Call My Name

Prologue

The whole crowd inside the sports center is going wild. They are cheering for the teams they rooting for, and they felt nervous for the players.

It's a championship game, a battle between two well-known universities. It's not only a simple championship game because their pride and joy are on the line.

Volleyball is a sport that consists of six players. It's a sport that needs teamwork and trust because, without it, the team will never win.

This championship game going on right now is useless because the essence of volleyball is not there anymore which is the passion and love for volleyball.

They all badly want to win because they don't want to receive mocking and teasing from the other teams.

"Mine!" I looked at the woman who shouted. She is wearing a jersey with her school name on it and her hair is in a tight ponytail.

She was about to jump to spike the ball, but the setter didn't set the ball to her. Instead, she let the ball fall on the floor.

The setter had already given up. She looked tired and lonely.

The other team's supporters run inside the court and congratulate them. They won.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's all congratulate the champion of Women's Volleyball for the year 2020-2021. SM University!!!"

Their blood, sweat, and tears are worth it and paid off. Days, weeks, and months of intense training have finally paid off.

On the other team, they are all devastated and tired, except for the brunette, who called for another set, but her setter gave up at the end of the game.

The team is the only one left on the court. They are still standing in their last position and they are not doing anything until...

"What did you just do?" The brunette asked the setter coldly.

The setter didn't answer, instead she looked down.

"Answer me!" The brunette shouted and grabbed the collar of the setter.

"I give up, Jen." The setter said before she sighed. The brunette, who she called Jen, pushed her, causing her to fall on the floor.

"Don't ever show yourself to me and don't ever step your foot in our school volleball court. From now on, you are no longer a member of this fucking team!" She raised her tone and left the court.

Her teammates looked at the setter with pity before they followed the brunette.

I stood up from my seat and walked towards the setter who was laying on the ground and crying.

I sat beside her and sighed.

"You fall really hard, huh?" I asked and she nodded. "You did the right thing."

She wiped her tears and furrowed her eyebrows as she sat properly. I offered her a bottle of water, which she accepted.

"I don't think that giving up in the middle of championship game is a good thing." She said after she finished the whole bottle of water.

"What's the point of winning when the essence of volleyball is no longer there?" She went silent and I knew she was thinking. "Volleyball is about teamwork and trust between the players of a team. There is no point of playing if you are all only thinking of winning."

"Winning is the only thing that can pay for our hardships. I'm the setter, I'm the one who makes the plays, and I'm the one who ruins everything. We are close to winning, but I still choose to give up. " A tear left her eyes again.

"Why did you give up?" I inquired as to what had caused her to sigh.

"I can no longer fool myself. They only wanted to win because of that stupid bet." Annoyance is evident in her voice.

"Your team is slowly going down because of that bet. Is your volleyball captain aware of that?" She shook her head.

"She only cares about winning. She doesn't care about us and she never ever asked if we are still okay. If we make only one mistake, she is going to make a big deal about it. "

"That sucks." She nodded in agreement.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll be studying at Seoul National University because KM University is probably not going to accept me anymore." I looked at her with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Our captain is the daughter of the owner of that freaking university. I know you heard her saying that I should never show myself to her. It means I should really hide myself from her or humiliation will be my punishment." She stood up from the floor and gathered all her things.

"Find another team where you can be happy and that you will never give up on." She smiled at me and nodded.

"I'm Jung Hoyeon." She offered a hand for me to shake.

"Lalisa." I shook our hands.

"What's your surname?" I smiled at her.

"You will know it soon, if we see each other on the court. But not as an audience and player. Instead, it will be us fighting with each other. "

"I take my leave now. See you in court soon."

"See you soon." She nodded and left the sports center.

I watched her leaving the sports center and I looked around the court. It's empty, quiet, and peaceful.

The net is still intact in the metal and there is a ball on the floor.

I picked up one ball and threw it above, then tried to set it even though no one would spike it.

I easily set it to the place where the spiker is waiting earlier.

"How lonely." I uttered when I imagined how the spiker felt when she called her but didn't comply with her desire.

She must be frustrated and sad about it. I can totally see that she is very determined and eager to win. However, determination and eagerness can't help her to win if she's not going to be one with her team.