Two days off.
Two days of training, gaming, and letting his muscles recover.
Then Monday arrived.
The corridors of Lincoln High buzzed with the dull routine—teachers droning, students swapping gossip, the shuffle of sneakers on tile. For Julian, it was just background noise. His focus was on the club room.
He was early—earlier than usual—and expected to be the first one in.
He wasn't.
The moment he stepped inside, his gaze caught on a figure already seated.
Jersey #9.
The number hit him first. Then the face—sharp yet delicate, an almost unearthly symmetry. An Asian beauty: cat-like eyes under defined brows, skin smooth as porcelain, framed by sleek black hair that shimmered under the fluorescent light. The kind of effortless style you'd expect from a rising K-drama actor, not a high school footballer.
It didn't take much to put it together.
Noah Kim—the starting striker before the injury.
"Hello," Julian greeted, voice even.
