From Me To You, Ch. 2
Previously:
Chapter One
Disclaimer: Kang Shin-woo belongs to the Hong sisters, creators of You're Beautiful.
Author's Notes: Thank you to naddyamal and insanemr_taxi for the reviews :)
Chapter Two
Almost every day after school, a bunch of boys, mostly from the upper grades, would take over the basketball courts and play until it was time to go home. When she was around, Ha-neul's classmates invited her to join not only because she was tall, but also because she played center on their school's girls' team and thus knew her way around a court.
Son-hae and his friends were going to play that day, so she almost refused when their other classmates started clamoring for her to join. They still teased her, even after that near-miss with Teacher Gong a few days ago, and she didn't want to risk having them for teammates.
Then Shin-woo gave her an encouraging smile. "Please play, Ha-neul. I could use one more person to complete my team."
Well, there was no way she could say no to that.
One would think that, after inviting her to join their games so many times already, the boys would have learned not to go easy on her just because she was a girl, but they continued to do so, and Ha-neul always made them pay.
Fortunately, she was not playing on the same team as Son-hae, and this gave her a chance to give him and his friends a hard time in the name of the game. When they sagged off on defense, she drove to the basket or tried to give her teammates opportunities to score. (Her father always said that basketball was a team sport.) When they tensed up or pulled back while she was defending against them, she bumped them out of scoring position or stripped them of the ball.
She even got in a shot block in this game, sending the ball back with a thunderous spike that left everyone awestruck for a few moments and preserved her team's lead, 19 baskets to 15.
A teammate eventually remembered that the ball was still in play and went after it, but the lapse gave their opponents enough time to set up their defense. Ha-neul ran downcourt to her customary place beneath the basket. One of her defenders jostled her, a little more roughly than usual, but she managed to receive the pass.
Immediately, she was triple-teamed, and she found herself looking into Son-hae's smirking face. "Think you can get past all of us?" he taunted.
For a while, she seriously thought about taking up his dare and elbowing him out of the way. The idea was tempting (especially the part about hitting him), but it also wasn't very sporting and wouldn't help her team to win.
Suddenly, Ha-neul spied a movement over Son-hae's shoulder. Deciding not to waste any more time trying to figure out how to power her way out of her predicament, she launched herself straight up and tossed the ball over her defenders' heads.
To her relief, she found that she had sent it into Shin-woo's hands. An opponent was positioned between him and the basket, but somehow he managed to slip past and sail the rest of the way to the goal for a perfect lay-up.
Son-hae and his teammates groaned as the ball slipped through the net and ended the game. Ha-neul knew that this was the perfect time to taunt the boys right back, but her father had taught her that winning was the best revenge. If they didn't stop teasing her, then she would beat them at basketball, again and again, until they did.
Besides, she couldn't think of a good comeback.
"That was a great pass. Thanks." When Ha-neul looked up from zipping her backpack closed, Shin-woo held out the small bottle of aloe juice he had bought from the school canteen.
He shook it at her when she made no move to take it. "This is for you."
"Oh." She took it with a small nod. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." He watched her twist off the cap and take a small sip. "You're really good at basketball," he continued as she drank. "Your dad's teaching you, right?"
She nodded again. "Yes, he is."
Her reply sounded a little stiff, and Shin-woo remembered that she didn't really like talking about her father. Mr. So played power forward for the Busan Kia Enterprise of the Korean Basketball League. When they weren't teasing her about her height, her classmates asked about him and if she could get them free tickets to Enterprise games when they were playing in town.
He wasn't going to be one of those people. "That's cool. It's nice to have something to do with your dad, isn't it? Mine travels a lot for his job, too, so when he's home he takes me and my brothers to the movies, or to play badminton in the park. He says that even if we can't see each other every day, the important thing is to make good memories when we are together."
To his relief, that made Ha-neul smile. "My dad says the same thing."
Shin-woo smiled back and was about to ask her what else she and her dad did when he wasn't playing out of town when he spotted a small figure running towards them, waving its arms for attention. "Ya! Hyung!" it called in the voice of his younger brother, Shin-man. "Omma's here!"
"All right, I'm coming!" he called back, and gave Ha-neul an apologetic look. "I have to go. My mother's come to pick us up."
She nodded. "Thanks again for... well, everything."
"You're welcome." He picked up his school bag and turned to follow his brother to the gate. "See you tomorrow."
Chapter One
Disclaimer: Kang Shin-woo belongs to the Hong sisters, creators of You're Beautiful.
Author's Notes: Thank you to naddyamal and insanemr_taxi for the reviews :)
Chapter Two
Almost every day after school, a bunch of boys, mostly from the upper grades, would take over the basketball courts and play until it was time to go home. When she was around, Ha-neul's classmates invited her to join not only because she was tall, but also because she played center on their school's girls' team and thus knew her way around a court.
Son-hae and his friends were going to play that day, so she almost refused when their other classmates started clamoring for her to join. They still teased her, even after that near-miss with Teacher Gong a few days ago, and she didn't want to risk having them for teammates.
Then Shin-woo gave her an encouraging smile. "Please play, Ha-neul. I could use one more person to complete my team."
Well, there was no way she could say no to that.
One would think that, after inviting her to join their games so many times already, the boys would have learned not to go easy on her just because she was a girl, but they continued to do so, and Ha-neul always made them pay.
Fortunately, she was not playing on the same team as Son-hae, and this gave her a chance to give him and his friends a hard time in the name of the game. When they sagged off on defense, she drove to the basket or tried to give her teammates opportunities to score. (Her father always said that basketball was a team sport.) When they tensed up or pulled back while she was defending against them, she bumped them out of scoring position or stripped them of the ball.
She even got in a shot block in this game, sending the ball back with a thunderous spike that left everyone awestruck for a few moments and preserved her team's lead, 19 baskets to 15.
A teammate eventually remembered that the ball was still in play and went after it, but the lapse gave their opponents enough time to set up their defense. Ha-neul ran downcourt to her customary place beneath the basket. One of her defenders jostled her, a little more roughly than usual, but she managed to receive the pass.
Immediately, she was triple-teamed, and she found herself looking into Son-hae's smirking face. "Think you can get past all of us?" he taunted.
For a while, she seriously thought about taking up his dare and elbowing him out of the way. The idea was tempting (especially the part about hitting him), but it also wasn't very sporting and wouldn't help her team to win.
Suddenly, Ha-neul spied a movement over Son-hae's shoulder. Deciding not to waste any more time trying to figure out how to power her way out of her predicament, she launched herself straight up and tossed the ball over her defenders' heads.
To her relief, she found that she had sent it into Shin-woo's hands. An opponent was positioned between him and the basket, but somehow he managed to slip past and sail the rest of the way to the goal for a perfect lay-up.
Son-hae and his teammates groaned as the ball slipped through the net and ended the game. Ha-neul knew that this was the perfect time to taunt the boys right back, but her father had taught her that winning was the best revenge. If they didn't stop teasing her, then she would beat them at basketball, again and again, until they did.
Besides, she couldn't think of a good comeback.
"That was a great pass. Thanks." When Ha-neul looked up from zipping her backpack closed, Shin-woo held out the small bottle of aloe juice he had bought from the school canteen.
He shook it at her when she made no move to take it. "This is for you."
"Oh." She took it with a small nod. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." He watched her twist off the cap and take a small sip. "You're really good at basketball," he continued as she drank. "Your dad's teaching you, right?"
She nodded again. "Yes, he is."
Her reply sounded a little stiff, and Shin-woo remembered that she didn't really like talking about her father. Mr. So played power forward for the Busan Kia Enterprise of the Korean Basketball League. When they weren't teasing her about her height, her classmates asked about him and if she could get them free tickets to Enterprise games when they were playing in town.
He wasn't going to be one of those people. "That's cool. It's nice to have something to do with your dad, isn't it? Mine travels a lot for his job, too, so when he's home he takes me and my brothers to the movies, or to play badminton in the park. He says that even if we can't see each other every day, the important thing is to make good memories when we are together."
To his relief, that made Ha-neul smile. "My dad says the same thing."
Shin-woo smiled back and was about to ask her what else she and her dad did when he wasn't playing out of town when he spotted a small figure running towards them, waving its arms for attention. "Ya! Hyung!" it called in the voice of his younger brother, Shin-man. "Omma's here!"
"All right, I'm coming!" he called back, and gave Ha-neul an apologetic look. "I have to go. My mother's come to pick us up."
She nodded. "Thanks again for... well, everything."
"You're welcome." He picked up his school bag and turned to follow his brother to the gate. "See you tomorrow."