forty
I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
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Chapter 40
Yiyeon stood in front of the volleyball court's entrance. They could hear noises inside, which means the warm-ups probably started already.
"Sorry I took so long!" Renjun said, panting. "I had to make sure that our classroom was cleaned. It sucks being today's class representative," he sighed, but then he noticed Yiyeon's silence. "Everything alright?"
She nodded, "It feels nostalgic," Yiyeon smiled as she held onto the doorknob. "Let's go."
She pushed the doors opened and saw that both the girls' and the boys' teams were already doing drills. Some were stretching, while some were busy organizing the scoreboard.
Yiyeon looked around and wondered when was the last time she came to this place.
"Yiyeon?" The mentioned girl looked in the direction where she heard the voice. There, she saw her former teammates. "Yiyeon-unnie!" They yelled in glee as Yiyeon ran towards them. On the other hand, Renjun went to the boys' side to talk to his acquaintances.
Their setter, which is now the team captain, Seo Jihye, was the first one to greet Yiyeon with a hug. "I never thought I'd see you again inside the court," she smiled.
Yiyeon shook her head while laughing as she showed her press ID. "I'm here with Renjun to cover your match," she said. "But if you need another hand, I'd be happy to help." She smiled.
"Well, why didn't you say so earlier?" Jihye chuckled. "Come with me, and I'll introduce you to some new members."
Yiyeon swung her arm around Jihye's shoulder as they ran towards where the others were.
"Attention," Jihye said as she blew her whistle. "Here with me is a former team player, Hwang Yiyeon." She smiled.
Yiyeon bowed as she introduced herself, "Hello! I'm Hwang Yiyeon, a second year! I used to play as one of the middle blockers in middle school."
Greetings of "hi's" and "hello's" were exchanged as the new players were introduced to her.
"It's nice to meet you, Yiyeon-sunbae!" One of the members smiled as she extended her hand.
Yiyeon rolled her eyes, "Cut the crap, Kaori!" She said as she engulfed her former teammate in a hug. "It's been a while. How are you doing, Kao-chan?"
Himekawa Kaori is a Japanese-Korean regular player who plays the same position as Yiyeon.
"I've been doing good," she smiled. "Now, the vice-captain, because I idolize you."
The other girl snorted, "Idolize my foot."
"Seriously, though. Ever since you left the team, I never thought I'd see you here again..." she frowned.
Yiyeon sighed, "It took me quite a while to get rid of the baggage... but now, I'm here to support you guys."
Their conversation was interrupted by the whistle of Jihye, "Everybody, line up and practice receiving!" She said as the others complied.
***
Once the whistle blew, the players lined up. The team who would play a practice match with them just arrived, and luckily, the team had just finished their drills. Jihye stood beside Yiyeon and nudged her.
"Thank you guys for letting me play during your drills," Yiyeon smiled. "It's been a while since I last played, and I appreciate this little gesture." The players smiled and listened intently. "I'll still cheer for you guys. Maybe not as a teammate waiting to go back inside the court after resting, but as your senior and former vice-captain." She smiles at them. "Even if this is just a practice game, take it seriously because—"
"Every game counts," the rest of the team cuts her off.
She nods, "You got this, guys! Don't give Jihye a hard time, okay?"
"Yes, Yiyeon-sunbae!"
"I'll be by the sidelines, cheering you on. You got this! Fighting!"
With that, she runs back to Renjun, where she breaks down because it hurts to leave them again. But unlike the first time, her heart feels lighter.
"Are you okay?" Renjun asked.
She nodded as she wiped her tears, "Better."
***
Two months later.
December.
"Since when did restoration day happen on a Saturday? And it's even winter, what the hell," Renjun grunted as he dropped the boxes inside their clubroom. He threw his scarf to his table and laid on the floor. "Also, where's Yiyeon? Shouldn't she help us here?" He raised a brow.
Jaemin sighed as he sat on the floor, arranging their past newspaper issues. "Yiyeon has already sent an excuse letter saying that she couldn't help today since she'd be sending a friend off to New York. I let her go since she's been working hard for the club since she became a member," he said as he handed Renjun a stack of envelopes. "Place these in that shelf," he said, pointing at a bookshelf in the corner.
The other boy stood up as he did what Jaemin told him to do.
"Jaemin-ah, where should I place these?" The mentioned boy turned around and saw Shotaro and Jisung carrying small boxes.
"Kindly place them under my table. Thanks," he smiled.
The boys continued organizing their clubroom, hating the thought of the dean nagging them for having an untidy work area.
"Jaemin-ah," Renjun called.
"Hmm?" He replied, not looking at the other.
"Jaemin-ah," he called once again.
"What?!" Irritatedly, Jaemin turns around and sees Renjun holding a sports magazine.
Without a word, Renjun gestured him to get closer, making the other boy roll his eyes.
"Renjun, this better be important—"
"This... isn't this the varsity team back in middle school?" Renjun asked, pointing at the picture which had a group of people showcasing their medals. "What's with Jeno's face? Why does he look like that?" He laughed.
Jaemin laughed, "I remember, he used to tell us stories about Yiyeon's volleyball games but he can't even talk to her." He snorted and rolled his eyes.
Renjun nodded, "He used to have a huge crush on her, and it's so funny how he can't even get near her." His eyes scanned the rest of the pictures until he saw something that caught his eye. "Hey, Jaemin? Don't you think the girl beside Jeno in this picture is familiar?" He said, pointing at the picture he was pertaining to.
Jaemin got the magazine and looked at the person intently.
Until it clicked.
"She is familiar," Jaemin nods.
The other boy snapped his finger, "Wasn't she with Yiyeon when we followed her when she worked under time because she said she'd be seeing some friends?" Renjun said, his voice getting louder. "I knew I've seen her before!"
"Anyways, let's go back and continue cleaning," Renjun said and looked at his friend. "Yah, why are you just standing there? You told us to clean, so let's go back to cleaning—"
"Renjun, I think I know where I've seen her before," Jaemin said.
****
"Shotaro, try calling Hyunjin. I'll try to call Jeno. Renjun, try calling either Daewon or Yangyang. Jisung, call Sungchan," Jaemin instructed as he hurriedly dialed Jeno's number.
The door opened, and the people who entered the clubroom looked confused. "I thought we were supposed to clean? Why are there papers scattered on the floor?" Rina asked.
Jaemin hung up when Jeno did not answer.
"Yiyeon might be in danger."
- tbc.
I'm sincerely sorry for making you guys wait for too long. The amount of schoolwork got me working 24/7, and school really ruined my sleep schedule. I do hope everyone's okay! Stay safe <3
- Rielle.
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