Chapter: 07

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As the university day ended, Miyeon made her way to the changing room to prepare for basketball practice. She had just waved goodbye to Dokyeom, who had offered to walk her there, but she declined, wanting a moment of peace alone after a long day of classes.

Earlier, after leaving the café, Miyeon had met up with Nari, who still looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Their schedules didn’t overlap after their shared class, so Miyeon hadn’t seen Nari since then. Instead, she spent the rest of the day with Dokyeom, who seemed to be in most of her classes.

As Miyeon entered the changing room, she found herself face-to-face with another girl. Normally, this wouldn’t be anything noteworthy, but this girl was in the middle of changing, standing there in just her bra, about to pull on a T-shirt. She had toned muscles, defined abs, a rose tattoo just below her left chest, and a belly piercing that caught the light.

Miyeon quickly averted her gaze to the floor, feeling her cheeks warm with embarrassment. She heard a soft chuckle, and then a voice as smooth as honey spoke up, “No need to be so embarrassed. It’s a changing room, after all.”

Miyeon looked up to see the girl smirking. She had long black hair that cascaded down to her hips, swaying with each of her graceful steps as she approached Miyeon. The girl extended a hand toward her.

“I’m Han Sohee,” she said.

Miyeon already knew who she was. How could she not? Han Sohee,  daughter of Han Jehyuk, the most renowned lawyer in South Korea, whose name was dragged through the mud when he was accused of murdering a client in 2016.

After a year of scandal and speculation, all charges were dropped when an anonymous witness came forward, proving his innocence. The details of the case were kept under wraps, leaving the public in the dark about the identity of the victim and the witness.

Miyeon felt a pang of empathy for the Han family. She understood what it was like to endure public scrutiny and hardship.

“Kim Miyeon,” she replied, taking Sohee’s hand. It was rough and calloused, but warm.

Sohee looked at her with a knowing gaze. Of course, she recognized Miyeon—everyone did. She was the daughter of one of the richest men in Korea. When their hands touched, Sohee felt an odd sense of familiarity. Miyeon’s hand was cold and soft, a stark contrast to her own.

“So, you’re the new addition to our team,” Sohee remarked, her tone carrying an undercurrent that Miyeon couldn’t quite decipher.

“Yes,” Miyeon replied simply.

“Nice to finally meet you, Kim Miyeon,” Sohee said, taking a step back, her smile enigmatic. “I hope you can lead us to victory.” With that, she turned and walked out of the changing room, leaving Miyeon to exhale the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

Miyeon found Sohee intriguing but also a bit unsettling. After changing into her gym clothes—a gray T-shirt and black shorts—she headed to the gym. As she got closer, the sounds of a heated argument grew louder.

Entering the gym, Miyeon was greeted by the sight of her teammates standing near the door, all looking furious. Sohee sat on a bleacher, chewing gum nonchalantly, seemingly unbothered by the commotion.

“What’s going on?” Miyeon asked as she approached them. Her eyes drifted over to the boys’ team, who were dominating the court. She recognized a few familiar faces among them.

“They’re refusing to leave,” Hana, the team captain, grumbled. “We’re supposed to have the gym from 3 to 5 PM, but they’re saying they need another hour.”

“Isn’t there another gym we can use?” Miyeon asked, surprised that such a large university didn’t have more facilities.

“It’s under maintenance, so this is our only option,” Hana explained, her frustration clear. She turned toward the boys and shouted, “CAN YOU LEAVE NOW?”

A tall boy who looked suspiciously like a human golden retriever turned to face them with a smirk, “Hey Cap, ever heard of patience? Maybe you should try it sometime,” he said, his remark earning a round of laughter from the boys.

Sohee, who had been watching the scene unfold, chimed in with a smirk, “Always so eager to irritate people with your dumb remarks, Kim Mingyu.”

“Always with something to say, even when it’s not needed, Han Sohee,” Mingyu shot back, matching her smirk.

Mingyu then attempted a shot but missed the basket entirely, the ball rolling over to Miyeon’s feet.

“Hey, new girl!” he called out, oblivious to the tension building. “Pass the ball over.”

Everyone fell silent, watching the interaction with interest. From the corner of her eye, Miyeon noticed Taehyung, Joshua, Seungcheol, and Jeonghan standing nearby, their eyes on her.

“For your information,” Miyeon began, fixing Mingyu with a steady gaze, “this new girl has a name, and it’s Kim Miyeon. Secondly, you have hands and legs, right?”

Mingyu blinked, clearly not expecting the question. “What is this? A GK quiz? Ofcourse, I have.”

Joshua, Jeonghan, and Taehyung, who had caught on, tried to stifle their laughter, while Sohee didn’t even bother. Seungcheol, who had also picked up on it, coughed to hide his own amusement, earning a suspicious look from Mingyu.

“Then use them,” Miyeon finished, her tone sweet but pointed.

Her team burst into silent laughter, while Mingyu stared at her, dumbfounded. He seemed completely thrown off by her quick wit.

“Excuse me?” he managed to sputter, clearly not used to being on the receiving end of such remarks.

“You’re excused,” Miyeon replied without missing a beat.

“You talk a lot, you know,” Mingyu grumbled, annoyed by the turn of events.

“Only when I need to remind people of their place,” she said, flashing him a smile that only seemed to irritate him more. He marched over to her, trying to use his height to intimidate her.

“You’re very irritating,” he stated, his voice tinged with bitterness.

“I could say the same,” Miyeon shot back, equally annoyed.

“You—”

“That’s enough, Mingyu,” Seungcheol’s voice cut through the tension. Miyeon turned to him, grateful for the intervention. She was sure that if the argument had gone on any longer, Mingyu would’ve ended up with a broken nose.

“We’ve practiced enough for today,” Jeonghan declared, leaving no room for argument.

“Thank God!” Joshua muttered, immediately collapsing onto a bench, followed by Seungcheol. Both were drenched in sweat, clearly exhausted.

Mingyu gave Miyeon a look that was part warning, part sulk, before joining his team. Miyeon rolled her eyes at his childishness and picked up the ball, ready to start practice.

Sohee walked over and muttered, “Don’t take him seriously. He likes to mess with people, especially new students. He’s just a dumb dude.”

Miyeon chuckled at Sohee’s comment, glancing over at Mingyu just in time to see him stick his tongue out at her. “Childish,” she muttered under her breath.

She also noticed Joshua and Taehyung walking together, deep in conversation. Taehyung must have felt her gaze because he turned and smiled at her. Joshua followed suit, giving her a small wave. Miyeon waved back just as they disappeared from view.

“Okay, team, let’s get started with practice,” Hana called out, snapping everyone back to attention. And with that, they finally began their session.

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Mingyu and Miyeon are tom and jerry lol!

Happy reading!📚🤍