by the sidelines • haechan

nine

I took in a deep breath and straightened my uniform, before heading into the gym full of students. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I made my way to one of the benches, dumping my bag beside Donghyuck. He took a quick glance at me but kept silent.

"What's with the sudden uniform?" Another voice commented instead and I turned around. Youn scanned me from head to toe with a hint of contempt before continuing, "You finally look like you belong here."

"I should, shouldn't I?" I smirked, side-glancing the boy beside me. She raised her eyebrows at my sudden confidence, which surprised me as well. Donghyuck pushed passed the two of us and I watch him head out of the gym in a hurry. I couldn't help but smile.

"Well, now that you're in proper attire, you better live up to your status." She said, eyeing the doorway before walking away. My eyes followed her all the way to her spot where she started stretching.

For the first time, my determination was at an all-time high.

"Fall in!" Coach Lee announced as he marched to the front and faced the class, placing his hands back. I don't know if it's just me, but he looks slightly more intimidating today.

"Go for two rounds, then we'll start target training right away," he instructed and everyone immediately took off around the gym. I still lagged at the back, but gaining back my stamina was twice as hard as losing it. Still, I felt an improvement as I didn't feel as tired as before, although the other student diminished my small achievement with their steady breathing.

"Grab a partner and two targets for each pair, then line up behind there." Coach Lee pointed to the wall at the left-hand side of the gym as pairs started lining up as instructed. Youn instantly pulled me to the back of the line.

"What are we doing now?" I whispered, but she didn't even spare me a glance.

"Watch first, ask later." She nodded her head towards the front as another student demonstrated a series of kicks with Coach Lee. I tilted my head to the side. Hang on, this looks familiar.

Ten times each leg, a total of 5 sets, Coach Yoon's voice rang in my head, Don't stop until you're done. That happened every training a month before each competition to build up my speed and accuracy, which proved to be very useful once I stepped onto the mats. I could still feel the lingering ache of my thighs that remained until morning, sometimes to the point I couldn't even walk properly.

"Stop dreaming, it's our turn." Youn snapped her fingers in front of my face and I suddenly found myself standing at the front of the line, facing her with a target in each hand. The whistle blew and I lifted them up instinctively, clutching them tightly as I embraced the impact of her foot.

The unfamiliar feeling of the handles brazing my palms grew more distinct with each kick as I constantly adjusted the positioning of the targets. Besides the other training session, I have never held targets for someone else before. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was always the one being trained and not the other way round. This was definitely a new experience for me, but Youn showed no mercy either way.

"Hold them firmly," she grunted and shifted my hands into position before finishing up the last few kicks. She huffed loudly as we made out way to the back of the line again, staying silent as she watched the other pairs complete their turn perfectly. I bit my lip with guilt, looking down at the two targets that seemed to have implanted themself into my sweaty palms.

"You can't even hold a target properly? How humiliating." Donghyuck's voice sounded from a corner, but I kept my eyes on that hole in the mats, wishing I could just burrow inside it.

At that moment, a hand grabbed my wrist and straightened it firmly. I stared at it, before following their arm up to their face.

"Keep your wrist straight and never bend it upon impact," Youn guided, tilting my hand a slight angle inwards. "Hold it like this for maximum contact."