Chaewon stopped using his bike after that night—people recognized him too easily. He never brought it back from university. From then on, Han became his driver.
At university, Han noticed how people whispered when Chaewon passed by. It hurt him to see, so he stayed by Chaewon's side every time, making sure he never felt alone.
Because of all this, Chaewon couldn't make many friends in class; the only friends he had were in the basketball club.
Five days passed during the practice, the students sat around, exhausted.
"When will the tryouts be?" one complained. "We've just been practicing for three weeks. I'm tired."
"Yeah," another agreed. "Why didn't they just hold tryouts before letting us in?"
A third added nervously, "And what if we get cut? We can't even join another club now—it's too late."
Hearing this, Chaewon felt a strange mix of nostalgia and stress. He turned to Jun, who was wiping sweat from his face on the bench.
"Gege, when will the tryouts be?"
"Maybe after next week," Jun answered casually, still toweling off.
Chaewon frowned. "Gege, don't you think it's been almost a month? Why are we still waiting?" His voice carried frustration this time.
This made Jun stop. He stood, leaving his towel aside. Everyone else rose with him.
"Chaewon, you came half month late, yet you're already impatient?"
Chaewon lowered his tone. "I know I came late, gege. I'm not being rude. But this is on everyone's mind. If we fail the tryouts, we'll lose our place—and our credit marks."
Jun's voice sharpened. "So you're here for points, not basketball? If you're not passionate, then leave."
One student protested, "No, gege! We want to play. We really do."
Chaewon sighed. "That's not what I meant."
Jun softened. "I understand. But think of it this way: some students already know how to play, while others are here to learn. Should I crush their dreams on the first day? Maybe they came here hoping to become real players."
At that moment, Han walked out of the dressing room, yawning. He saw the tension and came closer. "What's going on?"
Jun explained, "They want early tryouts. They're scared they won't have anywhere else to go if they fail."
Han looked around. "Who feels this way?"
Chaewon stayed silent, eyes lowered. One student finally admitted, "Hyung it's true. Most of us worry about this."
Han sighed. "But think—if we hold tryouts early, wouldn't that be unfair to those who came to learn?"
Jun added, "Hanna, I have already said that."
Some students chuckled, breaking the tension. Even Chaewon wanted to laugh, though he kept his head down.
Han cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Does anyone still have an issue?"