Chapter 13: The Club Split

In the morning, twelve new members of the Yoshido basketball club gathered near the hall door, led by So Ho. They were unhappy about how they had been set up and threatened by others over debts, and they planned to report everything to their coach.

When they entered the hall, they headed towards the coach's office, which was located on the opposite side from the locker room.

Knock, knock.

"Come in," Coach Chang Wo said calmly.

So Ho was the first to enter, followed by the other new club members, who stood behind him.

"Coach Chang Wo, we would like to complain about the main team members of this basketball club," So Ho said, fearing that the coach might be on their side.

"What happened?" Chang Wo was puzzled.

"We were forced to play for money. At first, we didn't know because we were told it was just friendly games, as you warned us about. But after we tried to leave, some people started threatening us, and these people were in cahoots with the main players of the team," So Ho expressed to the coach.

"What!?" Coach Chang Wo stood up from his chair and continued, "How could my team treat potential talents like this? Was it someone specific?" Chang Wo first thought of Ming You.

"But all the money went to the main team, so they are all in it together," So Ho replied.

"Alright, guys, I will talk to them and reprimand them. If this escalates into serious threats, we should go to the police. For now, go ahead; I have a lesson coming up," Chang Wo said with a serious expression.

"Thank you, coach," the newcomers thanked him as they left the hall, heading to their next class.

After classes, when the bell rang, Chang Wo headed to the classroom of his main team. When he entered, he called the main Yoshido team together.

"Jung Ho, Ming You, Lu Shen, Hong Ren, Haru Lin, I need you in my cabinet. I have bad news for you," Chang Wo said sternly.

The class was surprised, and those he called nodded and packed their things.

"Ming You, is everything going to be alright?" Lu Shen asked him.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry; I already know what to say," Ming You said confidently.

"What's going on?" one of the classmates asked.

"Nothing bad. Alright, guys, let's go," Ming You coldly replied, heading to the cabinet alongside his team.

When they arrived, the atmosphere in the coach's cabinet was already tense, and only Ming You remained calm.

"Lu Shen, please close the door," the coach asked him.

Lu Shen, with trembling hands, closed the door and continued to listen with the others to what the coach would say.

"I was told that you forced your newcomers to play for money under the pretense of friendly games. Captains do not act like this," the coach began to reprimand them.

"That's right; I made them play so we could profit from them," Ming You said brazenly with a sly smile.

"How dare you speak so shamelessly!" Coach Chang Wo was furious.

"Take it easy, buddy; they need to learn the price of defeat. It's their fault they couldn't win," Ming You expanded his sly smile.

"How dare you! Have some respect for others! Especially for me, not to mention your team!" the coach yelled at him.

"Respect is only due to those who obey me, so if that's all you have, we'll be on our way," Ming You said, turning towards the exit.

"Get out of this team! I will make sure you get expelled from school for such behavior!" Chang Wo lost his temper.

"You can kick me out, but the truth is that the whole main team will follow me," Ming You said, turning back towards the coach.

"That's right, coach, if Ming You is expelled, we will leave too," Jung Ho, enchanted by money, defended him.

"Exactly! The basketball club will completely fall apart!" Haru Lin also defended Ming You.

"Damn it, this Ming You..." Chang Wo cursed under his breath.

"Alright, this time you'll get off with a warning, but if this happens again, I'll have to expel all of you. Better a weaker, good team than strong amoral ones," the coach finally concluded his reprimand.

"Well then, we'll be going," Ming You said, leaving the cabinet, followed by his team.

As soon as the team left the hall, Coach Chang Wo was left alone with his thoughts.

"This son of a bitch..." Chang Wo cursed.

"What the hell is he doing here!? And how did my friendly team turn into such bastards! Ming You, one day I will outplay you..." the coach angrily ranted.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, a group of new basketball club members sat around. The center of attention was So Ho, due to his persistence and sociability.

"Those bastards got off with just a warning, what the hell!" So Ho cursed when he found out that the main team was still showing up in the hall.

"The team itself is fine, but that Ming You is a real jerk," Jian Ryu corrected him.

"I agree, the guys are really nice, but Ming You is ruining everything... He needs to be removed from the team!" Mei Yu suggested.

"What about the former captain Jung Ho? Back when we were playing for money, I learned from him that he was the captain and gave up that spot to Ming You because of his leadership qualities. Maybe we should create a new basketball club, but without Ming You?" Jian Ryu presented the idea for everyone to think about.

"You might be right. We should give it a try," So Ho agreed with the idea.

"Great, let's go!" Jian Ryu stood up from the bench, followed by the others.

The group of newcomers headed towards Jung Ho's classroom. When they saw him coming out, Jian Ryu called out to him:

"Jung Ho, we have a proposal for you."

"I don't need anything from you," Jung Ho replied coldly, looking at him.

"Well, you want to get your captain spot back, don't you? We are going to create a new team where Ming You won't corrupt us, please join us!" Jian Ryu insisted.

"I'm not interested. I'm fine with my team, and Ming You rightfully took the captain's position," Jung Ho replied.

"Please, we have no one else to turn to for help!" Jian Ryu continued to insist.

"I said no, get lost," Jung Ho flatly rejected his idea, then left them, leaving the newcomers in despair.

"It seems the plan failed; he's just as enchanted by money as the rest," So Ho put a hand on Jian Ryu's shoulder.

"Well, fine, we'll create a team ourselves," Jian Ryu suggested, looking at his team of newcomers.

"Great idea, I'm in," So Ho was the first to agree, followed by the others.

"Wonderful! So Ho, let's make you the captain, you were the first to stand up against Ming You!" Jian Ryu threw an arm over So Ho's shoulder, then turned him to face the team.

"I think it's better if you are the captain, but since you insist and everyone agrees, I don't mind," So Ho replied shyly.

"We're in!" the team of newcomers responded, raising their fists in the air.

Meanwhile, in the school hall, the main team was gathering around Ming You, the last one they were waiting for was Jung Ho. As soon as he entered the hall, he called out to Ming You.

"Ming You, we have bad news; the newcomers have formed their own separate team, which means the split of the Yoshido basketball club. They also wanted me to be their captain, but I refused," Jung Ho announced anxiously.

"I anticipated this when they complained to the coach, which is why I wanted to discuss a plan of action we will take against them," Ming You said, raising his index finger.

"Ming You, are you a clairvoyant? Can you please predict when I will get a girlfriend?" Lu Shen asked, tapping his fingers.

"In that case, I can also be a fortune teller, and the answer from the heavens is... NEVER!" Haru Lin joked, after which everyone except Ming You started laughing.

"You guys are unbelievable!" Lu Shen turned away from the team in displeasure.

"Alright, enough jokes; we have an unfinished business," Ming You clapped his hands, then continued, "We will go to the newcomers, or rather, they will come to us, as their practice starts in 20 minutes, and when they arrive, we will offer them a game. I will explain the details of the game as soon as we meet them."

The team silently nodded, changing their smiles to serious faces. After that, everyone headed to the locker room to wait for the newcomers.

After 15 minutes of quiet waiting, the newcomers entered the locker room, and Ming You raised his head, beginning to explain his plans to everyone:

"Hello, guys, we're very glad to see you," Ming You greeted them warmly.

So Ho dropped his backpack in shock.

"Don't be afraid, we won't do anything to you; we just have a proposal for you," Ming You put on a sly smile.

"What do you want!?" So Ho asked angrily.

"It's simple, I want to play against you, but this time you'll have a pretty good chance of winning," Ming You wanted to continue, but So Ho interrupted him.

"You think we're not aware of your cunning plans? We won't have anything to do with you, especially not play!" he exclaimed.

"Then how about my next proposal? If you win, not only will you be free of your debts, but we will also take your double debt and pay it back to you, and I will make sure that none of us can break the agreement," Ming You offered them.

"And what will happen if we lose, or if we refuse to play altogether? Which is likely to happen," So Ho asked again, trying to find loopholes in his words.

"In case of your defeat, you will completely submit to us, your debts will remain, but if you show loyalty to me, you will have a pretty good chance of settling your debts. As for refusal, I'll make a deal with someone, and your debts will increase tenfold, and you won't get off with just a warning," Ming You said in a threatening tone, yet his expression remained indifferent.

So Ho gritted his teeth, but Jian Ryu continued for him:

"It would be great to have someone like you under our command, but first explain the rules of the game."

"No problem. One captain, meaning one of the five main players, will play against your group of five players. An enticing offer, isn't it?" Ming You put on a smile.

"Exactly! Your offer is too enticing! You're clearly up to something!" So Ho accused him.

"Of course, you can refuse, but keep in mind that your team's debt will increase tenfold," Ming You expanded his smile.

"It seems we have no choice but to accept the game, so we will take the chance to kick you out of the team, after pissing on you and making you clean our shoes!" Jian Ryu said with a smirk on his face.

"Great, I'm very pleased with your attitude. Then let's meet tomorrow evening at the streetball court where you already lost," Ming You sarcastically rejoiced for them.

"Excellent! I can't wait for you to start running errands for us!" Jian Ryu laughed, leaving the locker room with the other players.