In the room, already at night, the four players gathered, tired but relieved to have passed the first phase.
Min-jun sighed, frustrated.
— I only managed 98 laps… And you guys did a lot more.
Akira smiled calmly.
— Don't be like that, Min-jun. Endurance is training, it's just a matter of time. You'll get better fast.
Yuta gave a somewhat arrogant smile, crossing his arms.
— Relax, Min-jun. If you don't want to get eliminated, you better start training seriously. If you want, I can let you train with me one day — he said with a challenging tone.
Tanaka remained quiet, nodding slightly, observing his teammates.
Akira looked at the two, trying to ease the tension.
— Tomorrow is the second phase. This is just the beginning. We need to be ready.
Min-jun then took a deep breath and spoke firmly:
— Let's make a promise? We're going to pass this tryout. Everyone here is going pro, no matter what happens.
Akira agreed, with a sincere smile.
— You can count on me.
Min-jun pulled four glasses of water from the cabinet and filled them, offering one to each.
— Let's toast to that. If one of us falls, the others will help them up.
Yuta rolled his eyes, half mocking:
— Seriously? Water to seal a promise? How boring…
— Yes — Min-jun replied firmly.
— I'm not drinking water for this promise — said Yuta, making a face.
Tanaka gave a sly smile.
— What if we wet our hair? Like, to really mark it?
Min-jun smiled, getting excited.
— Great idea!
Akira quickly agreed.
— Sounds good! Let's do that.
Yuta huffed but laughed.
— Okay, okay, whatever… we'll come up with an excuse later.
They stood up, gathered in a circle in the middle of the room. With a coordinated move, they wet their hair, splashing water on each other, laughing and feeling the camaraderie grow between them.
— To our promise — said Min-jun.
— To our promise — the others repeated.
The silence that followed was heavy but filled with a silent determination none of them would forget.
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Note:
Out of the 58 players who started the trial, only 37 made it to the next phase. 21 were eliminated.