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Yuqi lets out a sigh as she closes her locker and picks up her bag from the floor. She looks outside of the entrance, the sky coloured in muddy orange mixed in with a tint of gray. It was late evening and most students were heading home from extracurricular classes.
Yuqi slings her bag over her shoulders, stretching her tired arms and walks out to the courtyard.
On the way, to exit the school gates, she notices light from the corner of her eyes. It was the school’s indoor gym lit up brighty. She took a step back and decided to check it out. She quietly peeks through the gap of the metal doors when she hears the wooden floor squeak against the friction of shoes.
There stood the libero of the volleyball team, Jeon Soyeon.
The Chinese girl kept staring at the short girl who was tossing the ball high up and slid on the wooden flooring on her knees trying to save the ball with her legs and her taped wrist.
The metal door accidentally creaks open and Yuqi yelps as she topples into the gym, earning the other girls attention.
Yuqi steadies herself and looks up to see Soyeon holding the volleyball in her arms looking at her with a surprised expression.
“Yuqi? What are you doing here?”
“I should be the one asking that. It’s late.” Yuqi replied back coolly but was embarrassed that she was caught. Well the girl didn’t show a spec of that she was.
Soyeon blinks then slowly looks away, “Just some extra training.”
The girl goes back to tossing the ball into the air but before she catch the ball, her wrist was grabbed hold of by the taller girl. The ball hits the ground with a hard thud.
“Yuqi, let go.”
The two lock eyes, Yuqi calmly looking at her and Soyeon glares right back. It was a competition on who would look away first.
“No way. You think I wouldn’t notice the bruises on your knees?” Yuqi points at Soyeon’s knees with her free hand while still grabbing hold of her. Soyeon looks away with a scowl.
“It’s part of being the saviour in the team, and it doesn’t hurt.”
“Yeah, but not at the point where its scraped and bleeding.”
Soyeon starts to get annoyed and flings her arm off Yuqi’s grasp. Yuqi scrunched her brows in the process. Soyeon went to pick up the ball that rolled away.
“If this is about the competition, you have every right to be upset, but you have to stop overworking yourself.”
Soyeon freezes as she picks up the ball.
If Yuqi weren’t so fearless, she would’ve probably ran away at the sight of Soyeon’s veins popping out.
“Just leave me be. Stop butting into everything.” Soyeon grits her teeth and looks at the ground disappointedly.
“Talk to me.” Yuqi continued in a curt tone.
Soyeon continues to ignore the girl and practices.
Yuqi purses her lips and tosses her bag to the side. She rolls her sleeves up and walked on the opposite end of the court facing Soyeon behind a tall net. The latter girl raises her brows in confusion.
“Ball.”
Soyeon scratches the back of her head and scoffs. She follows suit anyways and tosses the ball over the net for Yuqi to catch. Yuqi catches it then stands at the left corner of the court from Soyeon’s point of view.
The shorter girl readies herself, knowing what Yuqi was trying to do.
The taller girl at the setter position immediately throws the ball high up as she runs and quickly jumps. She spikes the ball down hard and fast with her wrist onto Soyeon’s side of the court.
The shorter girl quickly steps back and makes a run towards the rear court to kick the ball back onto Yuqi’s side. Soyeon immediately thrusts herself back into the court near the net as Yuqi tips the ball over with a high jump.
Soyeon miraculously saves the ball but later misses it as Yuqi shoots it to the side where the shorter girl couldn’t get up in time to reach it.
Yuqi jokes, “I think I can take over Soojin-unnie’s position don’t you think?”
Soyeon slams the floor with her fist with an irritated groan.
Yuqi looks at the fallen girl with a huff, “Soyeonie, don’t blame yourself that we lost.”
“Stop it. Don’t you see? It’s my fault, if I just managed to give us one more chance. If only I managed to save it. We could’ve won and it’s my fault that we lost.” Soyeon grimaces at the memory and looks up to see Yuqi squatting down to meet eye level.
Soyeon clenches both of her first tight, “And I just proved it here.” she says regretfully.
Yuqi shakes her head, “No, I wanted to show you that you can’t do everything by yourself,” she stops, taking a breather before letting out a bright grin, “you have to rely on us a bit more okay? Don’t put all the burden on yourself. There’s a reason why we are called IDLE. It’s not your fault.”
Yuqi goes under the net and extends her hand out for Soyeon to grab on.
“How can I possibly believe that?” Soyeon warily looks at Yuqi’s hand.
“Put a little faith won’t you?” Yuqi says with a smile. Soyeon bitterly smiles, her brows furrowing.
“You aren’t mad that we lost?”
“Of course I’m mad. But I was mad at myself.”
Soyeon lets out an tiny grumbling noise under her breath then places her hand on Yuqi’s. Her grin widened even further somehow. She pulls the girl up right after.
The short girl scratches her own nape then lets out a mellow sigh.
“Okay. I’ll take it into consideration.”
Yuqi smirks, “Nah, you don’t have a choice.” Soyeon only chuckles, making eye contact with the taller girl once more.
“Yeah, I guess I don’t.”
It would take sometime for Soyeon to fully regain her confidence but Yuqi knows she will eventually do so. She is Jeon Soyeon after all, a girl too stubborn to take a break and wants to push her potential even further and brighter. She won’t give up that easily.
Yuqi looks down then looks back right up. Her eyes soften as she looks at Soyeon.
“Let’s put some bandages on those knee caps, kay’?” Yuqi says, ruffling the shorter girls hair.
“Ya! Wanna die?” Soyeon playfully pushes the other girl away. Yuqi cheekily drapes her arm over the smaller girls shoulders. Soyeon broke the cheery atmosphere off.
“You seriously aren’t upset?” Soyeon says then looks up to see Yuqi’s expression.
Yuqi leans onto the shorter girls shoulders.
“With that cute face, nope.”