ELECTRIC ϟ LEE HAECHAN

sixty eight

24-23, Neo's up.

"Stay focused, we're almost done." Hyerin panted out, the strands of her ponytail falling apart and onto her face. Surprisingly, she was finally put back onto the court after Minseo was starting to burn out herself. They stood on opposite ends of the court , one of them always being in the front row to set. With this line up, they'd be able to end the game in no time.

Minseo shut her eyes painfully, the sleep deprivation finally catching up to her. Adrenaline could only do so much, but as the game was reaching an end, her breaths became more frequent and choppy. The aching in her calves was piercing in her flesh, the balls of her feet becoming sore with each step taken. The ball was in her hands, ready to serve.

Well, was she actually ready? Her fingers were shaking, her heartrate was speeding up abnormally. It hadn't been until the third set that she received random waves of anxiety, but she couldn't seem to figure out why. It's not like she had no hope in winning, especially they were only a point away. In fact, she was nothing but confident, especially with Hyerin back on the court. Despite it all, the nerves were itching in her system, as if they were telling her to run as fast as she could outside of the gym.

The referee blew the whistle and it pierced through her ears. Just like that, the crowd fell silent and intensity built up in the air. She swore they could hear the beating in her ribs, or even the dry gulp she took accompanied by the uneven breath that followed. She knew that if she didn't make a move soon, she would get penalized. Uneasily, she stepped a few feet back, tossing the ball high up in the air to serve.

Hyerin's mouth nearly dropped as it just barely brushed the net, thankfully reaching the other side. Minseo had never missed a serve, but it seemed like her perfect record could be broken sometime soon. The libero on Jaegu's team slid across the floor and she knew it'd leave a harsh burn on her elbows, but the ball was up nonetheless. "Get back here!" Hyerin called out to Minseo who looked dazed out, still behind the serving line.

There's something wrong, she told herself, the shaking building up to her knees. Despite the intensified worry, she scurried back to her spot just in time to receive the incoming ball. Hyerin let out the most passive aggressive groan, setting it to their left side hitter. Those left hand spikes had done a good enough job at racking points for the entire game, but Jaegu finally saw through their tactics.

Jaegu played the nastiest block, the ball falling right back into Neo's side of the court. Their libero's eyes widened, butt almost falling onto the hard wood as she dipped down to receive the sudden pass. With even more surprise, it went towards Minseo's direction and not Hyerin's, flustering the already anxious girl.

The ball barely received air time, but with a cheap tip over the net, it still went over. Jaegu was quicker than their thoughts though, running straight to where the net connected. It seemed like the ball couldn't catch a break, flying back and forth between their possession. Although she was immersed into the game, Hyerin was slightly panicking on the inside, not sure how long she could hold out for the rally.