Chapter seven
667 Words
Episode 7
The basketball court looked different in daylight without the chaos of practice.
Ha-rin stood at the edge of the key line, eyes scanning the concrete as if it could still replay what happened.
“This is where it happened,” her assistant says
Ha-rin nodded once. “Near the key. Fast play. Too many bodies moving at once.”
Behind them, another player held a clipboard, while the assistance stood slightly apart, already reviewing notes from the hospital file and security report.
And then there was Hyun-woo.
He sat on the bench nearby, still pale but awake, watching everything like it no longer felt like his own memory.
Hyun-woo swallowed. “I just remember falling.”
Ha-rin didn’t look at him. “That’s because what happened wasn’t just a fall.”
The assistant stepped forward. “We reviewed the CCTV again. There was a blind spot during the play—about six seconds.”
Ha-rin’s eyes narrowed. “Six seconds is enough to fake an accident.”
She nodded. and turned slightly. “Show me.”
Her assistant tapped her tablet.
A replay appeared: fast movement, collision near the key… then a subtle but deliberate elbow strike as players shifted.
Not random.
Controlled.
Ha-rin’s expression changed instantly. “That wasn’t part of the play.”
“No,”
Hyun-woo leaned forward slightly, staring at the screen. “Who… did that?”
Silence.
Then the assistant spoke.
“Player 4. Min-jae.”
Later that evening, Min-jae stood in the same court, now empty.
Ha-rin stepped forward. “Why did you do it?”
He scoffed lightly. “Do what?”
The assistant approached next, holding the replay file. “You targeted Hyun-woo during the drill. You made it look like an accident.”
Min-jae’s eyes flicked to the file, then away. “Basketball is rough. People get hurt.”
Ha-rin’s voice cut in. “Your elbow motion was intentional. You adjusted your angle mid-contact.”
A beat of silence.
Then Min-jae exhaled sharply.
“You think he deserves special treatment?” he muttered.
Ha-rin’s expression hardened. “This isn’t about that.”
But Min-jae’s voice rose slightly now. “He came in and suddenly everyone watches him! Coach focuses on him,everyone cares!”
Hyun-woo had arrived behind them quietly, leaning on the wall nearby. He heard everything.
Min-jae finally looked at him.
“I just wanted him off the court,” he said flatly.
Ha-rin closed the file.
“This is assault,” she said calmly. “Intentional physical harm under supervised training conditions.”
Min-jae’s confidence cracked slightly. “You’re exaggerating.”
“No,” Ha-rin replied. “We are documenting it.”
Ha-rin stepped forward. “You don’t play again until the disciplinary board decides.”
The assistant added, “The school athletic committee has already been notified.”
Ha-rin voice was softer, but firm. “And medical report confirms intentional force beyond sports contact.”
Min-jae looked around, realizing no one was on his side anymore.
Two days later, the ruling came.
Suspension from the team. Immediate removal from all sports activities pending review. Mandatory disciplinary action record added to his file.
No appeal granted for the season.
Aftermath
Back at the hospital, Hyun-woo sat by the window of Ward 12, bandage finally lighter.
Hyun-woo exhaled slowly. “So it wasn’t an accident…”
Ha-rin stood beside him. “No.”
He nodded once, processing it quietly. “I didn’t even know someone hated me that much.”
Ji-hoon glanced at him. “It wasn’t about hate alone. Sometimes people react badly to pressure.”
Hyun-woo gave a small, tired laugh. “That sounds like something a doctor would say.”
“It is,” Ji-hoon replied.
Soo-young smiled faintly.
Ha-rin looked at Hyun-woo, then at the court outside the window.
“Next time,” she said, “you stay sharper.”
Hyun-woo smirked slightly. “Next time, I don’t fall.”
For the first time since the injury, the air felt lighter.
- Writer
