Chapter 36: The Serious Captain

Ming You carefully folded his uniform, silently watching as his team — Jung Ho, Lu Shen, Haru Lin, and Hong Ren — packed their things. The victory over Siomo was well-deserved. Training, precise calculations, and well-timed combinations all worked like clockwork. They left the locker room with triumphant confidence.

As Ming You stepped out, he felt someone's gaze. In the distance, just around the corner, stood a player from another team. His stare was piercing, as if he saw not just a person but something beyond. Ming You froze for a moment, meeting his gaze. He noticed the stranger slightly raised an eyebrow — a kind of challenge.

"Hey, Ming You, are you with us?" Jung Ho nudged him with his shoulder. "Come on, let's celebrate!"

Ming You huffed, smiling with feigned relaxation.

"Of course. Just don't forget: I won't expect you at training tomorrow without being fully prepared."

Loud laughter from Lu Shen echoed as they turned the corner. But the strange stranger lingered in Ming You's memory.

By evening, the team dispersed. Ming You, setting aside his usual masks, immersed himself in studying the next opponent. The screen of his laptop displayed clips of their matches: quick passes, confident dribbling, aggressive defense.

He paid special attention to the team captain — a tall, strong player with a commanding presence. His actions on the court were nearly perfect, but even perfection had weaknesses. Ming You mentally played out scenarios for how to outmaneuver him in the game. At one point, he realized that physically, the opponent clearly surpassed him.

"Then we'll have to check him in another way," he whispered to himself, leaning back in his chair. His eyes sparkled with predatory fire.

The school was almost empty when Ming You cautiously opened the door to the club manager's office. Inside, it was quiet, only a faint light filtering through the closed blinds. On the desk lay a laptop with its lid habitually closed. Ming You turned it on, and the screen lit up, asking for a password. An ordinary person would have stopped there, but not him.

His gaze fell on the laptop, where a sticker with the manager's scribbles was stuck in the corner of the lid: "Password..." Ming You quietly huffed, quickly entering the combination. The system came to life, and he found himself on the desktop. Several folders, clearly intended for organizing tournaments, caught his attention. He opened the folder labeled "Players," then another titled "Contacts." Among the list of names, he found the line: Suk Chhon. The address and phone number were written next to it.

Memorizing the information, Ming You carefully closed all windows and shut down the laptop. Everything had to look as if no one had touched it. He left the office with the same calmness with which he had entered, as if it were just another routine visit.

It was easy to remember the address. Ming You exited the school with the demeanor of someone who had just delivered an important report. Not a muscle on his face twitched.

Ming You set off toward the address. Twenty minutes later, he arrived at a new building surrounded by other constructions and began his observation.

Ming You stood by the gate to the yard, blending into the shadows of the trees, as if he were part of the surrounding landscape. His face expressed mild interest, but his eyes remained cold and calculating. Every breath, every movement was meticulously thought out. He watched Suk Chhon's house like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike.

After forty minutes of waiting, Suk Chhon emerged from the house with a phone in hand. The screen glowed brightly, reflecting the orange hues of the setting sun. His voice was loud, but the rapid tempo of his speech betrayed his energy.

"Yes, let's meet at the same court... Great, I'll be waiting!" he said into the phone, disconnecting with a sharp motion, his gaze revealing he was excited.

Ming You moved forward. His steps were almost silent but purposeful.

As they walked on opposite sides of the sidewalk toward the street court, Suk Chhon dropped his bag and pulled out a ball, warming up.

"Hmm, maybe I should check him in a game before taking radical action?" Ming You pondered.

Ming You confidently stepped onto the court, and the moment their eyes met, his broad smile lit up his face as if he were an old friend unexpectedly running into Suk Chhon.

"Hey, Suk Chhon," his voice was light, but with a note of confidence that left no room for doubt. "Recognize me? Team Yoshido, my name is Ming You."

Suk Chhon froze, his gaze scrutinizing Ming You's face.

"It's hard to forget you, Ming You. Need something?"

Ming You took a step closer, his smile widening, but it still held a hidden challenge.

"I think we could play one-on-one. Just for fun. You don't mind, do you?"

Suk Chhon squinted, as if weighing each word. Suspicion flickered in his gaze, but he nodded, as if deciding for himself that this offer deserved a chance.

"Alright. Why not," he finally replied, casting a glance at his ball.

They silently positioned themselves at the center of the court, and the light from the street lamps created a whimsical play of shadows on the asphalt. Ming You tossed the ball to Suk Chhon, inviting him to start.

"Your first move," he said with a polite smile, but his eyes remained watchful.

Suk Chhon began slowly, as if warming up. His movements were measured yet confident. Each feint was precise, and his dribbling was nearly flawless. Ming You didn't rush; his movements remained minimal, as though he were gathering data on his opponent.

"So, Ming You," Suk Chhon suddenly spoke, bouncing the ball from one hand to the other. "Are you always this… mysterious? Or is it just for effect?"

Ming You feigned a smile, dodging the direct answer.

"And are you always this talkative on the court? Maybe it's your way of distracting your opponent?"

Suk Chhon laughed, his laughter echoing off the surrounding walls. He executed a quick feint, slipping past Ming You, and effortlessly sank the ball into the hoop.

"Maybe, but not this time," he shot back, smirking.

Ming You retrieved the ball. His turn. He began his attack slowly, as if intentionally creating a sense of predictability. But the moment Suk Chhon tried to anticipate his move, Ming You sharply altered his trajectory. A swift pivot, a fake to the right, an instant burst to the left — and the ball found its way into the hoop.

Suk Chhon narrowed his eyes, his focus sharpening.

"Were you preparing? Or is this also part of your show?"

"I'm just doing what I do best," Ming You replied calmly. "And you?"

Suk Chhon chuckled.

"I didn't think deceiving people was the best you could do. Not that I'm trying to offend you, just an observation."

Ming You merely smirked in response but said nothing.

Meanwhile, the game was heating up. They both were giving their all, but it was more than just basketball. It was a duel not only of bodies but of minds. Ming You carefully studied each of Suk Chhon's movements: how he bit his lip before a fake, how his shoulders twitched slightly before a shot. All these details became weapons in Ming You's hands, but he quickly realized that this was futile and focused on the ball.

In one of the plays, Suk Chhon decided to make a deceptive jump, but Ming You didn't fall for it. He stayed put, allowing him to knock the ball from his opponent's hands. Suk Chhon quickly recovered, but the moment was lost, as he managed to regain possession.

"You have something planned," Suk Chhon suddenly said, his voice quiet but firm. "I can see it in your eyes. Even though your gaze is empty, I can see a spark in them."

Ming You smiled, this time wider than before.

"Maybe I do have something planned, you damn psychic. But doesn't that make the game more interesting? Besides, you're thinking a lot during the game yourself."

"And you're quite rude," Suk Chhon remarked.

Ming You nodded with a smile and took up a defensive stance. He pressed him, trying to knock the ball away, but Suk Chhon was also nimble and quick, so he began to employ a different tactic.

He started moving toward the corners of the three-point line, and Ming You chased after him. Suk Chhon was about to make a sharp turn around Ming You, but he knocked the ball from his hands. However, the ball flew out of bounds, causing it to return to Suk Chhon according to streetball rules.

"So this is your strategy, leading the ball to the corners of the court… Interesting," Ming You thought to himself.

Both players stood at the center and resumed the game. Suk Chhon moved toward the corners again, and Ming You saw the perfect opportunity to knock the ball away, but he knew it would go out of bounds, so he simply waited.

"Heh-heh," Suk Chhon smirked, holding the ball with both hands.

Ming You quickly reacted and prepared to block the shot, but Suk Chhon jumped behind the out-of-bounds line and took the shot. Ming You was surprised but didn't show it.

The ball seemed to fly through Ming You's hands and with perfect trajectory, swished through the net.

"You're quite clever, but you lack strength. You're an interesting opponent, Ming You," Suk Chhon said over his shoulder as he went for the ball.

Ming You ignored him, waiting for the game to continue.

The final play was tense. Suk Chhon decided to finish the game with flair. He started with slow dribbling, drawing Ming You closer, then suddenly burst to the side. By this time, his team had already arrived, and one of the players called out:

"Suk Chhon! Warming up early again!"

Suk Chhon sharply turned his gaze to his team and even managed a smile. Ming You decided to take advantage of this and attempted to knock the ball away, but Suk Chhon didn't get distracted for even a second; rather, he used it to distract Ming You. In that moment, Suk Chhon leaped and the ball sailed into the hoop with perfect trajectory.

"Game," he declared, tossing the ball onto the asphalt. His breath was slightly uneven, but he was smiling. "You're good, Ming You. But not good enough."

Ming You stepped closer, his face once again transforming into a mask of friendliness.

"Good game, Suk Chhon. See you in the match, maybe even in the finals."

"Always at your service," he replied with a slight smirk. They parted ways as if it had merely been a game.

But Ming You didn't rush. He watched for a while as Suk Chhon trained with his team.

An hour later, Ming You discreetly followed him home. When Suk Chhon's figure disappeared behind the doors of his house, his next move began to take shape in Ming You's mind. After all, this was just part of the plan.

"It was time to prepare," he told himself.

Ming You returned home, feeling a slight chill of anticipation:

"This time I lost, and I even knew I would lose. More than that, I wanted to lose to eliminate this obstacle. Suk Chhon, you are indeed an interesting player."

His predatory smile graced his face once more, and the night lay ahead.