Chapter 6.1: Rival

Translator: Pineapple

Editor: Isalee

"You have a sprain on your right wrist, and because you ran too much, both your leg muscles are in bad shape. You can"t practice or play any games for at least three weeks."

Coach Jeon looked at the doctor"s note and told him this. There was an old man who was fondling his white beard. He was the owner of one of the five largest companies in Korea. He was the president of NK company.

"Hoho… he looks like a calm young man but surprisingly, I see him in a new light now."

After watching the recording of Choi Yeon Hyuk and Han Woo Jin"s match, his smile hadn"t disappeared since watching the match. That was how satisfied the president was with their performance. This was the first time Coach Jeon had ever seen the President act like this, even though they have known each other for a long time.

While thinking about their rally with closed eyes, the president asked Coach Jeon a question.

"Coach Jeon, what do you think would have happened if Han Woo Jin started off with playing dirty?"

After hearing that question, Coach Jeon also thought about that possibility. In the sports world, it was useless to think about "what IF" for a game that had already ended. Yet people really loved these kinds of useless things.

What would have happened if Han Woo Jin started the game off with dirty play? What if he didn"t play fairly and used psychological warfare against Choi Yeon Hyuk? Coach Jeon tried to simulate what would have happened in his mind. As someone who wasn"t used to dirty play, Choi Yeon Hyuk probably would not have been able to easily adapt and he would lose his stamina and pace. On the contrary, Han Woo Jin would be able to maintain his body stamina and easily win two sets.

Han Woo Jin played the game to the death, and towards the middle of the game, Choi Yeon Hyuk got fired up. If Han Woo Jin played dirtily in the beginning, he would have prevented Choi Yeon Hyuk from winning the first set.

Coach Jeon finished his calculations and opened his mouth.

"Seven out of ten times, Han Woo Jin would have won. Yeon Hyuk has never lost before, so I think he doesn"t have that much experience."

Choi Yeon Hyuk was very excellent until now. That"s why he never lost a game, and he was never in the inferior position. He also didn"t know about his own weaknesses. That"s why Han Woo Jin"s body shots were so effective against him.

"Both of them are rookies but their styles are polar opposites. Choi Yeon Hyuk plays fairly and Han Woo Jin plays mind games. How exciting."

The president laughed out loud and patted his beard. Coach Jeon also nodded his head at the president"s evaluation.

Two players who showed completely different playstyles like fire and water. As someone who has seen hundreds of tennis plays, Coach Jeon was also intrigued by their playstyles.

The president compared their styles and asked Coach Jeon, "What do you think? Choi Yeon Hyuk and Han Woo Jin, which one has more potential?"

The president asked Coach Jeon since he was the one taking care of the two players" futures. Who would climb up higher and faster? It was asking him how much they could grow as players. Coach Jeon closed his eyes. He didn"t take long to think about it.

"Yeon Hyuk"s talent is the best in the country. I"ve never seen anyone with better talent than him."

"Of course, that"s the case. I also thought that too."

He was 186 cm tall and had st.u.r.dy muscles. He had great reflexes, power, and speed.

Choi Yeon Hyuk was a genius that was a mutation in a small country like Korea. If they were thinking about talent, he had world-level potential. The president and Coach Jeon thought like that.

"But… I don"t know about Woo Jin. I"ve never seen his kind of playstyle. I don"t know how far he can go and how he made it this far."

I don"t know. That was the only evaluation that Coach Jeon could give after observing him. This was the exact evaluation for him. Although he had excellent eyes, he would never be able to decipher that Woo Jin had come back ten years to the past and that he also had a weird power.

The president also had excellent eyes and it was also impossible for him to evaluate Han Woo Jin"s talent. The president agreed with Coach Jeon"s statement and said, "Isn"t that why this is so much fun? It"s really weird for me to not know about these things at my age. Furthermore, you were the referee for that game."

"Yes, President."

The president"s eyes looked like he could read a person"s mind as he spoke.

"Between Choi Yeon Hyuk and Han Woo Jin, who were you rooting for?"

Coach Jeon couldn"t reply because the president already knew the answer to his question. Of course, Choi Yeon Hyuk was an excellent player. However, Han Woo Jin"s method of attacking someone else"s weakness and playing dirty depended on the person. Some people looked down on that playstyle.

However, if he were asked who made the viewers more fired up, the answer was easy.

"I chose Woo Jin."

"Me too. That young man showed me such fierce play that it even made me forget my old age."

He ran to death tenaciously even in a seemingly hopeless desperate situation. His insufficient talent and skills were made up by his stubbornness and effort. Dramatic would be the only word to define him.

The president clenched and unclenched his fist because he was still excited about that match. Finally, his voice calmed and he spoke to Coach Jeon.

"Anyway, first, you need to find a tournament for Choi Yeon Hyuk. Han Woo Jin needs to completely heal from his injury. Afterwards, you can get a schedule for him."
"Yes, President."

They showed that much potential during the test league. The president thought that they must win the Korean tournaments as he put his hands together.

Han Woo Jin laughed while he thought about Coach Jeon"s scolding. Thinking about when he was getting yelled at, his body couldn"t help but shrink up. However, he didn"t apologize for what he did. Even if he was in the same situation again, Han Woo Jin would never give up.

"I don"t have any excuses because I lost."

There was no other word that made him feel more empty than "if". Han Woo Jin shook his head to erase "if" in his mind. The second set even surprised him because of how well he played.

Han Woo Jin"s mind games that were based on dirty play was his strategy. Han Woo Jin was interested in fair play ever since he got the system so he always played fairly. However, that was the first thing that came back to his mind during his game with Choi Yeon Hyuk.

"Yes."

After the match with Choi Yeon Hyuk, he fainted while standing up and he opened his eyes on the hospital bed the next day. When he woke up, he was perplexed at his surroundings and the IV in his arm. He admitted that he didn"t manage his stamina that well but it was the first time that he fainted while standing.

Han Woo Jin would be discharged from the hospital after getting muscle therapy and treatment for his wrist for one week. He got an elastic bandage on his right wrist to prevent further infection.

He got ma.s.saged at the hospital and extra medication. When he got everything, it was already sunset. Han Woo Jin remembered his house pa.s.sword and opened the door.

*pipik!*

"I"m back."

"Oppa you"re back?"

Han Yoo Ra was watching the TV while laying down and just nodded her head. Maybe his parents had gone outside. Han Woo Jin absentmindedly went into his room.

As soon as he opened his door, he noticed that his room was very clean even though he wasn"t living there. The floor was shiny. How much did his mom clean his room?

"Mom…"

Han Woo Jin thought about his family and felt a tightness in his chest. He put down his bag and laid down on his bed. Many thoughts went through his brain. The second set was when he was limited by his stamina. Choi Yeon Hyuk, tennis, the system… He tried to rest but he had a headache.

He tried to sleep but he heard their front door opening. He figured that his parents had arrived.

"Woo Jin, are you here?"

"Yes, I just got back."

His dad saw his arm and wrist wrapped in bandages. His mother gently touched his wrist. He had almost forgotten about this warmth. His dad looked at Han Woo Jin with worry in his eyes and Han Woo Jin asked him, "Dad, do you wanna go out to eat grilled eel later?"

His parents were surprised by his expression. Seeing his parents surprise, Han Woo Jin just smiled awkwardly.

The NK company second place prize was 300,000 won. 

It was his first paycheck as a tennis player ever since he had come back from ten years in the future.

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Translator"s Notes:

[1] 300,000 won - roughly 300 dollars