Chapter 25.4: Kim Chun Open # 3

Translator: Pineapple

Editor: ouroboros

After his easy victory in the first game, Han Woo Jin’s time in the Kim Chun Open went smoothly without any problems. There wasn’t a player that was an obstacle to him that could make him use his full power. That Thai player that he went against in the second round wasn’t a match for him. Han Woo Jin’s ranking wasn’t aligned with his true skills. 

But the match wasn’t that easy. 

“15:30!”

Han Woo Jin wiped the sweat on his forehead and his palms. Because if he ignored the sweat, then his grip might get worse.

‘It’s harder than expected.’

Han Woo Jin, who played with many individuals that were top world rankers at the Metz Open, unconsciously looked down on the players attending this Challenger League. Of course, they aren’t on the level of Leonard and Andrew. But they couldn’t be underestimated. 

On the other hand, it was possible that Park Sung Min was the weakest player in this tournament in this group. Han Woo Jin had a slight bitter taste in his mouth from his opponent who began attacking him without hesitation as soon as he made a small mistake. That’s why he couldn’t get a perfect score like in his previous match.

The Thai player, Chompu, tossed up the ball with a dark expression because he fully expected defeat. He got a breakpoint in over half of his serve games, so obviously he is going to lose.

*Pang!*

A player’s stamina is extremely important in a match, but a player’s mental state is also crucial. Players who had already given up the match lose the sharp edge of their serves and the speed and direction of their serve becomes shaky. When that happens, the rally has no meaning.

Han Woo Jin fully understood that Chompu lost his will to fight due to his Han Woo Jin’s greater experience. Chompu probably didn’t even bring out half of Han Woo Jin’s full strength.

*Pang!*

Han Woo Jin gracefully returned the serve with a topspin stroke. A ball with a spin added to it can change its direction and curve in midair. As soon as the ball flew across the net it bounced on the court multiple times.

“15:40! Han Woo Jin, match point!”

The score was currently 3-5 with Han Woo Jin in the lead. In the first set, Han Woo Jin won 2-6 and if he scores one more point, then he can finish this match. Han Woo Jin realized his body’s tired condition and clicked his tongue. Rather than him moving around too much, the problem of his exhaustion was the hot summer sun.

‘It’s not a joke that the Australian Open kills players the most. (kill as in fatigue) Even in South Korea, playing outdoors in the sun is this tiring.’

The Australia Open was famous for having its players quickly become exhausted during their matches. This fourth grand slam tournament starts with 64 players unlike the usual 32 in the main tournament because every player gains a huge amount of fatigue after a single match of playing in that hot Australian sun. 

Also, because it is one of the grand slams, the players have to win three out of five sets to win the match. If they can’t win the first three games, then they will have to play the full five games. They’re already playing in extremely hot conditions and they have to play for such a long time which is what gets to them.

Han Woo Jin was thinking about the Australian Open’s harsh environment as Chompu served. Chompu was slightly under 180 cm, so the height of his serve was lower as well. But his speed was decent. Chompu’s regular serve was already better than Park Sung Min’s best serve in both speed and accuracy.

*Pang!*

However, although this ball was fast, Han Woo Jin was unfazed as he got used to this speed during the first set. Han Woo Jin hit the ball back to Chompu’s service court and he thought that this was the end. 

‘... He’s not moving.’

Chompu was standing still in the same spot. He had his racket lowered and just waited for the ball. Han Woo Jin didn’t need to worry so he was just lightly holding his racket as he returned the ball. 

*Tong!*

The ball crossed over the net and Chompu just looked at the ball bounce away. That’s how Han Woo Jin’s second match of the Kim Chun Open ended.

“Game Han Woo Jin! Match won by Han Woo Jin! Score 2-6, 3-6!”

[Player Han Woo Jin from NK company has defeated Chompu from Thailand and reached the top eight! Everyone please make a round of applause for the two players for this great game!]

The applause filled the stadium and disappeared quickly. Han Woo Jin looked at the stands were there weren’t many viewers. Tennis wasn’t a popular sport in South Korea so there weren’t many spectators in the stands.

He could understand if this was a match in a future’s tournament but he didn’t expect so little people in a challenger level tournament. That’s why he thought that pro players would rather play in other countries. 

The two players shook hands in the middle of the court and left. The familiar sounding system rang out in his head. 

[Outstanding play! This is your second victory in a Challenger league and your skill experience will be increased.] [Correction! You already made achievements in a higher tournament league, so your rewards will be decreased.] [Your achievements/rewards will be calculated after the tournament ends.]

‘I didn’t level up anything today.’

It looked like he didn’t level up anything because he leveled up the day before. Han Woo Jin sat down next to Shin Sae Yeon who was waiting for him without any expression. She handed him a cold towel and water bottle.

“You worked hard. Looks like it’s been easy so far.”

“Hoo, yeah, but it’s still tiring.”

Han Woo Jin wiped the red spots on his neck due to the heat. Sweat was quickly dried because of the sun. Han Woo Jin got hot easily, even with the slightest increase in temperature. So in the couple hours of playing tennis outdoors, he got prickly red spots on his skin. (in korean this is called 땀띠 ddam ddi, it’s a heat rash or something idk never had it before) It wasn’t a serious problem, but the prickly feeling that it gave was annoying.

After he wiped his sweat with the cold towel, the itchiness subsided. After Han Woo Jin took a long drink of the cold water, he looked down at the court where the next match was about to begin.

But he was interrupted by Shin Sae Yeon before he started concentrating on the game.

“Woo Jin ssi, did you hear the news?”

“What news?” He asked curiously.

Han Woo Jin barely used the computer and didn’t read the newspaper. Therefore, he had no knowledge about recent news, unless someone told him. Shin Sae Yeon, knew this and spoke to him while looking at her phone.

“Yesterday at 1 PM, player Choi Yeon Hyuk won the finals in the Sapporo Open. Also, player Kim Hyung Tae held the record of winning a Challenger league tournament when he was only 23 years and ten months old. Do you know what I’m saying?”

“... There’s a new record.”

Han Woo Jin and Choi Yeon Hyuk were both born in the year 1984. They weren’t 23 yet, so he broke the record while he was a year younger than the broken record. Shin Sae Yeon looked at Han Woo Jin’s face and asked, “Aren’t you jealous? It’s a record that you could have broken.”

“I’m a little jealous.”

But Han Woo Jin just smiled as he answered. Even if he broke the record for being the youngest player for winning a Challenger tournament, in the future a 18 year old player name Lee Jung Hyun will break it anyway. With that memory, he just smiled.

A record is just a record. His goal was to reach a grand slam, so that’s what he needed to focus on. Choi Yeon Hyuk, also probably didn’t care about this new record. Han Woo Jin shrugged his shoulders and went back to looking at the court.

Shin Sae Yeon looked at his side with a strange expression. She didn’t speak to him again until the match was finished.

***

After the match ended, the sky was turning red. The second round had a total of eight games and it started at 10 AM and ended at 6 PM. The several break times made the day longer.

“We arrived.”

The car already arrived at the parking lot in front of the hotel. Han Woo Jin exited the car and spoke to Shin Sae Yeon. The sun was still up but the wind made it cool. He wanted to walk around the area a little bit.

“I’ll head back in after I walk around a bit. You can start eating without me if I’m not back by seven.”

“Yes, be careful on your work. Don’t forget you have a game tomorrow.”

As always, Shin Sae Yeon held the camera that held the games that were recorded and walked into the hotel. Han Woo Jin watched her walk and turned his body. As soon as he turned his head, he saw a person.

“It’s been a while.”

“... reporter Kim Sang Pil?”

The middle-aged reporter smiled behind the streetlamp as he extended his arm for a handshake. Han Woo Jin thoughtlessly shook his hand. Kim Sang Pil looked around and spoke to him with a quiet voice.

“Is that scary agent of yours around?”

“Should I call for her?”

Kim Sang Pil’s eyes widened in terror and frantically shook his head. Han Woo Jin was surprised by his reaction, seeing how terrified he looked.

“Why are you so scared of Sae Yeon? Did something happen?”

“Keheum, whenever I call to ask for an interview, I feel like I’m getting cut with knives. How is a young lady like her so coldhearted...”

He thought Kim Sang Pil had a bad experience with Sae Yeon and just spoke. The parking lot wasn’t a good place to talk so Han Woo Jin interrupted him.

“How about we move somewhere else? Have you eaten yet?”

“Ah, Keum, not yet.”

“Then let’s find a place to eat and talk. Ah, you didn’t come to interview me right?”

“I have no intention of that today. Why...?”

Kim Sang Pil had an awkward expression due to his question.

“Then we should bring Sae Yeon ssi as well. I cannot have an interview without my agent.”

“I won’t be doing that!”

Kim Sang Pil couldn’t help but promise that he wouldn’t interview him. Kim Sang Pil had plenty of experience but he couldn’t go against Shin Sae Yeon who was similar to his daughter’s age, and had such a cold exterior.  Also he really didn’t come with the intention for an interview today.

After walking for about ten minutes, they found a place. The restaurant wasn’t that well-decorated but it had a neat menu that fit Han Woo Jin’s tastes. After they ordered, Kim Sang Pil put his arms on the table to support his chin.

“You heard about player Choi Yeon Hyuk right?”

“If you’re talking about the Sapporro Open, then yes I’ve heard of it.”

Kim Sang Pil nodded and continued speaking. That article was something that his junior wrote. Kim Sang Pil thought that Han Woo Jin would be in a bad mood because Choi Yeon Hyuk broke the record for the youngest player to win a challenger league but Han Woo Jin had a calm expression. 

With his years of experience, he knew that Han Woo Jin truly didn’t care about it. Either he didn’t care about those things or he was just naive. Kim Sang Pil just wanted to believe in the former.

“People have a lot of expectations from you. In Korea, tennis isn’t that popular, so many people are waiting for a star to arrive.”

“...They are?”

Han Woo Jin thought back to the empty seats in the Kim Chun Open. If he compared this tournament to the Metz Open, then it was like a firefly in front of the bright moon. However, will people play more tennis just because of one popular player?

However, Kim Sang Pil was different. He believed that at least the situation would change for the better. 

“There are three players who the people are expectant of. You, player Choi Yeon Hyuk and can you guess who the last one is?”

“... Player Kim Hyung Tae.”

Currently ranked first in Korea and ranked 88th in the world. Kim Hyung Tae had the hopes of Korean tennis placed on him. If Choi Yeon Hyuk and himself didn’t exist, there would be no one talented enough to challenge Kim Hyung Tae.

Kim Sang Pil heard the news that two newbies and Kim Hyung Tae’s schedule overlapped. That’s why Kim Sang Pil came here to see Han Woo JIn.

“You and player Kim Hyung Tae will probably meet at the Seoul Open. I wanted to say something about that.”

“What did you want to say?...”

Kim Sang Pil continued speaking in front of Han Woo Jin’s curiosity. As he finished talking, Han Woo Jin looked down at the table with a serious face.

“Your food is here.”

It was a chicken steak and donkatsu. Kim Sang Pil said one more thing to Han Woo Jin who was holding a fork and knife. 

“Personally, I will be rooting for you.”

It wasn’t a very comforting message from him. 

Chapter 25.5: Kim Chun Open #4

Translator: Pineapple

Editor: oeroboros

“Woo Jin ssi, are you really okay?”

Shin Sae Yeon asked him with a worried expression. Han Woo Jin had nothing to say so he just nodded his head confirming nothing was wrong. He was currently sitting with the audience, watching the match down below, but he couldn’t hear any of the viewer’s cheers or the ball bouncing on the court.

Right now, he was pondering over something no one could understand. Only those who are going through the same situation could know what he is feeling. 

– People are currently have more expectations for player Kim Hyung Tae rather than you and player Choi Yeon Hyuk, who don’t have as much experience.

He could still hear Kim Sang Pil’s voice in his head. Kim Sang Pil explained in detail the situation of Korea’s tennis and the people’s opinion. It was difficult for him to hear the information from Kim Sang Pil.

‘In the past, Choi Yeon Hyuk also probably went through this situation at this point. Is that why he didn’t rank up quickly previously?’

In his past life, Han Woo Jin and Choi Yeon Hyuk, the year that they both debuted, they didn’t play in any ATP tournaments. That’s why Choi Yeon Hyuk and Kim Hyung Tae never played against each other in tournaments. 

But it was different this time.

It was already decided that Han Woo Jin will go against Kim Hyung Tae. They also didn’t know when Choi Yeon Hyuk will go against him but it is inevitable. (I am inevitable – thanos) It was a completely different situation from his previous life.

– Player Kim Hyung Tae has a plan to participate in the Tokyo Open, an ATP 500 tournament ... If he doesn’t maintain his rank of being in the top 100, then he won’t be able to get a seeded placement.

Han Woo Jin knew this point. In the year 2006, Kim Hyung Tae made a big accomplishment by reaching the top four. In Korean tennis history, it was the best placing of a Korean tennis player in a tournament that prestigious. That was why Han Woo Jin had such a vivid memory of that time. 

But this record was overcome by Choi Yeon Hyuk in 2008 when he got second place at Wimbledon. However, during that time, Kim Hyung Tae was still the number one tennis player in the Korean public’s eye. 

But right now is a different story.

Han Woo Jin suddenly tightened his fist that was loose as he thought deeply. The words from Kim Sang Pil made him confused. Only him, who knew the future would feel conflicted. His fist began trembling. 

‘Is it possible that player Kim Hyung Tae won’t be able to make a new record because of me? The person who made history in our Korean tennis?’

Player Kim Hyung Tae must maintain his top 100 rank in the world to get a seeded placement at the Tokyo Open. His ranking will be adjusted by how well he does at the Seoul Open. Han Woo Jin remembered how well he did at the Seoul Open during that time.

Kim Hyung Tae was victorious at the Seoul Open, challenger league. 

– If player Kim Hyung Tae doesn’t win the Seoul Open, then he might be lacking in points to get a seeded position. That’s what the president of the tennis association is worried about.

To Han Woo Jin it didn’t matter whether he wins or loses the Seoul Open. Of course, winning is good but he wasn’t in a position to definitely get a seeded spot even if he wins. 

But the situation was different for Kim Hyung Tae. If he doesn’t get a seeded position, then he probably won’t be able to reach the top four in the tournament or might not even reach the main tournament and lose in the preliminaries. If that happens history will completely change.

Of course, anyone can say that this wasn’t a big deal. But it was a huge deal to Han Woo Jin. To him, player Kim Hyung Tae was an idol that he looked up to when he was younger and held a special place in his heart.

During the second night, Kim Sang Pil didn’t show up. Like he promised, he only came here to tell Han Woo Jin that info.

Han Woo Jin, exited the stadium with a head full of worries. Even though the atmosphere wasn’t very good, a pro must be able to play in all conditions. 

“... something is very weird. It doesn’t look like his body is in bad shape?”

But today Han Woo Jin wasn’t in peak condition. Shin Sae Yeon looked down at Han Woo Jin who was running on the blue court with curious eyes. As usual, his level of play was satisfactory. 

She wondered whether something happened but she didn’t couldn’t guess what it was. She thought to herself to get him to tell her what’s wrong after this match. That was her job as his agent, as she needed to record and analyze his mental health.

‘I will meet him later.’

Shin Sae Yeon had a frightening smile on her face. Han Woo Jin suddenly felt shivers behind his neck while on the court.

During the middle of his match in the top eight, he felt a cold breath on his neck which made him shiver. Because of the cold sensation, he stopped moving and accidentally missed the ball.

*Pang!*

The ball bounced on Han Woo Jin’s right side and came up in a different direction than he expected. He just stopped moving and stayed in his spot. It would have been a waste of energy to go after the ball.

“Game Wang Chen! 5-4!”

The referee announced the Chinese player’s name who stood across of Han Woo Jin.

Han Woo Jin was leading by one game. If he loses one more game, then they’ll go into deuce.

‘Dammit.’

He bit his lips. If he didn’t have any worries, he probably would have won this game already. But because of his distractions he kept on making mistakes during the match. In Han Woo Jin’s case he had never come across this type of situation and didn’t think about how to deal with it.

The problem was obvious. It was because of his talk with Kim Sang Pil, which made him conflicted. Han Woo Jin forgot to serve and stopped moving.

“Player Han Woo Jin please serve!”

The referee hurried him to serve. He nodded at the ref and tossed up the ball. He felt that his sweat go down his head knew that he just made a mistake as he served and moved his wrist.

*Pak!*

“Fault!*

... that was dangerous.

If he continued to go through with that serve, then his opponent could have returned the ball with a rising shot and gotten a point. Han Woo Jin twisted his wrist at the last moment to make the ball hit the net. A fault wasn’t a problem because it was just his first serve. 

‘Let’s concentrate. I have to focus on the Kim Chun Open.’

Han Woo Jin shook his head and focused on the match. It wasn’t like the answer would come to him just because he thought about it hard enough. He tossed up the ball one more time after wiping the sweat on his forehead. He couldn’t let his opponent break his serve game and get an advantage.

Han Woo Jin regained his strength and gripped his racket tightly as he swung it.

*Pang!*

“15:0!”

The serve was sent sharply as it hit Wang Chen’s shoes and bounced away. Han Woo Jin’s stamina was starting to get low so his return wasn’t at full power, however, that move that he just used wasn’t something that a no-name ranker could do.

Han Woo Jin recovered some strength tossed up the ball once again. If he didn’t win this game, then it will end up in a deuce and he will have to waste even more energy. The best solution is if he ends this set immediately.

*Pang!*

He decided to concentrate more on his technique rather than his speed. Han Woo Jin used a topspin serve rather than a flat serve. The direction of the ball curved and got through a hole in his defenses. Wang Chen was late to react because Han Woo Jin used only flat serves the entire game. 

“30:0!”

Wang Chen’s face turned ugly. In fact, Wang Chen was already beginning to think that he wouldn’t win this. But he knew that his opponent’s condition wasn’t great. He had some slight hopes that he could possibly win. The score of the first set also wasn’t too bad for him. He never thought that he could contend this far against Han Woo Jin.

But if he loses this game then the match will end. The fire in his heart rose again. Wang Chen motivated himself to fight and lowered his position. He just needed to win this one game in order to drag out the set into a deuce. 

‘I see what you’re doing.’ (han woo jin thinking)

He saw his opponent lower his posture. His nervous looking eyes and his trembling legs because of the pressure of what’s at stake. Anyone with some experience would be able to tell what was on Wang Chen’s mind. Han Woo Jin read what he was trying to do.

*Pang!*

The ball dropped short. It wasn’t exactly an underhand serve but if he stopped his stroke midway then the ball won’t travel as far. This kind of ball had a very low bounce, so if the opponent wasn’t ready to volley, then they will lose the point. Wang Chen frantically ran upward.

*Tong!*

The racket that hastily hit the ball made it fly into the air. He was just trying to make it over the net, so the ball stopped spinning and was just floating in the air. Wang Chen realized that he made a huge mistake just now, and he saw Han Woo Jin’s shadow right in front of him. 

*Pang!*

“40:0! Han Woo Jin set point!”

The referee announced Han Woo Jin’s point. Han Woo Jin face was relaxed because the play went as planned. 

Because he constantly used fast and hard serves since the beginning, he was able to trick his opponent by using a short serve when his opponent was way back in the baseline. No matter how fast they run up to the ball, they can only use a drop shot. And then, the opponent who is easily prepared can return it with a volley.

Wang Chen knew that he played into Han Woo Jin’s hands and was upset but there was nothing he could do. It was difficult for him to find a will to fight when there was only one point left until defeat. 

In the end, Han Woo Jin won the match with a service ace.

*Pang!*

***

“He didn’t know what I said!”

*Kwang!*

President Cho slammed down the phone as the table shook and the noise reverberated throughout the room. Coach Jeon who was next to him spoke. He guessed what happened but he needed to confirm it. 

“Is it about player Kim Hyung Tae?”

“... Yeah. These old fogeys who have their heads full of shit don’t understand!”

It was shocking to hear someone like him use these rough words and so Coach Jeon didn’t know how to react. The fact that President Cho used curse words means that he was furious. It was extremely rare for capable businessmen like President Cho to express his anger on his face like this. 

Coach Jeon tried to calm him down as usual whenever the president gets upset. Because whenever Coach Jeon gets upset, President Cho comforts him and they drink a lot of alcohol together, which they will be doing today.

“But can’t you understand why they’re doing it, president? We support Woo Jin and Yeon Hyuk, that’s why wanted that but their side support Hyung Tae for many years as the sole pillar for Korea. If we suddenly push Woo Jin and Yeon Hyuk, they won’t like it.”

“No, Coach Jeon, whose side are you on? I don’t want to hear that from you!”

President Cho’s tone was rude but Coach Jeon knew that he will quickly come back to his senses. His rough breathing calmed down. 

Coach Jeon calmly explained. 

“The organization asked us to retract Woo Jin’s participation in the Seoul Open right?”

“Yes.”

He was still shocked. President Cho nodded his head and Coach Jeon smiled and continued speaking. He spread his arms and jokingly shook them. 

“Why are they telling us? He has had his own agent for a long time, and they are the ones that decide what tournament they attend.”

President Cho’s face brightened when he heard something that he didn’t think of. He thought about those words for a minute and began laughing.

“Haha, then you’re saying that we’re not in a position to do what they ask, is that what you’re saying?”

“I’m not saying that, but that is correct.”

The two men smirked. But President Cho put on a worried expression and spoke again. Because when he thought of the agent he had several thoughts.

“Hm, but can we trust those agents? We chose them because of your recommendation... but aren’t they both inexperienced?”

“That’s why that’s good.”

“Hm?”

Regarding sports agents, experience or no experience doesn’t matter and makes no difference. But Coach Jeon said that he recommended those two because of their lack of experience and even said that that was better. President Cho didn’t understand and his eyes widened.

“Experienced agents can calculate what is best for their player. Even if the situation doesn’t need any calculation, they will still calculate it.”

“It’s natural for human beings to calculate... so?”

Coach Jeon drank his coffee that was in front of him. He spoke when he saw President Cho’s eyes hurrying him to speak. 

“I chose inexperienced agents because they will support their player no matter what they choose. I personally think that this is a good thing.”

Chapter 25.6: Kim Chun Open #5

Translator: Pineapple

Editor: oeroboros

In the end, the game ended with Han Woo Jin’s victory. Although Han Woo Jin’s state of mind wasn’t at its peak, the skills between the two players was large enough to make a difference. Wang Chen felt regretful but he was content with the outcome. They shook hands at the net. Han Woo Jin had no expression, compared to Wang Chen who had a smile.

‘This is annoying.’

Why do I need to think about those things?

Han Woo Jin let go of Wang Chen’s rough hands and left. He was even annoyed the by system’s notice. He didn’t like his wavering determination because he wanted to fight his best until the end but he was wavering even before the match. He needed to do something. He needed to get rid of these useless thoughts. 

[Average play! The skills that you used will increase in experience due to your victory in the top eight.] [Correction. You already made achievements in a higher level tournament so your rewards will be decreased.] [Your total rewards will be calculated at the end of the tournament.]

His level didn’t level up this time as well. Furthermore, he heard that his play this time was just average due to his state of mind and the end result. Han Woo Jin couldn’t help but frown and wrinkles formed on his forehead.

He couldn’t continue playing like this in this condition. The next game, his opponent will be even stronger than Wang Chen and if he plays in this condition, then he won’t even be able to play in the finals. 

He left the court with a tired expression as Shin Sae Yeon followed him. She looked at Han Woo Jin with a cold expression as usual. He was walking while looking at the ground as he saw Shin Sae Yeon standing in front of him.

“.. Sae Yeon ssi?”

“We need to talk.”

She didn’t intend to take no for an answer. She didn’t play on just watching her player continue playing below his usual condition. Han Woo Jin just nodded. He just needed someone to talk to. 

“Let’s go somewhere we can talk.”

***

The two people walked over to a nearby cafe. As it wasn’t a franchise cafe, there wasn’t any customers. They sat in a corner spot, so that they couldn’t hear any of the music. 

Shin Sae Yeon came back to the table with an americano and lemonade as she placed it on the table. To Han Woo Jin, this felt like a familiar situation from the past and couldn’t help laughing.

“Why are you laughing?”

It was her normal voice but he felt it had a colder tone than usual because of her expression. Han Woo Jin went back to his usual expression and drank his lemonade. After that, the two people began speaking.

“You know you messed up today’s game right?”

“...Yes.”

Han Woo Jin didn’t deny it, as he couldn’t deny it. Anyone that watched his game for the first time could point out his mistakes. His serve speed and direction was weaker and of inferior quality than usual. His play standard that was normally as accurate as a machine wasn’t like that this game. 

As soon as he agreed, she lifted her cup and drank nearly half of her coffee before putting it down. You could hear the cup hitting the table throughout the entire cafe. 

“I didn’t ask you this morning. But I have to ask you now. What exactly is the problem?”

Shin Sae Yeon genuinely didn’t know. As she watched him at the Kim Chun open, he didn’t have any problems in the beginning and there shouldn’t be any reason for his poor condition .His physical fitness wasn’t the problem as it was perfect.

Han Woo JIn was worried for a moment. 

‘Should I tell her what Kim Sang Pil told me? Do I have to keep this story from her? Because he already left? No.’

He opened his mouth. This wasn’t something that he should hide from her. He can’t ignore his agent who takes care of him even late at night. As soon as Han Woo Jin opened his mouth, she began listening with sincere eyes. He spoke to her without stopping for nearly ten minutes. 

But he couldn’t talk to her about his inner troubles/demons. Also, he couldn’t talk about Kim Hyung Tae’s future achievements according to his previous life. Therefore, his respect should disappear as that hasn’t happened yet in this timeline. How could he explain, how something glorious could possibly not happen because of one little act of his? 

Of course, Han Woo Jin couldn’t guarantee that he could beat Kim Hyung Tae. Han Woo Jin’s technique and skills increased dramatically after every match. It’s obvious that his skills will increase by a level after the Kim Chun Open. 

It didn’t matter to Han Woo Jin whether he won or not at Seoul Open. Unlike Kim Hyung Tae who was at the peak of his career, Han Woo Jin was just beginning. Han Woo Jin could never guess that Coach Jeon wanted him to attend the Tokyo Open. 

Han Woo Jin stared intently at Shin Sae Yeon as he was curious about what she would say. 

She spoke back to him with the same expression as usual.

“You’re talking about Kim Hyung Tae in your story right?”

“Euk.”

Han Woo Jin unconsciously swallowed his breath. Shin Sae Yeon pointed out the story’s main point with accuracy even though Han Woo Jin spoke in circles. She explained to him in an unsurprised tone.

“I received a call earlier. I was told about your Seoul Open participation and you possibly not entering.”

“Then...”

“Let’s talk about this later, it’s too complicated. That kind of problem will be handled by the president. Our only problem right now, is to fix your condition.”

Her cold attitude was like a knife stabbing him. Shin Sae Yeon ignored the outside problems of the tennis organization and the president. Her primary focus is Han Woo Jin, who was currently not playing up to his full potential. Han Woo Jin just closed his mouth because Shin Sae Yeon was correct.

Shin Sae Yeon continued speaking.

“Would you like to think backwards?”

“Backwards?”

He didn’t understand what she was saying. He tilted his head and she continued talking. It wasn’t anything complicated. 

“Let’s think about if you were in Kim Hyung Tae’s shoes. You prepared a lot for many important games this year. You accumulated many points through those games and you polished your skills.”

“Yes.”

He just nodded because he still didn’t know where she was going with this.

As she continued speaking, Han Woo Jin’s realization came to him like a lightning bolt. He was shocked at what he worried about. 

“How would you feel if a junior of yours told you that he would change his schedule because he didn’t want to ruin your future? There, how do you feel?”

Han Woo Jin’s mouth widened. Han Woo Jin quickly closed his mouth as his lemonade was about to come back out. Luckily, she didn’t see that he almost spat out his drink. He was fascinated by the sudden change in the point of view that occurred. To think that he could think like that?

What would happen if Han Woo Jin were Kim Hyung Tae?

Could he gracefully accept that his junior would yield for him?

“... I would feel dirty.”

“Right?”

Shin Sae Yeon calmly drank the rest of her coffee with a satisfied face. The hot and bitter coffee was drained empty. She got up from her seat to order one more cup of coffee. In the meantime, Han Woo Jin realized how arrogant he was being. 

He spoke to himself in a quiet voice.

“Am I a fool?”

Respect is not an emotion that can be expressed through words or pretend. But he almost went that direction.

Han Woo Jin felt a refreshed clarity that was troubling him since yesterday. The dust that has accumulated for years has been cleanly mopped up and was now clean and tidy.

He needed to play his best because Kim Hyung Tae was a player who deserved his respect. If you are a sports athlete you must compete against others for victory and risk being defeated. If he beats Kim Hyung Tae, then his future accomplishments will be gone but that will be the right thing to do. Also, Han Woo Jin was curious as to when he started to worry about other players. 

Athletes can only respect one another after facing each other when they were playing their best. He was foolish to think that he could easily beat Kim Hyung Tae and change the future outcome. It was a very conceited.

“Have you cleared your thoughts?”

“Yes, thank you, Sae Yeon ssi.”

“It’s nothing.”

Shin Sae Yeon shrugged her shoulders lightly cooly and sat down. It smelled like she ordered a caramel macchiato this time as it smelled sweet. She gulped down her coffee and stared at Han Woo Jin. She was curious whether he came to his senses or not.

‘It looks like he’s back to normal. That’s a relief.’

It was hard to read Han Woo Jin’s mind because he normally didn’t show his expressions. But if he does show his expression then that means that something is wrong. The reason she was worried about him this morning was because of that. 

But now, he looked fine. His dark expression came back as usual. 

Shin Sae Yeon put down her coffee along with her worries. His confident voice also returned.

“Alright, let’s get back to work.”

“Yes?”

Han Woo Jin looked back at her in a stunned expression. Work? She didn’t bring him here to talk about his poor condition? 

Shin Sae Yeon interrupted his thoughts. She took out her A4 paperwork and notebook from her bag as Han Woo Jin raised his hand and touched his head. She was serious about the work.

“First, should we go over the final four players?”

Han Woo Jin couldn’t help but obediently listen to her as she always got excited while working. He also couldn’t find a reason to get out of this.

***

The tennis in Korea is small. It is very easy to obtain information about where the player trains and who trains them. It is the same reason why the news about Choi Yeon Hyuk and Han Woo Jin spread in such a short time. 

However, there are many players who are still unknown. Player Yoon Kyung Soo is an undiscovered player who was one of the top three players in Korea, ranked 218th in the world. 

He asked his agent in an uncomfortable voice.

“That Han Woo Jin or Woo Jun fellow that played today? He wasn’t that great.”

“I believe his condition wasn’t good today.”

Yoon Kyung Soo was a son of a wealthy family. That’s why even without a sponsor he was able to participate in tournaments and even hire an agent with his own money to continue playing as a pro. That’s why his agent’s attitude was more respectful to him than a regular agent would treat his player. 

“Condition? Bullshit. He’s just a young pup.”

It wasn’t something that Yoon Kyung Soo should say as he was only 25 years old. But his agent didn’t reply. He has been with his player for six years already, taking care of his bad attitude.

“Hyung Joon hyung, be honest. Am I better or him?”

Yoon Kyung Soo’s agent, Park Hyung Joon closed his mouth. It was evident that he believed that if he said that it was Han Woo Jin, then he would get yelled at for upsetting him. Of course, Han Woo Jin’s play was disappointing today. If he played like today during their match, then it’s possible for his player to win.

“If he plays like today, then you will win.”

“Right? But why does the newspaper only talk about him?”

He believed that his agent took his side and complained to him. He had an inferiority complex that he didn’t see. He was always in the shadow of Kim Hyung Tae among the Korean rankers which made him like that. 

If he got angry at Kim Hyung Tae, there was nothing he could do because of the gap in skills and experience between himself and Kim Hyung Tae. Also because of the two newbies were becoming rising stars, he couldn’t help but be jealous. Park Hyung Joon knew what his player was thinking.

“If you take away his one victory at the futures tournament, then doesn’t he have a pretty bad record at the ATP tour? It’s funny how they’re making such a big deal over that poor record.”

Park Hyung Joon wanted to tell him, that that was still pretty impressive for a newbie. Luckily, Yoon Kyung Soo continued speaking so he couldn’t interrupt.

“Who do you think will win tomorrow?”

It was here. With a dry mouth, he licked his lips and answered. He needed to be careful with his answer in order to not upset him. He answered with a short reply.

“... Six to four about.”

“I win by six? Alright, I’ll trust you because it’s you hyung.”

“Yes.”

Yoon Kyung Soo believed himself to be the superior player so he instantly in a better mood and went to eat. Park Hyung Joon swallowed the end of his sentence with difficulty.

He meant to say that Han Woo Jin was the six.