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The Olympics have ended. It was amazing… to watch.
Taeyang and Taejun failed the qualification from the international committee. For the Olympics, South Korea can only submit one pair for the mixed doubles and that means they have little to no chance to enter the competition. Their first plan is to enter the Olympics through internal qualification if the committee gave South Korea two slots for the mixed doubles. But sadly, they only gave one slot, which means it’s the slot for the top 32 world ranking pair.
They kind of have predicted it, but it’s still a disappointment.
Since they only just joined the National Team this year, Taeyang and Taejun started competing in world stage only after January. And for them to be counted as world rank athletes, they need points to be in the top 32 in the World Ranking. And right now, they’re still at 60th. Which is why it’s not easy to enter the Olympics.
They entered their first world tour in the Super 500 series through qualification, competed with twenty other pairs who are ranked between 33 to 75, while they still haven't had any points to be counted inside that rank. But they did it, with hard work. Their first one was Thailand Open, they managed to finish in the semi final, winning them a great points to enter world ranking. After that, Korea Open, Indonesia Masters, and their latest Hong Kong Open.
They’re playing nonstop in the world tournament. Entering qualification every once in a month. It’s endless practice and matches. It’s hard, but the result kicks in a short time. They won first at the Hong Kong Open, a gold medal, in only their forth Super tournament. It was more than anything they hoped for.
“Play your best. You guys are probably late entering this world, but your skills are on par with everyone in this tournament.”
That was what their coach said to them before they started their world tour journey, which is something they’re not sure about.
To compete in the top world badminton tournament, you need to earn top 32 in the world ranking and the only way to be in the top 32 is to earn points by competing in a large-scale tournament. Taeyang and Taejun were behind, but they’re not new to this. Thankfully, some tournaments have slots for lower ranks or non-ranks through qualification, and Taeyang and Taejun were focusing on that for the past 8 months. They entered all qualifications for the world tournament, and just like what their coaches predicted, they passed all of them.
“Relax guys, there’s no need to be in a hurry,” Hyukbong cheered them.
They’re at the bar near Taejun’s house. It’s off-season for them after the Olympics. Almost a month of rest before starting another tournament.
Hyukbong and Junghwan unfortunately didn’t get any medals from the Olympics, they were great, but it’s just not their time. However, South Korea earned 3 medals. One gold from women’s single, one silver from men’s single, and one bronze from women’s doubles. The national team were given a good amount of bonuses and day-offs because of that - Taeyang and Taejun also got a bit of it.
“But our time is so limited, Oppa,” Taeyang has drunk her fifth beer and looks quite tipsy. “I don’t even know if I can play next year.”
Taeyang is right, there’s no guarantee for them to be in the national team again next year. So many variables in this life that can ruin the happiness of today.
“You’re being too pessimistic,” Yumin pokes Taeyang. “I saw the two of you when you won at the Hong Kong Open, you guys are way better than the other opponents. Even better than our national mixed doubles too.”
Taeyang and Taejun don’t know how to react to that. The thing is, they’re not the youngest athletes in the team, they’re also not the seniors of the bunch. They have enough experience, but it’s not enough for the world championship. They’re in the middle of everything and everything seems going in different directions.
“It was one time,” Taejun sighs. “We were lucky since the 1st rank failed to enter the competition because of injury. If they were playing, we might get beaten even before the semi finals.”
“But you still win,” Junghwan interrupts. “Who cares about other teams”
“You guys worry for nothing,” Hyukbong hugs Taejun with one arm, “You guys are great, just late to the party.”
Such a harsh truth, but they can’t blame anyone for that. Because both of them only started believing in their own strength after 25 years of their life.
Taejun saw how Taeyang grew after she completed her physical rehabilitation. Not only did she get her first love back - Park Junyoung, not him - she also got more support from her family, blood-related family. Taeyang finally shared the secret about the sister whom they met at the 2022 National Championship. She is the daughter of her birth mother from a different father.
Taeyang cares so much about her, she drove her around when she visited Seoul - with his car, but that’s okay. And another great surprise, her birth mother finally let go of her guilt and started cheering Taeyang on the field. She visited Seoul for the Korea Open and he can tell how happy Taeyang was about that.
They have the support and love they have been needing to continue doing this line of work they’ve been passionate about, something Taejun and Taeyang have struggled with. They have all of the things they need, but facing the future is not easy.
“Hyung, our time as an athlete is limited,” Taejun sighs. “I spent half of my life already in a dark pit and I personally regret it - I won’t blame anyone for this. But this is not the right time for me to be proud of what I achieved when I haven’t actually achieved anything.”
“You’re wrong,” a voice cuts in. That's Junghwan and voice is higher than usual. There’s rage in it. “You’re totally wrong on that.”
Junghwan looks back at his two good friends, who have been supportive to him even when things aren’t going the way he wanted. Two people who he wants to protect as much as he wants to protect his family. Taeyang who trusted him more than anyone and Taejun who always knew how to lift his mood again.
These two, who were with him and Yumin right before their wedding just to ease his and Yumin’s nervousness, deserve the world.
“You’re belittling your skill too much,” Junghwan points at Taejun.
“And you!” this time to Taeyang. “You’re scared for nothing.”
The air suddenly feels heavy with Junghwan’s words echoing the room.
Junghwan watches them in the court, at practice, during individual training, these two love this sport so much, he doesn’t think anyone can surpass that - at least not the juniors. Taeyang knows very well her strength, she’s been improving them to become better. She stayed in the training room longer than anyone to build muscles and shaping her body to improve them. And Taejun, Taejun is extraordinary.
It might have been because of the gene, he and Park Junyoung probably share the same cells that makes them great at using their body - and mind - in this sport, but no doubt he's very good in this field. He’s good in mixed doubles, men’s doubles, even men's single. Taejun was paired with Junghwan and Hyukbong for most of their team's matches. When he’s with Hyukbong, he takes care of the back, filling the court with amazing speed and reach. And with Junghwan, he will play defense, giving net play and trusting Junghwan’s smash reach. He can be offence and defense, and he's good at both.
And when the coach checked his play against another men’s single athlete a few weeks before the Olympics for fun, he actually almost crushed the person.
“Taejun, spare your hyung, you’ve too good for a fun match.” Han Mingyu-hyung, the men’s single athlete, world's ranking 8th, laughs with a bitter smile at the end of that match.
And guess what Taejun said right after that match to Junghwan in the shower, “I was really bad at handling net attacks just now. I will practice again after this, you should go eat by yourself. Sorry.”
He’s unbearable.
His words and his inferiority tendency. It’s rare to hear Taejun appreciating his own achievement.
“You won. Admit for once that you’re better than most.”
The tone Junghwan used is not usual, almost like he’s scolding the two.
“I get it. You have a late start on the world stage. But you’ve been doing this since you’re young. And you're great at it. You can change your style of playing within minutes you played with someone new. You literally beat Mingyu-hyung back then. And that's because you're so good at reading people's routine. You never played against him, but you beat him like that.
“You’re good. You just need to play the way you usually are, and in no time, you will catch up to the top 32.”
The glare from Junghwan’s eyes show how mad he is at the moment.
Junghwan shifts his focus to Taeyang, the other amazing player who knows her worth but is skeptical about life.
“And you!” he points again at Taeyang. He points and slams the table. “You’re alive. You missed three years of this, but that doesn’t mean everything has ended. You’re still breathing and that’s enough. Run until your last breath, will you?”
This kind of situation is rare, almost too awkward, but Taejun and Taeyang can’t help but feel regret. Junghwan scolds them a lot, sometimes he whines about the littlest thing, sometimes he complains about random things - from things that are really too hard to handle to something so unnecessary that only Junghwan can be annoyed by it. He’s not a usual kind of friend, but he’s there with them a lot of the time.
Junghwan sent them a cute cake after he found out about Taejun and Taeyang’s marriage plan. Taejun insisted they were still discussing it, it’s not like he had dates and everything, but Junghwan insisted on giving it anyway. The cake is small, round like a racket, and in the middle it has shuttlecock-shaped white chocolate.
Once in a while, he will ask Taejun for dinner, just to share small things. Taejun thinks he was just lonely, but after a while, he can tell Junghwan was actually trying to check on him. They have different training sessions in the afternoon, so they rarely meet. But he will often come to Taejun’s training place and ask him for a meal. He’s been a worrisome friend for him and Taeyang, and it’s heartwarming in a way.
“I don’t care if you guys are going to lose at next month’s Finland Open. If you think you’re not good enough, well good luck. You need that.
“And you know what, I hope you lose,” Junghwan continues while sipping his beer. “I’m tired of you guys being pessimistic about everything when you’ve beaten world no.2 and 3 twice. Let’s see what will happen if you guys really lose this time.”
Junghwan slams - again - the table, and leaves, walking toward the front door leaving his wife and friends behind.
“That’s not new, but not usual either,” Hyukbong grins. “You guys okay?”
The look of Hyukbong and Yumin is a mix of confusion and worry. They understand what happened, but are not sure what to do.
“Taeyang-ah,” Yumin moves toward Taeyang and hugs her from the side. “Junghwan-ie didn’t mean any harm, I promise you. He’s probably worrying about the both of you and feels sad at the situation.
“He cares about you, truly.”
Taeyang knows.
“Yeah, Taejun-ah,” this time Hyukbong consoling Taejun with a pat on the shoulder. “That guy is always like that. He’s just worried about you guys.”
Taejun knows.
They both know, and they’ve been taking it for granted.
“I’ll be right back,” Taejun stands up and leaves to where Junghwan went.
“Yook Junghwan!” Taejun calls out, running to the entrance door, where Junghwan is sitting by the bench. “We still haven’t finished our food, let’s get back inside.”
“I don’t want to,” Junghwan replies meekly. “I’m ruining the mood, leave me alone.”
Sometimes Taejun wonders which Junghwan is the real Junghwan. He could be cool and mysterious in front of a lot of people, but this part of him, the one that is shown to a rare amount of people, is cute and adorable.
“Come on,” Taejun begs. “It’s no fun without you.”
“But, I can’t stand hearing you guys being sad.”
Junghwan pouts, he looks like a child. A giant child.
“I’m not good at consoling people, okay? I think you both know that. The last time I did it, you got a fever. I should have known you’re not well.
“And it’s obvious that you guys are having a hard time. It’s just that, I’m not sure what to say to ease your worries.”
Junghwan pauses. He looks to his right where Taejun sits.
“Tell me, how should I help you guys?”
Taejun felt a pang on his chest. How should he help them when there’s no issue to be solved?
Junghwan was stating facts. They won. They beat some of the best players in the world already. They were qualified for super 500 even though they’re newcomers. They worked hard to earn that position, they do non-stop practices and special training ever since they joined the national team. They did their best, but a part of him never wanted to acknowledge that.
“I saw you at the gym every day, training like tomorrow will never come. Especially near tournaments.
“I won’t stop you from training - I do that too. But stop forcing yourself. You don’t need to win every match to keep playing badminton.”
And that’s what Taejun has been forgetting all this while.
Looking back for the past year, he had been running full speed entering tournaments after tournaments. Not stopping, not looking back. He hates the fact that he wasted almost 5 months for rehabilitation and failed to enter the national team earlier on. And when he finally entered, he got no chance to join the Olympics. He then blamed himself for not taking these opportunities when he was younger. He despised his past self for degrading his skill, his talent.
For Taejun, accepting his skill and talent is a challenge he needs to overcome by himself. But maybe, for once, he needs validation.
“What do you think is my strength?”
Taejun stares at Junghwan with hopeful eyes. He looks at Junghwan with his round, puppy eyes.
For almost 3 years of him knowing Taejun, this is the first time Junghwan has ever heard him asking about his play.
“Strength?” Junghwan replies. “A lot.”
Junghwan’s eyes wander above his head.
“You’re good at netting, I think you know already. But you’re also very good at offense. When you are paired with me, you will take the front position, right? Even though it’s for defense, most of our points are from your attacks.
“You’re also strong with smash and backhands. Like Taeyang. Your reach is wide, I never worry when I play with you.”
The sparks in Junghwan’s eyes are honest and real. Taejun tries to find lies in them, but he can’t.
“I think you should ask our coaches for better review,” Junghwan calmly response.
Taejun chuckles, Junghwan is too serious.
“You also lift people’s mood easily,” Junghwan continues, surprising Taejun. “You never failed to read my mood or Hyukbong-hyung’s mood before any match. It’s easy to play with you because you care about us.
“You’re an amazing athlete, Taejun-ah.”
Some compliments are easily forgotten, because they sound like lies. But Junghwan’s word are sincere, it’s out of character of him, yet warm.
“Really?” Taejun feels shy. “Don’t lie.”
“No! I’m not lying. Can you for once believe someone’s compliment about you?”
And just like that, Taejun gives up.
“I understand,” Taejun grins at Junghwan. “I believe you, thank you.”
“Junghwan-ah!”
That voice came from inside the bar. Taejun and Junghwan know whose voice is that without looking, they somehow are tickled at the scene.
“I’m sorry for being a pain in the ass,” Taeyang confesses suddenly. “It scares me to be a newcomer once again. It scares me even more because I’m not young anymore. I don’t know if I can be here until the next Olympics. I’m not even sure if I will get selected again as the National Team.”
Taeyang stands right at the center of the door, facing both Taejun and Junghwan who sit with a clueless look.
“But, I won’t give up,” Taeyang firmly says. “I want to believe in myself, in Taejun, in our coach, in you and all of my friends, that we can make it. So I’m sorry if I’m too hard on you. I’m sorry for not appreciating your support.”
Her eyes are filled with tears that are about to burst. Taejun knows that Taeyang is a little drunk, but she meant every word.
“Yya, why do you cry?” Taejun stands up from the bench and pulls Taeyang for a hug.
“Because,” Taeyang sniffs inside Taejun’s embrace. “Because I don’t want Junghwan to hate us.”
The tears Taeyang shed were calming in a way for Junghwan. Of course he doesn’t want her to cry, but at least he knows that his two good friends care about him as much as he cares about them.
“Stop crying, you’re embarrassing me,” Junghwan stands from the bench and comes closer to the two lovers. “I’m also sorry for telling you guys to fail the next tournament. I didn’t mean it.”
From afar, there’s two other athletes who can’t help but giggle at the scene. Hyukbong and Yumin are witnessing three people who never fail to fight and make up in less than a day.
“We’re going to win,” Taejun smiles. “We have enough support to last for 10 years from you.”
Taejun releases his right hand from Taeyang and embraces Junghwan’s shoulder.
“I love you guys so much.”
The night is without stars, it feels damped, and Autumn is just around the corner. But tonight, Taejun feels like this Summer is the best Summer of his life. He might not have competed in the Olympics, he also still has a long way to reach World Top 32, but who cares about all that. He has the best people who know his worth and that’s enough for him to continue to play badminton.