

Across from them, Jay spoke.

One sentence.

Cold.

Simple.

"We won't lose."

The athletes laughed and walked away.

But the damage had already been done.

That evening.

The basketball court remained open.

Only two people were still practicing.

Jun.

Jay.

Jun wiped sweat from his forehead.

"I still don't like you."

"I know."

"And you're still annoying."

"I know."

Jun dribbled the ball.

Then looked at him.

"But nobody insults Saville."

For the first time all day—

Jay agreed immediately.

"Nobody."

A strange silence followed.

Not awkward.

Not hostile.

Just understanding.

Temporary.

Fragile.

But real.

Day One.

Basketball Finals.

Saville won.

The stadium erupted.

Jun scored twenty-eight points.

Jay scored thirty-one.

The opposing schools could only watch.

Saville had returned.

Day Two.

Long Jump.

Jun finished first.

Jay finished second.

The two immediately argued over three centimeters.

Nobody was surprised.

High Jump.

Jay took first place.

Jun took second.

Jun accused gravity of favoritism.

Won laughed so hard he nearly fell off the bleachers.

Everything came down to soccer.

The final event.

The final day.

The final match.

Saville versus Haneul Academy.

The same school that had mocked them.

The entire stadium was packed.

The match started aggressively.

Neither side held back.

The score remained tied.

One goal.

One mistake.

One opportunity.

That was all it would take.

Halfway through the second half—

Disaster struck.

Jay sprinted after the ball.

A defender slid.

Too late.

Their legs collided.

Jay hit the ground hard.

A sharp pain shot through his ankle.

The crowd gasped.

Jun immediately turned.

For a moment—

Their eyes met.

Jay slowly stood again.

His ankle hurt.

A lot.

But his expression remained unchanged.

The referee stopped play.

"You okay?"

Jay nodded.

"Yes."

He wasn't.

But he kept playing.

Ten minutes later—

Jun was still running.

Still pushing.

Still chasing every ball.

Ignoring exhaustion.

Ignoring pain.

Ignoring everything.

His vision blurred.

His legs felt heavy.

Yet he kept moving.

For Saville.

For the team.

For victory.

Then—

Everything went black.

The crowd screamed.

Jun collapsed.

Saville lost.

2–1.

The final whistle echoed through the stadium.

The championship ended.

And strangely—

Nobody blamed them.

Not the team.

Not the coaches.

Not the students.

Because everyone had seen it.

Jay playing on a sprained ankle.

Jun running until he physically collapsed.

They had given everything.

There was nothing left to criticize.

Later that evening.

The stadium medical room was quiet.

Jun slowly opened his eyes.

A headache greeted him immediately.

"Finally."

Won's voice.

"Sleeping Beauty lives."

Jun groaned.

"Shut up."

The room exploded with laughter.

Nikki.

Seuin.

Jessi.

Evy.

Everyone was there.

Relieved.

Annoying.

Loud.

Exactly as usual.

Jun smiled despite himself.

Then he noticed something.

Someone was missing.

"Where's Jay?"

The room fell silent briefly.

Won shrugged.

"Hospital."

Jun sat upright.

"What?"

"Sprained ankle."

"He kept playing?"

"Yeah."

Jun frowned.

He remembered that collision.

The way Jay had stood up immediately.

The way he hadn't reacted though a tear had rolled down his eye from physical pain.

Hadn't complained.

Hadn't shown anything.

Most people would've been screaming.

Or limping.

Jay had simply continued.

Something about it felt...

Odd.

Not wrong.

Just odd.

And for the first time—

Jun found himself genuinely wondering about Jay Kang.

Not as a rival.

Not as an enemy.

But as a person....

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