The next morning, Seol Hwa woke up feeling refreshed.
She had decided to sleep after the whole debacle that happened past midnight.
Even if she could remain in her peak condition after missing a few nights of sleep, Seol Hwa decided otherwise.
Cultivation without a few breaks was detrimental in the long term.
Her mind needed adequate rest due to how much she overclocked it when running multiple thought processes at extreme speeds.
Anyway, the new day was normal for her just like any other day.
"Even in my new life, my core fundamentals haven't changed," she whispered as she stretched her arms, climbing out of bed.
There was no guilt, no catharsis.
Seol Hwa had already considered the apartment and surrounding area her territory.
Making it safe for Min-Seo and her mortal friend, Gwen, was a no-brainer.
It had all been out of necessity. If she made a decision, then she would have to resolutely follow it.
That's how she had lived as the Heavenly Demon.
~~~<>~~~
"Good morning, mom," Seol Hwa greeted Min-Seo who was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
"Morning to you too, sweetie," Min-Seo smiled at her as she finished the scrambled eggs.
"There's coffee and tea on those two jugs," she gestured toward the counter.
Seol Hwa nodded, making her way to the counter. 'Coffee huh?'
She eyed the dark brown liquid in the coffee jug. 'No. I still remember how bitter it has always been.'
'Are there people who like such bitter things?' Seol Hwa slightly shook her head as she poured herself some tea.
She preferred tea over coffee anyway.
'I suddenly miss my personal herbal garden.' she smiled thinly as she scooped a spoonful of sugar before dipping it into her cup.
The morning news was ongoing on the kitchen TV.
Min-Seo brought over the scrambled eggs and some toast, her gaze stuck on the TV.
"Ten bodies were discovered this morning in Queens, East Street at an abandoned warehouse. The NYPD speculate it was a scuffle between gangs however the evidence collected suggests the possibility of a dangerous mutant attack can't be ruled out. The mystery remains what could have left those men into skeletons. The head of New York Police Department, Captain George Stacy, has said the investigations are still ongoing and the culprit will be put to justice."
Seol Hwa quietly sipped her tea, her expression unchanging.
"Stay tuned for more." The pretty female news anchor flashed a professional smile before a commercial break appeared.
"Where's the world slowly heading to? What's happening in New York? Is this reason the number of patients has been steadily increasing at work?" Min-Seo lamented, worry etched on her face and a cup of coffee in her hand.
"That happened a few streets away from our place. Seol Hwa, be careful when you walk to and from school," she sighed, looking at her daughter.
"I'll be careful, mom," Seol Hwa mildly replied.
'I'm the danger,' she thought to herself. 'The true culprit that you're warning against, mother. How ironic.'
"Make sure you stick with your new friend, Gwen. It's much safer that way," Min-Seo added as she sipped her coffee.
Seol Hwa nodded.
"Are you working tonight?" She then casually asked.
"Oh? No. It's my day off. I get to enjoy a whole day of sleeping while you study," Min-Seo smugly smiled, looking quite childish.
"Okay, okay. Get lots of rest," Seol Hwa rolled her eyes, a small smile forming on her face.
She needed it.
On that subject of rest, Seol Hwa looked at Min-Seo, concentrating a tiny amount of spiritual essence into her eyes.
The physical world blurred, zooming into the microscopic.
'She's in a poorer state than I expected. I'll perform a Qi massage on her when I return from school,' she analyzed. 'Acupuncture will have to wait.'
Standing up, Seol Hwa took her bag and said, "I'm going."
"Have a nice time at school. Break a few hearts," Min-Seo laughed.
'Maybe in the physical sense.' Seol Hwa shook her head and left.
And as expected, Gwen was waiting for her near the elevator.
'What a diligent mortal.'
"Hi, Seol," Gwen greeted enthusiastically, her face beaming more than she intended.
"Hello, Gwen."
"Fate it is, right?" Gwen added with a sheepish grin.
"Fate my ass. I don't recall relieving you of your guide duties."
"Okay, your majesty," Gwen smiled, gesturing to the elevator like a humble servant.
Ding!
The elevator chimed just in time, opening.
Seol Hwa smiled as she entered.
Gwen followed, grinning, her eyes never leaving Seol Hwa's figure.
~~~<>~~~
Midtown High. Gym Hall.
The morning lessons passed and the fourth period was a PT class.
The students changed into white shirts and navy shorts.
Seol Hwa was also in such clothes.
'How embarrassing,' she thought in dissatisfaction as she examined herself.
Her tall, graceful figure felt exposed.
Regardless of gender, the other students stared at her toned, perfect physique.
She tolerated it since it was mandatory to wear the uniform for P.E. and didn't want to make a fuss.
"Alright, diamonds in the rough!" Coach Stilinski clapped his hands to garner the students' attention.
PRRR!
He blew the whistle hanging around his neck when he realized some students were dragging their feet.
"Listen up, this is not a drill! I repeat this is not a drill!" Coach Stilinski shouted, earning a few chuckles from the group forming around him.
"Now give me five laps!" He gestured, drawing a circle in the air.
Most students groaned, hiding behind other's back as they reluctantly began jogging.
"Stop dawdling, Ned. Get your feet moving," Coach Stilinski blew the whistle at a boy with a fat, round figure.
"Okay coach," Ned breathed heavily as he began running at a snail's pace.
"You'll thank me for the warm-up," Coach Stilinski clapped his hands encouragingly.
Within the first lap, the most athletic student stood out.
It was Flash Thompson sprinting effortlessly, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face as he looked behind.
His buddies followed along.
Seol Hwa ran in the middle, her breath as steady as Mount Tai.
Her pace was perfectly modulated and her movements were natural.
Gwen and MJ moved beside her, huffing like their lives depended on it.
"I think I'll die even before the second lap starts," MJ breathed heavily but still keeping up the pace.
"Same," Gwen added, sweat dripping from her forehead, before glancing at her side. "How are you so calm, Seol?"
"You aren't dropping even a single sweat. How can your skin remain flawlessly spotless?" she exclaimed forcefully, an amazed look on her slightly exhausted face.
Seol Hwa smiled. "I won't break a sweat even if I force myself."
"Breathing is also a form of exercise. Control your breathing and try to keep your wasted movements to a bare minimum," she lightly advised.
Gwen and MJ tried to rapidly exhale and inhale. "Like this?"
"Stop swinging your arms like chicken wings," Seol Hwa scolded.
Both MJ and Gwen did as they were told and the tension slightly reduced, making the run a bit easier.
"Make sure to engage your core. The priority remains the way you breathe. Master that and you will have an easy time with light mortal exercises," Seol Hwa said, her eyes trailing to their leg movements.
'Sloppy,' she mused but she understood they weren't like her.
She caught sight of Peter, trailing behind, trying to be as average as it gets.
'Trying not to stand out? You're doing it poorly, young man.' Seol Hwa slightly shook her head at Peter's exaggerated huffs.
By the time the students were on the fifth lap, many of them looked like they were about to die, panting like hogs.
Seol Hwa still didn't have a sweat on her skin.
She motivated the two girls to keep up and never let the lactic acid hamper their momentum as they slowly trailed behind her.
Flash was holding the lead, sweat clinging to his shirt.
PRRR!
"Alright, alright!" Coach Stilinski blew the whistle as the last man, Ned, strenuously struggled to reach the finish line.
"Commendable, Ned. That's what I'm talking about. A few of these in my class and you'll be surprised by how much you will shed those pounds," he proudly nodded at Ned who immediately collapsed on the hardwood ground just like most of the students.
Coach Stilinski gave them a few minutes to cool down and hydrate.
"Alright, you've had enough leisure. Get over here," he signaled to the students.
He then chose a few people and broke them into two teams.
Team Green had Seol Hwa, Gwen, MJ, Peter, Ned, and another skinny but tall boy.
Team Red had Flash, three of his cronies, and two other girls.
Those who were not chosen breathed a sigh of relief as they made their way to the bleachers where Jean and co had been sitting since earlier.
They looked at them with envy since they had been exempted from the hellish 'marathon' for whatever reasons they didn't know.
"Have you ever played basketball in your entire life?" Gwen asked Seol Hwa.
"No," Seol Hwa blandly answered.
"What does it entail?" she cluelessly asked.
"With your height, I expected you to have played before at least…anyway, you see that small net right there?" Gwen pointed at the hoops on both ends of the court.
Seol Hwa nodded.
"You just have to throw the red-brown ball in and…" Gwen continued to explain a few mechanics and rules.
Seol Hwa immediately got a gist of it. It was rather simple.
Seol Hwa and her team stood on one side of the court while Flash and his stood on the other side.
Coach Stilinski stood at mid-court holding the ball.
He explained a few rules before leaving the ball and standing at the sidelines.
The two teams met head-on to 'trash talk' at the center.
Ned showed a terrified expression when one of Flash's cronies sliced his thumb across his neck.
"We're going to grind you down into dust. Prepare to be demolished," Flash declared arrogantly, a confident smirk on his face before glancing at Seol Hwa.
"Baby girl, I'll show you how basketball's played," he winked at her.
Seol Hwa showed a bored expression.
"Don't blow your own trumpet too early, Flash," Gwen glared at him, annoyed by his blatant, disgusting flirting attempt.
"Guess who is Seol's guard dog," MJ quipped humorously.
"Who's the dog? You're the dog, MJ," Gwen retorted.
MJ chuckled before looking at Peter who responded with a shrug.
Coach Stilinski blew the whistle for them to get ready.
They immediately went into formation.
Team Red, Flash's team, was the first to hold possession of the ball.
A couple of passes around Seol Hwa's team and Flash, easily 6'2", dribbled past Ned before dunking a clean two-pointer with no suspense.
Ned couldn't defend against him even if he wanted to.
Flash did a 'you-can't-see-me' hand gesture in front of Gwen as he returned to his court.
He smirked at Seol Hwa.
Gwen gritted her teeth, nearly falling for the rage-bait, before remembering Seol Hwa's words.
'Control your breathing.'
MJ clapped her hands to keep everyone focused. "We've got this, guys. Let's prepare for revenge."
Seol Hwa calmly observed the flow of the game, unbothered by Flash's childish taunts.
She looked at her team and how determined they were, even the fat one was psyched though afraid.
By now, she already had a spatial map of the whole court.
'I'll guide this team to victory,' she concluded.
Gwen passed the ball to Seol Hwa who easily grasped it in her hand.
She looked at it before bouncing it on the ground.
Thud!
The ball's sound became rhythmic as her gaze landed at the net ring before scanning the court.
She began dribbling unhurriedly, earning a few looks of surprise from the two opponents.
They glanced at each other, a taciturn understanding between them. 'This is going to be damn easy.'
Seol Hwa barely smiled and instantly, her arm turned into a whip, driving the ball like a missile between the two defenders.
The two couldn't react, at the corners of their eyes they only saw a red flash, shock written on their faces.
Peter's spidey sense buzzed as a rush of wind bulldozed toward his head.
He reflexively raised his hand and caught the ball.
His eyes widened. 'How did she know I'll be here?'
Since he was undefended under the hoop, Peter effortlessly jumped and slam-dunked to equalize the score.
2-2.
No one had anticipated such a wild pass and court vision from Seol Hwa.
"That was just some dumb luck," Flash snickered at Seol Hwa before instructing his team to mark well.
'Luck?' Seol Hwa nearly felt pity.
The game continued and Team Red led by 6-2.
Then, Seol Hwa began puppeteering every scenario in the court with her passes.
She didn't even need to sprint.
The way she thudded the ball made the hearts of the defenders shake with unease.
When they tried to cage her, their arms wide to block her vision, Seol Hwa would always find tricky angles to deliver an impossible pass.
Her teammates like Gwen, MJ, Peter and the skinny, tall boy named Billy, had started trusting her judgment as Seol Hwa fed them easy lay-ups in whatever position in the opponent's court.
The score rose up to 20-18.
Team Green was down by two points.
Flash had now ordered his teammates to defend maliciously, tailing Team Green's players like hounds.
As for Seol Hwa, Flash decided to deal with her by himself.
The ball had become like a weapon in her dainty hands.
The students spectating thought she was making the ball vanish.
Coach Stilinski watched with apt attention scribbling something on his notebook.
'Her spatial awareness, field IQ, calmness under pressure and tempo control are out of this world. She hasn't scored even once but supplied almost all of the assists,' He thought seriously. 'Has she truly never played basketball in her entire life?'
Coach Stilinski had overheard that from Gwen. 'She's everywhere even when she moves the least. You might think she's lazy, but every part of her actions is absolute.'
'Time's slipping. What decision will she make when that kid, Flash, is breathing down her neck?' He rubbed his stubbleless chin, anticipation flickering in his eyes.
'Show me what you are made of. Show me something, Seol Hwa Park.'
Back to the court, Seol Hwa calmly dribbled the ball with Flash mirroring her movements, boxing her in.
He had the advantage of physique and height.
"You're not getting past me!" Flash spat, rivulets of sweat trickling down his body.
He bore a look of frustration on his face as he panted heavily.
It was taking all of his focus and attention to tail the seemingly harmless, gorgeous girl.
He had already swallowed his words about Seol Hwa's passes being merely luck.
Beyond his usual thick-headedness, as an athlete, Flash Thompson understood that facts were never wrong. And Seol Hwa's playmaking went beyond dumb luck.
But due to pride, he couldn't admit it outright.
"You told me that you'll show me how basketball's played, right?" Seol Hwa suddenly said in a low voice, surprising Flash and the nearby players.
"I'll use your words."
Thud!
'You were quite arrogant as the head of a chicken. Because unbeknownst to you, standing before you has always been a full-fledged dragon.'
Thud!
Seol Hwa bounced the ball and took a tiny step back. Even if she didn't need to, she still took that step.
Flash's eyes widened in realization.
"No! I won't allow you!" He roared, charging aggressively.
Although they were currently at the mid-court, Flash didn't believe that she could make a shot from there.
What he was more afraid of, were Seol Hwa's passes and tactical sovereignty.
She was always up to something.
Flash couldn't allow her to have that freedom to think, to manipulate every play.
Her lips curled deliciously. "I don't need your permission. This is how you play basketball."
She flicked her wrist, the aggressive boy looking extremely slow from her perspective, even when she wasn't using any of her physical superiority.
Flash jumped, his long arms outstretched to block the ball.
Despair filled his eyes as he watched the ball narrowly cross over his furiously stretched fingers.
Seol Hwa turned her back and walked away.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as every pair of eyes watched the ball freely roll in the air as if wanting to fly to the heavens.
WHOOSH.
The ball cleanly entered the hoop without touching the net and bounced on the hardwood.
One. Two. Three.
Time then resumed normally.
Flash still in the air, turned his head and watched all this happen.
The words "This is how you play basketball" echoing in his mind.
Flash lost all his strength and dropped on his knees in defeat.
"Hooray!" Almost everyone in the gym stopped what they were doing and cheered.
"Kyaa! Did you see that?"
"Seol Hwa my goddess!"
"We should form a cult to worship her!"
"A cult is too much. Maybe a club to talk about her!"
"If I was a boy, I would have already run to her and confessed my love!"
"What's stopping you as a girl?"
"Is anyone not talking about the absolutely bonkers three-pointer from the mid-court?!"
"Oh, yeah. What was that?!"
Animated talks sprang among the students as Gwen and her teammates rushed over to Seol Hwa.
"That was fun-fucking-tastic, girl!" Gwen happily congratulated her, basically screaming, disbelief in her blue eyes.
"Wow, did I just watch an anime for free?" Ned widely opened his mouth.
"Yeah, Michael Jordan couldn't do that," MJ chimed in, with delight.
Peter Parker looked at Seol Hwa, his mouth nearly hitting the floor.
His eyes kept alternating between Seol Hwa and the hoop, replaying her actions and trying to simulate how she would have moved like that.
'That shit is not even possible for Peter Parker. Maybe Spider-man could do it.'
'May-be.' He squinted his eyes, a wincing expression on his face.
Even Spider-man had doubts.
~~~<>~~~
Yu_ner's Corner:
We finally hit 30k+ words. That's worth a 'cheers', I think. Anyway, I had to watch clips of Kuroko no Basuke and NBA highlights to get a gist of basketball rules and terms. Is this guy Stephen Irving like a hotshot of basketball? Um, *whispers* I've only ever played badminton and handball and some football and some karate?
So... I guess you enjoy the chap? Byee.
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