Standing in front of the net, you came face to face with your rival, Lee Hongbin.
Lee Hongbin, professional volleyball player. He's 183cm tall, has a really pretty face but his body was the complete opposite. He has a nice, lean body with well defined 6 pack that would be exposed when he wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt. His arms are so toned and strong, he could easily break your bones with a punch. He was a left wing spiker and middle blocker, just like you. This caused the two of you to collide quite often, because you were either blocking him or he was blocking you.
He raised an eyebrow as he looked down at you. You narrowed your eyes. He was taller than you but not that much taller than you. You were 176cm tall, making you only 7cm shorter than him but it was a big enough gap.
You were honestly considered short for a male professional volleyball player. Yes, male. You cross-dressed as a male volleyball player because you found female volleyball to be less exciting than male volleyball. Male volleyball had much more power and anger. It's probably due to the massive amounts of testerone in the air. The only person who knew that you were a girl was your coach, whom you had begged to keep it a secret.
While the rest of your team shook the hands of those in the opposing team, you simply sneered at Hongbin. He did the same and the two of you went to your respective positions. You were at the back, and was supposed to serve. The referee passed the ball to you and you start hitting it down the floor. You needed to make sure there was sufficient air in the ball if not you couldn't serve properly. After hitting it, multiple times, you roll up your sleeve, ready to serve. Your 'fans' cheer and you grit your teeth. Tossing the ball up, you run forward and jumped. With your finger, you spiked the ball across the court, aiming for the back line. You held your breath as gravity pulled both you and the ball down.
The ball smacked the floor with a loud bang and your feet touched the ground. Breathing out, you smirked at Hongbin.
'Suck on that'
You mouthed as your teammates high-fived you. Hongbin growled as he murmured something to his teammates. The ball was passed to you again, and the same routine applied. The difference is, when you jumped up to hit the ball, you clenched your fist and hit it with the bottom of your palm. Due to the softer serve, the opponent team was able to receive it nicely.
You cursed to yourself as Hongbin gave you a arrogant look. The ball was put up into the air and the setter was able to set it perfectly. Their second spiker jumped up and smacked down the ball, in your direction. You quickly put out your arms and received it.
"Nice receive!"
Your teammates shout and you nod. Running from the back, you jumped, ready for the ball. Your setter, set the ball right in front of your hand, allowing you to hit it nicely. However, you hadn't notice that Hongbin had jumped up in front of you, blocking your spike. The ball hit his open palms and bounced back to your side of the court. It touched the ground and you let out a groan of disappointment.
"Nice try, midget."
You snap your head to see Hongbin, poking his tongue out. Now all that clouded your mind was revenge.
It was their turn to serve and thankfully, your team received it nicely. They passed it over to the opponent and they set it up for a spike. You saw Hongbin running for the spike and you ran too.
Bending your knees, you pushed yourself up and jumped at least 2 heads above the net. You put your hands up, the same time as Hongbin did. He tried to spike the ball but your hand was there to stop it. You pressed your hand onto the ball, forcing it to fall out of Hongbin's hand and landing on their side of the court. The two of you landed on your feet and faced each other. Hongbin's pretty face contourted into a nasty snarl.
"Cunt."
You smiled.
"Stop barking and bite me."
You said, as you opened your mouth and shut it, causing your teeth to collide and click.
"I will."
He said, with a small glint in his eyes.
The game continued with the two of you blocking each other and trying to outsmart each other.
Finally, it came down to the last set and it was their turn to attack. They just needed one more score and they would win. You couldn't allow that to happen. You were at the back and was solely focused on receiving every single ball. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Hongbin smirk as he jumped up to spike the ball.
Your eyes followed the ball and you saw that your team had touched it and it was flying outside the line. You ran after it and desperately tried to receive it. As you dive for it, you lose your footing and feel your ankle twist and crack. Letting out a yelp, you fell to the floor but your hand was still extended. The ball collided with the back of your hand and you breathed in relief. The victory was short lived as the pain in your ankle grew sharper. The pain started to spread to your calve before up to your thighs. You could only curl up into a ball as you clutched your ankle. The lights seemed to get brighter and you shut your eyes in pain.
You mind was growing blank from the pain and the cheers start to become a static mess. Your breathing grows heavier as you feel a strange pressure on your chest. Your throat and mouth starts grows dry as you moan in pain. You could feel someone tapping you but no sound registered in your mind.
"L......?"
Through the static mess, you heard the familiar, deep and slightly rough voice call out your fake name. Breathing out, you glance up to see Hongbin looking at you. Through the dark spots, you didn't see his usual arrogant face, instead, you saw a concerned face. Large doe eyes, twitching nose, lips parted in surprise, cold sweat rolling down his face, hands clenched in fear and feet ready to pounce. His mouth seemed to move but you couldn't hear anything. As the dark spots grew larger, you tried to decipher his words.
I'm sorry.
~
After being hospitalised, your coach had prevented any of your teammates from visiting you, least they find out your true identity. You were unconcious for a day but quickly recovered once you were awake. Unfortunately, once you woke up, you received a call to tell you that your team had lost. You felt responsible for the loss but it was a very close game. However, you vividly remembered Hongbin mouthing something before you blacked out.
'I'm sorry'?
"Ayy, that's impossible."
You say as you picked up a book. You still had to remain in the hospital for observation and it was starting to get boring so you decided to spend your time, reading.
"Miss _____? You have a visitor."
You look up from your book in surprise. None of your family members had told you, they would be visiting. The door slides open and you see a unwelcomed face.
Lee Hongbin.
You snort as you slam your book down.
"Are you here to mock me after our loss?"
You rolled your eyes at how immature he was.
"Obviously, not. I'm not as evil as you may think. You may be my rival, but you're still a human being."
You blink in surprise as you turn to him. He placed a small bouquet of flowers near your bed side and let out a small sigh.
"I hope you get better soon."
You could only nod as you clench your fist. So that apology wasn't just your imagination. He gave you a small smile, exposing his dimples, as he glanced at you.
"Hey."
You breathed out as you forced yourself to say it.
"Thank you."
He smiles again before nodding his head.
"No problem, _____."
Your eyes widen as you look at him. He tilts his head, innocently, as you point a finger at him.
"H-H-Ho-How did you know my real name?"
He raised an eyebrow before realisation hits him.
"Ah right, you're disguised as a guy, I forgot."
He smiled as he looked at you.
"You're too beautiful to be a guy."
You feel a blush rush to your cheeks as the words left his mouth. He grinned once more before waving good-bye.
"See you at the next competition."
You couldn't reply as you continue staring at the closed door. Blinking, you snapped yourself out of it. How long had he known? How did he know? Despite knowing you were a girl, he still gave his 100% against you.
For some reason, that last thought made you feel fuzzy on the inside. He saw you as a true rival and not just a damsel in distress. He treated you like a volleyball player and not a girl. You feel a small smile form on your face as you look down at the bouquet of flowers.
"See you at the next competition, Lee Hongbin."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I apologise for any factual errors about the scenes with Volleyball! I don't actually play volleyball so I can't ensure the information is a 100% correct. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Anticipate my future updates (although, not too soon)