Six in the morning.
The field was still empty.
Lee Han rolled the soccer ball with his toe and looked toward the entrance to the field.
He checked the clock.
6:01.
6:02.
6:03.
"...Am I late."
It was the kind of person who would normally have arrived earlier than anyone else.
But today, for some reason, he was on edge.
The fact that he was training one-on-one with Ryu was more nerve-racking than he'd expected.
6:07.
Someone could be seen running in from the entrance to the field.
"Lee Han!"
It was Ryu.
His hair was a little more disheveled than usual, and he wore his tracksuit as if he’d thrown it on in a hurry.
Lee Han stared at him for a long moment without even realizing it.
"Sorry. Did I make you wait long?"
"About 7 minutes."
"So exact this early in the morning."
"You told me to come out first, senior."
Ryu caught his breath and laughed.
"Which is why I'm saying sorry."
"It's fine."
"But hey, were you waiting because you thought I might not show up?"
"Of course not."
"Good, then."
Ryu picked up the ball.
"All right, today we're going to focus only on the parts you're lacking."
"I have things I'm lacking?"
"Of course you do."
"What are they?"
Ryu looked at Lee Han.
"You try to do everything alone."
Lee Han's expression stiffened.
"I'm more comfortable doing things alone."
"Soccer isn't a solo sport."
"I know."
"You know, so why do you keep going it alone?"
Lee Han didn't answer for a moment.
Ryu set the ball down at his feet and said,
"When you get the ball, two or three defenders close in. Then no matter how good you are, you'll end up getting shut down. At times like that, you have to trust the people around you and pass the ball."
"......"
"And then get it back."
Lee Han looked at Ryu.
"What if I pass to you, senior?"
"Then I'll give it back."
"Are you sure?"
"Why don't you trust me?"
"Sometimes you handle things by yourself."
Ryu let out a short laugh.
"That's because I'm the captain."
"Then today, don't be the captain. Just be my senior."
Ryu's expression froze for a moment.
"What?"
"I'll just be your junior too."
"......"
"Is that hard?"
Ryu laughed.
"No. If anything, that's harder."
"Why?"
"Because you'd probably be even harder for me to ignore than usual."
Lee Han's eyes widened slightly.
But Ryu casually rolled the ball forward.
"Come on, let's start."
The training went on for nearly an hour.
Lee Han moved exactly as Ryu told him to.
At first, he thought it was just simple passing practice.
But something was strange.
Ryu knew his movements far too well.
"Right."
Lee Han moved to the right.
"No, not now. A beat later."
"Like this?"
"Yeah. If you move too fast, the opponent reads your intention."
Ryu positioned Lee Han from behind.
"Here."
His fingertips touched Lee Han's shoulder.
"Wait here, and when I give the signal, cut in."
It was close.
Way closer than he'd expected.
Lee Han froze for an instant.
"Why?"
Ryu asked.
"No."
"Focus."
"I am."
"Then why is your face red?"
Lee Han immediately turned his head away.
"It's hot."
"This morning?"
"We've been exercising."
"Really?"
Ryu laughed.
"Then keep going."
Lee Han looked forward again.
But for some reason, his heart kept pounding fast.
He didn't want to admit it wasn't because of soccer.
"Let's take a break."
Ryu sat down on the bench.
Lee Han sat down beside him too.
There was a little distance between them.
Ryu handed him a water bottle, and Lee Han took it.
"Thank you."
"You don't really drink water, do you."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not. If you don't drink water when you exercise, you'll get tired fast."
"I only drink it because you keep taking care of me."
"Then I guess I'll have to keep taking care of you from now on."
Ryu said it playfully.
Lee Han set the bottle down.
"Do you always look after all the juniors, senior?"
"Huh?"
"Not just me. The others too."
Ryu thought for a moment.
"Well. As captain, I do take care of them in general."
"Then am I the same as everyone else?"
Lee Han's voice was a little lower than usual.
Ryu looked at him after hearing that.
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"I was just curious."
"You're a little different."
"How?"
"I have to pay special attention to you."
"Why?"
Ryu smiled.
"Because you're the ace."
"So it's because of soccer."
"What else would it be besides soccer?"
Lee Han said nothing.
He felt like he'd asked something he shouldn't have.
Watching him, Ryu asked,
"But don't you have a lot of things you're curious about with me too?"
"Like what?"
"Anything besides soccer."
"......"
"I know you look at me all the time."
Lee Han's hand stopped.
"When did I ever."
"You look at me during practice, and after games too. And whenever I'm talking to someone else, you keep glancing over."
"It's because you're the captain."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"So you're not interested in me or anything?"
Ryu asked playfully with a smile.
Lee Han didn't answer for a long time.
Then quietly said,
"...Would that be bad?"
Ryu's smile disappeared.
"What?"
Only then did Lee Han realize what he'd said.
"No, I mean, as a soccer thing."
"Ah."
Ryu gave a small laugh.
"Right. As a soccer thing, that's fine."
"...Yes."
"But that did surprise me a little just now."
"Me too."
"Why?"
"I didn't know I'd say something like that."
A short silence fell between them.
Ryu was the first to stand up.
"Let's go."
"Where to?"
"Back to training."
"Already?"
"Why, did you want to sit with me longer?"
"......No."
Lee Han stood up after him.
Ryu laughed.
"Doesn't look like it."
"Senior, you really do like teasing people."
"You react so well."
"I won't let you next time."
"Then I'll be disappointed."
Lee Han didn't answer.
But watching Ryu walk ahead, he let out a very small laugh.
By the end of practice that day.
Lee Han was left alone, putting the balls away.
Ryu said he'd head off first.
But strangely, it felt empty.
Usually he wanted to go home quickly.
Today, the field was too quiet.
Then his phone rang.
[Senior Ryu]
Contact me when you get home.
You seemed a little off around your ankle earlier, so I thought I should check whether you're okay.
Lee Han stared at the message for a long time.
It was nothing special.
And yet, for some reason, it made him smile.
He started typing a reply.
Yes. You be careful going back too, senior.
He was about to send it, then deleted it again.
And wrote it once more.
Please contact me when you get home too, senior.
Send.
A little later, a reply came.
Why? Are you worried about me?
Lee Han looked at the screen and thought for a long time.
Then he replied briefly.
Yes.
This time, no reply came right away.
A few minutes later.
...Why are you acting like this today?
Lee Han let out a snort of laughter.
I don't know either.
That night.
After closing the chat with Ryu, Lee Han lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
It was strange.
He had only joined the soccer club a week ago.
And yet, before he knew it, his days had started revolving around Ryu.
When Ryu smiled, he felt happy.
When Ryu talked to someone else for a long time, he got needlessly bothered.
And when Ryu was close like today, his heart beat strangely fast.
Lee Han closed his eyes.
He wanted to think this was just because he admired his senior.
But somewhere in his heart, he already knew.
The reason he kept looking at Ryu
wasn't just because of soccer.