Hyejoo was beyond thrilled to be paired with Haseul for the scavenger hunt. She figured this would be a good chance to get to know her captain a little better, and also for herself to hold her own in this competition and win. She would definitely earn some respect if she won alongside her captain.
She wondered if Haseul would have any kind of strategy for the both of them. After all, she has been on this campus longer, she would probably know some shortcuts. Though Hyejoo wanted to keep game planning, she knew she had another matter to attend to: Jinsoul.
When it came to basketball matters, Jinsoul was always nervous. She was valid in her anxieties though. Jinsoul took a bit longer to develop and sharpen her game than Hyejoo (and most other players did). She got recruited later than most as well, which took a toll on her confidence, even though Hyejoo did all she could to encourage her friend, it was hard to undo all the negative comments she had gotten over the years.
"Soulie?" Hyejoo nudged her roommate with her elbow.
Jinsoul looked up from playing with her hands, "Yeah?"
"Where's your head at?" Hyejoo pressed.
Jinsoul stood a moment before she answered, she said very softly, "I'm with Sooyoung"
Hyejoo smiled, attempting to make her friend not as anxious, "Yeah you are! She's one of the best on the team Jindol, and you guys are essentially the same player! This is meant for you!"
The tall forward gave a half smile and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right Hyejoo-ah. I just don't want to hold her back."
Hyejoo laid both of her hands on each of Jinsoul's shoulders and looked into her eyes, "As long as you do your best, which might I add that you always do, Sooyoung better be worried about holding you back"
The younger of the two could tell Jinsoul was thinking about her words, juggling whether to believe them or not.
Hyejoo then added, "I could choose to believe that I would be holding Haseul back, but I'm not. I see it as a way to compete with the best, and also get to know her better. If you take away anything, try that last bit. Kay?"
"Yeah, alright" Jinsoul said, looking a bit more lighthearted.
Hyejoo smiled and clapped her hands together, "Perfect" she said as she turned to find Haseul before they started, but before going she also added, "besides it's not like you need to win this when lover girl makes you drinks all the time". She sprinted away from Jinsoul, narrowly avoiding a punch to the arm.
Haseul was standing nearby the starting line, looking pretty relaxed. Hyejoo knew she was in good hands. The freshman approached her partner and made eye contact.
"Hyejoo-ssi! You ready for this?" Haseul asked brightly.
"Of course, unnie! We're gonna crush this" Hyejoo responded.
"Yeah we will, between you and me, there isn't anything in our way. I got faith in us kid" Haseul encouraged right before the Coaches made them all line up before they took off.
"Don't worry about navigating too much, just keep up. We gotta move quickly, I'm not the only one on this team who knows shortcuts"
Hyejoo nodded. As much as she would have liked to equally lead them around, she figured her prowess would come through her athletic abilities, and not her guidance.
Coach Byun blew his whistle, and every pair took off. Haseul motioned with her hand to turn left, opposite of most other groups. Without hesitation, Hyejoo obeyed. She figured she wouldn't question her captain just yet since they just started. The best thing to do was keep up with Haseul's pace. She was incredibly fast, even if she wasn't in a full out sprint.
